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Jamaican reggae star Jimmy Cliff, R & B sensation Robin Thicke and rapper Flo Rida are part of the stellar lineup for this year’s Saint Lucia Jazz & Arts Festival slated for April 30 - May 10, now in its 24th year. The 11-day festival will be featuring hundreds of musical performances and art showcases throughout the island. Also scheduled to perform at this year’s event are two-time Grammy-winner Jon Secada, Beres Hammond, Krosfyah, two-time Grammy-nominee Joey DeFrancesco, Chronixx, Arturo Tappin, Alain Jean-Marie featuring Grant Stewart, Michel “Meshach” Nestor, Jesse Billy, Derede Williams, Pan Fusion and Timbalive. Completing the line-up is a string of other local entertainers, together with more than 100 local artisans, who will perform at jazz venues island wide throughout the festival. The festival which is organized by the Saint Lucia Tourist Board continues to attract some of the most recognizable and sought after names in the music business and has become a magnet for visitors from the US. Performances will be set against the iconic and historic Pigeon Island National Landmark backdrop, along with other scenic vistas across Saint Lucia, showcasing an innovative infusion of Music and Arts designed to highlight the island's rich historic and cultural legacy.

The 5th "Varadero Dances" International Festival began on Tuesday in that famous beach resort, organized by Paradiso, a company specialized in cultural tourism on the island. The Festival, which will end on February 14, is considered by the company as a special occasion, for the opportunity it provides to know more about salsa and other Cuban rhythms, in addition to enjoying classes, workshops and music to dance to. The inaugural gala took place at La Comparsita cultural center while a concert by the Buena Vista Social Club Project and the groups Legendarios and Sierra Maestra has been scheduled for Wednesday at the Plaza America Convention Center. Also scheduled for Wednesday is a salsa marathon, while on Thursday participants will be able to enjoy a rumba evening and on Friday there will be a casino dance competition. A special evening has been programmed for Valentine's Day at Varadero's Amphitheater, 140 kilometers east of Havana.

Ziggy Marley won his second straight Grammy Award last night (Feb 8), for Best Reggae Album “Fly Rasta,” beating SOJA's, Amid the Noise ; Sly & Robbie's, featuring Spicy, Chocolate The Reggae Power ; Lee 'Scratch' Perry's Back on The Controls; Sean Paul's Full Frequency and Shaggy's Out of Many, One Music , to get his hands on the coveted. Last year he won in the same category for “ Ziggy Marley in Concer t.” In 2007 Marley won his first solo Grammy for Love is My Religion . Three years later, he won a Grammy for Best Musical Album for Children with Family Time . In total, Ziggy Marley has seven Grammy wins under his belt.

There are no coincidences; everything in the universe has its appointed divine order. I started working at Irie Jam Radio in their event management department about a year ago for their annual IRIE FASHION RAVE event. Throughout the day and amid many assignments and models ‘making haste’ to change from look to look; there was one exquisite beauty who stood out from rest. Her personality was just as ravishing as her look and, as I studied the young lady more I realized this just wasn’t just ANY model. It was THE Felisha Loud. Actress, Model, TV host, Radio personality, (and the list goes on) – all while being a mother and wife. Over a year and many industry events later, I had the chance to have the BEST candid one-on-one in my career to date; with this Port Royal, Jamaica W.I born and raised Empress and mega force. You will be ready to go out after reading her awe-inspiring story and immediately start to be L.O.U.D. Who would have thought a little girl from the "Fishing Village" would go from catching octopus for fun to WORLD NOTED and respected Caribbean muse? SHE DID. Felisha LORD practically came out the womb as this unstoppable force of talent. At age 2, she started dancing everywhere her little feet took her. At age 7, she traded her dancing shoes for BOOKS but, not in the way you think. Young Lord took books and put them on her head in hopes of starting an incomparable local modeling career. "FASHION competitions ONLY! Who is anyone to tell you who is the most BEAUTIFUL?" proclaims Miss Lord. As she was leaving her competitors in the dust and growing into her teenage yet; model-esqe body, conquering the local scene seemed like nothing in comparison to how she could be (killing it) in all the places around the world she has always admired on T.V. Upon entering and ultimately "loosing" one of the most rated Fashion competitions; Felisha walked away with the best offer of them all. Young Demands had judges and pageant personnel so intrigued that she was appointed her first temporary visa to pursue modeling go sees. After learning the "ins and outs" of the business, especially as it came to finances; she thought "Why wait to be hired, when you can create my OWN opportunities?" Read Full Article in our Current Issue

