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As seen on TV: Fresno State students Say What
Students rocked the pit Tuesday when they took part in “Say What Karaoke.” The Homecoming-week event brought out the best and worst of the undiscovered vocal talent on campus. Proceedings got off to a slow start with many students suffering from stage fright. It took Zoombie Nation, one of the event’s judges, giving a rip-roaring rendition of the Blues Brothers’ “Soul Man” to get things going. “ We’re trying to make Homecoming fun for the students by giving them events they can get involved with,” said Nation, graphic designer for University Students Union Productions. Martina Jackson and Courtney Weathersbey joined Nation on the judges’ panel. They judged the singers on a 1-to-10 scale by holding up scorecards at the end of each song. It took the bravery of a student introduced as Anthony to be the first competitor on stage. Although the judges criticized his voice and lack of movement, he played his part in getting the event moving along and scooped third prize. Next was a rousing performance of Jerry Lee Lewis’ “Great Balls of Fire” by Andrew Warwick. The energetic display earned him a respectable 29 out of a possible 30 points from the judges. “ He was running around like his butt was on fire,” Nation said. Warwick performed the song once before in junior high and wanted to help out a few of his friends who had put a lot of time into organizing the event. “ I don’t mind taking a break from class to come down here representing Fresno State in Homecoming Week and show some school spirit,” Warwick said. Warwick, a kinesiology major, bagged the second prize. The crowd was then treated to a theatrical performance when Damien Terronez sang Prince’s “When Doves Cry.” He started the song on his knees, pulling his shirt up over his chest in a fashion as strange as you would expect from anyone who changed his name to a symbol. The act was hugely entertaining and had the audience gripped throughout, never moreso than when Terronez whipped off the sweatshirt tied around his waist to expose two carefully cut holes in the seat of his pants—Terronez was not wearing underwear during Tuesday’s performance. There were blushes of embarrassment on people’s cheeks everywhere you looked. After the fuss calmed down, the eventual winner took the stage. Kelly Flores cruised through a pitch-perfect rendition of Shakira’s “Wherever, Whenever” with a generous amount of rump shaking. Flores’ performance was a deserved winner as the event went from ridiculous to sublime in the space of five minutes. Versions of “Under The Boardwalk” and “I Will Survive” followed, and the mood in the pit was lifted from the event’s slow beginnings right up until the end. Smile Yang was unfortunate not to end up in the top three after her rendition of “Save The Best Till Last.” “ I love slower songs because they suit my voice,” Yang said. Yang is a music major and said she hopes to be a professional performer after she leaves school. In the end, it seems that “Say What Karaoke” was less about professionalism and more about getting everybody involved in having a good time.
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