The Ministry of Tourism will launch its Tourism Ambassador Programme during the current Independence celebrations, an initiative aimed at honouring Antiguan and Barbudan natives or descendants who have received worldwide acclaim.

This year’s award will go to actress Marianne Jean-Baptiste, a proud Antigua and Barbuda descendant. Best known for her current role in the CBS hit drama series Without A Trace, Jean-Baptiste portrayed FBI agent Vivian Johnson.
Each year an individual will be recognised for his/her accomplishments and will be inducted as an official Tourism Partner, empowered by the ministry to market Antigua and Barbuda as one of the “Caribbean’s Preferred Destinations”.

Among the many accomplishments of this year’s awardee are an Academy Award, Golden Globe Award and British Academy Awards nominations for her feature film debut role in the movie Secret and Lies. Marianne is the only Antiguan and Barbudan descendant or national, to ever receive these three prestigious film awards for a single movie.
Her other film credits include The Cell opposite Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Lopez, 28 Days opposite Sandra Bullock and Spy Games opposite Robert Redford.
A graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, this actress, writer and composer wrote the score for Mike Leigh’s feature film Career Girls and has written and performed with British jazz musicians, including Jason Robello, for whom she wrote and recorded four tracks on his album “Keeping Time”.
Derede Samuel-Whitlock, director of tourism in the US indicated, “We are on a quest to identify and recruit Antiguan and Barbudan nationals and descendants who are in the spotlight, particularly those who are in our major source markets and have an audience and platform that can be used to promote the destination. Jean-Baptiste is very excited about becoming one of our tourism partners and help get Antigua and Barbuda in the spotlight and also within the entertainment grapevine.”
Jean-Baptiste is the daughter of Antiguan native Drucilla Cummings who was born in the village of Jennings. Cummings migrated to England where she met and married St. Lucian immigrant Felix Jean-Baptiste. Together they had four children, Marianne being the youngest.Marianne Jean Baptise will be one of the "guests of honor" at this year’s Independence Gala where she will be presented with the award by Minister of Tourism Harold Lovell. The event will be held on Thursday evening at the newly-opened Sandals Grande Antigua Resort and Spa.

Well tell me what you want what you really really want!!!!"

I want you to win Mel B!

I'm sure you have seen Melanie Brown on Dancing with the Stars twice a week on ABC.

I had no clue the former Spice girl had Caribbean roots!
She hails from Leeds, England which is known to have the largest St.Kitts-Nevis population in Great Britain.

She was born to a white English mother, Andrea, and a black father, Martin Wingrove Brown who was born in Gingerland, Nevis.

She has a younger sister named Danielle who is an actress. Melanie and Daniel both studied performing arts at the now famous Intake High School, in Leeds, before entering the entertainment industry.

To check out the Stars profile on abc click here

Rihanna was at her cousin Nigel Alstrom's wedding in Barbados on October 27th when according to some reports she was kicked out for being rude and disrespectful.

According to MediaTakeOut.com they received emails from several attendees:

"I was shocked when I saw what Rihanna was wearing. Every time she moved, her [breasts] looked like they were ready to come loose." The tipster added, "[The bride comes from] a very Christian family. [Rihanna] should have known better than to show up wearing such scandalous attire." And there's more. According to a number of eyewitnesses, Rihanna refused to eat the food offered to other guests. An insider explained to MediaTakeOut.com, "She brought her own food and wouldn't touch anything else ... Our food must not be good enough for a big star like her."At one point in the evening, the bride's family decided that they'd had enough. As one family friend puts it, "Rihanna was taking away from the [bride and groom's] day so we thought it was best to ask her to leave. She understood and agreed"But before leaving, one guest claims that Rihanna gave the family a piece of her mind. The insider told MediaTakeOut.com, "She started arguing with [her aunt and her mother] ... Even though they were in the back, you could hear Rihanna yelling at her mother." The insider added, "Her mother is a very easygoing woman, so she just stayed quiet and waited for Rihanna to calm down .... If she were my daughter, someone would have had to call the police."



Just to add my two cents, maybe she gracefully left to remove the attention from herself, granted, as banging as her dress was considering the event, the outfit was inappropriate.

