Oh No They Didn't!!!

My, how quickly Friday comes when you have made a commitment to doing something every Friday. So though late, here is your Friday Fashion Fix. Let's get started with two international fashionistas.

Here is the inimitable Cindy Crawford. Now, this how a little black dress is supposed to look and be worn. Take note, ladies. It's not too short, not too tight. It's just plain classy! Her hair is beautiful, the bod is the bomb (even after kids) and the shoes! Slammin'. This is quite a hot look Mrs. Crawford has going on here.

Bravo!
Now here is a fashion fumble on a lady who is normally quite smashing. Maybe ...errrrr. Oh I don't know what happened but this is not looking so good at all.
Where did she find this two-toned number…Woolworth? (No offense) It's cut like a big block—totally unflattering—and features a black diamond pattern that should only be worn by people hoping to disguise love handles and big hips. Mybe she's hiding some weight gain. I don't know but this is not the Demi that we love to hate on. Send this housecoat back to the plus-size rack, ASAP!

Now, let's bring it back home. Boy, never a dull fashion moment on the party scene in these parts.
This youngster has committed the biggest style sin. A lady never takes off her shoes. Actually a real lady never buys uncomfortable shoes to start with so, MISTAKE!!
Secondly, the shorts are way too short. Keep something hidden, nuh ladies. Damn! And then just to make matters worse she put on the plastic bracelets. Good grief!


Now............... ahmmmmmmm...
What can i say about this. I'm just plain speechless. What in hell are you thinking, girlfriend? Spandex is no one's friend, especially when you're on the bigger side.


I will never understand what goes through a person's thought process starting from the purchase point to actually walking into a public place dressed like this! This is just wrong!!!!! WRONG!!!! Your butt cracks' showing, man!
Would it have hurt to wear the actually nice top with a black pants or skirt? Sheesh.


Now this lady is matching quite nicely. I swear I need to start a school. Time and place is just as important as what you wear. This outfit would have come off much nicer if perhaps it was worn to a beach party or Soca on the Hill, even East Coast.
What is your hat shading you from? The moonlight?

Dreadlocs

Fun Friday - Fave movie heroines

Another Friday, another countdown. This time, I thought I'd focus on my favourite movie action heroines. Although they're not as visible or plentiful as the action heroes (can you remember when Sly Stallone, Steven Seagal, Jean Claude van Damme and Arnold Schwarzenegger brought out big budget movies every summer?)there have still been quite a few memorable action heroines over the years. Here are 10 of my faves, this time with pics!


10) Violet - Ultraviolet. Milla Jovovich has this crazy-cool, kick-butt character type down pat (also see her in Resident Evil and The Fifth Element). Violet's an outcast, the last of a special breed of fighting machines and she's mad at the world. The movie sucked but fast forward to watch Violet in action.


9) Aeon - Aeon Flux. Charlize Theron is known more for being an Oscar winner than an action hero, and she took a big chance with this part. The movie was so-so, but Aeon's futuristic assassin ways will win you over.


8) The Bride/Black Mamba - Kill Bill. I had nuff respect for Uma Thurman after watching this movie. She was able to deliver a lot of potentially corny dialogue with such panache, all the while wielding a sword and dressed in a yellow tracksuit. You don't see that every day. If you're afraid of blood, don't watch Kill Bill, though.


7) Cleopatra Jones - Cleopatra Jones. The late Tamara Dobson portrayed a Government special agent soul sister with more artillery than James Bond. In fact, some persons referred to her as the first female James Bond. A pity the movie's stuck in the era known as 'Blaxploitation'. I see a remake in its future.


6) Foxy Brown - Foxy Brown. Pam Grier, the original 'bad mama jama', starred. Need I say more?


5) Sarah Connor - Terminator 1 & 2. I still can't explain the premise of this movie to anyone without getting confused. Basically, Sarah will give birth to the man who'll save the world from destruction (note the biblical reference) so the same man comes from the future to...impregnate her? I give up. Just watch the movie. Linda Hamilton's biceps will astound you.


4) Lara Croft - Lara Croft: Tombraider 1 & 2. I love me some Angelina Jolie. She can play any role, from a bisexual junkie in Gia to a blonde, dread-locked car thief in Gone in Sixty Seconds. She breathed life into the video game character of Lara Croft and made it her own. The house, the cars, the bikes, the gadgets all up her cool factor.


3) Selene - Underworld 1 & 2. In my mind, Kate Beckinsale was just that chick from Pearl Harbour until she starred in the Underworld movies. Her vampire assassin character was classy (must have been the British accent) but could kick butt in a flash. Lycans, beware.


2) Trinity - Matrix Trilogy. Carrie-Ann Moss was a slick, tough as nails escapee from the Matrix with a penchant for black leather, but she still had a tender place in her heart for Neo. I'm not sure what roles she's done since the Matrix movies, but she'll always live on as Trinity. She'll make you want to take the red pill.


1) Lt. Ellen Ripley - Alien, Aliens trilogy. Words cannot begin to describe Sigourney Weaver's portrayal of the Warrant Officer Ellen Ripley. One of the greatest movie heroines of all time, this tough as nails bad*ss stares down space aliens and lives to tell the tale. Well, uhm, yeah, sorta. Anyhoo, in 2003, the character Ripley was selected by the American Film Institute as the #8 greatest hero in American cinema history, and Sigourney Weaver even received an Oscar nomination for the first Aliens movie. It's not every day that gun-toting, alien-stomping roles get nominated for Oscars. She was that good.


Special mention:
Xena - Xena: Warrior Princess. Although the Xena movie is still in the works and this character is primarily television-based, Lucy Lawless' Xena is so larger than life that I couldn't do a countdown of my fave action heroines and not mention her.

Next Friday, si dieu veux: my fave 80's television shows!

Photos: www.monstersandcritics.com, www.scifipedia.com, www.search.com, www.google.com and other sites too numerous to mention. You know who you are! My gratitude to all.

Rihanna's feelings are hurt

Oh dear. Rihanna's pretty teed off with us Bajans right now. According to excerpts from a recent interview she did with Entertainment Weekly magazine (courtesy of one of my fave blogs Just Jared.com) Rihanna's upset because of the criticism she's received from her countrymates since striking it big on the international stage. Based on her comments, it appears as though the criticism is centered mostly on her wardrobe, or lack thereof if you've seen the Umbrella video.

Well, if you've been reading this blog over the past few months you'll know I've had my piece to say on Rihanna's wardrobe choices. To refresh your memory, see here and here. Her wardrobe has ranged from elegant to stripper-like, the latter especially when she's performing. I give her props when she's doing it up right, but I gotta call her out when I see her walking around half-naked too. I'm interested in the girl's health, 'cause once a draught hits her the wrong way all the honey and lime in the world ain't gonna help her sing properly...

Anyhoo, here's what she had to say in the interview:

What’s it like when you go back to visit Barbados these days? Do you still have a lot of friends there? Are people mostly happy for you or do you get hated on a lot?
A lot of them hate me, but a lot of them love me. I don’t really let the ones that hate me stop me from doing what I wanna do. They always have something to say about what I’m wearing, what I’m not wearing, like in the ”Umbrella” video. If I wear a swimsuit to the beach, it’s a problem, they put it on the front of the newspaper and call into programs. It really annoys me when people that I try to represent and I try to put them on the map as much as I can — you know, I didn’t have to put Tridents in my videos.

Put what in your videos? Trident, which is the symbol of the flag. I didn’t have to talk about them. I didn’t have to even mention that I’m from Barbados. But I do and people kind of take it for granted. They hate me. They talk s— about me all the time. But I’m like, ”Whatever. I’m still doing this cause I love to do it and you’re not going to stop me.”

Alrighty then. You go on with your bad self, Rih Rih. Acting all snippy and stuff. Thanks for putting us on the map, hear?

Photo: http://justjared.buzznet.com

'Grenada 13' - Give us free!

My most vivid recollection of the assassination of Grenadian Prime Minister Maurice Bishop and several members of his Cabinet, and the subsequent invasian by US troops, was seeing a helicopter land at the Enmore field next to the QEH, bringing in wounded persons from Grenada. At the time, I was a first-form student at St. Michael's and was more transfixed by the sight of the helicopter than listening to the news out of Grenada.

