Nickelodeon Australia And New Zealand Unveils Official "Sanjay and Craig" Website

The official website of Nickelodeon Australia and New Zealand, nickelodeon.com.au, has unveiled the channels brand new official "Sanjay and Craig" show website, which may indicate that Nick AU & NZ, and Nickelodeon channels and networks around the world (Planet Nickelodeon / Planet Orange), including Nickelodeon UK, may start to premiere and show Nickelodeon's latest all-new original animated series (Nicktoon) "Sanjay and Craig" quite soon! Nick Australia and New Zealand, the Australian and Kiwi version of the popular children's channel, have also recently launched the networks' official "Sam & Cat" and "Monsters Vs. Aliens" show pages.

Nickelodeon Australia and New Zealand's official "Sanjay & Craig" website features a Meet The Characters section featuring bios for each of the characters in "Sanjay and Craig" - Sanjay Patel, Craig, Megan Sparkles, Hector Flanagan, and Remington Tufflips - and a show info page featuring information about Nick's brand new animated comedy series "Sanjay and Craig".

"Sanjay and Craig" (20 episodes x 30 minutes) follows the adventures of Sanjay, an excitable and irreverent 12-year-old boy (Maulik Pancholy, "30 Rock") and Craig, a smooth-talking snake and master of disguise (Chris Hardwick, "Nerdist", "The Talking Dead"). Together, they embark on epic kid-inspired quests that are at times totally ridiculous, absolutely gross and weirdly sweet. From perfecting the ultimate bike skid, tightroping across a pool of garbage on a dare or Craig manipulating a contest to win his best buddy one hundred dogs, their routine hijinks often cross into the land of the fantastical and the absurd. Only Sanjay and his closest friends can hear Craig's warped words of wisdom. The only thing that stands in their way is their unhinged, snake-phobic neighbor, Mr. Noodman (Tony Hale, "Veep", "Arrested Development"), who's always on the verge of figuring out that Craig can talk.

"Sanjay and Craig" is a brand-new, creator-driven animated series that blends a comedic and stylistic sensibility with a distinctive mix of unusual, wonderful and random humor. The series features the additional voice talents of Linda Cardellini ("Mad Men", "Freaks and Geeks") as Megan; Matt Jones ("Breaking Bad") as Hector; Kunal Nayyar ("The Big Bang Theory") as Vijay; Grey DeLisle ("The Fairly OddParents") as Darlene and Sandy Dickson; and "Remington Tufflips" as himself.

Sanjay and Craig is created and co-executive produced by first-generation Nickelodeon viewers Jim Dirschberger, Jay Howell and Andreas Trolf, who were influenced by the cartoons from their childhoods to create content for today’s post-millennial kids. These first-time creators were paired with award-winning writers and producers Will McRobb and Chris Viscardi (The Adventures of Pete & Pete, Alvin and the Chipmunks) to develop this original animated series.

Nickelodeon Star Kendall Schmidt Talks About What's Next For "Big Time Rush"; Hints Of A New BTR Movie

In a recent exclusive interview with the teen-entertainment magazine Popstar!, Nickelodeon Star and musician Kendall Schmidt, who plays Kendall Knight in the hit Nickelodeon musical comedy series "Big Time Rush", talked about what's next Big Time Rush!

In the interview, Kendall hints that, even though the shooting for BTR season four, speculated to be the final season of the popular sitcom, has wrapped, the BTR boys will keep on filming, and that Nickelodeon could also be planning to make a brand new second "Big Time Rush" movie in the future! Kendall also reveals in the interview that Nick still has the "Big Time Rush" studio sets in storage.

Kendall also talks about wrapping production on the fourth season of "Big Time Rush", the props and momentos he took from the set to remember the great time he had filming and making the show, Big Time Rush's current tour, "Summer Break Tour", and BTR's brand new album, "24/seven", which you can read below! A photograph of Popstar! Magazine's article featuring their exclusive interview with Kendall Schmidt has been provided by Twitter user @TheChris1775:

What's Next For BTR?

The guys may be on a Big Time Tour right now, but Kendall spilled some secrets about their last day on set - and what's next for the boys!

