Rihanna wows at the Grammys

Congratulations to local superstar Rihanna, who not only brought glamour and sophistication to the Grammy Awards carpet last night, but won, along with Jay-Z and Kanye West, int he categories of Best Rap Song and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for "Run This Town.




Simply elegant. This look suits you, Rih-Rih. Keep it up.

Soon come back

Hey, peoples. Sorry for breaking my promise about posting last Thursday, but things are hectic now. Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso of Lesotho are in town and so the entire media's busy right now. So, I soon come back with more BMA pics.

To tide you over, here's a cute one of Prince Harry at the QEH on Saturday. He visited the Paediatric Ward there.



Too cute. Credit for the photo goes to the GIS. The Princes also did a number at Farley Hall during the telethon for Haiti, joining the Red Plastic Bag on stage to dance to 'Something's Happening'. I tell, yuh, you had to see it to believe it. I'm sure it's on youtube or twitter as we speak.....

Bas just won't give up

Basdeo Panday just doesn't know when to call it quits. Kamla Persad Bissessar crushed him in the election for leader of the United National Congress, but Bas says he ain't going nowhere.

Show some humility for once, Bas, and give up graciously.

Barbados Music Awards Red Carpet - The ladies

Hey, peoples. As promised, here are some of the red carpet photos from the recent Barbados Music Awards, held at the Wildey Gymnasium. All photos are the property of Bajantube.com.


These ladies made some bold fashion choices, and they paid off.


I don't know if it's the contrasting colours or the angle of the photo, but soemthing looks a bit off in the top part of this ensemble. It's a bit swimsuit-ish, not the look I think she was going for.


I'm not sure what was the purpose of the netting over the dress, but it killed the outfit entirely. Also, my dear lady....support is your friend.


This outfit screams elegance, but the gloves are a bit much for a music awards show. Unless you're Michael Jackson, leave the gloves at home.


I don't usually go for white at night, but these ladies are so picture perfect it's all good.


Damn that Betty West. That's all I have to say.


Two of the most talented women in Barbados, Terencia 'TC' Coward (left) and Natahlee Burke (right) came out on in style on the night. Their friend in the middle looked stunning as well.


This trio looked young, hip and fresh, but dem purple tights with matching ankle boots gotta go....


This is one brave lady. Papa Joe, Fantasia and PM Thompson nearly had to deliver her baby....


Local songstress Keann Walters is rocking the ish outa that lil black dress. Do you, honey, do you.


Heyyyyy, Fantasia.

Tomorrow, the men.

Barbados Music Awards

Hey, peoples. The fifth annual Barbados Music Award came off on the 10th of January, and I was all set to blog about hte winners and thr red carpet, but then the tragedy in Haiti occurred and I had to focus on that.

It was a fantastic show, by all accounts, and R&B sensation Fantasia almost literally brought the house down during her performance. Michael Jackson's father Joe was also in attendance to collect a Lifetime Achievement Award on his son's behalf.

So, it's a bit old but here's the list of winners of the 2010 BMA's.

