ET&T Volume 9 March Issue 1 2015

There seemed to be no stopping Former Road March winner

Patrice Roberts in C2K15. She came out of the gates with guns blazing releasing tune after tune. Her song on the Flair Skirt Riddim entitled “Feeling Mihself” was one of the year’s standout selections. Her late release alongside Machel Montano entitled Great Parade had the potential to dominate the streets on Monday and Tuesday if it wasn’t for the juggernaut of “Like Ah boss.” By and large Roberts’ work was very well received this year despite her underachieving in the Soca Monarch competitions. ET&T reached out to the star who has only just recovered from the dreaded post carnival flu to find out her current state of mind and keep you abreast of her moves.

While some of her contem-poraries are already doing shows abroad, Roberts is relishing the op-portunity for some down time and is happy with how her post-carnival period is shaping up.

“Things are fine thus far... I actu-ally have some time to rest this year af-ter Trinidad Carnival before I get into touring. I am thankful for the opportu-nity to rest a bit. It is really a blessing in disguise. I am thankful and reflective and ready to take on everything that is coming my way.”

That doesn’t mean she hasn’t been working at all. Patrice is al-ready involved in the creative pro-cess and she hinted that she could release new material in the coming months. “I have been listening to riddims and demos and even writ-ing so we will see what happens. Once the vibe is right anything can happen” said Roberts.

Speaking of staying active, Pa-trice has been an incredibly active force on social media platforms. She usually has instagram buzz-ing with personal video clips and photos of herself in the latest and hottest couture. It’s safe to say that Roberts’ sexy new image is admired by both sexes and that is one of the things that contributed to her song “Feeling Mihself” being so success-ful. She was able to truly sell the song to listeners.

While she admits that clothing and makeup contribute to her sexi-ness, Patrice states that her attitude, thoughts and body also attribute to her feeling sexy.

With all the self-love Patrice is affording herself one would think it would be extremely difficult to be-come her other half. However, that does not seem to stop her long list of male suitors. With that in mind, we wondered if Patrice would con-sider putting her music career on hold to pursue a relationship and start a family. She posited that it is definitely something she would be looking forward to, but only in due time. For now career comes first.

“You never know... I love kids and at some point the time will come when that decision has to be made, but I still need more time to deal with my career before that happens but I would love to have a family.”

It’s obvious this songbird has a level head and a plan in motion for her career. However, she acknowl-edges that everything may not go to plan as she admits “The industry is unpredictable and anything can hap-pen at any given time so you really just have to be prepared to deal with it.” Despite the challenges, both obvi-ous and unforeseen Patrice will be going full hundred in her quest for success. She is a hard judge when it comes to that as she rates her 2015 season “at a 5.5 or 6 out of 10.”

If that’s the case, one can only imagine what even an 8 would bring… pure greatness.

LOCAL NEWS The ET&T WEEKLY Tabloid is published

by ABSTRACT MEDIA GROUP Company Limited in the island of Trinidad and To-bago and is protected by strict copyright laws and is not to be reproduced in full or in part without the written consent from the management of ABSTRACT MEDIA GROUP Company Limited.©Copyright Abstract Media Group Com-pany Limited 2013. All Rights Reserved.Disclaimer: The views expressed herein are expressed by the writers and do not reflect the sentiment of Abstract Media Group Company Limited.

Disclaimer: The views or opinions pre-sented in this publication are solely those of the writers and do not necessarily rep-resent those of the company. Employees of ABSTRACT MEDIA GROUP COMPANY LIMITED are expressly required not to make defamatory statements and not to infringe or authorize any infringement of copyright or any other legal right. Any such article is contrary to company policy and is outside the scope of the employment of the individual writer con-cerned. The company will not accept any liability in respect of such article, and the employee responsible will be per-sonally liable for any damages or other liability arising.

PATRICE TALKS MUSIC, IMAGE AND POTENTIALLY STARTING A FAMILY

1www.amgtt.com • MARCH, 2015 • ET&T

For the past 7 years, the end of April brings a buzz to

the island of Tobago. Once you step on the island, there is an intense level of enthusiasm, ex-citement and "quiet pride" that runs through the heart of all Tobagonians. Local food ven-dors begin to gather their fresh seasoning, hotels prepare their rooms and facilities, taxi services hire more drivers, and glass-bot-tom boat owners stock up on gas and complimentary drinks for their visitors. Banners are posted throughout the city and the ce-lebrities who would be sharing the haven of Tobago, become the talk of the town. All is set. Lights, camera and action- It’s the Tobago Jazz Experience.

