Now Playing: Mountainfilm in Telluride

Bermuda is well known for its powdery pink sand beaches and its world-class golf courses, but did you also know that the island mid-Atlantic island also hosts a world class film festival every March? Next year the Bermuda International Film Festival begins on March 19 and plans to feature independent documentary films of all kinds. So why the sudden interest in movies? Mainly because I'm particularly jazzed that my show, Outside Film Festival: Mountainfilm is now airing every week on Outside Television. If you're interested in watching some truly groundbreaking films, then check out my short recap of this week's picks on my Outside Television blog This Way Out and read Now Playing: Mountainfilm in Telluride. One of my favorites? Throw Down Your Heart, a film that follows American banjo virtuoso Bela Flek on his journey to Africa to explore the roots of the banjo (watch the film's trailer). And for those that don't yet have Outside Television go here to watch a few of my interviews that appear on the show. In the meantime I'll be back tomorrow with your regularly scheduled programming.

Don't Try This At Home

Here's one of the best reasons why summer in Bermuda is way better than the chilly winter months: Cliff jumping. Of course one could always dive from an 80-foot-high cliff in December, but let's just say the reception once in the water isn't as pleasant. Care to see some of Bermuda's high-flying adventurers take the plunge from cliffs, bridges and towers across the island? Then check out this super-cool video shot entirely in Bermuda this summer. As one of the jumpers notes half-way through you don't train for stuff like this—you just drink, which is clear since most of them are clutching Heinekens throughout the shoot. Turn up your speakers, sit back and enjoy. And for even more cliff-jumping goodness check out this other video from Burnt House Hill Productions. You can thank me later.

On Holiday

Although beloved in Bermuda and quite successful on the international reggae circuit, Collie Buddz has never been my cup of tea. The Bermudian singer has long performed dance hall reggae, a louder style of music known to attract fans unleashing the full fury of handheld air horns at live concert events. Don't believe me? Google it. But those who know me know that I like to focus on the positive—and what’s more positive than a song about quitting your job and taking a tropical vacation? That’s why I’m loving Collie Buddz’ newest video, which was shot entirely in Bermuda and has a surprisingly good song to back it up. And no, it’s not dance hall. Called Holiday, the song (and video) is Collie’s latest single, released to the masses on Wednesday. Catchy and quite listenable, it’s actually one of my new favorite Collie Buddz tunes even though I’m convinced his accent was stolen from Kingston, Jamaica but that’s a different story altogether. Check out the video above and marvel at some of the beautiful landscape that is Bermuda including shimmering pink sand beaches and blue-water boat trips. Need a holiday yourself? Remember, the island is only two hours away from most east coast gateways. Happy listening!

In The News

This just in from AirTran Airways, a low-cost carrier known for its rock-bottom fares: Starting next spring the airline will begin seasonal service to Bermuda from Baltimore and Atlanta. That means travelers in the Baltimore/Washington area can easily fly to the island from April 7 through October 24 and sun-seekers in Atlanta can eschew Delta’s high-priced fares from May 26 through September 6. The move adds a sixth destination to AirTran’s international lineup including Aruba, Cancun, Montego Bay, Nassau and Punta Cana. All good news indeed, especially since there has been much speculation about what airline may follow suit, namely Southwest since the low-fare king plans to buy AirTran for $1.4 billion. So, will Southwest be the next airline to fly to Bermuda? Consider this: The new AirTran routes depart from Baltimore—a major Southwest hub—meaning the airline could connect flights from other cities including New York and Boston to its new Bermuda service. Considering the move would vastly undercut fares from JetBlue, Continental and American, all of which currently serve the island from the northeast, this latest announcement may indeed be checkmate for the legacy carriers to the island.

Remembering John Lennon...In Bermuda

It was 30 years ago today when John Lennon was murdered outside of his New York City home. The former Beatle would’ve been 70-years-old if he were still alive but that doesn’t mean we can’t remember his spirit—or all the time the iconic musician spent in Bermuda. That’s right, folks: Where else do you think he got that groovy T-shirt? Lennon’s time on the island is well-documented, including the CNN reports John Lennon: Living in America and Losing Lennon: Countdown to Murder, both of which discuss a sailing trip the singer took to Bermuda from Rhode Island in the summer of 1980 aboard the 43-foot sloop Megan Jaye. “They got in this big old storm,” said music producer Jack Douglas who told CNN about Lennon’s trip. “This old sailor got really sick. He told John to take the wheel. Torrential rains and waves pounded the boat. Right after this transformative, emotional and physically exhilarating experience on the sailboat he arrived [in Bermuda] with this quiet and this space and it all came through him. John Lennon started making music again.” Making music indeed. After renting a home in Fairylands—a small neighborhood in Pembroke parish—Lennon stayed on the island for several weeks writing songs that would appear on Double Fantasy, his final album named for a Bermuda freesia his four-year-old son Sean spotted while at the Botanical Gardens (listen to the Bermuda Tapes recorded here in June 1980; also, check out this photograph of John and Sean overlooking Spanish Point). “Once I accepted the reality of the situation something greater than me took over and all of a sudden I lost my fear,” Lennon later told then-assistant Fred Seaman of his stormy sail to Bermuda. “I actually began to enjoy the experience and I began to sing and shout old sea shanties in the face of the storm, feeling total exhilaration. I had the time of my life.” Clearly, since Lennon wrote some of his best songs when he got here, even recording some of them with Bermudian drummer Andy Newmark. Lennon joked in the ship’s log that “there’s no place like nowhere,” alluding to Bermuda’s remote mid-Atlantic location, but no doubt it was its beauty that enchanted the singer most.