This human cartoon was responsible for shooing off those acts that didn't catch the fancy of the crowd, which had the unchecked power to cheer or boo whomever it pleased. Friday evening at Carmichael Auditorium, Amateur Night came into its own early on by doing what it does best -- getting the audience involved.
After Joseph Gray opened the show by introducing house band Ray Chew and the Crew, several audience members were chosen for a warmup dance contest. Britney's skilled entourage they weren't, but most of them showed that beneath the nice clothes and mild-mannered demeanors lurked a funky groove. Each participants was persuaded to "shake what your momma gave you."
The winner of this little contest, hands down, was a petite elderly lady from Hillsborough named Betty. As house band Ray Chew and the Crew churned out a super-charged version of MC Hammer's "U Can't Touch This," she showed she probably could move better than many students at the University.
It was then time for the crowd of judges to see the small number of performers that had made it past last month's auditions. Stand-up comic Capone served as referee and commentator. There were two rules -- not to boo kids and to give every act a fighting chance.
"Show them love until they show us different," Capone instructed.
It was almost obligatory for the audience to make examples of its unique power. There was bound to be at least one unlikely act that would leave the stage in a less-than-dignified fashion. After all, Lacey wasn't being paid for nothing.
Chapel Hill hip-hop duo Plan B was the first to face the wrath of the crowd. Truth be told, the rappers had pretty good flow and a serviceable beat backing it up. But the audience members wouldn't have much of it, and their boos soon created a large enough cacophony.
The Executioner launched himself onstage, having donned wings and a red tutu over shorts. Bare-chested and wildly waving a plastic pitchfork, he ran after the rappers -- and Sandman effectively put his first victims to sleep.
Two other performers would suffer a similar fate. Lacey donned a giant red cowboy hat for prop comic Mack Bryson and a headdress for UNC sophomore Travis Johnson, whose 'NSync-style dancing was technically precise but passe.
