The MTV rage has come to campus, as the network searches for funny and unique University undergraduates to spice up its spring break programming. Yesterday, Penn students had the chance to strut their dance moves, sport swimwear and talk dirty in Logan Hall, all in the hopes of winning a free trip to a hot spot and a slot on the "MTV Spring Break '99" television shows. Students chose to audition for either one or a combination of three popular MTV shows: Spring Break Undercover, Fashionably Loud and The Grind. The shows will be shot in Jamaica, Cancun, South Padre Island in the Gulf of Mexico, and on "The Official MTV Cruise Ship," during the week of March 6 to 14. "We are going to a bunch of different schools but I wanted to come to Penn to add an atypical school into the mix," said Paul Shore, an MTV freelance casting director and a 1996 Penn graduate. Earlier this year, Shore informed the Social Planning and Events Committee -- which organized Penn's involvement in the event -- of the possibility of auditioning Penn students for the telecasts. "The decision to sponsor MTV was a no-brainer," said Wharton senior Graham Rigby, director of special events for SPEC. "Nobody sends MTV away and it took about a millisecond to decide to seize the opportunity." Interested students had the opportunity to fill out an application and questionnaire from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Locust Walk yesterday. Standard questions, such as to "describe your personality" were matched with more intimate inquiries, including, "Do you have a secret fantasy?" MTV will ultimately select several hundred students nationwide to appear on The Grind, while about a dozen will be featured in Fashionably Loud and just two groups of friends will become cast members on Undercover. The real test for the true MTV character took place in the basement of Logan Hall, where Michele Jiunta, an MTV employee, videotaped and interviewed contestants. Auditions, open to all students who had signed up, lasted about 15 minutes per group and each group typically numbered two or three people. Before each interview, Jiunta advised students on how to give their best impression to MTV. "Be as free as you can be, as wild as you want," Jiunta said. "Don't hold back. Act like the camera's not here, just? whatever." Shore said the network was looking for groups of friends to fill roles. "For MTV's show Undercover, we are looking for real groups of dynamic friends to cast as the stars of their own documentary-style TV adventures," said Shore. "The second show, Dance Planet, or otherwise known as The Grind, requires students to dance on camera, without music. That forces students to use their imaginations." Imagination was essential in other parts of the audition process as well. At one point, Jiunta requested that College freshman Lissette Pichardo pretend the camera was a man she wanted to grind with on the dance floor. At the end of another interview, Jiunta asked students to create a commercial advertising MTV Spring Break '99.
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