24/7livelistings.com Issue 8

ISSUE 8 / APR 2014

BEAUTY Glow this summer

FASHION Latest jeans trends

HEALTH & FITNESS

PROTEINS

MOTORING

THE FIAT 500

IMAGE GALLERY

WONDERFUL WORLD

MONEYWISE

POWER OF COFFEE SHOPS

LAW & ORDER UK NEW KID ON THE BLOCK, BEN BAILEY SMITH MEANS BUSINESS 1

EDITORSNOTE Hello, And it’s a warm welcome back from me and all of the team.

And what a month we have had, we have all been very busy. From our photo journalists wukkin’ up at Trinidad Carnival, to Features Ed Gavin chilling with old school hip hop heads The Lox, check out their shout out to us on our main site.

We also got to speak to the lovely Bridget Kelly and R&B legend Eric Benet and I had a long distance call with the our cover star Law and Order UK’s Ben Bailey Smith, who gave me an exclusive, by unwittingly flashing his chest when he forgot to swtich the skype call to phone only, not that i was complaining at the time!

Dont forget to check out our special on The St Kitts Music Festival, now in its 18th year Beenie Man and Tessanne Chin headline what is going to be a road block event.

As usual our magazine is jam packed with loads of stuff for you to enjoy including the regulars, Motoring, Moneywise, Gaming and not forgeting our wonderful resident The Sneaker Pimp, who each month brings something new and interested to the table when comes to his view on the sneaker industry.

But again let me stop now and let you get on with reading this months edition. So until next month, take Care

Michelle x

MEET THE TEAM THE TEAM BEHIND 24/7 LIVE MAGAZINE Gavin A Peters Features Editor

gavin@247livelistings.com

Molica Hackshaw Beauty

Fabian CollymoreSports/Fitness Expert

Damien Brome Money & Finance

Grant Richards The Sneaker Pimp

Mazel John Fashion

Jammz Designer

Darren Lobban The Games Master

Jazinhino Phillips Motoring

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EXCLUSIVE Law & Order Interview: Ben Bailey Smith

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EXCLUSIVE Kingston 14 Interview: Chales Venn

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EXCLUSIVE: RnB Royaly- Eric Benet

39 EXCLUSIVE: 24/7 Live speaks to Bridget Kelly

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24/7NEWS had a obligation as father to provide him [Taylor} with a basic need of food, clothing and shelter’ he goes on to claim the Mr. T chose to ‘Neglect and abuse’ him during his childhood because ‘he did not fit into Mr. T’s public image’. As a result Taylor claims that Mr. T’s ‘emotional abuse’ caused distress resulting in more serious psychological and behavioral problems and a stint in juvenile hall and eventually joining a gang.

Taylor was requesting a jury trial and $5.4 million in damages. However the lawsuit was dismissed by a California courthouse citing that Taylor failed to pay the $400 filing and administrative fees for the lawsuit to continue AJ Johnson: I turned down the role of Jody’s Mother twice in the hit film Baby Boy House Party star AJ Johnson has recently admitted that she initially turned down one of the roles that she is most famous for more than once and it took a personal visit to her home from the films director John Singleton and singer Tyrese who were unwilling to take no for an answer to persuade her to take the role.

Speaking at an Untold Stories Awards held by The Black Women Film Network, (BWFN) where she was honoured last month, the actress revealed that, at the time of the film, she had broken both her ankles and her main focus was getting well – not acting. Greeting them in a wheelchair, a shocked Singleton agreed to hold up the production until she healed and The Baby Boy the film as we know and love was made.

Love & Hip Hop Producers Sued For Stealing Show Concept The hit US franchise Love & Hip Hop has become an international hit, but a pair of female producers is claiming that VH1 stole the idea and concept from them.

According to website TMZ the ladies have filed a lawsuit and a seeking a huge payout. Trisha Lum and Nickie Lum-Davis have filed a lawsuit against both VH1 and MTV claiming the reality show was their idea first and the music channel stole it.

According to the Suit the show was to be called ‘Hip Hop Wives’ and was supposed to star current and former flames of DMX, Swizz Beats, Irv Gotti and Jim Jones. But they claim bosses cooled on the idea citing that it would compete with its other reality series Basket Ball Wives. However the girls claim that the VH1 moguls used their Hip Hop Wives theme as the temple for the hit reality show Love and Hip Hop and now they want compensation and are looking for an 8-figure settlement.

Mr. T Sued by ‘Secret Son’ Who Says His Neglect Ruined His Life According to court reports a man Alexander Taylor filed a lawsuit against former A Team star Mr. T claiming that he is his son and was abandon by him leaving him emotionally unstable forcing him to join a gang.

Reported by RadarOnline.com, Taylor the child of Vanessa Taylor and Mr. T, real name Laurence Tureaud,

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Lily Allen: ‘My New Music is Not My Best Work’ When a fan recently tweeted the Smile singer to let her know that he thought her latest singles Hard Out Here and Air Balloon were not up to par. The singer uncharacteristically replied with a tweet that agreed with his findings.

Replying to @RFWilding she mum of two tweeted ‘what you’ve heard so far yes, all I can do is do my best, the labels and the radio stations wont play the better stuff’ she then urged the disgruntled fan to ‘keep the faith’, hinting that her album Sheezus will be much better.

New York City Council to Honor Hip Hop Legends New York City is set to finally recognize some of hip-hop’s founding fathers with a Council Proclamation. According to the website Hip-hop Wired, Councilman Fernado Cabrera is set to recognize some of hip hops founding fathers. Honorees include Kurtis Blow, Melle Mel and Afrika Bambaata.

Select Rap pioneers will be shown the red carpet treatment at New York’s City Hall. There will be a posthumous tribute to Pete ‘DJ’ Jones who passed away in January. Jones is largely credited for being the first to use two turntables and two copies of vinyl, which later became the standard for DJ’s. Most recently the US channel Fox 5 News celebrates the history of hip hop with DJ Kool Herc.

Professor Green Charged With Drink Driving Last year rapper Professor called police to his home only for the star to be arrested himself for drink driving.

The Hackney born star called the cops to his home last November regarding a suspected mugging but was arrested himself after Police suspected one of his vehicles was involved in a crash and they arrested him on suspicion of drink driver and then re arrested later for perverting the course of justice a charge which was later dropped.

The 30 year old recently married to former Made in Chelsea star Millie Mackintosh appeared before Bromley Magistrates last month and pleaded guilty to the charge.

Could Lupita Be The New Princess Leia?

According to the Hollywood Reporter, golden girl Lupita N’yongo has been in secret talks with director J.J Abrams to discuss the lead role in the upcoming Star Wars: Episode VII. It is unclear what role the 12 Years a Slave Star would undertake but possibilities includes the descendent of Obi- Wan Kenobi, which is described as a ‘non Caucasian role’.

Abrams is still in meetings with actors for several of the leads, which have yet to be cast and hotly tipped favourites include British actors Ed Speelers and Boyega. It is reported that Adam Driver is in final negotiations to play the villain.

The film is scheduled to be released in December 2015 with production starting this spring.

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24/7NEWS

NEWS IN BRIEFS

Paul Walker lives on in ‘Fast 7’ Deceased Fast and Furious star Paul Walker will still remain a prominent figure in the up-coming Fast and Furious franchise. Universal Pictures will use CGI to dub the actor s face and voice. Four actors will be used for movement ” a source close to the production reportedly told the New York Daily News.

Ex TOWIE Star launches Pop Career First it was the loveable but very dim Joey Essex. Releasing a hip-hop music album in the hope to become Essex’s answer to Kanye West. But it’s his former TOWIE pal Kirk Norcross who may beat him to the punch as he is on the verge of releasing his debut single according to The Sun Newspaper. Norcross has recorded a version of the Bill Withers’ classic track Ain’t No Sunshine for the ADHD Foundation, a charity that supports those affected by the hyperactivity disorder.

Lets hope that the hit making stays at these two and Arg doesn’t make a bid for pop stardom!

Disneys Frozen a big hit After breaking records across the Globe Disney’s Frozen It also looks set to break and achieve more records by storming the album charts, and the animation’s soundtrack has reached No.1 on the Billboard 200 for the fifth time.

Zoe Saldana to play Eartha Kitt in Upcoming Biopic It seems an Eartha Kitt biopic is in the works and there are discussions for Star Trek star to assume the role of the 60’s Icon. The film is expected to depict the former Cat Woman’s rise to fame and the obstacle she faced trying to make it in the industry.

The story is still in early development and no director has been announced for the project.

Some are questioning whether she is the ideal choice as they are still reeling from her being cast as Nina Simone, as many thought she was unsuitable being that she is Latina and looked nothing like legendary singer. But in the case of Eartha Kitt the resemblance is undeniable and this could be a chance to really prove her acting ability.

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Lauren Hill Will serve More Time For Tax Evasion The RnB singer looks set to serve more time behind bars, again. According to Radar Online, the IRS has filed seven additional tax liens against the 90s singer.

@24sevenLive

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24/7BAROMETER

WHAT’S

HOT? OPRAH DONATES DRESS

Twitter User @snobabybrandi cheekily tweets Oprah and asks for her the dress she wore on the Essence cover shoot and the media mogul replied and sent her the dress to wear for her wedding!

NAOMIE HARRIS

The Bond Girl has landed a plum role as Ms Perkins alongside Ewan Macgregor in the film version of John le Carre’s novel Our Kind of Traitor.

IDRIS ELBA

12 YEARS A SLAVE

Box office sales of the award winning film more than double after its historic Oscar win both in the US and in the UK

TAMERA FOSTER

Congratulations to UK actor Idris Elba who has recently welcomed the arrival of a new baby boy named Winston after his father.

The X Factor wannabe currently taking part in the X Factor live tour has signed a deal with Syco Music, (owned by X Factor supremo) Simon Cowell

CHRIS BROWN JAILED

MISSING MALAYSIAN AIRLINES PLANE.

CHERYL’S RETURN TO X FACTOR

HALLE BERRY & OLIVER MARTINEZ SPLIT?

WHAT’S

NOT? KANYE WEST

The Yeezus star has cut a deal with authorities on the battery case against videographer Daniel Ramos that includes anger management therapy and 24 months probation.

It seems that his luck has finally run out the singer was jailed for a month for breaching his probation order.

After a lackluster series last year Simon Cowell returns for 2014 with former judge Cheryl Cole, somehow we think it needs much more than her Geordie charm to revive the ailing show.

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The tale of the missing plane just gets stranger as the days progress, with more unexplainable questions than answers.

Rumours are circulating that their marriage is on the rocks so soon after the birth of their newborn son Marceo Martinez.

24/7GOSSIP

MARVEL TURN 1D’S ZAYN MALIK One Direction star Zayn Malik is a huge fan of comics so the singer must have been overjoyed to discover that he’d been immortalized in comic book for by Marvel.

