Ah, yes. Karaoke. The musical sport that somehow causes those who can't carry a tune in a bucket to throw out all inhibitions and behave as if their singing sounds good.

A microphone, a catalog of songs and a monitor displaying song lyrics make up the karaoke kit. Karaoke's popularity is undeniable: It's been seen on the big screen - Cameron Diaz delivered a tone-deaf serenade to her man in My Best Friend's Wedding - and in recent years it's popped up in a plethora of Augusta and Aiken nightclubs and bars.

So what is it about karaoke that makes even the shyest come out of their shells and sing before a roomful of people?

"It's fun. It's good entertainment," Jennifer Forney said after a recent performance on karaoke night at The Playground, a Broad Street bar.

Ms. Forney said she's nervous each time she goes up. And although she's been told she can't sing, that doesn't stop her.

"You're just up there for fun. No one cares whether you can sing or not," she said.

Johnny Fontaine likes to get his 3 1/2 minutes of fame with renditions of music by such artists as Frank Sinatra and Duke Ellington. He gets into the part with clothes and combed-back hair to match.

"You can make it into your own show. I'm doing Sinatra, but I'll put my own twist on it, improvise, maybe change a lyric or two. It's almost like acting," he said.

Still, perhaps there's something else that turns the meek into musicians.

"Alcohol. Alcohol and the bar setting," said John Gold, a self-proclaimed shy guy who stood before a bar full of cheering spectators and performed Digital Underground's Humpty Dance, a song he listens to in his car all the time, he said.

Mr. Gold said he likes to do "nonsinging" songs because he knows he can't sing. He said while he was nervous throughout his performance, he found the screen with song lyrics helpful, but sometimes distracting.

"The words help me keep the beat because I don't have any kind of time or rhythm, but when a word's off from what I thought it was, it throws me off," he said.

Playground owner Scott Levine said adding his 10,000-song library karaoke machine, with music from rap to rock to Sinatra, has lured in lots of "karaoke virgins" who feel comfortable there.

"It's grown over the few months since we started it," Mr. Levine said. "We want people to have fun. If you can't sing, people don't make you feel bad. Everybody has a good time."

Not all clubs are quite as encouraging. For some, karaoke night means fierce competition, with crowds waiting to boo if the singing is not up to par. However, the lure of a major prize might be worth a bit of humiliation. Grand prizes in some clubs are in the hundreds of dollars. Other prizes include paid trips to New York with Broadway show tickets, from A Touch of Class, and a trip to Las Vegas for a shot at Entertainment Television's national karaoke finals, from The Pourhouse.

Still, nothing beats the rush felt from having fun on the karaoke stage, said Adam Beall, whose friends coaxed him into singing. And although his voice probably wouldn't pull in any record deals, the first-time karaoke-er said he was ready to do it again.

"I was being an entertaining spectacle for all my closest friends. It was fun; I wouldn't have done it if it wasn't," he said.

Ah, yes. Karaoke. Whether melodious or not, fun or competitive, bucket or no bucket, the tunes will be carried on.

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BE A STAR

Several Augusta and Aiken night spots offer karaoke nights. Here is a sampling:

• 209 Music Lounge and Restaurant, 4 8th St: Monday, Wednesday

• Cork & Bull Pub, 1925 Whiskey Road, Aiken: Thursday

• Fishbowl Lounge, 2248 Lumpkin Rd: Thursday, Friday

• Greene Streets Spirits, 402 11th St.: Monday-Saturday

• The Playground, 873 Broad St.: Wednesday

• Road Runners Cafe, 2508 Peach Orchard Rd: Tuesday

• Wild Wing Cafe, 3035 Washington Rd: Monday

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