Ask Blackie

Fonzworth Bentley had no shame putting a ring on it.

The MTV ‘From G’s to Gents’ reality star quietly got engaged to actress Faune Chambers at the top of the year and is finally sharing the good news with the world.

“I tricked her! She thought it would happen on Christmas, but I did it right before New Year’s,” Bentley, 36, told Us Magazine.

“She said yes, and I was so excited.”

The ‘Advance Your Swagger’ author, who is best known for being Diddy’s assistant and umbrella holder, proposed with a 3-carat asscher-cut diamond. Waiting to meet the newly engaged couple were their parents.

Bentley, whose real name is Derrick Watkins, proposed to his fiancé near their hometown of Atlanta.

Chambers, who co-starred in the Oscar-nominated film ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,’ has also made appearances on ‘The Game’ and ‘All of Us.’

Michael Jackson’s younger brother Randy Jackson was rushed to a Southern California hospital tonight after suffering from chest pains.

Randy Jackson, 48, was taken to Huntington Memorial Hospital and is believed to have suffered a mild heart attack.

A Jackson family insider told media outlets that he was not taken the hospital by ambulance, and that he is still at the hospital undergoing a battery of tests.

According to published reports, Jackson was working his late brother’s one-year anniversary memorial when the pains began.

“Randy is doing as well as can be expected,” the source said. “This is the first time he has ever felt pain like this.”

“He doesn’t want to take any chances. He wants to make sure that he’s well enough to make his brother’s anniversary a memorable day for his family and Michael’s fans.”

June 25 will be the one year anniversary of the death of the late King of Pop.

Just when you thought the year-old tiff between Omarosa and Wendy Williams was slowly moving toward a truce, the two feisty media personalities are said to be at odds with one another once again.

According to the New York Daily News, ‘The Apprentice’ vixen and the self-proclaimed “Queen of All Media” added another page to their much-publicized rivalry over the weekend during the White House Correspondents Dinner, in which the two women were expected to attend the lavish gala.

Sources are saying the former radio shock jock allegedly skipped the fete after discovering that she was seated at the same table as Omarosa.

“Wendy absolutely flipped out when she heard Omarosa was going to be seated at her table,” the source stated. “She called the American Urban Radio Network [the radio syndication company that allegedly hosted the table] and was absolutely livid.”

Reps from Williams’ camp professed that the Jersey Shore native was in D.C. on Saturday, where she attended a brunch and called the allegations completely “false.”

As for Omarosa’s stance on Wendy’s unexpected absence, she feels the White House Press Corp. deserves more respect.

“If this is true, shame on her,” she exclusively told BV Newswire today. “The White House Press Corp. does not deserve the slight nor do the good folks at AURN, who were kind enough to invite us to this prestigious event.”

The reality TV diva was a guest during a July 2008 taping of ‘The Wendy Williams Show’ in which she was promoting her book, ‘The Bitch Switch.’

Sheila Hylton was juggling careers as a flight attendant and reggae singer in 1980 when she stepped into a London record store and bought a copy of The album Police. Reggatta de Blanc, which included The song Bed’s Too Big Without You.

Hylton, now 54, told The Gleaner last week that she was so taken with the song’s reggae grooves she decided to record her own version on her return to Jamaica.

“One of the first things I said to myself was, ‘It would be great to get Sly and Robbie on this song’,” she recalled.

Hylton’s rendition of The Bed’s Too Big Without You, produced by the hot rhythm duo, was not only a hit in Jamaica, but reached as high as number 35 on the British pop charts. It remains her biggest hit.

DIFFERENT FLAVOUR

Early this month, Hylton returned to the recording studio to cut a song with an entirely different flavour. Alongside fellow New York City reggae acts Elvis D, a tribute to Jamaican track and field which was used by the country’s delegation to the Penn Relays which ended last Saturday.

Hylton said doing the song was a satisfying experience. She stressed that it transcends athletics.

“The lyrics are pure patriotism. I think long after the ‘Penns’ are over the song will be relevant because it covers everything,” she said.

Hylton has lived in New York City for 30 years. Though she is still active as a performer, mainly in the New York area, her recording schedule is not as hectic as the 1970s and 1980s.

Her last album, Steppin’, was released in 2006. She believes most show promoters in the Big Apple cater to younger crowds and do not give traditional reggae acts a chance.

“Dancehall is cool, but I think people are starved for reggae in different forms,” she said.

Born in London, Hylton came to Jamaica at age five. She listened to different forms of music while being raised by her maternal grandparents in Vineyard Town, east Kingston.

Her grandfather worked for Pan American Airways and was a jazz buff. She said troubled jazz stylist, Billie Holliday, was an early influence, but later she was drawn to Chaka Khan and The Police and their lead singer/writer, Sting.

Pop-reggae artiste Kaydonica Richards has been making waves with the combination single, Picking Up the Pieces featuring Jahmali. Ever since the music video had its offficial release, it has been receiving heavy rotation on all major local channels.

The song, according to the producers, is an emotional tour de force, especially for anyone who has ever undergone heartache, or families who had to rebuild after their lives were shattered by some unforeseen event.

“Picking up the Pieces really resonates with a lot of people, especially at this time with these earthquakes, and hurricanes. I have been getting a lot of positive feedback about it from people in all walks of life,” she said.

Kaydonica made her debut performance at Christopher’s last month, performing the song alongside Jahmali. She is eyeing a number of other musical projects and recently recorded two new singles — Locked Up in a Cell and Instruments of Love. Her biggest hit to date has been Colour of Your Skin which hit #1 on Roots FM radio charts last year.

“It’s just a beautiful song, and it addresses the stigma attached to the colour of your skin, the texture of your hair, and is critical of the level of prejudice in the society. The song lets you know that none of that matters, you can be anything you want, accomplish anything no matter where you live, the colour of your skin, your background, your hair…don’t see people and judge them, it’s a song for tolerance and the spirit of inclusion,” the 26 year-old said.

The recent cancellation of US visas of the abovementioned artistes (except for Sizzla, in whose case the cancellation was not recent, as the visa was revoked in 1998) sent shock waves throughout and outside of the music fraternity, as many wonder who will be the next victim.

At first glance it seems to have been done in an almost callous way and this is surely cause for concern. An email advisory was sent to all the airlines who carry passengers to the US with the instructions not to board the artistes as their visas were in the process of being revoked. The artistes themselves claim they had no knowledge that that such a move was afoot and the US embassy, as expected, has no comment, as this is a matter between them and the individual artiste.

However, is this to be seen as an advisory, pending some investigation on the embassy’s part and at the end of the day a second advisory will be issued to countermand the first?

“The fact is that the artistes, as far as I know still have visas in their passports. The visas have not yet been stamped “cancelled without prejudice” or “cancelled with prejudice”, so perhaps the US was just being generous by advising the artistes not to travel at this time. We have to examine the wording carefully,” was artiste manager Patrick Robert’s’ take on the situation.

He, however, admitted that he was shocked by last week Wednesday’s announcement that the visas of four of the top dancehall acts were “in the process of being revoked”.

“But any way you look at it, this is bad,” Roberts said. “What is a reggae festival anywhere in the States without Beenie Man, Bounty Killer, Mavado, Aidonia and Sizzla? And then there is Buju who is behind bars in the US.”

The artistes had both their work permits and the visitor’s visa revoked and the fact is that most artistes use the US as a hub. Without a visitor’s visa they are now unable to use Miami as a connection port into other parts of the world. Artistes, like it or not, also have entourages and numerous persons to take care of. These artistes are among the top earners and shutting them down will certainly affect more than just them and their immediate families.

As the summer approaches, the next couple of month is usually their busiest periods as they travel to festival all across the US to earn their living. Many are asking why and why now? It is felt that the stand-off between Washington and Kingston is playing a role in this unfolding saga. Interestingly, both Beenie Man and Bounty Killer had a show in Orlando, Florida, on Saturday and their absence, according to informed sources, was a big blow to the promoter. It was to be the first time that the two would have performed on the same stage in Orlando.

According to Roberts, in all his 17 years of managing Beenie Man, he has never had a visa issue with the US government. “We have always had our work permits renewed without any problems,” he emphasised.

And, as the artistes grapple with the way forward, Beenie Man has already released a visa song which will no doubt strike a responsive chord with all and sundry.