Since her stint at 106 & Park, Rosci Diaz has moved to LA and started a new venture in television broadcast and hosting. She’s also started a new venture in men, the most recent one Sean Kingston. Sean and Rosci were spotted going to LA’s luxurious Vanderpump restaurant together. It’s hard to tell if these two are serious given their track record of celebrity dates. Sean has been linked to other personalities and Rosci is known for dating folks with impressionable $ figures. What do you think?
Soca star Machel Montano and songwriter Kernal Roberts can be sentenced to a maximum term of imprisonment of five years having been found guilty of charges of assault occasioning bodily harm. This is according to Section 30 of the Offences Against the Person Act, Chapter 11:08.
Having also been found guilty on two counts of common assault, Montano could be ordered to pay $4,000 and serve a term of imprisonment for two years. Montano was also found guilty of using obscene language which, according to Section 49 of the Summary Offences Act Chapter 11:02, carries a penalty of a fine of $200 or imprisonment for 30 days.
The verdicts against the reigning Power Soca Monarch and Road March winner and his band member Roberts were announced by Magistrate Maureen Baboolal-Gafoor in the Port of Spain Magistrates Court yesterday.
Montano and Roberts were charged along with soca artistes Joel “Zan” Feveck and Rodney “Benjai” LeBlanc following an altercation with four patrons – Gerard Bowrin, Brandis Browne, Janelle Lee Chee and Russell Pollonais – outside the Zen nightclub in Port of Spain in April 2007.
LeBlanc was found not guilty of the two common assault charges laid against him and Feveck, who was charged with one count of common assault, was also found not guilty.
Baboolal-Gafoor is expected to pass sentence on Montano and Roberts on January 17.
The Express asked one magistrate what factors would Baboolal-Gafoor most likely take into consideration in determining the appropriate sentence to be meted out to Montano and Roberts.
“Generally, the court will take in account whether the person is a first-time offender or not,” the magistrate said.
“If the person has previous convictions, the magistrate will consider whether they are of a similar nature to the current conviction, the character of the person, that is if he has any involvement in the community and his age, the nature of the offence and whether the person pleaded guilty at the first opportunity or not. A plea of guilty at the first opportunity is the best show of remorse.
“The court may also want to consider the effect of a conviction recorded against a person as in the case of a student who has shown an intention or shown evidence of studying abroad…how the conviction may affect his chances of acquiring a visa.
“However, the weight given to these different elements are all dependent upon the individual magistrates.
“Persons can also be placed on a community service order. But with five matters, the court may not want to consider that option,” the magistrate said.
MEANWHILE…
Minister of Community Development and former Calypsonian, Winston Gypsy Peters, is “very saddened” to hear that soca star Machel Montano has been found guilty on four charges of assault and one of obscene language.
Peters, who told the Express yesterday that Montano was like his little son and he had known him since he was a child, stated: “I hope that there would be some kind of leniency in terms of….(his sentencing). You know Machel is not a violent person in any way. And sometimes bad things happen to good people. The law has taken its course which is the right way to go, but I do hope that everything works well for him and we wouldn’t have any setback because a setback for Montano is also a setback for our country.
“Montano is a flagship entertainer of our country and I hope that everything works well for him. But it goes to show that in Trinidad and Tobago the law, despite what everybody says, the law takes its course and the law is for all. But I hope that everything works well for Machel. I love him to death.”
Asked about the fact that Montano had been embraced by the current administration, Peters said he did not know that the Government embraced Montano but rather it was the people of the country.
“Machel is an international iconic figure who happens to be from Trinidad and Tobago. The people of Trinidad and Tobago have embraced him. And rightly so because we need people like that to publicise our island,” he said.
Legendary reggae artist and activist Bob Marley has been elevated to high academia, after NYU added a three-week class in January dedicated to his life and times. The Tisch School of the Arts course, “Topics in Recorded Music: Bob Marley & Post-Colonial Music,” will cover Marley’s music, Jamaican history and Rastafarianism, instructor Vivien Goldman said Monday. Goldman, who did public-relations work for Marley in 1975 before writing two books about him, said the two-day-per-week class — which costs $2,822, according to NYU’s website — is open to anyone with a high school diploma.