The stars exotic looks and sharp cheekbones have been captured perfectly in the new design for the evilfighter Ghost Rider.

The Character is played on the big screen by legendary actor Nicholas Cage, but Marvel bossed decided they wanted to change things up and make the Ghost Rider more teen Friendly.

Marvel editor Mark Paniccia allegedly gave illustrator and creator Felipe Smith the following brief ‘The guy from that boyband One Direction Zayn Malik, look him up and work with a bunch of images of him’.

KELLY TO WED FORMER GLADIATOR.

ON OR OFF?

It would seem Rihanna and Drake have split yet again.

Having been spotted together in recent weeks, the pair have allegedy split it is reported to be over Rihanna’s ex, Chris Brown who is currently serving a short sentence.

Urbanislandz.com have reported that Rihanna has been in contact with the troubled star Brown and when Drake found out he dumped the Bajan beauty.

A close source told the media site: “she is still madly in love with Chris and Drake became suspicious that she has been in contact with him.”

After a worldwind romance, model Kelly Brook, 34 and former Gladiator, David McIntosh, 28 are to wed.

The sudden news has come to much speculation in recent weeks that McIntosh had only got with the model to boost his own profile which denies.

According to The Sun newspaper its reported that the 34-year-old was left ‘dumbstruck’ by his proposal but took just three seconds to agree.

COMEDIAN STANDS FIRM

British vetern Comedian Lenny Henry has spoke of his disgust at lack of Black and Ethnic minorities declining on UK TV screens.

Henry has called for a reversal of the presence of ethnic minorities on British television and comedy programmes.

Speaking at a Bafta Lecture last month of his frustration as little has changed since the comic first spoke about improving diversity in film and television in 2008.

Just 5.4% of the broadcasting industry is made up of black, Asian, minority and ethnic (BAME) people, he said.

This comes at a time when many of the UK’s top UK actors have been more successful on the otherside of the pond.

Henry is taking a proposal to be heard by BAME productions to the BBC director general Tony Hall and Ofcom.

LITTLE MIX WANT DERULO Pop princesses Lil Mix, seem to be on cloud number 9, after there recent chart success in the US. The quartet who are currently touring in America have recently revealed how they would love to work with Tattoo singer, Jason Derulo.

In a recent interview with the Daily Star they said: “We want to write with more American producers and are hoping to work with Jason Derulo’s people,” revealed Jade. “’Talk Dirty’ is our favourite song so more stuff like that.

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IMAGEGALLERY

PLACES YOU NEVER KNEW EXISTED

ITS HARD TO BELIEVE THAT SOME OF THE PLECES ACTUALLY EXIST ON PLANET EARTH, TAKE A LOOK...

Catedral de Marmol (the Marble Cathedral), Lago General Carrera, Patagonia, Chile Erosion has created beautiful caverns in the marble of these mineral formations. You just need to take a small boat to see it in person.

Rainbow Mountains, China Part of the Zhangye Danxia Landform Geological Park, these UNESCO World Heritage-designated mountains get their rainbow name as a result of red sandstone and mineral deposits being pressed together for more than 24 million years.

Cappadocia, Turkey Conical formations caused by volcanic eruptions millions of years ago dot this stunning landscape. Now tourists stay in the many cave hotels that are located the area.

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Door To Hell, Turkmenistan There are, as it is, several gateways to hell but this one features an underground gas fire that has been burning for more than 30 years.

This street in Bonn, Germany For roughly 2-3 weeks a year, the cherry blossoms bloom in Bonn, creating a rosy canopy on this street.

Rub’ Al-Khali (Empty Quarter), Oman The world’s largest area of continuous sand measures around 250,000 square miles and covers four countries.

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24/7BEAUTY

By Dominique G Leigertwood

THE GLOW FACTOR

After a long winter, its fair to say that ours skin has suffered some neglect. But fear not, you can now start looking good as we can can officially put winter behind us and we welcome spring in. Its time to start glowing and to showing off your skin. This month we have compiled some essential bronzing powders and potions to keep you looking flawless for the entire season.

CLARINS SUMMER BRONZING COMPACT, £27.00

Gleaming with gold and copper reflections, this three-in-one compact will make you look like you just returned from a vacation in St. Barths.

CLINIQUE TRUE BRONZE PRESSED POWDER BRONZER, £22.00 Blend and build your color with this bronzing powder that works on almost every skin tone.

M.A.C BRONZE EVERYDAY LUSTRE DROPS, £18.00 These sheer drops give an all-over glow that is both luminous AND water resistant!

BOBBI BROWN FACE & BODY BRONZING DUO, £31.00 Our favorite cult classic bronzer is doing double duty! Now available in a larger size, sweep this bronzer over your face, neck, décolletage, and arms for that ever-coveted all-over summer glow.

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DIOR DIORSKIN NUDE TAN PARADISE BLUSH DUO, £40.00 Brush on this blush and bronzer combo from Dior’s summer 2013 collection to keep your complexion warm and your cheeks rosy.

BENEFIT SUN BEAM, £19.50 For an awesome golden finish, dot and blend this bronzer formula over your cheek and brow bones.

It’s a vacation in a bottle!

CELEB TIPS... Alicia Keys

As well as having flawless skin, using some of the aids in this feature. The slick black hair also creates a sriking stunning appearance as it draws more attention to the face.

To create the slick back hair Alicia uses:

BAMBOO DRY OIL MIST, £29.39

Moroccan Oil is a staff favorite at Beauty High, and whether you’re trying for a smooth and sleek straight look or to enhance natural curls, this product gets the job done.

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24/7FASHION

By Mazel John

‘Jeanious’

Inthismonthseditionof 24/7LivemagIhavecomeupwiththreeverydifferentwaystowearthese boyfriends jeans. The trend’s been around for a while and we wanted to explore ways to dress it up and down. You can really bring them to life by heavily accessorising with lots of bling. Enjoy.

Monki Mimmi tee, £8.36 MONKI. H&M Jersey top, £6.99 HM.COM Chelsea Flower Silk-chiffon blouse, £98 THEOUTNET.COM

LADIES

Gap Petite Fit Guide,Tall Fit Guide Fabrication: Premium denim. Wash: Light blue with light fading and whiskering.

Holes and destructed accents are unique and vary jean to jean.

Jimmy Choo Claret red snake embossed leather ‘Anouk’ pumps, £650 BLUEFLY. COM Lorna Flat Point Slingback, £115 WHISTLES.CO.UK Nike Air Max 90 (w), £97 OFFICE.CO.UK 16

LEVI’S VINTAGE CLOTHING MEN’S 1947 501 MID RISE VANISHING POINT FLAT FINISH JEANS - DARK INDIGO, £116 COGGLES.COM

GENTS

-Levi’s Long Sleeve Barstow Western Shirt, £41 PIPERLIME.GAP.COM -Men’s Harborline Nubuck Loafer, £42

The Men’s 1947 501 Mid Rise Vanishing Point Flat Finish Jeans from Levi’s Vintage Clothing features a mid rise fit, belt loop detail to waist and a classic 5 pocket design. The dark indigo jeans has a front fly fasten, single button closure and a leather embossed branded tab to reverse to finish the look.

-J.Crew Swiss-dot tuxedo shirt £41 £53 JCREW.COM -Cole Haan Gramercy Oxford CapToe £120 COLEHAAN.COM 17

-Kenzo Japanese Kenzo Sweatshirt £135 LAGARCONNE.COM -Nike Air Jordan IV Retro ‘Fear’ Black, White & Cool Grey, (£145.00) PINTEREST.COM

24/7GADGETS:

By Gavin Peters

MOTHERING SUNDAY, MAY HAVE JUST PASSED, BUT THAT DOESNT MEANS THAT YOU CANT SPOIL MUM EVERY DAY OF THE YEAR. TAKE A LOOK AT SOME OF THE GIFT AND GADGETS IDEAS FOR MUM.

WHITE LAVENDER LUXURY SET, £35 (THEWHITECOMPANY. COM) Ours is the most beautiful pure lavender, blended with notes of bright basil and Sicilian lemon, and warmed with vetivert, to create this relaxing bedroom and bathroom scent.

This lovely pampering set comes in a beautiful white gift box. It includes: Signature candle (approx 28 hours’ burn) Bath & shower gel (250ml)

LUMINARA FLICKERING FLAME CANDLES, £29.95 (RED5.

CO.UK) The Flickering Flame Candles are the most realistic artificial candles we have ever seen (and as we regularly frequent trade shows, with about a gazillion artificial candle stalls, that’s quite a boast!). The candle itself is actually coated in wax which only adds to the realism.

Even up close the effect is still extremely impressive.

THORNTONS PERSONALISED TRUFFLES - 33 CHOCOLATE BOX (BUYAGIFT.CO.UK) What could be more delightful than a big box of delicious Thorntons truffles, fully personalised with a message of your choice? Make your chocolates as personal and meaningful as you want: this box of treats will arrive with your words written in icing across 33 delectable truffles. No matter what the occasion and who the recipient, this box of chocolate delights will show them exactly how you feel.

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HIP HOP BUNNY £19.95 (RED5.CO.UK) Now there’s a new bunny in town, with less chocolate but a lot more street cred than the Easter Bunny. The Magic Music Bunny is bringing the hippity hip hop to your ears along with some super cool dance moves too. Simply plug in your music device (mp3 player, ipod or smartphone) and watch the bunny groove away.

SKY PLANTER, £13.45) (GENIEGADGETS.COM) These incredible upside-down planters really do defy anything you learnt at school and hang beautifully from your home or office ceiling.

They allow you to add an abundance of greenery whilst adding a cool and futuristic look to your surroundings, without taking up any floor space!

JESUS SOAP, £3.95 (RED5.CO.UK) Wash your sins away. The Jesus soap is the only soap that doesn’t just clean your skin, but also your soul. Yes, we are now taking absolution into our own hands.

COUNTDOWN TO MY RETIREMENT, £11.99 (GETTINGPERSONAL.CO.UK) Relaxing in your chair in front of your favourite TV detective programmes, seeing the grandchildren...however you choose to spend it, it’s your time to sit back and enjoy the free time you’ve earned.

Have we whet your appetite for your first tastes of freedom? Thought so. Why not invest in this amusing digital countdown clock so you can keep track of every day, minute, even second until the day comes.

*Some of the items are just for laughs.

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24/7 MOTORING

By Jazinhino Phillips

THE FIAT 500

The Fiat 500 was first manufactured from 1957 to 1975. In 2007 production began once again and Abarth & C made reappearance. Abarth to Fiat is an in-house tuning company like AMG is to Mercedes Benz. The Abarth range starts with the entry level Abarth 500, which has a 1.4-turbo-litre engine that produces 135bhp and 0-60 in 7.9 seconds.

The model up is the Abarth 595, which also has a 1.4 litre engine; however, this model has an extra 25 horses under the bonnet giving you 160bhp and 0-60 in 7.4 seconds.

