Inside AMP

Why We Love Us

2010-11-14T17:13:00.000-08:00

We don't know how you all run your clubs, and we're not trying to brag here or anything, but AMPub knows how to hold a meeting. First of all, there are the treats. What's a better way to spend a Sunday evening than sitting around a table, eating freshly-baked chocolate chip cookies and talking about how to hype up AMP's sweet events? Clearly trumps studying.

Secondly, dudes, we're in the process of planning our budget for next semester, and it's gonna be awesome. You all like free stuff? Well, get excited for some more free things in the great tradition of our AMP sunglasses. Lastly, our sick-nasty guerrilla event for next semester is literally going to be the best thing ever. Again, not to brag or anything. Stay on the lookout for a crazy afternoon come next semester!

AMPub, we got it on lock. See you next semester, yo.

World Music Showcase Cancellation

2010-10-19T11:00:00.000-07:00

The Homebrew Committee would like to issue a sincere apology in regards to the cancellation of the World Music Showcase. We ran into some scheduling issues and had to cancel the event last minute. We were all really looking forward to the event, but certain circumstances rendered it unworkable. We really appreciate the support we got from a number of performers, which made the cancellation that much more difficult. This, however, will not be viewed as a failure, but as a learning experience. We will continue to work hard to bring you the best possible events featuring student talent. Since we were really devoted to this event idea, we may attempt to give it a second go in the spring. Be on the lookout for that and be sure to check out this semester's remaining Homebrews.

Baby Wants AMP

2010-10-16T14:22:00.000-07:00

Intern Blogday!

2010-10-01T07:13:00.000-07:00

Once again... It is Friday morning. I think this will be a common trend in my blog entries, especially since I have officially decided that Friday = Blogday. So, from the AMP office at 10:17am, I would like to wish you all a very Merry Blogday! The first of many.
Speaking of trends in blogs, Interns. I can guarantee that for the rest of the year, Interns will be a very common theme to my blogs. In fact, it will be my only theme. Especially now, when I finally have an Intern Committee. I promised the rest of Exec Board that my Interns would be faster, stronger, smarter, and more AMPtastic than ever before. I have yet to test all of these traits, but I am feeling pretty confident in my promise. Although, our strength and speed as a committee won’t be officially tested until AMP wide dodge ball, I think other committees should be getting at least a little nervous. The Interns are out for blood, even if they don’t know it yet.
Between Intern meetings, events and mandatory fitness training for dodge ball (just kidding?), my hope is to keep the Intern’s committee continually involved and learning about AMP. The most important thing about being an Intern, in my opinion, is to gain as much knowledge about different types of event planning as possible.
What exactly do Interns do? Heck if I know. And that is the beauty of an Intern committee. Interns are able to explore any type of event planning that they choose, as long as it stays within the confines of the budget. My hope is that I can give the Intern’s enough direction so that events are successful, but enough space so that any major decision is made by them.
Once again, I would like to wish you a Merry Blogday. It is now 10:59am, but I swear, I haven’t only been writing this blog in that time. I would hate for anyone to think that I was that slow of a typer or that slow of a thinker. My time has been consumed by emails, voicemail checking, event planning and just thinking about how wonderful my new Intern committee really is.
-Lora Faris

AMPub- Behind the Scenes and All Around

2010-09-27T09:42:00.000-07:00

The AMP Publicity Committee would love to take some time to let you in behind the scenes of those awesome flyers, fun videos, and marvelous mobiles. This semester AMP has a lot planned for the W&M community and AMP Publicity (AMPub as we lovingly call it) brings all the details of each event to you. You may not see us in person at events, and perhaps you're not quite certain how those flyers go up or who we really are, but we are working around the clock to bring you all the info you need about upcoming AMP events on campus.

This week look out for us passing out some mini cereal boxes in the Sadler Center on Wednesday to get you ready for AMPtoons this coming Friday 10/1. While in the SC, be sure to take a look at "The Jon"- our monthly newsletter conveniently located right in each bathroom stall. Around campus you might see us running around campus in bizarre fashion- don't be alarmed. We've started filming our notorious AMP videos again this semester! We'll be posting these on Facebook and right here on the blog for your enjoyment.

AMP Publicity makes sure you are in the know about all of AMP's events on campus this semester. Definitely keep an eye out- while we may seem behind the scenes, we're everywhere you want to be.

You know you love us,

XOXO AMPub

Fiasco @ 5

2010-09-23T09:57:00.001-07:00

A little over a year ago, I was at a festival in Paris called Rock-en-Seine. Oasis was scheduled to headline the evening after Vampire Weekend. Vampire Weekend took to the gigantic stage and proceeded to roar through a set featuring many new songs, that would later be released on Contra. After they finished, the stage crew came on for the set change. After 45 minutes, it looked as if the stage crew was sort of idling about onstage, not really sure what to do, simply waiting. I started to suspect that something wrong was happening. At festivals, where they're on such tight schedules set changes shouldn't take this long. Anyways, after 90 minutes we got an announcement that Oasis will no longer be playing because Liam and Noel just got in a huge fight in the dressing room before they were meant to take the stage (surprise surprise). Apparently, Liam smashed Noel's guitar.

Heading home I was imagining how much of a nightmare that must've been for the production crew of the festival. To have to cancel a show due to issues with the artist is extremely disappointing for everyone involved, including the audience.

AMP Music faced a similar situation last week.

Last Friday, AMP unfortunately had to cancel our Fridays @ 5 show because the band failed to arrive. This is the first time anything like this has happened in recent Fridays @ 5 history.

In our contract with the scheduled band, Suburban District, we stated that they need to arrive by 3 and set-up by 3:30. For whatever reason, when 6pm rolled around and they still hadn't arrived, we decided it would be best to cancel the show as opposed to hastily throw something together.

We're terrible sorry that this had to happen. The circumstances were unforeseen and we thought we provided the best solution given what we had to work with (no artist).

Fortunately, our Fridays @ 5 series this semester will be wrapping up with a great band called Wild Nothing. They've been getting a lot of coverage on Pitcfork lately. Watch them perform the streets of Vienna here, http://pitchfork.com/forkcast/14860-your-rabbit-feet-gemini-live-in-vienna/

Again, AMP Music is terribly sorry for the cancelled show last week. Looking forward to seeing you next FRIDAY!

-AMP Music

William and Mary, brewing a large pot of comedy

2010-09-21T11:48:00.000-07:00

There were a lot of reports of large amounts of laughter emenating from Lodge 1 this past Saturday. That's because ComedyBrew happened and people were lol-ing and rotfl-ing all over the place. 7th Grade Sketch Comedy kicked off the night with a side-splitting set of comedic sketches. Next was the student stand-up competition that pitted five of W&M's funniest jokesters against each other for the chance to win $100. Each competitor had there own distinct style, and needless to say were all hilarious. Finally, Sara Schaefer, an alum who now writes for Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, performed a set of stand-up. The crowd really responded to her W&M specific jokes, giving shout-outs to DuPont and other aspects of W&M life during her set. At the end of the night, one student comedian was crowned the winner and walked away with that $100. The five finalists that performed were selected from a pool of 20 students, and all did an exceptional job. It's great to know we have such strong comedic talent brewing here on our campus.

AMP Homebrew

"China Will Be Building Another Great Wall"

2010-09-21T07:20:00.000-07:00

Last Wednesday, former CIA Agent Michael Scheuer gave a lecture regarding what he considered to be the three threats to U.S. security from that Persian Gulf. The turn out for this event was great; many students—representing a vast array of different majors and academic backgrounds—attended to hear exactly what Scheuer had to say. Known for his strong opinions and his witty but sometimes caustic remarks, Scheuer definitely engaged the audience and sparked a lot of questions during the short Q&A session that followed afterward.

We were really excited to bring Scheuer here because he has both theoretical and practical expertise in a variety of different phenomena (such as the rise of radical Islamic terrorism) that threaten U.S. security. His insight and beliefs, for example, about why we were attacked on September 11^th and why we are losing the Global War on Terror was even confirmed by Bin Laden himself in 2007. This being said, Scheuer does have many strong view points and not everyone agrees with him on what he thinks about every threat to U.S. security, and we thought that having him speak here at WM would lead students to actively to actively think about these issues themselves. The lecture seemed to do just that. The buzz from the lecture still hasn’t disappeared, and teachers and students alike are debating about what Scheuer had to say.

AMP Contemporary and Cultural Issues (Contempo Cult)

Is That 6?? Oh No, 7. 7 Chairs On Which That Man Is Doing A Handstand.

2010-09-10T09:32:00.001-07:00

If you weren't in PBK from 7:30pm to 9pm last Tuesday, I'm sorry. The Special Events committee brought out the Golden Dragon Acrobats (looking a little like this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nkJv483W38&feature=player_embedded). The show constantly amazed the crowd. From throwing a ball in the air, doing two back flips and catching it, to fitting nine grown people onto a bicycle and riding it around the stage, the onlookers only paused from clapping so they could use their hands to pick up their jaws from the ground. It goes without saying, we were thoroughly impressed with the Golden Dragon Acrobats moves and flexibility. It was a mini Cirque Du Soleil right here in Chilliamsburg.

And before the acrobats, we brought back 4 Time NACA National Campus Entertainer of the Year as well as Campus Activites Entertainer of the Year, hypnotist Tom Deluca. As always, he wowed us with his ability to transform our timid best friends into dirty dancers and fruit lovers.

After having our first two events go off without a hitch, the Special Events committee is relaxing a bit before we take on the Family Weekend Street Fair. Get excited.

Lone Wolf

2010-09-10T06:26:00.000-07:00

Cause ain't nowhere in the 'Burg I'd rather be,
ain't no-one in the 'Burg I'd rather see
then the Interns of my dreams that will make me
Be so happy and not so lonely.

For the past few weeks, well months actually, I have been shamelessly plugging away to get applicants for the fall Intern's Committee. I have made myself that girl. The girl that has confronted you at the Activities Fair, obnoxiously put flyers all over your freshman dorm and has made an effort to connect AMP to almost every conversation topic imaginable.
I'm not sorry for my actions.
In fact, I plan on doubling my efforts in the next few days. Get ready. I am down to the home stretch and I want to give everyone the opportunity to apply to be an Intern. I would hate to be confronted in a few weeks by someone who did not know that the Intern's program existed. Although, at this point, I am not quite sure that I would believe them.
There are about a million different reasons why I am so excited to have Interns and only a few dozen of them have to do with ending my Akon-like loneliness. To be honest, I just can't wait to have something to actually talk about in Executive meetings. As we gather around the table and Chairs begin to talk about their upcoming events and how great their committees are, I try not to feel bitter. I will have a committee soon enough and I may be able to answer the following Update Questions better than I currently do:

-What have you done during your first office hours? Any questions?
Questions, no. What did I do? Oh, I checked the email, the voicemail, sat alone and ate a bagel.

