TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

They Wanna Hold Their Hannah

ADVERTISEMENT

By SARAH HOYE, The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 9, 2007

TAMPA - Keeping a hand or foot pressed against a 12-foot Hannah Montana statue may not be your idea of a good time, but for contestants trying to win tickets to a sold-out concert, it's the least they can do for their children.

The last person holding on to the replica of the Disney Channel character will win four tickets to the Best of Both Worlds concert tour, which features 14-year-old singer-actress Miley Cyrus as herself and performing as pop sensation Hannah Montana. The winner also will receive backstage passes and $5,000.

"My daughter will choke me," says Debbie Piscitella, 41, mother of 9-year-old McKenna and 6-year-old Sebastian. "If I lose, I'm done. I might as well not even go home."

The Hannah Monstrosity contest, held by the "MJ Morning Show" on WFLZ, 93.3 FM, began at 7:57 a.m. Thursday with 20 contestants in the parking lot of Clear Channel Communications, 4002 W. Gandy Blvd. Contestants receive 12-minute breaks every three hours. They are not allowed to entertain themselves, meaning no iPods, books or cell phones. Permission is needed to switch positions.

As of 9 p.m., 17 contestants remained.

Tickets for the Nov. 19 stop at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa went on sale Aug. 10 and sold out in 18 minutes, according to Holly Brown, a Forum spokeswoman. Although ticket prices ranged from $30 to $70, some parents have shelled out thousands to ticket brokers to ensure their children are in the arena.

"I think for a lot of people their kids are at the age that this will be the first concert," Brown says of the Hannah frenzy. "And, it's the crazy popularity of the TV show."

The contest, streamed live on mjmorningshow.com, lasts until Nov. 18, the day before the concert.

"With the concert selling out, they're more pumped to do this," says radio show host Todd "MJ" Schnitt, who predicts the contest will last five days. "This is not some 24-hour deal; it's about the long haul."

Lavern Smalls took off from work for "personal reasons" to camp out at Hannah's feet. The mother of three, ages 5 to 12, wants to reward her children.

"I'm a single parent and they've stuck by me. I want to give back what they've given me," says Smalls, 31, of Bradenton. "I like her songs, she's wholesome and makes you dream big; it's what I teach my kids."

The Paul Bunyan-like statue, which cost $11,800 to construct, will either be sold on eBay at the end of the contest or destroyed - final plans are being debated.

Reporter Sarah Hoye can be reached at (813) 259-7832 or shoye@tampatrib.com.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT