NEWSMAKERS

NEWSMAKERS

Jamaican rap pioneer Ranking Trevor dies

KINGSTON, Jamaica

Ranking Trevor, a pioneer of rap reggae during the 1970s, has died in a traffic accident in Jamaica. He was 60.

The musician’s brother, Robert Grant, says he was crushed by a car Tuesday after being knocked off his motorcycle. Police did not respond to calls about the fatality.

Born Maxwell Grant, Ranking Trevor was one of the leading “toasters” in Jamaica during the 1970s, recording mainly for the Channel One studio.

Toasting is a form of Jamaican rapping that directly inspired hip-hop. Songs such as “Caveman Skank” and “Three Piece Chicken and Chips” made the charts in England, where he lived more than 20 years.

He is survived by his mother, eight siblings and 15 children.

LA names day in honor of Bob Marley

LOS ANGELES

It was Bob Marley Day in Los Angeles.

The city council proclaimed the day Tuesday in honor of the Jamaican reggae legend whose string of hits include “I Shot the Sheriff” and “No Woman, No Cry.”

Marley was 36 when he died of cancer in 1981 but his children Ziggy and Karen were on hand for the honor. With Councilman Joe Buscaino leading from the podium, they joined in singing a verse from Marley’s “Redemption Song.”

The proclamation coincides with the DVD release of the documentary “Marley.”

Film critic Crist dies

NEW YORK

Judith Crist, a blunt and popular film critic for the “Today” show, TV Guide and the New York Herald Tribune whose reviews were at times so harsh that director Otto Preminger labeled her “Judas Crist,” has died. She was 90.

Her son, Steven Crist, said his mother died Tuesday at her Manhattan home after a long illness.

She was the first woman to become a full-time critic at a major U.S. newspaper and was among the first reviewers of her time to gain a national following.

Roger Ebert credited her with helping to make all film critics better known, including such contemporaries as The New Yorker’s Pauline Kael and Andrew Sarris of the Village Voice.

Whedon to write, direct ‘Avengers’ sequel

LOS ANGELES

Joss Whedon has been hired on again as boss of Iron Man, Thor, Captain America and their superhero pals for a sequel to “The Avengers.”

The news came Tuesday from Walt Disney Co. Chief Executive Officer Robert Iger, who said during a company earnings call that the filmmaker is returning to write and direct the sequel adapted from the Marvel Comics tales.

Iger also said Whedon is helping to develop a Marvel-based TV series for ABC. Marvel is a Disney subsidiary.

Associated Press