Girl Won Hannah Montana Tickets With Fake Essay Describing Father's Death In Iraq

[Brian Damage]

GARLAND, Texas (AP) - An essay that won a 6-year-old girl four tickets to a Hannah Montana concert began with the powerful line: ''My daddy died this year in Iraq.''

While gripping, it wasn't true - and now the girl may lose her tickets after her mom acknowledged to contest organizers it was all a lie.

The sponsor of the contest was Club Libby Lu, a Chicago-based store that sells clothes, accessories and games intended for young girls.

The saga began Friday with company officials surprising the girl at a Club Libby Lu at a mall in suburban Garland, about 20 miles northeast of Dallas. The girl won a makeover that included a blonde Hannah Montana wig, as well as the grand prize: airfare for four to Albany, N.Y., and four tickets to the sold-out Hannah Montana concert on Jan. 9.

The mother had told company officials that the girl's father died April 17 in a roadside bombing in Iraq, company spokeswoman Robyn Caulfield said.

She had identified the soldier as Sgt. Jonathon Menjivar, but the Department of Defense has no record of anyone with that name dying in Iraq. Caulfield said the mother has admitted to the deception.

''We regret that the original intent of the contest, which was to make a little girl's holiday extra special, has not been realized in the way we anticipated,'' said Mary Drolet, the CEO of Club Libby Lu.

Drolet said the company is reviewing the matter, and is considering taking away the girl's tickets.

[Ireneparalegal]

The girl is too young to comprehend what she supposedly wrote. That mother is a pathetic piece of work.

[Ireneparalegal]

Why didn't those fools check out the information FIRST before giving the tickets? DUMB!

[Brian Damage]

While I don't think you should punish the child, what can you do? It is fraud and nobody should be rewarded for that.

[Ireneparalegal]

While I don't think you should punish the child, what can you do? It is fraud and nobody should be rewarded for that.
Indeed. Be honest with the child and tell her that "mommy was stupid, wrong and she lied." Let her see the consequences of what lying can do.

[Brian Damage]

Indeed. Be honest with the child and tell her that "mommy was stupid, wrong and she lied." Let her see the consequences of what lying can do.


Exactly, it's a lesson that the child will not soon forget.

[Teach1]

I am an elementary school teacher. I really get riled when I hear stories such as the one about the girl lying in the essay. Yes, the mother was the one who told the child to lie. There is an important life lesson for the child to learn here. Obviously, the mother isn't going to teach the child right from wrong. If she doesn't get to keep the tickets, it will hopefully make a big impression that cheaters don't win! (At least they shouldn't). Let's look at the big picture and realize that a child being disappointed over getting a prize taken away because her mother told her to lie is not going to impact her life as much as learning that it is ok to lie and cheat and that is just the way of the world.

Thanks for listening.

Diane

[Brian Damage]

I am an elementary school teacher. I really get riled when I hear stories such as the one about the girl lying in the essay. Yes, the mother was the one who told the child to lie. There is an important life lesson for the child to learn here. Obviously, the mother isn't going to teach the child right from wrong. If she doesn't get to keep the tickets, it will hopefully make a big impression that cheaters don't win! (At least they shouldn't). Let's look at the big picture and realize that a child being disappointed over getting a prize taken away because her mother told her to lie is not going to impact her life as much as learning that it is ok to lie and cheat and that is just the way of the world.

Thanks for listening.

Diane


Well said Diane and welcome to the boards. :welcome:

[Brian Damage]

The child did not do wrong. She should not be punished.


The child may not have did wrong, but the mother did. So because of that, the child must not be rewarded with tickets.

[Pus$y Galore]

The child may not have did wrong, but the mother did. So because of that, the child must not be rewarded with tickets.


Totally agree. If they gave her the tickets the child wouldn't learn the lesson properly. I say, no ticket for the kid and lay some sort of charge on the mother with a fine. Not only should it teach the two of them a lesson, but hopefully anyone else considering such a stupid stunt.

At the concert here in Toronto, there was a disabled 9 yr old girl (wheelchair bound) who couldn't get tickets to the show. A local news station (CITY TV) was able to wrangle a pair of tickets for her and her mom and you've never seen a more appreciative, thrilled child.

I can't believe someone actually used the war as a ruse to get tickets for a concert. Sickening. Have they not heard of KARMA?

[TJL]

Now Im not a parent, and there is no way I should be giving advice about raising children, but even I know that what this woman did is totally messed up.

Sorry kid, you don't get to go to the show because your Mom lied.

You lie, you get caught, you pay for it. Lesson over.

