THE REST OF THE MOST CLEVEREST Though Ali Gýs brazen commentary formed the afternoonýs centerpiece, he was preceded and followed by an array of student, faculty and alum speakers. Dean of the College Benedict H. Gross ý71 previewed todayýs Commencement proceedings and thanked everyone for coming out to see him. ýI am especially grateful to Ali G,ý he kidded. ýThis man flew across the Atlantic Ocean just to hear what I had to say. Thank you, Mr. G!ý Bahadu, meanwhile, told ýthe extremely good-looking Class of 2004ý of his own take on race at Harvard. Bahadu said that in the last four years, he has been mistaken on campus for black celebrities including Will Smith, Denzel Washington and Justin Timberlake, who is caucasian. ýThe dudeýs got some soul, so heýs going to be an honorary brother,ý Bahadu said. The marshal went on to promise that Princeýs Purple Rain would be played at all subsequent 2004 reunions. The ceremony also included the awarding of two Ames awards. The leadership award was given to Christine D. Tran ý04 and George Lee ý04. Other speeches included two Harvard Orationsýone by Nicholas R. Smith ý04, on the subject of truth, and one by Jennifer N. Hawkins ý04 titled ýOn Being a Harvard Class.ý Two lighthearted Ivy Orations did their best to warm the audience up for Ali Gýs tone. Leila A. Strachan ý04 spoke of the future, while Colin K. Jost ý04ýthe former president of the Harvard Lampoon, a semi-secret Sorrento Square social organization which used to occasionally publish a so-called humor magazineýdelivered an often-inaccurate disquisition on the history of Class Day, inexplicably deeming himself ýarguably more powerful than Larry Summers, physically.ý Jost, whose appearance was heralded by a boom-boxed rendition of Cyndi Lauperýs ýGirls Just Wanna Have Fun,ý concluded his ramble with a profound, and profoundly funny, observation. ýAnyway, I guess my point is, weýre immortal,ý Jost pronounced. ýStaff writer Simon W. Vozick-Levinson can be reached at vozick@fas.harvard.edu.