Kingston, Jamaica- November 8, 2009:

Through its Art of Music Campaign, the JAMAICA Jazz and Blues Festival has given a platform and space for young talent to perform at the world renowned Festival on it’s now famous ‘Talent Stage’. A chance to perform on the stage is a dream come true for many, and it’s nothing to take lightly… what with popular musicians such as Tessanne Chin and Rootz Underground getting the kick-start to their lucrative careers from performances on that stage.

But for 2010, Festival organizers are certainly kicking it up a notch, with the introduction of the JAMAICA Jazz and Blues Band Quest competition. “It was the next logical step for us and developing our Art of Music idea,” says Walter Elmore, head of TurnKey Productions who are the producers of the JAMAICA Jazz and Blues Festival. Now, persons all over the world will have a chance to showcase their talent at the Festival, thanks to the new internet-based competition. Talented amateurs wishing to enter will have to visit the Festival’s savvy website (www.jamaicajazzandblues.com), and become a member of the JJ&B Fan Zone. With that membership, persons will be able to upload their music and performance clips.

According to Marcia McDonnough, marketing manager for the JAMAICA Jazz and Blues Festival, “there are many activities that persons can do in the JJ&B Fan Zone to get points, and the Band Quest entrants might very well attract new fans, who have the power to vote for them and that also brings entrants closer to performing on the JAMAICA Jazz and Blues Stage” She continued that up to 60 entrants with the highest number of points will be chosen as finalists and be invited to audition Live in the USA as well as in Jamaica, and that entries open on Sunday November 8 and close on December 5, 2009. These sessions will be judged by a selection of qualified persons, selected by the Festival.

If you qualify in the finalists but can’t make it to one of the live auditions, then there is no reason to worry as persons who fit this bill will be entered into a second online competition, from which one act will be chosen to perform at the Festival based on their point acquisition and voting.

McDonnough said that the performances of all the winners at the Live auditions will be recorded and subsequently uploaded to the Festival website, and the winners will be added to the Festival line-up. Interviews with the judges and the winning entrants will also be uploaded to the website, which she says “will give the public a chance to get to know the acts before their performance at the Festival”.

But in the end, there can only be one winner. The bands that make it to the Festival stage will be put through the ultimate test… the judgment of a Jamaican audience. Patrons of the JAMAICA Jazz and Blues Festival will be given numbers to text and indicate who their favourite act on the Talent Stage each night is, in addition, their performances at the Festival will be uploaded to the Festival website for yet another internet vote. The band with the most points gained from the text messages as well as the internet votes at the end of the voting period, will be champion of the 2010 JAMAICA Jazz and Blues Band Quest, and will take home a flurry of prizes including a guaranteed booking to perform on the main stage at the JAMAICA Jazz and Blues Festival in 2011.

For more information email bandquest@jamaicajazzandblues.com

Kingston, Jamaica — November 2, 2009 – As a part of a massive promotional campaign to be launched by Irish and Chin, the soulful Reggae singer Etana will shoot a video for her riveting new single “August Town.”  The video, which is one of three planned in November, will be filmed on Wednesday, November 4 in August Town, Jamaica to much fanfare. 

Over the past month, the song “August Town” has been heating up Caribbean radio and faring exceptionally well in the UK and Europe. The incredible buzz that the song has generated was a driving force behind shooting the video.  In “August Town,” Etana delivers piercing social commentary — detailing a recent incident in her community that went from festive and merry to horrific in a split second. Etana flawlessly croons of police involvement that resulted in excessive and unnecessary force. Like none of Etana’s other music, “August Town” is built over a raw dubwise track – a style heavy on drum, bass and dub effects with very sparse rhythm.  

To capture the “rawness” of the single, Etana pegged popular music video director Winston “Tyson” Mayhew for the video project.  Credited for his style of rough, hardcore videos like Busy Signal’s “These are the Days” and “Jail,” along with Morgan Heritage’s “Nothing to Smile About” and others, Mayhew was the perfect person to bring the song “August Town” to life.  

August Town itself will serve as an ideal backdrop for the video.   It will feature a gripping reenactment of the song’s lyrics, depicting August Town in its realest form. Ultimately, the “August Town” video will expose the beauty and rawness of August Town, played out through the eyes of Etana. From the town’s unmistakable scenic, naturally beautiful shots to hardcore elements, Mayhew will display the communities good and bad times.  Members of the August Town community will be featured through out the video, as well as a few special guests.

