Palancing to de crown!

Well that was easy to predict - JW and Blaze's huuugely popular Palance secured the Power Soca Monarch title last night in Trinidad. Click here for the video of the winning performance.

The smart money is on them to take Road March as well since they not only won, but won convincingly - by a full 17 points over defending monarch Fay-Ann Lyons'  True Lies - 81 to her 64.

It was much, much tighter in the Groovy Soca Monarch contest, with Shurwayne Winchester's Murdah prevailing over defending monarch Fay-Ann's Start Wining by just one point - 58 to 57. In fact, the whole top four was tight as Rikki Jai's Barman placed third with 56 points and Patrice Roberts Wuk It (she like de wukking ting yes?)  placed fourth with 55 points.

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Palancing to de crown!

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Pelau post - Fay-Ann's post-baby body, D'Angel's bad luck & Lorna getsher own

We are just bursting with news of all things islandista these days! Between all the various summer carnivals, stage shows, parties and two big fashion weeks back to back, we are so busy it's hard to know where to start.

So, to make a dent in all the suss, we're going to hit you with another pelau post - or a pepperpot post if you will - it real mix up but it spicy and good!

First let's start with news of one of our favourite islandista mamis, Fay-Ann Lyons, who has been taking full advantage of her biggest year in soca to date.

As we reported back in May, her first post-pregnancy performance was in Toronto at Dr. Jay's I Love Soca.

We have seen the pics from the event and can we say... Fay-Ann's post baby body is just... unnecessary! How is it that a woman who just had a baby two months ago (and was round like an English pound as the fellas would say) could already be slimmer than chicks who are not pregnant at all?







[caption id="attachment_1087" align="aligncenter" width="230" caption="This... is not fair."][/caption]

I swear, I going protest to somebody. Obviously, she is not back to six-pack Fay-Ann but damn it man, all she have the nerve to show is a lil pudge?

We have some news of another well-known islandista mummy who is having a string of bad luck recently - Jamaican dancehall act D'Angel.

Her clothing boutique in Kingston was held up and robbed on Monday. Gunmen tied up her employee and made off with J$400 000 (about US$4500) in clothes, accessories etc.

That alone would be bad but it follows close on the heels of her accident less than two weeks ago that wrote off her X5 when she was on her way to a party at footballer Bibi Gardiner's place in St. Thomas. D' Angel said then:

 I was on my way to Bibi's dance in St. Thomas, we couldn't have been more than one minute away when all of a sudden a car ran into us....my side of the vehicle mash up...the airbag dem deploy same time...it was like a movie, I was a spectator to it all."

Worse, the fellas that crashed into her car soon got into another vehicle and took off. Damn... a so dem billias?

In other slightly better news (but not if you're Buju!), his common law wife of 18 years and mother of his 5 children, Lorna Strachan is smiling all the way to the bank after Buju decided to do the smart thing and settle out of court with her.

Apparently Buju wanted to play hardball with her at first even though she was making him a pretty reasonable offer to just have a few of the properties they own jointly, given to her.

So Lorna (yes, her of Buju's 90s hit Love mi Brownin) took the matter to the Supreme Court and Buju soon wised up, realising that their long marriage, even though common-law, still entitled her to half of what he owned. A source close to the couple reported:

"She had his back against the wall. After so many years of them being together, she would be entitled to half of everything he owns. So it made sense for him to give her what she was asking for."

And half of what Buju owns is a pretty penny. The properties included in the claim included an apartment at Priory Court, Devon Road, St Andrew, the property at Ballater Avenue, Kingston 10, which houses the Donovan Germain-led Penthouse empire; houses at Jacaranda Close, Braeton, St Catherine; Carlisle Avenue, Kingston 8; and the family house in Belgrade Heights, Kingston 19.

In the end Lorna came away with the Belgrade Heights house she currently lives in and 25% of the Ballater Avenue property.

I can't stop laughing at this one. Dah fuh he! Too often West Indian men want to feel that they can do women as they like - horn them non-stop, refuse to marry them and then when de women tired of them, they want to get spiteful, even when their own pickney involved.

More women need to stand up for their financial rights and move more seriously. In the end, all she asked for was the house she and his children are living in and 25% of another property - that is barely anything in the scheme of things - you think it is a little bit of money Buju made off of Til Shiloh?

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Pelau post - Fay-Ann's post-baby body, D'Angel's bad luck & Lorna getsher own

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Kadooment band launches- Contact is here!

The music has been out for a while and now Crop-Over is finally getting into full swing with launches of some more bands, including some of Barbados' largest and most popular bands.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="206" caption="Amber - photo credit: contact.bb"][/caption]

Contact launched on Friday with a wicked, wicked launch party and the pics of their 2009 presentation 'Firestones' are already up. Check out some more of our faves from the band when you read on...



[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="216" caption="Black Diamond- photo credit: contact.bb"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="206" caption="Pink Diamond- photo credit: contact.bb"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="218" caption="Pearl- photo credit: contact.bb"][/caption]

Can we say...  it is presssssuurrrre dey bringing for some of the established bougie folks' bands like Baje and Power X Four! Loving the black diamond section - you don't see too many black costumes in Barbados for some reason and they have done it beautifully. The Amber has a lavishly feathered headpiece and if you read islandista, you know our feather fetish already so that gone clear!


We are somewhat conflicted on the pearl section so we put it up to see what the islandista family think. My question is why brown to depict pearls? Especially when brown tends to look so blah on black people? I just never find that brown pops against our skin. If they were going for pearl, why not go for a full white costume? Not white and silver or white and gold as many do but white on white. It would be blinding on the road in the sun!

Anyhow, while in the past Contact had a reputation as more a middle-aged folks band, in the last 3 years they have been making a serious pitch for the young, bougie market that Px4 and Baje had on lock. They have had mixed results.

They drew a lot of young people last year with both their sexier designs and by pitching that they had not just the usual Krosfyah (who has been with Contact for ages) on the road but Machel Montano who was the real winner of last year's Crop-Over.

Unfortunately for some of those who were swayed by the promise of Machel on the road, it turned out to be just that - he was on the road and wining rather than on the truck singing. Worse, he  skipped out and ended up spending as much time liming and wining over in Baje as he did in Contact. Big rock fuh those who jumped Contact just for Machel.

Moreover, the vibe was still persistently middle-aged and tame, according to some  who jumped the Px4 and Baje ships to jump with them.

But it remains to be seen. A year is a long time in playing mas and Contact is floating rumours once again. The big one this year is that they are going to have Fay-Ann Lyons and Bunji Garlin as well as Krosfyah and Machel Montano on the road. The thought of that combination got a looot of people head just hurting them - is a real dilemma! Every other person we ask is wavering just because of that - all you hearing is "BUT... I hear they gine got Fay-Ann, Bunji, Krosfyah AND Machel on the road!"

But that is the question - will Fay-Ann and Bunji be on the road wining or will they be on the truck on the road singing?

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Kadooment band launches- Contact is here!

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Wait boh... Lights like it launch

We have to thank our readers for giving us a heads up when necessary. Jane Doe and Socamommy set us right in our last post with some useful tips.

Apparently, Ravurz is not the first Kadooment band to have launched. Harbour Lights (aka Blue Box Cart) launched their band on May 3rd with a showing at the club.

Funnily enough, there has been nothing about Lights' launch on the regular Crop-Over sites such as kadooment.com or cropovercarnival.com. There has been nothing in the paper nor even mentioned on radio - not even on Mix 96.

There is not even anything official on Harbour Lights' website.

It's almost... as if they did not want the general public to know that their band had launched.

Funny, funny, funny... why would that be? I can't imagine... (racking brain)

So let me rephrase... Ravurz is the first band to let the general public know that they have launched.

There is not even anything official about the Lights launch on their Facebook page, Harbour Lights Crew. However, the enterprising Anja managed to snag some grainy pics from a friend who went to the launch so you can take a look at some of the costumes below.







Hm. Like the models.

In other news, Socamommy has let us know of Fay-Ann's post-baby touring arrangements. A nanny is now part of the Asylum Family and both baby and nanny will be touring with Fay-Ann this summer.

