So, after 72 hours and hundreds of submissions (and just as many conflicting emotions), it's come to this ... we have a winner in our Octo Drive Video Essay Contest.
It wasn't easy picking that winner. We got entries from all across the U.S., not to mention Australia, Spain, Italy and the UK. Entries from kids in school, the military and wheelchairs. We got entries from babies and dancing octopus puppets. There were kids who ate dog food, made cookies, threatened us with dog attacks, and had their children beg for the drive. There were rap songs and (many) acoustic numbers and even a marriage proposal or two. Seriously, you guys outdid yourselves and amazed us with your creativity and your passion to win this thing.
That said ... someone had to win this thing. So, after watching every single one of your entries -- and going back and forth about a bazillion times -- I've decided on the winning clip. For a while, it was gonna be the naked dude playing guitar. Then, Kaleigh, the singing baby surged into the lead. And for a minute, I was gonna give it to Chris B based on creativity alone.
But, at the end of the day, I picked something else entirely. So, who submitted the winning video? Find out after the jump. Read more...
So ... wow, yeah.
On Monday, I wrote a blog post announcing that Mark Hoppus and Pete Wentz had sent me one of the 100 'Octopus' flash drives they had made, and that I intended to give that drive away to one lucky fan -- with a good old-fashioned video essay contest.
I expected to get a bunch of responses, but ... man, you guys really went above and beyond. And by "above and beyond," I mean "you're really starting to scare me."
I was bombarded with hundreds of video essays from Blink/FOB fans (you can view some of 'em here), each explaining why they should get the Octo Drive. Some of them were naked. Some were dressed as pirates. Other just shouted a lot.
All were impressive. And while the essay contest isn't over just yet (entries can be submitted via our You R Here blog until midnight EST Wednesday), I feel like it would be a shame if I didn't share some of my favorites with you right now.
So, after the jump, check out a few of the best/scariest Octo Drive video essays I've received so far ... watch 'em and weep.
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... And they want us to give it away to one lucky fan.
It all started last month, when Wentz revealed to us that he and Hoppus were collaborating on a ultra-limited flash-drive that would contain remixes and other cool stuff. He said the drives would be distributed one at a time, in mysterious and creative ways. And, then on Friday, that flash drive arrived in my mailbox.
There are only 100 of these things made -- Hoppus and Wentz have distributed them to their favorite people across the world, with the instructions that they must be given away -- and so far, they've been handed out via Twitter scavenger hunts, won in raffles and, um, dug up from beneath lifeguard stands in Santa Monica.
(You can follow all the action over on the Friends Or Enemies "Octo-Drive" blog.)
And now, it's our turn to give one away. And while we're not going to make you follow a bunch of 140-character clues or break out the sand shovel, we are gonna do something that requires both smarts and strength (though no actual digging): We're having a video essay contest!
Here, watch me explain the details in this video:
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I'm not trying to say that Mark Hoppus is addicted to Twittering. But, man, Mark Hoppus is totally Tweet tweaked, and we love it.
Not only did Hoppus, the bass player for reunited pop-punk monsters of rock Blink-182, notice our story about how much he Twitters, he then Twittered about it.
If you recall, on Wednesday, we published a story about Hoppus' obsessive Twittering about the hugely anticipated Blink reunion tour this summer. Then, just a few hours later, he wrote, "MTV News just wrote an article about how much I Twitter." Ha! Score!
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This week marks the four-year anniversary of the day Blink-182 announced they were going on "indefinite hiatus." Needless to say, it's been a pretty eventful break for Blink's members. In fact, Travis Barker, Tom DeLonge and Mark Hoppus seem to have made just as many headlines while they were apart as they did were when they were together — something we discovered while compiling our Blink-182 hiatus timeline yesterday.
Of course, we all know how the story ends: with a triumphant reunion at the Grammys and a brand-new album in the works for the summer. That means that we can look back on the past four years fondly. After all, it's rare when a story of this magnitude gets wrapped up with such a neat little bow.
We've been digging through our archives for some key Blink material, and as luck would have it, we came across this gem from February 22, 2005, the day the Blink hiatus was announced live on "TRL."
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By Adrienne Day
Don't miss our exclusive interview with former Danity Kane singer Aubrey O'Day, who talked about her "elegant" and "iconic" Playboy spread with famed photographer Markus Klinko.
As part of our Valentine's Day gift to you (minus the dinner-and-a-movie part): MTV's Top 10 Breakup Songs. Not quite what you had in mind? Serenade your sweetie with our Top 10 Love Songs. Check back later this week for our Best Makeout and Worst Love Songs lists.
Our rock critic embraces his Blink-182 fandom and attempts to explain why their reunion means so much to him. Might it even change the world?
Jennifer Connelly, Jimmy Fallon, Kevin Connolly and others sound off on MTV's Greatest Movies Badass of All Time, Dirty Harry.
Are you the die-hardest of die-hard "Watchman" fans? The MTV Movies blog has your chance to meet the cast and see the film weeks before your friends do!
