Wednesday, July 29, 2009

JINGLE ALL THE WAY

Got there around 7:10pm (wanted to avoid the rush). Surprise, surprise! There’s already a queue of about 100 persons. Don’t have to tell you about the pushing and shoving, and nothing is giving away especially since these tickets are G$1,000 each. Guess persons are just too eager to get the best seats of the auditorium.

The crowd decides to prod the opening by clapping; some around me are reiterating the fact that there is work tomorrow & hope this wouldn’t be a very late start. About the 4th round of applause the show begins. Unlike the semi-finals I attended at the Theatre Guild this is a tad late, if you consider about 10 mins Guyana Time late anyway.

The rendition of the National Anthem performed by the Cox Brothers (you may remember Quacy who made it to the semis) is a perfect start to the evening. The 4 brothers are patriotically dressed in red, green, yellow and white polo tees and black pants. Wonder if many persons appreciate their effort in portraying the colours of the National Flag?

Both hosts, Malcolm Ferreira & Simone were spectacularly dressed. Renee Winter’s performance of her original song falls short though. Sorry, but with the bunch of stars GT&T found this year, she wouldn’t have made the Finals.

The organisers are showing video clips as an intro to each contestant which is well received for the most part. Screams and applause can be heard for their favourite contestants but for poor little Ashley John contestant no. 1, she gets the lone boos echoing around the Cultural Center. I now have a newfound admiration for this teenager coming on stage after that. Respect due Missy! I give her points for her guts but her performance was mediocre, guess it was warranted providing her circumstances. After she was finished she was able to win a few fans and get a reasonable applause. She is commended by Judge Basdeo for, “turning this crowd around”. That she did.

Most of the interview for Contestant no. 2 Malika Boyd cannot be heard over the load roars of delight. She sang a popular song ‘Lost, Lonely & Helpless’ by our own Pamela Maynard had everyone singing along. Afterwards the place was ‘bare noise’; it took a while for Malcolm to chat with her. From the sounds judge Sean Bhola is right in saying, “You have Guyana backing you”.

Here comes the Classique Dance Company. The crowd seems very poised. But wait, here comes the whining. You know we Guyanese like a whining.

Contestant no. 3 Annece Hicks receives a loud applause during her interview. Unfortunately, when she started singing I couldn’t help feeling sorry for her. Yes she choked! Her performance was very lacking. Shame because she had such a good semi-final performance to keep her in the running. Now it seems that she’s running in the wrong direction. So tiny is she but the song choice was way too big for her. You get the Red card, maybe next year Annece.

Contestant no. 4 Renne Chester did a bit of acting with the help of 2 young women to ease us into his performance. Never heard this one though, “We don’t touch thrash, only thrash touch thrash”. Renee had his best performance of the competition tonight, especially after pulling that last note. Didn’t know he had that in him. Good going Renne!

Contestant no. 5 Ashford Ward gets an approval for his little dance & praises for his choice of song, the way he sang it and of course his very unique voice.

No. 6 Wow, Quacy Coates not singing a ‘jump up’ song! I feel that’s usually what he is most comfortable with; instead he went with a slow number. He’s ‘feeling himself’ in his grey suit, white hat, matching white shoes, white rimmed glasses and accessorised with a white flower. I’m sitting here thinking, “What will Quacy do for us tonight”, then he attempts to sit on the speakers onstage and almost slips. He got through nevertheless and when he was finished, kissed Simone and handed her his flower. Always something for us to remember, huh Quacy?!

No.7 Michael Thompson in his TV interview says, “I am my biggest competitor”. I like his style already. The crowd also loves him in his sleek suit & matching hat singing ‘The Girl Is Mine’. Then he gives a shout out to all the beautiful women & does a Michael Jackson twirl. Nice Michael, best performance tonight so far. Most of the auditorium is on their feet.

Contestant no. 8 Phoena Da Silva sings ‘Set My Heart at Ease’. Have her in a tie with Malika for Best Female Vocals for tonight. She did a wonderful job.

No. 9 Raoule Samuels comes out with, you guessed, a HAT. Did they make this a requirement? He gets points for clarity and he has such a good voice. Unfortunately, the crowd response did not mirror his performance.

The competition so far is so intense that I think it is really getting to the woman sitting next to me, she is absolutely delirious. She came to support Burnett (the guy from Berbice) yet all along she is screaming for Michael. She turned to me and the person sitting on her right to ask if Michael was the one from Berbice. Got “NO” but insisted that had to be him who sang the Peter Ram song at the semis. Okay you win lady! Anyway, when the real Berbician came onstage she lost it.

