Wow – gotta admit, was quite flattered this weekend to receive not one, but THREE fan videos from people hoping to help Nancy win the Lashes to Riches Contest. I get a lot of comments and emails, and even some very cool drawings, but videos are a first for me!! Thank you so much!!! I thoroughly enjoyed them. Here they are, for your viewing:

What an evening of firsts!! Last night I hosted the Dick Clark Productions/ABC.com live stream of the American Music Awards Pre-Show. It was an hour and a half of non-stop activity…and SO much fun! Needless to say, I slept in this morning… but I thought I’d share some of the highlights of my “firsts” with you:

1. AUDIENCE – The show had the largest online streaming audience in the history of the AMA’s (and quite possibly other live streaming shows) with over 3.3 million viewers on YouTube, Facebook, and other sites carrying the AMA LIVE widget.

2. INTERVEWS – I interviewed Mary J Blige and LOVED her. I’d interviewed a lot of these folks before, either at the Grammy’s or Golden Globes, but she was a first, as well as a few others (Demi Lovato, who was a sweetheart, and Kid Cudi, who didn’t mind when I started belting out “Day and Night.”) All of the celebs on the carpet were extremely gracious and patient, because with live shows, they often have to wait until I get the green light on my feed.

3. FASHION – I made my first “worst-dressed list”, although I didn’t feel so bad when I saw that Alicia Keys, Demi Lovato, Kristin Bell, and Nicole Kidman were a few of the other victims. And might I add, at the defense of these beautiful ladies and anyone else on a Worst-Dressed List, it is often the stylist who picks the clothes, not the celebrity!

4. THE SHOW – I actually got to sit and watch the show! (Usually when you host the red carpet pre-show, you don’t get tickets.) My sister, manager, and I had amazing tickets – center orchestra – and WOW! JLo, Lady Gaga, Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson, Eminem, Jay Z and Alicia Keys, Timbaland – AMAZING PERFORMANCES! I’ve been to a few award shows before (People’s Choice, MTV VMA’s, etc) but this was by far my favorite!

5. Last but not least, it was the first time I actually went to an after party! Usually I’m so exhausted, I head straight home, but I enjoyed some cupcakes and wine with friends and my sister (who was in town from Kansas). THEN I passed out. :)

So that’s the rundown!! Hope you guys enjoyed the pre-show and/or the actual show. And a huge thanks to my co-hosts, Jenni Pulos, Julie Moran, Jai Rodriguez, David Lehre, as well as the Facebook Girls Randi and Brandi and web extraordinaire iJustine! You guys really held down the forts.

Here’s some photos of the evening if you’d like to check ‘em out:

Last Sunday (on a very boring Sunday, mind you), I stumbled upon Nancy. Nancy Roder. She’s the girl you always overlooked on the middle school playground. The one who never got picked in gym class. She never had cool clothes, and was more likely found by herself in the lunchroom than surrounded by friends. But you won’t meet a nicer person than Nancy.

I’m not really sure how Nancy’s specific character came about (it’s an odd amalgamation of my 4th grade art teacher and several kids I remember from middle/high school), but it’s safe to say that when I put on the wig and the glasses and the fake zits and braces I bought from a local costume shop, it’s not difficult to remember how I felt growing up.

So you’re probably wondering what the point of all this is? Nancy’s the part of me who never felt good enough. She wants to help those who never got a real chance and maybe make a friend or two in the process. Maybe I’m crazy, but I don’t want Nancy to leave. So I entered her in a contest. There’s a $100,000 prize at the end of the pot, enough to fund my first independent film. About Nancy. Here is her video entry:

She’s never been able to travel outside of Sherman, Oklahoma. Her dream is to see the world, make a few friends, and help other people achieve their dreams along the way. And when it’s all said and done, she’s going to buy an RV for her parents so that theycan see the world, too. It’s weird. I’ve almost taken on Nancy’s dreams as my own.

I want to make this project happen. In my head, it’s a feature/web series/personal quest that will allow me to reach my first dream of making a movie, Nancy’s dream of seeing the world, and helping at least ten individuals reach their dreams, too. (If Nancy wins, I’ve pledged to donate $10,000 to ten people for their assistance in the contest.) I’m also planning on handing out a few other little surprises along the way, but more on that later.

So here’s the deal. To win, Nancy’s entry needs to have the greatest number of ratings and comments. I’m coming into the contest a month after it began (so there’s a little disadvantage there), but I know with the help of friends and new media mavens I can help Nancy’s dream (and mine) come to be a reality.

Please, please, rate the video and comment everyday (which also helps increase your chances of winning one of the ten $1,000 prizes). Beyond the $10,000 I’ll give away if Nancy wins, I will be giving away some additional little prizes to people who include a link to the video on their blog. (I’ve got a Google Alert up on “Nancy Roder.”)

The contest ends Dec. 20, and the video with the greatest total of comments and ratings wins the prize. I just need you to embed, Tweet, Blog, Facebook, Digg, and/or email the YouTube link to anyone/everyone.

Thank you all so much for your help! And, if you’d like to see the original Nancy video that got this all started: