Brands: Bolt helps Digicel "Bring the Beat' in Kingston

Usain Bolt, the fastest man alive, yesterday teamed up with Digicel to launch its Bring the Beat campaign in front of an inquisitive bunch of little kids from across the Caribbean at the Terra Nova All Suite Hotel in Kingston, Jamaica yesterday. The launch took the form of a lively fireside chat session with Usain, hosted by nine-year old Naleighna-Kae McLean from Jamaica, followed by a 'Kiddie Press Conference'.

The Launch

Facing his toughest audience yet, the 30-strong kiddie press pack aged between six and ten years peppered Usain with questions they have been burning to ask all their lives. Seven-year old Ajani Brown, also from Jamaica, tried not to seem too keen but it was clear that he was eager to meet Usain and took advantage of the opportunity that presented itself asking; "Mr. Usain, can we be friends on Facebook when my mommy gets me one?" With laughter all around, Bolt responded; "Sure. But first let's take a selfie."

The Campaign

Digicel's Bring the Beat campaign represents the culture of the Caribbean and the irrepressible spirit which unites and ignites its people. Through music and the celebration of extraordinary talents, the campaign will connect the world to the Caribbean and its culture and support all of the athletes who are set to represent their countries in Brazil.

Inspired by the campaign, Trinidad and Tobago's soca monarch, Machel Montano released his latest single, 'Bring the Beat', featuring Jamaican songbird and winner of season 5 of NBC's The Voice, Tessanne Chin, as a tribute to the athletes as they take on the world in Brazil. Machel said; "The song represents and embodies everything the Bring the Beat campaign is about – connecting, inspiring and entertaining."

Six-time Olympic Gold Medallist, Usain Bolt, said; "It's really great to have the support of your country and the entire region when we are out there on the track. So I think this is a great campaign. For me I'm just focused on going out there and doing my best and showing the world how we bring the beat."

Digicel Group Director of Marketing, Peter Lloyd, said; "Music and sport have the power to bring people and nations together – and that is exactly what we are about. We will use beats, music, rhythm and talent to connect the world to our athletes no matter what flag they compete under."

Through social media, fans will have the opportunity to win tickets to some of their favourite sporting games this summer, like the NBA, CPL and of course, the biggest track and field event this year in Brazil to watch Shelly-Ann and Usain defend their titles.

-from Jean Lowrie-Chin post

Kids' Books: A Rousing "Reggae Rescue' Reading Session

Singer.Author. Organizer. Parent. Enviro-activist. Motivator. Jana Bent checks all those boxes, and during her recent Saturday reading session at Bookophilia in the Kids section, she had moments to incorporate them all.

Using her popular Shaggy Parrot series of enviro-themed children's books, Bent led a colourful and vibrant read-along and sing-along that easily included several of the parents on hand as well as their young charges. Well- prepared with instruments and props, Bent encouraged the youngsters to play their part in preserving our shared natural heritage, even as they revelled in the adventures of the Shaggy character and his marine, riverain and land-based pals.

More recently, Bent, who also "squeezes in" a day job with regulator the Betting Gaming and Lotteries Commission, stated that she had reached an agreement with charitable organization the American Friends of Jamaica, to purchase a significant quantity of the books for distribution to schools across the island. Additionally, she's working on addressing another critical social issue through story-telling: violence against children/minors.

More to come on both those developments, but in the meantime, to recreate the magic of Shaggy, Swimpy, Edda and the rest of the cast, you can pick up the books at local stores, or visit www.reggaepickney.com for more info

Defintely not 'Kid Stuff' :'Super 8' Trailer

Give a kid a film camera (the Super 8 of the title) and what might he capture?

A stylized "zombie murder" complete with make-up and fake blood? The dialogue of fated lovers delivered by 'play-acting' kids? Or, a catastrophic crash involving a pick-up truck and a military cargo train with mysterious antecedents?

That's the basic premise of this adrenalized collaboration between producer Steven Spielberg and co-writer-director JJ Abrams. As is his wont, Spielberg's (and Abrams') tale centres on kids, and amateur movie-making kids at that. One, the director is a foul-mouthed egomaniac, one is a pyromaniac and then there's the "nerd star" who spends his time building model trains and planes and dabbling in make-up while he attempts to cope with the horrific death of his mother.

Chaos arrives in the form of the aforementioned crash, and from there onward, Abrams ruthlessly and skillfully pushes our buttons, making use of a full range of plot dynamics: there's the father-son (and father-daughter) relationship, kid bonding, military heavy-handedness and, of course, that early teen matinee staple... the alien monster movie.

But to their credit, the movie dream team handle the material with tremendous aplomb, even the potential minefield of teen romance between said nerd (Joel Courtney, of whom precious little is known before this) and Elle Fanning (who shares her sister Dakota's knowingness but backs it up with a winning combination of sardonicism and vulnerability). The unravelling of the plot points is near flawless and the suspension of disbelief is near total. In addition to the teens, the film boasts good turns from Kyle Chandler (from TV shows like "Home Front" and "Early Edition") and the rarely seen Ron Eldard (anybody remember 'Bakersfield PD?" - didn't think so) as the father of the girl.

In simple talk, behind all the efx and the hype of the names involved, "Super 8" is old-school, fun-in-a-dark-room, edge-of-the-seat movie magic. This is a project that has laid hold of Spielberg's imagination even before 'ET". In Abrams, it seems he has found the simpatico partner with which to bring it to life. Just a couple  of kids with a camera. The results are ours to enjoy.