Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Nickelodeon UK Presenter Anna Williamson Confirms She And Jamie Rickers Will Present The Second Series Of "Camp Orange UK"

Nickelodeon UK presenter Anna Williamson has confirmed on her official Twitter profile page (@annawilliamsTV) that she, along with her Nickelodeon UK co-presenter Jamie Rickers, will be returning to present the brand new second series of Nickelodeon UK's adventure reality television show for best friends, "Camp Orange", which Nickelodeon UK and Ireland and Nickelodeon HD UK will premiere and show during "Summer on Nickelodeon 2012":
Exciting news! @NickelodeonUK 'Camp Orange' is BACK this Sunmer. If you want to be in season 2...with Jamie & I, we need your audition vids
Nickelodeon UK recently started auditioning children in their search for teams of best friends to be "Camp Orange" contestants in "Camp Orange 2012", which you can find more here on NickALive! or here on the official Nickelodeon UK websites official "Camp Orange" website, Nick.co.uk/CampOrange.

What's Next For The UK-Irish Boy Band 'One Direction'?

From MTV News USA:
One Direction: What's Next For The Boy Banders?

After the Stateside release of Up All Night, the British group looks forward to a year full of tour dates.

British boy band One Direction dropped their album, Up All Night, here in the States Tuesday (March 13). They had already topped the charts back in their native U.K., and if the ensuing stateside buzz tells us anything, it's that the group may see even more chart-topping love Stateside.

The album, which features some A-list production and songwriting help from RedOne, Kelly Clarkson, fellow boy bander Tom Fletcher of McFly fame and songwriter Toby Gad, has gained the guys so much attention in the U.S. that they've already booked some big-time gigs in the wake of the release. The guys are expected to drop "One Thing" as their next single here in America. No word yet on when that is expected to impact, but the album is already storming the iTunes charts.

[Click here to watch MTV News USA's interview with Nickelodeon Star Noah Munck, who plays the character Orenthal "Gibby" Cornelius Gibson in the hit Nickelodeon Television show "iCarly", where he talks about the UK-Irish Boy Band guest starring on the show [video only available to view in the USA]]

Currently here in the states promoting the release, the guys just wrapped up a tour with Big Time Rush and are currently doing appearances and fan signings that are being attended by thousands of fans at a time. And it doesn't end there: They are expected to play several shows in Australia and New Zealand next month, and they already have dates already slated right through 2013.

Big Time Rush bandmate Carlos Pena revealed that they are working on something with the guys of 1D. "We are making a video with One Direction," he shared. "You never know if there's going to be a singing collaboration. We have to leave some mystery."

The guys are also possibly working on something else with the one and only one-man boy band known as Justin Bieber, according to his manager, Scooter Braun.

The guys will appear on the famed "Saturday Night Live" stage on April 7, when Sofia Vergara hosts. And, they aren't stopping there. They will also appear on the hit Nick series "iCarly" sometime next season. They filmed the episode back in January.

"The episode's about Freddie contacting One Direction's band manager and then they want to play on our show," Noah Munck, who plays Gibby Gibson on the show, told MTV News. "And Carly has this disease called jungle worms and [One Direction bandmate] Harry Styles drinks out of her water bottle and gets that disease and craziness ensues. But the fun part is, Gibby is a huge fan of One Direction. It was a fun episode to shoot."

When the fellas of 1D hit the set, it was bombarded by fans, and Munck says it was pretty crazy. "I pulled into work, and along the fence of our studio was like 200 screaming girls. There was, like, 200 screaming girls. It got intense, but it was interesting to see. They were totally like 'This happens every day.' "

They will also perform on Nickelodeon's Kids' Choice Awards on March 31. It will be hosted by Will Smith.
The British and Irish boy band "One Direction" are also rumoured to be in talks with Nickelodeon to have their own Nickelodeon television show.

Former Nickelodeon UK MD And Senior VP Howard Litton In The Running To Become The Next Controller Of CBBC

From C21Media:
Muller in CBBC driving seat

Sarah Muller has emerged as favourite for the CBBC [Children's British Broadcasting Corporation] controller role, which is up for grabs following the shock news the incumbent, Damian Kavanagh, is moving to Channel 4 (C4).

