Montego Bay, St James - Historic Rose Hall Great House is once more the venue for the sixth Pineapple Ball hosted by the Jamaica Committee, a US-based charity which last year raised US$40, 000 for needy charities.

A section of the massive crowd at Nyammins and Jammins in Montego Bay on Heroes Day. Organisers say the event was sold out.

This year's gala, staged in collaboration with sponsors Ritz Carlton Rose Hall Golf and Spa Resort, is set for November 4 and promises to be a magical Jamaican evening under the stars.

The committee hopes this year to raise even more funds to assist such charities as Peace and Love in Society, SOS Children's Village, The Jamaican Epilepsy Foundation, University of the West Indies (teacher training scholarships), HEART/NTA (training for tourism), The Edna Manley School of Art (technical equipment) and Westwood High School (scholarships), which benefited last year.
According to the organisers, the bias is slanted towards training Jamaica's youth and therefore educational institutional needs are given first priority.

The ball has already generated early reservations at the exclusive resorts on the Rose Hall strip as locals and foreign guests sign up to attend the gala, which offers patrons the benefit of huge discounts at these exclusive resorts.

According to Moyra Fitzroy, the committee's resident director, there is no better bargain anywhere for a better cause, and she invites corporate sponsors and patrons to make reservations early.
As in previous years, the Silent-Auction, a popular feature of the gala, will be in full swing and patrons this year will have their pick of works of Jamaican visual artists and crafts people, as well as a fabulous Jamaican and international resort stays, restaurants meals, jewellery and other finery.

One Third. perfectly synchronised.

Original Manhattans back for three-concert series

By Kevin Jackson
Observer Writer

The soulful hits from one of rhythm and blues most revered groups, the Manhattans, will punctuate ears next month, when the group returns to the island for a three-concert series.

Rising Stars second place winner Nickeisha Barnes was mesmerising on Monday at Nyammins and Jammins in Montego Bay.

The concert dates are November 24 at Disco Inferno in Montego Bay; November 25 at Fayors Entertainment Centre in Mandeville; and November 26 at the National Indoor Sports Centre in Kingston. The shows are being promoted by Princess Promotions.

The bill also includes rhythm and blues singer Dorothy Moore, veteran crooners George Nooks, Dobby Dobson, Jimmy Reid, and 2006 Digicel Rising Stars winners and runner-up One Third and Nickieshia Barnes. Up and coming artiste Lt Brooksie completes the line-up.

The Manhattans have performed in Jamaica on numerous occasions. Gerald Alston, who joined the group in 1970, and premiere original member Winfred 'Blue' Lovett will be accompanied by Troy May and Ron Tyson. Formed in the early 1960s, the Manhattans have racked up 44 Billboard R&B charted hits between 1965 and 1990. Their outing began with I Wanna Be (Your Everything), which stalled at number 12. Their last charting single in the US was I Won't Stop, which reached number 79. Among their chart successes are 11 Top 10 hits, including one number one pop/R&B single.

The Manhattans' arsenal includes There's No Me Without You, Hurt, Kiss And Say Goodbye, I Kinda Miss You, We Never Danced To A Love Song, Here Comes The Hurt Again, Shining Star, I'll Never Find Another Like You, Just One Moment Away among others.

Dorothy Moore, who turns 60 this year, is originally from Mississippi. Moore, who made her debut with the Ashford and Simpson-penned single Cry Like A Baby in 1973, has a total of 15 charting hits to her credit. Among her more familiar recordings are Misty Blue, For Ole Times Sake, Funny How Time Slips Away, I Believe You, Special Occasion, and With Pen In Hand. She too has performed in Jamaica on multiple occasions.

Nooks, Reid, Dobson, and the Rising Stars top 2 finalists are sure to thrill fans with songs from their varied repertoire.
Famed radio broadcaster Richard 'Richie B' Burgess will share emcee duties with Delroy Sterling and Dermot Williams from Canada.

The Manhattans during their last Jamaican appearance

Bumper crowd hears new stars at Nyammins show

BY KERIL WRIGHT
Observer staff reporter

Montego Bay, St James - Digicel Rising Stars finalists One Third and Nickiesha Barnes were in masterful form on Monday thrilling the audience at the popular Nyammins and Jammins Heroes Day show in Montego Bay in their first big appearance since winning the popular talent competition just two weeks ago.

"I feel overwhelmed," confessed an ecstatic Barnes, following her spectacular performance to the sold out crowd numbering over 30 000, among them thousands of children.
"I just want to thank all the people that have supported me and promise to deliver my best every time," stressed the petite song bird, whose chart-topping covers, including Lauryn Hill's Turn Your Lights Down Low, Mary J Blige's I'm Going Down and the classic To Sir With Love had the audience going wild as did her rendition of Tanya Stephens hit single These Streets.

One Third's penultimate performance had patrons screaming, shouting and singing along to every word of the popular tunes that endeared them to Rising Star fans and propelled their rise to stardom.
From the all-time favourite Lonely Girl to Toto's Africa and Lonely Is The Night, patrons were putty in their hands as they sang and danced in perfect synchronisation.

The organisers also scored a major hit when they brought back last year's winner Christopher Martin, who was unable to make his appearance last year due to inclement weather, as the surprise guest artiste.

Martin, who threatened to steal the show, was in fine form and had women screaming "Chris I love you" and "Si mi yah Chris Si mi yah" as he delivered a performance nothing short of superb, belting out a string of timeless love songs.

Barnes, who was the first of the Rising Star winners to hit the stage on Monday, said she was now back to her nine to five as peer educator and working on securing good management and getting her original material together.

"I am back to my nine to five and I am just working now on getting my material together," said Barnes. "I have a lot of original material that I had been working on before the competition," she told the Observer.
The Rising Stars winners were a major drawing card for the thousands of patrons who turned out Monday for the popular day-and-night event organised by businesswoman Marlene Stephenson-Dally and the St James 4-H Clubs.

With a line-up featuring the likes of DJ Nicholas, Noreta Lewis, Ken Boothe, Cecile and LUST, the patrons from early were endorsing the Rising Star winners, screaming "One Third" and "Nickiesha Barnes" to promptings from MC Tony Young.
Stephenson, while not disclosing exact ticket sales, admitted that the event was sold out.

Feeding the multitude

DANGEROUS PETS

Pepper Pot