Grammy award-winning ac-tress and singer Jennifer Hud-son, soulful R&B vocalist Jill Scott, mainstream artiste Miguel and funk and disco band, Kool & The Gang would be the inter-national headlining acts to grace the stage of the Tobago Jazz Expe-rience 2015. Local favorites such as David Rudder, Kes The Band and Shurwayne Winchester are also among the versatile cast who are expected to leave a lasting im-pression on patrons. The Tobago Jazz experience is known for cele-brating jazz, along with the indig-enous music of Trinidad and To-bago and the Caribbean. This is showcased by the series of events which is carded for April 18th to April 26th. The scenic village of Speyside would get the ball roll-ing with “Jazz in the East” fol-lowed by several shows through-out the island, culminating at the most anticipated “Beach Jazz Fiesta” at the Pigeon Point Heritage Park. David Michael Rudder, one of our country’s national treasures who would be performing at "Jazz Signal" in Shaw Park Complex, shared on what patrons could expect.-"I will be playing some of the favorites, and some of the not so well known, but

I'll be stretching them out into new territory. Giving them a newness."

Tickets for the Tobago Jazz Experience 2015 went on sale on February 25th 2015 at vari-ous outlets in Tobago. It has only been a few weeks and

guesthouses, hotels and vehicle rentals are already booked up. Patrons, especially those who travel from Trinidad, are ensur-ing that flights and boat tickets are booked in advance. In 2014, the Tobago Jazz Experience fea-

tured nine time Grammy award winner John Legend, Earth Wind and Fire, Keyshia Cole and Brandy. The show was well subscribed by the Trinidad pa-trons, causing Caribbean Air-lines to add 22 new flights to its domestic route. The Port Au-thority of Trinidad and Tobago also had to increase their ferry sailings between the islands, to accommodate the thousands of travelers during the period. This year, 2015 an estimated 40,000 persons are expected to grace the shores of Tobago for the Tobago Jazz experience. The tourism sec-tor sees tremendous benefits, as the Jazz Experience provides a platform for our rich historical and cultural traditions and ex-pressions to be showcased. This has a significant impact on small businesses and provides ideal economic opportunities. In keeping with this year's theme, the Tobago Jazz Experience promises to offer "much more than music". Patrons could ex-pect a holistic experience and total fulfillment.

The Tobago Jazz Experience has gained international recog-nition throughout the years for highlighting world class artistes mixed with the finest musical talents of our nation.

Jill Scott

David Rudder

promises a special mix of old and new tunes

Written by S. Romero

LOCAL NEWS

THE TOBAGO JAZZ EXPERIENCE 2015PROMISES "MUCH MORE THAN MUSIC"

2 ET&T • MARCH, 2015 • www.amgtt.com

Hemophilia is a rare disor-der in which your blood

doesn't clot normally because it lacks sufficient blood-clotting proteins (clotting factors). After the sudden passing of a close friend in March 2013, SW Tour-ing Ltd decided to use sports to highlight this rare disease which affects many in Trinidad & To-bago.

The Hemophilia Awareness Youth Football Challenge (HAY-FC) is the 1st Annual 7-a-side football tournament for chil-dren (boys and girls) under the age of 13.

The tournament is an oppor-tunity to provide young and as-piring athletes a healthy and safe avenue where they could prac-tice and showcase their skills on and off the playing field.

The first edition will be held on Saturday 28th March 2015

at the Mannie Ramjohn Foot-ball Stadium (Training Fields), Marabella

The whole day sporting activ-ity (9am to 6pm) will feature 16 of the best youth teams from all over Trinidad and Tobago com-peting in the Under 13 category.

An invitation is extended to football academies, coaching schools and youth teams from all over the country to vie for over $4,000 in cash, hampers, trophies and medals

Besides being a part of the most popular sport locally and internationally, the tournament offers children the opportunity to engage in healthier lifestyles, improve friendship bonds, de-velop team spirit and enhance youth empowerment,

For further tournament in-formation please email [email protected].

Yet again the City of San Fer-nando will become the hub

of Fashion and Merchandising as this year’s production of San Fernando Fashion Week kicked off its 10th Golden Anniversary themed “Return to Heritage: A Way To See Ourselves” with model castings which took place at Creative Arts Center San Fer-nando on Sunday 25th January & Sunday 22nd February, 2015. Many hopeful models including children turned up at the venue excited and ready as they practiced their walks and turns in prepara-tion for the selection process.