At that young age the full impact of the bloody coup didn't resonate with me as much as it shoud have, but over the years I've come to recognise the magnitude of that fateful day. The thought that the members of a party, in this case the New Jewel Movement, could line up their Prime Minister and members of his Cabinet against a wall and shoot them down was inconceivable. Whatever their reasons. To this day Bishop's body has never been found and rumours abound about what happened to his remains.

The political drama that unfolded after the executions - CARICOM Heads hurriedly meeting and US troops invading Grenada - was a sorry chapter in that country's history. When the dust settled, Deputy Prime Minister Bernard Coard, his wife Phyllis, commander of the Grenadian Armed Forces, Hudson Austin and several other politicians and soldiers were sentenced to life in prison for at least 11 murders.

It's impossible to talk about the "intervention" without mentioning that 1983 was the height of the Cold War between the US, its allies and the Soviet Union. Bishop was a socialist and the US feared that Grenada would become a jump-off point for any Soviet activity in the region. Many innocent Grenadians were killed in the military action and the trial of Coard and company was widely described by Amnesty Interanational and other organisations as a 'kangaroo court'.

And now we come to the present. The infamous 'Grenada 17' are now down to 13. Phyllis Coard was released in 2000 on grounds of ill health and former soldiers Andy Mitchell, Cosmos Richardson and Vincent Joseph were released after serving 20 years. The remaining prisoners are 24 years older, some are sick and they all want out of prison. Hudson Austin is currently in hospital in Grenada and Bernard Coard urgently requires surgery to prevent him from going blind. Their legal representatives say they are no longer threats to society; they have been "spiritually transformed" in prison and have assisted in the rehabilitation of several other prisoners.

Although only God can be their judge, a panel of their peers found them guilty. The events of 1983 held Grenada up to international ridicule, and nearly devastated its chances of socio-economic survival. I'm sure the 'Grenada 13' regret their part in that sad episode, but like every other prisoner on the planet, you do the crime, you have to do the time. Should they be released? I feel not, but I'll still ask God to have mercy on them all.

Photo: www.caribbean360.com

Show me the money

Well, our CARICOM Heads of Government are currently in Washington meeting with the big kahuna himself, President George W. Bush, for a conference on the Caribbean. These meetings always amuse me, because the USA has its own agenda, we have ours and sometimes never the 'twain shall meet.

What may be different this time around? Well, for starters, four Caribbean nationals are accused of attempting to blow up JFK Airport. If that doesn't get the US' attention nothing will! Then there's still that pesky drug trafficking problem that won't go away. I'm sure the region's leaders are still annoyed that Bush passed through on a Latin American tour earlier this year and didn't bother to swing by any of the Caribbean states.

Barbados' Prime Minister Owen Arthur, forever the devil's advocate, made a not too subtle remark yesterday that Cuba, China and Venezuela were shouldering the burden when it came to supporting the region financially, and even though we all like to make fun of Bush's intelligence, not even he's so dense that he could miss the implications of that statement. From my layman's point of view, the US always wants to tell the region what to do - about drug trafficking, terrorism, the environment, etc. - but is tight-fisted when it's time to fund programmes. Bring the money and come, Uncle Sam!

Click here to read more about the Conference on the Caribbean.

Photo courtesy of the White House

Baby girl for Tiger

Congrats to honorary Bajans (haha) Tiger Woods and his wife Elin Nordegren, who welcomed daughter Sam Alexis yesterday morning. The couple was married at Sandy Lane Resort in Barbados on October 5, 2005.

The couple's first child was born less than 24 hours after Woods finished second in the U.S. Open on Sunday.

Woods wrote on his website: "Both Elin and Sam are doing well and resting peacefully. We want to thank our doctors and the hospital staff for all their dedicated and hard work. This is truly a special time in our lives and we look forward to introducing Sam to our family and friends over the next few weeks. We thank everyone for their well wishes and continued respect of our privacy."

This is great news for Tiger, who lost his father and mentor Earl Woods early last year.

Click here to check out Tiger's website. Baby pics coming soon!

Who they kidding?

