Something old, something new - Crop-Over costumes 2011

Crop-Over is coming islandistas and despite being in hibernation for the last few months (between my wedding late last year and now my first pregnancy happening back-to-back, I've been ex-hausted!), that is enough to bring the Islandista out of her cyber-cave!

So Power x Four is both the old and new of this post - pics of their 2011 costumes have popped up on Trinidad Carnival Diary but... it's a rehash of last year - Bajan Reef Pt II no less! Booo, hisss!

I guess you can say they prepped us by calling last year's presentation Bajan Reef Pt I but come onnn. It's not as if this is some great, conceptual costume story that needs to be told over the course of two years - it is pretty-colour FISH dammit!

It feels lazy from Power X Four and though they have been my preferred band for jumping for the vast majority of years I've jumped Crop-Over, I gotta call it as I see it. It smacks of what they did in their 10th anniversary year in 2004 when they recreated costumes from their previous years.

That said, the costumes are pretty  - Px4 is always consistent in its quality and beauty. We especially like Night Octopus and Queen Conch.

Now for the NEW new! A certain Crop-Over band is recreating its image and is coming out fresh in 2011 as Fantasy and the costumes we've seen thus far are gorgeous! They are really going to make a stir on the scene for this Crop-Over and give Baje, Px4 and Contact a run for their money. Check out some of our faves from Fantasy below.

So what do you think, islandistas? Getting excited yet?

Rihanna on April Vogue cover!!!

So this is the story that finally brought Islandista out of her hibernation (more on that anon) - uber-islandista Rihanna is on the cover of the April issue of Vogue magazine!!!

She's covering Vogue's annual Shape issue which is frequently a lightning rod for controversy and criticism.

We're loving how the shot is channeling cartoon vamp Jessica Rabbit, not to mention Ariel from Little Mermaid -a great pop culture reference for one of the world's biggest pop stars.

Ri-ri had accidentally leaked news of the cover shoot some months ago, excitedly tweeting (and promptly deleting):

"Just wrapped my first American Vogue cover shoot with Annie Leibovitz…Rah! #SEXY"

And we agree - Rahhhhhhh!

Rihanna killing it at the AMAs

Not much more we can add to our headline, which just about sums it all up. Ri-ri turned in possibly her best live performance (certainly her best awards performance) ever, opening the American Music Awards last night.

Killed. It. DEAD! She was on fire! Check out the vid and let us know if you agree.

Out of order, Kamla!

Well, well, well looka this though!

In the wake of the devastation left in Barbados, St. Vincent but especially St. Lucia by Hurricane Tomas, this was the first thingTrinidad's Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar had to say on Monday:

"We will have to look at ways in which we would be able to assist. But you would recall my comments earlier this year, when I said there must some way in which Trinidad and Tobago would also benefit. So if we are giving assistance with housing for example, and that is one of the areas that we (Prime Minister of St Vincent and myself ) spoke about, ... then we may be able to use Trinidad and Tobago builders and companies, so that whatever money or assistance is given, redounds back in some measure to the people of Trinidad and Tobago."

Naturally, her comments are causing outrage up and down the Caribbean.

Many are saying while they understand and don't even object to the sentiment behind it (aid with conditions is nothing new after all - look every stadium or office block the Chinese build in the region is done by Chinese companies and with Chinese workers to boot) but the way she said it and when she said were completely out of order.

And we here at Islandista agree, though we are not surprised, because Kamla has made her anti-CARICOM stance very clear in a set of mouthings for much of this year-  starting with infamous "ATM" comment earlier this year and continuing with her kvetching about the expense of the CCJ being based in Trinidad - after HER PARTY, the UNC lobbied for it to be there in the 90s.

Her comments are crass, short-sighted and disgracefully unCaribbean for a woman who lived in Jamaica for 14 years and drew a salary from the Jamaican people for at least 10 of those years.

Not only that, they are flat out stupid. "Some way in which Trinidad must benefit?" As the Express rightly pointed out in its editorial today, CARICOM countries "take about 10 per cent of Trinidad's exports." Trinidad, more than any other CARICOM country, has been benefiting for years from intra-regional trade.

What if the citizenry of these countries were so offended that they decided to take the aid but boycott Trinidad's goods?


Simply put, words mean something and Kamla should have chosen her words more carefully before biting one of the hands that feeds her people.

Nicki Minaj's Right Thru Me Video

As excitement builds for islandista Nicki Minaj's debut album Pink Friday, she's dropped a video for one of the tracks off the album - another relationship number that is almost the flipside to the 'so in love' vibe of Your Love Right Thru Me.

Check it.