Several models were selected for the 2015 production and those models will be preparing themselves to hit the runway at the final roll out event and at the Golden 10th Anniversary Pre Showing launch which takes place on March 29th at Royal Hotel in

San Fernando.The San Fernando Fashion

Week Committee as always, re-mains committed to working with young focused individuals in the creative sector and aims to move the fashion sector forward by cre-ating a strong networking body

to build stronger ties and bonds within this sector and to promote Trinidad & Tobago as a whole re-gional/ International developing through Trade and Export.

For their 10th Anniversary SFFWTT will host a two day Merchandiser’s Expo which will

be filled with business propelling displays and endless networking opportunities. This event is the perfect forum to meet all your business goals so don't miss this chance to connect with custom-ers, inspire and educate your team and grow your business!

LOCAL NEWS

YOUTH FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT AIMS TO CREATE AWARENESS OF RARE DISEASE AFFECTING MANY LIVES IN TRINIDAD & TOBAGO

SANDO FASHION WEEK KICKS OFF 10TH ANNIVERSARY PROCEEDINGS


Award season is here! Which translates to: every fashioni-

sta’s favourite time of the year. It’s where formal silhouettes, such as strapless A-line dresses and curve-hugging mermaid gowns parade the red carpet. It also provides inspiration for many fashion designers world-wide and more recently sparked heated social media discussions between fans of a television per-sonality and a Disney star!

However despite the enter-tainment these shows provide, the fashion advice is somewhat limit-ed to our culture. After all wear-ing a pearl dress to the grocery store seems a bit…impractical.

Therefore if you’re craving more of a local fashion experi-ence, you’re in luck! Here’s what you can expect in the 2015 fash-ion forecast.

Black and white - Many de-signers are experimenting with this classical duo. This can be seen in Trinidad’s very own Adri-an Foster’s Shadows collection. International designers such as Tania Taylor and Tracy Reese have also incorporated the black and white duo in their 2015 Spring collection.

Bohemian - Tie-dye print, flowing maxi dresses, jewelry necklines and long hemlines are just some of the things you can expect for 2015. International designers such as Altuzarra, Valentino and Rochas have all included a bohemian style into their Spring 2015 designs. Local designer, Charu Lochan Dass also debuted her Bohemian Glam collection at Fashion Gal-lery New York Fashion Week.

Gingham pattern - A rela-tive of plaid, these small-check-ered boxes are making its way into every fashionista’s closet. Iconic local fashion designer Meiling incorporates gingham in her Parallels collection. Mi-chael Kors, Oscar de la Renta, and Altuzarra are all taking part. According to many fashion blog-gers, these tiny checkers may be best paired with leather and work friendly trousers.

Shirtdresses - Imagine wearing your favourite shirt as a dress! Well now it’s possible! These dresses are available in almost any length and style and can be worn with both flats and heels (depending on the length). From sexy button down shirts with thigh high slits to a simpler t-shirt look paired with a belt.

The options are endless. Design-ers such as Kate Spade, Rebecca Minkoff and Altuzarra showed off some of their shirtdresses de-sign at New York Fashion week.

Wide leg pants (Palazzo) - Fashion advice from the ex-perts: it is best paired with a fit-ted top. If worn with heels, it can really elongate your legs. If you’re

looking for a local version of these pants, check out Meiling’s Parallels collection.

Yellow - The colour that is invading the runway. However while yellow may be relatively new to the international run-way, many Caribbean designers already include bright colours like yellow into their designs as it tends to remind them of the vibrancy of the Caribbean. For instance take a look at PAYNE Travel collection for 2015. Due to the boldness of the colour it is

best paired with darker hues such as greys and blacks.

Which of these looks is your favourite? Head over to our Facebook page ET&T Weekly and let us know.

LOCAL NEWS

FASHION FORECAST 2015YELLOW WITH A CHANCE OF GINGHAM

Written by D. Nandlal


ADMIRAL BAILEY FACING FRAUD-RELATED CHARGESRevered veteran Jamaican entertainer, Glendon Bailey, more popularly known as Admiral Bailey, has been slapped with several fraud-related charges after allegedly using false identity in an attempt to renew his passport.

Reports say the musician attended the Passport Immigration and Citizenship Agency (PICA) offices, attempting to renew his pass-port under the name Michael George Sulli-van. Upon further inspection, his identity was

revealed and he was subsequently arrested by PICA officers.

Admiral Bailey faces two counts of utter-ing forged documents, two counts of obtain-ing a passport by false pretense, two counts of possession of forged documents, one count of attempting to obtain a passport by false pre-tense and one count of conspiracy to defraud.

