2012 Junior Calypso King Now The 2012 Calypso Monarch Winner

Few Predicted This 2012 Calypso Monarch Results

As a junior calypso performer he was a look-alike.  He looked like Ian Alleyne, the popular Television crime fighter.  The Calypso that won him the Junior Calypso Crown also contributed to his new win.  The calypso was both witty and creative.  Today he stands tall, and he is, as the 2012 Calypso Monarch Winner. 

With the same rendition, The Hunt Is On” (words made popular by Ian Alleyne), this relatively unknown calypsonians came in and upset the 2012 Calypso Monarch Crown cart.  

 His name is Duane O’Conner who also sung “Long Live Calypso” to take away the grand prize of 1 million dollars. He beat 11 other professional, veteran and previous Monarch winners to walk away with the Crown. Here is his rendition of "The Hunt is On"

The Winner

The Biggest Loser

Also, we must mention the veteran Calypsoian, "Cro Cro" who's performance was also very witty and creative but focused on the inadequacies of Afro-Trinidadians in the government.  His Calypso "Say Something" really hit them with the reality of life in the new administration.  Maybe because of his hard hitting satire he won the least coveted position of all the finalist.  The losing Calypso by "Cro Cro"

The results were as follows:

Calypso Monarch

1. Duane O’Connor (The Hunt is On, Long Live Calypso)

2. Kurt Allen (Long Live Calypso, When Will It End)

3. Karene Asche (Against All Odds, You Will Win The Battle But)

4. Devon Seale (One Is One, Snapshots)

5. Heather Mac Intosh (The Adjective, One Gone)

6. Dr. Hollis “Chalkdust” Liverpool (Shame Mr Shak, How’s Dat)

7. Michael “Sugar Aloes” Osouna (Doh Force Meh Hand, Chinese Kidnapping)

8. Dexter “Stinger” Parsons (My Reason For Being Here, Advice In Song)

9. Brian London (Not Brian, Doh Complain - Come Plain)

10. Sandra “Singing Sandra” Des Vignes-Millington (On Turning 50, Why I Sing)

11. Lesley Ann Ellis (Street Justice, Mothers and Others)

12. Weston “Cro Cro” Rawlins (Say Something, Release Them)

The Carnival King and Queen were also chosen as outlined below.

King of Carnival

1. Roland St George - Ralliez-Vous A Mon Panache Blanc

2. Gerard Weekes - Malak Yahweh, The Praying Mantis

3. Curtis Eustace - The Midnight Messenger, The Mask Of

4. Adrian Young - The Crow

5. Earl Thompson - Icarus Ascending

6. Brian Chin - Prince Siegfried, the story of Swan Lake, tribute to Wayne Berkeley

7. Zainool Mohammed - Kwak Waka Wakin, the Sacred Totem

8. Wade Madray - Flight of Conscience

9. Jhawhan Thomas - Alpha

10. Shane Philip - Tree of Life

Queen of Carnival

1. Chariss Bovell - Mother of Humanity-The Weeping Madonna

2. Roxanne Omalo - Last Dance of the Enchanted Witches

3. Rose Marie Kuru Jagessar - Wachiw-I Dream of a Bustle Dancer

4. Shari Derek - D’Woman and D’Butterflies

5. Kay Mason - Amethyst Rising

6. Lanie Lezama - Harmony

7. Cherry-Ann Patrice Valere - The Limbo Dancer

8. Laura Rampersad - Princess of the Mardi Gras

9. Patricia Bailey - Exotic Sunset on the Horizon

10. Avernell Johnson - Princess Odette, Queen of the Swans

Who Will Be T&T's 2012 Calypso King?

2012 Calypso King Semi Finals Are Over.

Last Saturday, February 11 2012 a total of 18 females and 24 males competed for the 2012 Calypso King semi finals in Skinner Park, San Fernando.  Many of their renditions focused on political and social issues.    

The new People’s Partnership Government got a heavy tongue lashing for political maneuvers especially on the State of Emergency.  On the social side, songs focused on the Afro Trinidadians, advising and ridiculing pointing out their weaknesses. 

   

Winston Scarborough, “D Original De fosto Himself” and Edwin Ayoung, “Crazy” were the only two competitors to get the traditional “shit” awards when the crowd pelted them with toilet paper rolls.  All the other contenders were warmly received.  

Although the Prime Minister, Kamla Persad Bissessar, attended the show she understandably kept a low profile especially with the political mood of the crowd.  The eleven finalists selected to appear at the Dimanche Gras Show on Carnival Sunday night are in no particular order, they are as follows:

1.       Brian London

2.       Damian Seales

3.       Dexter “Stinger” Parsons

4.       Hollis “Chalkdust” Liverpool

5.       Duane O’Connor

6.       Heather McIntosh

7.       Kurt Allen

8.       Lesley Ann Ellis

9.       Michael “Sugar Aloes” Osuna

10.   Sandra “Singing Sandra” Des Vignes

11.   Weston “Cro Cro” Rawlins

They are all going after the reigning 2011 National CalypsoMonarch, Karen Asche who will be defending her title.   Although, the Caribbean Blogger is not privy to the working of the calypso minds in T&T we are predicting that Karen will have a lot of trouble retaining her crown for another year.   

Word on the street is that her victory last year was a fluke.  She came in from no-where and cop the title from under the noses of some veteran Calypsonians and five previous crown winners like the Mighty Chalkdust and Kurt Allen.  

Like everyone else we will all know on February 19, 2012, at the Dimanche Gras show. 

Keep informed.