Who knows?? other partygoers outfits may have been scandalous and just as inappropriate.

Is this a case of picking on Rihanna because she is a celebrity???

Comments please.

Get a look at who's on the cover of these hot Caribbean Mags!!!

log on to

http://www.shecaribbean.com/ http://www.oceanstylemagazine.com/ http://www.caribbeanposh.com/ http://www.jamrockmagazine.com/

http://www.basiamagazine.com/ happy reading!!!

the following was obtained from www.iol.co.za

Only four of the five men arrested in connection with the murder of South African reggae great Lucky Dube could be linked to the killing, police said on Monday.The four would appear in the Johannesburg Magistrate's Court on Tuesday on charges of murder, attempted murder and illegal possession of firearms and ammunition, said Superintendent Eugene Opperman.A fifth man arrested with them would appear in the Katlehong magistrate's court on a charge related to the possession of suspected stolen property, he said.Dube, 43, was shot dead during an apparent botched hijacking while dropping his two teenage children at his brother's house in Rosettenville on Thursday night.
Police arrested the five - aged 31 to 35 - in Spruitview, on the East Rand, on Sunday morning.They seized two stolen handguns and a Volkswagen Polo thought to have been used in the crime. They later confiscated another three vehicles, which were believed to be stolen.A funeral service for Dube will be held in Newcastle, KwaZulu-Natal, on Sunday. A memorial service will be held at the Bassline in Newtown on Wednesday at 9am. - Sapa

LUCKY DUBE’S record label Gallo mourns the tragic loss of the reggae legend.

Lucky was slain in an attempted hijacking in Rosettenville in Johannesburg last night, at approximately 8pm, whilst dropping off his children at a family members house. Although Lucky attempted to escape the scene, he had been fatally wounded from the hijacker’s attempt to steal his motor vehicle, and he died almost instantly.Senseless and random, the death of Lucky Dube leaves a great void in the music industry, as 25 years of music suddenly ends in tragedy.

South African born but globally revered, Lucky Dube was one of the country’s most toured and beloved artists ever. His music touched millions around the world, primarily through his 22 recorded albums - in Zulu, English and even Afrikaans - many of which have been record breakers with phenomenal sales from around the globe.As a frontline artist in the reggae genre, Lucky's creativity and inventiveness kept growing.Compelling in his musicianship and intriguing in his lyrical content, Lucky's sonic daring to take his genre to new heights never failed to amaze even the most ardent fans, whilst reigning in new devotees to his magic every day.

His energetic band toured with him from continent to continent as South African musical ambassadors, and his live performances have earned him fans and accolades the world over.Lucky joined Teal Records (later to become Gallo) as a fresh-faced young Mbaqanga singer in 1982. Five albums later he found a genre that spoke to his soul and changed the way he viewed the world. This genre was Reggae.

With his long-time sound engineer and best friend Dave Segal, he created some of the most legendary pieces of reggae music ever recorded, including the tracks Prisoner, Taxman, Slave, Victims, Together As One and Respect – all social anthems that garnered him the adoration of the people of his country - and across the globe.Lucky was an artist that continued to break international barriers and recently just signed a deal with Warner Music International, securing him album releases across Europe of his latest album Respect.Ivor J. Haarburger, CEO of Gallo Music Group is deeply saddened by the loss.

“Lucky was not just an extraordinary artist, he was a personal friend. We go back over twenty years and had both a business and personal relationship. It’s so sad to lose such a great friend and so tragically, why?”

There are very few words that capture the magnitude of this devastating loss. As a musician, father and colleague, Lucky was one of the most charming, respected, selfless and dedicated people to have lived. He will be sorely missed.Lucky Dube was survived by his new wife Zanele and his 7 children Bongi, Nonkululeko, Thokozani, Laura, Siyanda, Philani and his brand new three-month old baby Melokuhle.  Should you wish to send a message of condolence to Lucky’s family, please email Lucky@gallo.co.za or fax on +27 (0) 11 340 9471

Dancehall star Mavado launched a new charity: CONNECTJAMAICA to ensure all local schools had computers and internet access. Although he has made similar donations to schools before his first donations of computers and printers through CONNECT JAMAICA will be made to 4 deserving schools next week. CONNECT JAMAICA aims to donate computers every month to schools around the island. This will also be facilitated by free internet through Flow Jamaica. Funds will be raised at various events including his annual Birthday Bash “Real Mckoy’ Which will be on December first …World Aids Day.

