Texas girl wins Hannah Montana tickets, trip with false essay

[gwebb1981]

Texas girl wins Hannah Montana tickets, trip with false essay
Dallas Morning News
Dec. 29, 2007 10:09 AM
http://www.azcentral.com/offbeat/art...hannah-ON.html

DALLAS - A 6-year-old Garland, Texas, girl won a Hannah Montana makeover and concert tickets Friday with an essay that started, "My daddy died this year in Iraq . . ."

But the girl's mother now admits that the essay, along with information she supplied about the supposedly deceased soldier, is false, said Robyn Caulfield, a spokeswoman for Club Libby Lu.

Club Libby Lu, a store aimed at "tween" girls that sells pink and purple merchandise and gives princess makeovers, sponsored the Hannah Montana Rock Your Holidays Essay Contest. First prize was the trip to see Miley Cyrus in concert as Hannah Montana, the fictional rock star from the Disney television show of the same name.

Club Libby Lu still plans to honor the girl's prize - airfare for four to Albany, N.Y., and four tickets to the sold-out Jan. 9 Hannah Montana concert there.

"We told a 6-year-old today that she was going to see Hannah Montana, and we're not going to renege on that," Caulfield said.

Who initiated the lie is unclear.

The girl's mother, Priscilla Ceballos, refused to answer questions Friday at the store. She did not return repeated phone messages left later in the day.

Company officials notified Ceballos that her daughter won the contest and arranged to surprise the girl Friday at the Club Libby Lu in Garland's Firewheel Town Center.

Store employees treated the girl to the makeover, complete with blond wig, and danced with her as television cameras recorded the scene.

Officials took the essay, which included no details about the father or his death, at face value and performed no background checks, Caulfield said. Ceballos told company officials that the girl's father, Army Sgt. Jonathon Menjivar, had died in a roadside bombing April 17 in Iraq, Caulfield said.

But Department of Defense records show that no one by the name Jonathon Menjivar has died in Iraq.

Caulfield said she was unable to release further details late Friday.

Here is the contest-winning essay, purportedly written by a 6-year-old girl:

"My daddy died this year in Iraq. I am going to give mommy the Angel pendant that daddy put on mommy when she was having me. I had it in my jewelry box since that day. I love my mommy."

So is this a really dedicated mother who is willing to lie to get her daughter something nice. Or is this just really messed up?

[BEK]

Hahaha. Man you lie about something and you dont get punished you get rewarded is that so typical of todays society or what. They should fly and her mom there without a return flight home.

[Growler]

Theya ren't going to reneg on that promise?? To a girl and her mother who lied and there is most definetly girls more deserving of those tickets.

I'm sensing this little girl girl may be the next generation of enron.

[mack]

Could be the little girl didn't lie, maybe her mother told her that her dad died because of a bad break up. There are some people who do tell their kids that the spouse died to cover up the fact that daddy isn't coming home again. Wanted her daughter to think that daddy was a hero. Stranger things have happened.

[dkpd1384]

It is a sad story and anyway you want to imagine why it still turns into something bad. Even though the little girl won, she will always be remembered as the girl who lied. Don't think anybody including her mother wants that. It is like I tell all the new recruits, the only way to tell the story is the truthfull way. It may not help much now but it is always easier to live with in the long run.

[gwebb1981]

Could be the little girl didn't lie, maybe her mother told her that her dad died because of a bad break up. There are some people who do tell their kids that the spouse died to cover up the fact that daddy isn't coming home again. Wanted her daughter to think that daddy was a hero. Stranger things have happened.

I never thought of that.

It is my opinion the daughter is a clueless innocent in the situation. The mother probably wrote the essay or told her daughter what to write (shame on her). The company took the essay as truth without verification (shame on them) and told the little girl she would receive the makeover + trip. You can't take it away now, that would be crushing for the girl who probably has her hopes sky high.

It is a sad story and anyway you want to imagine why it still turns into something bad. Even though the little girl won, she will always be remembered as the girl who lied.

Yeah, that sucks.

[OffDuty]

Could be the little girl didn't lie, maybe her mother told her that her dad died because of a bad break up. There are some people who do tell their kids that the spouse died to cover up the fact that daddy isn't coming home again. Wanted her daughter to think that daddy was a hero. Stranger things have happened.

Seriously- mom is a hoe, Maury didn't know who the daddy was either and it was probably easier to tell the kid daddy died in the war than say he's a POS locked up somewhere.

[Probation13-901]

I just think it is sad that they used the Dad died in Iraq. It is a slap in the face to people that really had they Dad die in Iraq. Shame on the Mom.

[Jks9199]

I'll give the 6-year old the benefit of the doubt. Barely... After all, at this point, there's no definite evidence she even actually submitted it. (Anyone else know parents who go to insane lengths trying to get things for their kids?)

But I'll plant blame squarely on Mom. Not only did Mom almost certainly review the essay before it was submitted, but she later added false details about the supposedly deceased dad.

That's beyond scuzzy. Mom should have to explain to the girl why she isn't going to see Hannah Montana...

At the very, very least, the store should have advised the woman that they only get 2 of the tickets, because the other two are going to the second place winner... Assuming the second place winner didn't lie.