KTV down to final four

First, an announcement. The KTV finals scheduled for tonight at the Palm Court have been postponed due to the inclement weather. The competition, however, has been set for Wednesday night–that’s tomorrow–and if it continues to rain the show will simply move indoors to the Bliss Auditorium. As you may be aware, we are down to the final four contestants: Ronald Casimiro, Tricia Gabourel, Dejon Tucker and Patrick McPherson. Each has his or her own loyal following, and those fans will no doubt turn out in force. Tonight, for those viewers who may not know the performers personally, we’ve put together a series of profiles. Each of our News Five reporters spent time with one of the singers and they offer the following series of reports.

Ronald Casimiro, KTV finalist
?Whenever I sing, I feel joy; it takes away a lot of stress, the daily routine that you?d go through.?

Janelle Chanona, Reporting
Twenty-five year old Ronald Casimiro has been down this road before. In 2005, his Michael Jackson routine was a show stopper but he was eliminated before the finals.

Ronald Casimiro
?The prizes and everything very attractive and stuff but I basically just love music. I?m just like someday I would want to become famous and you know, just put my family name in lights. I want to be one of the Belizeans that really mek it big inna music, really get there.?

Casimiro?s biggest fans are his family and friends.

Kim Casimiro, Sister
?We clap, we sing, we scream, we blow whistle, we da eh supporters.?

Jovita Casimiro, Mother
?I like to hear those songs, especially when he sings them, because he sings them good. He can sing well.?

Karen Young, Co-worker
?As your co-worker, I want you to sing to your best and I know you can do it for us. And I will always be there to cheer you on.?

Janelle Chanona
?What kind of song you think he should do??

Karen Young
?He should do maybe a nice slow song that can rock the crowd.?

Elizabeth Reid, Co-worker
?The first one, the first one was very good. Penny Lover, that?s my favourite.?

Janelle Chanona
?So suppose he win, you think things will change around the office. You think he might have to give up his day job??

Elizabeth Reid
?No, he is going to be the same old Ronald.?

Kim Casimiro
?I feel happy but yet nervous. Just good luck Rons and good luck to everyone else. May the best person win.?

Reporting for News Five, I am Janelle Chanona.

Alyssa Noble, Reporting
While her powerful vocals have earned her a spot as the only female finalist in the KTV competition, according to Tricia Gabourel, the experience has also given her other reasons to celebrate: fans and confidence.

Tricia Gabourel, KTV Finalist
?Of course I look forward to winning, but my most rewarding part of the experience is the kids. Sometimes you are walking down the street and the kids they are like ?Hello, dah you win KTV!? And you know that mek me happy dat deh could actually get wah smile pah deh face. It?s made me more confident because this is the first time I?m actually coming out of my shell, and singing. First, I was a little bit shy, even my friends I wouldn?t sing around because you know I just have little jitters, I no wah sing.?

According to Gabourel, those jitters almost prevented her from entering the competition until her friends intervened.

Tricia Gabourel
?They are like go and try it and see what will happen, you neva know what will happen right? So just try it and see how good it wah turn out fi be. And I reached this far, so I feel privileged.?

And while KTV has been Gabourel?s breakthrough, she says she?s still the same person with great friends, a supportive family, big laughs and a little mischief.

Tricia Gabourel
?I like have fun, I like laugh, I like give jokes and I like when fun people deh round me. Majority, ninety percent of my day, I?m with my friends and we di heng out and di laugh and di have fun, even in class. Sometimes the teacher have to be like ?behave? or something because we di have fun in deh.?

Gabourel is a student at U.B. and hopes to become a pharmacist one day. In the interim she?s working as a dental assistant for Dr. Espada at the Lion?s Clinic.

And even though Gabourel has her hands full with school and work, she definitely has her eyes on the prize.

Tricia Gabourel
?I want to win, definitely, but everybody have wah chance fi win because everybody else really good.?

In the mean time, she continues to practice.

Alyssa Noble reporting for News Five.

Dejon Tucker, KTV Finalist
?Actually I don?t want to seem over confident that is why I react that way. I had a feeling that I did very well and I felt that I had a chance to be with in it.?

Jacqueline Godwin, Reporting
Dejon Dorwon Tucker knows in order to win he has to perform his very best. It?s a challenge those who know this U.B. student say should not be difficult for him to accomplish.

Florita Smith, Teacher
?I think he is someone who goes after whatever he desires or whatever he wants. So he is willing to go the extra mile to make sure that he gets it.?

Twenty-one year old Tucker is the youngest of six children. His mother, Cleopatra says it is not easy being a single parent but believes the disciplined she instilled in all her children has helped Dejon to succeed.

Cleopatra Tucker, Mother
?I think he is doing good. I think everybody is proud of him.?

Jacqueline Godwin
?You must be a proud mom??

Cleopatra Tucker
?I am proud of him. I am a proud mom.?

Dejon Tucker
?What I can assure the audience is that for the last two shows I have been singing songs that really cater to the audience participation and audience involvement. But being the individual that I am, I am going to make sure that I pick songs that will display my voice quality.?

But this time around Dejon?s mom will likely hear that voice through her TV.

Cleopatra Tucker
?I no sure I think I will stay home. I think I will stay home.?

Reporting for News Five, I am Jacqueline Godwin.

Duncan McPherson, Father
?He has always been a high aimer and has always succeeded in shooting for what he aims at.?

Kendra Griffith, Reporting
And this week Patrick McPherson has his eyes set on the big prize.

Patrick McPherson, KTV Finalist
?From I got into this karaoke stuff my mom was behind me, ?I want that bed, I want that bed.? And I will just try by best to get that bed for my mom.?

But while it looks like singing on stage comes naturally to the twenty year old resident of Sittee River village, Patrick is a newcomer to the karaoke scene.

Patrick McPherson
?Actually this is the first time that I have ever done karaoke. I?ve sing before, but not karaoke. I only sing in church and little concerts and stuff like that. Gospel concerts and I?ve done entertainment as pageants, I enjoy pageants as well. But karaoke I?ve never done before.?

Kendra Griffith
?What made you decide to enter the competition??

Patrick McPherson
?Sitting in the house, now and again turning the bamboo antennae, trying to get a clear view of what?s going on the TV. I used to just sit there and just look on and criticise. Oh, he?s lipping, he?s lipping and I get nuff of that. Why don?t I get up there and try to do my best and try to outshine those who have already passed on.?

And having won two rounds already, Patrick?s not about to change his recipe for success.

Patrick McPherson
?From the beginning I wasn?t doing anything different and I will continue to do what I have been doing for the previous shows: just go on up there, enjoy myself and act naturally.?

According to Sittee River Chairman Duncan McPherson, who is also Patrick?s father, there will be no shortage of support for his son.

Duncan McPherson
?The family, the immediate family, the village, all other village and the entire Stann Creek district is behind Patrick. They look upon him as a beacon shining and to bring back the big one for the entire district.?

Patrick McPherson
?If I don?t make it, I will feel very, very disappointed, so I will try my best to make it. They give me that courage to do it.?

Reporting for News Five, I am Kendra Griffith.

Remeber, the finals begin at nine Wednesday night at the Bliss. Tickets are ten dollars. For those living outside of television range the show will be streamed live on the internet at www.channel5belize.com