QQ DEBUTS NEW IMAGEAfter years of being labeled a "child star" in the dancehall industry, recording artiste, QQ has revamped his image and is showing off a sophisticated new look! His new promotional material sees the singer clad in an all-black ensemble, including a black leather jacket, designer shades, and sporting that perfect five o'clock shadow that women swoon over!

"People grow. It's ok to grow and although some find that difficult to grasp, I'm embracing this growth. I'm expanding and expressing myself and hoping the move will enhance my international pro-file and propel my career to the next level." The singer says.

The new visual coincides with the release of his new single, Bad Gyal Wine, produced by Kirk 'Kirkledove' Bennett of Kirkledove Re-cords.

QQ, whose given name is Kareem Dawk-ins, says he's excited about all the opportuni-ties 2015 has to offer and is looking forward to a great year. "I am excited about all my projects for 2015. I will be connecting solidly with my fans this year and Bad Gyal Wine is just one of the few songs I'm getting ready to promote on my North American tour next month. My team believes in me, and to-gether, I believe we'll create a great synergy that can push my music to crossover worldwide."

DREW BARRYMORE TO PUBLISH AUTOBIOGRAPHYDrew Barrymore is ready to share her life story. The actress is publishing a collection of autobiographical essays with Dutton.

"I love stories that are humorous, emotional and welcoming, and that is my goal in writing this book," said Barrymore, 40, in a statement.

The publishing company described the book as anecdotes about Barrymore "living on her own at 14 (and how laundry may have saved her life), getting stuck in a gas station overhang on a cross-country road trip, saying goodbye to her fa-ther in a way only he could have understood and many more adventures and lessons that have led

to the most important thing in her life, which is motherhood."

The book is still untitled.

KYLIE JENNER TERRIFIED TYGA WILL BE PRESSURED TO LEAVE HER NOWKylie Jenner is terrified Tyga will end their relationship after being pressured to leave her. Tyga’s advisors are pushing him to distance himself from the youngest Jenner leaving her worried sick their relationship will end.

Kylie’s brother-in-law Kanye West opened a can of worms when he said Kylie, 17 and Tyga, 25, were “in love” during an interview on Power 105.1‘s The Breakfast Club radio show

on Feb. 20. Things got only worse when Tyga expressed his feelings about her in his Hot 97 interview on the same day.

Now the pressure is on Tyga to distance himself from Kylie and she’s terrified he will leave her!

“Tyga has been pressured by some of his people and record company to distance himself from Kylie at least till her 18th birthday in August. They didn’t want him to get any public backlash for allegedly having an inappropriate relationship with her.

“Kylie sometimes takes people’s critical com-ments hard. She shed a few tears recently when she and Tyga received so much attention for their rela-tionship. She always wanted the truth about them to be known, but she wasn’t prepared for some of the criticism.

“It terrified her that Tyga may actually be con-vinced by his people to leave her. Tyga has reassured her he wouldn’t do that, but part of her still worries about it. He’s become so incredibly important to her and she would be lost without him in her life.”

REGIONAL NEWS

WORLD NEWS


NAME: Sylon HillsAGE: 24HEIGHT: 5’8”WEIGHT: 178 lbsCAREER: Personal Trainer, Gym Instructor, Health CoachBRIEFS OR BOXERS: Strict-ly Calvin Klein or Polo briefs.FAVOURITE SCENT: Issey Miyake Nuit D’iddey second to Chanel Blue.FAVOURITE THING: Would have to say my favorite thing is run-ning away to Tobago on a weekend just to relax and leaving everything behind.DESCRIBE YOUR DREAM GIRL: Hmm…a cute shorty with a firm body and nice tail (lol). She must have nice hair and be easy to talk to with a sense of humor.YOU WERE HEARTBRO-KEN: Yes, but who hasn’t been?YOUR HERO: My dad, for lay-ing the foundation for me to fol-low.FAVOURITE FOOD: Rack of Lamb, Asparagus and Creamed Potatoes.THE WAY TO YOUR

HEART IS: The way to my heart would be good food, working out, money and quality time.YOU’D NEVER DO: Cheat on my girlfriend.WHAT ABOUT PETS: don’t really like pets anymore.THE ONE THING HE WANTS TO DO BEFORE HE DIES: I will love to skydive, before I die. I actually dream about it.FAVOURITE ARTIST: DrakeFAVOURITE MUSIC: Hip-HopFAVOURITE PLACE FOR A MEAL: Hmm… anywhere cool with a mellow vibes. I’m not picky.HAVE YOU EVER CHEAT-ED: Who hasn’t?THE FREAKIEST THING YOU HAVE EVER DONE: Sex on the beach! And I’m not talking about the liquor.WHERE’S YOUR WEAK SPOT: Between my lady’s legs (lol).WHAT'S YOUR MOTIVA-TION: My motivation is to see change and development in others and myself. I strongly believe that self-growth can only occur when you can help the growth in others.HOW DO YOU MAINTAIN YOUR BODY: I maintain my body by proper dieting and nu-trition, with a series of exercises because as we know it’s 80% nu-trition 20% exercise, but exercise could only take you so far. Also I’m a proud consumer of Herbal-ife.

