Rihanna new album "Unapologetic" coming soon
Rihanna due to release her upcoming "Unapologetic" album, by November 19.
The album which is her seventh album in as many years shows Rihanna with one arm partially covering her left breast. The right is obscured by black ink bearing the word “Unapologetic”.
"Diamonds," "Fearless," “Faith,” “Happy,” “Censored”,“love” and “Fun” are just some of the many words, scrawled across her body.
Around the time she releases the album, Rihanna is set to perform at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, which will air on CBS in December. She's been tapped to provide the soundtrack as the brand's Angels strut down the catwalk along with Justin Bieber and Bruno Mars.
The first single from the album, "Diamonds" has hit No. 1 in many countries.
She has received four American Music Awards nominations including Artist of the Year, Favorite Female Artist - Pop/Rock, Favorite Female Artist - Soul/R&B, and Favorite Album - Soul/R&B for "Talk That Talk."
Venue, date change for Barkey's funeral
There is a venue and date change for the memorial service of deejay Wayne 'Captain Barkey' Hamilton.
The dancehall artiste's memorial service will be at Hagley Park Road Seventh Day Adventist Church on November 8 at 11:00 am.Interment follows at Up Park Camp in St Andrew. Barkey's mother, Irene Clarke confirmed the details with the Jamaica Observer.
Captain Barkey, 50, was shot and killed in the parking lot of a motel in the Bronx, New York City on October 13.
Police report that he and his 38-year-old lover Tracy Bennett were about to leave the motel in her white Toyota Camry when a gunman, later identified as Joseph Kernizan, shot them.
Bennett also died in the incident while Kernizan, her estranged husband, killed himself three days later in Miami. Barkey was best known for the 1990s hit songs, Go Go Wine and Bun fi Bun.
Boxer gets $3,000 per month for 4 years
TRINIDAD and Tobago’s junior welterweight boxer Kimberly Jackson is being seen as the next Giselle Salandy. The only difference is that she wants to win an Olympic gold medal in Brazil 2016.
Her handlers described her as fast and skillful with the punching power to knock out any opponent she may face in the future...... someone like a Tommy Hearns.
But her preparation was given a major boost by the Caribbean Recreation Initiatives (CRI), a company that supplies sporting equipment. The Chaguanas-based company has pumped a whopping $144, 000 towards Jackson’s drive for Brazil 2016 and has promised that any other assistance needed will be forthcoming. From the sponsorship deal the 15-year-old Marabella Secondary student will be given $3,000 a month for the next four years which will help her with day-to-day expenses, her training and nutrition.
At the company’s headquarters in Chaguanas last week, Operations Manager Anton Hosein explained that they intend to assist Jackson until she realises her dream.
“The company is all about helping sports. The company has provided assistance to many others in the past and we feel that Jackson has the ability to bring home a medal from the Olympics” Hosein said.
He added “We are certain that Jackson can go all the way.” Jackson’s preparations received a major dent with the death of her mother recently at their Siparia home. That tragedy left her in the care of her father who she said is also pensioner. But Jackson was rescued by special adviser to the Trinidad and Tobago Boxing Board (TTBB) Boxu Potts and president of the Amateur Boxing Association of Trinidad and Tobago (ABATT) Cecil Forde. Both men, with the assistance of CRI have placed her in a live-in camp at Marabella where proper schooling, parenting and boxing are being taught.
Jackson is one of many young boxers at the camp in preparation for the Brazil 2016 Olympic Games. Potts said attempts are also on the way to have a special tutor visit the camp on a regular basis to help those who are preparing for CXC examinations. He told the gathering that, like Giselle, they will take good care of little Jackson as they believe she has the talent to be anything she wants to be.
“From the first time that we saw Kimberly we knew that she is someone special. By the time she is 18-years-old she would be six feet and 150 pounds or more, and will be able to beat any female boxer in the world” Potts said. But the outspoken boxing administrator explained that there are lots more to achieve in the sport of boxing in TT. And in outlining his intention for the sport he said they will enter the secondary schools and continue their work in the different communities.