Now there is yet another model that trumps these two.

Prepare yourself for the rare Abarth 695, these are limited editions that produce 180bhp from the same 1.4 engine.

This little scamp comes with seven air bags one of which is located in the steering column to protect the driver’s knees. A thoughtful move by Fiat, so after the event of an accident the woman can still perform her obligated duties. Splendid. Other car manufactures, please take heed, as this is a fantastic idea.

nav, split rear seats, and Abarth branded graphics.

Now Fiat doesn’t have the best reputation when it comes to reliability. Don’t believe me? OK how many Fiat Uno’s do you see on the roads these days? Or the Bravo’s/ Barva’s? You don’t, why? Because most of them are probably

Steering response is also a lot quicker than the standard 500 and handles extremely well. The car goes where you want it. Another feature is Torque Transfer Control; this is a feature that improves driving out of slow corners.

Standard features include air conditioning, ESP, CD player, USB slot, MP3 connectivity, alloy wheels, Bluetooth connectivity, electric mirrors, remote central locking, trip computer, and sport seats. Optional extras available are leather trim; portable sat

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dead. As for the few that are still with us, the owners are probably going to pay you to take it off their hands. I’m not saying that if you purchase this car that it will perish before the summer months. Quite the opposite as Fiat has improved the reliability and the quality. Their customer service has also improved.

Although this car seats four people, it is not a family car. The convertible version is slightly better because you can load things in the car while the roof is down. The driving position is too upright for a hot hatchback and you cannot adjust the steering column.

cal thoughtless Abarth. Abarth has a bit of a reputation of doing crazy things to their models. However it’s front wheel drive, lower suspension, bucket seats, bigger vented brakes, still make it in high demand. The 595 model has Koni sports suspension. I had Koni suspension on my VW Golf GTI 16v Mk II back in the day. A very wise move Fiat.

Unfortunately, this car does suffer from a bit of turbo lag but the sport button on the dashboard does improve throttle response. The automatic version surprisingly slows the car down and will cost you an additional £1300 however; I don’t think it’s worth getting unless you absolutely need it.

The boot space is only big enough to fit the contents A few of the rivals like the 208 GTI, Ford Fiesof whatever you keep in your top drawer. The glove ta ST, & the Mini are the alternatives one could box is a shelf, the interior looks dated and that is typi- consider if the Fiat doesn’t tickle your fancy.

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@24sevenLive

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24/7EXCLUSIVE

Ben Bailey Smith

“I was really excited when I got the part and I still am - I wasn’t particularly a fan of the US version, but I did watch the English one.”

Normally when you wake a bear with a sore head, 24/7livelistings.com made comer Ben Bailey Smith

a man from a deep sleep they act like but that definitely wasn’t the case when the call to Law and Order UK newfor a pre-arranged telephone interview.

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THE MAN OF ORDER

By Michelle Martin Metropolitan Police Service and the subsequent prosecution undertaken by the Crown Prosecution and has firmly itself as a quality British drama.

It’s approximately 8am in the morning and the former rapper informs me that he is in Melbourne Australia on tour with his one man show as part of their International Comedy Festival.

“I was really excited when I got the part and I still am” admits the comedian during our late night call “I wasn’t particularly a fan of the US version, but I did watch the English one.

As I make my apologies for waking him so early he reassures me that this is not a problem and although clearly still very sleepy, the polite, but friendly star tells me to go ahead and start the interview.

I found it a lot grittier and a bit more believable. It had always been a life long dream for me to play an action hero like a TV detective and to be honest it’s not something I never thought would happen.”

Better known as comedian Doc Brown, Ben Bailey Smith is a seasoned funny man, screenwriter, voice artist, actor and rapper who is currently gracing our screens as the delightful DS Joe Hawkins in the critically acclaimed ITV crime drama Law and Order UK.

But dreams do come true, and now Ben takes on a prime role as Bradley Walsh’s new sidekick DS Joe Hawkins.

Speaking exclusively the newest member of the L&O team tells us how excited he is to be part of this long running show, what life was like as a musician and what’s in store for 2014.

A complex but down to earth character that understands the underdog and initially is at odds with his partner’s methods. As the series progresses, its clear that they form a bond and have a mutual respect for each other.

“They [the writers], gave me a lot of back story about Joe and where he came from, there was a lot interesting stuff and many things that I could relate to and I could work with, so that’s definitely how I wanted him to come

The Law and Order Franchise is America’s longest running crime series and in 2009, it was given a very British makeover by series creator Dick Wolf.

Sticking to the original premise each week the show follows the investigation of a Major Crimes Unit by the 25

he kept the mood up because some of the episodes are quite gritty and strong.

across.

Its Ironic that Joe has come from Child Protection and was raised in care because prior to working in this industry; I worked with children as a youth worker, working with young offenders, refugees and children of asylum seekers.

It’s very rare to have a hard hitting drama and they cast two comedians in central roles and because Paterson has a comedy background too it’s was great”.

But before life as DS Hawkins Smith forged a successful career as a musician and worked with the likes of Mark Ronson, Amy Winehouse and Lily Allen.

That role gave me an insight on how the judicial system works from a young persons point of view, and you also learn a lot about the legal system”.

An experience he describes as “unforgettable” adding, “during that time there was a feeling that these guys were in the ascendency on to bigger and better things.

It was very special time and I feel so privileged to have been part of it”

With Bradley Walsh shining as DS Ronnie Brooks, the series boasts a stellar cast of actors and comedians including Peter Davidson, Colin Salmon and Helen Baxendale Peep Show’s Paterson Joseph and former Coronation Street star Georgia Taylor, 24/7livelistings. com asks what was it like to work with established actors and comedians on a prime time show

2014 is shaping up to be quite a busy year for the self confessed “workaholic” with enough comedy, writing and acting projects to keep him busy for the rest of the year?

“It was so much fun at times it didn’t seem like work, Bradley was constantly mucking around and he is always trying to prank you” laughs the 35 year old “in between takes he has always got stories and jokes to tell. He is essential to the show and he gives really good advice.

“Yes I am going to be very busy” admits the Crystal Palace fan, “I’ve worked on a couple of comedies, sitcoms, one called Laid, which is funnily enough a reworking of a very popular Australian sitcom that was bought by ITV.

He has an excellent work ethic and throughout filming

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Then I will be working on ITV’s Jenny’s Patch, with Matthew Baynton who was in the Wrong Man with James Corden. I’m also working on a series for sky TV called Give Out Girls.

It’s a sitcom about a bunch of girls who work for a promotions company.

Be prepared to be knocked back and for it (success), not happen straight away, stick at it, be very big headed and very patient and believe in your own abilities”.

AS we wrap up this interview one thing we ask is if he has any plans to return to the music industry as a rapper “Maybe, One day”, He answers laughing “but not now I’m not really sweating it, it would be a sort of vanity project and I have so much work to do in TV.

I’ve got my kids shows that I write on and I do a bit of acting on an animated puppet show called Strange Hill.

I write and voice the hero called Mitchell Tanner. I still work on The Four o Clock club, a show that I created and got me my start in television; it’s a hip hop musical for kids now in it’s in its fourth series.

I don’t really have the time to go off and make an album, but if I could, I think I would, if I had a record deal.

If I had the time and the energy I would, but I wouldn’t want to do it half hearted.

With such an impressive work ethic 24/7livelistings.com asks what advice would you give to anybody who wants to get into the acting or comedy industry?

“I would say just be prepared for disappointment and be prepared to play the long game and up your patience levels. There are ways of increasing your patience levels, and I would say put down your phone with your apps as it is very distracting, and it encourages you to want things real quickly.

Catch Ben the latest series of ITV1’s Law and Order UK Wednesdays at 9pm and follow him at @docbrown88.

Go back to reading books and doing boring stuff that maintains your interest in long periods because the game I’m is a long one.

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24/7FILM

MUPPETS MOST WANTED (U) RELEASED: 28/3/2014

LABOR DAY (12A) RELEASED: 21/3/2014

YVES SAINT LAURENT (15) RELEASED: 21/3/2014

Everyone’s favourite felt-skinned friends return for hilarious sequel Muppets Most Wanted which sees the Muppets get mixed up with the world’s most notorious criminal.

The Muppets are touring Europe when they unwittingly find themselves in the company of Kermit’s evil doppelganger Constantine, the world’s number one Criminal. Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear and friends must band together on a high-stakes mission to defeat the evil frog and his sinister sidekick Dominic (Ricky Gervais).

Muppets Most Wanted will also feature Tina Fey, Tom Hiddleston, Ty Burrell and Lady Gaga.

Drama Labour Day takes place over a long weekend as a single mother and her teenage son take in a very unexpected visitor.

Winslet stars as Adele, a fragile and reclusive woman, who lives with her son Henry, a young boy on the brink of adolescence. While out of the house on a shopping trip, they encounter a wounded, bleeding man (Josh Brolin), who later reveals himself to be an escaped prisoner. Over the course of the weekend, an intense connection forms between Adele and the convict…

Labor Day is adapted from Joyce Maynard’s acclaimed novel of the same name.

French-language bio drama Yves Saint Laurent takes a look at the titular designer’s rise to fame in the fashion industry and his tempestuous relationship with partner Pierre Bergé.

This illuminating fashion doc lifts the lid on the career and personal life of Saint Laurent. The action begins in 1958, the year that he first met his lover and lifelong business partner Pierre Bergé and charts his early career at Dior and the ascent of his eponymous fashion house, as well as chronicling his turbulent personal life.

A LONG WAY DOWN (15) RELEASE: 21/3/2014 Combining serious themes with a dark streak of humour, A Long Way Down tells the story of four lonely souls battling their way back from the brink of suicide.

On New Year’s Eve, four very different individuals are each making their way to the rooftop of a high-rise building where they plan to plunge to their death. But little do they know that their chance encounter with one another at this notorious suicide spot will give them all reason to step back from the edge.

Based on a Nick Hornby novel, A Long Way Down explores themes of depression and suicide.

STARRED UP (18) RELEASED: 21/3/2014 Set within the confines of a grim British prison, Starred Up sees an estranged father and son rekindle their troubled relationship behind bars.

Thuggish teen Eric lands himself a stay in adult prison, where his violent nature gets him in trouble with prison officers and other inmates. Here, he reconnects with his father, fellow inmate Neville, who attempts to rein in his son’s unpredictable behaviour.

Starred Up features Jack O’Connell (Skins, Eden Lake) in the lead role as the volatile teen, while Ben Mendelsohn (Killing Them Softly) plays his estranged dad.

THE OTHER WOMAN (12A) RELEASED: 25/4/2014 Poignant pop doc ‘20 Feet From Stardom’ casts a spotlight on the unsung heroes of the music industry - the backup singers behind some of the 20th century’s most legendary musicians.

