Rachel Christie gives up Miss England crown after bar fight

Lawd. have. mercy.

De Christies could well sing the old calypso:

“Woe is me… shame and scandal in de family!”

This time, it’s Rachel Christie, reigning Miss England and niece of former Olympic gold medallist Linford Christie, who’s in scandal and passa passa, after being arrested for a nightclub brawl with Miss Manchester.

And apparently over this joker.

Gladiator fighter Tornado

I’ll let that marinate for a minute.

Yeah… I know… me too.

Ok, so the story such as it is right now is that Rachel, who was crowned the first black Miss England a few months back and was set to head to South Africa next month for the Miss World contest, has today ‘given up’ her crown.

The Miss England website had a statement from the organisers which read in part:

Due to the media attention following the allegations against her, Rachel Christie has now decided to withdraw from the Miss World competition and relinquish her Miss England crown. Rachel will concentrate on clearing her name and focus on training for the 2012 Olympics until this case is resolved.”

According to media reports, Miss Manchester, Sara Jones, is the former girlfriend of Christie’s boyfriend, David Mcintosh, aka Tornado, a fighter/personality on Sky1’s Gladiators programme. Reports are that she flaunted a text message on her phone that was supposed to be from this Tornado fella (it sounds like a good kaiso name though doesn’t it? He might need to add Mighty in front of it though).

Rachel then allegedly punched Jones in the face – nuff times.

Sigh.

I could bawl.

Oh yeah… islandisto Jaicko doing big t’ings!

more about “Oh Yeah Video Video by Jaicko – MySpa…“, posted with vodpod

 

Ok, islandistas, it’s a bit of an embarassing confession for us because we’re a good ten to fifteen years older than the target demographic but we’re pretty hooked on Bajan teeny bopper Jaicko’s tune ‘Oh Yeah’.

Jaicko, who signed to Capitol Records earlier this year (de Bajan invasion is real peoples!) even broke into BET’s 106 & Park charts a few weeks ago with the bouncy, insanely catchy tune.

Yes, yes we know, we know … shoot, even he knows it’s a bit repetitive as he sings:

“I know this song a little annoying, oh yeah
But now I’m making’ dollars, so i really don’t care
Now I got the whole world singing oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah“

He ent lie yuh know - de damn song does just stick in my head every time I hear it. The freaky thing about this song is that for some reason I’m always hearing it when I’m on the road and true enough I don’t even know whyI’m  turning up my radio but dammit if I don’t find myself bobbing my head in my car cos I feel it though.

Next t’ing yuh know it is six hours later and I still humming de song, so clearly he’s doing something right and we love to see island people do well so we don’t mind too much!

 

Bits and pieces – Leona’s race ban, red carpet sightings and Rihanna to speak out

You know every now and then we have to do a pelau post when there’s so much going on that we need to put it all in de pot! This is one of those – we have news from all over – on Ri-ri, Leona (Le-le?) and islandistas on the red carpet from Rio to London to L.A.

So to start with – islandistas have been all over people’s red carpets over the last week – from the premieres of the Michael Jackson This Is It movie in London and Los Angeles, to Fashion Rocks in Brazil.

Check out a few of the looks below.

Former Sugababe Keisha Buchanan was hot at the London premiere of This Is It in a jewel panelled LBD with a jewelled halter neckline.

Nia Long in textured black leggings and a black leather jacket at the LA premiere.

For more looks and news on Rihanna’s first public interview and Leona’s racism run-in, read on.

Islandistas (and one islandisto) in big NFL halftime show!

 

Photo via Facebook

Big things keep happening for island folk on the musical scene!

The latest major breakthrough is a huge performance opportunity for Barbadian singers Shontelle, Vita Chambers and Hal Linton and Guyanese-Canadian Melanie Fiona.

According to our sources, the four have been picked as part of a six-artiste performance at the halftime show of the Detroit Lions vs the Green Bay Packers. The performance is part of their label Universal Motown’s 50th anniversary special.

 

Photo via Facebook

A few weeks back, Shontelle had tweeted that she was praying and hoping really hard for something that could be her biggest opportunity ever but she was mum about it.

NFL. Halftime show. Motown 50th anniversary.

Wunna understand that this is a reaaallll big deal?!

The audience at the game itself is going to be about 70, 000 people – as in about one-quarter of Barbados’ population!

Then there will be another 20 million or so people watching it at home – because it’s Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving and the NFL are as time honoured an American tradition as it gets!

