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Volume IX, Number 3
nt Voice
ONE
57 November 16, 2007
Move Over, Simon Cowell: Montreat’s Got Talent!
Johnny McDowell
So we have all seen the TV phe
nomenon America’s Got Talent, and
if you have not—^where have you
been? Well, it seems that an endre
season could be Imed right here
at Montreat College. The audito
rium was full of bustling students
and intrigued staff members; the
stage was set; and on Thursday,
November 8, we witnessed the
emergence of some of Montreat’s
most talented students. No one
who was formnate enough to be
present in Upper Anderson can
deny this.
The show was given a hilarious
and boisterous opening thanks to
the emceeing skills of the smooth
moving Kate Thacker and the
smooth talking Craig Walston.
The hosts kept the night owing
and the laughs coming with little
effort. Perhaps the highlights r)f
their humorous hosdng were their
undeniable “sparks” and crunk
dancing with the one and only
Daniel Bennett (who, in my opin
ion, should have won most come
Iffy Dean, Callan White Hinman, and Adam Brokaw
die act for his dancing).
The rst act to light up the
stage was that of Nik Franks as a
charismatic televangelist. Both by
his attire and acting abilities, Nik
kept the audience entertained and
laughing throughout his perfor
mance. He thoroughly deserved
to win the most comedic perfor
mance that evening. Whether it
was the muUet straight out of Joe
Dirt or the hilarious content (“say
‘Amen, hallelujah,’ shake a leg and
do a little dance”), it was clear that
Nik had put a lot of effort into
his act—and needless to say, the
audience appreciated it.
Being a liberal arts college, it’s
logical to assume that there is a
lot of musical talent here. Most
of the acts were of the musi
cal variety, but perhaps the most
surprising element was that all
the acts were unique and power
ful. This was true whether it was
the rockers—like Sam Collins or
Craig and Joe in their Tenacious
D “tribute”—or the piano ac
companied acts, like
that of the beauti
ful Josie Baker or
the charming Phillip
Marsalona.
The wealth of tal
ent highlights how
God blesses those
who use their tal
ents, which he has
given to them, to
glorify him. The acts
kept the audience
“There are different kinds of gifts,
but the same Spirit."
1 Corinthians 12:4
Pete Taylor as Dwight Schrute
enthralled and in awe throughout,
whether it was Steve Carter’s abil
ity to contort his body and attract
the opposite sex, or the heart
breaking, Oscar worthy portrayal
of C.S. Lewis, which left no dry
eyes in the house.
It would be almost impossible
to name one highlight from the
show. Whether the acts were sing
ing Disney classics or rapping
emotive and powerful rhymes,
they all sparkled in their own
ways. Judge Callan White Hinman
commented on the acts, claiming
that she needed many more cat
egories for winners as so many
of the performers deserved the
monetary prize.
Undeniably, the abilities of the
contestants were intimidating.
The judges had a very dif cult job
trying to decide on three winners
out of 16 acts. Nik was awarded
the comedic award thanks to his
larger than life performance. The
other two awards were harder
to calculate, as witnessed by the
judge’s extension of their dehb
eration time, which led to a rather
amusing time Uer by the con
dent presenters.
In the end, the judges gave the
best solo performance to Shan'
non Olson for her excellent pi
ano skills. She honestly blew the
whole audience and judges away
with her quick ngers, timing, and
accuracy. At one point in the per
formance, many of the audience
stood up to get a better view of
the talented pianist.
The group award was more
contested, and a tie breaker was
necessary to determine the win
ner. A decibel reader was used to
determine the winner of this cat
egory, but the choice was no easy
feat. The contest was between
Cami Routh and Carlie Howard,
who performed a touching and
evanescent rendition of “On My
Own,” and JuUe Hem and Anna
Mittower, who played the ute
and piano in magical unity. Carlie
and Cami walked home with the
prize money, but all the perform
ers walked back to the dorms with
the respect of their peers.
The night’s entertainment was
thoroughly enjoyed by all, and it
is a clear testament to the vast ar
ray of personalities and abilities
here on campus. Yet the most
exciting part is the fact that re
ally what we all saw was just the
tip of the iceberg. So I challenge
all those smdents at Montreat to
remember the joys of that Thurs
day night, but also to be ready to
Sam Collins performs an original song
push the bar up again for the next
talent show, as it’s apparent that
Montreat’s Got Talent!
Nik Franks