ENCOURAGING NEWS FROM SURINAME

For the first time since she's been jailed for impersonating Toni Braxton, Trina Johnson-Finn has hope.

The Las Vegas celebrity impersonator was allowed to confront the promoter who booked her in Suriname, a gig that turned into a 2 1/2-month nightmarish imprisonment.

The promoter, Angel Ventura, confessed in front of the chief of police and attorneys that Trina had no knowledge of the hoax.

The development was announced Monday by Raymond Finn, Trina's husband. He e-mailed her supporters, saying Trina had an opportunity to confront Ventura on Friday and Ventura confessed in front of the Chief of Police and the attorneys "that he set up the entire concert scam."

Ventura "admitted that she was just hired to sing," Finn said in the e-mail.

He added, the case "now sits in the Prosecutor's office. There should be no reason for her to be continued to be detained."

-- NORM CLARKE, Vegas Confidential