Plan for the weekend, but also check out the novel and exciting happenings that took place on these days in history. If you have any interesting factoids of your own, share them with us by tweeting @thewkndr #wkndhstry.
Billboard publishes first Hit Parade January 4, 1936 Back when music was only available on radio, no one thought about doing a countdown of the day’s most popular songs. Billboard Magazine changed this by publishing the world’s first list of the most popular recordings, determined by sales or airplay over a given time. Today, Billboard publishes more than 100 weekly charts.
The Wiz opens on Broadway January 5, 1975 The Wiz retold L Frank Baum’s classic novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in the context of African-American culture, using an allblack cast. This was a bold move at a time when racial equality was still in its infancy. The show had a run of 1,672 performances and won seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Choreography and Best Costume Design.
SIX BILLION SONGS SOLD January 6, 2009 iTunes, the application developed by Apple to manage and play media files introduced the iTunes store with version 4 of iTunes. At the Macworld Expo on January 6, 2009, Phil Schiller announced that six billion songs had been downloaded since the service was made available in April 2003. This made iTunes the largest online music store in the world.
ALICE
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The Musical
he Jamaica Musical Theatre Company has entertained local audiences for more than half a century with 150 performances to date. The Junior Theatre arm has produced such classics as Beauty and the Beast, FAME and The Lion King and now tackles another childhood favourite, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. The JJT’s Alice: The Musical is a fresh spin on the classic tale, featuring an originally adapted script based on the books and the movies. It also includes brand new characters and scenes that will only be seen in this production. Come join the Hatter’s tea party, sing with the flowers and help Alice answer that timeless question, ‘Who are you?’ Discover the six impossible things before breakfast and see if Alice can slay the Jabberwocky! Alice: The Musical opens at the Philip Sherlock Centre for the Creative Arts at the University of the West Indies, Mona on January 4 and runs until February 17, 2013. Show times are Fridays at 7:30pm, Saturdays at 4pm and 7:30pm and Sundays at 5pm. Follow the writer @RoshaneM
#PayAttention!
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he Jamaican hip-hop music scene isn’t as big as its reggae or dancehall counterparts, but that’s something #PayAttention has been trying to change. The idea behind #PayAttention was to provide an outlet for local R&B and hiphop artistes to get noticed. The series of shows began in May 2012 and this weekend marks the eighth staging. This weekend’s line-up includes The Therapist (from SOL), Mesmereyes, Kash Kapri and Scantana. Aside from the live performances, the deejays will keep the hiphop vibe flowing, mixing oldies but goodies as well as new music. #PayAttention is one of the few events that provides a place for diehard fans of the genre to enjoy the music as well as see what the local artistes have to offer. Check out #PayAttention on January 5, 2012 at Funky Munky Bistro and Bar, 17 Holborn Rd. Gates open 8pm and showtime is at 10pm. Tickets: $300
Local hip-hop artiste Five Steez
Kelissa McDonald STATS profession Musician Countries lived in Jamaica, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Ghana and USA (California) Favourite wknd eat Daddy’s rice and peas and ital stew on Sunday
You’ve travelled a lot, Where have you spent your most interesting weekend?
Kelissa with the AfroHarmony band, percussionist Oswaldo and guitarist Sewor at Scratch studios in Legon, Ghana
The ‘50 days in Afrika’ team
Living in and travelling to different African countries probably gave me the most interesting weekends. It’s hard to narrow it down to my most interesting experience, but in general, I enjoyed the diversity of each country in terms of culture, music and the arts, language, the people and landscape of a country. There was never a dull moment – always a stimulating experience. If you could spend a weekend doing anything, what would it be? I love travelling and being in new spaces to learn, challenge myself and make new music. Next up on the list are Cuba, Brazil and Senegal. But it would definitely be for more than just a weekend. Where are some of the places that you’ve performed? Which one was your favourite? I performed everywhere I lived and almost everywhere I travelled. Me and my siblings used to put on big productions for my parents filled with dancing, singing and organising, so home was the first stage. That gave me confidence to perform from a
Relaxing and creating by the beach in Trelawny
young age in Jamaica, from then till now. I had similar opportunities while living in Tanzania and going to school in California. My most recent string of performances was when I was on the 50 Days in Afrika Tour through August and September 2012. I performed in each of the six countries on the tour (Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Kenya). One of the most memorable was my performance at the annual music festival Felabration. It was an honour to perform alongside some of Africa’s greatest musicians in honour of Fela Kuti and his family’s music legacy. How do you usually spend your weekends? Where are some of your favourite places to hang out on the weekend? A weekend is pretty much like any other day or night for me. With my career, I don’t have to commit to a 9-to-5 structure, so on weekends I just continue living! I love to be in creative spaces and inspiring places so that I have some fuel for the next couple of days. Love the water, so the river or the beach. Love to be in the studio, be on stage or watching a performance and, of course, Jamnesia is every other Saturday.
