‘Young Bill Rogers’ hopes to cop calypso crown
Roger ‘Young Bill Rogers’ Hinds will be campaigning for this year’s Calypso Monarch with his song “Ah Campaigning Fuh President” but first he has to make it through the semi-final round tonight at the Mackenzie Sports Club Ground in Linden where 18 other contestants will vie for a place in the final.
In an interview with The Scene the two-time Calypso Monarch (2008 and 2012) as well as the two-time Chutney Monarch (2013 and 2015) said, “‘Ah Campaigning Fuh President’ is a political commentary song looking at the loopholes in both administrations and the social problems affecting the people in the society.” According to Roger, he’ll be using his song to appeal to the people telling them how he would fix these issues.
He says he’s certainly confident about placing in the finals and is eagerly anticipating tonight’s competition.
Last year’s calypso king, De Professor will not be performing at the semi-finals as he has already copped a place in the finals by virtue of him winning the competition last year.
Saturday night last, T’shanna Cort won the junior crown for the second time in a row when she defended her title against eight other contestants at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall. She also won herself a place in the senior competition and is expected to compete tonight.
Roger will also be participating in the chutney competition slated for February 18, singing his single “Meri Pati Ah Horn Meh (My Wife Ah Horn Meh).”
Roger also revealed that he wrote the song “You’re Simply the Best”, for Ryan ‘De Advisor’ Jagnarine, who placed third in the junior calypso competition.
Recently, Roger released three other singles: “Jiggling Bumper,” “Suicide is Not the Answer” and “Chutney Music Nice,” a collaboration with reigning Chutney Monarch Bunty Singh.
Prizes for the top four contestants of the calypso competition are: 1st prize ($800,000 and a trophy), 2nd prize ($600,000), 3rd prize ($400,000) and 4th prize ($200,000).
The semi-final competition starts at 20:00 hrs. Amal Clooney, international human rights lawyer and wife of actor George Clooney, is pregnant with twins, according to CBS’s The Talk.
“Beyoncé is not the only superstar expecting twins,” host Julie Chen reported Thursday. “Congratulations are in order for George and Amal Clooney.” The 39-year-old Amal Clooney is reportedly due this June. While joining her husband on Hollywood’s red carpets since the two married in 2014, Clooney has continued her work in human rights law, recently representing Yazidi women sold into sexual slavery by ISIS.
Recently she travelled with her husband to promote White Helmets, a Netflix documentary about the search-and-rescue teams who operated in the war-ravaged Syrian city of Aleppo.
Actor Matt Damon shared his excitement for the high-profile couple on Thursday, saying he “almost started crying” when he found out about the pregnancy last fall.
Damon told Entertainment Tonight Canada that Clooney told him the news while they were filming a movie, and that Amal Clooney was about eight weeks pregnant at the time.
“I’m like, ‘Are you out of your mind? Don’t tell anybody else, don’t tell anybody else, I mean, don’t you know the 12-week rule?’ Of course he doesn’t,” Damon said, laughing.
“Then four weeks later, ‘I’m like, ‘We’re good right, we’re good,’ so I’m thrilled for him.”
Damon praised Amal Clooney, calling her “a remarkable woman” and saying that George Clooney had “hit the jackpot.”
News of the pregnancy comes days after singer and fellow celebrity Beyoncé announced via Instagram that she was expecting twins with her husband, Jay Z.
In other celebrity baby news, singer Janet Jackson, 50, gave birth to her first child in January.