Soca Up-Tempo Single
Edwin Yearwood- In De Middle A De Road

Soca Mid-Tempo Single (Male)
RPB- Something's Happening

Soca Mid- Tempo Single (Female)
Natahlee- What We Do

Best Social Commentary
RPB- Home Drums

Best Collaboration
Alison Hinds & Richie Spice- King and Queen

Song of the Year
RPB- Something's Happening

Album of the Year (Artist / Group)
Shontelle-Shontelligence

Album of the Year (Compilation)
Monsta Piece- AWOL

Producer of the Year
KB Sharp

Songwriter of the Year
Mr. Dale

Backing Vocalist of the Year
Indra Rudder

Instrumentalist of the Year
Darien Bailey

Best Music Video (Male)
Kirk Brown feat. Justin King & Tejay- Shawty Get

Best Music Video (Female)
Tarah- Push Back / Love De Carnival

Best New Artist
Sir Ruel

Reggae Artist of the Year
Buggy

Jazz Artist of the Year
Kellie CaDogan

Gospel Artist of the Year
Mya Daniel

Soca Artist of the Year
TC

Pop / Rock / Alternative Artist of the Year
Philip 7

Rap / Hip- Hop Artist of the Year
Ruby Tech

Soul / R&B Artist of the Year
Jaicko

Band / Group of the Year
Krosfyah

Entertainer of the Year (Male)
Edwin Yearwood

Entertainer of the Year (Female)
Alison Hinds

Song of the Decade
Rihanna- Umbrella

Band / Group of the Decade
Krosfyah

Entertainer of the Decade (Male)
Lil Rick

Entertainer of the Decade (Female)
Rihanna
________________________________________
2010 BMA HONOUREES
Cornerstone Awards
Arturo Valentino
JoAnne Sealey
Andrea Gollop- Greenidge
ANTHONY BRYAN
Natahlee
Herring
Biggie Irie
John Sealy
John Roett
Tony Thompson

Lifetime Achievement Award
Tony Hoyos

Living Legend
Marvo Manning

BMA Award of Excellence
Terencia "TC" Coward

BMA Platinum Award
Shontelle- (Shontelligence, T Shirt)

International Award of Excellence
Toni Braxton
Fantasia Barrino

International Lifetime Achievement Award (In Memoriam)
Michael Jackson

Tomorrow I'll recap some of the red carpet fashion, courtesy of Bajantube.com.

Happy 1st Anniversary, Obama + Haiti Relief Concert

Yesterday marked the first anniversary since the inauguration of US President Barack Obama, and what a bittersweet year it has been. He's had to deal with the financial crisis, opposition to his health care reform and now he's lost the major Senate seat of Massachusetts.

Anyhoo, Mr. President, keep fighting the good fight. You still have a lot of support in your corner.

Last night, Hollywood and the music industry combined to stage the Hope For Haiti benefit concert and telethon. Rihanna performed alongside Jay-Z and Bono of U2 on a beautiful track entitled "Stranded". Check it below.



Here in Bim, the Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation has hit the streets today to raise donations and on January 30 Barbados will be stagin its own telethon. I'll bring more info on that as it comes to hand.

Peace, my peoples.

Haiti Relief Effort

Hey, peoples. Well, the mobilisation of relief efforts is well under way here in Bimshire. On Saturday, over $1 million was pledged through the radiothon on Starcom Network and more donations are pouring in.

I have a list of the items and personnel needed URGENTLY to assit Haiti. Check it out below, get involved.

List of Distribution Outlets

Emerald City Supermarket
Six Roads, St. Philip

Carlton A1 Supermarket
Black Rock, St. Michael

SuperCentre
Warrens, St. Michael
Worthing, Christ Church

Popular Discounts
Spooners Hill, St. Michael

Trimart Supermarkets
- Haggatt Hall, St. Michael
- Bridge Street, St. Michael
- St. Martin’s, St. Philip
- Rendezvous, Ch.Ch.
- Mile-and-a-Quarter, St. Peter

Jordans Supermarkets
- Fitts Village, St. James
- Speightstown, St. Peter

National Cultural Foundation
West Terrace, St. James
Tel: 424-0909


UWI Guild of Students
Cave Hill, St. Michael
Tel: 826-5631

WAREHOUSES

Unit# 7 BIDC Building
Six Roads
St. Philip


Opening Hours
Mondays-Fridays
-9:30 am – 10:00pm
Saturday 9:30 am –11:00pm
Sunday 9:30 am – 9:00 pm

Monetary Donations may be donated to:

First Caribbean International
Account# 1001059963

Barbados National Bank
Account# 01801513-2002

Haiti Relief Command Centre - Kensington Oval
274 - 1100
274 - 1101
274 – 1102
274 – 1106
274 – 1107
274 – 1120
274 – 1150
274 – 1151
274 – 1152
274 – 1153
274 – 1154
274 – 1155