-What has been your favorite AMP moment during the past 2 weeeks?
Another Committee's event.

-Are all of your members showing up to things/ contributing?
I don't have any members yet. Thanks for rubbing salt in the wound.

-Anything coming up you need help with?
Lone wolf. I'll be fine.

How I would like to answer these questions:

-What have you done during your first office hours? Any questions?
Question, how did I get so lucky in having such amazing Interns? What did I do during office hours? Oh, I checked the email, the voicemail, sat with some Interns and we ate bagels.

-What has been your favorite AMP moment during the past 2 weeeks?
FINALLY HAVING INTERNS.

-Are all of your members showing up to things/ contributing?
Oh course, this may be the greatest committee ever assembled.

-Anything coming up you need help with?
(In keeping with a wolf theme). The Intern pack has it covered, but thanks for asking.

As you can tell, I am so excited to get Interns. Probably too excited, but I think it is understandable after all this time of preparation. So in closing... An additional plug:

APPLY FOR AMP!

lorafaris@gmail.com

Rockin and Rollin Into the New Year

2010-09-09T10:11:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we were absolutely astounded by the turnout for our Welcome Back concert with Eric Hutchinson. Over 1300 people came! Thank you so much, William and Mary, for loving music and coming out to our shows!

If you want to check out more live music on campus, our Fridays @ 5 concert series has already begun! Tomorrow, we've got one of William and Mary Class of 2008's finest, Galen Curry. Check out the facebook event page here http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=158351837514092&index=1.

A year or so ago someone told us that a Fridays @ 5 show when the weather was nice out was his favorite William and Mary experience. According to weather.com tomorrow looks pretty nice. We've got the music, so all we need now is you! Hope to see you all there tomorrow!

Homebrew Reflections

2010-09-07T12:52:00.000-07:00

First of all, I would like to thank everyone who came out and auditioned for Homebrew this past Sunday and Monday. We had close to 40 performers try out! It's great to know that so many W&M students are passionate about performing. Overall, the auditions went really well. We managed to stay about on schedule throughout the day, which has proven difficult in years past. The variety of acts that came out was awesome. Everything from quite folk duos to full on rock bands. Each performer had their own sound and style, and even though auditions lasted a grand total of 10 hours, the time flew by. The Homebrew Committee will be working this week to make their final decisions and schedule the acts for the rest of the semester. Keep an ear and eye out for upcoming Homebrews.

I Know What You Did Last Trivia

2010-09-06T18:59:00.000-07:00

Hey All!

The Late Nite Committee has been recovering from kickoff and we started working on one of our staple events, the year’s first Trivia Night! For trivia kickoff this year, we decided to go with a 90s theme (I know! We’re excited too.) There are going to be five categories under the 90s theme- movies, sports, history, music, and fads (think pogs and dunkaroos), along with one special surprise category!

Usually, when we go about planning a trivia night, we first decide whether or not we are going to have a themed trivia night- we like to mix it up. If we decide no theme, we usually each go about picking a few categories and then in committee we narrow it down to five or six. If we decide to go with a theme, we then work on all aspects of the night to make it as thematically accurate as possible, from music to food to prizes. To make up the actual questions, members of the committees break up into pairs and make up the questions, and then at meeting we check each others’ questions to make sure they’re correct and not too difficult.

The actual event requires a lot of planning and coordination on the part of our committee- there are many roles to fill from emcee to music supervisor and many scorekeepers- so you’ll probably see us running around for most of the night. Trivia night can be stressful, but it’s also one of our favorite events!

We have some exciting things planned for this trivia night (including more of the new orange Late Nite mugs!), and we hope you all will come out on September 17^th in Lodge 1 at 9pm to see them!

Much love,

Late Nite

"You'd be the meanest wife ever, okay?"

2010-04-26T11:39:00.001-07:00

He’s called “Loki” by the Norse, “Wisakedjak” by the Cree, and in Russia they just call him “Ivan”—he’s the infamous trickster making good on the adage “anything that can go wrong, will,” and those of you who made it out to Screen on the Green this weekend know he was with us Saturday night.

AMP works with the AV staff at the Sadler Center for almost all of our film events--which is great, because we're not necessarily the most techonologically savy bunch over here on the films committee. For our monthly blockbusters in Commonwealth everything's generally good to go, because the space is used to show films so often. For those screenings, we just test the videos when they come to us and then give them a quick run-through on the equipment before the event. But for events like Screen on the Green or Movies at Matoaka, where we use alternate venues, we make it a rule to set up at least two hours in advance--just to make sure we have enough time to work any unexpected kinks out before you all show up.

Generally this means our screenings run pretty smoothly, but sometimes the unexpected happens. Even though the AV staff had everything up and running by 6 on Saturday, when it came time to start the first film at 8, our techs couldn't get the movie going. As those of you who stuck around know, they were able to bring in new equipment in time to show It's Complicated at 9:45, but we didn't get the chance to show Youth in Revolt. And we can't appologize enough--we really appreciate your support and were so excited that you made it over to Trinkle for the event.

So fear not our fellow Cera-ians, Youth in Revolt will be back THIS Wednesday at 9:15 in the SC Commonwealth. Put down your textbooks and red bull, exams are still a week away, and you deserve a break.

We hope to see you there,
AMP Films

Practice Makes Perfect!!!

2010-04-16T13:22:00.000-07:00

Hello All!

As we're sure you all know summer is right around the corner!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now most of you are probably going to spend your time working or traveling or maybe just catching up on some much needed sleep, but AMP will be just as busy as always preparing for your fall entertainment. So, in case you are interested in helping us out, we have a suggestion for you: START A BAND!!!!!!!!!!!!! That's right, AMP's Homebrew Committee wants to have more incredible performers than ever audition in the fall so we can make our shows even better. Play some piano, try out some new chords, write a whole album! JUST GET READY TO ROCK LODGE 1!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We appreciate all forms of entertainment so try to come up with something that we HAVEN'T SEEN BEFORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Juggling, miming, yodeling, ANYTHING!!!!!! For our shows we are looking for a wide variety of acts. We LOVE orignal stuff! The committee is filled with people who all have strong thoughts and opinions when it comes to music but we are ALL open minded! SO SPEND YOUR SUMMER COMING UP WITH SOMETHING TO BLOW OUR MINDS!!!!!!!!!

love,

Homebrew

Oh golly... it's AMPril!

2010-04-09T10:11:00.000-07:00

William and Mary programming tip #1: Never assume that anything will ever be dead in April. It's true... in programming circles, April is referred to as the most over-programmed month of the year, which is pretty apparent if you look at any given weekend this month. And then add to that, all of the prospective and admitted students gracing our campus plus all the tourists who have ventured out of hibernation, and you have a pretty hoppin' town. Regardless, April can be fun!

In AMP, not only is April a crazy month for programming, it's also just a crazy month to be an AMP member. Due to the way we recruit, budget, and plan-- we basically have 2 AMPs working at once. No joke. So therefore, most underclassmen involved in the organization are both working the events they planned and budgeted for last semester and they are budgeting for and planning events for next semester. We all are basically two people at once at this point. For example, each of the Interns is a committee member on another committee as well be it Music, Contempo-Cult, Internal Affairs, Comedy, etc. etc.... However, for the most part, we are all thoroughly enjoying the opportunity to work with our old committees while branching out and learning the ropes on new commitees. Regardless, when you come upon weeks like this, sometimes April can feel more like AMPril--that becomes apparent when you see more blue shirts in one day than you can count on your fingers and toes. But AMPril isn't a bad thing... in fact, once May comes along-- we'll be missing our time with AMP.

Enjoy AMPril and we can't wait to see you at all the AMP events this weekend!

AMP-Love,
The Interns

My friend asked me if I wanted a frozen banana. I said 'No, but I want a regular banana later, so.. yeah.'

2010-04-07T07:28:00.000-07:00

You've been a great crowd. You really have.

We've worked hard to bring you some of the finest up and coming comedy this last year and we can proudly say we've had a very solid lineup. The list includes Kumail Nanjiani (Colbert Report), the CollegeHumor duo Streeter Seidell and Dan Gurewitch, 30 Rock's own Judah Friedlander. Chelsea Lately's inhouse biddy Mo Mandel, the brutally crude Eliot Chang and the dearly loved/eternally prepubescent Bo Burnham (Funny People, Comedy Central). The list is long...

The AMPComedy team would like to thank you all for your remarkable turnout! We work tirelessly into the holidays, evenings and lunch breaks to find you these talented folk and you've played your part. How very Griffin mascot of you.

So what's the next move? With a new committee and a new semester comes new ideas. Standup has been a stalwart of Lodge 1 Saturday nights but we're looking to slap chop some fresh bits for next year. Ideas being thrown around include: Second City improv classes 4 students, Baby Wants Candy, U Choo -Choo - Choose Comedy and a Back to School Special: Alumni Edition (feat. Sara Schaefer, Patton Oswalt etc...) Tell us what you think, like, unlike, poke. etc...

That's it! Our last show of the year is this April 17th. Dwayne Perkins + Special Guest. Lodge 1, 9pm - and more details to come.

You've been great.

-AMP Comedy Productions

TICKETS GOING FAST!

2010-04-05T12:37:00.000-07:00

Hey Music lovers out there. As AMP gears up for the Spring Show this Friday, we're keeping a close watch over ticket sales. We are happy to report that THEY ARE GOING FAST! However, for all you procrastinators out there, let this be a warning to go to the PBK Box Office to get your tickets TODAY! There may be less that 500 left.

As a reminder, they are $5 w/ a WMID (two per ID), $15 for Public. ALSO, the first 600 Fans into the Show will get a FREE AMP Rally Towel.

We hope to see you on Friday!

Late Nite Looking for LDOC Co-Sponsorship

2010-04-02T11:07:00.001-07:00

This has been an amazing year for AMP Late Nite and AMP Late Nite funding in that in addition to carrying out the traditional co-sponsorships with other student organizations, AMP Late Nite has been formed into a full fledged committee supporting our own events. You may have experienced that please of Late Nite Trivia (which by the way is happening again on April 16th!) or perhaps you competed in the recent Late Nite Scavenger Hunt, but the point is that Late Nite is here to stay as a committee.

