A new ABC television series will be filmed in Puerto Rico, Caribbean Journal has learned. 

The Baker and the Beauty, a series produced by Universal Television along with ABC and Keshet Studios, will mean an investment of around $57 million on the island, according to government estimates. 

“This is great news for local talents working in the cinema, tourism, hotel industry and other economic sectors,” said Puerto Rico Governor Wanda Vazquez. 

It’s the latest series to film in Puerto Rico, which has found some success in recent years as one of the top filming destinations in the Caribbean. 

The series, based on an Israeli series of the same name, is about a baker who falls in love with an international fashion superstar.

Filming on the series runs from this month through February 2020. 

“The Baker and the Beauty is a show we are very proud and delighted to produce in Puerto Rico,” said Pearlena Igbokwe, president of Universal Television. “Our company has a long history of investment in Puerto Rico in film and television productions and we have seen first hand the exceptional quality and skills of the local teams. We expect a lot of success and opportunities that this will bring in terms of job creation and economic impact to Puerto Rico.”

The show will be set in Miami but filmed in Puerto Rico. 

“We are very happy with the agreement reached to develop this series in Puerto Rico,” said Pedro Piquer Henn, the director of the film industry program of Puerto Rico’s economic development agency. “We hope this is the beginning of a lasting relationship between Universal Television and Puerto Rico.”

— CJ

The post New ABC Series “The Baker and the Beauty” to Film in Puerto Rico appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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Flying to Curacao is about to get a whole lot easier.

Curacao’s Hato International Airport is switching to a fully online immigration card, a move which will help speed up the arrival process for travelers to the Dutch Caribbean island.

All travelers to Curacao now have to fill out a digital immigration card prior to their trip to the island.

The Curacao Tourist Board said the initiative “aims to make travel more seamless while promoting a green approach by reducing the use of paper.”

Once travelers have filled out their cards, they can update or edit them as needed online.

While traditional cards will still be available upon arrival at the airport, tourism officials are urging travelers to fill out the card in advance.

— CJ

The post Curacao Immigration Forms Are Going Completely Digital appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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This one-way street on the outskirts of Bridgetown has two lines of colorful houses just across Spring Garden Highway from the sea.

But it’s the green-and-yellow one three quarters of the way down the road that brings the pilgrims.

Robyn Rihanna Fenty used to ride her bicycle up and down Westbury New Road, before the Grammys and the Platinum records and the fashion empire — before Westbury New Road received its current name: Rihanna Drive.

It’s on this very street in the parish of St Michael where one of the most impactful music careers of this century began.

There are two rum shops at the end of the road, and you can’t go to either one without finding a neighbor who was there in the beginning.

Mary Allman, who operates Willmar’s Bar (it’s the white-walled one on the north corner), smiles as she pours a small bottle of Cockspur rum.

“We all watch her,” she says.

In 2017, Barbados‘ government officially changed the name of Westbury New Road to Rihanna Drive, honoring the woman who has become the island’s most famous brand and one who has rather deftly added the title of entrepreneur.

“My whole life was shaped on this very road,” Rihanna said at the renaming ceremony. “I was just a little island girl riding bikes, running around barefoot and flying kits in the cemetery, but I had big dreams. Dreams that were born and realized right here.”

Today, Rihanna’s biggest fans make the pilgrimage to this street, stopping at the yellow-and-green house and, if they are lucky, spending an afternoon moment or two with the charming Mary.

On a quiet city road, the home instantly reminds of how the Caribbean region has always punched above its weight, how this region has produced some of the biggest stars, the biggest names and the biggest legends the world has ever seen.

It’s no coincidence that Rihanna used to listen to Bob Marley as a child, another Caribbean star that became a global icon.

And yes, Rihanna, who is also a cultural ambassador for the island, does come back here, a ritual of her own, usually twice each year, a neighbor tells me, though she does have a home on the West Coast as well.

She’s the same neighbor who tried in vain to flag me down as our car drove right past the house on our first attempt to find it.

“Everybody knows her,” she says.

“Does she stay here when she comes?” I ask.

“It’s too small for her now!” she says with a laugh.

— CJ

The post In Barbados, The House on Rihanna Drive appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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… Obrador stated when asked about Puerto Rico‘s independence.
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