The Results for the 2012 Chutney Soca Monarch Finals are as follows:

1st Place – KI with 36,737 text votes

2nd Place – Rikki Jai with 32,731 votes

3rd Place – Rick Ramoutar with 3,982 votes

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Legendary pop singer Whitney Houston died at a Beverly Hills, California, hotel at age 48

Legendary pop singer Whitney Houston has died at age 48, representative Kristen Foster said Saturday night.

The cause and location of her death was not immediately known.

According to her official website, Houston, who struggled with addiction problems over the years, sold more than 170 million albums, singles and videos over her career.

Houston was set to appear in this year’s “Sparkle,” a remake of the 1976 hit, which was loosely based on the story of The Supremes. It was her first movie role since 1996′s “The Preacher’s Wife.”

News of her death elicited a flood of reaction on social media, from fans and fellow celebrities alike.

Music producer Russell Simmons wrote he was “deeply saddened by the death of Whitney Houston,” while singer Gloria Estefan said she was “shocked we’ve lost the immensely talented” entertainer.

Houston’s body of work includes seven straight Billboard No. 1 hits in the 1980s, including “Saving All My Love for You,” “How Will I Know,” “Greatest Love of All” and “Where Do Broken Hearts Go.”

Billboard put her soundtrack to the movie “The Bodyguard” as one of the top 10 biggest-selling albums of all time. She also starred in the film.

The daughter of singer Cissy Houston, Whitney was born on August 9, 1963, in Newark, New Jersey. Famed music producer Clive Davis reportedly spotted Houston 20 years later in a New York nightclub, signing her on the spot, according to her website.

The singer’s rendition of the national anthem at the 1991 Super Bowl, days into the first Persian Gulf War, earned raves and cemented her place in the American musical landscape.

After “The Bodyguard,” Houston went on to appear in several more films in the 1990s, including “Waiting to Exhale.”

In 2000, Houston earned her sixth Grammy for best female R&B performance and, a month later, she was named female artist of the decade at the “Soul Train” Music Awards. Houston died on the eve of this year’s Grammy Awards.

Her career stalled, however, in subsequent years as she entered rehab for addiction problems.

In May 2011, Houston got help for her much-publicized struggle with drugs and alcohol, her representative said at the time.

In a 2009 interview with Oprah Winfrey, Houston recalled how her mother arrived one day at her doorstep at her daughter’s house with sheriff’s officers and a court order in a drug intervention. She talked about doing cocaine and smoking marijuana.

“(My mother) says, ‘I have a court (injunction) here,” Houston said. “Either you do it my way, or we’re just not going to do this at all. We are both going to go on TV, and you’re going to retire.’”

Houston had a high-profile and tumultuous marriage to Bobby Brown, a former “New Edition” star who has had multiple brushes with the law. The couple appeared together in the mid-2000s on the reality show “Being Bobby Brown.”

Producer Clive Davis steered Houston’s career for more than 25 years, also serving as a mentor.

 

The stage is set and the contestants are ready for the finals of the flavourite supreme Ice cream National Soca Monarch.

After months of preparation and a gruelling semi-final contest … 11 primary schoollers and 14 secondary school students will perform their renditions one more time in front of the judges.

North Eastern College’s Mark Pierre is the defending champion in the secondary school’s competition and he will be performing at number 12.

High expectations also surround the primary school competition with Calypso sensation and Newtown Boys singer Aaron Duncan in the midst of other talented juniors.

Sponsors for 11 years running … Flavourite’s Marketing Manager Keenan Rooper said they are proud to keep the tradition alive.

The event takes place today at the Queen’s Park Savannah from 10am.

Workers at the Port of Port of Spain have once again downed tools in protest at not receiving their back pay

The workers say they were supposed to receive back pay for the three year period 2008 to 2011 following the signing of an agreement by their union the Seamen and Waterfront Workers Trade Union in December of last year.

However to date the workers have not received the monies.

Workers on the 3pm to 11pm shift stayed off the job yesterday causing operations at the port to come to a halt.

Port CEO, Collin Lucas says the Port Authority is in the process of attempting to source the funds to pay the workers.

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Police are investigating the murder of a Moruga Chicken farmer.

Around 7:35 last evening, 34 year old Randy DeCoteau was sitting on the porch of his uncle’s home in St Mary’s Village Moruga.

A black b14 vehicle approached and 3 masked men dressed in camouflage outfits exited the vehicle and began shooting at DeCoteau.

DeCoteau ran to the back of the house where he collapsed and died.

Police say he was known to them.

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The first prize of the Power Soca Monarch competition this year will again be 2 million dollars; confirmed this morning by Chairman of the Caribbean Prestige Foundation, William Munro.

After Reigning Power Soca Monarch, Machel Montano walked away with the first ever 2 million dollar prize for the competition last year the Ministry of Arts and Multiculturalism had said that the Government would not be able to commit to offering this sum for the first prize again this year.

However, in a televised interview this morning Mr. Munro said the CPF was able to gather the rest of the monies from sponsors.

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