One of our missions is to attract student organizations to co-sponsor diverse events on Friday and Saturday evenings starting no earlier than 9PM and lasting at least 3 hours. Currently the ONLY day we have left to co-sponsor is April 30th, which yes, is the Last Day of Classes! We are hoping to have applicants plan events for Lodge 1 on LDOC.

If you are interested in this prospect please check out the Late Nite Portion of the AMP website: AMP WEBSITE or e-mail the Late Nite Chair: Dawson Lindauere at dwlind@email.wm.edu

Late Nite is expecting big things as the committee moves into its second year, so to get preference on dates for co-sponsorships, try submitting your Late Nite Application for next semester, this semester!

Happy Late Niting!

<3 AMP Late Nite!

If you've ever wondered about PUBLICITY!

2010-03-30T21:42:00.001-07:00

We know we're a pretty elusive group, but that actually just isn't true!

How many times have you been innocently sitting on the Terrace, by the Sundial, or in the Dining Halls when suddenly you find yourself in the company of a large squirrel? We certainly hope its a few! ScAMP, AMP's giant squirrel, is just part of AMPub's approach to publicity. We want to be active and entertaining without ever harming your peace. It's called Guerrilla publicity, and it basically encompasses just what the name says. We hope to find you soon and formally introduce ourselves.

AMPub has also been hard at work creating many funny, ridiculous commercials for your Facebook viewing pleasure. Perhaps you've seen our mock of "Where the Hell is Matt?", "The AMPover", our interpretation of the TV show "30 Rock", or "AMP Saints." YOU HAVEN'T? Well you should get caught up immediately. See this page of our Facebook Fan page for some quality procrastination. You won't be disappointed.

Keep a close watch for our newest commercial! It's Willy Wonka themed...a.k.a. probably one of the most epic things you'll ever witness.

Hey, while we're chatting - have you seen THE JOHN? It's our newest publicity adventure in the SC bathrooms. AMPub figured that Swem didn't have any copyright infringement laws governing THE THRONE; why not give it a try? So far, it's been a lot of fun. We kind of consider ourselves a bit off-color anyways...so why not write a bathroom periodical?

You can get a closer look at publicity in action at our outreach event in April. Find us and Internal Affairs out in the Sunken Garden on April 11 to learn more about AMP, make AMP themed t-shirts, and win goldfish!

AMPub: making ScAMP your best friend since 1993.

Oh the weather outside is frightful (or delightful?)

2010-03-26T08:11:00.000-07:00

Hello AMP-lovers!

We, the Interns, after having to postpone our latest event, Story of the Stars, and with the threat of repostponing the event, we thought we would educate you a bit on the frustrations of programming with the weather. As you know, it is getting to be that time of year when it can be bright, sunny, and warm or cold rainy and gray, or even anything else in between. With that, the temptation for those bright and sunny days leads all of us to be more inclined to want to spend time outdoors, and AMP loves the opportunity to program outside as well. However, our fickle weather also means that at AMP, we are always working on back up plans (and back up plans for our back up plans).

And then there is another dilemma-- what do you do when the weather looks iffy? Do you move an event indoors or do you try to wait out the rain? I know many of you have been to events that have been moved indoors and you were probably thinking "that didn't need to happen", however we wanted to clue you in on some of the thinking that goes into making these decisions. First of all, look at all the equipment that goes into putting on some of our outdoor events. For example, for Fridays @ 5 events, the Music committee arrives about 3 hours before the event is set to begin, and at that point they have to make a decision where to hold the event. For all of you who know about the dangers of hair dryers and falling into the bathtub/sink you probably understand that electric equipment probably shouldn't be out in the rain meaning the committee has to make those decisions way in advance, which in Williamsburg, Virginia, can mean that the weather is bright and sunny come 5 PM. Annoying, yes? But wouldn't you rather have the event happen indoors than having it cancelled completely???

And then there are those events that need a clear sky... like Story of the Stars. We didn't think it was a good idea for you to go stargazing in cloudy potentially rainy weather--- you cant' really see stars then. So we just ask for you to keep your eye on the AMP website and Facebook page to find out when this event happens-- and we promise that when it does.. it will be absolutely spectactular (and the weather WILL be delightful!)

AMP-Love,
The Interns

It's the Weekend of Interns (and just AMPtacularness in general!)

2010-03-19T08:32:00.001-07:00

Welcome to AMP's most wonderful most crazy weekend ever! We have a total of 10 events this weekend--- meaning none of you all better complain about being bored this weekend. Us here at Interns are ready for what will be our busiest committee weekend as we have not one but TWO events both of which are completely different but incredibly awesome!!! We know you haven't seen us out for a while, but we promise you won't be disappointed with what we're bringing to you soon! For the next few weeks we'll be keeping you busy with things like this, this, and of course, this .

Our first event is our very own Fridays @ 5, which we are super pumped for. Not only is Fridays @ 5 an amazing event in general, but it's our very own (thank you Music!) and it's the first one of the season! And if you have stepped outside at all in the past couple of days... it's going to be awesome! If you don't believe us check out the wonderful band we're bringing from good ol' Virginia Beach!

And then just wait for Sunday (after attending all the other wonderful events we have this weekend)... we're bringing you something super educational, wonderful, AND delicious-- STARGAZING! Featuring this AWESOME PROFESSOR, you'll get to learn all about the stars and their mythological origin, while drinking delicious FREE Hot chocolate in your new AMP travel mug! A perfect way to end the weekend? I think so!

So come out, join us for some fun, and keep an eye out for those beautiful blue shirts and AWESOME sunglasses ALL WEEKEND LONG!

Spring Show Confirmed!

2010-03-06T08:34:00.000-08:00

Hey W&M!

Music Productions here. We have great news!

The Spring Show is FINALLY confirmed! I believe the celebration is in order.

Here is the official list of artists that will perform at the Spring Show:

K'Naan.
Wale.
John Forte.
Tabi Booney.

Check out the playlist MP has created on YouTube if you are not familiar with any of them, or if you just want to start the party early!

The Spring Show is on April 9th at Lake Matoaka Amphitheater.

Tickets are currently ON SALE at the Box Office, $5 with W&M ID (2 tickets max per ID), $15 for public.

See you guys there!

AMP & W&M Love,
Music Productions Committee

March is for Mallards, Man Love, and Movies

2010-03-01T18:01:00.000-08:00

Hey Movie Lovers,

Remember when Bjork wore this to the Oscars? It's images like that that really get us on AMP Films feeling nostalgic.

Some of our other favorite Oscar memories include alumnus John Stewart's hosting debut, Hallie Berry's Best Actress win for Monster's Ball, and Charlie Chaplin's honorary Academy Award in 1972. We're hoping this year will mark another memorable moment: Kathryn Bigelow becoming the first woman ever to win Best Director for her stark portrayal of an Army bomb squad in 'The Hurt Locker'.

We also came up with some awards of our own including Best Lip Biting to Kristen Stewart and Best Period Bromance to Sherlock Holmes (which AMP is bringing to campus the weekend of March 19th and 20th). But on a more serious note, we wanted to take this opportunity to share with you some great films we thought got overlooked this award season:

In the Loop: This political satire is just about as snarky and British as they come, which is exactly how we like our men...wait, what were we talking about? It's nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay, but we think it deserves a lot more.

Los abrazos rotos (Broken Embraces): This is the latest film from writer/director Pedro Almodovar who took home an Oscar in 2002 for 'Hable con ella' and whose other work includes 'Volver' and 'La mala educacion'. The man has a vision, and if you move quick, you can catch 'Los abrazos rotos' at the Kimball before you leave for break.

Bright Star: It's got poetry, true love, and a tragic shipwreck. And did we mention the costumes? Now if only they could have gotten Colin Firth....

Some other films worth checking out: Good Hair, Food Inc., Black Dynamite, Jennifer's Body (no, seriously, we liked it),September Issue, Rudo y Cursi, and It Might Get Loud.

Happy Watching,

AMP Films

Spring Show Announcement

2010-02-18T15:03:00.001-08:00

Hey William and Mary!

Music Productions here. We have a HUGE announcement to make.

About the Spring Show.

Yes, we know, everyone's been talking about it, there are rumors going around. And we are here to say that...

It's true.

K'naan. Wale. John Forte. Mr. Hudson. @ Lake Matoaka Amphitheater. April 9th.

However, the contract is still in the works. So, they haven't technically been "confirmed" yet. But we are just waiting for the contract to be sent back from the agent now.

We will keep you guys posted on the contract deal.

We are all super excited about this show. We hope you guys are too!

AMP and W&M Love,
Music Productions Committee.

Update on TribeVision

2010-02-15T17:58:00.000-08:00

Hey William and Mary,

Some of you might be wondering how we choose our awesome films on TribeVision. Through ground breaking technology, secretly known as SurveyMonkey.com, we receive your feedback regarding the list of possible movies. We look through the results of the poll and pick some of the top movies. Although the poll shows what specific films interest you, the poll also indicates what types of movies you would like to see. We pick some lesser known films from our digital inventory based on the feedback from the poll. We go through the selective process rather than just picking only the top 15 films from the poll. This way, we diversify the movies we show on TribeVision.

Also in the works is a new project called Throwback Night. These films will appeal to our generation and spur feelings of nostalgia. Each movie will be prefaced with an introduction commenting on the history and influence of the movie. Each generation has a series of films that've had a profound impact on society and popular culture. Our goal of each episode will be to provide you with a unique and entertaining experience. Throwback Night will be the first student made program ever to appear on TribeVision and we hope you come along for the ride.

Peace Out
AMP Films

Rumors Uncovered: What's real, what's not?

2010-02-09T10:59:00.000-08:00

Hi W&M! Music Productions here.

There has been a few crazy rumors going around regarding the Spring Concert and LDOC. I just wanted to clear things up, and let you guys know what's really been going on.

Rumor #1: Lil' Jon/Lady Gaga is coming to W&M for the Spring Show!?
No, neither of them are coming here for the Spring Show. However, the committee is working extra hard to find a good act (even better than Lil' Jon or Lady Gaga!) for the event right now. We will keep you guys up to date as we make progress!

Rumor #2: DJ Pauly D from Jersey Shore is coming to W&M for LDOC!?
No, he is not coming here to show off his fist-pumping skills at LDOC. We are, however, planning a DJ dance party event in March. So don't put away your party outfit yet: We will keep you guys updated on this topic as well!

