The verdict is in, and Breaking Bad's creator has made his choice for the Video Contest Grand Prize winner: Jane Parsons, the fifth-grade teacher from Fresno, CA has won a walk-on role in Season 3 and $1,000! But don't take our word for it. Hear the news from Vince himself:

"I was so impressed -- and oddly, touched -- by all the finalists' videos. Plus, I'll bet there were some other great ones from the first round that I never got to see. But while it's exceedingly hard to pick a single winner in this competition (I'd love to be able to award multiple prizes, but sadly that's not possible), I have to give the nod to Jane Parsons of Fresno, California. Her video hit on all cylinders for me. It was original, it was funny, it made nice use of props (LOVED the tortoise! Actually, is he a prop, or an actor..?).

Finally, Jane is an actual teacher! How cool is that?!

My sincere thanks to all our contest entrants, and congratulations to the finalists. As Jesse might say, 'Mad props on your skillz, yo!'"

The ten First Prize-winning entries are...

Continue reading "And the Breaking Bad Video Contest Winner Is..." »

On Monday, May 18 at 5PM | 4C the polls will close and the fate of the video contest will be placed in the capable hands of Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan. But you still have time between now and then to make sure your favorite entry catches catch his eye -- you can bet he'll be looking to see which entries are fan favorites. Are you rooting for Derrick Collins (currently in the lead with 450 votes)? Do you think Jane Parsons -- holding the Number 11 spot just 28 votes behind -- deserves a spot in the Top Ten? Remember, after the Grand Prize winner is selected, the ten entries with the most votes will each receive a First Prize Breaking Bad Season 1 DVD set.

Right now an entry only needs 200 votes to crack the top ten, so here's hoping the weekend is full of some last-minute surprises.

Look after the jump to see the current standings.

Click here to view the contest site.

Continue reading "Breaking Bad Video Contest - Last Call for Votes!" »

The heat is on! In less than a week the voting closes, and one finalist will win $1,000 and a walk-on role on Breaking Bad Season 3. Right now the top spot belongs to one of our youngest bad-breakers, Gadi Respes. The high school senior has got a deadly 80-vote lead on the second place up-and-comer, Derrick Collins. But even for those on the bottom right now, cracking into the top ten is as easy as mustering 138 votes. Jane Parsons and Chad Nikolaus are a mere 20 and 27 votes away respectively -- can they rally the troops to their cause?

We viewers still have the power to affect the outcome of the contest, since our votes help determine which videos will catch Vince Gilligan's eye after the polls close next Monday at 5PM | 4C. Don't just sit on the sidelines; if there's a finalist video you prefer, now is the time to lend your support.

Click here to view the contest page.

Two months of rallying fans, friends and families have paid off for eighteen contestants, whose video submissions have made it into the final round of the "You Could Be on Breaking Bad Contest." Special kudos go to Tom Kruszewski and Chad Nikolaus, both of whom have two videos that placed in the Top 20. But the work isn't over yet, folks: Everyone goes back to zero for the final round of voting, which closes May 18 at 5PM | 4C. You have until then to let series creator Vince Gilligan know who you think deserves to be in a Season 3 episode. Our finalists are relying on your votes and comments to push them over the top, so log on to cast your ballot today!

Take the jump to see the Top 20 or click here to visit the contest site.

Continue reading "You Could Be on Breaking Bad - Finalists Announced" »

You gotta hand it to the newcomers, whose late-to-the-party video entries have created some stiff competition. Check out IT consultant Torsten Spitzka's recent addition: Great acting, suspenseful use of location, and some pretty ace driving on his wife's part! Can he rally the support it'll take to zoom to the next round? Derrick Collins meanwhile has taken us at our word when it comes to courting votes; his tally of 342 has toppled Daniel Janis's stranglehold on the top spot by a full twenty nods.

The first round of voting ends on Monday, May 4, but cracking into the top 20 is still possible. Right now holding down 19 and 20 spots respectively are Keisha Brown (118) and Tom Kruszewske (114), and plenty of submissions are snapping at their heels. Get ready for one more big push to let friends (and friends of friends) know how close you are to the finish line. When they see you on Breaking Bad next season, they'll be glad they chipped in.