This soulful documentary brings a selection of the finest female backup vocalists out of the shadows and on to centre stage. Using archival footage and interviews, the film pays tribute to the performers whose names and stories have remained largely unknown…until now.

‘20 Feet From Stardom’ is directed by documentary filmmaker Morgan Neville (Johnny Cash’s America, The Cool School).

THE LEGEND HERCULES (12A) RELEASED: 28/3/2014 Sword and sandal epic The Legend of Hercules tells the origins story of the Greek demigod following his transformation from an ordinary young man to a powerful hero.

Hercules (Kellan Lutz), son of all-powerful Zeus, knows nothing of his godly identity. But when Hercules falls in love with a woman who is betrothed to his brother, his stepfather sells him into slavery and his true ancestry and destiny is revealed. Now, Hercules must use his divine powers to find his true love and save the kingdom.

The Legend of Hercules is directed by Renny Harlin (Die Hard 2).

RIO 2 (U) RELEASED: 4/4/2014 Vibrant and full of energy, family adventure Rio 2 sees Blu swap the urban life in Rio for a tropical adventure in the wilderness of the Amazon.

After the high-flying antics of Rio, Blu and Jewel have nested in the city. However, Jewel can’t ignore the call of the wild and she takes the feathered family to the Amazon, where they reconnect with her long-lost relatives. But their arrival in the tropical forest ruffles a few feathers.

Anne Hathaway, Jesse Eisenberg, Jamie Foxx and Will.i.am reprise their roles as winged stars of Rio 2, while newcomers to the cast include Andy Garcia, Kristin Chenoweth and Bruno Mars.

NOAH (12A) RELEASED 4/4/2014 Based on the Old Testament tale, Darren Aronofsky’s viscerally powerful epic Noah follows the titular character as he prepares for an apocalyptic flood that will destroy earth.

Noah (Russell Crowe) is an ordinary man, plagued by prophetic visions of catastrophic floods. He enlists the help of his family to build a huge ark and prepares to save a select few ‘innocents’ from the devastation that is to come, but he faces fierce opposition from his nemesis (Ray Winstone).

Noah makes use of extensive special effects to bring the grand biblical tale to life on the big screen.

DIVERGENT (12A) RELEASED: 14/2/2014 Set in a future America, Divergent follows Beatrice ‘Tris’ Prior, an outcast teenager harbouring a dangerous and potentially life-threatening secret.

In a futuristic version of Chicago, there is a system in place that keeps the population segregated in five ideological factions. Tris discovers that she doesn’t slot in easily to one group and is therefore Divergent now her life is imminent danger as leader Jeanine Matthews (Kate Winslet) plans to wipe out those who can’t be classified.

Divergent is based on the best-selling sci-fi book series by Veronica Roth.

THE DOUBLE (15) RELEASED 26/2/2014 Trippy drama ‘The Double’ centres on a nervous and neurotic office worker who finds himself usurped by his own doppelganger.

In a bleak and nightmarish society, timid office worker Simon lives an isolated life.

He’s overlooked and often forgotten by co-workers, while the girl of his dreams Hannah politely rejects his advances.

Things go from bad to worse when his confident and assertive doppelganger shows up at work one day, immediately winning favour with the boss and with Hannah.

‘The Double’ is the second feature film from comic-actor-turned-filmmaker Richard Ayoade (Submarine).

THE LOVE PUNCH (12A) RELEASED 18/4/2014 Comedy Love Punch is a tale of retirement gone wrong after a divorced couple lose their pension savings to a crafty businessman.

Retirement should be a time for kicking back and taking it easy, but Richard (Pierce Brosnan) and his ex-wife Kate (Emma Thompson) are waving goodbye to their golden years after a fraudulent businessman steals their pension fund.

Will they be able to retrieve their life savings?

Love Punch is written and directed by Joel Hopkins (Last Chance Harvey).

courtesy of myvue.com & Odeon.co.uk

24/7FILMfeature

THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 (12A) RELEASE DATE: MARCH 18, 2014

This month sees the eagerly anticipated film, The Amazing Spider-man 2 hit the cinemas across the UK

Only he spiderman can protect the city and its people from the formidable villains who pose a serious threat to the city.

Tipped to possible be the biggest blockbuster film of this year.

The film has a newly revamp cast, starring Andrew Garfield in the lead role of spideman, Harry Osborn played by Dane DeHann, Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy and Jamie Foxx playing the arch villain Max Dillion The storyline see young Peter Parker still coming to terms with himself and his superhero alter-ego Spiderman with the and the extraordinary responsibilities of which comes with it.

But being the masked superhero comes at a price.

With the threat of more baddies terrorising the city villain Electro (Jamie Foxx). It is then Peter comes face to face and must confront the much powerful villain.

His long time old friend, Harry Osborn(Dane DeHaan) returns, and it is then Peter finds out that all his enemies all share a common factor, OsCorp!

Will good against evil prevail? - You’ll just have to find out.

Courtesy of Marvel and Columbia Pictures.

24/7THEATRE

By Michelle Martin

Charles Venn: Stars in Theatre Royal Stratford East’s Kingston 14

24/7Livelistings.com caught up with former Eastenders star Charles Venn ahead of his eagerly antcipted run in the critically acclaimed Roy Williams play Kingston 14,. Here he tells us why he is excited to be part of this excellent new show.

HI CHARLES, COULD YOU DESCRIBE WHAT KINGSTON 14 IS ABOUT? In a nutshell Kingston 14 is a story set in Jamaica, Kingston, and it circumvents around the Jamaican police force and the corruption that takes place in it. What we have is a murder that has taken place in the heart of Kingston and the JCF have been assigned to try and solve the case, but they are seemly struggling with it so they have assigned a British constable to come in and help them. He tries to whip them into shape and help them solve this little matter, but as with most dramas it’s never that straight forward and we kind of go through a roller-coaster of events with twist and turns and revelation.

WHO ARE YOU PLAYING, WHO’S YOUR CHARACTER? I’m playing Carl Mitchell who is part of a duo you could call almost like the Starsky and Hutch of this particular story. Carl is a kind of young exuberant, very energetic, bulliant individual, who really just loves the process of police work. He just covets being a good cop. At this particular time this is the one and only driving objective, but he’s very excitable.

He runs into the belly of the beast, in the sense of danger, with his eyes closed. He’s arguably a hazard care-free individual. And unfortunately when someone walks in or jumps into a situation without thinking it through, that can always potentially lead to hap hazards results and we witness that over the course

and I knew from when I read it I wanted to do this play.

It is a lot of fun at the moment, great laughs and some HOW HAVE REHEARSALS BEEN GOING SO FAR? wonderful actors who are all just bringing these characters to life.

I would probably say in terms of getting it down we’re maybe just past reaching the half way mark.

We’ve gotten it on the floor and we’re getting to grips YOU’VE DONE A LOT OF TELEVISION WORK, ARE with the lines, i have a fair few of mine down i have to YOU GLAD TO BE back on the stage again?

During my tenor on EastEnders I was just finishing off say, but we’re getting into the process of running it.

As with most rehearsal processes it’s about continu- a play, Keeler, with a national tour and it was a hell of an experience. I was really enjoying it but of course I ally playing out the scenes and that’s how you get was enjoying the new challenge of getting back on the the familiarity and acclimating basically to the role and the story and just the general feel and rhythm of television again, so it’s wonderful to almost go full circle again and to get back to theatre. It’s a wonderful kind the play. It’s coming along nicely, it’s very physical, of energy and buzz and just the general mill of being on very demanding, competitive and challenging play but i love a challenge so I’m really looking forward to stage, the vibe and energy you get off the crowd itself, there is nothing like it. It’s very difficult to explain or it. I’m enjoying the process. quantify, it’s something that you have to be witness to KINGSTON 14 IS A VERY FUNNY PLAY, ISN’T IT? yourself or be part of so I’m really excited about returnVery much so yes, I mean it’s wonderful for me. I had ing. the pleasure of watching Roy William’s play Sucker WHAT’S BEEN THE MOST ENJOYABLE PART OF Punch at the Royal Court and it was a wonderful play, so intelligently written, brilliant two hander with REHEARSALS SO FAR? some amazing soliloquies and I just remember think- For me the most enjoyable part is the general comradery, it’s important that you get on, it has to be a nice ing to myself i would love to do one of this man’s conducive kind of atmosphere with your cast members. plays and low and behold I’m having the pleasure There are times when you can work with cast members of doing that and I’m witnessing it first-hand! From that you might not get along with but being profeswhen I read the script it just jumped off the page to sional you make it work, but the fun part for me is the me. There’s these wonderful well fleshed out, well general cohesion that we’re experiencing. Everybody’s rounded characters, with so much depth to them, and you can just see it, just by reading it the first time very, very, helpful, everybody’s helping out wherever of the play.

they can. If anyone may feel like they need assistance in some shape of form with lines or with character and working with wonderful actors Trevor Laird, Brian Bovell, Ashley Chin, they help, its beautiful. What more can you ask for? Trevor is so funny I can’t get enough of the dude, he literally brings me to tears sometimes with his line delivery and how his just got these characters down, its brilliant.

WHAT DO YOU THINK AUDIENCES WILL TAKE FROM THIS PLAY? Audiences will get a wonderful insight into Jamaica with the feel and general atmosphere of the country, or at least within the police force, the inhouse politics; how it works and the corruption. They’ll get a feel of that, but in a more visual sense because it’s one thing to watch it on TV but to see it being played out on stage as authentically as possible - we want the audience to come in and almost smell and feel the heat of Jamaica once the show ends. Audiences are going to get that wonderful insight into the country and just the tension but also the humour, how funny Jamaicans are as well West Indians generally, they can be funny as well as very serious.

WHY SHOULD AUDIENCES COME TO SEE KINGSTON 14?

It’s for those that have ever wondered what it is like to see how a police station is run, how the police force generally go about their everyday workings, and how they police citizens. If you’re looking for something that gives you an insight into how they interact amongst themselves, the hierarchy system, the general politics, the JCF and the question how corrupt is the West Indian police force as a whole, all of that is put to bed once you watch this particular show. You get a feeling of this because some people wonder how violent? How rugged are they?

How forceful are they? How assertive are they? A lot of people have thrown up different opinions about that but Roy Williams has created a very physical, a very believable show here so it’s worth it for that, i can assure you. In many ways I’m almost envious of the audience because there are going to have the pleasure of watching this, and I’m going to be on stage giving you the story!

It’s definitely worth a watch because a lot of Jamaican plays that have been set in Jamaica have been comedic satire, that sort of genre. I’ve seen many plays that have been entrenched in African culture but rarely a show about West Indian culture. It has sprinkles of comedy here and there, but for all intent and purpose, it’s a drama, one that I’ve not seen done before. You’ll definitely not be disappointed, especially because I’m in it!

24/7INTERVIEWS...

