Santa Monica, U.S.A. — 429 Records is set to release “Starlight,” an all new collection of compositions by celebrated songstress Joan Armatrading. “Starlight” is a collection of 10 songs which emphasize her unequaled prowess as a singer and arranger. Always the consummate songwriter, guitarist and multi-instrumentalist, Armatrading explores new vocal phrasing technique with “Starlight” which add new emotional dimension and depth to her always incisive explorations of love and the human condition.

The lively jazz-inflected musical arrangements serve to buoy the constantly shifting lyrical moods.  As on her last 429 Records studio albums “Into the Blues” and “This Charming Life,” Armatrading produced the album and plays every instrument to spectacular effect.

Long recognized as a pioneering force with a career spanning three decades, the Saint Kitts born Joan Armatrading has maintained an acclaimed and storied career. The three times Grammy nominated British artist has garnered countless accolades which include Top 10 albums and singles (“Love and Affection,” “Willow,” “Drop The Pilot,”  are but a few), not to mention a #1 debut atop the Billboard Blues chart in 2007 (a first for a female artist from the UK).

She has made VH1′s list of the 100 Most Influential Women in Rock, has been nominated for a Brit Award, gave a command performance for Nelson Mandela on his 70th birthday at Wembley Stadium, received an Honorary Degree from Birmingham University.

“Starlight” is set to release on 429 Records February 26.

Track Listing:

For more information, visit www.429records.com.

Image Courtesy :  Mhwlng

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This week saw the release of the latest installment in Dark Horse Comics’ popular continuation of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. For those of you who have been living under a rock for the past fifteen years, BtVS was a cult TV show that aired from 1997 until 2003. Sarah Michelle Gellar played Buffy Summers, a high school student with a supernatural calling.

As ‘the Slayer,’ she had the duty to protect the world from vampires and other supernatural nasties. Buffy’s friends, Xander (Nicholas Brendon) and Willow (Alyson Hannigan), were in on her secret, too, and they were often called upon to help Buffy out each week as she battled the forces of darkness.

As the seasons wore on, Buffy romanced not one, but two vampires, Willow became a lesbian, and the Summers family was enlarged by the addition of younger sister Dawn (Michelle Trachtenberg), who was actually a sophisticated hiding place for a magical MacGuffin known as The Key.

When the series ended in 2003, Buffy was finally able to destroy the Hellmouth that had turned her hometown of Sunnydale into an evil-magnet for seven seasons. Although Buffy vanished from the small screen, series creator Joss Whedon decided to continue her saga in comic book form.

Teaming up with Dark Horse Comics, he produced a popular series of comic books that functions as an eighth season of the TV show in paper form. Season 8 ran for 40 issues until it came to a dramatic end in January 2011. At the end of the series’ final arc, Buffy smashes a powerful artifact that acts as the source of all magic in the world.

In Season 9, Buffy must adjust to a radically different life. The line of Slayers will come to an end with the demise of the present generation. With magic gone, Willow (who had evolved into a powerful witch during the course of the TV show) can no longer use her spells. Buffy’s life takes a turn for the mundane, and she now works as a waitress in San Francisco, while the other members of the Scooby Gang have scattered.

Although much has changed for Buffy, vampires are still a problem. In Issue 3, Buffy encounters a mysterious stranger named Severin. He has the ability to kill vampires by generating bolts of energy with his hands, something that should not be possible since magic has supposedly vanished from the world.

It soon becomes apparent that the demise of magic is affecting vampires in an unusual way, and newly-sired vampires are even more terrifying than the older versions. Eager for answers, Buffy tries to reconvene the Scooby Gang, but her old friends are reluctant to return to the fray.

The events that ended Season 8 have allowed the writers to ‘reboot’ Buffy in Season 9. Without magic, the characters get to experience something resembling a normal life for the first time in ages, and the new emphasis on mundane life is reminiscent of  Season 1  of the TV show.

Back then, Buffy was a high school student trying to juggle the supernatural business of fighting evil with the more pedestrian demands of life as a teenager.  You can also see echoes of that in Season 9. At one point in Issue 3, there is a nifty callback to the first episode of the show, which I really appreciated.

Overall, I think Issue 3 was quite well done. The story unfolded at a brisk pace and left the reader eager to read the next installment. Scriptwriter Andrew Chambliss has done a decent job of imitating the writing found in the TV show. The only complaint I have is the artwork.

Georges Jeanty’s ability to make the characters look like the actors who played them seems to vary from page to page. He does a nice job of making Willow look like Alyson Hannigan, but Dawn does not really look anything like Michelle Trachtenberg. Also, on some pages, Buffy ends up looking like she is twelve years old. Although these hiccups are fairly minor in and of themselves, they do distract from the overall effect.

OVERALL GRADE: A-

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Will and Jada Pinkett Smith are rumored to be getting a divorce. Rumors have spread about the split between the couple. They have recognized that their marriage is not always perfect and they are currently having significant problems, but that doesn’t mean they have made the decision to separate.

Will and Jada Pinkett Smith have been married for over 13 years and have two children together. Reports In Touch Weekly s stated the couple has already separated. Sources on www.tmz.com, a gossip site, were told it is “definitely a possibility,” but the couple hasn’t pulled the trigger.

Trey Smith, Will’s son from a previous marriage, wrote on Twitter,  “Will and Jada getting a divorce…not true at all. Retweet.” The couple even released a joint statement shooting down In Touch Weekly’s reports about their split. “Although we are reluctant to respond to these types of press reports, the rumors circulating about our relationship are completely false.

We are still together, and our marriage is intact,”the two stars said. Sources on www.tmz.com doubt the language constructed on their statement. They have become curious since the couple have repeated over and over again that they are still in love and committed to each other.

Smith’s family is going on vacation together.  Sources would neither confirm nor deny if the trip is meant to save the relationship. Smith’s publicist was late to the news and said to TMZ, “What? In Touch said that? I know nothing about this…Lord. I’m going back to bed.” There are also rumors about March Anthony and Jada having an affair. Marc Anthony called the whole story “laughable.”

Earlier this month Anthony said at “Nightline” that he is really upset at these reports because he admitted they have been friends for years. He is bothered by the effect might have on Smith’s family and their loved ones. Anthony also talked for the first time about his divorce with Jennifer Lopez. He said he never cheated on Jennifer Lopez and that he will always love her.

On “Good Morning America” March Anthony kept talking about his divorce wanting to clear up that nothing important caused their separation and there was no infidelity. “I’ll always love Jennifer … and she knows that, it’s important that she knows it and so do my kids,” the singer said.

Will Smith also wants to rip apart every report that says he is splitting from his wife. He wants to clarify all the rumors are ridiculous. When the couple was shopping in Malibu they showed romantic behaviour and they called each other “baby.” For Will and Jada Pinkett Smith the rumors may be just that, but for many stars rumors give a way to reality.

Several celebrities are  known by denying divorce rumors, splitting shortly thereafter, such as, Madonna and Guy Ritchie, Britney Spears and Kevin Federline, Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson, Heather Mills and Paul McCartney, Carmen Electra and Dave Navarro, Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony, and last but not least.  Avril Lavigne and Deryk Whibley.

 
Left Eyed Photography / Shutterstock.com

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