;)

[topjouster]

I don't believe that it is "punishing the daughter" to take away the tickets. I believe that it would be "rewarding cheating behavior" to let them win by cheating. I believe that they should not be allowed to receive their ill gotten gains. Today is the weekend and the corporate headquarters of Libby Lu is now closed. If anyone is interested in contacting Libby Lu's headquarters by phone or mail to voice their concerns or try to dissuade the company from awarding tickets to the cheaters in question, here is the corporate phone number and address. Try them on Monday asap during the work week. It is not punishing the child to take away tickets that they shouldn't have won in the first place. It is hopefully teaching them a valuable lesson.


http://www.saksincorporated.com/contacts/corporateaddresses.asp

[catlover79]

Sick, sick, sick. :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

[HuntingtonM15]

You all obviously want a 6 year old girl's heart broken. It was not her fault
the mother did this, she at her young age has no control over her mother.

That's quite irrelevant. If her heart is broken, it's because of her mother's actions, which as others have said, should not be rewarded.

[TJL]

What I am saying is there is no way the girl could have stopped her
mother from pulling this stunt. You are all acting the little girl instigated
this.


Okay, by your logic, I can go out and rob a jewelry store of a diamond ring for a girl.

I get caught and arrested, but oh what the heck, the girl can keep the expensive ring. I mean, she didn't know I stole the ring.

[Ireneparalegal]

No Lee, that is not what we are saying. The little girl needs to be taught that her mother lied and because of that, there are consequences. What better way for her to learn that cheaters never win. Believe me, she won't be scarred for life if she doesn't see Hannah Montana. She will be scarred if she learns that mommy can lie and she still gets what she wants.

If the mother held up a liquor store, took $1000 and bought Hannah Montana tickets, would that be ok for her to still go to the concert? Of course not.

Kids have to learn that with lies, dishonesty and cheating there are consequences. How cruel is it that her mother had to lie abt a fake father being killed in Iraq when there are 1000's of fathers who have been killed in Iraq and those kids are now without their parent? Those kids who indeed lost a parent in Iraq should be awarded those tickets.

[Ireneparalegal]

Alright, then you tell me how the little gilrl could have stopped her mother
from doing this.
That is an outrageous question. You obviously are missing the point and not getting the fact that the mother LIED. If all parents lied and their kids were given something because of that lie, those kids should keep whatever was awarded to them BECAUSE OF THAT LIE? If I go out and lie to social security and tell them my child's father died and collected money on my son's behalf, he should keep the money becausse I LIED??????

Gimme a friggin' break here. Your logic is no matter what the reward is, if a parent lies and a child benefits, that child should keep what was awarded to them? :crazy:

[TJL]

Alright, then you tell me how the little gilrl could have stopped her mother
from doing this.

Do you know if the girl had any knowledge of what her Mom had done? I reread the article at the start of this thread and it looks like the Mom did all the lying.

Maybe her Mother simply told her she won tickets, and didn't tell her how she won them.

[Ireneparalegal]

It states in the article the girl was "surprised by officials" who held the contest. So the little girl is aware of what she won as she had a make-over done and so forth.

It is obvious the little girl knew nothing abt it. However, if the contest required the essay to be written by the contestant themselves, then I can imagine the mother told her what to write. This part is confusing to me as I have a 6 year old son and he is barely learning to write, so there is no way he could write an essay. So I have to assume the mother wrote the essay without the little girl's knowledge or at the very least, the mother told the little girl, "I am entering a contest to try and win Hannah tickets."

Still, the mother lied and the little girl will have to face not seeing her idol. Surely not her fault, but she shouldn't get to go. How abt sending a child whose father did die in Iraq?

[TJL]

Hannah Montana Contest Winner a Fake
Posted Dec 29th 2007 11:00AM by TMZ Staff

A 6-year-old girl won four tickets to a Hannah Montana concert in New York with an essay that claimed her "daddy died this year in Iraq." Heartbreaking? Yes. True? No.

Priscilla Ceballos, the mother of the young girl, had told the company sponsoring the contest that the girl's father died April 17 in a roadside bombing in Iraq. When the spokesman asked the girl's mom if the story was true, the mother said no. God bless America.

"We never said this was a true story," Ceballos told FOX 4 in Dallas. "We do essays all the time. My daughter does essays at school all the time. It never did say it had to be true, but [the contest organizer] said, 'That's what we expected.'" Duh!

Club Libby Lu, the company behind the contest, has not yet made a decision as to whether the girl will get to keep the tickets.

