ON THE SCENE: Neville Bell + Paula-Ann Porter-Jones + Rohan Daley + Dahlia Harris + Tara Playfair + Yohan Blake

THE HUNGER GAMES: Nov. 17, Florida. Sprint star Yohan Blake (in a pop of bright blue) joins an eager batch of young-at-heart competitors at the start of Saturday's Food For The Poor 5K Walk/Run for Hunger in Deerfield, Florida. A supremely worthy cause! (Photo: Reuters)

ON THE ROAD: Nov. 16, Kingston. A fanfare-filled debut for LIME's new Christmas promotion in New Kingston drew happy smiles from LIME colleagues Garry Sinclair and Tara Playfair, photographed here with CVM TV's Rohan Daley (right). (Photo: Skkan Media)

TWO OF A KIND: Nov. 16, St. Andrew. Longtime TV J co-hosts Neville Bell and Dahlia Harris joined a sizeable crowd inside Half Way Tree's Mandela Park on Friday for the kick-off of Digicel's "Share a Smile this Christmas" promotion and enjoy performances by featured dancers and deejay I-Octane. (Photo: Skkan Media)

THE COLOUR PURPLE: Nov. 16, St. Andrew. Also making the scene (and sporting megawatt smiles): the ever-lovely Paula-Ann Porter-Jones and comedian Ity Ellis. (Photo: Skkan Media)

NEWS & NOTES: Glen Mills versus Donald Quarrie? + Busy Signal becomes a free man this weekend

BATTLE OF THE GIANTS: What’s really good between ace sprint coach Glen Mills and track legend Donald Quarrie? Earlier this week, a war of words played out between the sporting icons apparently over individuals involved in running for the presidency of the Jamaica Amateur Athletics Association (JAAA). Can’t we all just get along? During an appearance on TV J’s Smile Jamaica, Quarrie stated that word got back to him that Mills (president of the Racers Track Club) said he’d refuse to support him if he ran for the JAAA presidency. But speaking with TV J Sports in a subsequent interview, Mills clapped back, saying, “What Quarrie is saying is totally false… I told (incumbent president) Dr. Blake that I would support [him] based on the points he had made, and if he can make good on them… I am not a dictator. I don’t believe in manipulation, and I shoot straight from the hip.” And that’s only the tip of the iceberg, folks. There’s more where that came from. 

FREE AT LAST: New online reports indicate that incarcerated entertainer Glendale ‘Busy Signal’ Gordon will complete his six-month prison sentence in the United States on Saturday, Nov. 17 and head home to gather himself, reunite with friends and family, and resume his recording career. Cry freedom! “We are really looking forward to his return home,” says a musical colleague. “He deserves this new lease on life.”

THE OTHER WOMAN: Nadean Rawlins set to explore her inner bad girl in God’s Way 2

HEAD STRONG: "It's a must-see," says Rawlins of her latest gig.

Actors claim it’s way more fun playing a bad character than a good one. Nadean Rawlins is gearing up to have a blast – and bring her A game – as a scheming temptress in Dahlia Harris’ God’s Way 2: Carlton’s Redemption, one of the most hotly anticipated cultural events of the season. 

“I’m playing a friend of Carlton from his time when he was overseas, and she’s apparently coming to cause trouble,” explains Rawlins, who will star opposite Carl Samuels, Ainsley Whyte and Harris in the stage drama, which opens month-end at the Stephanie Hall Auditorium. “So she’s pretty much a troublemaker. She apparently liked him, or she loved him, at one point, but he had a wife, and now she’s back in the picture.” 

From a personal standpoint, Rawlins (a veteran of the stage and small screen) is not afraid to admit that she drew inspiration from her own past experiences while prepping to sink her teeth into the sizeable role. “It’s interesting to be playing the role of the other woman because I have journeyed that road before. I not ashamed to say,” she tells TALLAWAH, laughing. 

Like its predecessor, God’s Way 2 tackles a hothouse of topical, relatable issues sure to resonate with a wide cross-section of audiences. “It deals with infidelity, relationships, religion and other issues that people can certainly relate to,” says Rawlins, last season’s Thespy winner for Best Actress (Not About Eve). “We shot the TV ad a few days ago, and Dahlia [Harris] sent me a copy, and I am very pleased with what I saw. It should draw people to come and see the show, and not just churchgoers, but people in general. It’s for everyone.” 

Maintaining her PR-woman guise, Rawlins adds, “It’s a must-see, and it’s only running for six shows, so everybody will have to rush out to come see it.”