Sunday, August 18, 2013

Nickelodeon News Round-Up - Issue 7

Below is a selection of articles from around the internet which feature news, commentary and information about Nickelodeon:

Nickelodeon Star Ariana Grande, who stars as Cat Valentine in Nickelodeon's brand new original buddy sitcom "Sam & Cat", has released a brand new song that you can download on iTunes! The track is called "Right There" and features the American hip hop recording artist Big Sean. The song, which you can listen to below, will be one of the songs on Ariana's debut album, Yours Truly (formally Daydreamin'). The CD will be released on Tuesday 3rd September 2013. The album is also available for digital pre-order on iTunes! iTunes has also revealed the track list for Ariana's upcoming new album:

1 - Honeymoon Avenue
2 - Baby I
3 - Right There (feat. Big Sean)
4 - Tattooed Heart
5 - Lovin' It
6 - Piano
7 - Daydreamin'
8 - The Way (feat. Mac Miller)
9 - You'll Never Know
10 - Almost Is Never Enough
11 - Popular Song (feat. MIKA)
12 - Better Left Unsaid
13 - The Way (feat. Mac Miller) [Spanglish Version]

LISTEN: Right There - Ariana Grande (feat. Big Sean)



Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA) and Twitter have announced that they've entered agreements with a number of brands including Degree Women® and Pepsi® to develop Twitter Amplify social video advertising campaigns in and around the 2013 "MTV Video Music Awards." All of the sponsorships were claimed within a week of being announced and each of the advertisers is participating in a broader sponsorship package for the signature MTV event. The 2013 "MTV Video Music Awards" airs live from Brooklyn's Barclays Center on Sunday, August 25 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Given advertiser interest, Viacom and Twitter are immediately creating new sponsorship opportunities in the "Comedy Central Roast of James Franco" and more than 30 different programming events and shows through the end of 2014. "The availability of Twitter Amplify in the MTV Video Music Awards – an annual trending topic behemoth – generated such a great response from advertisers that we're accelerating our plans to roll it out across our networks," said Jeff Lucas, Head of Sales, Music and Entertainment, Viacom Media Networks. "We look forward to connecting even more advertisers with our audiences through video content on Twitter, starting with every burn in Comedy Central's Franco Roast."
"Twitter is live, public and inherently mobile, which makes the VMA's the perfect place to take advantage of Twitter's Amplify program," said Adam Bain, President of Global Revenue at Twitter. "Viacom has long been a pioneer of harnessing Twitter to give viewers new ways to interact and share in live TV, and we're thrilled to be working with the network and its sponsors to deliver this experience to viewers." Through Twitter Amplify, MTV will deliver a variety of sponsored-supported video content leading up to and during the 2013 MTV VMAs, including real-time highlights from the show, backstage moments, red carpet interviews, MTV News reports and more. MTV will also distribute via Twitter custom-content developed for sponsors related to VMA award categories and MTV News coverage of the event. Viacom networks' shows and events consistently drive significant activity on Twitter. The 2012 "MTV Video Music Awards" generated 14.7 million Tweets, placing it among the most Tweets of any news event last year. MTV currently has more than 13.3 million combined followers for its U.S.-based Twitter accounts. The VMAs have pioneered a number of social media firsts, including the first award category voted for exclusively on social media and the Twitter Tracker application, which geographically mapped Twitter activity around the show in real time. The upcoming "Comedy Central Roast of James Franco" is already attracting significant activity on Twitter, where James Franco, Roast Master Seth Rogen, and Comedy Central have released announcements, video clips and photos related to the show under the hashtag #FrancoRoast. "Comedy Central Roast of James Franco" airs Labor Day, Monday, September 2 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

TheWrap is reporting that DreamWorks Animation has announced that Benedict Cumberbatch ("The Hobbit", "Sherlock", "Star Trek Into Darkness", "War Horse") and John Malkovich ("Transformers: Dark of the Moon") have been added to the cast of the studios upcoming "The Penguins of Madagascar", which will be a spin-off of DWA's popular "Madagascar" movies and based on the popular CG-animated Nickelodeon series of the same name. An individual familiar with the project tells TheWrap that Malkovich will voice the film's charming villain, while Cumberbatch will voice a high-ranking animal CIA agent hot on his trail. Simon J. Smith ("Bee Movie") and Eric Darnell ("Antz") are directing from a script by Michael Colton and John Aboud. Lara Breay ("Megamind") is producing, while executive producers include Mireille Soria, Tom McGrath and Darnell, all of whom are responsible for the original "Madagascar" trilogy. Although based on the popular Nicktoon, in is currently unknown whether Nickelodeon will have anything to do with the movie.

Sam & Cat meet Laverne & Shirley - Entertainment Weekly's The Family Room blog has unveiled a exclusive photo featuring "Laverne & Shirley" stars Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams on the set of the hit Nick original comedy series "Sam & Cat" from when they filmed their scenes for an upcoming brand new S&C episode called "#SalmonCat", in which Marshall and Williams will appear alongside Sam & Cat's funny gals Jennette McCurdy and Ariana Grande, which you can view below! In the episode, Sam and Cat are ordered to rename their babysitting business because it's too similar to "Salmon Cat," a TV show from the 1970s. Sam and Cat must track down the show's two original creators (played by Marshall and Williams) and resolve their three decade-long feud, which may refer to the long-ago rumors of a "Laverne & Shirley" rivalry. "#SalmonCat" is scheduled to premiere this Fall on Nick USA! The episode reunites Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams on screen in a scripted series for the first time in over 30 years:


Nickelodeon-On-Demand - Amazon's European online video service recently added shows from Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN) to its LOVEFiLM video-on-demand (VOD) service in Germany, reports Rapid TV News. The offering comprises series aired by Viacom's channels Nickelodeon, Comedy Central and MTV, including the hit Nicktoon "SpongeBob SquarePants and Nick Jr.'s popular preschool series "Blue's Clues" from Nickelodeon. Comedy Central will contribute "Reno 911!", a parody on US police series.