DREAM GUY

Pho

tog

rapher: Ikenna D

oug

las


LEE-ANN FORBES

Name: Lee-Ann ForbesAge: 24 (quarter century in April…I feel so old!)Hometown: St. JamesHobbies: Equestrian classes (horseback riding)It goes without saying that Lee-Ann Forbes is amazingly pretty. However, don’t call her “cute,” it’s one of her pet peeves. This former Miss Trinidad and Tobago World winner is one of the most familiar faces in local modeling having found herself on many a billboard and ad for several prominent companies.

Despite her successes in the world of glam, Forbes decided to

veer away from that path in order to better pursue her religious be-liefs as a Pentecostal. As a result, she was able to visit Israel which she described as an amazing and life-changing experience.

‘Lili’ (as she is sometimes called) also has plans of changing the lives of others in a positive way. Her goals are to establish an event planning and management business when she completes school and open a unique charity foundation.

Lee-Ann confesses that she does not have a favourite designer. But she states that when she is in New York she must make her mandatory stop at Aldo, Express and V.S. Trinidad’s most famous photographers have lined up their lenses before her. Calvin French, Gary Jordan, Kerron Riley and Wyatt Gallery are a few that come to mind.

Despite leaving much of the modeling world behind; she does maintain her appearance and health with a bit of work. She ad-

mits that even in her modeling prime she never worked out or dieted, but she has recently begun training and eating better.

“I would go to gym 3-4 days a week, one day upper body, another day legs (which I hate) and the last day full body workout. Each day takes no more

than an hour. I also give myself facial scrubs and masks at least once a week to help remove dead skin cells and re-juvenate new ones. I also gave wearing make-up a break so my skin can get a rest, recover and heal.”

We must admit that she doesn’t need it.

MODELMANIA


MONEER DESIGNS PRESENTS PASSION

This floral print design can

take you from the Boardwalk

to the actual beach easily.

Photo by J Hills

This beautiful brown beach

dress is the epitome of

poolside elegance.

Photo by J Hills

FASHION

Guyanese born, T&T national Aaron Moneer is a man on a mission. His mis-

sion is to overcome a trying past and become one of the region’s most accomplished fash-ion designers. At only 18 years of age Aaron has made major inroads thus far in that re-gard. He started putting pieces together in

his early teens and fine-tuned his talents in MIC’s dressmaking and design programme. With less than a year after graduating from the course Moneer Designs was birthed and his first collection entitled Passion has been making waves. The collection is a mix of gowns and resort wear that will soon be

featured at the San Fernando Fashion Week. Aaron was also invited to highlight his work at Guyana Fashion Week. Here ET&T had the privilege of sharing a few of his Passion catalogue which he said was inspired by a Mas Band he likes and his mentor Lauren Berment.

This simple white gown with black belt exudes class.


FASHION

This beautiful gown with plunging neckline will be a hit a pageants and

graduations. Photo by Marc Jeffery

This form-fitting design with black train is ballroom approved.

This green and black gown is

unusual, but therein lies the

beauty.Photo by J Hills

This animal print dress is

breezy and beautiful

enough to go beyond the

beach.Photo by

Marc Jeffery

This two-piece white dress with lacy train is a stylish ensemble. Photo by J Hills


From “Over and Over” in 2002 to “Phenomenal” in

2015 Benjai has been consistently pleasing Trinis and soca lovers all around the world with his unique musical melodies. Lately he has gifted us with delightful images of his sexy physique (Ladies!! Wink). ET&T recently caught up with the lovable entertainer…

ET&T: What are you working on right now?Benjai: A lot of projects… different stuff… I can’t really give the details with them…

ET&T: How do you feel about the recently concluded Carnival season?Benjai: I feel that I made a just contribution. I feel good… I did my music and I liked how the people enjoyed the product this year and its back to the drawing board again.

