Rush Hour Director Brett Ratner Seeks Bahamians For Commercial

Nassau, The Bahamas…Filmmaker and music video director Brett Ratner will be returning to The Bahamas to shoot another project soon – and he’s looking for a few Bahamians to be a part of the production as extras. Ratner has had blockbuster success with movies like The Family Man, X-Men: The Last Stand and the Rush Hour series which featured Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker. Ratner’s last Bahamian project was After the Sunset, which showcased Salma Hayek, Peirce Brosnon and the unofficial Bahamian star, the Atlantis resort of Paradise Island.

Now, Ratner returns to Atlantis to shoot a commercial for the resort and plans to cast some lucky Bahamians to be seen worldwide. Ratner is working with local casting company Sharma Entertainment to seek Caucasians, Asians and Latinos between the ages of eight and 55 with various looks. All extras will be compensated $150 for a day’s work.

Radel Parks, CEO of Sharma Entertainment says that any and everyone fitting the descriptions can participate as there are no speaking roles and acting experience is not required since extras for the most part simple appear in the background and make a scene more natural.

“Atlantis is known for producing top notch family oriented commercials,” said Parks. “Our goal at Sharma Entertainment is to provide quality entertainment for the family through film, tv, and theatre in addition to seeking opportunities to expose local talent for work that is suitable for them though auditions, castings and other events that will place talent in the market best suited for them.”

Parks added: “This experience with Mr. Ratner promises to be very exciting and rewarding as it will give participants the chance to discover what working on a set is really like. It’s a chance of a lifetime to observe a world renowned direction in ‘action’!”

Potential extras can e-mail headshots to sharmaentertainment@gmail.com. All persons interested however, must attend a casting at Sharma Entertainment’s office in Baker’s Close, Oakes Field. For more information call 328-5729.

Manifest Now Solo Star On His Dunamus Soundz Label

Nassau, The Bahamas… After spending the past decade launching the musical careers of well rounded entertainers such as Bodine ‘BE’ Johnson and Ricardo ‘Mr. Beeds’ Forbes, multi-award winning producer/hip hopper, Lavard ‘Manifest’ Parks announced that he is now the sole artist on his Dunamus Soundz Records label.

Manifest established himself as pioneer on the Caribbean hip hop scene as a teenager when he started the label, after being musically moulded by Double Syx, the producer who introduced the world to Manifest and other artists such as Ternielle ‘TaDa’ Burrows. Now, the hit-maker and founder of the Bahamas Hip Hop Fest says he’s ready to take his music to a whole other level, and as a result has had to make changes to facilitate the road he’s now travelling.

“I just want to clear the air that no one was dropped or fired or anything,” stated Manifest. “The people who were on the label were and still are family. Everyone got to complete what they were working on and it was really cool how we are still able to chat each other up when it’s time to make music and such. The real deal is that I am unable at this time to commit to developing the whole artist as I once did because the vision I wrote is becoming plain and there is room for the work of my hands. In other words, Manifest is about to blow the roof off! Because I’ll be travelling the Caribbean and North America very soon and of course my obligation to my family and even the youth I mentor, I simply won’t have the time to focus on polishing up an artist.”

Manifest noted that while he will be pushing himself as an artist with a team of managers and publicists in the Caribbean, Bahamas and North America, the overall goal is to take the lessons he’s learnt and come back to help establish more artists from his country.

“I mean, it’s like this – in order to take your craft to another level once you’ve saturated a market, you have to follow opportunities as they present themselves,” he says. “I’ve been blessed to have had a great decade of hits in my country, and I’m blessed to see that the hardwork has paid off with the awards I’ve received, but the time is right to take it to a whole new level. We’re not breaking the company down, we’re building on to it.”

Presently, Manifest is working on his latest music video and putting the finishing touches on HISlife, HISmic set to be release in early 2010. Good Times, the first single from the album has already been making the top ten lists on several stations and magazines while providing him with opportunities to perform live including at this weekend’s Artists 4 Peace concert.

“It’s been a really good time for me because of the people I surround myself with,” admits Manifest. “My wife has been there every step of the way supporting me – I mean, when Dunamus Soundz was still an idea in my head, she was the one who got me my first computer. Of course, my right hand man Corridon ‘The Don’ Hanna has been behind the scenes from the start and while I travel he’s going to be holding it down. I also wouldn’t be able to do what I do without the fans who actually continue pushing me to bring more clean, cuss-free, feel good hits so I thank God for them. And even though he’s only been here for four months, my son Jojo also gives me new motivation and he’s already living the hip hop life by joining us when we do some interviews and shows and who knows, he might even have a cameo in one of the new videos. All in all, keep looking out and checking me up on Facebook, MySpace and www.dunamussoundz.com because we are taking it to a whole new level!”

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Impulse Energizes Comedians and Crowd at Laugh Fest 2009

Nassau, The Bahamas… A sold-out crowd of 1,200 comic-seekers got their laugh on when Impulse energy drink joined forces with More 94 FM’s Inigio “Naughty Niggs” Zeniciazelaya and several popular American comedians for Laugh Fest 2009 at The Wyndham Hotel’s Rain Forest Theater.

“We had an awesome time this year with entertainers who’ve appeared on Comic View, Martin Lawrence’s First Amendment, Jamie Foxx’s Laffapalooza, Def Comedy Jam and more,” noted Naughty. “In fact, our headliner this year was Pierre out of Atlanta who has done standup all over the place and had roles in comic film classics such as How to Be a Player, B.A.P.s with Halle Berry, and For The Love of Money. Impulse Energy Drink came on board as an awesome collaborator this year and we look forward to working with them in future endeavors.”

Other performers at this year’s Laugh Fest included Ray Lipowski, Kelly K-Dubb Walker, Big Sean, Shaun Jones, Latina sensation Ollie and Bahamian singing heartthrob CJ Priest. The Bahamas’ undisputed king of comedy, Naughty also took the stage to display why he’s spent 11 years in the industry tickling funny bones across Jamaica, Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Las Vegas, the Carolinas, Tennessee, Kentucky and Washington, D.C. In addition to hosting his own radio show Mischief & Mayhem in the A.M., Naughty is the house comedian for Joker’s Wild Comedy Club in the world famous Atlantis resort.

The Impulse team was on hand to provide gigglers with energy drink samples to guzzle.

“We’ve done several promotions this past year such as the Caribbean Gospel Music Marlin Awards, and Nelson Cooper Peace on the Streets Basketball Tournament,” said Andrew Higgs, Special Projects Manager of Nassau Paper Company, a third generation family owned business and the official Bahamian distributor of the Impulse energy drinks. “The bottom line is people love Impulse and the long lasting energy it provides through natural compounds - that’s why it was voted best energy drink in Florida. In fact, because Naughty sampled one of our drinks at a live remote he was doing and enjoyed it so much, we were able to collaborate with Laugh Fest 2009. All in all, we support Laugh Fest because it’s a huge event and the comics are all innovators and well respected. Working with them has certainly provided a whole new niche for us.”

Keith Rolle, Brand Manager of Impulse added, “Impulse is a superior product that deserves superior representation; so partnering with CAC Bodybuilding Champion Paul “Mighty Mouse” Wilson and model Dena` Hurston to greet the crowd, the comedians and represent us during this event proved to be an excellent decision. I’m excited about pairing talented Bahamians with future promotions as we continue to look for creative ways to reach out to the public and demonstrate how much we appreciate them.”

For more information call 1-242-393-3556