With Season 4 of the hit show complete, Rushers can't help but wonder what's next for James, Carlos, Kendall, and Logan. A four-season run is a huge success for any TV show, but now that the guys are getting older and pursuing different projects, everyone's wondering what their next move will be, As Carlos pursues his dream of directing and Kendall works on new music with his band Heffron Drive, fans are concerned that it might be the end:
But not to worry! "We're doing the tour and we have our album out," Kendall tells Popstar! exclusively. "It's all kind of happening right now, nothing is going away. Especially with this new album, who knows what song might just take off on its own."
Plus, Kendall spills on a big time rumour that Rushers are hoping becomes a reality! "I even heard that we're going to come back and do a movie or something, so we're going to keep filming," he spills. "They didn't get rid of the sets."

However, there are a few props from the set that are long gone! "There's this blue microphone," smiles Kendall. "We wrapped [filming] in the booth and there were all four of the mics and I just put it in my pocket. And then one of the gold records they had on the wall, I took the Boys in the Attic platinum record." But Kendall quickly learned that not everything you see on TV works in real life.

"I got to a rehearsal and plugged the mic in and it was a fake microphone," he explains. "I should have known the microphones would be fake too!"
All jokes aside, the last day of filming was an emotional one for the guys. "Carlos always gets sentimental first," he says. But things didn't get too sentimental because Kendall isn't ready to let go yet! "I'm still holding onto that its not over until somebody says it is, and the filming isn't over," he says. So what was it like on the last day of shooting season four? "We wrapped and the first person I went to was Scott obviously because he created the whole thing. I couldn't say much because if I talked at all I would have been choked up. Someone would be like, 'It was a great four years.' And I'd just be like, 'Yep' and that's all I could get out." Aww! With a huge tour and a hot new album, BTR is in no rush to say goodbye!

Nicktoons USA And NFL Network To Premiere "NFL Rush Zone" Season 3, "NFL Rush Zone: Guardians Unleashed", In Fall 2013

Nickelodeon USA's animation and action channel, Nicktoons USA, and the National Football League have announced in the following press release, from The Futon Critic.com, the exciting Nicktoons TV News that Nicktoons USA and the NFL Network will start to premiere and show the brand new 20-episode third season of the popular animated series "NFL Rush Zone", titled "NFL Rush Zone: Guardians Unleashed", from Fall (Autumn) 2013! The third installment of the Emmy nominated series, co-produced by Nickelodeon and the NFL, is based on NFLRUSH ZONE, the NFL's online world for kids.

Original Nicktoons Press Release:

"NFL RUSH ZONE: GUARDIANS UNLEASHED," SEASON THREE OF NICKELODEON, NFL ANIMATED SERIES, TO PREMIERE THIS FALL

NFL Coaches, Players to Voice Animated Personas in 20-Episode Original, Half-Hour Nicktoons Series

NEW YORK - July 11, 2013 - NFL Rush Zone, co-produced by Nickelodeon and the NFL, will air a 20-episode third season, NFL Rush Zone: Guardians Unleashed, the two entities jointly announced today. The third installment of the Emmy nominated series based on NFLRUSH ZONE, the NFL's online world for kids, debuts this fall on Nicktoons and NFL Network.

In season three, Ishmael (Ish), and his hero friends, the "Guardians," develop enhanced powers to protect the NFL and the world from new and familiar villains. The Guardians are aided by NFL coaches and players who voice their animated personas, including San Francisco 49ers tight end Vernon Davis, Chicago Bears running back Matt Forté, Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III, Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson, Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis, Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice, Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt and Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson.

New weekly episodes from season two of NFL Rush Zone: Season of the Guardians, the first-ever original half-hour animated series jointly developed by a cable network and major U.S sports league, return to Nicktoons Sunday, July 14, at 11:00a.m. (ET) and will re-air on NFL Network Saturday, July 20 at 8:00a.m. (ET). Viewers will watch Ish and his friends fend off Wild Card and his wingman, Drop Kick, who are attempting to destroy the NFL and ultimately the world by harnessing the power of the 32 teams' Megacores that preserve the essence of each team, its fans and its community. All 32 NFL teams will be showcased throughout the series, which continues to feature NFL Films game footage.

When season two returns on Sunday with "Mystery Solved," viewers will hear Arizona Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson voice his animated persona. Minnesota Vikings defensive end Jared Allen, Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll, Houston Texans running back Arian Foster, San Diego Chargers tight end Antonio Gates, Atlanta Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez, Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck and Oakland Raiders running back Darren McFadden, among other NFL personnel, will appear in season two.

NFL Rush Zone is available on Nicktoons.com and NFLRUSH.com following each episode's on-air premiere. Full-length episodes will also be available on the Nick App the day after premieres. Episodes also re-air on NFL Network and are produced in high definition for availability on video boards in NFL stadiums across the country.

