Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Olivia Grange (File photo) KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Olivia Grange, will launch a fund-raising initiative dubbed ‘Telethon Jamaica: Together We Stand’ towards providing additional resources to health services in the wake of COVID-19. The initiative will be launched during a live online performance by Jamaican singer, Christopher Martin, on Sunday, April 5 beginning at 7:00 pm. The initiative is a joint effort of the … Read entire article »

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Vbyz Kartel’s much-anticipated appeal has been dismissed in the Court of Appeal in downtown Kingston. President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Dennis Morrison handed down the judgement a short while ago.Justice Patrick Brooks and Justice Frank Williams were the other two judges on the panel, which upheld the convictions of the entertainer and his three co-convicts — Shawn Campbell, Kahira Jones and Andre St John. The appeals were filed in 2018. Justice Morrison, in delivering … Read entire article »

Bill Withers Lovely Day and Lean On Me singer dies of heart complications, according to a family statement. Bill Withers, the influential US soul singer who wrote Lean on Me, Ain’t No Sunshine and Lovely Day has died aged 81 of heart complications, according to a statement from his family. Withers wrote and recorded several other major hits including Use Me and Just the Two of Us, before retiring in the mid-1980s and staying out of the public … Read entire article »

Duane Stephenson—- The COVID-19 pandemic has offered no gifts, except perhaps the opportunity for some people to slow down. As harmful as that may be to the economy of the entertainment space, it may also turn out to be extremely helpful, particularly for those who will transmute their slowed pace into focused creative pursuits. Take, for example, reggae singer and songwriter Duane Stephenson. Between now and May, all Stephenson’s performances have been postponed or cancelled. He has … Read entire article »

BY KEVIN JACKSON—Observer writer— OMI— Since its release in 2015, Cheerleader , the chart-topping single by singer OMI, has racked up more than one billion streams on Spotify , the first for a Jamaican recording artiste. The song, which topped the charts in 23 countries including the United Kingdom and United States, has been certified multi-platinum in Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Italy, Sweden, Spain, and New Zealand. It has been certified Diamond in France and Germany. “One billion streams! That means we got it … Read entire article »

BY KEVIN JACKSON—Observer writer—- Beenie Man— Beenie Man’s Girls Dem Sugar featuring Mya, is ranked number 84 on Billboard magazine’s 100 Greatest Songs of 2000. The songs, which were selected by Billboard staff, was revealed last week. “We knew di song would be a hit when we were recording it. It was a great vibe and energy inside di studio,” Beenie Man recalled in an interview with the Jamaica Observer. Girls Dem Sugar performed well on several Billboard charts. It reached … Read entire article »

Senior Superintendent of Police Steve McGregor arresting the man who was found breaching curfew.— A man was last night arrested for breaching the curfew order as the nightly restrictions took effect. The man found hiding under a bed, was pursued after he went live on social media in an expletive-laden post saying he and his neighbors would not be obeying the curfew orders announced by the Prime Minister. In the video several men gathered on the road interacting. Under … Read entire article »

Christean Bridgette Beacon (center) appeared in court charged with breaking the curfew. A Jamaican woman with no fixed address on Wednesday, became the first person to be charged with breaking the curfew in Barbados. According to Barbados NationNews, the woman, 23-year-old Christean Bridgette Beacon,  appeared in the District “A” Magistrates’ Court and was subsequently charged with remaining outdoors along Government Hill, St Michael, without a reasonable explanation, between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. on March 30. She pleaded … Read entire article »