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By Jammie Salagubang

Daily Bruin Contributor

Signs of Spring at UCLA:

1. People badly in need of tans decide to show off their pale appendages.

2. Worse selection of classes this quarter.

3. Residential Telephone Services have screwed up your phone bill (wait, that's every quarter).

4. The hike up Bruin Walk is not only torturous, but sweatier.

5. The squirrels are more aggressive.

6. More flies, besides the aggressive squirrels, bothering people while they eat.

7. People have more excuses to ditch class (like you really needed them).

8. The annual migration of that rare and lucrative species: touristas camerasus.

9. Graduating seniors look scared.

10. Spring Sing is here!

"Spring Sing is just a huge festival of song and dance," says Bob Schermerhorn, a fourth-year psychology student and executive director of tonight's Spring Sing at the Los Angeles Tennis Center on campus. "At UCLA, everyone is kind of doing their own thing, but Spring Sing brings it all together in this huge production where everyone is going for the same common thing - to promote UCLA spirit."

Now in its 49th year, Spring Sing is UCLA's oldest musical tradition. The show originated as a contest between fraternities that serenaded sororities. Over the years, Spring Sing has grown. At its height, it was held at the Hollywood Bowl and attended by over 10,000 people.

This year's performance will feature 16 student acts competing in six categories: solo, duet, ensemble, a capella, production and band.

The audience will also see the recipient of the George and Ira Gershwin (GIG) Award: musician John Lee Hooker. Every year at Spring Sing, the GIG is presented for lifetime achievement. Past award winners have included Angela Lansbury (1988), Ray Charles (1991) and Mel Torme (1995). Musically active for 50 years, Hooker is also a Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame inductee. He also recently received multiple Grammy awards for his 1997 album, "Don't Look Back." Mick Fleetwood, of Fleetwood Mac will present the award to Hooker.

"His music has influenced a lot of different people in the music industry," Schermerhorn says.

Celebrities also play a part in keeping the show humming. Chris Hardwick from "Singled Out" emceed last year's event, a position Ronald Reagan has also held many times in years past.

Celebrity judges choose winners in each category. Some of the stars this year include Krista Allen (Billy from "Days of Our Lives"), Anthony Michael Hall ("The Breakfast Club" and other Brat Pack movies) and Kelly Rutherford (Megan from Fox's "Melrose"). The winners have their names engraved on a trophy and hopefully receive something more.

"(SAA) brings out agents and people from the entertainment industry so that they can get exposure to that industry," Schermerhorn says.

And the performers are appreciative. Mark Armstrong, a second-year communication studies student who won in the solo category last year, was reluctantly persuaded to join Spring Sing by his friends. This year, he will perform again without the influence of others.

"What I like the best about Spring Sing is the chance to perform and spread my music to more people," Armstrong says. "It's just good exposure for me to be seen performing and doing my own material, because you never know what might come out of it, a record contract, publishing deal. Spring Sing can give a little step into the industry."

Armstrong will perform his original vocal composition titled "Airplane in the Rain" for the solo category.

Third-year communication studies and accounting student Mona Tavakoli, along with her band, Chrysalis, an all-female modern folk rock group, will also perform an original song.

"There's something for everyone," Tavakoli says. "It's a plethora of diverse talent pooling together for a good ol' time."

Other performers include STOMP on Campus, a group that does similar routines to the famed percussion group; Kasama, an a capella group singing "I Feel For You" and jazz band Collective Harmony performing "Amazing Grace." The Alpha Phi sorority and the Theta Chi fraternity will perform one production number while the Tri-Delta sorority and Phi Kappa Alpha will collaborate on another.

"(Spring Sing) is really cool because you can get the average Josie Bruin off Bruin Walk and they can be a star," Tavakoli says.

However, potential performers still have to go through auditions. In February, over 80 groups tried out for the 16 slots. A panel of professors and students rated the acts and picked the ones with the highest scores.

"At Spring Sing, you see some of the most awesome talent that you're going to see at UCLA," Schermerhorn says.

Many students last year attended out of curiosity or because of friends.

"When I went last year, I thought it was going to be kind of like 'hurhurhur' but it was really good, I was really impressed," says Veronica Brooks, a second-year psychology and political science student. "Spring Sing is better than life itself!"

Hernane Tabay, a second-year chemical engineering student, although not quite as enthusiastic, also enjoyed last year's Spring Sing.

"It was hilarious," says Tabay. "It was pure entertainment for about five bucks."

Tavakoli sees Spring Sing as a bargain between the audience and the performers.

"People that are buying the tickets to Spring Sing are coming to see a good show and the performers are there to give it to them," Tavakoli says.

Like another UCLA landmark, Spring Sing seems like the place where it all comes together.

MUSIC: Spring Sing will be held at the Los Angeles Tennis Center tonight at 8 p.m. Tickets are $4 for SAA members, $6 for UCLA students. For more information, call (310) UCLA-101.

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