Hey wkndrs! We hope you had fun checking off the items on our last bucket list. We have another exciting list of new adventures for you to try on the weekends. Whenever you experience one of the things on the list, ensure that you take a picture and post it on our Facebook wall to share with your fellow weekend warriors. Don’t forget to download the list and check items off as you go.
hewkndr t @ t e e Tw ou check y s a d n #mywk the list! f f o s g in th
Adopt a pet from the JSPCA.
Have a yard sale.
Race a sports car.
Create a scrapbook for 2013.
Take the bus and come off at a random spot don’t forget to foursquare your location and find something fun to do in that area.
Try to break or set a world record and tweet about your efforts.
Write down your goals for the month and start checking them off your list. Treat your self to a spa day and Instagram a photo of the new you.
Milk a cow. Make a difference in at least one person’s life.
Get rid of negative habits.
Scandal Stages Theatre 8:30pm ADM: $1,400
Dangerous Ambitions Little Little Theatre 8:30pm ADM: $1,400
FRIDAY LTM Pantomime 2012/13: Skoolaz Little Theatre 7:30pm ADM: $1,200
Alice: The Musical Philip Sherlock Centre 7:30pm ADM: $1,200
Glass Slippaz CentreStage Theatre 8pm ADM: $1,400
Two can Play Pantry Playhouse 8pm ADM: $1,200
Krosses Stages Theatre 8:30pm ADM: $1,400
Boy Blue Theatre Place 8:30pm ADM: $1,400
Appleton Uber’s First Fridays Club Privilege 9pm ADM: $1,000 (ladies); $2,000 (gentlemen)
saturday MET Opera LIVE: Les Troyens Carib 5 12:55pm ADM: $2,000 (regular); $1,500 (children, students and seniors); $2,500 (box seats)
Bad Pickney Pool Party Constant Spring Golf Club 3pm ADM: $1,000
wknd movies Playing for Keeps (PG-13) Carib 5 8:30pm Palace Cineplex 6pm and 9pm
Jack Reacher (A-16) Carib 5 5:10pm and 8:35pm Palace Cineplex 5:30pm Palace Multiplex 6pm and 9pm Odeon Cineplex 5:15pm and 8:15pm
Palace Cineplex 5pm Palace Multiplex 9pm (additional 5:30pm showing Friday only) Odeon Cineplex 4:50pm and 8:20pm
Wreck-It Raph in 3D (U) Carib 5 5:10pm Palace Cineplex 2:45pm (2:30pm showing on Sunday only)
Django Unchained (A-18) Carib 5 4:35pm and 8:30pm Cineplex 8:40pm Palace Multiplex 9pm Odeon Cineplex 8:15pm
Parental Guidance (PG-13) Carib 5 5:20pm and 8:40pm Palace Cineplex 2:30pm and 8:30pm Palace Multiplex 6pm Odeon Cineplex 5pm and 8:30pm
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey in 3D (A-16) Carib 5 4:30pm and 8:30pm
Monsters, Inc. 3D (NR) Palace Cineplex 2:30pm (Saturday only) Palace Multiplex 6:20pm (Saturday and Sunday only)
Alice: The Musical
Bootup: Vintage Fashion Show
Philip Sherlock Centre 4pm and 7:30pm ADM: $1,200
Jamaica Pegasus Hotel 9pm ADM: $1,000 (presold); $1,600 (at the gate)
Glass Slippaz
Jamnesia Season of Live
CentreStage Theatre 5pm and 8pm ADM: $1,400
Jamnesia Surf Camp, 8 Miles Bull Bay 9pm ADM: $500
Dangerous Ambitions Little Little Theatre 5pm and 8:30pm ADM: $1,400
LTM Pantomime 2012/13: Skoolaz Little Theatre 7:30pm ADM: $1,200
#PayAttention Funky Munky Bistro and Bar 8pm ADM: $300
Two Can Play Pantry Playhouse 8pm ADM: $1,200
sunday Accompong Maroon Festival Accompong Town, St Elizabeth 9am ADM: Free
MET Opera Verdi’s Aida (Encore) Palace Cineplex, Palace Multiplex and Odeon Cineplex 11:30 AM ADM: $1,600 (regular seats); $1,200 (children, students, senior citizens); $2,000 (box seats)
Alice: The Musical Philip Sherlock Centre 5pm ADM: $1,200
Boy Blue Theatre Place 8:30pm ADM: $1,400
WHAT TO DO this
WKND