ET&T: What was the inspiration behind phenomenal… the frontrunner of your releases for this year?Benjai: The inspiration of all my music is God. I can’t really take any credit for that. I can’t really take any credit like if it’s me. Sometimes I get inspiration in my sleep so it could be anything, but God is essential to everything. All my music is according to the vibe that the Father gives me… I can’t really say when I will get a song or if I will get a song.

ET&T: How did you come about working with H20 Phlo on the track?Benjai: Actually I did my vocals, I did my harmonies and after we did it I wanted it fuller… We were going to get a choir, but H20 Phlo was very close to the Flipo’s studio where I did my vocals. Since they

were close by I said I would use them and we paid them for their services. They did the background vocals and after I heard it I liked how they sounded and I decided to give them a feature on the song. It was a surprise to them... it wasn’t a planned thing.

ET&T: What can we expect from you for the rest of the year?Benjai: Just more music and more work in general. Right now I’m just back to the drawing board, finishing some projects.

ET&T: You’ve done reggae in the past. Are there plans do anything in that genre in the near future?Benjai: Yes! Reggae is always like a plus, but I was just finishing up some projects so I don’t like to get

sidetracked and just jump to other things and pick up this thing and that thing.

ET&T: Can we look forward to collaborations in the future? Benjai: Yeah collaborations are a good thing, but I am kinda holding back on that for the while because I did too much of that in the early part of my career. I get the bad end of the stick in that there are a lot of people who will befriend you just to get your vocals on a track with them and after it’s a different vibes so I did enough of that and I believe right now I just want to focus on me. Any collaboration would depend 100 percent on vibes and according to how the connection and the chemistry is.

ET&T: Over the last year

into this year you’ve been viewed by many of your female fans as a sex symbol. We don’t have many male sex symbols in the soca industry really… how do you feel about being viewed in that way?Benjai: Well if that is what the industry wants then that’s what you have to give the industry… Things to keep it lively. Somebody has to do it, so if I am the one chosen then I’m glad to know that I am piece of the puzzle that helps to make up the soca industry. If that is my role then I will do my role to the best of my ability.

ET&T: So a related question is how do you stay in shape?Benjai: Exercise... gym in the morning and basketball in the

BENJAIET&THOTSEAT


evening. Diet is a must. I don’t really give away all of my secrets.

ET&T: So if I ask you to detail your routine you’d say…Benjai: I will tell them to come and join Extreme Gym on O’meara Road, Arima… My trainer is Oswald Andrews…

ET&T: If you had a chance to do anything else besides what you do now what would it be?Benjai: Acting.

ET&T: Have you ever done any acting?Benjai: No, but I know naturally I am good at it

ET&T: What advice do you have for upcoming artistes?Benjai: Just be true to yourself. Believe in the Most High God. Practice principle. Comradery is a must. No man is an island. We could envy each other, but you shouldn’t envy a man for his talents. That is something that God gave us, so for the new artistes they have to just do everything with God in their hearts because plenty of the older ones already got carried away with ego and lust of worldly things. They will not really be able to guide the younger ones and the ones who can guide the younger ones will be getting the fight so they wouldn’t be really able to have the financial capacity to do the things that the ones who have the financial capacity should be doing but are not doing. they should believe and love what they do to the best of their ability…the usual thing that an elder will tell a youth, but the main thing is loving and respecting each other and not envying a person for what is their own… what is naturally theirs.

ET&T: What is your approach to competition?Benjai: Well competition is competition. I only enter competition because that is the biggest forum of putting all my fans in the same place at the same time. The only catch is you are only getting to perform one song and everyone chooses their best song.

You just perform that rendition to the best of your ability. You can’t get carried away about who wins… At the end of the day somebody has to win and somebody has to lose, but that should not take away from what defines us and what makes us the artiste and take away the strength of the fans. The fans will love us the same way... wouldn’t love you less. As far as I am concerned, if it didn’t have competition, soca would still be flowing. It would still have Carnival. Competition is just designed to break the mind of the weak. If you are weak as an artiste you will just succumb to competition and your mind will only be on competing. Carnival is not about competition. Carnival is about liberating yourself and expressing yourself through mas and costumes, mud and paint. It’s not about going back into a position of stress and war mentality or crab in a barrel mentality where you look at the person next to you as a contestant or a contender instead of a comrade.

ET&T: Is fashion important to you?Benjai: To be honest… I want to see myself in a more fashionable vibe. I am going to hire someone to deal with that. I always want to do different things and I am waiting to see if any offers come my way. It will make it easier to choose… I got offers already, but it wasn’t local. As a matter of fact I got like three international offers to model as well... The first thing they say is that they like my height and my structure. You can’t be stripping everywhere and doing the same thing. I just did that for that song for a few minutes, but that is not an every time thing.

