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So to what extremes are people going to acquire those tickets? As with any major concert some local radio stations hold contests to give their listeners an opportunity to win tickets to Hannah's concerts. Even some retailers have used this type of publicity.
A Chicago-based store, Club Libby Lu, located at a mall in suburban Garland, Texas (about 20 miles northeast of Dallas) sponsored an essay contest. The prize was to include a makeover that included a blonde Hannah Montana wig, airfare for four to Albany, N.Y., and four tickets to the sold-out Hannah Montana concert on Jan. 9th.
Obviously this was a prize that would make most little girls ecstatic. Various essay themes were sure to a topic of discussion in Garland as the girls hoped to win those elusive tickets.
The winning essay was gripping indeed. It was written by a mother and six-year–old daughter duo. It began with the powerful line, “My daddy died this year in Iraq”. It's easy to see how that essay would have been chosen as the winner. The problem was, it wasn't true. The entire essay was made up. Not only did the little girl's father not die in Iraq, her father wasn't a soldier.
The mother had told company officials that the little girl's father died April 17th in a roadside bombing. She even had a made-up name for him. But the Department of Defense had no record of anyone with that name dying in Iraq. The mother has admitted to the deception and has since apologized. She stated that they were doing whatever they had to to win. It's been reported that the prize was withdrawn from this duo.
In Florida a radio station held a contest for fathers. They were required to wear a black dress, 2-inch heels and a blonde Hannah wig while running through a mall doing some strange things.
Another Florida radio contest consists of participants being forced to listen to one song continuously for 24 hours a day for a chance to win front row seats to a concert and a chance to meet Hannah. Participants get food, water and bathroom breaks, and the last person remaining in the room wins. Still another contest consists of seven participants living in a Y-100 Ford Expedition up to six days to win tickets and to get to meet Hannah Montana.
With the scarcity of Hannah Montana tickets the contestants are likely to go to extreme measures to win contests. Although cheating should not be tolerated under any circumstances it is easy to see how one could desire something so badly they would take extreme measures to get it. This could include signing up for contests that require participation in activities that one would otherwise never consider. Hannah Montana has transformed the way we think about and plan for concerts. Planning ahead is essential!