I see that Crop Over is off to a fine start. Then again, what's the festival without controversy, right? Apart from the blustering by those persons who seem to think they're more important than Crop Over, what really ticks me off is the ignorance we have passing as songs on our airwaves.

I swear, some of these entertainers - 'cause please don't mistake them for calypsonians - get bolder and bolder every year in their crassness. And then they try to call these songs 'double-entendre'! Who they kidding? Lil Rick and Blood especially - yeah I'm calling names - should know better because they have small children. Don't they think about the impact these songs have on them? They think kids around Barbados really singing 'Conch' and 'She push he'? Smut may be in the ear of the hearer as they claim, but all they're doing is contributing to the smut and corrupting the innocence of impressionable kids.

I'm not a prude but the fact remains that parents can't really prevent their children from hearing this stuff once it hits the airwaves. What are they gonna do, turn off the car radios and the radios at home until August? If these guys insist on writing crudeness then they should be restricted to singing those songs in the tents for adults only. Give the kids a break for heaven's sake! Haven't some of us adults spoiled them enough?

Fave movies

As promised, we continue our fun Friday entertainment rankings with a look at my favourite recurring male characters in movies.

10) Freddy Kreuger - The Nightmare on Elm Street character was sick, twisted and flat-out funny.
9) Donkey - Shrek who? Donkey stole the show in the previous two installments of Shrek and was only upstaged by Puss-in-boots in part 2.
8) Legolas - The arrow-shooting elf prince from the Lord of the Rings trilogy was a favourite with many female fans.
7)Ardeth Bay - The assassin from The Mummy and The Mummy Returns was very distracting. There was a mummy in that movie?
6) Capt. Jack Sparrow - Pirates of the Caribbean. Need I say more?
5) Jason Bourne - The amnesiac former Government spy is a cool dude. Just don't get him angry.
4) Terminator - Californian Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger will always be the Terminator to me.
3) Morpheus - Neo was the star but Morpheus was the heart of the Matrix trilogy.
2) John McClane - I understand another Die Hard movie is coming. Yippie ki-yeah!
1) Axel Foley - Eddie Murphy has acted in many varied roles, but his portrayal of a fast-talking Detroit policeman transplanted in Beverly Hills was a total trip. Trust me.

Also, Click here to see the 10 films that "shook the world".

Fun Friday - 100th post!

Hi folks, I hope you enjoyed dreadlocs' contribution yesterday. She was so eager to get going we ended up posting earlier than planned. Look out for more contributors in the future. By the way, this is Cheese-on-Bread's 100th post. Me so proud. I was just tooling around with blogger and who knew I would enjoy it so much. Thanks to everyone who has contributed so far, especially those leaving encouraging comments.

Now, on with the show...


Forbes Magazine released its Celebrity 100 list today. Predictably and wonderfully, Ms. Oprah is tops again, with Tiger Woods and Madonna second and third respectively.


The businessman Jay-Z is at #9, but I don't see Beyonce at all!.

One of my fave actresses and philanthropists Angelina Jolie is in 14th place and her baby daddy Brad Pitt is at #5.


And how did Will Smith get all down at #57 and 50 Cent get placed at #32? Step up yuh game, Big Willy, bring a movie or something!
Click here to see the full list and various rankings.

Oh No They Didn't !!!???

How many times have you been walking down the street, reading the paper or scanning the internet and had to exclaim, “Oh no they didn’t!!!???”

Clearly the lines of good taste have been erased when it comes to fashion today. So, for those of you who somehow just don’t see yourself or maybe you just never had an honest friend who would say, “ahmmm I don’t think so”, I have taken on the task of pointing out some of the common fashion fumbles and outright messes that many people make.

I promise not to only pick on my fellow Bajans, but to also bring some international dress blunders to you. I‘m sure I won’t run out of people to help. Let’s get started.


Now what is it these days with our young people and their apparent need to expose all but their nipples these days? Is she even wearing a bra? I mean really. And it's so clear that they could use some support. Ladies, think about it. Gravity is real. In a few years you will wish you had helped to hold them up better.

And I know these gaudy plastic beads things are back in style but guess what - everything that is "in style" does not have to become a part of your "style".



Ok, my lady here clearly believes that she's a hottie because she is boldly on stage for all to see her "skills". Now don't get me wrong, her actual outfit minus the boots-in-a-tropical-country-mistake, isn't bad at all. Her colour coordination is dead-on but she is just not doing her clothes any justice in this pose.
Ladies, the boots are supposed to keep your feet warm. It's 90+ F here. We can pass on the boots I believe.



This poor young thing has not realised that her clothes are falling off. Or wait? Maybe that's "the style". Who knows.. looks to me like she bought it one size too big and it's falling off. Not a good look sister.

Then it doesn't help that the print is, what shall we say, "bold". And here are those ridiculous plastic bangles again. Arghhh. I wonder what they will do with them all when they go out of style? Play ring toss?

Stupse... fix yuh self nuh girrll!


Now I think that she wore this outfit to a foam party but still. There is no way that back in the day my mother would have allowed me to leave home like this. Is it lingerie or a swimsuit? Whatever it is, it's ugly!! And the fish-net stockings just make it so much worse. Well at least if her hair gets wet she can hang it out to dry when she gets home. If you were trying to make a statement, you certainly succeeded and it's "I have no fashion sense".



I hope you guys didn't think that you were getting off easy. There are quite a few of you that break every fashion rule there is in the book as well. Take a look at this specimen.

Not only is his shirt creased but he looks unkempt. Would it hurt to see a barber more often? Real ladies still find tidy, clean, nice-smelling and well-dressed men very appealing. Get your act together guys.


This international flop is from Eonline and clearly shows that there are malfunctioning mirrors all over the world. This is possibly one of the ugliest frocks I've ever seen.

And then, why wear it with those chunky black platforms?

And these celebs have people whose job it is to dress them? My goodness. Sweetheart, it may be time to switch style teams, 'cause your current crew has obviously mutinied.

I tell yah! Until next week folks, stay a cut above the fashion madness!

Dreadlocs

Mid-week mix

One of my high school literary favourites, Nigerian novelist Chinua Achebe, has won the 2007 Man Booker International Prize for fiction. The $120,000 prize is awarded every two years for a body of fiction.

Achebe, 76, is best known for his first novel, "Things Fall Apart" (1958), and "Anthills of the Savannah," published more than 30 years later. He has written more than 20 books, including novels, short stories, essays and collections of poetry.

Launched in 2004 as a spin-off from Britain's prestigious Booker Prize, the international trophy is awarded every two years to a living author who has published fiction in English or whose work has been translated into English.

Albanian writer Ismail Kadare won the inaugural prize in 2005.

The original Booker is open only to writers from Britain, Ireland and the Commonwealth of former British colonies.

At left: Chinua Achebe



What's a mid-week mix without news of Rihanna, right? The Barbadian singing sensation is on top of every music chart right now, and she also seems to be in great demand as a date.

Rihanna recently told People Magazine that the CEO of her record label, Jay-Z, screens her dates.

"I just found out from a mutual friend that guys will talk to Jay first before they try to approach me," Rihanna said.

Rihanna, whose third album, Good Girl Gone Bad, features her hit duet with Jay-Z, "Umbrella," says she appreciates the rapper looking out for her.

"He's very protective," she says of her mentor, who discovered her and signed her to his Def Jam label. "Jay has my best interests in mind. If it's a good guy I know Jay won't shut him down. But if he's not, Jay will be like, 'No, no, no.' "

And exactly who are the guys trying to court Rihanna? "He actually never tells me. I have no clue who they are and I guess I'll never know," she says.

The singer, who says she received many compliments from her male fans after showing off her newly toned figure at the MTV Movie Awards last week, admits that her busy schedule makes dating difficult, but hopes to "get a date in sometime soon."

The Barbados-born chanteuse says she prefers "tall guys who have a sense of humor, love to laugh, have a good time and good conversation," and describes her idea of a good date as "low key, just hanging out and watching a movie."

Well, I'm glad Jay-Z is looking out for her. There're so many horror stories of young girls being taken advantage of in the music business. She looks like a sensible kid though, even though I still say she's gonna catch her death of cold one of these days...



And on a sad note, several blogs and news sites are reporting that former co-host of BET's 106 & Park, A.J. Calloway, and his Vincentian-born, Barbados-raised wife Dr. Lao Sealey, are divorcing. The couple was married in April 2005. A.J. is no stranger to Barbados; he's been spotted here at several events over the years. Better luck next time, folks.

Fashion Friday coming at ya

This Friday, look out for a new feature debuting here on Cheese-on-Bread. Entitled Oh No They Didn't!, the segment will be authored by my new contributor dreadlocs and will offer advice to those sisters (and brothers) who commit crimes against fashion and good taste.

Why this new feature? Let's face it, some of our people clearly need help. I don't know about you but the way some folks are dressing now (and sad to say mostly women) scares the hell outa me. A trip into Bridgetown on a Saturday morning is like entering the twilight zone.

Anyhoo, dreadlocs will break down the fashion do's and dont's for you and make sure you come correct. Consider it 'Charm School' for Barbados. Don't forget to give her a warm welcome!

Somebody's gotta be the fall guy...

Chinese artisans on the job at the Four Seasons site on Monday

Well, Government has tossed the ball firmly in the Chief Immigration Officer's court over this raging issue of Chinese labour at the Four Seasons development site.
Minister of the State in the Prime Minister's Office, Reverend Joseph Atherley, has stated categorically that no work permits have been issued and if the Chinese workers (who are clearly on site) were in fact breaking any laws, the matter would have to be investigated and dealt with by the Immigration Department.

Atherley stated in today's Daily Nation: "If that [illegal work] is going on at the property, I'm sure the Immigration Department would let Government know. If there are any breaches of the laws of Barbados in this regard, then the Immigration Department is the entity to deal with such breaches. They are the persons to get this information from."

"I'm not going to get involved in any public controversy
with anyone. I stated the Government's position to the entire country yesterday [at a Press conference on Sunday], and that remains. No work permits have been issued."

Well, well, well. Of course, the Chief Immigration Officer Gilbert Greaves is unavailable for comment. I would be too, trust me. Right now I would be calculating to see how close I was to my 33 and a third years in the public service and figuring out my pension. Good luck, Gilbert.



And in Jamaica, The police high command has finally confirmed that Pakistan Coach Bob Woolmer was not murdered. Police Commissioner Lucius Thomas said at a press conference earlier today that investigators have now accepted that Mr. Woolmer died of natural causes.

He says the police came to the conclusion following the recommendations of three senior international pathologists – one from Canada, one from The United Kingdom and the other from South Africa.

I have a few questions for Lucius:
1) Where the heck were you all this time? On vacation?
2) Is the fact that you're speaking now a sign that your deputy Mark Shields has been fired?
3) Who told Shields to be so hasty to declare that Woolmer was murdered?
4) Will Shields be the fall guy for this gross bungling of Woolmer's death?
5) Will you be surprised if the Pakistan team and or Woolmer's family sue the Jamaica High Command for the public humiliation and distress you put them through?

Sow the wind, reap a whirlwind

I see Government is tripping all over itself to reassure Barbadians, especially an irate Opposition, that work permits haven't been issued to the 600 Chinese labourers needed to construct the new Four Seasons Resort development in Black Rock. The Opposition is up in arms because they feel Barbadian labourers have been excluded from the project.

Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office, Reverend Joseph Atherley, is saying that no work permits have been granted for the project which started last Tuesday, but the developer Michael Pemberton is going so far as to thank the Chief Immigration Officer for making it possible to employ a number of Chinese through the China State Construction Company! Sum ting wong, that's all I can say.

But back to Government. I'm not laying all the blame at their feet, just some of it. They've created a "handout" mentality in this country that has now turned around and bitten them on the butt. We have some Bajans without any ambition, drive or plain desire to work, who just wait for politicians to hand deliver them a job. Pride and industry are rapidly going out the window and are being replaced by sloth and indifference.

Don't get me wrong; it would be grossly unfair if Barbadians or other Caricom nationals were not given an opportunity to apply to work on a project that is literally in their own backyard. However, we Bajans have to get real. Have you tried getting some Barbadian carpenters or masons to do anything for you these days? Horror stories abound. Face it, people want their construction work done properly, to time and within budget. And if the Chinese can deliver that, they will continue to get the jobs.

The local construction sector needs a spokesperson and some positive PR to compel Barbadians to choose them over the Guyanese, the Chinese or whoever else turns up on these shores. I've seen relatives suffer for too many years at the hands of local artisans to have too much sympathy for them. Come correct guys, or hush up!

Click here to get a virtual tour of the private residences at the upcoming Four Seasons property!

Fiction fun

It's all rainy outside and it's the perfect weather to curl up with a good book. Reading is one of my fave pastimes even though I haven't read a good book in too long. I thought for fun, and to get people talking about their favourite books and authors, I would count down my top 15 favourite recurring fictional characters. Let me know who are your faves.

15)Eve Duncan - The heroine of Iris Johnannsen's suspense novels annoys me because she is remarkably stubborn, especially when it comes to returning the feelings of her love interest. You still end up rooting for her though.

14)Kinsey Millhone - Sue Grafton's private eye is a bit of a loner and has lousy luck with love but is a good person to have on your side.

13) Stephanie Plum - A wackier version of Kinsey Millhone, the bounty-hunting Plum and her family deserve their own sitcom. The series is by Janet Evanovich.

12) The Vampire Lestat - The anti-hero of anti-heroes, Anne Rice's Lestat somehow gets you to feel sorry for him, even when you're upset that he's killing off secondary characters.

11)Briget Jones - Yes, Bridget was a book character before she made it to the big screen. Helen Fielding's lovable and insecure protagonist is a favourite of many.

10) Anita Blake - I've only read one book in Laurel K. Hamilton's series, but her gun-toting, zombie-killing heroine will grab you instantly. Oh and she's part-vampire and has a very interesting substitute for blood-sucking.

9)James Bond - Ian Fleming's British uber-spy is a big screen hit. Bond is the ultimate male chauvinist, and I tend to root for the female characters to kick his butt.

8) Dr. Alex Cross - The ultimate profiler of serial killers, James Patterson's hero is smart as a whip and definitely the person you need on your side when there's a murderer lurking around.

7) Eve Dallas - J. D. Robb's heroine of the In Death series is one of my favourites. A smart aleck with a rough past, Eve is a bit of a maverick and as sarcastic as they come.

6) Anansi - Though the Anansi tales came mostly from oral tradition, a few of his stories were written down. I had to get some Caribbean flavour in here!

5) Mack Bolan - Don Pendleton's Executioner is all about revenge and boy does he know how to exact it. Pendleton actually wrote a few of the Mack Bolan books in Barbados.

4) Professor Robert Langdon - Dan Brown is the new kid on the block compared to a few of the other authors here, but boy did he arrive with a bang! The hero of Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons is not a tough guy, but he's smart and one lucky fellow. You'll understand when you read the books.

3) Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Holmes is so iconic many people think he actually existed. I hope he did and I would have loved to meet him. Capital!

2) Sean Dillon - Jack Higgins' former IRA bad boy gets under your skin from the first page. You're not sure you're supposed to like him but he's so darn likeable that you give in.

1) Lucas Davenport - The protagonist of John Sandford's Prey series is my favourite because he is so three dimensional he pops off the page. He's smart like Holmes, rich, good-looking but far from perfect. He makes a good friend but a real bad enemy.

Special mention goes to J.T. Edson's Floating Outfit characters - Dusty Fog, the Ysabel Kid, Waco, Mark Counter, Doc, Red Blaze and others. Those cowboys used to liven up my summer reading and they need a category all by themselves.

Next week, we do movies!!
Have a great weekend!

Friday Fix

Hi peoples, TGIF and all that. Our favourite celebrity Bajan singer was in attendance recently at Kanye West's 30th birthday party. Rihanna looked quite elegant although the poor child's face was almost hidden by those bangs. The surprise to me was that Kanye West is only 30! Must be all that hanging with 'gold diggers'. Trust Kanye West to have a red carpet for a birthday party. Tsk Tsk.






In other non-Rihanna news, if you're a fan of Grey's Anatomy and specifically of Isaiah Washington, well, grab a hanky. Washington has been fired from the award-winning medical drama, and ABC sources are saying the firing is only "partly" because of his anti-gay slur five months ago against co-star T.R. Knight, who plays George.

As you may recall, Knight came out officially after Washington pretty much outed him at an awards show. Since then Washington has gone to anger management and even filmed a public service announcement promoting gay rights.

What are your views on this turn of events? Should Isaiah Washington have been fired, especially after attempting to make amends?

Diplomatic disses

US Secretary of State, Condolezza Rice, swearing in Mary Ourisman in Oct. 2006

Did anybody see the journalistic smackdown CMC reporter Johnson John-Rose put on the US Ambassador Mary Ourisman? I almost felt sorry for the poor woman. Bear in mind the Ambassador had last year warned Caribbean countries to be "careful of the friends you keep", referrring to the region's relations with Hugo Chavez in Venezuela. She later said she regretted that remark. I don't really hold that one against her, 'cause there's something about Chavez that always rubs me the wrong way.

Well this week she was going on about Cuba and the US' decision not to trade with that country, though she said regional governments were free to decide their level of cooperation with Cuba.

"We don’t have diplomatic or trade relations with Cuba at this time … You are free to have relations with Cuba. Cuba can have relations with anyone they want and it is their right, but America is free not to trade with Cuba if they chose not to," she told CMC.

Then John-Rose dropped it: what about China? The US seemed perfectly happy to trade with them and they were also not the most democratic of states. Well, poor Ourisman stuttered and blustered and couldn't get out of that conversation fast enough. I couldn't believe she hadn't been prepped for that question. She must have heard the media in the Caribbean was soft. Must be because we let our politicians get away with so much foolishness...

But what a year it's been for diplomatic snafus in the region! And is it a coincidence that almost all of them involve China? I'm sensing a theme here. Grenada played Taiwan's anthem instead of China's at an event; St. Lucia dumps China in favour of relations with Taiwan, it goes on and on. These politicians in the region need to watch 24; the Chinese don't play...

Rihanna's busy being 'Bad'

Didn't I tell you all that Umbrella would catch on? Once Jay-Z was on that track it would blow up. He has the Midas touch, that Jay-Z. Not hating on my Bajan girl but Jay-Z + a weak song x hot beat = hit. Simple math.
Anyhoo, so Rihanna's gone bad. She's gone and changed her hair, sexed up her clothes and appeared butt naked and painted silver in her music video. I hope she's getting paid well for this. The special effects in the video were cool though, very different from the beach scene videos on the earlier album.
Outing her father as a former crack addict wasn't cool though...that kind of publicity stunt may work for the American singers but we Caribbean people like to keep our skeletons firmly in the closet...

Rihanna brought another new look to the red carpet yesterday at the MTV Awards, a jet-black bob with some serious bangs...





She also performed Umbrella with Jay-Z in a very interesting outfit...I'll leave it there.



Photos: ybf.blogspot; justjared.buzznet.com

Terrorism in the Caribbean

The Caribbean has officially gone First World; we now have our own terrorists. I'm sure like me you're all wondering how the four men - three Guyanese and one Trinidadian - came to feel so passionately about doing the US harm. The four are accused of plotting to blow up JFK Airport in New York, and had they succeeded were likely to cause more damage than what occurred on Sept 11, 2001.
Click here to see the full story.

It must really suck to be the US sometimes, to be the target of so much hate...though they do bring it on themselves at time. And it will always be the innocent who get harmed when these terrorists are trying to prove their points. Sad.
All these fools have gone and done now is made it difficult for law-abiding Caribbean people trying to travel to the US. Most of us don't have time to be blowing up no airports. What, and miss a Macy's sale? I don't think so....

Photo: www.airport-technology.com

Another round of cheese...

Hiya folks! I know, it's been longer than a couple of weeks but I was severely stressed out with my paper and only finished last week. Trust me my fingers were itching to blog about some of the craziness that's been happening lately. Thanks to all you loyal readers who waited patiently for updates. I have some plans in the works for the blog; we'll see how they unfold.
Hope you're all ready for more cheese!