Auditions for the 2009 Tastee Talent Trail (T3) have just passed the halfway stage following the third staging of auditions on Saturday, June 27, in Ocho Rios.

There are three other dates before completion of the six auditions in this year's Talent Trail series; these are Port Antonio, July 25, Montego Bay, August 29 and Kingston, September 26.

Following a slow start in Portmore in May, the momentum has increased tremendously, to the extent where both May Pen and Ocho Rios surpassed expectations with entrants.

This year, eight contestants will be selected from each audition for a total of 48. They will then be placed in two semi-finals, in batches of 24 each, out of which a top 10 will be selected for the grand finals in December at Mas Camp.

A breakdown of the 24 contestants selected so far reads:

From Portmore:

Stacy Blackwood - singer, Dean Benjamin - DJ, PK Twins: Duchan Cooke & Dwight Cooke - DJs, Iran Dixon - singer, Wayne Williams - singer, Richardo Laird - singer, Airrion Foote - singer, ED Hardy dancers: Troy Johnson, Nicholas Richards and Delvin Henry - dancers.

From May Pen:

Gullaza Clique: Jahmarie Williams, Trevoroy Allen & Alessendro Elliott - dancers, Angeline Hamilton - singer, Orale Johnson - singer, Okima Lindsay - singer, Dwayne Archer - DJ, Ray Jarrett - DJ, Anthony Lewis- DJ, Jermain Bryan - singer.

From Ocho Rios:

Gregory Williams - singer, Steve Watkins - singer, Krishan T. Beckford - singer, Aba Jones - singer, Nicola Gayle - singer, Jermain Burford - singer, Eddy Aspilaire - singer, Secret Melodies: Moiyan Williams, Donovan Ellis & Courtney Lawrence - singers, Kevan Bennett - singer and Samantha Tobias - singer.

As selected by audition judges: Audrey Reid, Basil Walters & Michael Edwards; these persons, along with the next batch of 24, will attend grooming classes and band rehearsals with Unique Vision in Kingston and Same Band in Montego Bay in preparation for the Kingston semi-final on Thursday, October 22 in the Tastee Open Area Theatre, Cross Roads, and Saturday, November 21 at the Montego Bay Tastee Depot.

Eddy Aspilaire, Tastee Trail finalist from Ocho Rios. - Contributed photos