标签： Jamaica

This Sunday, Jamaica will crown its next representatives to the global Mister and Miss Supranational competition, with 10 handpicked finalists putting weeks of rigorous preparation on the line at the intimate, boutique-style final event hosted at Kingston’s iconic Louise Bennett Garden Theatre on Hope Road.

In the lead-up to the coronation, contestants have undergone an extensive multi-week training program designed to build more than just stage presence, covering everything from personal grooming and physical fitness to communication skills, tourism advocacy, and holistic personal growth. Ahead of the final event, the group gathered for a preparatory retreat at Princess Hotel & Resorts in Hanover, where they put on an spontaneous impromptu fashion show for attendees and completed a branded photoshoot against the backdrop of the resort’s coastal landscape.

Serene Lloyd, public relations manager for Princess Hotel & Resorts, expressed enthusiasm about the opportunity to welcome the pageant contestants. “Hosting the group here was an absolute pleasure,” Lloyd shared in an interview with Jamaica Observer Online. “This was a wonderful chance to showcase our destination and the signature luxury experience Princess Resorts is known for. The pageant has such a engaged, wide audience, and we’re eager for their followers to see the natural beauty of our property and come experience it for themselves.” She added that contestants had full access to the resort’s amenities during their stay, exploring the grounds, interacting with staff, enjoying the island’s signature beachfront access, sampling local cuisine, and making the most of their retreat ahead of the final competition.

Barbie Mudahy, the national pageant’s coordinator, noted that this year’s cohort of finalists stands out for their range of strengths, far beyond conventional pageant standards of appearance. “This year’s group is incredibly strong,” Mudahy explained. “What really stands out is the diversity of their personalities, confidence, and stage presence. Every single contestant has grown noticeably throughout the preparation process, so this competition is about much more than looks. We’ve watched each person step into their own identity, becoming more polished, comfortable, and prepared with every passing week.”

The training program has been intentionally structured to be comprehensive and transformative, Mudahy explained. Each week, contestants work with industry experts on a new area of personal and professional development, spanning topics from grooming and fitness to public communication, wellness, and long-term personal growth. “Both the contestant preparation and the production itself involve months of hard work, so attendees can expect nothing less than an exciting, unforgettable experience this Sunday,” she added.

Several local industry partners have contributed to the contestants’ training this cycle. The Design Essentials hair care team has worked closely with both female and select male contestants, educating them on long-term hair health and handling styling throughout the competition, with industry professional Marcia Lindgaard Calendar donating her time and expertise to the initiative. Contestants also benefited from a detailed educational session with certified trichologist Karl Richmond, who deepened their understanding of evidence-based hair and scalp care practices.

For the male competitors, Jamaica’s HEART College of Beauty Services provided professional barbering services, keeping contestants well-groomed and helping them refine their personal presentation for the stage. All contestants completed public speaking and communication training with coach Adrian Atkinson, a session Mudahy called “extremely valuable” for building confidence and strengthening interpersonal and on-stage communication skills.

Fitness, a core focus of any pageant preparation process, was supported by Fit Farm Fitness Centre, which opened its facilities to all contestants. In addition to conventional fitness and health training, contestants also learned basic personal protection skills during their fitness programming, an addition that added practical value to their preparation. Tourism advocacy training was also a key component of the curriculum: Belinda Sutherland-Dowe from Jamaica’s Tourism Product Development Company Limited led sessions on the history of Jamaican tourism, the country’s cultural tourism brand, and how to effectively market Jamaica as a world-class travel destination as national representatives.

The four 2026 Miss Supranational Jamaica finalists are Deborah Gordon (affiliated with Dacx Production), Melissa Oliver (of Fit Farm Fitness Club), Rasheda Green (representing Design Essentials), and Antonni James (of Glam by O’Neil). The six male competitors vying for the 2026 Mister Supranational Jamaica title are Jordain Chambers (Atelier Dermoth Williams Limited), Kasheem Green (The Dental Place), Leopold Smith (All Signs), Laurence Pinnock (Cooyah), Sean-Pierre Coke (Knutsford Express), and Andrew Brown (The Prom Shoppe).