NFL Rush Zone is produced by Rollman Entertainment, Inc. The team is led by veteran kids TV producer and Rollman Entertainment CEO Eric S. Rollman, who previously served as president of Marvel Animation; Saban Productions and Fox Family Productions working on thousands of animated and live action kids TV series, including The Avengers: World's Greatest Heroes, Super Hero Squad, Iron Man Armored Adventure and Power Rangers.

Nickelodeon and the NFL initiated their partnership in 2010 with Rush Zone: Guardians of the Core, a short-form series. The 22-chapter micro-series followed 10-year-old unlikely kid hero Ish on his destiny to protect shards of a power source that were fortified in NFL stadiums across the country. Ish's powerful enemy, Sudden Death, used an army of Blitz Botz in a plan to hunt down the shards and destroy the NFL in an attempt to take over the world. However, with a secret avatar, known as "The Sub," Ish ultimately defeated Sudden Death in the season finale at Cowboys Stadium during Super bowl XLV.

The NFLRUSH ZONE, a role playing game on NFLRUSH.com, was launched in December 2007 and today has more than 2.5 million registered users. The NFLRUSH ZONE is an immersive virtual world where kids are able to create avatars, join their favorite team, play games, chat and compete with friends in a safe and fun environment. All 32 teams are represented within the NFLRUSH ZONE with distinct team lands and team Rusherz and Avatars.

NFLRUSH ZONE is accessible on mobile devices and will feature exclusive content associated with the animated TV series, including achievements and games linked to the show. Users will become NFLRUSH Zone Guardians, immersing themselves in the world as they "Enter the RUSH ZONE" with Ish and his fellow Guardians.

About Nicktoons

Nicktoons has the highest concentration of B2 - 11 across all television and offers programming such as the NFL Rush Zone franchise, Rob Dyrdek's Wild Grinders, Iron Man: Armored Adventures, Alien Dawn, the Dragon Ball franchise, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Voltron Force, Monsuno, and the Power Rangers franchise as well as a roster of hits that have defined kids' and animation lovers' TV, including Avatar: The Last Airbender, Invader Zim, Danny Phantom, SpongeBob SquarePants, The Fairly OddParents, and The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius. Nicktoons currently reaches almost 68 million homes via cable, digital cable and satellite. Nicktoons and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB).

[via press release from Nicktoons]

Nickelodeon Films Brand New Television Movie "Jinxed" In Canada; To Premiere On TV In April 2014; To Star Nick Stars Jack Griffo, Ciara Bravo, Jacob Bertrand And Burkely Duffield

Upcoming Nickelodeon Star Jack Griffo, who will play the character 'Max Thunderman' in the upcoming brand new Nickelodeon comedy series "The Thundermans", has, in an exclusive interview with Canada's entertainment website THE MAG, announced the exciting Nickelodeon News that the Nick actor recently filmed a brand new Nickelodeon Movie in Canada called "Jinxed"!

"Jinxed" is about a family who is cursed with Murphy's Law, in which, if anything that can go wrong, will go wrong. In the film, Nick celebrity Jack Griffo will portray the character 'Brett'.

The Nickelodeon movie will also star Nickelodeon Stars Ciara Bravo, who plays 'Katie Knight' on Nickelodeon's hit musical sitcom "Big Time Rush", as 'Meg Murphy', Jacob Bertrand, who plays 'Henry' in Nick's alien comedy series "Marvin Marvin" and voices 'Gil' in Nickelodeon Preschool's (Nick Jr.'s) "Bubble Guppies", and Burkely Duffield, who plays 'Eddie Sweet' / 'Eddie Miller' in Nick's hit mystery drama series "House of Anubis" as 'Tommy'. You can view a full cast listing below.

As part of their new movie, Nickelodeon Productions filmed scenes on-location around Canada, including in Ladner Village, a fishing village located on the banks of the Fraser River that is a part of the Municipality of Delta, British Columbia, and inside the Delta Museum.

Nickelodeon is currently planning to premiere and show the brand new TV movie "Jinxed" in April 2014.

In the same interview, Nick Star Jack Griffo announced that Nickelodeon will start shooting their brand new comedy show "The Thundermans" (13 episodes x 30 minutes) full-time in July 2013. You can read his full interview with THE MAG below on NickALive!.