So, the lesson here is this: Don't believe everything you hear. If you hear anything regarding concerts on campus, make sure you ask your AMP Music friends!

Want to be involved in planning events on campus? Join AMP! GenBoard applications are due on February 15th, 5PM to wamamp@gmail.com. Application can be found on the AMP website, www.wm.edu/amp.

Get ready to party, get out there, get filthy, creepy and weird,
AMP Music.

What's The Deal With Blockbusters?

2010-02-09T06:27:00.000-08:00

Hey Movie Lovers,

Ever wonder how AMP picks its monthly blockbusters?

Well, AMP partners with a distribution company called "Swank Films." Unlike companies that distribute to big theaters, Swank distributes specifically to 'smaller' (although we perfer to say 'more personal') venues like college campuses. The films we pick for the Blockbusters are "Pre-Home Releases"--that is, films that are out of the theater, but not yet on DVD. The dates for the Blockbusters are picked before the semester even starts based on the availability of the Commonwealth Auditorium, and then a few weeks before the Blockbuster we run down the list of the "Pre-Home Releases" on Swank's website. We have to find a film with a first available show date that is before the date of the Blockbuster, but a home video release date that is after. These two dates can be seperated by anywhere between 3 weeks and 3 months--it all depends on the studio and the success of the film.

Sometimes finding the perfect film can be tricky--often 4 or 5 great films will be available one month, and the next month the most critically-acclaimed film on the list will be "Twilight: New Moon" (nothing personal, we love Robert Pattinson as much as any screaming 12 year old). Other times, we'll pick the perfect film, just to see its availabilty postponed at the last minute, as was the case with "The Dark Knight" last year.

Although we love working with Swank, there are two 'catches' about doing business with any college film distributor. The first, is that all the "Pre-Home Releases" are provided to us on VHS. We know this is something that many of you are less than thrilled about, but we think it's worth it to see films on campus before you can get them at home. The second 'catch' is that in order to get the great deals on the films that we do, we have to show 5 "Pre-Home Releases" a semester. This isn't so much a catch, but it does explain why Screen on the Green films are usually also these "Pre-Home Releases."

Want to be a part of producing Blockbuster events? Consider applying for AMP! Applications are due February 15th and more can be learned on the AMP website (http://web.wm.edu/amp/). Just want to keep watching our Blockbusters? "Precious" will be screening in the Commonwealth Auditorium February 19th and 20th, at both 7:00 and 9:30 pm. Hope to see you there! (Oh-em-gee we love Mo'Nique)

AMPlove,
Films

Checking in with the Interns

2010-02-05T08:34:00.001-08:00

Hello dear friends of AMP,

I hope you have all been seeing some crazy AMP flyers around campus encouraging YOU to apply to AMP... it is good advice, if I do say so myself. And hopefully, you have been enjoying all of our wonderful events this semester. We, Interns, are so grateful for how many of you came out to Mentalist Brian Imbus the first weekend back. As Interns, it was our first experience with an event purely focused on the performer, and it was exciting to have the turnout that we did.

So, for all of you wondering, what is next with the Interns? I am here to clue you in. Unlike the other committees, you aren't going to see our committee available on the applications, but we're still going strong. The fun thing about AMP Interns is that even if we are joining new committees soon with all the new applicants, we stay Interns until the end of this year. And this year, it truly is Interns until the END of this year. Come April, we Interns are going to be bringing you some crazy events every single weekend! From our own Fridays @ 5 to a creepy 20s themed murder mystery event to a night of gazing under the stars to a flashback to our childhood, Interns are on key for your creative events this semester.

So, what will be doing until then? Learning about AMP, working on the coming events, applying for new committees (although we would love to be Interns forever), taking turns blogging so you all know what we are up to, helping out at other events (JUDAH FRIEDLANDER THIS WEEKEND), and enjoying all the fun we have while we are AMP Interns.

AMP-Love,
The Interns

Facebook Changes

2010-01-25T13:56:00.001-08:00

Alma Mater Productions will be using our new facebook fanpage, located here, for all our future facebook events and not our "AMP Events" facebook group. We decided to make this change after comparing the benefits of a Fanpage vs Group for both AMP and the William & Mary Community.

A fanpage offers more ways for us to inform you of what the latest news is with AMP by placing information directly into your newsfeeds. Fanpages also allow us to pursue in the future services like txt message updates for things like rain updates so you don't need to be glued to your computer before a big concert at Lake Matoka. In addition, fanpages also allow for better management of things like photos by allowing us to use individual photo albums while a facebook group only allows for one big contiguous album. This can make it hard to find photos of yourself if we've had more than one event over the weekend (i.e. almost every weekend!) so we hope that you’ll be able to find yourself in photos easier by using a fanpage.

Unfortunately however fanpages do not allow us to send event invites out to our fans directly. We can still invite you to events on facebook if you provide us with your email however so if you still want to be automatically invited to all AMP events you need to let us know by sending an email to amp@wm.edu asking to be added to the AMP Listserve. It’s that easy because we'll take care of all the rest! So don't miss out on these new ways to be informed about AMP Events, join our fanpage and subscribe to our listserve!

AMP Wishes You Luck on Finals!

2009-12-08T18:54:00.000-08:00

to those in Swem, those who will be in Swem, and those who wish they didn't have to ever be in Swem,

AMP would like to wish you luck on your exams, and we'd like to help you out a bit too. Check out the back shelf near the Circulation Desk or Mews for free AMP POST-ITS! they'll keep you organized and remind you of all the awesome events to come.

enjoy!
-amp publicity

Coming Soon...

2009-12-02T11:39:00.000-08:00

Sure, Winter Break is awesome, but AMP's got some some tricks up its sleeve that will make you WANT to be back at school come January...

The Contemporary and Cultural Issues Committee has been busy trying to bring you a great lineup of events for the Spring semester. Here are some things that are in the works...

- To Write Love On Her Arms/Jamie Tworkowski
"To Write Love On Her Arms is a non-profit movement dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury, and suicide. TWLOHA exists to encourage, inform, inspire, and also to invest directly in treatment and recovery."

Jamie Tworkowski- the founder of this ground-breaking movement/cultural phenomenon will be paying a visit to W&M in February to share his story, visit with W&M students, and let you know how you can get involved.

-Boondock Saints College Tour!!
This one is still in the works, but if all goes according to plan, the writer, director, producer and stars of this cult classic film will be headed to Williamsburg in the Spring. We will keep you posted as things progress- but we are very hopeful that this will work out.

In the meantime, to get yourself ready- try and catch the new sequel, "Boondock Saints 2: All Saints Day." in theaters now!

Lodge 1 Coffee House
Come spend a cozy afternoon in Lodge 1, and enjoy coffee and pastries while listening to a guest poet perform.

Performer TBA- we have some great prospective poets we are thinking about booking, but we also welcome any suggestions! We are also hoping to incorporate a student performance portion... more details to follow.

The Blind Boys of Alabama... Coming to Williamsburg!
This year, several of the AMP committees are teaming up with the 3rd Annual W&M Global Film Festival. In honor of this years theme, "Film & Music" we are helping bring you a very special concert by the Blind Boys of Alabama. The performance will be in conjunction with a screening of the documentary film Soundtrack for a Revolution, which tells the story of the music of the Civil Rights Movement (The Blind Boys were contributors on the soundtrack!!)

Well, there you have it... at least 4 reasons to prove why the spring semester is something to look forward to... and there's much more where that came from!

Keep an eye out on the AMP site for more updates on these events. And in the meantime, have a very Merry Christmakwanzika!

-AMP Contempo Cult

Stop, Movie Time

2009-11-30T10:39:00.000-08:00

Hey movie fans,

We've just finished the TribeVision schedule for December, and the films are (in order of appearance): Love Actually, Gran Torino, The Big Sleep, Elf, Frost/Nixon, Christmas Story, Best in Show, and The Usual Suspects.

Unfortunately, the TribeVision system went down over break, so the films might not start right away. We're working hard to have it back up in running in time for AMPle (cringe) exam procrastination though.

Thanks for understanding,
AMPfilms

ps Check TribeVision out on facebook, yo

PaperGirl Gives a Shout-Out to W&M

2009-11-11T11:26:00.000-08:00

Thanks to everyone who came out to see PaperGirl in Lodge 1 on Monday. It was a great performance, and we were so glad to see so many of you there!

Just FYI - W&M received a couple of shout-outs in PaperGirl's recent blog posts. You can view her blog here .

Keep an eye out for more spoken word/poetry events comin' atcha next semester!

-AMP Contempo Cult

AMP Aerobics: Struck by the Swine

2009-11-09T13:19:00.000-08:00

Hello AMP fans,
As Chair of the Publicity Committee, I find that I rarely have anything to contribute to the blog...I just promote it. However, ampub's been hard at work in the past few weeks organizing our first event this semester: AMP Aerobics. It was supposed to take place this past Thursday, but alas, the event gods had other plans in mind. Our poor instructor was struck with the Swine Flu and we were unable to continue as planned.
We were very excited to see that people came out anyways and we hope that enthusiasm continues! Keep a look out for a rescheduled AMP Aerobics and come by to learn fun flirty moves and get tattooed by yours truly (AMP).

all best,
-kelly

AMPstock.... IT'S COMING!

2009-11-06T10:12:00.000-08:00

I hear about it all the time; Facebook even has a quiz for it - People are convinced they were born in the wrong era. You can relate? Good, because then this will be groovy groovy music to your ears: Friday the 13th you will be given the chance to embrace your inner-hippie at Amp Interns' premiere event of the year: AmpStock. Dust the stress of the week off your shoulders and just loose yourself in some good vibes and the boss sounds of The Jangling Reinharts (http://www.jangling.net/) in Lodge 1.

PS: Be on the look out for TIE-DYING on the terrace before hand!

Cheers,
Your AMP Interns

Julie Powell Photos

2009-10-28T12:42:00.000-07:00

Hey W&M,

If you had your photo taken during the meet and greet reception with Julie Powell, you can check them out on the AMP Flickr Page, or on the AMP Events Facebook Page!

-Contempo Cult

AMP Intern Update

2009-10-23T09:51:00.000-07:00

Hello!

The AMP Interns have been keeping themselves busy. Because the interns were chosen in the fall, they were unable to plan events in the spring for the semester, so while most committees have been focusing on implementing their current events and planning for the spring our amazing interns have been planning for the fall, implementing fall events, and brainstorming for the spring. Currently, we have 3 events in the works for the rest of the semester. The paint n' pottery event has been an Intern tradition for the past year which will be in late November and we have two of our own original events: a late nite 60's themed dance party and some form of grassroots events. These events are still taking shape and we're open to any suggestions you may have. Also, the Interns have a really open-ended committee, meaning there is very little specifics required of us for next semester, so if you are looking for a committee with whom to cosponsor or to throw around a random idea, feel free to contact us and we would love to try and work with you.

