|
-Pregnant Lindener, 10-year-old still in the runningBy Leonard GildarieAfter weeks of heartache, tons of makeup and hours of practice, it all comes down to tonight for 11 persons-one a 10-year-old student and another a school teacher-in the finals of the English segment of the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GT&T) Jingle and Song Competition.But the wait for the grand finale, when the winner will walk away with a car, is three weeks away. In the meantime, after the finals of the English segment and the newly introduced Bollywood rounds, in which a winner will also have to come, contestants will be busy criss-crossing Guyana as GT&T takes the show to the road before the grand finale. Before the grand finale, the contestants will anxiously await the voting from Guyanese who have taken a liking for the show.It has not been easy for the contestants as the pressure mounted. One contestant walked off the stage during the competition after she forgot her words,Joe McKnight College Jersey, and surprise, surprise! Poonam Singh, one of two West Demerara contestants, has been voted back in.The competition, which is in its seventh year, has seen heightened interest this year with the prizes up for grabs; the judges,nfl jerseys cheap, who include flamboyant talk-show host, Joel Ghansham, and a number of others including a news reporter, singers and music personalities.Amidst the hype of the English segment, the Bollywood part of the show has seen some serious fight to the top 15, who are still awaiting the results of voting. Five of them are due to be eliminated this week.Jeol Pharous,Matt Leinart USC Jersey, 22, is an accounts clerk at Demerara Shipping. Though a part-time singer with the Shakti Strings band, he will be facing stiff competition from the likes of Leilawattie ‘Seema’ Budram, a Secretary at the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports.He describes himself as a ‘spiritual pandit’ but 24-year-old Balram Persaud, a teacher, is not willing to concede an inch in his territory.Like Persaud, Gowradai Devi Pooran, 25, is also a teacher at Soesdyke Primary and is part of the Apsara Dance School. Like Persaud also, her father is a Pandit.Nineteen-year-old Ian Hardat ain’t no slouch when it comes to singing. He works as an Internal Auditor at Edward B. Beharry and Company which by no means makes him a shy person, judging from his poise the past weeks.Fifteen-year-old Balika Seenarine is one of two Berbicians in the entire competition. The New Amsterdam Multilateral student has been holding her own grounds.Gail Ann Singh, 24, is also in the top 15 of the Bollywood segment after getting the nod from voters and the judges. She is employed at the Dr. Sugrim Private Medical Firm.Ritesh Tularam,Kemba Walker College Jersey, 30,china jerseys cheap, is an Inspector of the Ministry of Education. The last time, he rode a bicycle on the stage.For Somdatt Ramessar,Cheap USC Trojans Jerseys, show business is nothing new. He has even journeyed to Grenada for a Diwali show, taking time out from his job as the Food Bank Manager at the National AIDS Programme Secretariat.Though Chavela Rampersaud, 22,Marcus Allen USC Jersey, is a professional singer with the Caribbean Hotshots Band,Junior Seau College Jersey, it has not been easy when competing with the likes of Kamal ‘Andy’ Rattan, 18, a student at Global Technology, whose outfits are the stuff of show business.Bibi Khan, 25, a mother of two,Troy Aikman UCLA Jersey, whose hobbies include painting henna, has also joined 15-year-old Parshnarine Hansraj in the finals.Tickets for tonight’s English segment finals at the National Cultural Centre are almost gone and it is expected to be fireworks among the 11 contestants inclusive of wildcard, Jenelle Pierre, who has been given another breather.As the judges have said, it is crunch time. |
|