Black delights audience

By Christine Leonards

Sunday’s warm weather did not deter almost 1,000 students from taking time out of their afternoons to arrive nearly an hour early to get seats in Foellinger Auditorium to see comedian Michael Ian Black.

Black, who is best known for his appearances in the TV series Ed and the I Love The ’70s/’80s/’90s shows on VH1, entertained the crowd with his dry sense of humor. Black began his career when he joined the comedy group The State, which had a short run with its own show on MTV. He also regularly performs in the comedy group Stella.

Black came out on stage dressed casually in a striped shirt and jeans and immediately got the crowd laughing.

“It is great to be here, at the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana,” Black said as the crowd applauded their approval.

The content of Sunday’s lecture was kept quiet, and students did not know what to expect.

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“I thought he might be giving a lecture about the war in Iraq,” said John Bezdek, senior in engineering. “I was surprised and pleased it was a comedy performance.”

“Black is very funny. A real funny guy and very intelligent,” said Bezdek, an aspiring comedian.

Black kept the laughter alive throughout the hour-long show. He joked about his children, high school, college, sex and even threw in a joke about the loss of last Monday’s NCAA Championship game, which got a few choked laughs.

“He’s very witty. I love that he can keep a straight face and be so hilarious at the same time,” said Sarah Okner, sophomore in LAS.

“I love Michael Ian Black,” said Alice Moon, sophomore in LAS. “He’s hilarious. I saw the event chalked on the sidewalk and had to come because I think he’s a great comedian.”

“As a comedian, it was cool to see another sketch comedian come and speak and seen where he’s gone from doing sketch comedy,” said Blake Stubbs, freshman in LAS.

The Lectures Committee at the Illini Union Board brought Black to campus.

“We approached Black, and we were really pleased he agreed to come,” said Meghan Bogaerts, co-chair of the Lectures Committee. “I think everybody had a nice time. It’s a great turn out. Especially since it’s so nice outside today.”