AMP-Love,
The Interns

Evening With Julie Powell

2009-10-21T11:17:00.001-07:00

Thanks to all who attended "An Evening With Julie Powell!"
It was a great event, and we loved seeing you all there.

We also thought you all might like to see the shout-out William & Mary received in Julie Powell's blog this past week- you can view it here. You might check out the comments too- apparently there were people all over the world wishing they were in Williamsburg on Monday night ;-)

The Contemporary and Cultural Issues committee would also like to extend an enormous THANK YOU to the Sadler Center RFoC Dining Services Team, who helped make the Julie & Julia theme dinner possible. This inaugural AMP theme dinner was a big success, and we hope to make similar events possible in the future.

Finally, congratulations to Natalie Applegate, who was the grand prize winner of our raffle, and received a copy of Julie & Julia, as well as special audience with Ms. Powell during Monday night's reception.

We hope you enjoyed these various Julie & Julia events-- we'll be in touch soon with updates on the exciting stuff we have in the works for the spring!

-The Contemporary and Cultural Issues Committee

Spooked by the Spooktacular!?

2009-10-21T06:37:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone,

Special Events here asking you if you are ready for the fright of your life? Its almost Halloween and this year, just for you, we will be having the celebration of the season! On Friday October 30th, from 5-8 the Sunken Garden will be transformed into a Halloween carnival of awesomeness, featuring a Haunted trail, Potty racers, Carnival Games, a Costume Contest, and for those of you more fall oriented a Petting Zoo and an entire pumpkin patch! So if you want to celebrate the season, stop by decorate a pumpkin, play some games, ride a motorized toilet, win a costume contests and face what goes bump in the night!

A Message from PaperGirl

2009-10-03T10:40:00.000-07:00

Here is a message from PaperGirl regarding the cancellation of this week's slam poetry event...

"Oh, my friends.

I am writing with horrible news. It's horrible.

I got out of the hospital yesterday after a full week inside, recovering
from major intestinal surgery. I'm home in Chicago, as I had to leave NYC three
weeks early to come home to my surgeon. I had planned to travel to W&M from NYC
on Amtrak; I have my ticket receipt and everything.

I have to cancel. I *never* cancel. Ever. Ever, ever. But I'm
messed up. I can't walk upright, I'm in tremendous pain... I cannot tell you
how excited I was to come to you. I was *bragging* about it. I mean come on,
it's freakin' William & Mary. People were impressed; I was beyond stoked.


I'm so sorry. Sorry doesn't cover it. I'm sick about it. Truly. Writing
this email is honestly making me feel like I want to throw up.

Please don't hold it against me. Believe me,
it's nothing I ever wanted. Any of this..."

Evening of Slam Poetry is Canceled... for Now.

2009-10-02T08:14:00.000-07:00

AMP and IPAX regret to inform you that the Night of Slam Poetry with PaperGirl is canceled for the time being. PaperGirl (aka Mary Fons) has informed us that she has recently been hospitalized due to health issues, and is unable to travel.

Mary Fons is very disappointed to have to cancel this event, and is hopeful that she will be able to reschedule the event for later in the semester. We will do all we can to see that this happens, if at all possible.

We appreciate your understanding, and wish PaperGirl a speedy recovery.

Please visit Mary Fons's official blog for more information.
Stay tuned for more updates!

-Contempo Cult

Get Ready For Your AMP Interns!

2009-10-02T08:10:00.000-07:00

The Interns are finally here! After applications, interviews, intense deliberations, and first meetings... the Interns are here to make a splash in the world of AMP. Now that we have met, we can confidently say that the Interns will be bringing you some killer events this fall, so be on the lookout of what is to come from this stellar committee. And now introducing to you... your 2009-2010 AMP Interns!

Taylor Agate
Nabil Siddiqi
Moey Fox
Mary Ann Badavi
Lucy James
Kate Mize
Kai Simenson
John Lovette
Jeffrey Bryan
Emma Merril
Eden Stuart
Bruce Pfirrman
Jessica Morrison
Allie Adkins

AMP-Love,
The Interns

Homecoming!

2009-10-01T18:30:00.000-07:00

Hey W&M!

I'm sure you guys have been dying to know who is coming for Homecoming this year... Well, your wait is over! Drum roll please...

Robert Randolph and the Family Band

Some of you may ask, "who is this Robert Randolph and the Family Band?" Here are their website and youtube videos. We are confident that you will love them!

Love,
AMP Music Productions

This Fall's Big Speaker!

2009-09-23T12:11:00.000-07:00

Hey William and Mary--

Well, the wait is over, and we are pleased to announce that we have recently confirmed this Fall's Big Speaker!

As we mentioned in a previous blog post, we attempted to book a couple of speakers at the beginning of the summer, who ended up not working out for a variety of reasons. (financial reasons, scheduling conflicts, etc)

By the beginning of August, we were still speaker-less, and looking for inspiration wherever we could find it! There are a lot of speakers out there who seem so "last year," and while they would definitely be affordable, they didn't necessarily seem contemporary, which is what Contempo Cult is all about!

Then, a movie called Julie and Julia appeared on the scene, and we were intrigued. (As were the countless other movie-goers, who allowed the movie to make over $20 million in its first weekend, and remain in the top ten at the box office for over 6 weeks!)

Critics and audience members alike were fawning over the culinary caper-Entertainment Weekly even made the bold claim that it was Meryl Streep's Oscar to lose- and it had certainly caught the attention of Contempo Cult.

Everyone knows Julia Child, the "Julia" half of the film's title. Lesser-known, but just as fascinating, is "Julie" (aka Julie Powell) the real-life writer/chef/blogger who took on the daunting task of cooking her way through every single recipe in Julia Child's cookbook- Mastering the Art of French Cooking.

The project originated as a blog titled The Julie/Julia Project, and later evolved into the book Julie and Julia, which still remains on the New York Times bestseller list. She now has a second book in the works entitled Cleaving which will be released this coming December.

We are very pleased to be bringing Ms. Powell to campus to share her story with the W&M community. She will also be signing copies of her book during a reception which will follow the event.

Tickets will be $2 for W&M students- but your friends and family are welcome too-- tickets for the public will be available for $10 each. Also- keep an eye out for announcements about how you can have a chance to score some free tickets in the days leading up to the event!

In the meantime, check out the original Julie/Julia Project Blog, and be sure to mark your calendars for her event on October 19!

BON APPETIT!
-Contempo Cult

Silence of the Lambs, with an emphasis on the silence

2009-09-20T07:36:00.000-07:00

Hey horror enthusiasts,

We on AMP Films just wanted to thank everyone who came out yesterday for our Late Nite Horror Double Feature at Matoaka. We had a great time!

As some of you know, we experienced technical difficulties while trying to screen The Silence of the Lambs. While the system at Matoaka worked wonderfully for Psycho, it froze up for The Silence of the Lambs (paranormal intervention...?). We checked the DVD several times, and it was working, so we believe that the problem was related to an equipment malfunction. Our tech assistant tried everything he could to get the movie up and running, but at 11:30 we called it a night.

We want to extend our apologies to everyone who came out for the event. We truly appreciate all of the support and enthusiasm you gave us and are disappointed that we weren't able to show the film.

We're currently brainstorming ways to make it up to you all (...a time machine to restore your Saturday night..?). But we hope that for now you'll come out and enjoy some of the other great film events we have planned for the semester.

Lots of love and even more apologies,
AMP films

P.S. "I'll let you finish, but Beyonce had the best joke of all time" Classic. (don't worry, if you were there you would know...)

What Scares You?

2009-09-16T10:27:00.000-07:00

Hey, Special Events here! Do you love to be scared or love the Fall/Halloween season? If so get ready for an AWESOME event coming your way the 30th of October! The FALL SPOOKTACULAR will be coming to a sunken garden near you, featuring Potty Racers, A Petting Zoo, Pumpkin Painting, Carnival Games, A Haunted Trail and buckets of Candy! So get your costumes ready for the costume contest, and prepare for the best Halloween ever!

PICTURES!!

2009-09-16T10:16:00.000-07:00

Hey! Have you recently attended an AMP event and seen a photographer in a dashing blue shirt walking around? Did you get a picture taken at Carbon Leaf, The Late Night Kickoff or Bo Burnham last week? Well if you have or even if you haven't there are AWESOME AMP pics up on both the AMP flicker and in the AMP Facebook group! Tag yourselves or save the pics you are in, they make some pretty awesome profile pictures :D

Dear TribeVision, why so much Tony Montana?

2009-09-15T06:08:00.000-07:00

Hey TribeVision fans,

If you're a particularly dedicated fan of channel 52 you may have noticed something a little funny (or terrifying) these past two weeks: Scarface...where it shouldn't be.

It's a new year for TribeVision, and with a new year comes a new set of programmers. We've been working hard to bring you a great line-up of films, but we're also just getting used to the system. So no, you're not going crazy. The schedule did say 17 Again, but that was in fact Al Pacino you just saw (....and you thought Zac Efron had just grown-up a lot over the summer).

Any remaining instances of errant Scarfaces (there are two) have been noted and recorded on the schedule, which should be online shortly if it's not there already.

We apologize for the inconvenience, but try to think of finding the misplaced showings as a bizarre scavenger hunt. Or your best friend's older brother's dream come true.

Love,
AMP Films

P.S. Say hello to my little friend....(sorry, we couldn't resit....)

Stay Tuned... Big Speaker Announcement Coming Soon!

2009-09-09T11:10:00.000-07:00

Hey W&M,

The Contemporary and Cultural Issues Committee (aka "Contempo Cult") spent the summer hard at work, trying to find the BEST possible "Big Speaker" for this semester.

Some of you might have taken our poll last spring, which we sent out trying to get a feel for what type of speaker you all are interested in. There was a pretty strong leaning towards bringing someone connected to "pop culture/entertainment" in particular, so we kept that in mind during our search. (Don't worry, though... that doesn't mean the other topics like journalism, sports, multicultural and/or gender issues are going to be left out-- we're keeping all these things in mind as we plan the other events, both for this semester, and for the spring!)

We looked for inspiration from all sorts of sources- newspapers, blogs, magazines... summer blockbusters that were "striking gold" at the box office and hot summer "reads" that were flying off the shelves at the bookstores. If people were talking about it, we tried to be on top of it, and see if there was any way we could bring this person/trend/issue to campus.

We also got quite a few emails from students and campus groups which gave us some great ideas. We always LOVE getting these, and take each and every one into consideration. If only we could bring about 50 speakers to campus each semester, instead of just 3-4-- because we receive SO MANY great ideas, and each and every one would make for a really interesting/fun/thought-provoking event that we'd love to be able to share with the student body...

Some of you might have heard rumblings about a certain quirky tv "Science Guy" - and that's something we tried really hard to make happen. Unfortunately some budgetary and scheduling issues meant it wasn't feasible to bring that particular event to campus. But... FEAR NOT dear Tribe, for Contempo Cult still has plenty of tricks up its sleeve! We have looked into a lot of great options, and are in the process of firming up an event that we're really excited about-- and you guys will be the first to know as soon as it's set in stone!

In the meantime- keep an eye out for publicity for our other exciting events this semester... and always feel free to send us your ideas. We'll be planning for the spring before you know it, and would love to hear what it is that you are excited to see!

Here's looking at you, kids...
-The Contempo Cult Committee

Intern Applications Due On Thursday!

2009-09-07T11:05:00.000-07:00

Hey guys!

So now that you've been to some AMAZING AMP events so far this year, I know you are all dying to know how YOU can be one of those cool people in the blue shirts running all over, planning these events, and working backstage. Well here's your last chance to get in early and become an AMP Intern. Every other committee has recruitment in the spring (around February/March), but Interns is recruiting now! So download an application here and make sure to get it in by Thursday at 5 PM! As always, let us know at amp@wm.edu if you have any questions!

Back to Fall "Comedy Weekend" & other Shenanigans

2009-09-04T12:59:00.000-07:00

Hey W&M!
First blog-o-post ordeal this semester, I'm the new AMP Comedy Chair: Findlay Parke. Nice to see you all. To tee things off for the fall semester we have a double-hit Back to Fall "Comedy Weekend" this September 4th-5th with Kumail Nanjiani & Bo Burnham respectively. Kumail Nanjiani hits Lodge 1 and is what people like to refer to as a Comic's comic- no big name yet but a combo of slammin' delivery and some wicked eyebrows will leave you floored. Bo Burnham takes up the lead September 5th in PBK with his now famous set-list of witty YouTube pun-laden antics. The 19 year old will be touring on his "Fake-ID" tour and visiting us for what promises to be a night of clever musical lewdness.

More updates as the semester rolls through- some names to look forward to: Eliot Chang, Todd Allen and the Tribe's own 7th Graders. Email us at: amp@wm.edu if you've got questions.

-AMP Comedy Productions

Carbon Leaf's Blog

2009-09-02T20:47:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! AMP Music Productions here.

Just wanted to share with you the blog Carbon Leaf posted about the show!

Check it out:

http://carbonleaf.ning.com/profiles/blogs/would-ya-stay-through-the

I hope everyone got to come out to the show!

p.s. We just started looking at Homecoming, so look out for updates!

AmpLove,
Music Productions

Where oh where has TribeVision gone?

2009-08-31T10:37:00.000-07:00

Hey Movie Fans,

You may have noticed that Channel 52 has been mysteriously blank these first few days of classes. That's because TribeVision is not currently set up to operate over the month of August.

We are ready to go for September with an awesome list of films (visit our TribeVision facebook group for the full lineup: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=68720245105#) but unfortunately when you turn on your TV September 1st you may still notice that distinct lack of sound and moving images.

Over the summer William and Mary services began moving the TribeVision and William and Mary TV equipment from the Campus Center over to its new home in PBK. Due to a few complications, however, the move was not able to be completed by the start of classes, and may not be complete for another few weeks.

We are optimistic that we’ll have TribeVision up and running before the month is out. As you may know, we typically feature our lineup on a 15 day rotation. That is, we show one film a day for the first 15 days of a given month, and then on the 16th day we begin the rotation again. What this means is that (fingers crossed) TribeVision will be up and running by the 16th, and we’ll be able to cycle all of the way through our fabulous lineup this month.

Thanks for your understanding.

Lots of love,
AMP films

HOMEBREW AUDITIONS!

2009-08-27T10:49:00.000-07:00

HOMEBREW is back again for another semester full of incredible student performances! For those of you who do not know what Homebrew is then all you have to do is come to Lodge 1 every other Thursday night to find out. AMP loves to bring in outside entertainers to campus, but we also realize that William and Mary has its own unique blend of singers, songwriters, poets, and comedians. The Homebrew committee organizes themed shows for these “Homebrewed” performers every other week. Examples of past themes have been “I Can See Russia from My Homebrew” and “Homebrew of the Future.”

Of course, Homebrew wouldn’t be possible if there are no acts interested in performing for their fellow students. SOOOOOO, if you are at all interested in having your very own Homebrew, SIGN UP FOR AUDITIONS!!!!!!!! They are being held in Lodge 1 Sunday September 6th from 11 am to 6 pm and on Monday September 7th from 5 pm to Midnight. All you have to do is have ten minutes worth of material ready to show the committee. If you have any questions about Homebrew or the audition process, feel free to send me an email at abpink@wm.edu.

Come on out cause the AMP Homebrew Committee wants you!!!!!

AMP Music Productions!

2009-08-18T16:33:00.000-07:00

Hey guys! AMP Music Productions here. We've been working extra hard before and during the break, so we wanted to share what we've been up to!

First, we started working on Fridays @ 5 in April by compiling a list of artists that the committee researched. We often find artists for F@5s locally, though some might come from other states. The source of our research varies, from meeting the band at a campus programing convention to seeing them open for another artist. After we made the master list, we individually listened to every artists we went around and voted for the top 5 artists. In May, we started booking for those top 5 artists. Fortunately, we were lucky enough to get all of our top choices this semester! Here is the line-up for this semester's Fridays @ 5: Sleepwalk, a Robot (Sep. 4), Afromotive (Sep. 11), Re-Up (Sep. 18), Trees On Fire (Sep. 25), Jim Ivins/the Itchy Hearts (Oct. 16). I hope you guys come out to these shows, they are all awesome and, best of all, FREE!

Another thing we've been working on all summer is the Welcome Back show. We started looking for artists in April by contacting the agents. When we have a large-scale show, such as Welcome Back, Homecoming, and the Spring Concert, we contact the agents to see if they have any artists that are available on that certain date. After we contacted the agents, we complied a list again, like we did for Fridays @ 5, and voted for the top choices. We were not as fortunate at booking for Welcome Back as we were for Fridays @ 5, as we got turned down by many artists. Here are some of the artists that we tried to book: Jamie Lidell, Dr. Dog, Cobra Starship, and Bedouin Soundcrash. After getting turned by the above artists, we considered not having the Welcome Back show at all. We thought that if we bring an artist that we're not excited about, it would just be a waste of money. The money we did not spend for Welcome Back would have been either added to the Homecoming budget or used for another show during the semester. But wait! There's a light at the end of this tunnel! We asked for some help from the middle agents (they are kind of like our middle-man, they allow us to work with artists without having to deal with them directly), and we were able to book a band! And the Welcome Back band is... drum roll please... CARBON LEAF! They are a very popular band from Richmond, Virginia who have opened for many artists such as the Dave Matthews Band, Something Corporate, O.A.R, and David Gray, and has been on tour with Jason Mraz, Blues Traveler, Great Big Sea, and the Avett Brothers (who have played here at the College 3 years ago). The show is free for W&M students/faculties. It will be right after the Opening Convocation, at the beautiful Lake Matoaka Amphitheater.

Alright! I think that was enough blogging for one day. Thank you for reading, and I hope you can make it to the shows!

Love, AMP Music Productions

INTERNS RECRUITMENT!

2009-08-18T10:09:00.001-07:00

Hello Hello!

Now that the school year is about begin, Interns recruitment is beginning in full swing. Now, many of you may wonder... who are the AMP Interns? It might be confusing since an intern sounds like the person who sits in an office stapling papers, but that would be completely wrong! AMP has 10 committees, and nine of them participate in our general spring recruitment. However, there is one very special committee that recruits in the fall. Can you guess what that committee is? Yep! It's Interns! Unlike the other nine committees which are specifically geared to certain types of entertainment (for the most part), interns have the opportunity to try out many different things from music to movies to speakers making it an absolutely great way to try out campus programming for the first time. Past intern events have included Are You Afraid of the Dark marathon, St. Patty's Day party, and Justin Kredible the magician. Anyone is welcome to apply, and applications will be available soon on our website (www.wm.edu/amp). They are due on September 10 at 5 PM to the folder on the door of our office (Student Activities Suite Room 19 in the Campus Center) or to the Intern Coordinator, Rachel Becker, at rhbecker@wm.edu.

AMP Internal Affairs

2009-04-20T12:11:00.000-07:00

Hey Guys,

My name is Urooj Khalid and I will be the Internal Affairs Chair for the 2009-2010 year. Internal Affairs is responsible for membership enrichment and promoting both sustainability and outreach initiatives within AMP. I have the pleasure of working with an amazing committee this year and we are all looking forward to a great year for AMP and W&M. We are currently brainstorming events for AMP members in the Fall, but if you guys have any suggestions we would love to have your input!

In the upcoming semesters, IA will be focusing on promoting diversity and sustainability within the organization. We hope to colloborate with other organizations on campus and branch out to other groups. We also definiteley want to promote "going green" and hope that next semester we can make AMP more sustainable overall. If you have any questions or want to share your thoughts take our survey and we can respond on the blog!

Enjoy the rest of your semester and good luck with finals!

AMP Love,

Internal Affairs

AMP Films Fall Event Ideas

2009-04-19T07:06:00.000-07:00

Hey Everybody,

Academically things may be winding down, but they're just starting up for AMP Films 09/10. We're already starting to plan our events for next fall!

We want to hear what you think about our ideas and what ideas you have of your own. We got some input at our feedforward forum on Friday, but we want even more, so we're piggybacking off of ContempoCult and doing a survey of our own.

Click on the link below and tell us what you're thinking!
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=6mBZOjd_2f3lPJ3WBjfv3lkg_3d_3d

If you're having trouble with the link, it may be because the survey shuts off after 100 votes. Check to see if we've posted a new link...we promise we're going to work hard to keep it up-to-date. OR vist the facebook event page and click on the link there: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/event.php?eid=79145816715&ref=ts

There's also plenty of room for feedback on the survey, so send us any questions or concerns you might have and we'll respond to them here on the blog.