I like it. Do what you got to do Queen Fay!

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Wait boh... Lights like it launch

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It's a girl for Fay-Ann and Bunji!

Ok, it's for real this time!

Road March and double Soca Monarch Fay-Ann Lyons gave birth to her first child, a baby girl at the Mount Hope Hospital's Maternity Unit around noon yesterday.



[caption id="attachment_715" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="After making a vocal appearance at the Soca Monarch finals just over a week ago, Fay-Ann Lyons and Bunji Garlin's baby girl made her real appearance in the world yesterday."][/caption]



While her and Bunji's manager Ian Pantin, assured the media that she was fine, there must have been some scary moments leading up to it as Fay-Ann was compelled to deliver via caesarean section after she was admitted to the hospital on Friday suffering from pre-eclampsia.

Pre-eclampsia is a condition that occurs in as many as 10% of first-time mothers and can be pretty dangerous, leading to hypertension in the expectant mother and can only be cured by induced delivery, caesarean section or abortion (if it occurs early in the pregnancy).

Moreover, it can precede the more dangerous eclampsia, which carries a mortality rate of 1.8%.

Unfortunately for the Soca power couple, especially with the pre-eclampsia scare, Bunji was not even able to be there for her delivery.

From the Trinidad Express:

Husband and three-time International Power Soca Monarch Ian "Bunji Garlin" Alvarez missed the greatest show of his wife's life, only managing to arrive at her bedside later in the evening from Tobago where he had gone to fulfill contractual obligations.

However, all's well that ends well, so let's just send up a little prayer for the Alvarez-Lyons family and offer congratulations to Soca's First Family!

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It's a girl for Fay-Ann and Bunji!

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A pelau post for my islandistas!

I got a pelau kind of post for y'all here - a bit of this and a bit of that. Let it simmer and it gine be real good! :)

The day after completing her Carnival sweep, Queen of the Road, Fay-Ann Lyons-Alvarez was resting up at home and laughing off rumours that she had delivered a 'Carnival Baby'.

 


Speaking to the Trinidad Express, she said:

This is marvellous. The rumour went out by who, we don't know, and people instantly believed it. We told people that called it was not true, and they still believed the rumour. The rumour took precedence over what we were saying. This is the most amazing thing I have ever seen. Even though we are saying the baby has not come as yet, people insist it has. It just goes to show that you can't believe everything you hear. Ian and I had a good laugh over it.

In an interview with Newsday, Bunji added:

It looks like everyone is so excited with Fay’s baby that they feel that it is the nation’s baby. Since Saturday we have been hearing the rumours. We were sitting looking at the television when the announcer came across and announced that Fay had her baby, we just looked at each other and burst out laughing.

They both licked out against the bad-minded people who have been saying ... get this one... that she got pregnant just to get people on her side during Carnival, with Bunji saying:

This is a life not a toy, we wouldn’t do something to jeopardise the child.

Wow. People really taking this thing too far though - how they could really think that her getting pregnant during Carnival could be purpose-work? It doesn't even make any sense, for it certainly made her job more difficult  for while, as she said, she was not sick, you can't jump and wave much when you're eight months along - besides it not being a good idea, gravity is kind of working against you.



In her interview with the Guardian, Fay-Ann also had some interesting and insightful observations about how accommodating promoters were of her pregnancy and how it augurs well for other women in the industry who may consider being pregnant and performing.

 “The promoters were lovely. They provided a lounge chair and water backstage and I was comfortable.” She said that act demonstrated that other women in the industry could become pregnant and continue their careers.

Good stuff to hear.

In other news, The Insider is claiming that Rihanna has actually spent much of the last few weeks since the Chris Brown incident, recovering in a villa in Punta Mita, Mexico, while her people led folks to believe she was in Barbados. They have pictures too of a very depressed-looking Ri-ri in a swimsuit.

 

Hmm. Who knows in this whole sordid saga?