“I especially want this video to help bring August Town back to what it once was, a peaceful place,” says Etana with passion. ”This video will speak to the people of August Town and all Garrison communities.”

Fans will  have a chance to see another side of Etana.  The singer will be featured in a homegrown environment…..like she has never been seen  before.  Overall, the video will capture the real Etana as a person, rather than an artist.  “I think that showing Etana in a different light will truly be one of this video’s major highlights,” says Winston “Tyson” Mayhew. 

The videos that will follow “August Town” include “Free” and “Happy Heart.”  These three songs were strategically selected by Irish and Chin and Etana, as they explore Etana’s diversity as an artist. While ”August Town” falls under social commentary, “Free” and “Happy Heart” expose an emotional and feminine side of Etana respectively. “Free” will be shot by JayWil on November 10 and “Happy Heart’s” production will take place after Etana’s promotional tour in London later this month.

For more information

CONTACT:

Flair Lindsey
publicity@irishandchin.com
(718) 878-6323 /(876) 926-7562
http://www.irishandchin.com

Source: Reuters

Wed Nov 4, 2009 9:02am EST

Love, Peace and Soul Reigned at the ‘CENTRIC PRESENTS: 2009 SOUL TRAIN AWARDS’ Show Taping on Tuesday, November 3; Beyonce Leads the Pack Winning Three Awards

NEW YORK, Nov. 4

On Tuesday, November 3, CENTRIC took viewers on a stirring ride aboard the “Soul Train” at the taping of the network’s first special, CENTRIC PRESENTS: 2009 SOUL TRAIN AWARDS hosted by AcademyAward-nominated actors Taraji P. Henson and Terrence Howard. 

The night openedwith a memorable performance by Toni Braxton featuring Trey Songz singing”Yesterday” that was sealed with a kiss. Co-hosts Terrence Howard and TarajiP. Henson welcomed the audience with a colorful rendition of Peaches andHerb’s “Reunited.” With performances from Keri Hilson, Robin Thicke, RyanLeslie, Raheem DeVaughn featuring Ludacris Chrisette Michele, Mario featuringSean Garrett, and many more, the evening was filled with non-stop, soulfulentertainment. Viewers can tune-in for the premiere of the CENTRIC PRESENTS:2009 SOUL TRAIN AWARDS in a special simulcast on BET and CENTRIC on Sunday,November 29 at 9:00 P.M.*

The special also showcased a Motown Records musical celebration with anoutstanding medley of Motown hits performed by Taraji P. Henson as a Supreme, Boyz II Men, Chico DeBarge, Johnny Gill, Estelle, Vita, Mike Phillips andMelanie Fiona. Charlie Wilson and Chaka Khan were recipients of the evening’sIcon Award.

Both were honored by some of today’s hottest artists includingKeith Sweat, Ginuwine, Raheem DeVaughn, Kandi Burress, Brian McKnight, whopaid homage to Charlie Wilson and The Gap Band with powerful renditions ofcelebrated Gap Band titles, including “Outstanding,” “Yearning for Your Love,”"Burn Rubber.” Following this tribute, Charlie Wilson, himself, graced thestage to perform two songs: “Burn Rubber” with K-Ci & Jo-Jo and Bootsy Collinsand “There Goes My Baby.”

The audience was brought to its feet as Erykah Badu, Melle Mel, Ledisi,Fantasia, and Angie Stone stormed the stage to pay homage to legendary artist Chaka Khan with such hits as “Through the Fire” and “Tell Me Something Good.” With fun-filled skits, dance sequences and hilarious throwbacks to theinfamous Soul Train scramble board and Soul Train line, the CENTRIC PRESENTS:2009 SOUL TRAIN AWARDS special is a show people would not want to miss.

Some presenters of the CENTRIC PRESENTS: 2009 SOUL TRAIN AWARDS included Monica, Tamia, Deborah Cox, Kelly Price and many others.

