Sunday, September 8, 2013

Carnival Queen Show 2012 - My Opinion

 Originally posted: July 8, 2012 at 12:56pm


Like so many St. Lucians in the diaspora I rushed home to watch our yearly Carnival Queen Show on my computer screen from thousands of miles away. Although being so far away we try to compensate for our absence by participating, in any way possible, with all things 'local.' It makes us feel, even though for a few moments, as though we never left. Thank goodness for the internet. Last night Murphy was alive and well at the Queen Show where too many things went wrong. Not because of Murphy, but rather because of poor planning, a serious lack of standards, and an atrocious entertainment choreography. For a moment I thought I was watching The House of Dark Shadows, starring Barnabas Collins and Maggie. At any moment I was expecting Shane to put a vampire bite on Onika's neck. I mean seriously did anyone need to tell them there needed to be more light?

Swimwear for me was really good. Not perfect but nice. These girls must have been the fittest, sexiest, longest legged contestants to ever grace a queen show stage in St. Lucia. The husband and wife dancing duo was absolutely superb. They were fantastic....world class.

The contestants tried really hard. They put in the time, practice, and dedication to do their best. They were however failed by the organizers of the show. It is clear that the planning was poor, rehearsals were inadequate, as there just appeared to be a mass of confusion on stage with the format. Everything should be in a Carnival Queen Show  handbook. That way nobody is left up to their own 'feelings' about how things should be done. There should be a  standard on stage activity. How to hand out prizes. What the format of the show will be. What is a no-no for announcers and commentators. Too many times we have hosts and entertainers saying the most inappropriate things at these shows. There should be contracts for everyone in the public eye. A proper job description, and a clear
understanding of what is accepted and not.

Things really started going downhill during the question and answer segment. Of course supporters of the different contestants will love it when the opponents mess up with the answers. This happens at all shows of that type. Poor jab the girls, that must be the most nerve-racking part of it all; especially if the person ahead of you messes up. But can you believe the horror when the judge is actually the one messing up during the show? How can a judge who can't even read now turn around and judge a contestant on diction and how she answers that same messed up question? Maman  mouton blanc!!

First off, I thought this judge had just come from a workout at the gym rather than sitting as a judge at a Queen Show. 'Muskles' all over the place bulging out from her sleeveless top. And then being unable to read her own question to the contestant. She made the same mistakes each of the three times that she reread the question. It was so horrendous that the crow eventually booed that judge! What!! Can you imagine how that contestant must have been traumatized having to answer after all that? Poor thing.

The prize giving was a disaster in itself. Does there really need to be a participating award given? Can't that be given later for posterity to the contestants? My goodness, what is the purpose of a chaperone? No table behind the contestants to put the prizes resulting in prizes being placed on the floor!

What really gets me is the failure to capitalize on the highlight of the Queen Show. The crowning glory for the queen was lack lustre and a mass of mediocrity and confusion with last year's queen simply removing the crown and placing it on the new queen's head. Isn't this supposed to be a queen? Isn't this why we were supposed to be dressed formally, to be in the presence of the queen? Where was the throne to seat the queen for that epic crowning moment? Where is her velvet robe? Where is her sceptre? Then to be flanked by the other contestants for that photo opportunity moment, which will go down in history and for posterity.

A french translation of crowning glory has it as "le plus grand triomphe" The queen had no such moment last night.

Synonymns for crowning "climactic, consummate, culminating, final, mother (of all), paramount, sovereign, supreme, ultimate"
Let the queen be a queen!

It was a Queen show with a formal dress code. Why are people in there looking like they are dressed for jour ouvert. Couldn't there be more appropriate music when the queen is announced? My word man, is the only thing which gets St. Lucians to react is for them to mash up something, or wave a dirty rag or half bath towel? Ricky T can sing but he has no sense of occasion, and it's time we learn to be appropriate. Before he sang at the end of the QUEEN SHOW Ricky T says "I just want to send a shout out to my baby mama"

Then the queen was unceremoniously dragged away from the stage to be interviewed by Shane and Onika and then they just abandoned her and start talking among themselves as if she was not even there. Maman maman maman!

Last night's Carnival Queen Show was a disaster! It was a compendium of horrors, a cacophany of woes, an embarrassment of epic proportions. A disgrace. A farce.

And who doh like it allez toofay!!

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