Caribbean Entertainment News Round-Up

Director Nick Cannon attends a screening of ‘King Of The Dancehall’ at the 28th Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival Film at Annenberg Theater on January 13, 2017 in Palm Springs, California. The film is largely without Jamaicans. (Photo by Tara Ziemba/Getty Images)

By NAN ET Editor

News Americas, BROOKLYN, NY, Fri. Jan. 27, 2017: Here are the top stories making news on the Caribbean entertainment scene for the week ending Jan. 27, 2017.

King Of The Dancehall Is Largely Without Jamaicans

A Jamaican dancehall drama set to kit YouTube Red, the streamer’s $10-per-month subscription service, has only one Jamaican actor. The Nick Cannon musical drama ‘King of the Dancehall,’ that is set to be released later this week stars Cannon along with Busta Rhymes, Whoopi Goldberg, Busta Rhymes and Louis Gossett Jr. The only Jamaican among the main characters is Kingston-born Jamaican newcomer, Kimberly Patterson.

Cannon wrote, directed, executive produced and stars in the film which had its world premiere last year at the Toronto International Film Festival. In the film, he plays a Brooklynite who moves to Jamaica and falls for a local girl who introduces him to the world of Jamaican dancehall.

Cannon’s Ncredible Productions has partnered with YouTube Red, the streamer’s $10-per-month subscription service, to release the musical later this year.

“Music and dance are universal themes, and I’m excited to partner with YouTube to bring a story about the world’s sexiest dance tradition to its massive audience,” Cannon said Monday in a statement. “This film invites viewers into a vibrant yet little-known world outside of the Caribbean — the Jamaican dancehall. We assembled an amazing cast, mixed documentary footage from real-life dancehall scenes, and collaborated with music legends to bring King of the Dancehall to life.”

Miss Universe Pageant

It’s the weekend of the Miss Universe Pageant. The pageant will be aired on January 29 at 7/6c live from the Philippines on FOX TV. The competition will again be hosted by Steve Harvey despite his mega mistake in announcing the wrong pageant winner at the 2015 event.  Thirteen Caribbean beauties are among 87 women from around the world who are vying for the coveted title. Tune in to see if any of our beautiful sisters win.

Even Doggies Love Reggae

Even puppies love reggae music. That’s according to research coming out of Scotland.

The Scottish SPCA, Scotland’s animal welfare charity found that in dogs they studied, their stress levels decreased significantly after the music was played into their kennels. The SPCA carried out a music experiment at their rehoming centre in Dumbarton in partnership with the University of Glasgow. They tested different music but reggae music, popularized by Bob Marley, were found to be the canines favorite.

Rihanna

Bajan star Rihanna has made music history again as she extended her record for the most top 10s on Billboard’s Radio Songs airplay chart with “Love on the Brain.” The R&B track is her 28th top 10. It puts her now ahead of Mariah Carey, who has earned 23 top 10s since Radio Songs launched in December 1990.

“Love on the Brain” had 78 million in all-format radio audience for the week ending Jan. 22, according to Nielsen Music. It’s also the third Radio Songs top 10 from Rihanna’s album Anti, following the No. 2-peaking “Work” (featuring Drake) and the No. 8 “Needed Me.”

Ziggy Marley

Ziggy Marley is set to bring the reggae vibes to Massachusetts this summer. Marley is scheduled to perform at the 5th Annual Levitate Music & Arts Festival on July 8th and July 9th at the Marshfield Fairgrounds in Marshfield, MA. Starting off as a humble friendly barbeque, the Levitate Music and Arts Festival has since grown into a full-fledged weekend-long festival featuring top national touring acts, expecting a draw of over 10,000 fans per day. Tickets are on sale now here.