Miss Montserrat UK 2007 will be held Saturday October 20th in Leicester and hosted By Jevan Robinson. Guest artists include Soca Monarch Scrappy, and soc Diva Jadine Greenaway. The reigning queen is Jo Annah Richards

Kennisha Furlonge

Janleigh Silcott

Gracia Smith

Jahsita Farrell

 www.missmontserratuk.com

Congrats to Miss Valenee Gosine who on September 29th was crowned the new has Miss Trinidad and Tobago UK, replacing Chandani Persaud, last year’s winner. A resident of Kent, she represented the area of San Francique-Penal. She is a primary school teacher with a BA in Primary Education. She cites as her hobbies, traveling, playing the piano, singing, acting, dancing, drama, reading and cultural activities. She also won the title of miss website queen

Official site is http://www.misstntuk.com/

Garfield Sobers Gymnasium in Barbodos was transformed to showcase "Absolutely the Very Best" on October 29th 2006……At that event designers Heather Jones , Bill Edwards, Radical Designs, Dexter Jennings, Sonia Noel and SimonPeter showcased the best of Caribbean Fashion…

Well its happening again…..

The 2nd Annual Absolute Caribbean Fashion Show will be at Holders in St James Barbados

The theme this year is "Fashion Then, Fashion Now" and Asolute Caribbean Fashion 2007 will also launch the first ever, gala Fashion Awards for the Caribbean.

Make Fashion Your Passion 27 th October 2007 Holders St James. Enjoy Vip Cocktails from 6:00 p.m. and Runway Fashion Show  at 7:00 p.m.

The price of sugar
Is a documentary that examines the medieval working and living conditions of Haitian migrants working in sugarcane field s in the neighboring Dominican Republic…Directed by Bill Haney, The film focuses on a catholic priests quest to improve life for these workers and the often times ignored, dark side of globalizsation



Yah....that's deep. Think about that next time you sweeten your next cup of coffee.

A Jamaican court has begun hearing an inquest into the death of former Pakistan cricket coach Bob Woolmer during cricked world cup in March
The first of about 50 witnesses is Bernice Robinson who worked as a maid in Woolmers hotel and discovered the body ….

England has appointed Barbados-born Ottis Gibson as their full-time bowling coach. This comes after helping the team to their first major series win inSri Lanka in 20 years.
Previously he had been filling the role on a temporary basis. The level four qualified coach played two tests and and 15 one-dayers for West Indies in the 1990s, has been involved with the England and Wales Cricket Board's fast bowling programme for the past four years.

So J. Lo is preggers with twins. ....Seems that Lauryn Hill got a bun in de oven too

Allegedly she is expecting her fifth child with Rohan Marley …Rumor had it that they were no longer a couple and even lived on different continents, but as they say the proof is in da pudding…so well see how that affect the Fugees reunion cause I still sooooo want that to happen

Seems police tried to put a spokes in Machel Montano's wheels last Friday (10/15/07) at a performance at Zen nightclub…they said that he should stop allowing the women to touch is testicles…which of course sent the crowd and performers into a fit of laughter…this has been going on for so long….I mean if they want to arrest him for that they they might as well arrest him for licking his lips …cause that is real provocative…anyways the show went on and he even gave the crowd a taste of is new song "Unconditional"


Machel Montano, Rodney "Benjai" Le Blanc Joel “Zan “ Fezek and songwriter Kernel Roberts are call charged with assaulting Brandis Browne in Port of Spain. As well as assaulting Russell Pollonais. Additionally Montano is charged with using "obscene language to annoyance of other persons" at Zen nightclub in April of this year.



Due to the artists' dependance on the Carnival season for their income. Court has been adjourned to Feb. 20th 2008