No. 10 Carlvin Burnett. Had major support, even some with placards. Goooooooo Carlvin! He had such stage presence, really entertained moon walking & all. Couldn’t take my eyes off of the stage. Guess they saved the best for last after all. Even the judge went googoo. Crowd keeps chanting Carlvin!Carlvin! Begging for more. From the response let’s say, ‘he tekin’ dis!’ Can the night get any better?

The 2nd half starts about 10:18. In walks Dave Martins with his guitar. I’m thinking, Okay, please don’t bore us, we’re having such a good night. But wait! I know this song. ‘Not a Blade of Grass’. Mr. Martins had me singing my throat out.

Now it’s the segment when the contestants are to sing their original song & Malcolm announces that the winner would not be named tonight, rather over the next week. That was definitely a stunner & disappointment for many. But I’m sure we don’t mind because they’ll be more to talk about at home, work, on the way to work, etc, etc, etc.

This can’t be happening; I’m running out of ink. Really?!

Ashley comes back out & sticks it to her haters with lyrics like, “I’m here to stay” and “When trouble surrounds me I won’t walk away”. Nice fit. Way to go Fojo(co-wrote the song).

The usual solid performances again from Malika and Michael while Annece still fails to find her way.

Ashford finally gets the chance to showcase that voice we so enjoy. This time though his words are unclear so we missed the entire meaning of the song. He seems to have had fun though.

Quacy aka Avalanche found his real fit. Points to him for having the crowd join in a shout, “When I say Cell, You Say Link”.
A pretty young miss sitting behind me asked to give a shout out to Avalanche’s neighbourhood, Beverley Close, So Big Up!

Here comes Charmaine Blackman. Some may say that she’s too annoying, maybe because she prefers to sing everybody else’s songs & she’s always THERE, everywhere you look. You just need to judge for yourself. Tonight though, she kept it short and did entertain. Guess it would have taken a lot to spoil tonight anyway.

Jory did what he does best, ENTERTAIN, “A De Real Thing”.

All in all, I think the 2nd half went quite the same as the 1st. The front runners are still the front runners, except for Phoena who seems to be in a big battle for the top 3.

It was a very entertaining night & I commend all involved in bringing this competition to the level it has reached today. Also, thanks GT&T for giving young people the opportunity to change their perspectives & paving the way for the next big talent out of the Caribbean.



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Saturday, July 25, 2009

MERUNDOI Preview (July 27th-August 3rd)


This is going to be a particularly titillating week in Merundoi!

The Couples’ Retreat winds down with some interesting revelations and relations!

Sonny vents his feelings about Anil to Fine-Man who reciprocates with his version of “parental guidance” causing Bibi to berate both of them viciously.

What’s in store for June & James at the end of the Retreat?

Don’t miss this week’s thrilling episodes!


Broadcast times:

98.1 FM Mon & Wed.: 5.45 pm, Tues & Thurs: 2.15pm & Sat: 6pm

VOG Wed. & Fri: 10.05 am & Sun: 2pm


LISTEN Last Weeks Episodes.


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MERUNDOI The Show

Last week volunteers and staff of Merundoi were trained in the fundamentals of Flash Animation by Christ Unitt & Matt Gaffen (volunteers from Meshed Media Limited of the U.K.).
A few weeks ago while travelling in a taxi I saw true enjoyment of a Guyanese material i had not known existed. The taxi driver was sending more than usual transmissions to other drivers, me taking a minor spirit walk with distant thoughts didn't realise that they were actually discussing what was coming from radio and through the speakers. With sounds of sincere laughter becoming distracting i decided to take a listen. Wow . Whoa. Boy that was a good production. "U dont listen Maroon Di" the driver echoed. From then i've been an on and off listener, not bcause of the quality of the shows, just didn't always have the time. The shows production value is excellent or as Guyanese would say 'It dont sound local banna'. So, by starting this blog I knew that Merundoi would definitely be a staple on here. So from this week, we'll have a preview of the upcoming episodes (thanks Miss Lawrence) and a link to listen the episodes online. Enjoy, and don't forget to leave comments.