Email: barbadoshaitirelief@gmail.com

Items Needed

NON-PERISHABLE FOOD SUPPLIES
Tuna, Sardines, Canned Milk, Dry Foods (crackers)

MEDICAL SUPPLIES
Gauze, Pain Killers (Panadols, Tylenol), First Aid Kits, Disposable Gloves, Disinfectants, Cots, Bedding, Medical Equipment, Tents

BABY SUPPLIES
Wipes, Milk, Baby Foods, Pampers

SANITARY SUPPLIES
Feminine Hygiene Napkins, Hand Sanitizers, Sanitary Wipes

SHELTER
Tents

BUILDING MATERIALS & SUPPLIES*

Cement, aggregate building blocks, lumber, PVC, Doors,
Electrical Fixtures, Construction Tools,
Windows, Sheetrock, Roofing Materials

*Please call Command Centre to make pledges.

PERSONNEL NEEDED

Medical Personnel
Emergency Medical Technicians
Surgeons
Anesthetists
General Practitioners
Internists
Obstetricians
Nurses
Midwives
Psychologists
Radiologists
Nutritionists

Construction Personnel

Civil Engineers
Carpenters
Masons
Plumbers
Electrical Installation Specialists
General Labourers

Communications Personnel

Linesmen
Technicians
ICT Specialists

RIP Teddy Pendergras

Amidst the reports of the turmoil in Haiti, the news that soul crooner Teddy Pendergrass died yesterday at the age of 59 might have gone unnoticed. I wanted to acknowledge his passing and I'll do a fave list of his songs a bit later. Oh yeah, Love TKO, Close the Door, Turn off the Lights, Wake Up Everybody, it's gonna be fun.

For now, I'll post up a video of the legend in his heyday, performing one of his hits, Close The Door. Good stuff.

Aid for Haiti

Hi, peoples. Since I last blogged Prime Minister David Thompson left the island for an emergency Caricom meeting in Jamaica, before heading to Haiti to see firsthand the devastation wrought there by Tuesday's earthquake.

Also, aid is pouring into Haiti. Trinidad and Guyana are donating US$1 million each, and President Obama has earmarked US$100 million. As I mentioned yesterday, the Starcom Network will hold a radiothon on Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 12 noon. The numbers to call are 434-1790, 434-1791 and 434-1770. For those of you overseas, precede those numbers with 1-246.

In addition, you can deposit cash on an account set up at the Broad Street branch of First Caribbean International Bank. The account number is #2645374.

I'll update you as more information comes in.

Help Haiti!

Barbados and the rest of the Caribbean are at this moment mobilising resources to assit the people of Haiti, following the massive 7.0 earthquake which occured yesterday. So far, reports are that 20% of the island's housing stock has been destroyed. Even the Presidential Palace has been seriously damaged.

Here in Bim Starcom Network and the OCM network are arranging a radiothon on Saturday to raise funds. I'll post up the information on the numbers to call as soon as I get them.

Prime Minister David Thompson held a hastily convened press conference to address this tragedy. Here's what he had to say:

It is with a sense of profound sadness that Barbadians learnt of the earthquake that struck the nation of Haiti yesterday, January 12, 2009. While the world is only now coming to understand the scale of destruction and loss of life as the first pictures and reports are being seen and filed, initial assessments indicate that Haiti has again suffered a calamity of horrendous proportions. This comes at a time when Haiti is still recovering from a series of hurricanes which struck that nation two years ago.

At this painful and trying moment for all Haitians, I extend, on behalf of the people of Barbados, my deepest sympathy to the Government and people of Haiti and especially to those who have suffered the loss of loved ones.

I want also to give every assurance of Barbados’ support for Haiti during this difficult period as it seeks to cope with and recover from the aftermath of the earthquake. I have already been in consultation with the Heads of other CARICOM countries, particularly the Chairman, to ensure that an adequate and meaningful response to this disaster is also made by the Caribbean Community. The pain of this disaster is felt throughout the Community, and we will do whatever is in our power to show our support and solidarity with our fellow CARICOM state as it faces this terrible trauma. Our prayers and thoughts continue to be with the Government and people of Haiti during this trying time.