Click here to visit the contest site.

Attention all aspiring actors! Still hoping for a chance to win a walk-on role in Season 3 of Breaking Bad? You still have a few hours to get your audition video in before the submission deadline tomorrow (May 1) at Noon | 11 C. Only videos received before that time will be eligible contenders throughout the voting period, which ends Monday, May 4 at 11AM | 10C.

Now's your chance to prove your chops to the Breaking Bad community, and to series creator Vince Gilligan, who will be choosing the winner out of the top 20 vote-getters. It could still be you, so submit your video today!

Click here to enter the contest site.

Ellie Kenwood may excel at bartending and martial arts, but when it comes to subduing her rivals with the butt of a shotgun she's downright gifted. Let's hope that killer instinct translates into hitting people up for votes -- only the top 20 will remain eligible to win a Season 3 walk-on role when the entry phase of the contest ends May 4.

Leading the votes this week is Daniel Janis, who with 282 nods has kept a healthy lead over Ronnie Nase's 243. But breaking into the top 20 is still a manageable feat: The bottom five frontrunners all have under 80 votes -- so you probably already have more than enough Facebook friends to close the gap if you get cracking on that audition video. The more seasoned contestants had better not rest either... the race is far from over.

Click here to visit the contest site.

While plenty of contestants are drawing inspiration from Bryan Cranston to perform their monologues, others are thinking a bit more outside the box. This week, New York City's Kasey Daley -- who'd like you to keep in mind that her favorite Skittle flavor is strawberry -- offers a glimpse of what Super Mario Bros. would look like if it were created by Vince Gilligan.

Newcomers like Daley have entered quite a race -- Daniel Janis's patio pep talk has surged ahead of the formerly unstoppable Ronnie Nase, topping the list with 246 votes. Nase will have to flex those social connections to get more votes and close the gap. Who else is leading the charge? Click here to visit the contest site.

A lot of careful planning went into Aaron Crow's video submission: "I was going for the 'under the glass' shot that is used in the show," he says. This film student is new to the competition, which means he'll have to keep up the effort if he wants to get Vince Gilligan's attention as a finalist. For now, Ronnie Nase still has a lock on the Number 1 slot, but he'd better watch his back -- Daniel Janis's back-patio performance is narrowing the gap with every passing day.

With weeks left in the race, there's still plenty of time for newcomers to submit a video and ride it to the top -- so you old-comers had better keep gathering all the votes you can get. But for now, let's go to the scoreboard:

1 Ronnie Nase Breaks Bad (Boyertown, PA) Total Votes: 207
2 Daniel Janis Breaks Bad (Columbia, MD) Total Votes: 191
3 Nicole Whitney Breaks Bad (Indianapolis, IN) Total Votes: 139
4 Derrick Collins Breaks Bad (Colombus, OH) Total Votes: 92
5 Chad Nikolaus Breaks Bad 2 (Oshkosh, WI) Total Votes: 89
6 Brenda Whitehead Breaks Bad (Los Vegas, NV) Total Votes: 85
7 Angie Griffin Breaks Bad (Osh Kosh, WI) Total Votes: 79
8 Chris Rzepka Breaks Bad (Chicago, IL) Total Votes: 78
9 Jeff Mills Breaks Bad (Portland, OR) Total Votes: 72
10 Keisha Brown Breaks Bad (Greenville, NC) Total Votes: 71

Click here to view the contest site.

This week Ukranian-born Tatyana Nickell's video tribute to gun-running added a splash of international intrigue to the competition, but she's going to have to fight hard to stamp out the likes of Ronnie Nase, our current leader in the polls with 94 votes.

Hot on Ronnie's heels with 58 votes is Greenville, NC's Keisha Brown, whose reinterpretation of Walt's video confession reminded one commenter "of The Blair Witch Project, only 10 times better!" Remember that in this phase of the contest, social networking is crucial -- only the top 20 videos will proceed to the next round as finalists. So tell your friends to help you spread the word and rack up those votes!

Click here to view the contest site.