Odessa Elie was crowned Miss Dominica 2015 at the Windsor Park Stadium on Friday night, (Feb 6th). Seven young ladies vied for the coveted tile, but in the end Elie a 20 year-old school teacher won the title along with six awards, including: Miss Photogenic, Best Costume (a fire dragon which glowed in the dark) Best Performing Talent , Best Swimwear, Best in Swimwear and Best Response to Question First runner up went to Kelcia Righton, who won Best in Costume, Best Evening Wear and Best in Evening Wear, a champagne inspired theme gown designed by a well-known Antiguan designer. While second runner’s up is Patrice Dorsette. The other remaining contestants were: Normanna Jno. Baptiste, Keianna John (miss Amity), Beyandra Blanchard and Charis Nation all received participation plaques.

SERVINGS: MAKES 4 TO 6 FIRST-COURSE Ingredients 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 1/2 cups chopped onion 1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper 2 garlic cloves, minced 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano 1/2 cup tomato sauce 1/2 cup dry white wine 1 pound lump crabmeat, picked over 4 pimiento-stuffed olives, chopped 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro 1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce 4 to 6 small crab shells (optional) or scalloped dishes 1 lime, cut into wedges Preparation Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell pepper, garlic, and oregano; sauté until soft, about 6 minutes. Add tomato sauce and wine and boil until almost evaporated, about 1 minute. Add crabmeat; lower heat to medium, cover, and cook 5 minutes. Stir in olives, cilantro, and hot sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes. Spoon mixture into crab shells, if desired. Squeeze juice from lime wedges over and serve. ***Recipe by Virginia Burke Photograph by Scott Peterson

I’ve been hit with an epidemic, not just any epidemic like flu or malaria; I mean some other epidemic called uncertainty of articulating marriage. Marriage is not what I alone question but, everyone does. Do you want to be married or you just like the idea of marriage? Or is marriage for everybody? These are particular questions I’ve asked when doing my many research and interviews and can I tell you, the answers were very intriguing. What does the term marriage means as quoted from dictionary.com: The legal or religious ceremony that formalizes the decision of two people to live as a married couple including the accompanying social festivities: to officiate at a marriage. Synonyms: nuptials, marriage ceremony, and wedding. Antonyms: divorce, annulment. In a nutshell, prior to getting married there is always a compatibility test, before taking this supposing extra mile. Categories couples should evaluate their relationship with are: work, home, relationships history, sex, health, appearance, parenthood, extended family, friends, pets, politics, community, charity, military, the law, media, religion, culture, leisure, holiday and birthdays, travel and vacation education, transportation, communication, meal time, gender role, race, ethnicity differences and living everyday. Don’t be fool to think a marriage is built solely on “love, communication, finance and sex” Read Full Article in our Current Issue

To attain your best beauty, it is so important to make sure you work from the inside, out and BODY WUK FITNESS got it ALL the way RIGHT! The most preferred and rated workout phenomenon based in Florida is internationally becoming the #1 way to ‘WUK’ that unwanted weight away. There is no better person than the stunningly fit (as she is beautiful) and ever-so humble CEO, Halcy, spills the tea on how she got this ingenious idea, how ‘wukkin’ & twerking’ counts, how her Jamaican and Trinidadian along with classical training turned her hobby into a lucrative business and the BEST tips to get your BEST New Years BODY that she shared with us without having to pay an entrance admission exclusive to only C.E.M readers! To read full interview with Halcy, read our Current Issue