“By studying him, you get a sense for the arc that he lived,” said Goldman, an adjunct professor. “He was born in colonialism, and through his work he helped push society forward, toward the transracial, transnational unity that he summed up as ‘One Love.’”
Goldman, a writer and educator originally from London, knew Marley from 1975 until his death in 1981.
“I stayed at his house in Kingston, and we got to know each other very well,” she said.
“Bob Marley lived up to the image you have of him. He did walk what he talked and live what he preached,” she said. “He really had an urge to improve the situation around him.”
The graded, two-credit class will be held Tuesday and Thursday nights from Jan. 7 through Jan 26.
Non-NYU students can enroll online through Jan. 6,
Rihanna is shining bright like a diamond on the Billboard Hot 100 charts.
The Bajan pop star’s new single “Diamonds” rose to the top of the chart to make it her 12th number one single.
The single has been steadily climbing the charts since its release last month. This week the Benny Blanco and Stargate-produced single jumps 2-1 this week based on a compilation of digital sales and airplay.
Rihanna also debut a stunning music video for the single last week, which further pushed it to the top of the chart.
“‘Diamonds’ is @Rihanna’s 12th number one, at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 Single chart this week!” Def Jam tweeted yesterday.
Organizers say American R&B star Chris Brown has canceled a stadium concert in Guyana after local protests over his 2009 beating of then-girlfriend Rihanna. Brown was billed to headline a Dec. 26 show. But he drew the ire of women’s rights groups and opposition lawmakers who said Brown would not be welcome in Guyana three years after his assault of Barbadian superstar Rihanna.
Concert promoter Hits & Jams Entertainment said Thursday that Brown backed out, citing discomfort with the protests.
In 2009, Brown hit, choked and bit Rihanna during an argument in Los Angeles. He later pleaded guilty to assault.
Since then, Brown has worked to repair his image, undergoing violence counseling and putting out a new album. He has a duet with Rihanna on her recently released record.
BUNNY Rugs, lead singer of reggae band Third World, is among two other Jamaicans to be honored by the organizers of the Caribbean American Heritage (CARAH) Awards in Washington, DC on Friday.He will be presented with an Outstanding Contribution to Reggae Award at the CARAH Awards Gala scheduled for the Capitol Hilton Hotel, New York.Jazz musician Monty Alexander and Calabash literary festival founder Colin Channer will be present with a Luminary Award and Excellence In Literature Award, respectively.”I feel elated at being selected for the honor,” Bunny Rugs told the Jamaica Observer.Claire A Nelson — founder/president of Institute of Caribbean Studies, event organizers — said William ‘Bunny Rugs’ Clarke held the distinguished position of being one of reggae’s most illustrious balladeer ambassadors.Migrating to America from Jamaica in 1968, Bunny Rugs joined Third World in 1976. He has sung on all expect the group’s debut self-titled album.The CARAH Awards were started in 1994 by the Institute of Caribbean Studies to laud Caribbean immigrants’ contributions to America. Also honored are Friends of the Caribbean, whose work contribute to the well-being and welfare of the regional peoples.
The finals of the Jamaica Music Institute (JaMIN) Song Competition, having been rescheduled as a result of Hurricane Sandy, will now be held on Saturday.Gates will open at 7 p.m. for a 8 p.m. start, at the renowned Ambassador Theatre in Trench Town.The entertainment will be enhanced by special performances from Bunny and Scully and Derrick Harriot who launched their careers at the Ambassador. The three will be joined by Ken Boothe, Alaine, DeanFraser, Prophecy, Errol Dunkley, Jimmy Tucker, Lymie Murray, Myaz and Lascelles Perkins, among others.Tickets for the event may be purchased at Monarch Pharmacy in Liguanea and the Music Mart at South Avenue. Those tickets cost $1,000 and may also be bought at the gate.Built in the 1950s, The Ambassador Theatre was last used in 1980 and will experience a rebirth when the final 10 competitors will vie for a cashprize, a recording contract, airplay, a music scholarship, and the distinction of being the first recorded song in JaMIN’s state-of-the-art digital studio.The project is executed by JaMIN and supported by USAID Jamaica.
