Iconic and adored singer, Tina Turner, known as “The Queen of Rock 'n' Roll,” has died. A statement from Turner's reps today (Wednesday 24th May 2023) said, “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Tina Turner. With her music and her boundless passion for life, she enchanted millions of fans around the world and inspired the stars of tomorrow.”

The statement added, “Today we say goodbye to a dear friend who leaves us all her greatest work: her music. All our heartfelt compassion goes out to her family. Tina, we will miss you dearly.”

​The cause of her death is unknown at this point. She is said to have died at her home in Switzerland.

Turner launched one of the greatest music comebacks ever as a solo artist in the '80s, by first releasing the hit “Let's Stay Together,” followed by the massive album “Private Dancer,” which included classic tracks such as “What's Love Got To Do With It” and “I Can't Stand The Rain.”

She won eight (8) Grammy Awards over the course of her career, including Record of the Year for “What's Love Got To Do With It.”

RIP.

[Source: TMZ]

TMZ is confirming this morning (Thursday 27th April 2023) that Jerry Springer, one of the most influential and controversial figures in TV history, has died at age seventy-nine (79). A family spokesperson said Springer had been diagnosed with cancer a few months ago, and this week he took a turn for the worse. He died at his home in the Chicago area.

Springer, of course, hosted the extremely popular, raucous and wild syndicated talk show, “The Jerry Springer Show,” for twenty-seven (27) years, debuting in 1991. His show was known for its outrageous guests who usually got into crazy fights as the audience cheered, “Jerry, Jerry, Jerry, Jerry!” Springer became a worldwide sensation with his show, becoming so popular in the late 90s, that it even topped Oprah Winfrey's show in several cities. 'Springer' finally went off the air in 2018.

He made one more run in TV, with his courtroom show, “Judge Jerry,” which ran for a total of three (3) seasons. Springer’s last TV appearance came last season on “The Masked Singer,” where he performed as ‘The Beetle,’ singing a Frank Sinatra classic.

He is survived by his daughter, Katie Springer and his sister, Evelyn.

RIP.

[Source: TMZ]

Kris Veeshal Persad, aka ‘KI,’ was slapped, hit with a beer bottle to the face and then beaten by six (6) men on Friday night (10th March 2023) at a restaurant in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The incident occurred when KI went to use the washroom at the restaurant, while waiting for his meal to arrive. The Former Chutney Soca Monarch posted a video on his Facebook page on Saturday, which showed a bandage to the right side of his head, and bruises on his head, eye and arms. KI briefly explained in the video what happened at the restaurant.

The “Single Forever” artiste appeared to be in good spirits in the 54-second video, as he chuckled while relating the attack. He said, “Imagine I come quite Florida to get my ass cut. All my hands, I think this eye bloodshot. So we in a restaurant last night. Some fella took me for some wrong idea or something, or whatever it is. I heard him talking when I was going into the bathroom in the restaurant. I heard him talking like ‘I don’t care who he is.’ Like he had it in his mind or whatnot. I just got a slap and then he take he beer bottle and he break it on my face here. I got cut up all over. I remember I was on the ground. I watched up and they were just beating me. They stamped on my head, my belly, my back. They beat me real bad, boy. Six of them. For the love of chutney, eh?”

When his video was reposted on social media, KI commented to social media users that the attack was “random.”

He posted a photo of the alleged attacker who instigated the assault to his Facebook page, saying “This d dude that jump me with his boys last night ... A name anybody?”

He has since filed a report with the Hollywood Police Department, Broward County, Florida.

Persad won the Chutney Soca Monarch title on three occasions — in 2012, 2014 and 2016.

Hundreds of fans posted get-well messages to his social media pages and expressed their outrage over the incident.

[Source: Trinidad Express]

The Trinbago Unified Calypsonians' Organisation (TUCO) announced the official results for the National Road March Competition 2023 a short while ago (Wednesday 22nd February 2023). Congratulations are in order to lan ‘Bunji Garlin’ Alvarez and Fay Ann Lyons, who TUCO said “dominated the competition” with the song titled “Hard Fete,” which played 135 times.

This year, TUCO is partnering with Tourism Trinidad to announce the Visit Trinidad Road March Champion with a grand prize of $250,000 and recognition as the latest in a long line of the most popular songs on the road since 1932.