ET&T: You have always been passionate about youth and crime and social issues. What do you think about the state of the country now and the potential for music to address some of our

problems?Benjai: Music will always have the power to help crime and to help certain things in the country, but on the next hand you can’t stop the time and everybody is getting wiser to what is going on. The corruption level in Trinidad and Tobago is not of the people, it is of the people in high places. It’s the government. You can’t be corrupted unless you have money. A poor man cannot be corrupted. What can he corrupt?

Right now the ministers smok-ing marijuana, but the govern-ment want to lock up people for marijuana. We – the head of CARICOM – have people get-ting arrested for marijuana when lower down in the CARICOM in other countries it’s decriminalized so it is showing you that the head of the snake don’t know what the tail doing. It is easy for anyone to see and being a guy who travels the world… The government needs to watch the artistes of Trinidad and Tobago and pay attention to the things that we have to say be-cause we get to see the world and we could compare and see what is not working. The government can for instance do as Dubai and give back a percentage of the billions of money that they make from oil and gas to the taxpayers. Not to everybody but to the taxpayers. It will at least build back the level of the country to the point where crime will drop.

We just need to get back into the foundation of how we were as a people. We were always a pray-ing people. We always kept certain concepts… family, God, honoring thy mother and father so that thy days will be longer and if you spare the rod you spoil the child… We need to get back these concepts here. They are spoiling the seed and expecting the tree to bear nice fruit and the only way we can guide the youth is we cannot spare the rod; we have to bring back discipline. Right now to save the country we have to focus on the youths and guide them back. If a parent right now is not spiritually and mentally strong he will not be able to grow his child in the right manner. Count the population of Trinidad and Tobago. How many parents will you get like that?

HOT SEAT


DJ Private Ryan’s legend has con-sistently grown thanks to his

regular releases of top-notch mixes on his website. He has a large radio

following as well despite the fact that he seldom does voicing and announcing. He just hits the boards and Party Done!! Speaking of parties, his Soca Brainwash event is probably the biggest and best Carnival event you probably haven’t heard of. People come out en masse to soak up the sun and fun to the sweetest strains of music by Ryan and his trusted DJ friends.

SOCA BRAINWASH EVENTS

A fun-loving crew

Wilding!

The man himself

Feeling like a boss

Faithful followers

Friends pose

Tough guys wear pink shorts

Thrice as nice

It drew feters from all corners

Regional representation

Having a time

Solo swank

She doubled up

Konichiwa!

A Bajan beauty

The Stone ColdStunner pose


Queens Park West was the venue for the cooler spectacular known as

YUMA Fahrenheit. Bass banging through the speakers and lush green for the

feters to jump around on was all part and parcel of the experience. Some extremely hot gals and guys hoping to GT with them formed the measure of the proceedings. Take a look for yourself and see a bit of what you may or may not have missed.

YUMA FAHRENHEITEVENTS

Feeling a vibeThree is glee! Looking bess in BoucaudOohhh Yesss!!!

Ladies were everywhere

They make a great pair

The awesome foursome

Who needs a wining partner?

Must be reallyhungry

Jamming like there’s no tomorrow

Unmistakenly happy

Stud sighting

A four cup pic


The Asylum Vikings, Kerwin DuBois and more kept the party jumping with strong performances while DJ’s also provided real

tempo throughout at the Queens Park Oval. The event we’re speak-ing about is the Privilege Rise Cooler Fete and ET&T felt privileged to be there. An insane girl-guy ratio and pretty people who were not afraid to get down and party hard made this an epic event. RISE

They enjoyed the lime When homies collide Pardnas roll colour coordinated

EVENTS

Everything’s better in threesKerwin addresses the masses

Animal print was everywhereGod is good

Rather subdued for the occasion

Sharing a smile

Arms akimbo like a boss

Woman like water


Venture Credit Union Co-operative Society Limited teamed up with Ronnie Mc In-tosh again for the 6th annual edition of the Ronnie & Friends All Inclusive Carnival Lime.

The party was pumping in 2014 and at only $400 patrons got a lot more than they would have ini-tially imagined. The 2015 edition promised to be even more spectacular with bigger and better per-formers and a wider variety of food and premium drinks. It is safe to say that the extremely afford-able event delivered as promised. Tickets cost only $450 this year and the fete attracted a diverse and energetic crowd. ET&T was happy to be a part of the action.