Two(2) 15mins episodes per week.
One(1) 30mins airing of both episode together weekly.
BROADCAST TIME
98.1 FM
Mon & Wed - 5:45 pm
Tues & Thurs - 2:15 pm
Sat - 6:00 pm (Both Episodes)
VOG
Wed & Fri - 10:05 am
Sun - 2:00 pm

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Monday, July 20, 2009

CELLINK JINGLE AND SONG FINALISTS (Jingle Audio)


LISTEN AND ENJOY
TEXT FOR YOUR FAVOURITE AND SEE YOU THURSDAY.

#1 ASHLEY JOHN


#2 MALIKA BOYD


#3 ANNECE HICKS


#4 RENNE CHESTER


#5 ASHFORD WARD


#6 QUACY COATES


#7 MICHAEL THOMPSON


#8 PHEONA DaSILVA


#9 RAOULE SAMUELS


#10 CALVIN BURNETT




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CELLINK JINGLE & SONG FINALS



THIS THURSDAY @ National Cultural Center
8 pm


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And The Winner Is.....




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Saturday, July 18, 2009

St. Vaughn - Please Call Me Ft. Spelling

I don't know who these guys are but the song is pretty funny. I got this from a friend, apparently the song has been making it's rounds on various cellphones via bluetooth(thats how i got my copy). If anyone knows who did the song, can you get us some info about these two artistes. I was told that the song originated in Berbice. Drop us an email if anyone knows for sure at contactus@ecguyana.com

NOW DOWNLOAD HERE AND HAVE A LISTEN.

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Thursday, July 16, 2009

Cable TV Here I Come



The thought of pursuing cable tv has always crossed my mind but never seemed to translate that thought to my pocket. After constantly being bombarded with recent ads of $5000 per month at the chance of seeing my favourite tv programs at their scheduled slots was GOOD, but then to find out that they carried ABC, ESPN and TNT(which is not available at any other provider) was GREAT. Being an avid basketball fanatic as i am you would know that these three channels are a necessity (i'm sold). You get 21 channels(60 more expected in a few months) and the piece of mind that when you want to watch a particular program, you no longer have to worry about if our local channels will air it or make dozens of phone calls(some threatening) to channels pleading with them to show the NBA Playoffs. Good Riddance! Giving free publicity will not be a common thing here but i cant help but share this most spectacular news. Thanks MovieStar. You'll see me 2morrow. I'll let you guys know how it goes. Peace.

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Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Miss Guyana Universe 2009



Last Saturday, July 4 2009, I was invited to the Miss Guyana Universe 2009 Pageant.
I got there late (which was not a bad thing) somewhere around 9pm, the Aspara dancers were on stage, and the show had started. Wayne Marshall came onstage a few minutes later. Surprisingly, the two older women sitting next to me were shouting and waving. Here were women who appeared to be somewhere in their late 50s, sitting in the first row (the expensive seats) of the auditorium. Who would have guessed? Not that they were in the expensive seats but Wayne Marshall? This night is already interesting. I myself did not realise

that I knew so much of his music. He was very entertaining and the crowd loved him. Marshall got everyone involved in a screaming competition between the auditorium & balcony before bringing out the ‘Drunken Dance’ singer on stage for a few short minutes. When it was time for him too to leave the stage, I knew that the audience was not ready for that show to end. For a minute there we forgot why we were actually there that night.

On the way to the National Cultural Center, I got the urge to jot down whatever got to mind while I was at the Pageant. Hence, my comments that follows.

The start of the night’s competition: the Evening Gown Segment.

Contestant No.1
Seems very confident. Lovely long, floral dress. I would wear this to a formal / semi-formal event.

Contestant No.2
Gorgeous bronze dress. This is only the 2nd contestant and the dress is so spectacular with the perfect pair of shoes. Good luck to the others! From the roar of the audience she would have to completely mess up the question to lose. Hint- She didn’t win.

Contestant No.3
Simple white & bronze polka dot strapless with bronze shoes. Not very confident in her movements.

Contestant No.4
Sexy in purple. Sheer strip in the front revealing some, but not too much cleavage. I was a bit scared for her walking on the stairs, looked like she would take a spill.

Contestant No.5
Yellow dress. Too much spring in her steps. Looks like she’s going on a picnic. Bang hides too much face.
Definitely does not look like she’ll make top 5.

Contestant No.6
Purple dress looks more like a Mash costume. Very confident but seems too in love with the camera.

Contestant No.7
Blue dress. Very shaky coming down the stairs, eventually makes it. Nice smile though, one of the few whose smile was warming, no plastic there.
Contestant No.8
Another picknicker. Guess she also could not find the time to work on her walk.