*EXC

LUSI

VE*

ERIC BENET

“We’re all human and at

some point we all fall on our face while trying to do what we do. All I can say is when you fall down keep getting up and try

”

to learn from the trip.

SPANNING A MUSIC CAREER OF OVER 20 YEARS AND NOW ABOUT TO EMBARK ON A NEW VENTURE, 24/7 LIVELISTINGS.COM CAUGHT UP WITH THE SINGER/SONGWRITER AND HERES WHAT HE HAD TO SAY...

DID YOU EVER THINK YOUR CAREER WOULD SPAN THIS LONG? When I started out, I didn’t really think about what the lifespan of my career would be, I just tried to make the best possible music I could and hope that it would resonate with people.

DO YOU THINK THERE IS A GROWING PRESSURE ON ARTISTS TO ALWAYS WANT TO PLEASE THEIR FANS IN THE MATERIAL THEY PRODUCE, AND ALSO IMAGE WISE? I feel as an artist I’m always grateful and appreciative because my career only exists because there are people out there who like what I do and how I sound. So of WHAT HAS BEEN THE MAIN KEY TO YOUR SUC- course there is a desire in me to not disappoint them but CESS? I have found that while creating my art, I create better Honesty to my creativity. Not trying to conform or fit when I’m in the creative mood in which I don’t concern into anything that’s flavor of the week, just try to make myself with what people may think of this. The best way I the strongest creative musical statement I could at any conserve my fans is to stay within my creative bubble begiven time cause historically what happens when I let my fans hear my music they dig it so it’s been working for me. Same AS AN OLDER ARTIST- DO YOU FEEL GROWING with image.

PRESSURE FROM NEW AND UP AND COMING RNB/SOUL ARTISTS? THERE ARE A LOT OF PRESSURES THAT COME No. the whole thing about being true to your art is being WITH BEING AN ENTERTAINER, CHRIS BROWN true to yourself and not being overly concerned with IS ONE ARTIST THAT SEEMS TO BE NOT FAIRwhat other people think, see or do. I’m not really trip- ING WELL AT THE MOMENT- WHAT ADVICE ping on trying to compete with new R&B artists – I enjoyWOULD YOU GIVE TO ARTISTS LIKE HIM? seeing everyone succeed.

We’re all human and at some point we all fall on our face WHAT DO YOU THINK AND FEEL ABOUT THE CURRENT STATE OF R&B AND SOUL MUSIC? As music has always been, some of it sucks some of it is great, most of it is right in the middle. I think the art form is still alive, it may not be as popular as has always been, but there is still really good new R&B music out there for sure.

HAVE YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO BE A SINGER? Yes, music was the way my family communicated love and I grew up in that type of environment.

DID YOU YOU EVER FEEL PRESSURE AS AN ARTIST, THAT SINGING WAS NOT CONSIDERED ‘MACHO’ OR ‘MANLY’ IN COMPARISON TO RAP ARTISTS? I think the only people who feel self-conscious about being macho or manly enough are insecure about themselves. Art, whether it’s painting, sculpting, rapping, singing or dancing has a “machoness” to itself. The masculinity has nothing to do with the art form. The spirit of the person comes through the art.

YOU HAVE AN AMAZING VOCAL RANGE, HAVE YOU EVER OUTSHONE YOURSELF PERFORMING AND THOUGHT ‘DAMN”?

Every night when i go out and perform, , I think there are things that I do while performing that I think shit! I could have done that better.

while trying to do what we do. All I can say is when you fall down keep getting up and try to learn from the trip.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR NEW EUROPEN-INSPIRED ALBUM THE OTHER ONE WHAT MADE YOU WANT TO DO IT? It was an opportunity for some really creative producers to have an entirely new creative feel and vibe from our project which I was very anxious to see.

YOUR FIRST CUT OFF THE ALBUM RUNNING IS A TOTALLY DIFFERENT SOUND FROM WHAT WE USUALLY HEAR FROM YOU- IS THIS YOU EXPERIMENTING WITH OTHER NEW SOUNDS? No, it’s the interpretation of some very talented group of producers called the Afropeans AS AN ARTIST DO YOU THINK IT IS IMPORTANT TO EXPERIMENT WITH DIFFERENT SOUNDS? I think that the only way to evolve as an artist is to experiment with my sounds, vibes, and directions WHAT HAS BEEN THE HIGHLIGHT OF YOUR CAREER? I’ve collaborated with some legends and been blessed in so many ways. I’m going to collaborate with some people who have inspired me musically and creatively in my next album that I’m going into the studio this year. It’s definitely going to be not only the highlight of my career but one of the highlights of my life WHAT CAN WE EXPECT FROM ERIC BENET IN THE FUTURE? I’ll keep doing my thing and try to make great music and

spread love around the world in the most creative and passionate way I can. The future is bright and I’m excited to involve my fans every step of the way.

24/7MUSIC ALBUMS

24/7 Recommends...

KELIS- FOOD (28 APRIL)

IGGY AZALEA- THE NEW CLASSIC (21 APR) PHARRELL- G.I.R.L. (3 MAR)

It hard to even imagine that this is only Pharrell second studio album.

This latest offering is definitely a creative gem.

Having worked wth pretty much eveyone in 2013, it would seem Pharrell’s domination is here on the music industry is here to stay.

It’s a great album that i defy anyone NOT enjoy.

It has a grest uplifting feel about it, Special guests on the album include Justin Timberlake on the track Brand New and Alicia Keys on Know Who You Are. The 10 songs on G.I.R.L. are definitely a breath of fresh air..

The album is called G.I.R.L and its clear from listening to it, that Pharrell is not shy about how much he loves them- but does it in a way which is not deroggatory or explicit.

The album is charming and has every possible likeable factor about it.

RATING: 4.5/5

The New Classics has been troubled by production delays which has led to an unsure release date for the album.

The album features, T.I., Rita Ora and danehall artist Movado.

Tracks already released of the album include top 20 hits, Bounce, Change Your Life and work. If these songs are anything to go by we can hopefully expect something unique from the rising star.

Food is the sixth studio album from, Kelis, 34.

The album is the first released under the Ninja Tune label, the theme of Food has a large influence on the tracks as well as Kelis’ life as she has taken a Cordon Bleu course and is now a qualified chef.

It wouldnt be right if an album called Food, did not have track names of famous dishes, including Fish Fry, Jerk Chicken and Biscuits and Gravy.

The album itself bares a striking sound and it is fair to say she is not affraid to push boundaries.

FUTURE RELEASE...

FUTURE RELEASE...

MICHAEL JACKSON: Xscape (13 MAY 2014) The album which will feature unreleased recordings.

We will have a full low down for you on next months edition.

CHRIS BROWN: X (5 MAY 2014) Having recently been incarcerated Chris Brown, has endlessly pushed back the release date for his six studio several times.

But at long last a confirmed date has finally been reached for the release of the album called ‘X’ on the May 5, coiniding with Browns 25th birthday.

I hope it has been worth the wait and not been in vain.

SINGLES

CALVIN HARRIS- SUMMER (27 APR)

IGGY AZALEA FEAT. CHARLI XCX- FANCY (6 APR)

This latest offering taken from Iggy Azaleas forthcoming album ‘The New Classics’ has the portential to be a huge club banger- Azalea rapping definitely has a smooth flare about it- it oozes atttitude and conviction as she mean everything she says on the track.

The Beat on the track is catchy and will have you tapping yout feet or nodding your head. The track is not overworked and is simple easy listening urban sound to it The track featuring Charlie XCXwho adds another dimnesion to the track and it is welcomed on it- she almost sound like Gwen Stefani.

A definite summer anthem, This latest offering from man of the moment, Calvin Harris, Summer is the party vibe anthem which your probably about to hear for the next week coming months.

The track is the usual house inspired track with a pop flare to it and is quite catchy.

Harris vocals on the track may not be the greatest but it works well on the track along with the simple production on the song.

After a while you may get board with the repetative lyrics- but whu should this even matter asit is a party track which your likely to be inclined to listen to more having had a few drinks.

The track itself is decent- which im sure will go down a hit with the summer festivals coming up.

Rating: 3/5

KELIS-RUMBLE (20 APR)

Its been awhile since we have heard any from US singer, Kelis.

Im not sure that this is the track that will re-establish her status- however when it come to Kelis you would expect the unexpected as her musicical sound varies.

Rumble is definietely something new and fresh- and quite frankly you may not like it upon first hearing it-as its the kind of track thats grows on you.

Vocally its not the kind of track which would demonstrate her vocal capability, as it is more an easy mellow trackin fact melancholy. Its very lethargic which many people might not like, but hey its Kelis and she is different and not afraid to experiement. All in all its an ok track.

Rating: 3/5

Rating: 3.5/5

SIGMA- NOBODY TO LOVE (27 APR)

Undoubtedly John Newman has one of the best sounding voices in the UK scene at present. Lyrically he is amazing and on this track he certainly does not disappoint.

I find it hard to beleive that he is not bigger than what he currently is.

The track has soul and conviction and this can be heard through Newmans voice.

Melodically the track is beautiful, with pIano and pulsating undertones of drum beats, complimented with strings.

Vocally he is flawless on the track despite it being a sad song.

You may have recenlty heard this track like everywhere-if you have not heard it where have you been.

Sigma consists of London artists Cameron Edwards and Joe Lenzie.

You may also recognise the sample from the track from Kanye Wests ‘Bound 2.’

This house/dance track is infectious, its catchy and along with its drum and bass beat make it quite appealing. Apart from the chorus adding a little dimension to the track- its pretty much a simple track to listen to. The production is not too much and works well for the track.

Its bound to do well on the charts due to its commercial and friendly appeal.

Rating: 3.5/5

Rating: 4/5

JOHN NEWMAN- OUT OF MY HEAD (6 APR)

PITBULL FEAT. G.R.L- WILD WILD LOVE (27 APR)

This latest offering from South American star Pitbull sees him team up with new artist, GRL. The track itself is a pop track with a hint of latin spice and how it disappoints.

The production and sound of the track is dull, the chorus beig the only thing which adds some substance to the track.

The rapping from Pitbull is flat and the song itself becomes very tiresome. Having listened to the track a few times it really does become irrating. Its ashame as the track could have been so much more. Its a let down as usually pitbull prodeuces decent track. I blame it on wrong choice of track as oppose just putting out music.

Rating: 2.5/5

24/7INTERVIEWS... * E V I S U

L C X *E

‘‘WOMEN

HAVE TO WORK HARDER IN ANY CAREER, NOT JUST MUSIC. WE’RE OBJECTIFIED AND OVER-SEXUALIZED SO IT’S A STRUGGLE TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY WITHOUT HAVING TO COME OFF AS A BITCH.