The position opened yesterday after C4 announced Kavanagh, a former BBC daytime scheduling chief, was joining it as head of features and factual formats.

Industry sources say Muller, currently CBBC’s head of acquisitions and drama development, is in the driving seat for a promotion that would see her take on responsibility for the UK kids’ diginet.

Muller couldn’t be contacted before press time to confirm if she planned to apply for the role. C21 understands news of Kavanagh’s departure came out of the blue and BBC Children’s said it would announce succession plans “shortly.”

However, one source close to CBBC said: “The first person in line is Sarah – she’d be a terrific choice. She has a background in independent production, a good reputation as a creative and is well-liked on the scene.”

Another said: “She’s been there (at CBBC) a while, has a great understanding of the business and the landscape, and has always impressed as a smart, able person.” A third said she was “top management material.”

Other potential candidates touted include 3Line Media MD Estelle Hughes, Disney EMEA’s VP of original programming senior Beth Gardiner, former Nickelodeon UK chief Howard Litton, and Hasbro Studios’ senior VP of international distribution and development Finn Arnesen.

Muller’s drama commissions for CBBC include Spirit Warriors, Tracey Beaker’s Back and Just William. She also executive produced Muddle Earth.

Despite her current drama-focused role, Muller landing the top job could lead to a boost in commissions for toon houses.

A source said some producers were concerned that Kavanagh, who placed much focus on live-action during his three year tenure, did not mention animation during a programming session at last year’s Children’s Media Conference in Sheffield.

Muller’s previous roles include MD of toon house Elephant Productions and head of development at Lough House Animation (now Cinnamon Animation).

Meanwhile, Kavanagh’s new role at C4 will see him overseeing all programming across factual genres, replacing Sue Murphy, who left last December along with a string of other execs amid a major reshuffle.

Head of factual entertainment Liam Humphreys, deputy head of features Andrew Jackson and head of formats Dominic Bird will all report to Kavanagh.

He will report into C4 chief creative officer Jay Hunt, who said: “Damian has a great track record creatively and is an inspiring leader. He also has a knack for being able to translate great audience insight into unmissable shows and this makes him an invaluable addition to an already strong team.”

“Damian’s been a brilliant controller and has done a great job consolidating CBBC’s position as Britain’s most popular children’s channel,” added BBC Children’s director Joe Godwin. “I’m extremely grateful to him for the passion and commitment he’s shown for CBBC and wish him well for the future.“

Jesse Whittock
14-03-2012
©C21Media
Former Nickelodeon UK MD and senior VP (senior Vice President) Howard Litton left Nickelodeon UK in January 2010 after being with Nick UK for 15 years to pursue "personal projects and new opportunities in international media". While at Nickelodeon UK, Howard Litton played a key role in transforming Nickelodeon's UK business from a single channel operation to its present network of channels. He also championed kids series such as "Fifi and the Flowertots", "Peppa Pig" and "Ben & Holly's Little Kingdom".

Nickelodeon UK's MD, Tina McCann, Talks About Singer, Songwriter And Actress Katy Perry Performing At The Nickelodeon 2012 Kids' Choice Awards

From Sugarscape:
Katy Perry to perform at the Kids Choice Awards 2012!

Along with One Direction, whoop!

Katy Perry has been confirmed to perform at the Nickelodeon's Kids' Choice Awards 2012.

The blue-haired songstress will join One Direction who will also be taking to the stage at the ceremony next month.

Talking about the news Tina McCann, Nickelodeon UK’s Managing Director, said: “Katy Perry is a fantastic addition to the Nickelodeon’s Kids’ Choice Awards 2012 lineup.

“Her outfits are sure to be just as fabulous as her performance!”

Agreed, we’re expecting candy colours and crazy props!

As well as host Will Smith, other celebs presenting awards include Zac Efron, Big Time Rush, Victoria Justice and Emma Stone.

It’s shaping up to be a pretty jam-packed line-up. We can’t wait to see what One Direction and Katy Perry have in store for their performance. Eek!

The Kids’ Choice Awards 2012 take place on Sunday 1st April [UK premiere date].

Reckon Katy Perry is a good choice? Just how excited are you to see 1D’s performance?