Host of Magnum Kings and Queens Empress (right) interviews DJ Lady Hunter during a Magnum Kings and Queens audition at the Afrodiziac nightclub, Portmore Town Centre, Portmore, St Catherine, last Saturday.

Over five hundred contestants flocked the Magnum Kings and Queens auditions at the Afrodiziac nightclub in Portmore Town Centre, Portmore last Saturday.

This is the third of five auditions. Magnum Kings and Queens has made stops in Montego Bay, St James and May Pen, Clarendon. The two final stops will be in Ocho Rios, St Ann, and in Kingston.

One hundred and twenty-six contestants got callbacks for Sunday's final judging from which 10 contestants (five princes and five princesses) will be chosen for the next round.

Favourite contestants

They will be grouped with 40 other contestants from the four other auditions. Come January 17, 2009, recordings of all five auditions will air on TVJ for five weeks to give the public a chance to vote for their favourite contestants.

The top 20 (10 princes and 10 princesses) will advance to the live show which will be aired on TVJ at 9 p.m. on February 28, 2009.

There was the usual dancehall fashion that goes along with an event that mainly deals with hardcore DJs.

DJ Mary was seen in an African outfit made by her mother.

The delightful Empress, the host of the show, was dressed in African-inspired clothing and not only helped to make contestants feel comfortable, but also brought life to the event.

There was a lot of drama inside the audition area. Some contestants either got the 'thumbs up' or 'forwards' for passing the test and the ones who failed heard 'next' or 'thank you', from the judges.

One of the contestants, who caught the eye of the judges with her stage presence and her ability to ride the rhythm was DJ Lady Hunter.

The female DJ, inspired by Tanya Stephens gave the judges something to smile about and was immediately given a slip to return the next day.

"The talents are very good in Portmore. This is a good turnout. Over 500 people, turned out today, the judges will be forced to make tough decisions," Mark Kenny, the producer of the show told The Star.

The King and the Queen of the competition will each pocket one million dollars.

GT Taylor (left), Bugle (centre) and Assassin seen here signalling their agreement to the theme, Love Peace and Respect, for the 9th staging of the Magnum GT Taylor Christmas Extravaganza. Stakeholders came together last Monday at the Lascelles offices in Kingston to discuss making this year's event a magnificent staging. - Contributed