And FOUR CARIBBEAN PEOPLE will be part of this major, huge show.

Hal commented on his FB page that he is set to sing the Marvin Gaye classic, ‘I heard it through the Grapevine’ – a perfect fit for him, since he is definitely in that ’soul man’ mould and what better way to show off his chops than by performing a tribute to the ultimate soul man?!

No word yet on what Vita and Shontelle will be singing but we will keep you posted.

Islandista we love – June Ambrose

Photo credit: @juneambrose via twitpic

Jay-Z calls her his “secretary of style”.

 

In addition to Jay, she has worked as a stylist for Mary J. Blige, P.Diddy and Janet Jackson – among others.

 She has crafted some of the hottest and most memorable looks in hip-hop – and that is no hyperbole.

Remember Missy Elliot’s inflatable ‘bag’ suit in the music video for The Rain?

Or Puffy and Biggie’s shiny suits in Mo Money, Mo Problems?

That was all the work of June Ambrose, hip-hop’s ultimate stylist and style influencer.

Oh, and did we mention she’s an island girl? That last name was a dead giveaway, wasn’t it? Of course, she hails from Antigua.

UK music tidbits – Leona, Alexandra and Keisha

All kinds of things going on with our UK islandistas this week.

First, the follow-up to the shocking attack on Leona Lewis – apparently the attacker, 29 year old Peter Kowalczyk, was a bitter X-Factor reject.

His father told UK tabloid the Sun:

“He wants to be a singer. He went along and queued at X Factor. How far he got with it? Nowhere.”

Apparently Kowalczyk waited FIVE HOURS in line at the book signing just so he could get at Leona.

Who is of course now terrified. The Sun quotes a source as saying she is terrified to go out, thinking the  next crazy attacker could have something more deadly than a fist.

In happier news, fellow X-factor winner Alexandra Burke is heading for number one with her first post- X-factor song – Bad Boys.

And she’s beating Brit pop legend Robbie Williams handily in the race for number one too.

She has sold 89,384 copies so far as compared to 42,751 for Robbie’s Bodies and her tune is number one on itunes.

Oh, and the tune is the fastest selling song for 2009 too.

Cos that’s how we islandistas do it. Get um Alex!

And in more islandista news, Keisha Buchanan may well have the last laugh in the Sugababes war of 09.

She is in hot demand for collaborations and is already back in the studio, with Ne-Yo apparently on the list of would-be collaborators.

Meanwhile, Amelle Berabah, whose dramatic disappearance that wasn’t, was the spur that forced Keisha out of the group she founded, has entered a clinic, suffering from severe nervous exhaustion.

Poor thing, apparently the stress of backraising Keisha and getting her own way in forcing her out, has been very ‘traumatic’.

Hmm. Karma is a bee-atch.

Trend alert: Guyanese-Canadian singers

From left to right - Melanie Fiona, Anjulie and Rhea. (Photo at right from closetdiaries.com)

 

 

 No seriously!

 

 The old saying is ‘three is a trend’ right?

And in the last few months, we have seen three Guyanese-Canadian singers who are definitely on the rise in the international music scene. Shoot, they all hail from in or around Toronto too. It’s a freaky but fabulous coincidence.

First up was Melanie Fiona, whose track Give It To Me Right made some waves. She opened for Kanye West on his European tour in 2008 before she had even released her debut album, The Bridge and she was one of BET’s Rising Icons.

Next to get our attention was Anjulie.

Again, she opened for a big name act - Jesse McCartney on his U.S. tour this time. Her debut single Boom reached number one on Billboard’s US dance charts and her songs have been featured on several shows – The Hills, The City, the new Melrose Place and the Vampire Diaries, among others.

And now comes news that N.E.R.D. (aka Pharrell Williams and the not as cute guys) has added Guyanese-Canadian Rhea as the only female to their line-up.

And Pharrell and co. clearly have high expectations of Rhea. He told MTV.com:

“Musically, we’re just somewhere else [with her]…. The music is now very 3-D. It’s something you have to hear. But you’ll see. We’re definitely somewhere else. I want to leave that impact moment for when you purchase your download and you purchase your CD.

… Now you have this little Tinkerbell that’s just stepped in and has been amazing. … It’s made it a fun process. We can go in so many more directions, because we have the vocal support.”

Whooooiiiiieeeee. No pressure, dread!

