I'm replying to this thread because I couldn't figure out how to use the fallback nodes.  I received a lot of help in the #bitcoin irc channel in freenode.  For anyone who's racking their brain, here's what I did to get my blockchain to start downloading.
First close your bitcoin client, and in a text editor, copy the following lines exactly, and name your file "bitcoin.conf"

addnode=69.164.218.197
addnode=178.79.147.99
addnode=64.22.103.150
addnode=173.242.112.53
addnode=184.106.111.41
noirc=1

then, navigate to the place where your wallet file lives, and save your .conf file there.  This will add other ways that bitcoin can connect to peers.  Just doing that fixed my problem.  I hope this info helps someone along the way.  If your issue still isn't resolved, check by the irc and ask around.