MTV: Beats, beauties and the beach

MTV Spring Break is an elaborate production. It's a combination of well-scripted events, time-consuming rehearsals and adventurous spring breakers that come together intimately to entrance the viewing audience.\nHundreds of IU students will head to Cancun next week in hopes of landing a tryout and a spot on one of the MTV spring break episodes. Airing the week of March 22, the week's events will be presented as an array of bands and bikinis -- but behind the scenes on the beach, it's a different story.\n"The shows looks spontaneous and last minute, but there's a lot of work that goes into it," said Michael Petolino, casting director for MTV Spring Break. "The rehearsals are a lot of work, but it's something that people have watched on TV for years and are willing to do."\nPetolino came to Bloomington for three days in early February, looking for potential stars for next weeks' shows. Applicants were asked to fill out paperwork, have pictures taken and were also videotaped. Petolino also went to other universities including: Arizona State, Florida State and the University of Kentucky. \nThe preparation for next week's events is often overwhelming for some students.\nSophomore Lora Melton appeared on MTV's Spring Break's "Say What Karaoke" last year with a performance to 'NSync's "Bye Bye Bye" with four of her friends. An open tryout was held and they were later called back for a second run-through. Finally, after days of rehearsing, the five girls were told they would perform as one of the final three groups.\n"We were ecstatic, but it was a relief to have tryouts over," Melton said. "We were just trying to do it to see if we could."\nMelton and her friends met celebrities such as Mandy Moore and Jerry Springer, and they were also allowed to keep the outfits that MTV wanted them to wear. \nWhile Melton's overall experience was a positive one, junior Lindsay Kus dropped out of a different show because of the demanding schedule. Kus was supposed to appear on MTV's Temptation Island, but felt it wasn't worth it.\n"We tried out all day long, and they left me a message while I was out to be ready at 6 a.m. the next morning for taping," Kus said. "It would have taken up a lot of my vacation and I didn't think it was worth it, just for a little bit of airtime."\nPetolino said he looks for people who are responsible and will show up sober to the tapings.\n"Everyone thinks they're fun and outgoing, but that's probably when they have alcohol in them," he said. "We want people who are totally sober and still have no fear and are looking for nothing but a good time."\nMTV appears to have complete control of Spring Break, despite the chaos the audience sees on television. Shows are perfectly planned, outgoing but responsible people are chosen and specific outfits are carefully doled out to certain performers. Backup dancers are also provided to make some shows and groups look better, and the camera is strategically placed so the audience will look as large as possible. \n"If you really want to do it, then just try," Melton said. "Because it's not as hard as it looks. The people are very nice to you and they want people that really want to do it because it'll look better"