Of course, there’s something more these (undeniably talented) chicks have in common than being Guyanese-Canadian warblers from T-dot.

Something that probably makes them more… marketable.

Not that we’re being racial.  But we do call it as we see it. After all, we’ve observed something similar as increasing numbers of Barbadian singers have snagged record label contracts. Take a look at our collage below and see if you spot it. 

 

We’re just saying…

Clockwise from left - Rupee, Rihanna, Shontelle, Livvi Franc, Jaicko, Vita. In the center - Hal Linton

 

 Hums Sesame Street song (one of these things is not like the other…)

Rihanna rips the runway … front row @ Paris Fashion Week

Tit tape and (please god) nude underwear at Gareth Pugh.

Lawdamercy!

Who send de red girl from Westbury Road fuh dem in Paree?

Rihanna chose Paris Fashion – the most elite of the fashion seasons to kill. it. with her all-black everything fashion game. Not to mention she’s hitting several of the other hot new trends for the  season- sporting dark lipstick again at Gareth Pugh and over the knee boots at Vivienne Westwood (please Lord, do not let this trend make it to the Caribbean – I will slap the fool I see in knee highs in this heat).

No lie – we don’t agree with every one of the choices but yuh gotta give  her points for effort. She has the paparazzi and fashion folk in Europe going mad with her style choices – popping up at the hottest shows in outfits that put the rest of the front row (what front row?) to shame.

Check out some of the looks from Rihanna’s Runway below.

Alexandra Burke in mum v. daughter row?

Awoah!

Fame ent always sweet.

Just ask Alexandra Burke.

The islandista winner of Britain’s X-Factor is the cover girl in this month’s issue of British Marie Claire. It’s a major coup and she looks stunning, as the pics below show.

Photo credit: Marie Claire

But she has also revealed that her new found fame (and there ain’t no fame like British fame – the tabloids there are cra-zee) has taken a major toll on her family.

One, it has caused some tension or rather renewed tension (she left home at 16) between her and her mum Melissa Bell, former lead singer of Soul II Soul.

According to Alexandra:

“She had Soul II Soul but it didn’t last as long as she wanted it to last.

‘Then I get this big new show, I win it, and it’s weird for her to see this.

‘Although she’s proud, it’s like she wants to rewind time to when she was younger, when she didn’t have kids. 

‘I’ve never talked about this by the way. We’re not a perfect family. Things p*** me off.’

Awahdisfadda?!

Mumma Melissa ent tekking dat. She struck back today, saying that Alex isn’t even a success yet and explaining why Alex had to leave home when she was 16.

She told the Sunday Mirror:

“It’s all very upsetting. And she’s not even a success herself yet. I hope she is, but we don’t even know how her follow-up single is going to do.”

On the claims that Alexandra was put out when she was 16, Melissa says she had to lay down the law and that hard ears you won’t hear, own way yuh gine feel.

“I have certain rules. In Caribbean families you have to respect your parents. She needed to experience life, to see if the grass is greener – and she did. I don’t know where she went but the door was always open.”

She doesn’t entirely blame her girl for the shock interview though and puts some of the blame on the publicity machine.

“It’s upsetting. I think her PR people are responsible. It’s about getting sympathy votes.”

Tami Chyn & Wayne Marshall tie the knot

Photo credit: Karl Mclarty/Jamaica Observer

Dancehall couple Tami Chyn and Wayne Marshall got married at the Mona Lodge at UWI in Jamaica last weekend.

The two sing-jays were dress to puss backfoot (yu neva know islandista can chat patwa so eenh? for the special occasion.

Tami bucked the white flouffy dress trend with a gorgeous gold coloured silk gown (the Jamaica observer called it ‘metallic butter’ boh) by family friend and  designer Dene Chung, which had a burst of gold and peacock organza on the  strap.

Wayne was dapper in a suit by one of Jamaica’s leading menswear designers, Carlton Brown.

Even the bridesmaids had lovely dresses (which can be so rare for bridesmaids). They had some hot magenta coloured dresses (which perfectly matched Tessanne’s hair actually) with slight variations on the design – Terrie’s had a halter neck strap while Tessanne’s was strapless.

Of course, there was singing – Wayne got singer Suzanne Couch to serenade his bride with Lifeline, while Tami’s sisters Tessanne Chin and Terrie Williamson sang Songbird by Ava Cassidy, as their toast to the couple.

Congrats from Islandista to the happy couple!