As promised Dancehall recording artiste Aidonia is definitely taking a proactive approach towards his career for the New Year with the unveiling of a new project. Coming on the heels of his 1V Clothing Line and the Maxfield Park Primary School Scholarship program, the ‘Bad People’ deejay in the days ahead will commence work on his latest venture; a movie chronicling snippets of his life and that of the members of his camp. Though still in its infancy the proposed 40-minutes visual will be an accompaniment to the soon-to-be-released ‘Open Sky Rhythm’ which showcases the musical skill set of the JOP camp among other top tier acts. According to Aidonia, he didn’t want to merely shoot another set of videos but instead present the compilation in a more realistic and appealing manner via a movie format while still encompassing the personalities of each member of his camp into the storyline. “JOP has always been about difference and setting trends, from the way we pen lyrics to even the delivery. So we decided to present the Open Sky Rhythm but in a different format from the cliché music video and hence the birth of the movie concept. The fans can look out this project is definitely going to be something to talk about.” – He explained. Though sparse with the details Aidonia admits he has enlisted the services of three accomplished directors to work in tandem with him and his team and affirms that the final product will be as thrilling as any silver screen blockbuster. Meanwhile, with his song ‘LIGHTENING’ featured on the ‘Wul Dem Again’ rhythm enjoying immense popularity in the local entertainment space, the fast rhyming lyricist has struck again with another potential club banger, this time adopting a retro-styling on his latest effort titled ‘90s GANGSTA TOWN’. Produced by Ancient Records and featured on the Brawd Board Riddim, the deejay offers a stern warning to all the modern day wannabe gangsters. NB || Look out for the official premier of the 90s GANGSTA TOWN viral video premiering this Friday, February 6th at 1:00pm on Youtube also check out his latest freestyle medley session with Seani B from BBC 1XTRA [WATCH VIDEO]

We've heard of some pretty crazy beauty treatments (snake venom wrinkle cream, anyone?) but this just might be one of the weirdest (and grossest!) yet. Martha Christy, author of In Your Own Perfect Medicine, claims that putting your own urine on your face — dubbed "urotherapy" — can help reduce the appearance of acne, eczema, and other skin conditions because pee contains minerals and nutrients. If this is true, this would be the cheapest facial moisturizer ever. But it still seems kind of strange. So we checked in with Mona Gohara, M.D. and associate clinical professor of dermatology at Yale University, to get her take. "Urine is basically water. It has a little bit of urea in it, and there are some minerals and enzymes," she explains. "But I don't think it's ideal to use urine on your skin." In fact, what Christy and other fans of this beauty trend are really touting is the urea found in urine. "Urea certainly does have beneficial properties for moisturization," says Gohara. But the amounts found in your pee are so small, you're probably better off just using beauty products from brands like Eucerin that use a more concentrated amount of synthetic urea. Good news: If you've already tried this trick (wow, you're brave!), Gohara says that putting urine on your face won't actually hurt you. It's just not that effective in terms of anti-aging and beauty. Christy also drinks one cup of urine first thing in the morning, but that's a topic for a whole other day — and we're pretty sure no one in our Institute's Health and Beauty Lab is up for testing it. TELL US: Would you put pee on your face to make it softer? Via GoodHousekeeping.com

