Japanese soca singer for Soca Monarch

MINMI, a 29-year-old Osaka-born Japanese hip-hop, reggae and soca singer, has entered the Groovy Soca Monarch competition, and became the 107^th entrant out of 110 artistes registered for the International Soca Monarch competition. Trinis remember Minmi from her performance of her 2006 soca hit “Summertime” at Machel Montano’s Alternative Concept last year. Whether patrons didn’t know what the exact lyrics were, it was jump, wave, wine, in Japanese. But the performance was one of high energy; and when she shouted, “Put your hands in the air”, patrons went wild. Her career stems back to1996 at clubs in Osaka where she performed both hip-hop and reggae. She released her first album in August 2003 and has since released four albums and eight singles. She has a big following in Japan as well as in Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago, while Destra is still Trinidad’s favorite.

And the nominees are….

Oscar nominations were out on Tuesday and to no one's surprise "Dreamgirls" garnered the most nods. It received a total of EIGHT nominations, but what's shocking is that the film did not earn a best picture nomination. Since "Dreamgirls" is out of the running, Academy voters will choose between "Babel," "The Departed," "Letters from Iwo Jima," "Little Miss Sunshine" and "The Queen" for best picture. As expected, Eddie Murphy and Jennifer Hudson were both nominated for best supporting actor and actress, respectively for their roles in "Dreamgirls." Forrest Whitaker and Hudson are the favorites to win their categories say Oscar watchers, but it was really disappointing that “Dreamgirls” was not nominated for “Best Picture”, as this movie is the “bomb”.

How Stella lost her groove

Author Terry McMillan says it has been over a year since went on the “Oprah Winfrey Show” when her ex-husband’s revealed that he was gay, there is still there is heavy, drama surrounding the former couple’s ugly divorce. According to a report, McMillan’s ex-husband Jonathan Plummer has signed a book deal with Simon & Schuster to write a fictionalized story that is based on his relationship with McMillan, whose own account of their initial meeting in Jamaica was the blueprint for her novel and film “How Stella Got Her Groove Back.” The writer filed for divorce from Plummer in January 2005 following 6 1/2 years of marriage. That was not long after Plummer, 23 years her junior, disclosed he was gay and since the divorce Terry left a bottle of Scotch Bonnet pepper for him with a slur “burn fag, burn fag”. Shame on you Terry! Go get another “yute” and get your groove back on.

“Smile Jamaica” celebration for Bob Marley Week

Ghetto Youths International is presenting, “Smile Jamaica” a celebration for Bob Marley week, Sunday February 4 to Sunday February 11, with a live-band concert scheduled for Saturday, February 10, at Bob Marley’s birthplace in Nine Miles, St. Ann. The Marley Brothers (Stephen, Ky-Mani, Julian and Damian), Cocoa Tea, Bounty Killa, Perfect, Chezidek, Wayne Marshall and Etana will perform. This is a momentous occasion that the four Marley Brothers will be performing on the same stage in Jamaica for the first time. Hearing the Marley Brothers perform on their different sets brings a special vibe to the island. “Smile Jamaica” concert was held in Jamaica on December 5, 1976, when Bob Marley headlined the show at National Heroes Park in Kingston. It attracted 80,000 fans. This one should double, as the Bob Marley era has attracted much more attention now.