Potts said they will also encourage the different military services to create boxing academies of its own. This according to Potts will help serve the interest of many young boxers who are interested in getting into the police, army and fire services. Potts also reminded young boxers that the sport has be re-accepted at the University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT) which means that young boxers can pursue their degree through the sport.
Forde, the amateur boxing boss thanked CRI for the gesture of sponsoring and gave the assurance that they will not let the country down.
Beres Hammond for NBC's Late Night
Beres Hammond has some high-profile dates as part of the promotion for his latest album, One Love, One Life which will be released November 13 by VP Records.
The singer is scheduled to perform on December 11 on the top-rated American television show, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon which airs on NBC.
Hammond, 59, will be backed by the influential neo-soul band The Roots.
The following day, Hammond is headliner for the Sounds of Reggae Concert at the recently opened Brooklyn Barclays Center.
Maxi Priest, Shaggy and former UB40 singer Ali Campbell, are also scheduled to perform.
Hammond produced 19 of the 20 songs on One Love, One Life which also bears the seal of his Harmony House label.
The first disc contains lovers rock songs while disc two comprises socially-conscious tracks
Britney Spears libel case is thrown out of court in US
A civil case brought against Britney Spears and her family by her former manager has been thrown out of court by a judge.
Osama 'Sam' Lutfi, who said he worked for the singer in 2007 and 2008, had sued for breach of contract.
He'd also tried to sue Britney's mother, Lynne Spears, for defamation, and her father, Jamie, for assault.
After two weeks of testimony judge Suzanne Bruguera said there was not enough evidence to continue.
She told Los Angeles' Superior Court that it was "the right thing to do".She said Sam Lutfi hadn't proven any of the claims he'd made during the trial.
For the past fortnight, the court had been hearing about the public breakdown Britney had more than four years ago.
Then the singer temporarily lost custody of her children, was briefly hospitalised and became estranged from her family.
It was at that time she met Sam Lutfi. He said she'd hired him as her manager after meeting him in a club.
In her 2008 book Through The Storm, Lynne Spears claimed Sam Lutfi had controlled her daughter, crushed drugs into her food and cut off contact from her family.He denied that saying he's been a friend to Britney and tried to get her off drugs.
As part of his case, he had also claimed Britney's father hit him at the singer's mansion.
He wanted a 15% share of the singer's earnings from the time he worked with her.
The 38-year-old said he would appeal the judge's ruling.
Since her breakdown, Britney Spears, now 30, has made a successful comeback to the limelight, most recently as a judge on The X Factor USA.
--BBC
Etana gives birth to Second Child
Reggae artiste Etana has given birth to her second child. The singer gave birth to a baby girl in the United States on Thursday. The child is fathered by her husband André Morris. Etana also has a teenage son, Shevaun, from a previous relationship.
Etana, although still exhausted, was in high spirits as she said, "I'm happy. We're well and she's so beautiful, I'll tell you. She's over eight pounds. Amazing! I didn't even look that big, even the doctor was shocked. She's so cute, though. I'm ready for our journey together, and I'm grateful the day I met her father. My son is also so excited. He's all smiles now."
According to her publicist Keona Williams, "The baby girl is huge, strong and healthy. Etana is very excited, though exhausted. She hasn't come back around fully yet, but she is ecstatic. This is something Etana wanted for a while now, and finally, we have this addition to our musical family."
In an earlier interview, Etana said she was happy about her pregnancy.
"Our plan was to do different business moves, etc, but we were surprised with a new life, a precious gift, and funny enough we ended up doing most, if not all we planned just the same. Jah works in mysterious ways. My husband is all smiles watching every step I make. He wants to be at every doctor's visit, rubbing my aching feet and making sure I have all I need to be comfortable. He's gonna be a great dad," she told THE STAR.
