With a talent section worth all of 20 points, a Festival Song medley by Andrew Cassanova and guest appearances from Roy Rayon and Tarrus Riley, Sunday's Festival Queen finals was an entertaining affair.

The finalists delivered song, speech, dance and drama to a very enthusiastic audience at the National Indoor Sports Centre, Arthur Wint Drive, St. Andrew. Miss St. Ann Shanique DaCosta, Miss Trelawny Kristal Hall and Miss St. Thomas all went with dance, the last taking off her dowdy outfit to do the 'Gully Creeper' in her 'Granny Transform' skit.

Miss Manchester Subrina Ward went with an effectively delivered song for her 'African Pride' piece, with many of the other parish queens going for monologues. Outstanding among them were Miss Clarendon Whytney Kissoon's 'News As It Should Be', which she delivered with a straight face and in an excellent voice as members of the audience reeled with laughter at the notion of an exchange rate of two US dollars to one Jamaican dollar.

And the eventual winner, Miss Westmoreland Katrina Grant took the house down with 'Strength of a Woman', in which she portrayed a 'bashment' babymother at a clinic.

After intermission, Andrew Cassanova with Shauna-Kay on harmony dipped into the Festival Song songbook for a merry medley, the In2Nation band providing the music. He started out 'tootling' with 'Pomps and Pride' and 'Sweet and Dandy', raised the temperature with 'Love Fever' and played the music with Tinga Stewart.

Roy Rayon worked with tracks in delivering Festival Songs 21 years apart. This year's 'Rise and Shine' came first and, when he spread his arms and twirled to the 'wheel' in 'Give Thanks and Praises' the massive cheered.

There was a wait for Tarrus Riley, but when he started off singing 'I love you' rapidly and repeatedly from off-stage impatience gave way to enthusiasm. And that turned to tumult on 'Stay With You'.

There was no need to ask anybody to sing on 'She's Royal', the women especially testing the volume of the sound system as they sang loudly in unison. A restart was required and duly given.

"When I sey King and Queen crown same time it mean man and woman are equal. I don't want the man rough up the woman and I don't want the woman rough up the man," Riley said, before singing "I an I know the king and queen crown same time".

He trotted off the stage to howls of protest, but returned to move the audience again with 'Beware' and 'Lion Paw', many holing out five fingers in the symbol of strength and unity as the slow beat took hold and Riley sang from his soul.