Pyrotechnicians shot fire into the air and sparks cascaded down onto the judges' table at Breslin Center on Friday night, as funky kaleidoscopic images swirled about on two giant, white arrowhead pieces of canvas.
Add some Michael Jackson music, which blasted from the bass-heavy speakers, and one would have thought the King of Pop had made a surprise visit to MSU.
Well, in a way, he did.
Nine lip-synching acts took to the Breslin Center stage Friday night for the 13th annual "Fake the Funk." From The Temptations to R. Kelly, the theme of old school vs. new school was evident as the acts dazzled the crow, estimated at 4,500. About 40 percent of the proceeds go toward community service projects. Event organizers said the event usually results in a profit between $10,000 to $15,000.
When all was said and done, the 18-person R. Kelly impersonator group named TP2K3 took home $1,300, the top prize.
"(It's) a rush of excitement - well worth the practices," said Terika Westbrook, a TP2K3 member and human biology sophomore. "I can't believe we won. We won because we brought it - we had the moves."
The group performed a medley of R. Kelly songs, which featured some extensive costumes - including two kabuki-clad members. Meanwhile, R. Kelly, played by Raymond Chandler, a psychology and human resource management junior, was decked out in a black suit and hat for some of the performance.
Several of the group's members were from the MSU dance troupe Urban Dreams.
Local radio personalities, MSU students and faculty and others made up the 16 judges, who ranked acts based on costumes, dancing, lip-synching and crowd response. The crowd was lively during several acts, including the Michael Jackson.
The diverse lineup resulted in a mixed reaction from the audience.
"I thought The Temptations were boring," University of Michigan student Gabrielle Rutland said, adding she came to MSU just to see the show. "They just didn't appeal to me - it's 2003, not the 1970s."
MSU no-preference freshman Arretta Williams liked several parts of the show, including a DJ battle on the stage.
"I like the old-school music," Williams said. "I get tired of hearing the same thing over and over."
Bombsquad Productions President Lashaun Pritchett, whose group organized the event, said the format changed this year because there were too many duplicate acts in previous years.
Pritchett hailed the show as a success, and her group could start planning next year's event any time now.
"The acts, they really put their best foot forward," she said. "The crowd was into it, and the first-place winners - when they were on stage - everyone was into it."
Comedian Leon Rogers, who has appeared on BET's Comic View, was a first-time "Fake the Funk" host and said he was impressed, especially with the pyrotechnics.
"I've never done a contest like this of this size," he said. "It was off the hook. They made the kids feel like stars. They went the extra mile. The whole pomp and circumstance was great."
But not everyone was all smiles following the event.
MSU alumna Alexa Alston was in a Tina Turner group, and she said she thought the contest would feature old-school acts battling fellow old-school acts and new-school acts duking it out with other new-school performers.
"I am a little upset," she said. "I enjoyed myself and had fun, but we didn't like the way they changed everything."
Meanwhile, Bombsquad and TP2K3 members can bask temporarily in the afterglow of another "Fake the Funk."
"I think we won because of all of the extensive practices we had," Keith Anderson, a TP2K3 member and telecommunication, information and media studies junior, said. "It is stressful, but it's worth it once you win."
Kris Karol can be reached at karolkri@msu.edu.
