Last Thursday eve was round two of Tony Labat’s I WANT YOU project: They came, they performed, we scored, and five winners were chosen from the original pool of 54, to have their slogans printed on posters and plastered around town.

Photo: Aimee Nicole Friberg

At 861 points: Miss Nicole Mills-Novoa, also known as “Bird,” who warbled her way through a charming act with hand-puppets.

Top-scorer of the night (at 872 points) Ms. Sadie Lune, with the handsome & charismatic Mr. Tony Labat himself. (An excerpt from her winning slogan: “I want you. I want you to be nice to sex workers. I want you, I really do. Vote Yes on Prop K!”)

Photo: Aimee Nicole Friberg

Tara Jepsen & Beth Lisick, in third place, with 860 points, as Don & Phil: (“We just want you to have a little class.”):

Photo: Aimee Nicole Friberg

Poet Hazel White, with 805 points: (“I Want You/ to End Racism/ thought by thought/word by word.”):

Photo: Aimee Nicole Friberg

And Kali Eichen, with 782 points, who said, “I WANT YOU to smile at a stranger. Right now. Go on. Turn around. Find someone you don’t know, look them in the eye and smile.” [We did. Everyone in the audience did make smile at strangers nearby.]:

The voting was done scantron-style, and over 200 ballots were added up live onstage at the end of the evening (that’s the Education Department’s own Megan Brian, in patriotic red/white/blue, making good with the scantron machine).

And with inter-act cabaret by sparkling chanteuse of the fabulous shoes, Ms Veronica Klaus:

Photo: Aimee Nicole Friberg

The project’s not over: look out around town for the posters which should be going up soon. Likewise, we’ll be screening Tony’s video of the auditions on election day, November 4th at 6:30 in the Wattis theater, and again on December 2nd at noon; both of these screenings will be free and open to the public. A huge thank you to all the contestants who turned out to perform, to the audience for voting, and to emcee Jason Mateo. The Flickr set is here.