”

BRIDGET KELLY

Bridget Kelly is a singer/songwriter, who has written for several artists including X Factor USA winner Kelly Clarkson. The New York native a graduate of Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts (fame school), was quickly signed to Jay Zs Roc Nation back in 2008. Since then she has gone from strength to strengh inluding Performing with Jay Z on hit song ‘Empire State of Mind.’ 24/7 Live Feature Editor, Gavin Peters caught up with the beauty, and heres what she had to say...

SO FIRST OF ALL TELL US ABOUT YOU NEW EP (CUT TO BRIDGET KELLY), WHAT WAS IT LIKE MAKING IT, AND WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO DO IT?

if what you talk about in your music is about being sexy then it makes sense to be half dressed. As long as who/what you are is genuine and consistent, I can’t knock another chick’s hustle.

BK: My last body of work was very angry and aggressive and I felt like I needed to be more moody and vulnerable this time around. I talk about love and relationships a lot and wanted to shed light on what it’s like to fall for a friend and take things too far.

HOW DID YOUR SINGING BACKGROUND COME ABOUT? BK: I always loved music but didn’t take singing really seriously until I was about 11. My parents put me in a church choir and then I went on the a performing arts high school, which is where I really nurtured my voice.

YOU HAVE SAID IN A PREVIOUS INTERVIEW THAT YOU FELT PRESSURE MAKING YOUR EP, WHY WAS THAT ?

BK: I spent a few years recording and had so many songs to choose from! I didn’t want my fans to be shortchanged so I made sure the quality of the music and authentic story was there before putting anything out. JayZ has always respected the creative process.

I MUST SAY, YOU ALWAY MANAGE TO LOOK AMAZING, WHAT INSPIRED YOUR NEW IMAGE? BK: I lost about 18lbs last year and followed that by cutting my hair. I feel liberated! I’m inspired by my Blakbook team, they’ve really been supportive and innovative in helping me achieve the image I’ve grown into.

IT IS WELL KNOWN THAT IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY FEMALE ARTIST OFTEN HAVE TO WORK HARDER THEN MEN- WHY DO YOU THINK THIS IS? BK: Women have to work harder in any career, not just music. We’re objectified and over-sexualized so it’s a struggle to be taken seriously without having to come off as a bitch. You’re sort of damned if you do and damned if you don’t in this industry, though, because if you’re too covered up you’re boring and if you’re too naked you’re a whore. It’s annoying!

WHAT DO YOU FEEL ABOUT OTHER FEMALE RAPPERS/SINGERS IN THE GAME WHO FEEL THE NEED TO OVER SEXUALISE THEMSELVES AND DRESS PROVOCATIVELY IN ORDER TO BOOST THEIR PROFILE AND TO SELL RECORDS? BK: I was raised to respect other women no matter the hustle, because if we don’t defend/protect ourselves, men sure won’t. To each her own, honestly,

SPECIAL DELIVERY SEEMS TO BE A FIRM FAVOURITE WITH FANS, WHY DO YOU THINK PEOPLE LIKE IT SO MUCH, AND WAS IT BASED ON PERSONAL EXPERIENCE? BK: The song is about the fall of a relationship because of miscommunication and I think everyone has been through that. Especially nowadays, everything is on social media and Facebook for the whole world to see and partake. I’ve definitely had to work on improving a relationship because social media got in the way.

WHAT AND WHO INSPIRED YOU GROWING UP? BK: I listened to a wide variety of music, both my mother and father played everything from Marvin Gaye to Paul Simon, Fleetwood Mac to Bob Marley. I gravitated towards female voices though. Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Brandy, Lauryn Hill, Mary j Blige, Alanis Morissette, to name a few.

YOU HAVE BEEN TO THE UK A FEW TIMES WHAT DO YOU LIKE AND ENJOY MOST ABOUT IT? BK: The people and the culture for sure! English people speak so eloquently and have a witty dry sense of humor. I love that everyone drinks tea and the weather is always perfect for it. I love the shops! Selfridges, Harvey Nichols, etc.

HAVE YOU SEEN ANY ARTISTS IN THE UK WHO YOU YOU REALLY, AND WHY? BK: I love Emeli Sande and Jessie J, their voices/ music are inspirational, their lyrics so honest and real.

IF YOU COULD WORK WITH ANY ARTISTS

ALIVE OR DEAD WHO WOULD IT BE AND WHY? BK: I would wanna work with Jimi Hendrix and Ella Fitzgerald. Their sounds were legendary!

BEING IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY WHAT WOULD YOU SAY IS THE HARDEST THING YOU HAVE ENCOUNTERED OR EXPERIENCED? BK: I think the hardest part has been watching my weight. Making sure I don’t eat certain foods and working out consistently.

IF YOU COULD CHANGE OR IMPROVE ANYTHING ABOUT THE MUSIC INDUSTRY WHAT WOULD IT BE? BK: Everything is free and accessible over the internet now. It almost like there’s no mystery or mystique with artists anymore. It’s a blessing and a curse that people can get famous from being discovered on YouTube. Labels don’t take the time to develop anyone, they look for the full package online. It’s less about talent and more about image.

WHATS THE BEST ADVICE YOU WOULD GIVE TO ANYONE STARTING OUT IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY? BK: Be patient! Every artist’s dream/journey is different. Make sure you know who you are and exactly what you want, take your time to figure it all out.

WHEN IS THE NEW ALBUM RELEASED? BK: This year! I’ve been saying that for 2 years now haha but it’s for sure coming out soon.

WHAT ARE YOUR FUTURE PLANS? …

AND ANY LAST WORDS FOR YOUR FANS BK: My fans are about to get a more in depth look into who I am and what it’s taken for me to get here. So much of my music is about my life, and there is a lot to the story that has yet to be told. Thanks to everyone who’s shared in my journey thus far, we still have a long but beautiful way to go...

24/7MONEYWISE

By Damien Brome

Understanding Market Cycles and the Power of Coffee Shops

Hello everyone, hope you are well. I want to talk about cycles. Not lunar cycles but market cycles.

Sometimes when we talk finance, it’s easy to get lost in all the guff, which is why Sir Alan Sugar is so popular when we watch his reality TV show, The Apprentice. He cuts the BS and gets to the point.

If market makers are the hares of the stock markets, they sit alongside the tortoises; individuals who watch the market, wait and then buy their target stock. Then they sit on their hands, watching the company’s share price move around for months, years - even decades before deciding to do something with their holding.

The key to making money in a stock market is sell whatever you have bought - but sell it at a profit. I know a lot of traders, all of whom have fancy titles, but their jobs all boil down to basically the same thing. They sit in front of a screen, with all the relevant price information on the stuff they are buying or selling and choose when to buy or sell it.

The king of the tortoises is Warren Buffet. He argues that acting like a tortoise bridges the gap between being a stock trader and a true investor.

With the mystical art of trading now decoded, let’s look at trading according to trend and cycle.

The stock markets only have 2 real modes; Bull (overriding trend of positive growth in stock value – stock values are generally going up) and Bear (overriding trend of reduction in stock value – stock values are generally falling).

Bull and bear market cycles add a bit more spice to trading activity as it provides markers for the observant traders and can influence whether stocks are bought or sold. Market cycles come in different shapes and sizes. Cycles are also driven by specific agendas – your role in the market will dictate what routine, or cycle you are playing to.

A cycle I am particularly interested in is the 18 year cycle. Art Cashin from the Swiss bank UBS, was interviewed on CNBC in 2009 and discussed a bull market lasting 17.6 years followed by a bear market cycle of 17.6 years.

Cashin said that if you take the top of the bull market (the point at which shares were at their highest price in that cycle) to be 2000, then subtracting 17.6 years gives 1982.4, the start of the bull market, and adding 17.6, takes you to 2017…This intrigues me for a number of reasons. Firstly, this theory doesn’t make sense if you look around the big stock exchanges at the moment.

Cashin said that if you take the top of the bull market (the point at which shares were at their highest price in that cycle) to be 2000, then subtracting 17.6 years gives 1982.4, the start of the bull market, and adding 17.6, takes you to 2017…This intrigues me for a number of reasons. Firstly, this theory doesn’t make sense if you look around the big stock exchanges at the moment.

Lots of the more established names aren’t doing anything particularly exciting. Vodafone is Vodafone; the odd takeover to expand operations here and there – nothing to send the stock value skyward.

Johnson & Johnson (the stock that defines reliable return) is as ever, chugging forward gently, minding its own business.

Lots of the more established names aren’t doing anything particularly exciting. Vodafone is Vodafone; the odd takeover to expand operations here and there – nothing to send the stock value skyward.

Johnson & Johnson (the stock that defines reliable return) is as ever, chugging forward gently, minding its own business.

The catalyst for the next bull market doesn’t seem to exist in the London, New York or Hong Kong Stock Exchanges. That’s because we are looking in the wrong place. The companies who are going to potentially fulfill the 18 year cycle prophecy aren’t on the exchanges yet.

The next 18 year bull market cycle is (probably) going to be a tech-driven one.

The catalyst for the next bull market doesn’t seem to exist in the London, New York or Hong Kong Stock Exchanges. That’s because we are looking in the wrong place. The companies who are going to potentially fulfill the 18 year cycle prophecy aren’t on the exchanges yet.

The next 18 year bull market cycle is (probably) going to be a tech-driven one.

At the moment everyone seems to be connected to a tech start up. All my buddies around the banking community seem to be working in the background on “the next big thing”. We all have a friend who has broken away from the City to do his or her “own gig”. We are bumping into old school friends wear-

At the moment everyone seems to be connected to a tech start up. All my buddies around the banking community seem to be working in the background on “the next big thing”. We all have a friend who has broken away from the City to do his or her “own gig”. We are bumping into old school friends wear-

ing shirt-blazer/jeans-leather shoes combos in the middle of the day who tell you they are in the midst of “something really exciting” The newspapers are flooded with new online/technology offerings which are changing the way we think, act and operate. Some of them are completely new innovations – for example, a company called Spritz (www.spritzinc.com) has developed technology which can increase our reading rates from around 250 to up to 1000 words per minute.

cally traded markets (via an Initial Public Offering (an IPO), where anyone can buy or sell its stock.

-Death – when a company ceases trading By the time the startups being incubated around in the Silicone Roundabout are old enough to come out to play on the markets as publically traded companies, they will have been around for a couple of years.

Some others, like Eatro (www.eatro.com) are “industry disrupters,” looking to create a new slant on takeaway food. And at the moment, most of the people creating the future can’t afford offices. So they hang out in coffee shops, doing business and coding software where they can use the wifi and the table space for the price of a White Americano.

The eldest children of this generation are now coming into their own – Facebook and our own British Moneysupermarket are 2 such examples and are already finding their way as publically listed companies.

2014 is going to see a good few others hit adulthood and launch; DropBox, SnapChat, Alibaba, to name a few in the suspected pipeline.

In my simple mind, this all sits quite nicely with the 18 year cycle I mentioned earlier.