In the show, The Thundermans are a typical suburban family who happen to have astounding superpowers. At the center of the action are the 14-year-old Thunderman twins, Max (Jack Griffo) and Phoebe (Kira Kosarin), who share the same bathroom, the same school and the same annoying younger siblings. Their only difference? Phoebe is a super student with a super sunny disposition who super looks forward to being a superhero someday, and Max aspires to become a super villain. The 13-episode series will commence production this spring and is written by longtime Nickelodeon producer Jed Spingarn, who most recently served as co-executive producer of the hit series Big Time Rush and prior to that, produced on "The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius" and "Johnny Bravo". In the pilot, the part of 'Max' was played by Tyler Peterson.

According to iMDB, the current full cast of Nickelodeon's "Jinxed" is:

Keegan Connor Tracy ... Mom
Ciara Bravo ... Meg Murphy
Jacob Bertrand ... Charlie
Daniela Dib ... Square Dancer
Burkely Duffield ... Tommy
Jack Griffo ... Brett
Andrea Brooks ... Caitlin
Jay Brazeau ... Grandpa
Matthew Harrison ... Band Member
Donavon Stinson ... Dad
Jessa Danielson ... Violet
Carmel Amit ... Gypsy Woman
Elena Kampouris ... Ivy
Matthew Hoglie ... Festival Attendee
Gabrielle Giraud ... Edna
Elizabeth Tookey ... Dancer
Michelle Dawley ... Square Dancer

Also, from THE MAG:

THE MAG Chats with Jack Griffo!

Jack Griffo was practically born to act. Growing up in a family of theatre geeks, he stepped into the spotlight as a toddler, booked his first commercial at age two and honed his skills with years of community theatre before junior high. Now, he's Nickelodeon's next big star and becoming a familiar face on television screens around the world. You may recognize him from his guest-starring roles on JESSIE, MARVIN MARVIN, SEE DAD RUN and KICKIN' IT, to name a few. Next, he'll star in an upcoming superhero-themed comedy on Nickelodeon, THE THUNDERMANS. We'll soon get to know Jack as Max Thunderman, a wannabe super villain in a family of super heroes!

We caught up with Jack to find out more about the new show, his character and his favourite moments on set!

How would you describe your character, Max Thunderman, on THE THUNDERMANS?

Max always has something up his sleeve and loves to cause mischief. There's no way of getting around the fact that tries his best to be a super "villain" and aspires to one day conquer the world. He has his not so evil moments too, though. Underneath it all he really is a genuine kid who loves his family.

What can audiences expect from this new show?

Audiences can expect big laughs and really sweet special effects for our super powers!

Who is your favourite superhero or super villain of all time? And why?

My favourite super hero of all time would have to be Spiderman because it was my favorite comic as a little kid. And his suit is the coolest. My favourite super villain would either be Bane because of his voice and brute strength, or the Riddler because I love Jim Carrey.

You will be guest starring on JESSIE as Emma's love interest. Tell us a bit about your character, Brett Summers.

Brett is kind of your classic big shot at school that everyone likes. Think Ren MacCormack or Troy Bolton. He's really into football, which Emma tries to learn about to impress him.

What can fans expect from that episode?

I think fans can expect a little of everything from that one. Fun, laughs, and a little bit of romance.

What's the funniest or craziest thing that’s ever happened to you while on set?

The most recent one I can think of is my sister surprising me on set. It was the first episode of THE THUNDERMANS and I was rehearsing a scene in the living room. I hadn't seen her in a really long time, like almost two years, and I wasn't expecting to see her until the following weekend. She showed up and I was in complete shock and totally happy to see her. It was awesome.

What has been your most memorable role so far and why?

I think my most memorable role is when I played 'Benny' on KICKIN' IT. It was my first thing with a few lines and it was just amazing. The whole cast was great and I'm happy I can call them friends today.

You also play guitar and cover songs on YouTube. Would you ever consider pursuing music professionally?

Right now I am completely focused on acting but I wouldn't say no to a possible music career down the road a little. But for right now I'm just really interested in acting.

Who inspires you?

As far as acting goes, Aaron Paul is my favourite TV actor... In film, Leonardo DiCaprio, Edward Norton, Ethan Hawke, Ryan Gosling and Denzel Washington are a few of my favourites. In Life, my family inspires me every day to push myself towards my goals and believe in myself.

What are you most looking forward to this summer?

This summer is going to be a busy one. Of course, I can't wait to start THE THUNDERMANS full-time in July. I'm actually in Canada filming a movie right now called JINXED for Nickelodeon. It's really going great and I'll be filming it until I start THE THUNDERMANS. So those two are big ones for me. In my personal life, I'm looking forward to having some spare time to chill and hang out with my friends while school is out!