The results are as follows:

1. IAN ALVAREZ & FAY ANN LYONS - HARD FETE (135 Plays)
2. NAILAH BLACKMAN-THORNHILL - COME HOME (106 Plays)
3. MACHEL MONTANO - LIKE YUHSELF (50 Plays)

Following numerous complaints from patrons of Machel Montano’s much-hyped “One Show” at the Hasely Crawford Stadium on Carnival Friday (17th February 2023), Machel and the show’s organizers have issued an apology.

Patrons complained about the amount of traffic leading into and out of the venue, the long lines to enter, long lines for food, the late start to the concert, small screens, audio issues and more.

​The apology from Machel and his team came on Sunday (19th February 2023), which started off by saying, “On behalf of JayUpScale, Monk Music and Machel Montano, collaborators of One Show at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, we would like to sincerely apologize for the late start and the challenges to get through the gates on Carnival Friday!!! We know that you expect the highest standards from us, and this fell short of what we have been doing over the years. There are many challenges preparing a stadium that was designed for sport to be ready to host concerts of this magnitude. From the outset, the safety of our patrons is always our first priority! The stadium is the only venue that can accommodate these numbers, and we are grateful to SportTT for this accommodation in light of them working on its refurbishing.”

The statement noted that, “The stadium contractors, the sporting fraternity and all of the show service providers tried to deliver our best while being very cognizant of protecting the property and patrons, but did not deliver on time despite our greatest efforts. We did not have the build-out time that we normally would have had due to a track event seven days before, as a result, at opening time there was a lot of heavy equipment around the perimeter and some more work remained to complete the inside floor.”

According to Machel and his team, “For this reason, the fire services did not allow us to open at our advertised time but we are grateful for their cooperation and guidance, which enabled us to provide an incident free experience. We are on our mission to present Soca to the globe and introduce artists to our culture and unique Carnival! Thank you to everyone from all over the world who came out and filled this stadium!!! We are grateful and humbled by the support from everyone who attended, as well as the artists and performers who came together for this showcase on carnival weekend! Over 30 artists from the Caribbean and Africa touched this stage! The show started at 10 pm, an hour late, which inadvertently caused program rearrangements and delays in change overs. Thank you to everyone who adjusted their schedules to ensure the delivery of all of the artists as advertised.”

The apology concluded by saying, “Thank you to the police service and fire department for keeping us safe and supporting our vision, and all who allowed us to take the show to 5am, giving Machel the opportunity to perform for 3 hours and 45 mins. We also thank our corporate partners, service providers and everyone who joined us to put on the event. Culture needs its own venue of this size and as a nation we must understand this is our greatest natural resource. Nobody in the world can create stories this rich, produce music this sweet and gather in harmony like this.”

Following the statement from Machel and his team, one person on Instagram stated, “I feel as though this apology does not take into account the quality of the actual show, the small screens, long lines at food stations, poor sound system, and long periods of dj music before performers took the stage...not only at the beginning but even after having started at 10pm we still had over an hour wait again before the next performer. Machel you came on after 1am. I was totally shocked when i saw the media sharing rhat you and your beautiful wife had arrived at the venue close to 11:30pm. The venue issues I'm sure can account for the late opening of the gates. But if that was the only problem and when we got inside the quality of the show met or surpassed our expectations, I'm sure there would have been no complaints. As usual your performances were excellent and full of energy. But the baltant disregard for your fans and supporters was glaring. Very disappointed.”

Another comment said, “The King of Soca should put on another FREE SHOW to show his apology for patrons who felt like they wasted their time and money. Just saying.”

BONUS: Below is the official music video for “Shake The Place.”

Machel Montano shared the official music video today (Wednesday 15th February 2023) for the Soca 2023 track “Like Yuh Self,” with Patrice Roberts.

Watch the official music video below and let us know your thoughts in the comments section.

The end of the road begins.

Fast X, the tenth film in the Fast & Furious Saga, launches the final chapters of one of cinema’s most storied and popular global franchises, now in its third decade and still going strong with the same core cast and characters as when it began.

​Fast X opens in theaters on 19th May 2023.

Over many missions and against impossible odds, Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his family have outsmarted, out-nerved and outdriven every foe in their path. Now, they confront the most lethal opponent they’ve ever faced: A terrifying threat emerging from the shadows of the past who’s fueled by blood revenge, and who is determined to shatter this family and destroy everything — and everyone — that Dom loves, forever.

​In 2011’s Fast Five, Dom and his crew took out nefarious Brazilian drug kingpin Hernan Reyes and decapitated his empire on a bridge in Rio De Janeiro. What they didn’t know was that Reyes’ son, Dante (Aquaman’s Jason Momoa), witnessed it all and has spent the last twelve (12) years masterminding a plan to make Dom pay the ultimate price.