Jamaica’s iconic throwback music gathering, the Strictly 2K Throwback Music Festival, wrapped up its 10th anniversary edition Saturday night with a nonstop explosion of nostalgia, energy, and celebration that drew hundreds of dedicated partygoers to the National Stadium car park. The venue was quickly transformed into a vibrant tapestry of team spirit, as attendees packed the space in an array of sports jerseys representing iconic local and international football and basketball squads. From the signature blue of Chelsea, red of Arsenal, and sky blue of Manchester City to the iconic black and red of Manchester United, the purple and gold of the Los Angeles Lakers, and red of the Chicago Bulls, plus Jamaica’s national football kit, the fashion-forward crowd set a lively tone that matched the festival’s celebratory mission from the first note.

Organized by local promoter 433 Entertainment, the 10th anniversary event was built around a core concept: bringing fans back to the golden era of early 2000s and 2010s music, with a lineup packed full of the dancehall, hip hop, and reggae anthems that defined the period. Top selectors including ZJ Chrome, DJ Vinchi, Coppershot Sound, and ZJ Johnny Kool kept the energy peaked from sundown well into the early morning, spinning nonstop nostalgic hits that had the crowd reciting every lyric and dancing without pause. Longtime sponsor Wray & Nephew kept momentum high all night, with a steady flow of its signature rum mixes to keep the party going.

The night’s highly anticipated headline performance came just after 2 a.m., when dancehall star Tommy Lee Sparta stepped onto the stage to deafening cheers from hundreds of waiting fans. He delivered a high-octane 30-minute set featuring many of his biggest career hits, including *Psycho*, *Some Bwoy*, *Mechanic*, and *Under Vibes*. His performance was elevated by choreographed backup dancers from Boom Energy Drink, whose dynamic stage presence added an extra layer of visual flair to the headline set.

Beyond the music and celebration, the 10th anniversary event included a special honors segment to recognize longstanding contributions to Jamaica’s dancehall culture. Industry veterans Chimney Records co-founders Jordan and David, legendary dancer and choreographer John Hype, and selector ZJ Chrome were all awarded custom plaques in recognition of their decades of impact on dancehall music and Jamaican entertainment.

In an interview with the Jamaica Observer, Strictly 2K Co-Director Ibrahim Konteh reflected on the brand’s 10-year milestone, noting that what began as a small creative concept has grown into a staple of Jamaica’s annual entertainment calendar. “What started as a concept has become a staple on Jamaica’s entertainment calendar and that doesn’t happen without consistency, vision, and an audience that believes in what you’re building,” Konteh said when asked about the festival’s biggest achievement over the past decade.

Konteh expressed full satisfaction with the 10th anniversary staging, which debuted a reconfigured new venue layout that offered upgraded amenities for attendees. “Extremely pleased. We raised the bar across the board — new venue, seamless parking, elevated aesthetics, better merchandise, dedicated photo experiences. No complaints. This is the version of Strictly 2K we’ve been working toward,” he added.

Explaining the decision to tap Tommy Lee Sparta as the anniversary headline act, Konteh noted the artist’s deep catalog of hits made him the obvious fit for a celebration of 2000s and 2010s party culture. “Tommy Lee is a hit machine. His catalogue defined a generation. If you were in a party in the 2010s his music was in the mix. For a 10th anniversary celebration of that era, he was the perfect fit,” he explained.

Closing out his reflections on the milestone, Konteh credited the event’s decade-long success to the loyalty and feedback of its fanbase. “You can plan all you want, but that energy from the crowd tells you everything you need to know… Simply, thank you for your support, your loyalty, and your feedback, whether it was tough or kind. That feedback told us you cared, and we listened. Here we are at 10 years because of you, and we’re just getting started on the next 10,” he said.

