'To Sir Sidney with Love' Weekend of Celebration
THIS WEEKEND: Friday & Saturday November 2 & 3, 2012
The Islands of The Bahamas invite you to celebrate their 40th Anniversary of Independence with a celebration honouring one of our greatest sons – Sir Sidney Poitier. As The Bahamas begins a year-long celebration of their independence, join us as we honour Sir Sidney with a bridge dedication and fireworks spectacular.
Friday, November 2 at 7.30pm: A Soulful Celebration on Paradise Harbour Featuring performances by an exciting lineup of Bahamian artists including the legendary Ronnie Butler and Grammy Award winners Baha Men. There will also be a special performance by Grammy Award winner Bebe Winans and an all-star Bahamian Choir. To finish it all off will be a spectacular fireworks display – the likes that has never been sen in The Bahamas before!
Saturday, November 3: Atlantis LIVE presents Jennifer Hudson Atlantis Resort hosts a Gala Concert featuring another Grammy award winner – Jennifer Hudson – benefiting the Sir Sidney Poitier Centre for the Performing Arts in the Grand Ballroom at Atlantis, Paradise Island.
Sir Sidney Poitier, born February 20, 1927) is an American-Bahamian actor, film director, author, and diplomat.
In 1963, Poitier became the first black person to win an Academy Award for Best Actor[2] for his role in Lilies of the Field.[3] The significance of this achievement was later bolstered in 1967 when he starred in three successful films To Sir, with Love; In the Heat of the Night; and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, making him the top box office star of that year. In all three films, issues revolve around the race of the characters Poitier portrays.[4] In 1999, the American Film Institute named Poitier among the Greatest Male Stars of All Time, ranking 22nd on the list of 25.
Poitier has directed a number of popular movies such as A Piece of the Action, Uptown Saturday Night, Let's Do It Again (with friend Bill Cosby) and Stir Crazy (starring Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder). In 2002, 38 years after receiving the Best Actor Award, Poitier was chosen by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to receive an Honorary Award, designated "To Sidney Poitier in recognition of his remarkable accomplishments as an artist and as a human being."[5] Since 1997, he has been the Bahamian ambassador to Japan. On August 12, 2009, Sidney Poitier was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States of America's highest civilian honor, by President Barack Obama.[6]
To read full bio on wikipidia Click HERE