A pleasant moment of symmetry and nostalgia; look back to Apple Inc’s humble origins. The great Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne started what is now the most cash-rich company in the world in Steve Job’s family garage.

If the next big round of bull market love is due to kick off in 2018, then startups being launched now in the coffee shops around the world have enough time to establish themselves as viable public companies and then take off.

The life cycle of a business mirrors our own life cycle:

My advice? Collect the pennies for some serious stock purchasing in a few years’ time. But remember, what goes up, must come down, so mark “SELL EVERYTHNG” in your calendars for the first business day in January 2036…

-Birth – someone thinks up an idea which can make money.

-Growth – the puberty of a business, where the company takes shape, grows and finds true direction -Adulthood – the launch of the business onto publi-

24/7GAMING

By Darren Lobban

The re-imaging of Strider

As the odd decision making of Capcom HQ continues its unstoppable march forward with games like Monster Hunter only being available on a Nintendo system or making a fourth iteration of Street Fighter 4 and charging over the odds for the privilege, they sometimes do something strange;they produce a product which some fans have been asking to have for years. Enter the new 2014 game Strider from Capcom. The game is quite frankly, a dream to play if you are even slightly interested this genre type.

The character Strider is actually from a Japanese comic which Capcom adapted into a arcade game in the late 1980’s. The arcade game Strider was very successful along with other Capcom IP’s (intellectual properties) from that era and was ported to home consoles and PC’s around the world to high praise by the media and gamers alike. An official sequal was made by Capcom for the PS1 (PlayStation 1) and there was also a cringe worthy unofficial sequal called “Strider 2” made by the now defunked US-Gold for the Sega Megadrive which we will not mention again...EVER! Since Strider’s PS1 outing, he has appeared in the cast of the Marvel vs Capcom games but he hasn’t stared in his own games for far too lon.

Now with the the new Strider game Capcom have made some very interesting changes to the way the game is played. It’s no longer a straight left to right experience and fight the boss battle at the end of the stage. Strider is now a much deeper experience and plays like a Metroidvania (Metroid or modern Castlevania game) game which gives

it some good longevity. Basically in order to progress, you may need a certain item or power up which you will need to unlock or find hidden in the huge levels. You shouldn’t get lost (unless your name is Jaz!?!) as a very good over world map tells you where you should go; but its best to explore to find those hidden gems to boost your energy, life or ammunition of ninja stars.

The power ups to your main weapon add elements such as fire which you need to defeat certain enemy types that are weak to that element like the ice cyborgs. Bosses are a mixed bag, with mid level bosses not standing a chance against anyone with decent skills and final level bosses also being a bit on the easy side on the default normal difficulty setting (again unless your name is Jaz!?!). I feel the game is more about how well it plays and your control over Strider in his vast expansive world rather than the lack of difficulty. Strider looks good on PS4 (PlayStation 4) running at

60fps (60 frames per second) at full HD resolution.

Basically it runs really well with no slow down and looks sharp. However the PS3 version doesn’t fare so well, with slow down in some areas and graphics looking weaker which is strange considering the game is not a graphical power house.

package of this new 2014 Strider as a whole it can not be denied that its a great game on PS4 and a good game on PS3 which I recommend to anyone who likes 2D side scrolling action games...yes that even includes Jaz with his weak skills!

Sound is excellent with remixed classic Strider sounds and themes from previous games which suit this new iteration perfectly. Cut scenes are poor though, with characters speaking with no mouth movement what so ever. Looking at the

Strider PS4 8/10 Strider PS3 7/10 Strider is also available on PC, Xbox one and Xbox 360 but not Wii U? (Why Capcom why?)

24/7SNEAKERPIMP

By Grant Richards

The Next Hype

The sneaker world is big business these days, of that there is no doubt, but like fashion and so many other things in life, it has its trends. You have trends that the brands try to push on you and that don’t really pick up much steam. Nike SneakerBoots anyone!?? And then you get the MEGA HYPE shoes that seem to take over and you can’t hit road or rave without seeing them awash with people rocking the same kicks, just in a multitude of different colours. But when the Huarache hype dies down, what is going to be the next hype?

“I follow untold sneakerheads on Instagram and if you look at the US heads, they are all posting up the new Lebron James range or still rinsing out Air Jordans, so their trends tend to be very basketball inspired”.

Sneakerpedia, The web encyclopaedia for sneaker enthusiasts recently asked about what it’s followers felt was the next big shoe trend. I made sure I asked them whether we were talking about US or UK footwear trends, as they are really quite different. I follow untold sneakerheads on Instagram and if you look at the US heads, they are all posting up the new Lebron James range or still rinsing out Air Jordans, so their trends tend to be very basketball inspired.

Then if you switch over to this side of the pond you’ll get the new breed of collectors posting mainly Air Max 1s and Huaraches and the old guard posting up New Balance and Saucony. It’s the new breed that I’m going to focus on primarily for this article. I liken these people to the same bods who are on this ‘Deep House’ wave, in fact you can guarantee that many are on both waves.

They were on something different last year and they’ll be on something different next year, but right now they are the expert in everything crep related and ‘Deep House’ related, damn Son they’ve even been to Crepe City and bought, or more than likely downloaded the torrent, of the Hot Natured album, so that obviously makes them an authority on such matters!

“It got so crazy at one time with Blazers that I’m sure I saw a pair every six seconds of my life and even had nightmares about them”

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The bandwagon jumpers have previously rocked Vans, then moved swiftly on to Nike Blazers. It got so crazy at one time with Blazers that I’m sure I saw a pair every six seconds of my life and even had nightmares about them.

Nike Blazers are now DEAD to most. Nike flooded the market when they smelt blood, like they usually do, and now retailers have loads of left over stock they can’t shift for love nor money. Nike have even tried to attach their Lunar sole unit on a hybrid version to try and kickstart things again but they’ve flopped and are on sale racks already.

A lot of people are rocking AM1s still, but my opinion is that it’s a solid performer, even when the bandwagon moves on they will still be about. Nike Huaraches though, the arse will fall out of that market, exactly like the Blazers. Mark my words. Again Nike have flooded the market and once this last wave of colourways, including the minty fresh looking white version are gone, then things are going to shift again.

But what do the people out there think are going to be the next hype? Footwear reseller Strictly Sneakers has gone on record saying that he thinks Nike Air Prestos will make a return. I can see the logic there as they are in effect a sibling to the Huarache if you consider the sockliner type close fit. I love the Presto but it doesn’t appear like Nike has many Presto releases forthcoming, so that may be an outside bet.

Nike are releasing the Roshe Run on their personalised ID scheme, so they could really pick up some love, as they are a decently priced shoe (in comparison to a lot of other Nike shoes) and they’ve already had a bit of time under the spotlight and are hibernating away till the Summer months, as they are really only a Summer shoe, unless you like having cold feet?

24/7FEATURE

By Michelle Martin

St Kitts Music Festival

The Jewel in the Crown of Caribbean Festivals celebrates its 18th Year.

FOR 3 NIGHTS, ST KITTS PLAYS HOST TO SOME OF THE BIGGEST MUSICAL ICONS WHO DESCEND ON THIS TINY ISLAND TO PERFORM AT ARGUABLY THE HOTTEST MUSIC FESTIVAL OF THE YEAR. The St Kitts Music Festival has quickly earned the reputation as being the most diversified musical show in the Caribbean by blending rich exciting music with exhilarating performances. Reggae, Soca, hip hop and old and new school r&b are equally represented at this event and artists including Damian Marley, Beres Hammond, Machel Montana, Nas, Brian Mcknight and Roberta Flack have all taken centre stage at the Warner Park

stadium and this year the line so far fails to disappoint.

Grammy Award winning Reggae Star Beenie Man, The Voice USA winner 2014 Tessanne Chin and newcomer reggae star Chronixx have all been confirmed as special guests to perform at this years festivals to help celebrate it’s 18th birthday.

No stranger to the festival, Beenie Man is a welcomed friend of the event and speaking on the announcement of his confirmed appearance the St Kitts minister of Tourism and local fan Ricky Skerritt said ‘I expect that Beenie Man will do what he has done every time he has performed in St. Kitts in the past – electrify the crowd and make an indelible mark on the event’.

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The Voice US winner Tessanne Chin also makes a much anticipated return to this

year, having made her debut early on in her career back in 2007, she proved to be a big hit with festival goers so the announcement of her return has received by welcomed by both fans and event organisers alike.

But it’s not just the music festival marks

St Kitt’s as premier music experience the Island offers a diverse tourism product developed from the destination’s natural beauty, cultural heritage and rich history.

sandy beaches. Accommodation ranges from intimate plantation inns to larger hotels and resorts.

St Kitts is definitely a ‘must do’ island, but don’t take my word for it Join the party.

Holidays To Feed Your Soul are offering exclusive VIP packages to the St. Kitts Music Festival, with prices starting at £2,499 per person travelling June 24 - July 1, 2014.

For ‘More Than the Music’ - a fully escorted luxury tour to St Kitts and Nevis. Visit Holidays to Feed Your Soul for package and booking info. For further details of the St. Kitts Music Festival, the current line up and programme of events visit www.stkittsmusicfestival.com and join the conversation on Facebook.

The island’s stunning variety of tourism attractions include hiking through the tropical rainforest, riding the region’s only scenic railway which connects the island’s former sugar plantations, visiting the Caribelle Batik factory, touring Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park, the only manmade UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Eastern Caribbean, zip lining, and more traditional pastimes such as watersports, St. Kitts is currently served twice weekly on golf, shopping, tennis, gourmet dining, Saturday and Tuesday from London Gatwick or simply relaxing on one of the island’s

by British Airways, the first scheduled carrier to provide regular airlift to the island. The aircraft is a three class, 280 seat Boeing 777, holding 40 Club World seats, 24 World Traveller Plus and 216 World Traveller seats FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE ST. KITTS MUSIC FESTIVAL, VISIT WWW.STKITTSMUSICFESTIVAL. COM OR “LIKE” THE ST. KITTS MUSIC FESTIVAL’S FACEBOOK PAGE. 55

24/7TRAVEL

All images supplied by Angel Nkiru and Tó Costa.

TRINIDAD CARNIVAL 2014 It’s the beginning of festival and carnival season. So to celebrate 24/7livelistings.com flew out to Trinidad to showcase what the Caribbean’s biggest and most famous carnival had to offer. Through a selection of stunning images we have managed to capture the true essence of Trinidad Carnival, going bold with an array beautiful images in our spectacular photo diary courtesy of Angel Nkiru and Tó Costa.

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24/7FITNESS/HEALTH

By Fabian Collymore

PROTEIN

All gym goers knows that they should consume some protein after a workout.

But how much, and when? “When you work out, your muscles are primed to respond to protein, you have a window of opportunity to promote muscle growth.