In some more almost totally unrelated news - except that they all from the Caribbean and specifically Barbados, Shontelle and Hal Linton seem to be making some moves in the music biz - at least as far as getting invited to the right parties goes! Everywhere you turn, they are being snapped at another event and why not? God knows we see that Teyana Taylor child all about the place and I still don't know her song. Anyhow, I digress - they were both mixing with music industry big wigs like Sylvia Rhone (Hal's label president) and Vibe Magazine editor Danyel Smith at the Vibe VSessions event the other night.











I told y'all it was a pelau post!

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A pelau post for my islandistas!

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UPDATED: Fay-Ann delivered the carnival baby?

Update: False alarm! Turns out that this was just a rumour - but apparently, even a television station in TnT reported it and from there it went flying. However, we have received reports, both from bandi, in the comments section and also someone who has just returned from Trinidad this evening, that it is false. Fay-Ann is still very much pregnant and she and Bunji actually had a good laugh about it today when they were being interviewed as they made the rounds following her Road March win.

That would have been too perfect timing, wouldn't it?

Ok, so I'm still checking up on this one, but rumours are flying around that Fay-Ann Lyons actually gave birth yesterday - as in Carnival Tuesday.

Both bandi from Trini blog bandwagonist and commenters on regional site islandmix have been reporting this. Reportedly she gave birth to a baby girl.

I'm still checking around to get a solid confirmation of this because... wow! That would be almost eerie timing. It almost seems too crazy to be true - the daughter of Fay-Ann Lyons and Bunji Garlin and granddaughter of Super Blue being born on Carnival Tuesday, even as her mother was storming to her third Road March win?

It should also be kept in mind that Fay-Ann was eight months along and was not due til next month so she still had a few more weeks to go.

If she has delivered, we wish her and Bunji all the best - girl, you is a real super woman if this is true! 

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UPDATED: Fay-Ann delivered the carnival baby?

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Queen Fay-Ann!

Tell them that ah tough like iron

When ah done wid dem,

Dey bound to know know why mih name is Fay-Ann Lyons.

What did we say, nuh? Who could beat de lady wid de carnival baby? Not a man - or woman!

As expected, Super-preggy Fay-Ann Lyons won the Road March, sweeping all three soca titles and making her the 'winning-est' woman ever in Trinidad Carnival.

 The news just came through a short while ago.

She now has five titles, including an unprecedented three Road March titles - surpassing the great Calypso Rose's two Road March titles and equalling her for back-to-back wins and a Carnival sweep.

Despite all the talk about Destra Garcia being close, in the end it was a proper cut-ass by Mummy Lyons-Alvarez, with Fay-Ann's 'Meet Super Blue' getting 410 plays to Destra's 'Bacchanal' a distant second with 76 plays.

Congrats Queen Fay-Ann!

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Queen Fay-Ann!

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Fay-Ann and Destra out front & islandistas at Oscar parties

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So up to now, we here at Islandista are still not sure who has won the Road March title in Trinidad and Tobago. From all accounts, it seems to be a close battle between Fay-Ann Lyons 'Meet Super Blue' and Destra Garcia's 'Bacchanal'.

Checking Trinidad's major papers isn't helping either.

The Trinidad Express claims, 'Bacchanal hot on Super Blue's tail', while the Guardian says 'Destra, Faye-Ann in tight race for Road March'. At first glance, NewsDay seems to be sure it is Fay-Ann, with their front page proclaiming 'Fay-Ann's Queen of the Road' and their online lead story headlined as 'Fay-Ann leads Road March race'. However, later in the article they caution "Destra Garcia's 'Bacchanal' however is not to be discounted."

Arrrrghhh! Hopefully, the results should be out before noon and I trust our islandista readers will let us know early o'clock which Islandista is the Road March Queen. The suspense is killing me.

Anyhow, in other news, the Oscar Awards, as you would know, were on Sunday night. While no islandistas won, there were plenty islandistas to be seen at the hot post-Oscar parties such as the Vanity Fair party and Oscar-watch parties, such as the one at Mr. Chow's. Take a look at some of the islandistas who made the scene below.




Alicia Keys came with her mom and inexplicably wore an awful wavy-haired wig that detracted from her gorgeous lilac gown that she wore to the ceremony. See a closer shot of the wigginess below.