Thanks for your input!

Love,
AMP Films

AMP Contempo Cult wants your input!

2009-04-15T08:24:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,

AMP's Contemporary and Cultural Issues Committee is currently looking into speakers for next Fall. We have been looking into a lot of exciting possibilities, but we would love to know what type of speaker YOU would be most interested in coming to see next semester!

Please visit the link below to give us your input!
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=bw3DIZWPVa_2fq0hjiW3Vy7w_3d_3d

Also, if you know of a speaker or event that you think would be perfect for William and Mary, please email them to us. You can send any ideas to committee chair Caitlin Clements at csclements@wm.edu. We'd love to hear from you!

We will keep you all posted as the event planning process continues, and in the meantime, thanks so much for your input!

-AMP Contempo Cult, '09-'10

2009-04-14T10:47:00.001-07:00

Hello Everyone!!
I am Olyvia Salyer, and I will be the Special Events chair for the '09-10 year! We are currently planning our events for the fall so if you have a great idea that you want to see happen on campus you should definitley let us know! The Special Events committee goal for next year is to bring bigger and better events that everyone on campus can enjoy, so we would love to hear the ideas you have and your input on ideas that we come up with in the next couple of weeks! If you do have an idea or any type of feed back you want Special Events or AMP in general to know you should come out to the FeedForward Forum in the York Room of the SC this Friday, the 17th at 4pm! Hope to see you there!

-Olyvia

Transparency and Feedback

2009-04-14T08:20:00.000-07:00

Greetings AMP Community,

Last week, I posted on one of the music committee's most successful reforms of the past year: a new schedule that emphasized multiple medium-sized shows rather than one large show. Stay tuned, I have some exciting news on that front that will be made public within the next few days.

Today's blog post focuses on an area in which we were significantly less successful. We began the year with a commitment to more purposefully collecting campus feedback and acting upon it. For reasons partly within and partly without of our control, we have been unsuccessful in our attempt.

As my last blog post alluded to, there has been a perceived disconnect between the campus and the music committee for several years. On the music committee, we have always assumed that this causes frustration only because we cannot effectively communicate the restraints acting upon us. If the campus knew how difficult it was to draw impressive bands to campus, the theory goes, then we could have a more meaningful dialogue about how to proceed. So, our effort to address problems of feedback and transparency was rooted first in educating the community as to the complicated system we work within, and second to create an outlet for a meaningful dialogue to begin.

In order to do this, we created a Facebook Forum. In the forum, we explained how our booking process works, updated with every offer we put in to a band, and accepted feedback from the community. Every week, a new committee member was assigned to monitor the forum and respond to all comments. In theory, this was an adequate solution, but in practice it reached too few students and lead neither to a widespread understanding of how we function nor an engaged dialogue. At best, numbers for the group hovered around 150 and participation was sparse.

Though the facebook forum was a good start, we should have broadened our scope and diversified our methods of outreach if we were to fundamentally change the nature of the relationship between the music committee and the community. Campus newspaper editorials, online polls, feedback stands at each of our events: many tactics such as these could have been combined with the forum to create a more sustained discussion between the music committee and community.

This, however, would take serious swathes of time. As with any programming committee, the music committee faces multiple tasks that have to be prioritized in order for the group to function successfully. In the end, we decided to focus on booking, publicizing, planning, and running our events. As chair, sometimes the most difficult realization is knowing that your committee is a group of unpaid students, who cannot devote every hour of every day to AMP. If we had infinite time, I would have been thrilled to more drastically overhaul the feedback process; in the end, though, I am happy we chose to prioritize booking and hosting successful shows.

Next week: how we reformed the tasks that committee members do across the year.

-Sean O'Mealia

Updated Link for TribeVision Poll

2009-04-13T18:00:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone who has voted for May's TribeVision line-up! Here's the updated poll for everyone who still wants to do so:

Remember, you have until this Wednesday at midnight.

Happy voting!

Love, AMP Films

Vote for Your TribeVision May Line-Up

2009-04-11T09:00:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody,

You can now vote for your TribeVision May line-up online. Visit the facebook event page. Or, go directly to the survey. The poll closes after 100 votes though, so if you have a problem, check the blog for an updated link. You can vote through next Wednesday, April 15.

Democracy AND great movies whenever you want to see them? Well, that's a beautiful thing.

Love,
AMP Films

Jose Canseco Event CANCELED

2009-04-04T10:12:00.000-07:00

Hello,
We regret to inform you that An Evening with Jose Canseco that was scheduled to take place tonight at the PBK Hall has been canceled. AMP deeply apologizes for any inconvenience.

Many people have been asking why the event was canceled with such short notice on Saturday. We were all ready to go by Saturday morning, but unfortunately Mr. Canseco was unable to be with us due to an unexpected family emergency. AMP will keep you updated on the process of what will be happening in light of this situation and how we will be moving forward (ie, rescheduling, postponement, new event, etc.).

Thanks for your understanding.
AMP Events

Fridays @ 5

2009-04-02T15:10:00.001-07:00

Hi guys!

Come to the interns' first Fridays@5 tomorrow, April 3 at the SC Terrace! Junk Science from Fredericksburg will be rocking the house, and you can even win a free goldfish. What's not to love?

www.myspace.com/junkscienceband

~Taylor

Concerts

2009-04-01T13:05:00.000-07:00

As my time as chair of the AMP music committee comes to a close, I'm reflecting upon changes we've made. At least since I've been a W&M student, the music productions committee has struggled to please the W&M community, often receiving persistent criticism from students. This year, we've made several reforms in an effort to better serve the campus. For the next several weeks, I will examine notable changes and discuss the reasons we made them. I hope that this series will provide an insider's perspective into how AMP works and illustrate the give-and-take that comes with any decision made by the music productions committee.

This blog post focuses upon the different approach we took to scheduling concerts this year. As you have probably noticed, we are not hosting a big "Spring Concert." This has been a deliberate decision on our part, made in an effort to reach as many students as possible. Instead of one large show, we booked five medium-sized shows.

In the past, spring concerts have almost always been our most critiqued shows. Much of this criticism has been justified: if your genre of music was not represented by the Spring Concert, then you would not get to take advantage of money paid to student activities fees. No matter what genre we picked for spring concert, the majority of campus was upset that their music was not being represented. Each year, we faced strong criticism. As the bands that could potentially draw several thousand W&M students (Dave Matthews, Kayne, Radiohead) are way out of our price range, we were left every year with between 800 and 1,800 students attending Spring Concert, and fierce criticism from segments of campus that felt excluded. We were consistently left to sell the majority of tickets to non-W&M students, which we felt was outside the central mission of AMP.

Our decision to book numerous medium-sized bands is grounded in the fundamental insight that there are numerous different groups of music enthusiasts at W&M. Different genres have different fans, and all are entitled to be represented by the bands AMP music brings. If we have several medium-sized shows throughout the year and fill 800 person venues, we will have served more students and brought more diverse acts to campus. Splitting up the money typically allocated for spring concert has allowed us to bring Virginia Coalition, Jens Lekman, Girl Talk, David Cook, and one last show we'll announce soon. Taken together, attendance at these events already far outstrips what we would normally get for spring concert. And, just as importantly, we have been able to appeal to a wide range of music interests, making students feel more represented by AMP.

This approach does have its drawbacks. Theoretically, we could get lucky one year and book that perfect band that unites the campus and becomes immensely popular. Though it hasn't happened recently, it could (and from our perspective, nothing beats a well-attended, well-regarded event). This year, we felt past experience proved that mode of thinking was impracticle; next year, the new music productions committee may return to the one-big-concert framework. These questions don't have easy answers, feedback is always appreciated.

I am proud of the decision to revise our schedule. In my opinion, we reached an unprecedented amount of students who listen to diverse genres of music and made them feel included by AMP. Next week, I'll discuss a reform I am less proud of: our effort to increase transparency and feedback.

Comedian on Friday, March 27th

2009-03-26T10:05:00.000-07:00

Hey all!

Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond AMP's control, the Lodge 1 show scheduled for this Friday has been cancelled. Comedian Kumail Nanjiani is no longer available to come and perform. We apologize to any students who had plans to attend the show and were looking forward to a night of great comedy.

The AMP Comedy Committee would also like to remind everyone that at this point in the year we are actively looking for new comedians to bring next fall. If you are a comedy buff, or just happened to catch a really funny comedian recently, please feel free to send us any recommendations, or names of comedians you would like to see come to campus! We are here to bring the acts that interest you, so feel free to send us the names of anyone you would like to see.

If you have any questions, or the name of a comedian or comedic event you would like to see on campus next year, please e- mail amp@wm.edu or the new head of comedy, Findlay Parke, at ffparke@wm.edu. Thanks so much, we look forward to hearing from you!

AMP Comedy

TribeVision (Channel 52) April Poll!

2009-03-23T20:29:00.001-07:00

While you're debating what you want to watch as your Screen on the Green and Movies at Matoaka films, please take time to fill out the TribeVision April Poll. We want to know what you'd like to watch. Any film that is out on DVD is open for suggestion!

For films that AMP is currently showing, check out the TribeVision Facebook Group. Enjoy!

AMP Films

TribeVision Update

2009-03-02T21:52:00.000-08:00

Hey Tribe!

I hope everyone enjoyed the much needed/deserved snow day! I know there is nothing better than watching a good movie with hot cocoa while it snows outside, but unfortunately due to the power-outage the system that allows us to show movies through Tribevision (Channel 52) has to be rebooted. Because of all the closings on campus there was no way for us to gain access and get Tribevision running again. But no worries, it will be up and running Wednesday with our great March selection. Thanks for watching Tribevision and giving us your input.

Love,
AMP Films Committee

AMP 2009-2010

2009-03-02T21:44:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to the 2009-2010 AMP General Board. After reading applications and conducting interviews this past weekend, the 2009-2010 Executive Board (see full list below) selected the AMP General Board for the upcoming year. AMP had many great, competitive candidates and is excited to welcome its incoming general board members. Under this impressive team, AMP is sure to continue its tradition of diverse, high-quality entertainment. The committees will begin to brainstorm events for Fall '09 in the coming weeks so make sure to suggest your ideas to them!