After a fresh bout of Twitter rumors on the weekend, saying legendary crooner Beres Hammond, one of the most recognizable voices in Jamaica, was dead, the lover’s rock empressario is proving to be more alive than ever.Hammond is staging a rebirth with One Love, One Life, a 20-track double album with steady grooves and some bona fide classics.This is the second time social media has ‘killed off’ the reggae legend.Early in 2008, it was rumored that Hammond had suffered a heart attack, sparking a sea of comments on Twitter, with fans mourning and wishing all the best for his family.
The same thing happened this weekend for some reason, but again Hammond is fine and One Love, One Life seems just as healthySelf-produced and recorded in his Kingston studio, Hammond has organised a record that splits into matters of the heart (One Love) and social consciousness (One Life).No Candle Light is instantly amazing. Hammond is ever the gentleman on the tender mid-tempo groove In My Arms and the romantic ballad Lonely Fellow is sincere.The second album is calm and refreshing, full of songs that will uplift. One bright spot is the title track, where Hammond makes it clear that he isn’t “singing for fame”.The 57-year-old came on to the music scene in the 1970s and has a voice that doesn’t seem to age. He adds another jewel in his crown with his new album.
PON Di Gaza Mi Sey, a 2011 compilation by controversial deejay Vybz Kartel, is among 50 albums on a provisional list for Best Reggae Album at next year’s Grammy Awards.The set is a collection of Kartel’s hit recordings, including Romping Shop, his suggestive duet with deejay Spice. Kartel has been in police custody on several charges, including murder, for over one year.The recently released list is dominated by dancehall acts including previous winner Sean Paul whose Tomahawk Technique gets a nod.
Busy Signal’s Reggae Music Again, Diversity (Gentleman), Sweet Jamaica (Mr Vegas) and Mental Maintenance by Konshens are also being considered.Resurgent artistes Toots Hibbert and Jimmy Cliff, who are also past Best Reggae Album winners, made the preliminary cut. Hibbert for Reggae Got Soul: Unplugged at Strawberry Hill, and Cliff for the much lauded Rebirth.The nominations will be announced on December 5 in Los Angeles. The Grammys are scheduled for February 13 at the Staples Centre, also in Los Angeles.
James Bond’s Skyfall has extended its worldwide box-office rule to North America, hauling in a franchise-record $87.8 million in its first weekend at US theatres.Adding in $2.2 million from Thursday night previews at IMAX and other large-format theatres, Skyfall has taken in $90 million domestically, according to studio estimates yesterday.That lifts the worldwide total for Skyfall to $518.6 million since it began rolling out overseas in late October. Internationally, the 23rd Bond flick added $89 million this weekend to raise its overseas revenue to $428.6 million.The third installment starring Daniel Craig as British super-spy Bond,Skyfall outdid the $67.5 million US debut of 2008′s Quantum of Solace, the franchise’s previous best opening. Skyfall more than doubled the $40.8 million debut of Craig’s first Bond film, 2006′s Casino Royale.
Skyfall already has passed the $407.7 million overseas total forQuantum of Solace and by Monday, it will top the $432.2 million international haul for Casino Royale 50th anniversary present The Craig era has reinvigorated one of Hollywood’s most-enduring franchises, whose first big-screen Bond adventure, Dr No, debuted 50 years ago.”It’s quite a testament to Bond, considering it’s the 50th anniversary. What a great anniversary present,” said Rory Bruer, head of distribution at Sony, which produces the Bond films along with MGM. Skyfall was the weekend’s only new wide release, but Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln had a huge start in a handful of theatres. Starring Daniel Day-Lewis as the 16th president, Lincoln took in $900,000 in 11 theatres for a whopping average of $81,818 a cinema. By comparison, Skyfall averaged $25,050 a cinema in 3,505 theatres.
