Island folk part of massive Hope for Haiti telethon

And I can't tell you how...  how moved I am that everybody cares. It means a lot because for so long, no one cared. For so long, no one knew us. And this really means a lot.

- Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon

[caption id="attachment_1937" align="aligncenter" width="405" caption="Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon (at right) on LKL, along with Ben Stiller (left) and Benicio Del Toro (center)."][/caption]

Those were the words from a tearful Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon earlier this week on Larry King Live, during a mini telethon which CNN held to raise funds to aid Haiti which was ripped apart by a huge earthquake on January 12th.

Islandistas, we have to tell you -  Garcelle's words really grabbed us - the emotion in her voice when she said "no one cared... no one knew us" was really moving. It made us think of the burden and conflicted emotions that her and other Haitians have to bear loving a country that can be so unremittingly sad.

[caption id="attachment_1938" align="aligncenter" width="405" caption="Distraught: Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon manning the phones at CNN's telethon. (Photo credit: CNN)"][/caption]

This is really what it had to come to for the world to look at Ayiti, to pay attention to the injustices that have been wrought upon it since they first declared independence in 1804.

But at least now they are looking.

And a huge cast of stars, including island folk in Wyclef Jean, Rihanna and Alicia Keys are getting together tomorrow night for what could be one of the biggest telethons of all time - the Hope for Haiti telethon, spearheaded by George Clooney and MTV Networks.

Fay-Ann and Destra out front & islandistas at Oscar parties

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So up to now, we here at Islandista are still not sure who has won the Road March title in Trinidad and Tobago. From all accounts, it seems to be a close battle between Fay-Ann Lyons 'Meet Super Blue' and Destra Garcia's 'Bacchanal'.

Checking Trinidad's major papers isn't helping either.

The Trinidad Express claims, 'Bacchanal hot on Super Blue's tail', while the Guardian says 'Destra, Faye-Ann in tight race for Road March'. At first glance, NewsDay seems to be sure it is Fay-Ann, with their front page proclaiming 'Fay-Ann's Queen of the Road' and their online lead story headlined as 'Fay-Ann leads Road March race'. However, later in the article they caution