AMP is also pleased to announce the 2009-2010 Executive Board:

Comedy: Findlay Parke

Contemporary & Cultural Issues: Caitlin Clements

Films: Elizabeth Ferris

Homebrew: Alixanne Pinkerton

Intern Coordinator: Rachel Becker

Internal Affairs: Urooj Khalid

Late Night: Dawson Lindauere

Music Productions: Seira Nakagawa

Publicity: Kelly Bodie

Special Events: Olyvia Salyer

If you see any of these folks around campus, make sure to congratulate them.

Application Process

2009-02-28T13:16:00.001-08:00

Hi everyone. I wanted to give an update on how our application process for AMP is going. For the past few weeks we've been in the process of reviewing applications, interviewing candidates, and making decisions about who should be a part of AMP 2009-2010!

We already have our new Directors for next year: Giuliana Morales (Executive Director), David Cooper (PR Director), and Hannah Moon (General Board Director). Last weekend, the incoming and outgoing directors met and selected the new executive board chairs. Full list coming soon!

And this weekend, as many of you may know, is our General Board application process. We received over 130 applications to AMP, including both new applicants and AMP returners. It is a competitive process, and the new executive board is working very hard to put together the best board so that YOU can have the best events next year!

Keep checkin' the blog and the website for more updates on what AMP is doing...and look out for the new AMP 2009-2010 committees brainstorming ideas for next year and wearing their bright blue AMP shirts :)

TribeVision (Channel 52) March Poll!

2009-02-16T15:40:00.001-08:00

While you're debating between Benjamin Button and Slumdog Millionaire, please take time to fill out the TribeVision March Line-up Poll. We want to know what you'd like to watch!

AMP Films

Girl Talk Venue Clarification

2009-02-11T13:00:00.001-08:00

Hello everyone! AMP expected an intense demand for the Girl Talk show, and we're thrilled so many people got their tickets early! The show is now sold out. This has led to some understandable frustration, and requests that we switch venues for the show to allow more concert-goers. The short answer is that there is no way a switch in venues is possible. Here is a lengthier explanation of why:

First and foremost: if we were to change the venue after the fact, we would have to renegotiate the contract in light of any new capacity. Girl Talk agreed to play this show knowing we would lose money because of the ticket sales. If we were suddenly to drastically increase capacity, he would likely (and rightfully) back out as a breach of contract. It takes several months to negotiate contracts for the artists we bring here. Our lawyers and his lawyers could not renegotiate within two weeks. Further, AMP has a Spring budget that gets set in the mid-Fall. If we change venues, we would have to totally recalibrate our budget (b/c Girl Talk would need significantly more money). This is impossible due to the fact that we have already booked the majority of our Spring events, and settled upon accepted payment.

W&M Hall: they have basketball games the night prior to and the day after Girl Talk. For that reason they are not willing to give us the date. In addition to that, the capacity for the floor is not as big as you would expect it to be. At least 1/3 of the floor was empty during the My Chemical Romance show, and we could not convince the fire department to allow more than that. All of the seats would be empty; we couldn't possibly get a good light show in there. The room would feel empty, and we wouldn't be able to sell many more tickets than we can now in the Chesapeake.

Lake Matoaka: The venue is closed for the season. In addition to that fact, it is an outdoor venue. We could only sell as many tickets as our rain location, which would be the Chesapeake. So there would be no net gain in # of tickets sold, despite the fact that we have moved to much bigger and more spread-out venue. The concern isn't just a rain location. We're also talking about a show near midnight in February. If it's too cold, we won't have any way to move indoors. Artists are within their contractual rights to refuse to play outdoors if they deem the weather to be inclement. Gregg Gillis would be perfectly justified in refusing to play in the rain, snow, or excessive cold, and then we would be left with no concert at all.

To everyone who is frustrated they did not get a ticket: I am sorry. If there were any way to get every W&M student who wants to go to Girl Talk there, we would find a way. AMP's music committee is working around the clock to try to find ways of improving this scenario, but a change in venue is out of the question. Watch this blogs in the days and weeks to follow; I will repeatedly update it with any news.

-Sean O'Mealia

Inside the Girl Talk process

2009-02-10T08:43:00.000-08:00

With W&M Girl Talk tickets going on sale today (get yours here!), I figured I would take a moment to fill everyone in on the process of getting Greg Gillis to campus, how we selected a venue, and why we chose to have a campus-exclusive pre-sale.

AMP has been getting repeated requests for Girl Talk for over a year now. In addition to word-of-mouth recommendations, we also collected requests for him to come play here on our new effort at increased transparency, the Facebook feedback forum. Whenever the campus seems relatively united in its hope to bring a certain act, we do everything in our power to get them here. In the case of Girl Talk, we tried several offers in the fall, but could not make our schedules work. Sometime in mid November, we essentially gave him 20ish dates we had available for the Spring and tried to make one of them work. It took nearly two months of negotiating, but we able to get him to confirm.

There has been some controversy over our choice of the Chesapeake Ballroom as the venue for this show. The short answer is that it is the biggest venue we can possibly get during the winter, and February 27th is the only date Girl Talk could play at W&M. W&M Hall is booked for sporting events. Matoaka and the Sunken Gardens are closed for the season, not to mention that it is likely to be quite cold near midnight in February outside. Trinkle Hall has roughly the same capacity (its slightly smaller), and significantly worse acoustics. PBK Hall has seats (which aren't a good thing at a Girl Talk show), and a smaller capacity. So Chesapeake it is!

In light of the fact that we will probably sell-out, and the intense demand on campus for Girl Talk tickets, AMP has decided that there will be a one-week W&M-exclusive pre-sale. Starting today, anyone with a valid W&M ID can buy one Girl Talk ticket. We set the cap at one so that W&M students do not buy their friends from off-campus several tickets. We will be checking for W&M IDs at the door, so do not buy a student ticket if you are not a member of the W&M community! AMP is here to serve you, W&M, so we're going out of our way to make sure you have a fair opportunity to buy tickets to the mostly hotly anticipated Williamsburg concert in years.

Get your tickets early! I hope this has been a helpful behind-the-scenes look at how AMP makes decisions!

-sean o'mealia and the amp music productions committee

Give Them Something to Talk About...

2009-02-09T13:39:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone,

Right now the Contemporary and Cultural issues Committee is still looking for a great speaker to fill our spring line-up! We had some ideas, but unfortunately things fell through. It's alright, this happens all the time, but we still want to bring someone fantastic to come and speak to the campus. Last semester we had big names - both Gideon Yago and Anthony Rapp came to speak. And we're pushing for one more for this semester.

So the committee has our hands full - we're looking at big agencies, small agencies, and pretty much all the personal connections that we know (6 degrees of Kevin Bacon, anyone.....) to make sure that we find the best speaker that we can. Keep looking out for news and updates about the process! But let me ask you --

Who do you want to see at the podium? Who do you want to see speak to the college? If you have any ideas or input, let us know!

Your determined Contempo-Cult Chair,
Clara

Big Changes for Late Nite

2009-02-06T10:07:00.000-08:00

Hey guys,

So if you've been reading the blog you know that we redefined Late Nite's mission last semester as the following.

Recognizing the limited availability of social venues in Williamsburg, AMP's Late Nite Programming seeks to serve the students' need for a socially engaging environment on Friday and Saturday nights by providing consistent entertainment and fostering a vibrant social atmosphere on campus. While Late Nite aids other student organizations in event planning both logistically and financially, its primary goal is to provide students the opportunity to meet and interact with each other in a casual setting. This is accomplished primarily, but not exclusively, by creating a fun, exciting, and open social environment in Lodge 1.

While we had some success with these goals last semester, we found that it was too taxing for the committees to focus on Late Nite objectives in addition to their own individual purpose. So next year we will be starting a brand new Late Nite committee to focus exclusively on providing more night life options for W&M students. If you're interested in joining this committe check out www.wm.edu/amp for the application.

We will also continue to work with other student groups on cosponoring Late Nite events. If your organization is interested in learning more about Late Nite funding check out the AMP website or email me at amp.late.nite@gmail.com. The window for rolling applications is closing fast so be sure to get them in soon!

Finally, thanks to all of you who came to the Late Nite Kickoff! It was a blast!
This weekend be sure to check out Late Nite Salsa on Friday and the Video Game Party on Saturday.

Drumroll please...

2009-02-02T07:40:00.000-08:00

And the winner of the Bill Lawrence Filmmaking Competition is: Magic Dream House by Team 1963. Congrats to team members Adam Stackhouse, Reina Chamberlain, Samantha Fien-Helfman and actors Kelley, Matt, and Ben!

The 5 finalist teams won:
A private screening with Bill Lawrence
Script of Scrubs Premier or Finale (signed by Bill Lawrence)

The winning team won:
Script of the Scrubs Finale (signed by cast)
Scrubs Season 7 (signed by Bill Lawrence)
$100

Remember to catch these films on TribeVision on March-May '09!

AMP Films Committee

AMP Recruitment

2009-02-01T13:36:00.000-08:00

AMP is beginning our annual spring recruitment process! We're looking for enthusiastic, dedicated, and innovative students who want to get a behind-the-scenes look at campus programming. You'll basically be planning W&M's coolest concerts, comedians, speakers, movies, and more!

Executive Board (Committee chair) applications due Monday, February 16 by 5pm
General Board applications due Monday, February 23 by 5pm

Executive Board: http://web.wm.edu/amp/files/applications/AMPExecBoardApplication0910.doc
General Board: http://web.wm.edu/amp/files/applications/AMPGeneralBoardApplication0910.doc

If you have questions, email Katy, Director of General Board, at kelang@wm.edu. You can drop off your application in hard copy form to the AMP office (upstairs in campus center) OR email it electronically to kelang@wm.edu. Thanks!

Bill Lawrence Filmmaking Competition Update

2009-01-26T22:00:00.000-08:00

The judges' panel for the Bill Lawrence Filmmaking Competition met this evening to pick the top 5 films (out of 20+ final submissions!). Without further ado, the top five production teams and films are (in alphabetical order):

Just Blueberries and Chad: Short Straw (or Little H)
One Way Productions: Sunny Side Up
Part-Time Productions: Sean Hits His Stride
Team 1693: Magic Dream House
Vagabond Anarchists: Hark Upon a Tale

And honorable mentions include:

7th Grade Sketch Comedy: Five Dollars
Ellipsis: Love Me...Please
Team Mermidon: The Red Pill

AMP will screen the winning film (as chosen by Bill Lawrence) at the public lecture on Thursday, January 29^th. Check out the student films on TribeVision (Channel 52).

AMP wants to thank the student filmmakers for their submissions. We were truly impressed. Congratulations to the production teams of the top 5 films!

<3 AMP Films Committee