Etana is also the host of Against All Odds that began airing on CVM TV last month. She recently released an EP, A Better Tomorrow, that had songs like Reggae, Better Tomorrow and Foreplay To Love. She will also be releasing the album Better Tomorrow on February 12, 2013.
"New album to come, new baby, new places to grace, new stages, and new fans. Thanks to all my fans for all their support throughout the years. Keep watching Against All Addsand look out for the new EP November 13 on iTunes," Etana said.
Bishop Tawadros new pope of Egypt's Coptic Christians
Bishop Tawadros has been chosen as the new pope of Egypt's Coptic Christians, becoming leader of the largest Christian minority in the Middle East.
His name was selected from a glass bowl by a blindfolded boy at a ceremony in Cairo's St Mark's Cathedral. Three candidates had been shortlisted.
The 60-year-old succeeds Pope Shenouda III, who died in March aged 88.
He succeeds as attacks on Copts are on the increase, and many say they fear the country's new Islamist leaders.
The other two candidates were Bishop Raphael and Father Raphael Ava Mina. They were chosen in a ballot by a council of some 2,400 Church and community officials in October.
'In God's hands'
Their names were written on pieces of paper and put in crystal balls sealed with wax on the church altar.
A blindfolded boy - one of 12 shortlisted children - then drew out the name of Bishop Tawadros, who until now was an aide to the acting leader, Bishop Pachomius.
Bishop Pachomius then took the ballot from the boy's hand and showed it to all those gathered in the cathedral.
Strict measures were in place to make sure there was no foul play during the televised ceremony: the three pieces of paper with candidates' names were all the same size and tied the same way.
Copts say this process ensures the selection is in God's hands.
Bishop Tawadros will be enthroned in a ceremony on 18 November.
The new pope has studied in Britain, and has also run a medicine factory, the BBC's Jon Leyne in Cairo reports.
BBC
Aung San Suu Kyi Refuses to Take Sides in Burma Ethnic Violence
Burmese democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi has urged tolerance in response to a wave of ethnic violence in the west of the country, but says she will not take sides.
In an interview with the BBC Saturday, the Nobel Peace laureate said she does “not think one should use one's moral leadership” to promote a particular cause without looking into the sources of the problem.
She says advocates of both sides are displeased with her, but says the rule of law should be established as a first step before looking into other problems.
Aung San Suu Kyi spoke in the administrative capital of Naypyidaw after talks with European Commission President Jose Manual Barroso, who has said the European Union is deeply concerned about the ethnic violence and the consequences for Burma's reforms.
The U.N. chief in Rangoon, Ashok Nigam, said a week ago that more than 22,000 people had been displaced in a week of violence between Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine state.
New York-based Human Rights Watch has said that the fighting has disproportionately targeted Muslims.
Some rights groups say the Burmese military, which has a long history of abusing minorities, unfairly targeted Muslims during the unrest. Burma's government denies the charges.
Egypt’s Coptics Choose New Pope
Egypt's Coptic Christian Church has chosen a new pope.
Bishop Tawadros became the new head the church early Sunday when a blindfolded boy picked his name from a transparent container in a ceremony at Cairo's Coptic Cathedral.
Bishop Tawadros, who is 60 years old, succeeds Pope Shenouda the Third who died in March at the age of 88.
Church activists are expressing hope the new pope's leadership will guide Coptics safely through the uncertainty in Egypt following the country's political revolution that toppled Hosni Mubarak in February.
Christians make up about 10 percent of the population of Egypt, which is mainly Muslim.
Syrian activists say more than 4,500 people died last month.
Libyan officials say a car bomb has exploded near a police station in the country's second largest city, wounding three people.
Authorities say the blast Sunday in the Mediterranean city of Benghazi heavily damaged the front of the police station.
In September, U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans died in an attack on the U.S. diplomatic post in Benghazi.
The new Libyan government is struggling to control armed individuals and militias that gained power during an armed conflict that ousted Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi last year. Benghazi was the birthplace of the revolt.