一
NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2009
3A
The "Nerds in Disguise" waved to fans from the former Total Request Live Studio at Times Square in New York City. Their music video can be seen playing on a screen outside and to the left of the group. Back row from left to right: Matt Hartzler, Taylor Blake, Mike Ranos and Charlie Clausner. Middle row left to right: Ben Parks, David O'Brien, Mitch Falter, Jake Gianatti and Shane Rehannu. Front: Alec Weidmann.
MTV (CONTINUED FROM 1A)
when he received the call that they had won.
"I felt a feeling of overall happiness but didn't really know what to do at first, it was just completely surreal," Giganti said.
Reynolds' mother, Jill, said the group's hometown was also very helpful throughout the contest.
"When I saw the final five, I knew they had a pretty good chance," jill said. "It was the talk of town. Everyone was asking 'Did you vote your 10 times today?'
Mariana Agathoklis, spokeswoman for MTV Games, said all of the judges were impressed by the creativity of the video and unanimously chose the group as a finalist.
"It had so many key elements of a fun video — great music, a rocking party, pool scene, a fire and fireworks", Agathoklis said. "They looked like they were really having fun."
CELEBRITY
After arriving in New York on Tuesday, the group recorded the MTV television spot that aired live during the awards show. They shot the promo in the MTV Times Square studio, where Total Request Live used to be filmed before it was canceled in 2008.
"We were filming the prom when someone looked out the window and saw our video playing on Times Square," Reynolds said. "There were people standing around watching it so we started knocking on the window and waving. They recognized us and started taking pictures of us. It was pretty cool."
for the live event the chance to walk down the same iconic red carpet usually reserved for celebrities.
The afternoon of the awards show, Reynolds said, the group was invited to view a dress rehearsal for the live event. They also had
"It was very soft carpet, I almost felt like I was walking on a cloud," Reynolds said. "There were lights flashing all around from people taking
pictures. It was just awesome."
"There were literally thousands of people lining the streets and we definitely got some weird looks from some of them," Reynolds said. "People could see our red carpet passes so they knew we were involved with the show, but I think a lot of them were wondering 'Why are these guys dressed up like nerds?'"
Shortly before the show, the group took their seats at Radio City Music Hall and were surrounded by celebrities. The awards show featured performances from Beyoncé, Green Day, Taylor Swift and Lady Gaga, to name a few.
"They recognized us and started taking pictures of us. It was pretty cool."
At about the halfway point in the show, right after the Green Dav performance, the "Nerds in Disguise" were announced as winners of a VMA. Their promotional spot then aired, where Reynolds and friends could be seen in the MTV Times Square studio thanking all the viewers for helping them win a Moonman, followed by a short clip
Reynolds and his friends decided to stay in character for the event, and dressed up like the nerds in their video. Yet, while they were greeted at the red carpet with plenty of handshakes and high-fives, they also got their fair share of stares.
SHANE REYNOLDS
Chatham, III. freshman
of their video
Along with about 200 residents from Chatham, Jill Reynolds watched the show from a watch party at a local bar.
"When they came on, the only thing you could hear was cheering and hollering. It was very exciting."
Reynolds said he thoroughly enjoyed the show from the opening Michael Jackson tribute to the closing remarks, but one act in particular still sticks out in his mind.
she said.
"The best performance was when Jay-Z came out to close the show with 'Empire State of Mind.' That was amazing," he said.
As for the big story of that night, when West interrupted Swift's acceptance speech, Reynolds said America should have seen it coming.
"At first we all were shocked and thought that it might have been staged," Reynolds said. "But that's who Kanye is; whenever he's near the spotlight he's going to find a way to get in it. And he definitely did that night."
IN RETROSPECT
Looking back on the trip, Reynolds said he thought it would be one of the most memorable experiences of his life.
"It was awesome just walking through New York City and seeing all these landmarks that you always hear about, like the Brooklyn Bridge, Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty," he said.
Besides the celebrities that packed Radio City Music Hall for the awards show, Reynolds said he saw several famous people walking the streets and felt as if he fit right in.
"Being treated like a celebrity is unbelievable," Reynolds said. "All of the promoters treated us great and the people of New York are some of the nicest people I've ever met. They get a bad rap sometimes, but they are really nice people there."
On top of all the memorable events from the trip, Giganti said another great part was reuniting with his high school buddies and hanging out like the old days.
"The whole thing was just great, from the time we got there until the time we left." Giganti said. "I really didn't want to leave because it was just so awesome."
Reynolds said MTV is currently having the Moonman award engraved and will ship it to him within a few weeks. Reynolds said he couldn't wait to receive the award and planned to keep it in his residence hall room.
When he was shooting the television spot, Reynolds actually got to hold a real Moonman, and he said he was impressed with how solid the statue seemed.
"That was one solid trophy, I'll say that," he said. "I was shaking just holding it."
Edited by Alicia Banister
MAKING THE VIDEO:
In the music video that won Reynolds and his friends the MTV contest, the group goes by the name of "Nerds in Disguise." They perform Lit's "My Own Worst Enemy" using only instruments from Rock Band. The video can still be viewed online at www.pepsirockband.com.
Reynolds said the group knew from the beginning they wanted to depict a college party in their video. Making the party look realistic, however, became a challenge within the contest rules, which stated that all video submissions had
to incorporate both Pepsi and Rock Band products, could only feature music from a pre-approved list of songs and could have no more than 10 people shown.
"The problem is you can't have a party with only
10 people, "Reynolds said,
"so we decided to double
each of us up to make it look
like there were actually 20
people."
In the video, each person plays two characters: a nerd and a rock star. Reynolds said the main message was there could be unity between two cliques of different people, such as rock stars and nerds. The party-goers can be seen downing plenty of Pepsi in keg-party fashion.
"Nerds in Disguise is a gifted group of college students, aspiring film makers
and Rock Band lovers with real talent," said Christina Glorioso, vice
president of marketing partnerships for MTV Games, in a press release announcing the group as winners." Their video was really creative, and clearly the fans agreed."
REYNOLDS' ITINERARY:
SIX DAYS IN NYC
Sept. 8: Reynolds arrives in New York and tours MTV's Headquarters. The group recorded the MTV spot that aired live during the awards show.
Sept. 9: Reynolds meets with Spin magazine for a photo shoot and interview. The magazine expects to feature the group in the November issue.
Sept. 10: Reynolds visits with MTV Games executives and the creator of the Rock Band video game. They also previewed the new Beatle's Rock Band game.
Sept. 11: Reynolds visits ground zero and attends a memorial service for those who died during the 2001 attacks. That evening he attends the New York Yankees-Baltimore Orioles game.
Sept. 12: Reynolds attends a benefit concert hosted by MTV featuring performances from Kid Cudi, Phoenix and DJ Clinton Sparks. During the show, they are announced as winners of a VMA and asked to come on stage.
Sept. 13: Reynolds attends a red carpet event and the 26th annual MTV Video Music Awards.
HPV Fact #11:
You don't have to actually have sex to get HPV—the virus that causes cervical cancer.
There is something you can do. Visit your campus health center.