Hurricane Productions promises ‘huge’ rock act

Following Ludacris’ blow-out performance in the pouring rain during homecoming weekend last semester, everyone is wondering who will be involved in the big Hurricane Productions [HP] act for this semester.
Unfortunately, only a few members of the HP team are privy to this information. And although Graham Micone, head of the concerts department, is not yet ready to release this confidential information, he assures the student body that “it will be a rock act, and they will be huge.”
While rumors carry names such as No Doubt and Linkin Park, students will simply just have to wait and see until the spring headliners are officially announced.
While the spring music act is still clouded in mystery, students can plan now for other HP events, including the Source Fashion Nation Tour and a team laser-tag tournament, which will be part of the upcoming HP schedule.
The laser-tag tournament, which takes place on Feb. 28th, will allow 32 five-member teams to compete for fame and glory in a single-elimination contest. The matches will be held between 4 and 10 p.m. on the Campus Green.
The following day, the school will play host to a hip-hop fashion show, where students can audition to model clothes (jeans) from various designers such as Sean John and Pepe.
Pop-culture director, John Waters, is the featured guest speaker this semester. This visionary director of such films as Pink Flamingos and Pecker will be featured on April 18th.
The HP staff has become an association of students who take it upon themselves to plan entertainment of all sorts at the university throughout the year.
Every semester, HP plans blockbuster film screenings, heart-pounding musical acts, first-rate guest speakers, and an assortment of intriguing special events with this semester being no exception.
Although some students are quick to criticize the HP staff for its decisions on events, most do not realize how much effort it takes to get first-rate entertainment to come to UM, especially because of the small funding allowance, taken from the students’ activities fee, said the HP staff.
“We are working with middlemen and exclusive agents within a very limited budget,” says HP staff member Matt Stover.
Still, HP anticipates the opening of Ryder Center next year where they will be able to accommodate larger musical acts because of the extra space.
They also expect additional funding from non-UM patrons who will be able to attend these performances.
Many students are usually familiar with HP because of the film screenings that take place every Tuesday evening at the Cosford Cinema.
Highlights for this semester include the films, Shallow Hal, Monster’s Inc., and Pulp Fiction (in February), Ocean’s 11, Harry Potter, and Not Another Teen Movie (in March), and The Royal Tenenbaums, Vanilla Sky, and The Lord of the Rings (in April). In addition to the advertised selections, HP plans to offer a number of sneak previews throughout the semester that will be screened on campus before they are available to the general public.
The first of these sneak screenings is Arnold Schwarzenegger’s new movie, Collateral Damage, scheduled for Tuesday, February 5, at 7:00 pm at the Cosford Cinema.
Passes are still available for this screening in the HP office on the second floor of the University Center.
“There will be at least two or three more screenings this semester,” said Chad Peiken, head of the Cinematic Arts Commission [CAC], the movie department of Hurricane Productions
Many more exciting HP opportunities are sure to develop throughout the semester. Interested parties can look for additional information on upcoming HP events at www.um-hp.com or come on up to the HP office located on the UC second floor.