Contestant No.9
I’d call her ‘Very Confident 9’. So full of confidence was she, that she almost tripped on her very colourful dress. Guess she was really embarassed because she practically ran off stage without completing her poses. Missy, there goes your chance at the Top 5.

Contestant No.10
Pretty white dress with ribbon-like effect on the front. Not memorable.

Contestant No.11
Wears her sexy white and gold dress with such confidence. Has a mermaid-like appearance with what seems like sea shells concealing her bosoms, paired with white gloves.

Contestant No.12
Worst dress so far. Dangerously long slit in the front. I was afraid that she’s flash the judges. On the plus side, her hair was very well done. Thank you Kevin’s Reflections for saving her night.

Contestant No.13
Okay, she is most definitely the 13th most attractive contestant for the night. Her attempting to breathe through the mouth or swallow a fly doesn’t help her situation. Who tricked her into thinking that this was ‘pageant sexy’? Sorry, not at all glamourous.

Contestant No.14
First impression: looks like she has a curtain wrapped around her waist but she made the best of it.

Contestant No.15
Most definitelty a crowd favourite. Black and silver dress, very common looking. The usual sequence on black look. Definitely the best walk though. Seems super confident, even blowing a kiss at the crowd.

Awaiting the results:
Since I was not a follower of the pageant prior to tonight’s event, my judgement is solely based on the night’s performance. My pick for the top 5 are Contestants 2, 11, 15, 6 and 1.

The official results are in:
Contestant No. 7 (Miss Mashramani) – There seems to be some mix up because she was introduced tonight as contestant no. 6. Funny enough when they read No. 7, the girl in blue almost stepped out until they read the correct name. I’m guessing that she was having a very good pageant thus far, because for tonight she doesn’t deserve the spot.

Contestant No. 11
Contestant No. 2
Contestant No. 6
Contestant No. 15

Alright, not bad. Four of my five choices made it (smile!)
I find these to be the best looking contestants in many, many years.

The big FINAL QUESTION.
Question: What is the role of a woman in today’s society?

Good question. It seems very straight forward and certainly one that the contestants may have stumbled into while preparing for the pageant.

No. 7: Nandani Seecharan - Miss R & S Mining
She did stumble but not across the answer. Fumbled right off the start and never got around to a good answer.

No. 6: Lucria Rambalak - Miss KRS Construction
If this competition is about brains and beauty, and you’re judged the People’s Choice and Miss Photogenic, let’s just say you have one of the two. Her answer was simply UNIMPRESSIVE.

No.11: Rachael Bakker – Miss Limacol
Too long a response. I am sure that the answer was in there somewhere. Judging from the other responses this was still the best answer so far.

No. 2: Janella Lewis – Miss GT&T
Out talked herself. Crowd started booing; she got confused, took a long pause, and then committed verbal suicide. How unfortunate Miss Body Beautiful. She was a front runner for the big prize but just could not find an intelligent response to match her looks.

15 Jenel Cox – Miss UNICOM
I would say this was a close one. Somehow, I think the judges may be swayed by the support she has brought.

Think I was completely wrong about an easy question. Every answer was lacking.

So now we await the judge’s decisions but are subjected to watching what appears to be an unplanned slideshow of the contestants. Fortunately at about No. 4, they decided to stop abruptly and return to the competition. Organisers you get an F.

It was now time for last year’s winner to take her final walk.
Guess she did not bother with going to the etiquette classes, because besides her very bored expression (or was she just trying to memorize dance steps), she was chewing gum. How classy!

The Final results are in.
The other 10 contestants are now back on stage.
I thought that I was ‘seeing things’, but apparently not. No. 4 still has a very pissed expression.
4th Runner up – No. 7 Nandani Seecharan – good decision. Not to her, she was so confused she almost walked off the stage. She had to be told to stay and then had trouble finding a place on the center stage.
3rd Runner up – No. 2 Janella Lewis: another good decision. Let an opportunity of a lifetime slip away.
2nd Runner up – No. 6 Lucria Rambalak
1st Runner up is No. 11 Rachael Bakker.
Winner: Jenel Cox No. 15. Did she just do a pump fist? What a sport! Sure hope she takes some classes in tact before taking on her ambassadorship.
So, that was it. Until next time (whenever they decide to keep this pageant again...its supposed to be annual but...) Jenel Cox is our Queen.



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Saturday, July 4, 2009

Gialiani - Remember The Time Ft. Fojo







Gt Rudeboi's back at it again.

What's with all the 80's samples though. Not bad in my opinion, they did another club banger.

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