This woman sounds like a real winner. Not even remorseful about making up such a terrible lie. And it looks like she coached her kid to write this essay.

Do you still think this kid should be rewarded Lee?

[Ireneparalegal]

Hannah Montana Contest Winner a Fake
Posted Dec 29th 2007 11:00AM by TMZ Staff

A 6-year-old girl won four tickets to a Hannah Montana concert in New York with an essay that claimed her "daddy died this year in Iraq." Heartbreaking? Yes. True? No.

Priscilla Ceballos, the mother of the young girl, had told the company sponsoring the contest that the girl's father died April 17 in a roadside bombing in Iraq. When the spokesman asked the girl's mom if the story was true, the mother said no. God bless America.

"We never said this was a true story," Ceballos told FOX 4 in Dallas. "We do essays all the time. My daughter does essays at school all the time. It never did say it had to be true, but [the contest organizer] said, 'That's what we expected.'" Duh!

Club Libby Lu, the company behind the contest, has not yet made a decision as to whether the girl will get to keep the tickets.

This woman sounds like a real winner. Not even remorseful about making up such a terrible lie. And it looks like she coached her kid to write this essay.

Do you still think this kid should be rewarded Lee?
WTF??? "It never said the story had to be TRUE."??????? She knew damn well what she was doing!!! The mere fact she lied abt a husband dying in Iraq goes to show what a pathetic piece of trash she is. :mad: And now she is trying to defend her lying actions by saying the contest rules don't specify whether the essay had to be true or not???? B*TCH!:mad: I wonder what else she lies abt?

And still, what 6 year old writes essays "all the time" in school? I never did and neither does my 6 year old. :crazy:

[Ireneparalegal]

I don't believe that it is "punishing the daughter" to take away the tickets. I believe that it would be "rewarding cheating behavior" to let them win by cheating. I believe that they should not be allowed to receive their ill gotten gains. Today is the weekend and the corporate headquarters of Libby Lu is now closed. If anyone is interested in contacting Libby Lu's headquarters by phone or mail to voice their concerns or try to dissuade the company from awarding tickets to the cheaters in question, here is the corporate phone number and address. Try them on Monday asap during the work week. It is not punishing the child to take away tickets that they shouldn't have won in the first place. It is hopefully teaching them a valuable lesson.


http://www.saksincorporated.com/contacts/corporateaddresses.asp
I just copy and pasted this information to put here:

Club Libby Lu Wish Factory
Headquarters
2700 W. Grand Ave.
Chicago, IL 60612

773-598-1570

http://www.saksincorporated.com/cont...eaddresses.asp

Parents: You can call Libby Lu Headquarters during the work week to let them know exactly how you feel about them giving the winning tickets to the cheaters.

If they are "considering not awarding the tickets" to these people, your phone call during the work week of Monday through Friday or a letter written to them would surely help to make a difference.

[Ireneparalegal]

Oy vey. No one is saying the little girl did anything. READ THE POSTS CAREFULLY. But she should not get the tickets. Give them to a kid who really lost a parent in Iraq.

[Brian Damage]

Oy vey. No one is saying the little girl did anything. READ THE POSTS CAREFULLY. But she should not get the tickets. Give them to a kid who really lost a parent in Iraq.


RIGHT ON!!!

[Dean Winchester]

it's funny that people will do such insane things to get Hannah concert tickets, in five years nobody will care :lol:

Seriously, remember it's only been 3-4 years ago when Hilary Duff was this huge teen idol and today she's pretty much a hasbeen and she had to go to dance music and court the gays since that is the only market who isn't too embarassed to listen to her. I doubt Miley will exactly be much more popular in three years than Hilary is now and all the little girls who made their parents stand outside for days to get tickets will deny they ever saw her in concert

[Lee]

I just found out that they took the tickets and gave them to someone else. I
now know that you all are right and the girl should not keep the tickets, but
I am still sad she will not be able to see Hannah Montana in concert. Maybe
providence will work out so that she will be able to go after all. Maybe Miley/
Hannah will invite her to the concert as a surprise guest.

[EmoJoe]

GOD im so tired of hearing about all of these Hannah Montana ticket scandals. what is the obsession with her?! shes not even REAL.

[TJL]

GOD im so tired of hearing about all of these Hannah Montana ticket scandals. what is the obsession with her?! shes not even REAL.


She's real if you believe in her.

She's Santa Claus with bangs.

;)

[gidgetgrape]

Talk about bad karma! I don't know how someone could do something like this and not feel like a total ______.

[catlover79]

She's real if you believe in her.

She's Santa Claus with bangs.

;)
:rofl: