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Have a glorious Easter holiday
Posted: Friday, March 29, 2002

By Peter Ray Blood

Meaning no disrespect to the six other beautiful girls on the Carib 2002 calendar, I just can't wait for the month of July to come around just to flip to July/August poster girl Lairfair Celestine. Back home after pursuing her studies in the United States, the Diego Martin beauty, whose birthday incidentally is in July as well, is a picture-perfect choice as a poster girl.

The other Carib calendar girls are Shirley Koat, Celisse Pierre, Fallon Cabral, Gabriella Rodriguez, Katherine Lue and Yusmary Alvarado Amaya.

Carib July/August 2002 poster girl Lairfair Celestine.

For this year's calendar, the girls were photographed by ace lensman Ian Yee of Cyan Studios.

While today I toast Ian's work, it is with mixed emotions as he has been stricken by cancer. One of the more affable people you'll meet in the media, Ian has been going to the United States for treatment but last week heard that the cancer has spread.

In an effort to acquire the ton-load of money needed for Ian's medical bills a group of his friends have banded together as the Musical Journey for this purpose.

The group's first fund-raiser takes place on April 13, and will take the form of a fete, tentatively at the newly re-opened Chaconia Inn, now Hotel, in Maraval.

With committee member DJ Scobie being the party DJ, the group has shortlisted Denyse Plummer and Ronnie McIntosh as guest artistes.

It is expected that a large number of personalities in the arts and entertainment and beauty queen fraternities will come out to support Ian, a photographer who has captured almost every beauty queen and model on film.

Oscars deja vu

I am still getting goose pimples each time I think about Sunday night's Academy Awards. Aside from feeling a sense of pride over Hollywood finally giving black actors their just due, I want to also thank the numerous readers who responded to my Opinion article in Tuesday's papers.

All week I have received telephone calls and e-mail messages from across the globe, from as far as Belgium, Ireland, Liverpool and Queens, NY. Calls also came from Lyn Murray of the Canadian High Commission, Garth Giuseppi of NBN-TTT and Dr Indar, but the most touching of all came from celebrated artist Peter Minshall.

Pausing during our almost 30-minute conversation through emotion, Minshall said that the tribute to Sidney Poitier was long overdue and justly deserved. He recalled his childhood days in Guyana when Poitier was doing black and white movies, like Lilies of the Field and Defiant Ones. Minshall added that, from an artistic perspective, Poitier maintained integrity, pride and dignity throughout his career in spite of the US film industry placing every obstacle in his way.

Thank you, guys.

Trinidad All Stars Shines

NEAL & Massy Trinidad All Stars rolled out the red carpet for fans last Friday at its Duke Street pan complex to celebrate the band's coronation as 2002 National Panorama champion. The legendary steel orchestra repeated the high level of hospitality displayed last year when it launched its last CD, From Tabanca to Rain.

An eloquent Beresford Hunte, captain of the band, welcomed guests, among whom were Junior Culture Minister and All Stars member, Eddie Hart, Port-of- Spain Mayor Murchison Brown, Mexican ambassador Isabel Tellez de Ortega and her husband Agustin, Uruguay's Amado Duarte, Neal & Massy chairman Bernard Dulal-Whiteway, Pan Trinbago North Region chairman Keith Diaz, Witco Desperadoes manager Anthony McQuilkin, and bptt Renegades' Lanel Lopez and Nigel Pierre.

As he presented awards and tokens of appreciation to every band member, Hunte singled out All Stars tuner Leo Coker for special mention. He said that without Coker, All Stars would not have won the Panorama title.

Hunte also said that All Stars could teach other steelbands a thing or two, especially how to be gracious in both victory and defeat.

Among the distinguished guests gracing the Neal & Massy Trinidad All Stars Panorama victory celebration were, from left, Mexican Ambassador Isabel Tellez de Ortega, Lorna Bradshaw, Agustin Ortega Wright (husband of the ambassador) and Amado Duarte of Uruguay.

Veteran All Stars pannists Errol Collins, Kelvin Carmino, Dane Gulston, Yohan Popwell, Barnabas Grant, Joseph Long and Denise Riley were also in attendance, as well as a large contingent from the All Stars Old Boys Association.

Entertainment for the evening was provided by DJ Switch, whose wife is a member of All Stars, and an all-female stage side, led by Riley, and featuring champion pan soloist Mia Gormandy. The girls, sometimes luring the guys to play the odd tune with them, delivered an excellent repertoire to the enjoyment of all present.

A Surface Thanksgiving

SPACE didn't allow me to include in the last Pulse the Surface thanksgiving, held two Wednesdays ago in St James.

Hosts Tony Prescott, Nicole Greaves, Demetrius Frasier, Shaka Charles, Terry Seales, Colin Huntley, Enrico Camejo and Gordon Samuels showed that besides playing great music they also know a thing or two about hospitality.

Among the guests in attendance were Tri Star Promotions director Roy Maraj; Carl "Beaver" Henderson; a Traffik contingent of Candy Hoyte, Eddie Charles, Shurwayne Winchester, Sean Caruth and Kernel Roberts; Island Vibe's Spongie; masman Earl Thompson; Island People's Tanya Gomes and Nadine Kanhai; journalists Anthony Alexis, Carla Bridgewater and Gary Cardinez; and Nekeisha, a loyal Surface fan who has the wickedest space in her teeth.

The afternoon programme actually commenced with a thanksgiving mass at St Mary's R.C. Church on George Cabral Street, continuing with the lime and supper at the band's room on Church Street. But, the evening's piece de resistance, however, was the exquisite catering job done by Marvin de Freitas of Marvin's Garden Delights.

The food is a significant reason why the Surface event remains so indelible in my mind a fortnight later. The menu consisted of a choice of chicken or baked fish, calypso rice, callaloo, and a three- bean salad tossed in for good measure.

Soca on the British scene

I received an e-mail from London Caribbean presenter Martin Jay in response to my piece last weekend about local soca recording artistes being blanked on the airwaves in Britain. The Choice FM Radio broadcaster refuted the article, saying that I was misinformed by my source.

Jay wrote: "I have been presenting The Caribbean Affair in London for 11 years, which is a three-hour weekly programme dedicated to promoting the art and culture of the Caribbean."

About Road March "Trinidad" making it big in Britain, Jay added that even if the single penetrated foreign markets, "it may struggle on the outside because of the fact that places like here (London), New York, Canada and other places would have more of a mixed Caribbean community and that the lyrics may not carry as much weight."

He continued: "Having said that, I have still played that song almost every week since I received it in December."

Jay expressed the opinion that, "Trinidad music has always and will always get a fair representation here in London."

Jay disclosed that Caribbean artistes due to appear in London soon are: Bunji, Talpree and Red Plastic Bag (March 30); Baron and Randy Isaacs (May 4); Atlantik and Denyse Plummer (June 1); and, Traffik and Denise Belfon (June 2).



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