Rihanna is on the March Cover of Harper's Bazaar. In the issue the Bajan singer shows how fearless she is by doing a photshoot while swimming with sharks in honour of the 40th anniversary of Jaws. The shoot was done at the Florida Aquarium in Tampa, in December, with three sand tigers, none shorter than eight feet long. See Pictures of Rihanna's underwater photo shoot for Bazaar's March Issue. In the issue Rihanna sat down with an 1 & 1 interview with Laura Brown, where she talks about being fearless , her upcoming album and of course "cellulites" Read Rihanna's Swimming with Sharks Interview with Laura Brown LAURA BROWN: Swimming with sharks is not only scary, it's a big metaphor. How did you learn to swim with the sharks of life? RIHANNA: I try my best to avoid the sharks of life, but I have had my share of experiences with them, and in those cases I just have to handle them accordingly. But I do not swim with sharks … sharks swim with sharks. LB: Did you watch Jaws as a kid? Did it scare you or thrill you? R: Both! It freaked me out because I was a beach baby, so every time a new Jaws came out I would take months off from the beach or just sit on the sand. If I happened to get in the water, my dad would hum the theme music, and I was right back out of it. But that was really my fault because I was obsessed with Jaws. Steven Spielberg was my childhood hero. LB: Would you say you're adventurous? What is the greatest adventure you've been on, and what would you like to do? R: Greatest adventure? Are you kidding me? I just did a photo shoot in the midst of sharks. It's going to be pretty hard to beat that. LB: You are fearless with your style, but in what ways are you fearless in life? R: I think I'm like most people—we fear the unknown and the things that have yet to come to pass, which are the very things that don't deserve to be feared. When you give God complete control, it's very hard not to be fearless. LB: Being famous for a decade now, you would have had to develop a thick skin. In what ways are you tough, and in what ways are you sensitive? R: This skin has been developing since my first day at school. It didn't happen after fame; I couldn't survive fame if I didn't already have it. So sometimes the toughest thing in life is to be vulnerable. I'm not generally a sensitive person, but I tend to be more sensitive toward others and what they're going through. I don't know if that's the healthiest thing, but it's the truth. "Greatest adventure? Are you kidding me? I just did a photo shoot in the midst of sharks. It's going to be pretty hard to beat that" LB: You're about to release a new album. How ambitious are you, having achieved so much? Are you competitive at all? R: I am very ambitious! It's ridiculous how much I want to put on my plate, which is already full. I am sensitive to what my team is going through. Actually I'm lying. They get no sympathy … we love what we do! LB: You've been killing it stylewise. Do you have to psych yourself up for a daring red-carpet look or do you just go for it? R: The way I dress depends on how I feel. I never have to psych myself up. Usually it just feels like it works. LB: What has been your favorite red-carpet look ever? R: My favorite red-carpet looks are usually the ones I get to help design: the Adam Selman Swarovski crystal dress at the CFDAs, the Stella McCartney all-white dress at the Met Gala, and the Adam Selman white jersey dress from the VMAs. But the red Azzedine Alaïa at the Grammys is also one of my favorites. LB: Whose style would you like to steal for a day? R: Zac Posen and his sick custom suits … and the hair. LB: Is there a line, fashionwise, that you would never cross—something you would never wear? R: I don't like to commit to those kind of rules. You never know. LB: How much maintenance does your style take—hair, nails, fittings, et cetera? R: At times a lot of maintenance, and at times none. I have a job that requires quite a lot of glam, and I have a great team that helps me with that. But sometimes, like when I'm in the studio or on vacation, there's little to no maintenance. LB: What was behind your return to Instagram? Did you miss it? How much does connecting with your fans daily mean to you? R: I … like … pictures! And that's the bottom line. LB: How do you feel about censorship on social media? Should the nipple be truly free? R: The C-word?!!! I don't even know how to spell that. LB: What makes a BadGal in 2015? R: You're about to find out. LB: What do you want to achieve this year, in life and in love? R: The same goal I set every year—to be happy. LB: Who is your most unexpected friend? R: I have friends from rock stars to Rastas; I don't even know what an unexpected friend is at this point. LB: Do you make new friends easily? R: No. LB: What is a perfect day for you? R: The day I wake up without cellulite? Now that would be the perfect day. LB: What is your guilty pleasure? R: Reality TV. I can't get enough of it. LB: Finally, how do you eat goddamn pasta every day and still look like that? R: You mean how I got my cellulite?

Some of the world’s biggest stars including Jennifer Hudson, Kool and the Gang and Jill Scott will join other international and regional superstars for what is expected to be another highly successful Tobago Jazz Experience. The week-long festival will take place between from April 18th and 26th 2015 and Tobago will again play host to thousands of music lovers who have made the Tobago Jazz Experience their annual pilgrimage. There are expected to be some major new initiatives as the Division of Tourism and Transportation works to ensure the continued improvement and innovation in the annual event. Secretary of Tourism and Transportation, Tracy Davidson-Celestine said she was excited by the quality of acts planned for the week of activities and said the Division wants to build on the success it had with large year’s TJE which headlined John Legend. “The Division of Tourism and Transportation continues to invest in this project because it has the effect of benefitting ordinary Tobagonians. The hotels, guests’ houses and bed and breakfast properties are all full during this time. This means waiters, taxi drivers, street food vendors, bar owners are just a few who benefit from the T.J.E .” Mrs Davidson Celestine said. She added that her division wants to encourage ordinary Tobagonians to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the tourism industry. Mrs. Davidson Celestine added,; “The Jazz experience also helps to build indigenous Tobago businesses and I want to encourage Tobagonians to not be afraid and take the opportunities to be successful by getting into the business of tourism. When one looks at the people who are entrepreneurs and are in the tourism business one can see the economic potential and I urge particularly young Tobagonians to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the growing sector.” The Tobago Jazz Experience takes place from April 18th to 26th 2015