Lincoln centres on the months leading up to the president’s assassination in April 1865, as he manoeuvres to pass the 13th Amendment to the US Constitution abolishing slavery and ending the Civil War. Distributor Disney will expand Lincoln into nation-wide release of about 1,600 theatres Friday, and may widen the film further over the Thanksgiving holiday week later this month.The film has strong Academy Awards prospects for two-time directing winner Spielberg, two-time acting recipient Day-Lewis and the rest of the cast, which includes Oscar winners Sally Field and Tommy Lee Jones”The performances are some of the greatest of recent time,” said Dave Hollis, head of distribution for Disney. “I don’t know if you’re ever going to think about it again without seeing our actor as Lincoln. Daniel is extraordinary in the role.”
Skyfall took over the top spot at the weekend box office from Disney’s animated comedy Wreck-It Ralph, which fell to No 2 with $33.1 million, raising its domestic total to $93.7 million.While Skyfall marked a new high for Bond’s opening-weekend revenue, the film has a long way to go to match the biggest audiences 007 has ever drawn. Adjusted for inflation, Sean Connery’s 1965 Bond adventure Thunderball would have taken in an estimated $508 million domestically in today’s dollars, with its 1964 predecessor Goldfinger not far behind at $444 million, according to box-office tracker Hollywood.com.The Bond films over the last two decades have come in around the $200 million range domestically in inflation-adjusted dollars.
Still, Craig’s Bond is setting a new critical standard for the franchise. While Quantum of Solace had a so-so critical reception, Skyfall and Casino Royale are among the best-reviewed Bond films, with critics and fans enjoying the darker edge Craig has imprinted on 007.”Skyfall is to the Bond franchise what The Dark Knight was to the Batman franchise,” said Hollywood.com analyst Paul Dergarabedian. “By taking it to a whole other level, this is a different kind of Bond that can be taken really seriously.”
Directed by Sam Mendes, the Academy Award-winning filmmaker behind American Beauty, and Craig’s director on Road to Perdition, Skyfallcontinues the current franchise’s exploration into the emotional traumas that have shaped Bond’s cool, aloof manner.The film reveals secrets out of the past of Bond’s boss, British spymaster M (Judi Dench), and pits 007 against a brilliant but unstable former agent (Javier Bardem) who is out for revenge.Hollywood remains on a brisk pace this fall as the busy holiday season approaches. Overall domestic revenues total $172 million, up 26 per cent from the same weekend last year, when Immortals led with $32.2 million.For the year, domestic revenues are at $9.1 billion, up 4.3 per cent from 2011′s, according to Hollywood.com.Here are estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at US, and Canadian theatres, according to Hollywood.com:
1. Skyfall, $87.8 million.
2. Wreck-It Ralph, $33.1 million.
3. Flight, $15.1 million.
4. Argo, $6.7 million.
5. Taken 2, $4 million.
6. Here Comes the Boom, $2.6 million
7. Cloud Atlas, $2.53 million.
8. Pitch Perfect, $2.5 million.
9. The Man with the Iron Fists, $2.49 million.
10. Hotel Transylvania, $2.4 million.
Full Caption: This film image released by Sony Pictures shows Daniel Craig as James Bond, left, and Judi Dench as MI6 head M, in a scene from the film ‘Skyfall’. Dench has been the Bond matriarch: the strong-willed, no-nonsense mainstay of feminine authority in a movie franchise that has, more often than not, featured slightly more superficial womanly traits. In ‘Skyfall’, Dench isn’t just dictating orders from headquarters, but is thrown directly into the action when a former MI6 agent, played by Javier Bardem, is bent on revenge against her. – AP
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