Thank you, Jack Griffo!

You can follow Jack on Twitter, watch him on YouTube and like him on Facebook! Be sure to check out his next guest-starring role on Disney's JESSIE, airing Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET/PT on Family Channel!

[...]

Rainbow Adds New Licensing Agents To Key Properties "Winx Club", "Mia and Me", "Huntik" And "PopPixie"

The children's entertainment and media news website Kidscreen is reporting the exciting children's media news Italy-based Rainbow S.r.l., Europe's largest animation studio and the company behind the popular "Winx Club", "mia and Me", "Huntik: Secrets and Seekers" and "PopPixie" brands, has added a number of licensing agents to its global network.

The new additions to the Rainbow team include B-Rights ("Mia and me", "PopPixie" and "Huntik") in Greece, Planeta Junior ("Winx", "Mia and me", "PopPixie" and "Huntik") in Spain, PopCorn ("Mia and me") in Portugal, ELC in Eastern Europe and the Ukraine ("Winx", "PopPixie" and "Huntik"), Viz International in Malaysia and Singapore ("Winx", "Mia and me", "PopPixie" and "Huntik"), Bates Group in Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand ("Winx", "Mia and me", "PopPixie" and "Huntik") and Unite Licensing in Taiwan ("Winx", "Mia and me", "PopPixie" and "Huntik"). Wild Pumpkin and Exim, meanwhile, will represent "PopPixie", "Huntik" and "Mia and me" in Australia and Latin America respectively.

Rainbow's current relationship with Nickelodeon sees it handling "Winx Club" across the UK, US, Canada, Australia and Latin America.

Rainbow S.r.l. are expected to announce additional global agents for the "Winx Club" brand, particularly within Asia, soon:

"Mia and me" currently airs on Nickelodeon South East Asia (on Nickelodeon Philippines, Nickelodeon Singapore and Nickelodeon Malaysia) and on Nickelodeon Benelux (comprising of Nickelodeon Belgium/België, Nickelodeon Netherlands/Nederland, and Luxembourg):

Rainbow adds licensing agents to key properties

Italy-based Rainbow, Europe’s largest animation studio behind the Winx Club, mia and Me and PopPixie brands, has added a number of licensing agents to its global network.

The new additions to the Rainbow team include B-Rights (Mia and me, PopPixie and Huntik) in Greece, Planeta Junior (Winx, Mia and me, PopPixie and Huntik) in Spain, PopCorn (Mia and me) in Portugal, ELC in Eastern Europe and the Ukraine (Winx, PopPixie and Huntik), Viz International in Malaysia and Singapore (Winx, Mia and me, PopPixie and Huntik), Bates Group in Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand (Winx, Mia and me, PopPixie and Huntik) and Unite Licensing in Taiwan (Winx, Mia and me, PopPixie and Huntik). Wild Pumpkin and Exim, meanwhile, will represent PopPixie, Huntik and Mia and me in Australia and Latin America respectively.

Rainbow’s current relationship with Nickelodeon sees it handling Winx Club across the UK, US, Canada, Australia and Latin America.

Additional global agents for the Winx Club brand – particularly within Asia – are expected to be announced soon.

Tags: Licensing, Mia and Me, PopPixie, Rainbow, Winx Club

Also, from Licensing.biz:

Rainbow expands global reach with new licensing agents

TV and movie producer takes its Winx Club, Mia and Me, PopPixie and Huntik global.

Rainbow is expanding its international reach, appointing a number of leading licensing agents to its global network.

New additions to the Rainbow portfolio of licensing agents for its properties Winx, Mia and Me, PopPixie and Huntik, include: B-rights in Greece; Planeta Junior in Spain; Popcorn in Portugal; ELC in Eastern Europe and the Ukraine and Viz International in Malaysia and Singapore.

The plethora of new deals also sees Bates Group take up the properties in Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand; Unite Licensing in Tawain; and Wild Pumpkin and Exim in Australia and Latin America respectively.

In addition, Rainbow's relationship with Nickelodeon sees it handling Winx Club across the UK, US, Canada, Australia and Latin America, strengthening the brand in key overseas markets.

More agents are set to be appointed in the near future across Asia.

Maurizio Distefano, EVP and general manager global consumer products, Rainbow, said: "we are delighted to be making this announcement as we have added a host of very well-respected names to our global network of experienced and knowledgeable agents.

"This enables us to utilise the very best local licensing knowledge to maximise opportunities for our brands in key territories across the world."

TAGS rainbow