Dante’s plot will scatter Dom’s family from Los Angeles to the catacombs of Rome, from Brazil to London and from Portugal to Antarctica. New allies will be forged and old enemies will resurface. But everything changes when Dom discovers that his own 8-year-old son (Leo Abelo Perry, Black-ish) is the ultimate target of Dante’s vengeance.

Directed by Louis Leterrier (Clash of the Titans, The Incredible Hulk), Fast X stars returning cast members Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Nathalie Emmanuel, Jordana Brewster, Sung Kang, Jason Statham, John Cena and Scott Eastwood, with Oscar® winner Helen Mirren and Oscar® winner Charlize Theron.

The film also features an extraordinary new cast including Oscar® winner Brie Larson as Tess, a rogue representative from the Agency; Alan Richtson (Reacher) as Aimes, the new head of the Agency who doesn’t hold the same fondness for Dom’s crew as his predecessor, Mr. Nobody; Daniela Melchior (The Suicide Squad) as a Brazilian street racer with a powerful tie to Dom’s past; and legendary Oscar® winner Rita Moreno as Dom and Mia’s Abuelita Toretto.

Fast X is produced by Neal H. Moritz, Vin Diesel, Justin Lin, Jeff Kirschenbaum and Samantha Vincent. The Executive Producers are Joseph M. Caracciolo, Jr., David Cain, Chris Morgan, Amanda Lewis and Mark Bomback.

​Website: www.thefastsaga.com

The Ministry of Tourism, Culture and the Arts is advising members of the public that from today (Friday 10th February 2023) until Sunday 19th February 2023, the flow of activities at the Maracas Beach Facility will be affected. This is due to preparation for Caesar's Army Ltd's A.M. Beach event, which is set to take place on Thursday 16th February 2023 from 5:00 AM to 12:00 PM.

Key Dates:

• Mobilization Date - 10th February 2023
• Event Date/Time - 16th February 2023 from 5:00 AM to 12:00 PM
• Demobilization Date - 19th February 2023

The Ministry notes that A.M. Beach will utilize the Western end of Maracas Beach for this event. The public is advised that, while there will still be access to the beach and its facilities, construction and movement of equipment will be taking place to facilitate the upcoming event. Beachgoers are asked to exercise caution during this time.

For urgent enquiries, please contact the Ministry at: 624 - 1403, ext. 273 during the hours of 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM, Monday to Friday, or via email at mintourism@gov.tt.

Singer and recording artist, Lisa Marie Presley, who was the only child of Elvis Presley, died on Thursday (12th January 2023). She was fifty-four (54). Her mother, Priscilla Presley, said in a statement, “It is with a heavy heart that I must share the devastating news that my beautiful daughter Lisa Marie has left us. She was the most passionate, strong and loving woman I have ever known.”

Ms. Presley was hospitalized earlier on Thursday, her mother said in a Facebook post.

The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department said emergency responders were dispatched to a call in the 5,000 block of Normandy Drive in Agoura Hills, California, at 10:37 AM local time for a cardiac arrest. The woman was not breathing at the time and after receiving CPR, showed signs of life and was taken to a local Hospital at 11:17 AM.

​Ms. Presley and her mother attended the Golden Globes earlier this week, where Austin Butler won best performance by an actor in a motion picture drama for his role as the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll in the biopic “Elvis.” Mr. Butler thanked Priscilla Presley and her daughter in his acceptance speech and paid homage to Elvis Presley himself as an “icon and a rebel.”

Born in Memphis, Tennessee in 1968, Lisa Marie Presley was just nine (9) years old when her father Elvis died. She would later go on to inherit his Graceland estate. Ms. Presley released three (3) studio albums, but her career as a musician was perhaps overshadowed by her famous parents and her personal life.

She married Michael Jackson in 1994, which was a short-lived union that was frequently featured in the tabloids. The couple made headlines at the MTV Video Music Awards in September 1994 when they kissed on stage. She appeared in MJ’s music video for the track “You Are Not Alone,” which was his first song to ever debut at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
​
She later married Hollywood actor Nicolas Cage, and musician and producer Michael Lockwood. She was also previously married to Danny Keough.

​Ms. Presley is survived by her mother and three (3) daughters — actress Riley Keough, Finley Aaron Love Lockwood and Harper Vivienne Ann Lockwood. A fourth child, Benjamin Keough, died by suicide in 2020 at the age of twenty-seven (27).

[Source: The Wall Street Journal]