I recommend splitting your dose of protein, eating half 30 minutes before the workout and the other half 30 minutes after. A total of 10 to 20 grams of protein is ideal.

I believe that 20 grams as the best amount of postworkout protein to maximize muscle growth.

You’re doing this because resistance exercise breaks down muscle. This requires a fresh infusion of amino acids to repair and build it. “If you’re lifting weights and you don’t consume protein, it’s almost counterproductive. Protein also helps build enzymes that allow your body to adapt to endurance sports like running and biking.

BCAA Branched-chain amino acids are essential nutrients that the body obtains from proteins found in food, especially meat, dairy products, and legumes. They include leucine, isoleucine, and valine.

“Branched-chain” refers to the chemical structure of these amino acids. People use branched-chain amino acids for medicine.

Some people use branched-chain amino acids to prevent fatigue and improve concentration.

Athletes use branched-chain amino acids to improve exercise performance and reduce protein and muscle breakdown during intense exercise.

Branched-chain amino acids are essential nutrients that the body obtains from proteins found in food, especially meat, dairy products, and legumes. They include leucine, isoleucine, and valine.

“Branched-chain” refers to the chemical structure of these amino acids. People use branched-chain amino acids for medicine.Some people use branched-chain amino acids to prevent fatigue and improve concentration.

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HOW DOES IT WORK? Branched-chain amino acids stimulate the building of protein in muscle and possibly reduce muscle breakdown. Branched-chain amino acids seem to prevent faulty message transmission in the brain cells of people with advanced liver disease, mania, tardive dyskinesia, and anorexia.

INTERVAL TRAINING If your goal is to burn fat, intervals better be part of your program. Besides being a quick method to getting in a great workout, intervals are extremely effective for transforming your physique. By incorporating intense periods of work with short recovery segments, intervals allow you to keep the workout intensity high while still maintaining form. The magic of high intensity interval training (or HIIT for short) lies its ability to keep you burning fat even after you leave the gym. In short, your body isn’t able to bring in enough oxygen during periods of hard work. Therefore, you accumulate a “debt” of oxygen that must be repaid post-workout in order to get back to normal. The result — your metabolism is revved for hours after you leave the gym. Trainers refer to this phenomena as excess post-exercise oxygen consumption or EPOC. The biggest way to use it to your advantage is to make short, intense exercise bouts a regular piece of your workout regimen.

KETTLEBELL TRAINING Kettlebells can take your strength to a whole new level – provided you follow a good total body workout.It is only relatively recently that it has gained the attention it deserves in the wider world of fitness and strength training as a perfect tool for total body workouts.With its uneven weight distribution, using a kettlebell puts greater strain on your stabiliser muscles than other weights do. In addition to improving core stabilisation, the American Council on Exercise has found that the average kettlebell workout results in significant calorie burn – 300 calories in 15 minutes.

I am a firm believer of using kettlebells.

‘They’re incredibly time-efficient. They help strip off unwanted body fat, put on muscle in all the right places, and help stave off heart disease by improving heart and lung function. Kettlebell workouts, when done correctly, are “joint-friendly”. There’s no longer a need to suffer through jointpounding aerobics workouts or machine circuits, further damaging your knees, lower back or shoulders.’You can be forgiven for being apprehensive about swinging a 16kg cannonball about. It has a tendency to do its own thing. Dumb-bells have linear movements and sit in the centre of your hand.

24/7FITNESS/HEALTH

With a kettlebell, the ball is in front of your forearm, so it’s an extra link in the chain.’ That makes them more difficult to control but it also means your muscles work harder.Another benefit is that they build ‘intramuscular teamwork’ because you’re forced to use higher levels of co-ordination than you would when slinging dumb-bells or a barbell around. ‘With a barbell snatch, you have to co-ordinate your lower and upper body, but in a very vertical way. With a kettlebell, you’re moving around it to try to change the angle of pull.Below is how to structure your kettlebell workouts for best effect.

Weeks 1-2 Method Do exercises 1-8 in orderSets 1 Reps 10 (per side for one-sided moves)Rest 90 seconds between exercisesDays 5-6 a week Weeks 3-4Method Do exercises 1-8 in order Sets 2 Reps 10 (each side for one-sided moves)Rest 90 seconds between exercisesDays 4-5 a week Weeks 5-8Method Do exercises 1-8 in orderSets 3 Reps 10 (each side for one-sided moves)Rest 90 seconds between exercisesDays 3-4 a week Weeks 9-12Method Do exercises 1 and 8, 2 and 3, 4 and 5, 6 and 7 as supersetsSets 2-3 Reps 10 (each side for one-sided moves)Rest 90 seconds between supersetsDays 3-4 a week

For personal training sessions and sport advice free to contact me at sportsneedsmanagement@hotmail.com / follow my sports blog @Sportsc980

24/7BubblingUnder

By Michelle Martin

ALL THAT JAZZ...

They say your name defines you. It gives you your personality, your strengths and your character, so if you are christened with a moniker that has a strong connection to music the odds are that you are on destined a path that encompasses all things in that Genre.

And this couldn’t be more apt for one young man who by his own admission lives and breathes music. “I’d always been into music and I remember that my mum bought me a recorder and I was only about 2 years old” laughs singer songwriter and all round musical supremo Jazz Dennis formerly over r&b outfit Code Red.

“As early as I can remember music has always a part of my life, I don’t know whether it because my mum is American and my father is Jamaican, but I’ve always felt a real connection to beats and I think my dad’s love of music has been a great influence in my life” admits the charismatic 22 year old”.

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When you first meet this young musical entrepreneur, you could easily be forgiven for thinking that you were talking to a young Pharrrell Williams or Kanye West.

For in such a short space of time he has amassed a very spectacular music resume.

Which includes being an accomplished songwriter, vocal arrangement in songs, singer rapper, player of classical music instruments and music production.

res of music and it enabled me to learn a lot about myself and the path I wanted to follow”.

Utilizing the techniques that he learnt at RCM, the songwriter started

“My back story is interesting” laughs the University of Westminster graduate, “because of the recorder, I learnt early on how to read music, so by the time I started school I was ahead of everybody in my class.

This was spotted by my music teacher, she saw my potential and I got the opportunity to go to the Royal College of Music (RCM), it was there that they identified that I had a natural aptitude for music, this all happened by the time I reached the age of 8.

For 5 years I studied at the RCM on a part time basis, I ditched the recorder and was given the flute to learn as my primary instrument.

It was at the RCM that I started to really enjoy it, take music seriously and learn about different aspects of music, like production and music technology.

The Royal College music is one the UK’s most prestigious music institutions and to be accepted into such an establishment is a great accolade, so 24/7Livelistings. com asks if he ever considered making career as classical musician.

“At the start 100 per cent” admits the former band member, I was constantly being exposed to a lot different kinds of music rap, r&b and reggae and that was just at home.

Being at the RCN exposed me to so many different gen-

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to spend every waking moment in music studios to hone his skills on the production side of the industry and by 2010 he was approached by a management company who were on the lookout for a third member for a new up and coming r&b group.

“I was working in a studio doing music production and one of the people that I was working with had heard that a management company were looking for somebody to go in a new group and he thought that I would be a perfect fit and that’s how I became a part of Code Red”, admits the Timberland fan.

Illusions were the song that got him {Fast lane} a signed to a major label. He is now signed to universal.

What’s great about that is that his success has allowed me to stay relevant and utilise my skills as a producer on other peoples projects”.

After the success of Illusions the ambitious musician decided to release his debut solo offering.

“My first solo track is entitled Bigger and basically it’s got two roles, the first is to reintroduce me to the audience as a solo artist and the second is to showcase my individual work” smiles the talented Anglo American.

Fast forward to 2010 and together with singers Milena and Sheridan, Code Red was born releasing their debut single Over which got over a million views on youtube and was on heavy rotation on the then channel Aka. For 3 years trio enjoyed success, but 8 months ago the group decided to split and follow there our own musical directions

“So far the feed back has been crazy it has been very positive, it was shot it was released on SBTV and it was released on YouTube the support has been great they (sbtv) have been very supportive.

For Jazz the group split turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

“Code Red splitting gave me a chance to explore more of the production side of the music industry and it also gave me the opportunity to go solo”.

It was then that I decided I needed to challenge myself,” reveals the engaging east Londoner.

I’m lucky because so far I seem to be making the right connections I was in a group that connected with an audience of 1 million people and I started working with an artist and that connected, so much so that he got signed to a major label. I just want to continue that trend of connecting with the audience on with my own projects.

“I wanted to test myself as a producer and show my versatility because in this industry you are not truly versatile until you prove it via your music and the products you put out.

Watch the Official Visual for my 1st Solo Release Called, “Bigger”

So before I released any solo work, I started working with a house music artist called Fast Lane, I saw this as an opportunity to showcase my skills and my work.

via SBTV here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPdr32IkJnE Twitter: www.twitter.com/theywantjazz

We worked together and the first song he put out was a track called illusions, of which I co produced and help direct the video for. The track went top eleven on MTV Base and had phenomenal support from Radio 1xtra.

Instagram: TheyWantJazz SoundCloud: www.soundcloud.com/theywantjazz

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24/7REMEMBERS JUANITA MOORE

By Dominique G Leigertwood

BORN 19th OCTOBER 1914 – 1st JANUARY 2014

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The Oscar-nominated star of Imitation of Life, has died at the age of 99. The actress most famous for playing alongside Lana Turner in Douglas Sirk’s 1959 race drama, died at home.

In the early 1950s a time in which few black people were given an opportunity to act in major studio films Juanita Moore defied stereotypes and embarked on a successful career.

In 1959 she received an Academy Award nomination for her performance in Imitation of Life, only the fifth black woman to be nominated for the award in the a glossy updated version of a once controversial Fannie Hurst novel about racism.

In Imitation of Life, Moore played a black single mother who befriends Turner’s character, a widow whose dreams of becoming a Broadway star are complicated by her responsibility for her own young child.

The lack of roles for African-American actresses in the early 1960s made it difficult for Moore to find big-screen jobs despite the accolades for her work. She acted in supporting roles in 1961 in Tammy, Tell Me True and in 1963 in Papa’s Delicate Condition. Moore did land a significant role as a nun in the 1966 hit The Singing Nun. As more black-themed movies were made near the end of the decade, her career improved. She acted in Uptight in 1968, The Mack in 1973 and Abby in 1974.

In her personal life Moore was married for 50 years to Charles Burris who died in 2001. He was a Los Angeles bus driver and, although she was a frequent passenger, she had stepped out in front of his approaching bus to cross the street to a local bar, hoping to find someone 69

to study for the Inès Serrano role in the play No Exit, her character Serrano was a lesbian, and Moore was unfamiliar with the lifestyle. She and Burris married a few weeks later.

Moore died at her home in Los Angeles on January 1, 2014, from natural causes. She was 99 years old.

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