Caribbean Entertainment News Roundup

By NAN ET Editor

News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Friday, Nov. 8, 2019: Here are the top headlines making news on the Caribbean entertainment scene for this week:

Rihanna Steps Into Death Row Appeal

Caribbean-born singer, actor and entrepreneur, Rihanna, is among celebrities who are urging the Texas governor to stop the Nov. 20th execution of a Texas inmate. Death-row prisoner Rodney Reed, 51, was convicted of killing Stacey Stites on April 23, 1996. According to NBC affiliate KXAN in Austin, her body was found on a rural road in Bastrop County, outside of Austin. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice says that Reed “strangled and killed” 20-year-old Stites “during an aggravated sexual assault.”

Reed, who was 28 at the time of the crime, was identified by DNA evidence taken from the crime scene, according to the Texas government site. He has been on death row since his conviction in 1998.

“One Click!! SIGN the petition if you don’t believe the Government should kill an innocent man!!!” singer Rihanna wrote, tagging the governor in her tweet.

Movie Featuring Caribbean Roots Actors Coming To Theaters This Dec.

Caribbean roots actress Nia Long, Samuel L. Jackson, Anthony Mackie, and Jessie T. Usher among others are coming to theaters on Dec. 6th in ‘The Banker.’ Based on a true story, The Banker centers on revolutionary businessmen Bernard Garrett (Anthony Mackie) and Joe Morris (Samuel L. Jackson), who devise an audacious and risky plan to take on the racist establishment of the 1960s by helping other African Americans pursue the American dream of homeownership.

Along with Garret’s wife Eunice (Long), they train a working-class white man, Matt Steiner (Nicholas Hoult), to pose as the rich and privileged face of their burgeoning real estate and banking empire–while Garrett and Morris pose as a janitor and a chauffeur. Their success ultimately draws the attention of the federal government, which threatens everything the four had built.

The Banker will be released in select theaters on December 6 and will be available for streaming on Apple TV+ in January.

Caribbean Fashion Designers In Niger

Outfits, handbags, shoes and accessories from a number of Caribbean designers and a self-taught Nigerien designer generated a buzz at a fashion show in Niger recently. The show was held as part of the fifth meeting of Ministers of Culture from the 79-member African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) group of states at a time when the bloc is focusing on the potential contribution of culture to national development.

The Caribbean designs came from the French, Spanish and English-speaking countries and were brought together by Caribbean Fashion Showroom, which dubs itself “the home for the region’s leading designers.”

The event was organized by the Barbados-based Caribbean Export Development Agency (Caribbean Export) in collaboration with the Brussels-based secretariat of the ACP. (Source: CMC/CaribExpo)

Trinidad Born Rapper Blasted

Trinidad-born rapper, Nicki Minaj, is being blasted for a tweet claiming that online, she is treated better by white people than “the blacks.”

Minaj, who has since deleted the troublesome tweet, is believed to have been referring to Black media outlets– specifically, Wendy Williams.

“What the white ppl post. >>>>>>,” she wrote on November 5, according to Complex. “The blacks only post the few seconds where I raise my voice to push their narrative.”

The Queen Radio rapper’s tweet seems to be her response to an ongoing rift with Williams and the ensuing media coverage that comes from it. The latest development started when Williams brought up Minaj’s recent wedding to Kenneth Petty and went in on Petty’s criminal background.

Jamaican Roots Actress Presents The 29th Annual DIVAS Simply Singing On World Aids Day

Jamaican roots actress, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Project Angel Food Trustee and Founder of the D.I.V.A. Foundation, presents the 29th Annual DIVAS: Simply Singing, the longest-running musical AIDS benefit in the United States, honoring Grammy, Golden Globe, Emmy-winning and 10-time Oscar nominee, legendary songwriter Diane Warren with the Legacy Award.

A tribute of Diane’s hits will be included in an evening filled with spectacular performances by: Deborah Cox; Chrissy Metz (This is Us); Brandy (Billboard and American Music Award-winning singer and actress); Brandon Victor Dixon (Jesus Christ Superstar); Rhonda Ross (Singer and actress); Terrell Carter (Empire); Kathy Sledge (Sledge Sisters) and Elaine Gibbs (The X Factor) among others.

The 29th Annual DIVAS Simply Singing! on World AIDS Day – Sunday, December 1st at the Taglyan Cultural Center in Hollywood, Calif. The DIVA Foundation is celebrating 30 years of committed service to community health awareness, and Project Angel Food. The event will run from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Tickets are now on sale at angelfood.org.

Buju Banton New Song

Buju Banton has reportedly teamed up with the legendary, iconic music producer, Dave Kelly, to produce his ‘Trust Issues” Dancehall tune, according to Urban Islandz.

Buju Banton‘s song was posted on his own IG page. The ‘Trust Issues’ song starts with Buju chanting: “Mi no trust phone, mi no own, mi no like e / Picture a guh roun seh Simone a mi wifie.”

The 2020 International Reggae Poster Contest Is Open

The International Reggae Poster Contest (IRPC), the only poster design competition worldwide for the genre, is accepting entries for its 10th edition.  The application deadline is March 1, 2020. The contest was founded in 2011 and seeks to highlight the globalization of reggae and the resounding impact of its message.

This year’s theme is Reggae Music: Messages from Jamaica to the World and submitted entries should focus on the messages that reggae and all the other genres of popular Jamaican music are spreading globally.

Who can apply?

Artists and graphic designers are welcome to submit any number of original posters. Note that posters should not have been published on the internet, social media, etc.

Selection process

The entries are judged in two phases by two different international juries.

Phase one

The first phase is judged online by the IRPC pre-selection committee. The committee is made up of design professionals around the world, who will select 400 posters.

Final phase

The final phase will be conducted by 10 leading design professionals from around the world. They will convene to select 100 posters that will be published in a catalogue and exhibited worldwide at The Art of Reggae exhibitions. From the 100 best posters, the judges will select 10 posters that will be exhibited and entered into the permanent collection of museums and design institutions internationally.

Prizes

Grand Winner

A trip to Rototom Sunsplash European Reggae Festival in Benicàssim, Spain.

IRIE magazine cover feature/exclusive interview.

Down In Jamaica box set by VP Records, celebrating its 40th anniversary.

Gift bag from VP Records (CDs, T-shirts, etc).

A custom engraved wood pen crafted from blue mahoe, the national tree of Jamaica.

Professional category

First place winner

A package of fonts, worth €500 ($555), from Parachute Typefoundry.

Wacom Intuos Pro Medium pen tablet

Down In Jamaica box set by VP Records, celebrating its 40th anniversary.

Gift bag from VP Records (CDs, T-shirts, etc.)

Second place winner

A Wacom Intuos M, BT. sponsored by Zoolook.

Down In Jamaica box set by VP RECORDS, celebrating its 40th anniversary.

Gift bag from VP Records(CDs, T-shirts, etc.)

Third place winner

A Wacom Intuos S, BT.

Down In Jamaica box set by VP Records, celebrating its 40th anniversary.

Gift bag from VP Records (CDs, T-shirts, etc.)

Students Category

First place winner

A Wacom Intuos S, BT sponsored by Graphic Art News.

Down In Jamaica box set by VP Records, celebrating its 40th anniversary.

Gift bag from VP Records (CDs, T-shirts, etc.)

For more information on the competition, contact the IRPC at info@reggaepostercontest.com.