RONNIE & FRIENDS CARNIVAL ALL INCLUSIVE EVENTS

Getting their pose on

In the soca swing Interesting attire Colourful clothing and personalities

Unity personified

Mr. Chucky did his thing

Approved!

Promoting love

Enjoying the vibes

Holding her close

A happy coupleat the event

Groovy MonarchTunji goes in

Back to back

A nice duo


A mix of novices and professional runners converged for the non-competitive paint race and fun run known as Caribbean Colour Splash. It was a refreshing aside from the regular carnival schedule and

gave some of the country’s younger population a chance to participate in a wholesome event. Last year‘s edition at Skinner Park in San Fernando was extremely successful and the 2015 run also drew massive participation. The 5K promotes a healthy and active lifestyle and it also creates awareness about various types of cancer. ET&T was there for the fun run which also includes frequent paint baths along the course.

EVENTS EXTRA

CARIBBEAN COLOUR SPLASH 2015


ISLAND CELEBRITIES

THE BOLD AND THE BELTLESS

JAMAICAN DANCEHALL STAR SEAN PAUL IS SURROUNDED BY

PROMO GIRLS AT A LOCAL EVENT

PHOTOGRAPHER TREVOR GODDARD LINKS UP WITH

LYRIKAL

FAY-ANN HAS FUN BACKSTAGE AT AN

EVENT

PAPARAZZI

Some fashion criminals are a bit discreet with their indiscretions, while others just explode onto the scene like nobody’s business and without remorse. Whether your fashion crime is a petty one or a felony offense, it will be dealt with.

This brazen character is out and about having the time of her life. Well, the guys at FP were thinking that she should get just that… life behind bars for that atrocious outfit. The wig took the look to another level of madness. Speaking of mad-ness… are those bare white socks she is wearing in the grass? More mad people outside than inside.

Ladies can often get away with not wearing belts. However, guys… not so much… Especially if you are tucking your shirt into your trousers. Dude… please stop the lawlessness.

We caught a well-known entertainment personality slipping up as well. We don’t care if your pants are tight. Once there are loops, you wear a belt. Look how many people he can potentially influence.


Name: Giuliana RancicAge: 40 (August 17th, 1974)Profession: Television personal-ityClaim to fame: Rancic was born in Italy and immigrated to the USA at the age of 7. She went on to pur-sue and acquire a Master’s degree in Journalism from American Uni-versity to back up her Bachelor’s in Journalism from the University of Maryland. She also received certifi-cation from the Barbizon Modeling and Acting School.

She earned celebrity status by

becoming anchor of E! News along with Ryan Seacrest in 2005. She also co-hosted other productions on the network such as Fashion Po-lice and several pre awards shows. She even hosted NBC’s Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants.

Rancic went through several personal storms including much publicized fertility issues and a breast cancer diagnosis in 2011. She disclosed that she decided to undergo a double mastectomy as a result.

She also had several career

highlights. Rancic was ranked #94 on the Maxim Hot 100 Women of 2004. She was also featured in Peo-ple magazine's 100 Most Beautiful of 2006 issue. Giuliana was nomi-nated Favorite TV Celeb-reality Star for the 2012 People's Choice Awards. In June 2014, Rancic was named "Fan Favorite" during the Daytime Emmy Awards.

Currently, Rancic is in some hot water regarding inflammatory remarks that were made about teen star Zendaya Coleman’s hairstyle. Several people have threatened to boycott any program she is associat-ed with, while some of her co-work-ers (including Kelly Osbourne) have threatened to leave Fashion police if Rancic is allowed to stay.

CELEB PROFILE

It’s time for Lights, Cameras and Action, with “action” being the operative word. Af-

ter 50 Shades of Grey set the tone for boy/girl relationship-based fare early in the year, we need a bit of action to balance things out. These two films provide just that.

The GunmanIn The Gunman, a former Special Forces soldier and military contractor suffering from PTSD tries to reconnect with his long time love, but first must go on the run from London to Barcelona and across Europe in order to clear his name. The story does not seem all that extraordinary, but the cast is definitely worth an honorable mention. Sean Penn, Idris Elba, Javier Bardem and Ray Winstone act in this Pierre Morel film.

InsurgentInsurgent picks up where the wildly popular Divergent left off. Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort, Theo James, Miles Teller and more reprise their roles in this science fiction action

adventure. In it, Beatrice Prior must confront her inner demons and continue her fight against a powerful alliance, which threatens to tear her society apart with the help from others on her side.

MOVIES

ACTION TIME!!

GIULIANA RANCIC


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ET&T Volume 9 March Issue 1 2015

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Transcript of ET&T Volume 9 March Issue 1 2015