The following is a list of CENTRIC PRESENTS: 2009 SOUL TRAIN AWARDS winners:

BEST NEW ARTIST — Keri Hilson

BEST R&B/SOUL ARTIST FEMALE — Beyonce

BEST MALE R&B/SOUL MALE — Maxwell

SONG OF THE YEAR — “Single Ladies (Put a ring on it)” - Beyonce

ALBUM OF THE YEAR — Beyonce - I am… Sasha Fierce (Platinum) Sony Music

RECORD OF THE YEAR (SONGWRITER AWARD) — Jamie Foxx Ft/T-Pain - “Blame it”

BEST REGGAE ARTIST AWARD — Sean Paul

CENTRIC AWARD - SOUL APPROVED/UNDERGROUND — Maysa

BEST GOSPEL PERFORMANCE MALE FEMALE OR GROUP — Mary Mary featuring Kierra “KiKi” Sheard - “God In Me”

BEST COLLABORATION — Keri Hilson featuring Kanye West & Ne-Yo - “Knock you Down”

ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR — Michael Jackson

The CENTRIC PRESENTS: 2009 SOUL TRAIN AWARDS is produced by Sunseeker Media and directed by Manny Rodriguez and Alex Coletti, in collaboration with BET Event Productions.

Paxton Baker, CENTRIC Executive Vice President and GeneralManager; Essie Chambers, CENTRIC Senior Vice President of Programming; TamiWillis-Arasli, CENTRIC Vice President of Production; Bart Phillips, SunseekerMedia; and Soul Train Holdings’ Kenard Gibbs, Peter Griffith, and Anthony Maddox are the executive producers of the network telecast.

Angela Fisherserved as talent coordinator and Fatima Robinson as the show choreographer.

*All times ET/PT

About CENTRICCENTRIC is a 24-hour music and entertainment channel that reflects thelifestyle and sophistication of today’s African-American and multicultural adult viewer. With a finger on the pulse of an ever-changing beat, its compelling music content fuses Soul, R&B, Neo-Soul, Hip Hop, Reggae, Gospel, Jazz, Old School, New School and everything in between with today’s hottest artists.

It is a unique of mix of music, culture and lifestyle programmingthat embodies the lives, tastes and aspirations of the CENTRIC viewer:

Allyou. All day. All night.

About BET Networks

BET Networks, a division of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), is the nation’s leading provider of quality entertainment, music, news and public affairs television programming for the African-American audience. The primary BET channel reaches more than 98 million households and can be seen in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom and sub-Saharan Africa. BET is the dominant African-American consumer brand with a diverse group ofbusiness extensions: BET.com, a leading Internet destination for Black entertainment, music, culture, and news; CENTRIC, a 24-hour music andentertainment network targeting the 25- to 54-year-old African-American audience; BET Digital Networks - BET Gospel and BET Hip Hop, attractive alternatives for cutting-edge entertainment tastes; BET Home Entertainment, a collection of BET-branded offerings for the home environment including DVDs and video-on-demand; BET Event Productions, a full-scale event management andproduction company with festivals and live events spanning the globe; BETMobile, which provides ringtones, games and video content for wireless devices; and BET International, which operates BET in the United Kingdom and oversees the extension of BET network programming for global distribution.

About Soul Train Holdings S

oul Train Holdings was formed in May 2008 by MadVision Entertainment, an urban-focused content company, and InterMedia Partners, a private equity investment firm. MadVision was created in 2006 by media and entertainment veterans Kenard Gibbs, Peter Griffith, and Anthony Maddox. Soul Train Holdings was formed following MadVision’s acquisition of the iconic Soul Train franchise and now owns the catalog of over 1,100 hours of episodes, 300,000 photos and 500 hours of awards show footage from Don Cornelius Productions. Soul Train is a registered trademark of Soul Train Holdings, LLC, a limited liability company headquartered in Los Angeles, CA.

Soul Train is the longest running, first -run, nationally syndicated program in television history. During its 37 year run, the show featured such staples as the Soul Train lineand performers as important and diverse as: Al Green, Ike & Tina Turner,Marvin Gaye, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Elton John, Whitney Houston, David Bowie, Janet Jackson, Elton John, Luther Vandross, Alicia Keys, ChakaKhan and Beyonce, to name a few.

SOURCE BET Networks

Jeanine Liburd, +1-212-205-3011, jeanine.liburd@bet.net, or Lyntina Townsend,+1-202-608-2745, lyntina.townsend@bet.net, both of CENTRIC; or Dave Cirilli ofSoul Train, +1-646-727-0063, dave@giantnoise.com