Broadway World Comedy is reporting that former Nickelodeon Star Greg Proops, who played boss Max Madigan, the CEO of Mad Style, in Nickelodeon's popular fashion-themed sitcom "True Jackson, VP", will bring his stand up to Comedy Works Downtown in Larimer Square in Denver, Colorado, on Wednesday 11th - Saturday 14th September 2013.

In addition, Amazon's LOVEFiLM has also inked a deal to bring children's programming from NBCUniversal to the LOVEFiLM Instant Streaming Service. As a result of the partnership, LOVEFiLM.com members can now stream a range of television series and films featuring beloved characters from the NBCUniversal library, including "Curious George" and "Barbie: Princess Charm School". Additional children's TV series included under the agreement include classic franchises such as "The Land Before Time", based on the American animated adventure movie; "Maisy", the animated series based on the picture books created by British illustrator, Lucy Cousins, which used to air on Nick Jr. UK; and the animated stop-motion series about a crime-busting mouse, "Rastamouse".

Big Time Rush: True Hollywood Story - The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel profiles the hit Nickelodeon boy band Big Time Rush, who recently played their las U.S. ‪Summer Break Tour‬ show at the Riverside Theater, in a special article. The article also profiles the English-Irish boyband The Wanted, who also recently played at Milwaukee's Riverside Theater.

The Huffington Post has unveiled a exclusive interview they recently held with American teen pop singer and voice actor Matt Hunter, who provided the voice of Diego Márquez in seasons 4 and 5 of the popular Nickelodeon Preschool series "Go, Diego, Go!". The fifteen-year-old Latin pop singer is well on his way to becoming the next teen idol. Already a huge hit in Latin America, he was nominated for an award at this year's (2013) Premios Juventud on Univision, and now he's getting ready to release his yet unnamed EP. Dubbed the 'Latino Justin Bieber' and 'Latino Bieber' by some, this young recording artist is also working toward making his grand debut in mainstream U.S. pop music. Read his interview, in which he also talks about providing the voice of Diego and working for Nickelodeon, here on The HuffPo.

MTV News UK is reporting that The Wanted singer Nathan Sykes has opened up about recording a new track with Nickelodeon Star Ariana Grande, admitting he's "never been so nervous"! The singer, who recently underwent surgery on his vocal chords, recorded the duet Almost Is Never Enough with the Nickelodeon celebrity which is now set to feature on The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones soundtrack. "This would have been the first time I've recorded since my surgery", Sykes told MTV News US. "I was really nervous. I've never been so nervous for a session, and went in and [did] what I like to think is quite possibly the best vocal I've ever recorded. I'm really proud of it." The 20-year-old also gushed over Grande's singing ability, calling her the "best female vocalist" out right now. Nathan continued: "Honestly, I couldn't ask to work with a more talented vocalist than Ariana", adding "I have so much respect for what she's just about to do, and I think it's a very exciting time for both myself and Ariana for slightly different reasons. I'm just excited I got my voice back. She's about to go on this quite amazing journey." The pair just finished shooting a music video for the track, and Nathan even gave fans a bit of an idea of what they can expect. He added: "The video's a really cool video. It was shot and recorded in the studio. I get to get on the piano at some points. It shows a really fun day recording the track." Want more of The Wanted? Check out pics of the lads in MTV UK's photo gallery, plus watch MTV's exclusive live session with The Wanted here!

Unreality TV's Primetime blog has posted a bunch of spoilers about The CW's upcoming reboot of the classic Nickelodeon sci-fi series "The Tomorrow People", including that "Person of Interest"'s Al Sapienza has been cast in the role of Dennis Coburn, whose daughter Cara (Peyton List) is one of the Tomorrow People with superpowers who have an HQ underground, plus Julie Plec talks how she got involved with the show, including how she used to watch it on Nick in the 1980's! The post includes pictures and a series preview.

Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA) has announced that it has agreed to sell $500 million in aggregate principal amount of 2.500% senior notes due 2018 at a price equal to 99.423% of the principal amount thereof (the "2018 Senior Notes"), $1.25 billion in aggregate principal amount of 4.250% senior notes due 2023 at a price equal to 98.968% of the principal amount thereof (the "2023 Senior Notes") and $1.25 billion in aggregate principal amount of 5.850% senior debentures due 2043 at a price equal to 99.353% of the principal amount thereof (the "Senior Debentures" and, together with the 2018 Senior Notes and the 2023 Senior Notes, the "Senior Notes and Debentures"). The sale of the Senior Notes and Debentures is expected to close on Monday August 19, 2013. Viacom intends to use the net proceeds from the offering for general corporate purposes, including, but not limited to, the repayment of outstanding indebtedness and the repurchase of shares under its share repurchase program. The joint book-running managers for the offering are Citigroup Global Markets Inc., J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated and RBS Securities Inc. Viacom's senior unsecured debt is currently rated BBB by Standard & Poor's, BBB+ by Fitch, and Baa2 by Moody's Investors Service. The terms and conditions of the Senior Notes and Debentures are set forth in a prospectus, which can be obtained by contacting Viacom Investor Relations at 1-800-516-4399 or by written request to Viacom Inc., 1515 Broadway, 52nd Floor, New York, New York 10036, Attn: Investor Relations.
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