For this tragedy to occur after suffering four hurricanes in 2008, it's just too much. My prayers are with you, mes freres at soeurs haitiens.

Image: Damage to the Presidential Palace following the earthquake

The Top 10 Blog Stories of 2009 pt. 2

Hey peoples. I'm back with what, in my lowly opinion, were the top four blog stories of 2009. These are the news items that generated the most buzz on my blog and among the public.


4. The death of Michael Jackson
The outpouring of grief I witnessed in Bim for the late pop icon Michael Jackson is usually reserved for Prime Ministers, and left no doubt that his fans and detractors alike felt his passing. Live coverage of his funeral was viewed by hundreds in Kensington Oval and the 24 hour sessions of Jackson's hits on the radio stations were spine-tingling. RIP, MJ.


3. The Inauguration of US President Barack Obama
Barbados came to a standstill almost a year ago as persons were glued to their tv and computer screens to watch the first African American being sworn in as President of the USA. It was a day that will live on my memory.


2. Rihanna vs. Chris Brown
You all know the story on this one, so I won't bother to rehash this dark episode. You can check out my numerous posts last year on this topic. I'm done.



1. Ryan Brathwaite wins gold at the World Championships
When hurdler Ryan Brathwaite beat out his competitors to win the gold medal at the World Championships in Berlin, Barbadians were overcome with pride and joy. I was in Bridgetown when he ran and I can tell you, even the City vagrants were fussy fussy. Well done, son of the soil.

Top 10 Blog Stories of 2009

Happy New Year, y'all! Hope you had a great Christmas and I wish you good health and prosperity in 2010. I also want to welcome on board four new followers. Thanks for signing on, hope you enjoy the ride!

Anyhoo, 2009 was quite a year for news. Actually the entire decade was one that saw many firsts: the first Grammy for a Bajan singer in 2007; the first African American President of the USA in 2009 and hopefully many lasts: the fall of the Twin Towers in 2001 and the Tsunami in the South Pacific in 2004.

I checked back through my blog archives and as a sayonara to 2009, I listed what I thought were the top blog stories of that year. I ranked them based on the interest generated locally and their significance to the country. Let me know of any others you think should be included.


10. Contractor Al Barack vs. the Government of Barbados
This story is a news gift that keeps on giving in the new year. To make a long story short, about six years ago a tribunal ordered Government to pay Barack about $35million dollars for terminating his contract to construct the Warrens Office Complex. With the dragging of feet by successive administrations the figure has since grown to $65 million. At the rate things are going, with a war of words between the two sides, Barack may own all national properties lock, stock and barrel soon....


9. Usain Bolt shatters 100-metre world record
Following on from his gold medal winning ways in Beijing in 2008, Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt smoked the track at the World Championships in Berlin, lowering the 100 metre world record to 9.58 seconds. And the Caribbean rejoiced.


8. Mia Mottley vs. Owen Arthur
Those of you newbies to the blog can read all about this particular story here.


7. The Tiger Woods scandal
Tiger, Tiger, Tiger. Who knew you had it in you? I don't know whether to be impressed or disgusted. You can read my post on that matter here.

6. Barbados' new immigration policy
Further proof that the road to hell is sometimes paved with the best of intentions, Government's unveiling of a new immigration policy whereby all undocumented Caribbean Community (CARICOM) nationals living on the island for five years or more can regularise their stay here, created a furore that reverberated throughout the entire Caribbean.


5. The Swine Flu epidemic
Like a storyline straight out of Hollywood, the H1N1 or swine flu epidemic spread quickly and left hundreds of deaths in its wake. Barbados had its share of deaths as well, and with the winter season in full flight now, we can only hope that we don't see a resurgence of the virus here.

I'll be back soon with the top four news stories of 2009....