LOS ANGELES – More than a year after the unexpected death of beloved *Friends* star Matthew Perry, another perpetrator has been held legally accountable for his fatal overdose. On Wednesday, 61-year-old Kenneth Iwamasa, the personal assistant who repeatedly administered ketamine injections to Perry in the days leading up to his death, received a federal prison sentence of three years and five months. He is the fifth person sentenced to date in connection with the actor’s passing, after pleading guilty to a charge of conspiracy to distribute ketamine resulting in death.

Court documents lay out a grim timeline of reckless drug use in Perry’s final days. Prosecutors confirm that between late October 2023 and the day of his death, Iwamasa – who resided at Perry’s upscale Los Angeles residence – gave the actor more than 25 ketamine injections, including at least three separate doses on the day he died. On his last day alive, Perry himself asked Iwamasa for a large injection, according to official court filings.

In a heartbreaking statement submitted to U.S. District Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett, Perry’s mother Suzanne Morrison laid bare the family’s betrayal. The Morrison family had trusted Iwamasa implicitly, she explained, saying his core role was to act as a companion and guardian for her son as he fought a long, public battle with addiction. “We trusted a man without a conscience, and my son paid the price,” Morrison wrote.

Defense attorneys for Iwamasa have attempted to frame their client as a powerless hired hand, arguing he was unable to push back against the demands of his wealthy, famous employer. In a pre-sentencing court filing, the defense claimed Iwamasa was uniquely vulnerable to the unequal power dynamic of his relationship with Perry, noting simply: “In short, he could not ‘simply say no.’ That inability had tragic consequences.”

Iwamasa’s conviction closes another chapter in the investigation into Perry’s death, which has already seen four other people sentenced for their roles in facilitating the actor’s addiction. The first convictions handed down tied to the case include two medical professionals who profited heavily from Perry’s dependency. Salvador Plasencia, one of the two doctors, was sentenced to two and a half years in prison. Prosecutors found Plasencia was the person who taught the untrained Iwamasa how to administer ketamine injections, despite knowing Iwamasa held no medical license and had no training treating patients with controlled substances. Plasencia and his co-conspirator, doctor Mark Chavez, sourced the ketamine for Perry at massively inflated prices, with Plasencia once joking in a message, “I wonder how much this moron will pay.” Chavez received a sentence of house arrest rather than prison time.

Earlier this month, Erik Fleming, a certified drug counselor who acted as a middleman to supply Perry with controlled substances, was ordered to serve two years behind bars. Last month, Jasveen Sangha, a British-American drug dealer nicknamed “The Ketamine Queen” who marketed herself as a supplier to A-list celebrities, received a 15-year prison sentence, the harshest penalty handed down in the case to date.

Perry, 54, who became a global icon for his portrayal of sarcastic, beloved everyman Chandler Bing on the hit 1990s and 2000s sitcom *Friends*, had opened up about his decades-long struggle with substance addiction publicly. At the time of his 2023 death, he had appeared to many close colleagues to be gaining control over his disease. The actor had originally begun using ketamine as part of a supervised medical therapy program to treat his depression, but prosecutors say that by late 2023, he had developed a full addiction to the drug – an anesthetic with psychedelic properties that is also commonly misused as a club drug. Perry was found dead in his hot tub in October 2023 from an accidental overdose.

His death triggered an outpouring of global grief from multiple generations of *Friends* fans, who still adore Perry for his iconic role on the sitcom, which followed six friends navigating adulthood, romance and work in New York City. The show turned its entire main cast, all relative unknowns before the show premiered, into global A-list celebrities and earned Perry enormous wealth – but behind the fame, he continued fighting a hidden battle with alcohol and painkiller addiction that spanned decades. In 2018, he suffered a life-threatening ruptured colon caused by drug use and required multiple emergency surgeries. In his 2022 memoir, *Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing*, Perry documented his decades-long battle, writing that he had completed detoxification more than 60 times, and noted: “I have mostly been sober since 2001, save for about sixty or seventy little mishaps.”