By Roberta M. Gubbins
Legal News
The lights dimmed in the ballroom of the Lexington Lansing Hotel on the evening of June 2nd. The lawyer/performers, unusually nervous for this non-courtroom performance, were in the wings. The judges, Hon. Paula Manderfield, Rosemarie Aquilina, and Clinton Canady were in place and the band, composed of Rush Clement, Ron Bretz, Greg Hodge and Dan Mead, was ready.
Catherine Groll, organizer, supporter and mistress of ceremonies, took the stage. She welcomed everyone to the "Greatest Show on Earth," the first ICBA "Lawyers got Talent" talent show and announced the first act, Pat Hanes, singer and guitarist.
Hanes rendition of the Jimmy Buffet song, "A Pirate looks at Forty," was followed by Kel Scott who sang "Mack the Knife" from the Three Penny Opera, first heard in 1928. The Anti-Terrorist Culp Family played by three Cooley Law School students urged all to stamp out terrorism with comedy and song. John Ujlaky played the guitar and sang, "Play with Fire," a B-side Rolling Stones song from the 1960's. Maureen Dyer sang "Because the Night," written by Bruce Springsteen and Patti Smith.
John La Pietra entertained with a Broadway show tune. Dean Amy Timmer gave a rousing rendition of her own creation "Ode to Cooley," causing the students in the audience to nod in agreement as she sang of the hard times of law school. The final performance of Act 1 was Kathryn Meninga and friends performing an energetic Zhumba Dance, the current craze in aerobic exercise.
Following the intermission, Larry Glazer, retired judge and author, played the guitar and sang the Blues song by Robert Johnson, "Crossroads." Cooley Law School Dean Cynthia Ward had the audience laughing with her stand-up comedy routine. Ron Bretz, accompanied by the band, sang "Framed" in honor of those who defend the criminals among us. Angela Brown and Ann Andrews, owners of Doggy Day Care and Spa in downtown Lansing, led their Rottweiller and Standard Poodle through their newly learned Pet Tricks. The dogs, unused to being in a room full of lawyers and encouraged by their owners, performed well.
Julie Clement say "Big, Bad, Handsome Man," accompanied by the band and Jim Hofer, complete with long blond wig, sang the Twisted Sister son "We're Not Gonna Take It." It didn't take much urging for the audience to join in with the chorus. Greg Hodge closed the evening, playing the keyboard and singing "Great Balls of Fire," bringing the audience to their feet.
While the audience sang and danced with the band, the judges met to tally up their scores. Judge Manderfield announced the winners:
First place: Greg Hodge
Second place: Maureen Dyer
Third place: Ron Bretz
Fourth place: Julie Clement
The Peoples Choice award also went to Greg Hodge for his performance. The audience left with a smile and a song, looking forward to the next time they could have so much fun being lawyers. One of the comments heard was an enthusiastic "This is the best Bar function ever."
Published: Thu, Jun 9, 2011
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