[caption id="attachment_677" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="Alicia Keys getting wiggy with it."][/caption]



Eh-heh. No.




Haitian-American Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon was gorgeous and statuesque in a cold-shouldered black gown at Mr. Chow's Oscar Watch party (aka the party for the celebs who didn't get invited to the actual ceremony or the hottest ticket, the Vanity Fair party but still have enough wattage to be worth a party.)

Half-Nevisian Mel B was also at the Mr. Chow party with her ridiculously fantastic body. Grrrr...



At the night's hottest party (yes, even hotter than the Oscars which were a bit of a snooze), the gold-ticket Vanity Fair event, islandistas Zoe Saldana (Puerto Rico and Dom. Rep.) and Rosario Dawson (Cuba/Puerto Rico) made appearances.

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Fay-Ann and Destra out front & islandistas at Oscar parties

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SuperPreggy sweeeeeeep!

Who can stop the woman wid de Carnival baby this year? Not a man - not even hers!

As I predicted, Fay-Ann won the International Power Soca Monarch contest early this morning at the Hasely Crawford Stadium after she mash up the people place with Meet Super Blue annnnd... she win de Groovy Soca Monarch too with Heavy T.

Shurwayne Winchester placed second to her in the Groovy Soca Monarch contest and hubby Bunji Garlin placed second to her in the Power Soca Monarch contest - the Alvarez-Lyons household getting that money for sure this Carnival season!

And now... it's on to the Road, as Trinidad Carnival reaches its climax this weekend with 96 hours of pure frenzy - no sleeping, only partying!

As for our Road March bet... well to quote commenter Molasses "who say CLEAN SWEEP!"  We do, fuh damn sure! The smart money is on Fay-Ann to keep her crown again this year and do a clean sweep of the party crowns - Power Soca Monarch, Groovy Soca Monarch and Road March Queen.

Take a look at her winning performances below.



In other Carnival news, Fay-Ann said she and Bunji still don't know if they are having a boy or a girl. In an interview with the Trinidad Express, she said that despite two ultrasounds, they can't tell the sex of the child.

"Yes, we want to find out, but it's on the baby's timing. Because of the position of the baby we can't really tell if it's a boy or a girl. I went the first time I heard it's a boy, and then I heard it's a girl, so I know it can't be two of them at the same time (laughs) and it's not a twin."
Hmmm... yet last night I coulda swear I heard Bunji mention that he gine cut 'her' ass when referring to 'Baby Lyons-Alvarez' cheeky verse during Fay-Ann's winining performance of 'Meet Super Blue'. Will check back and let you know...

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SuperPreggy sweeeeeeep!

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Fay-Annnnnnnnn!!!

So I'm just going to go ahead and call this for Fay-Ann Lyons.

They have not yet announced the results of the Bmobile International Power Soca Monarch contest and the Playwey (?) Groovy Soca Monarch contest but if Fay-Ann ent win de big one (power soca) then the judges did not see what the whole Caribbean did.

Eight months pregnant, Fay-Ann mash up the place with her hit 'Meet Super Blue'. Half way through her performance, she brought on the man himself, her father Austin Lyons, aka Super Blue, eight time road march king. He didn't have to do a thing except be there - he didn't have to sing a note because the crowd was hers already.

Then... Fay-Ann bring de dunner. She hold over and say 'ah feel a pain'. Call me foolish, I fell for it, especially when Super Blue put his arm around her shoulder. Hear me:

"Oh shite, she gine have a Carnival baby fuh trute?"



And then... this small, disembodied voice rang out as Fay-Ann pointed the mic at her belly and said:

"Junior! Play meh!"

The sound of the 'Baby Lyons-Alvarez' singing... flatten Hasely Crawford Stadium. Flatten, smash, annihilate!

All five minutes after she left de stage, de crowd was still chanting 'Fay-Ann, Fay-Ann, Fay-Ann!'

So yeah, we calling this one for SuperPreggy Fay-Ann Lyons.

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Fay-Annnnnnnnn!!!

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