The Hub’s “Majors & Minors” Premieres September 23; Avril Lavigne, Adam Lambert Join As Mentors
via The Hub press release:
POPULAR MUSIC ARTISTS AVRIL LAVIGNE, ADAM LAMBERT, COLBIE CAILLAT, AND CLAUDE KELLY JOIN GROWING LINEUP OF TOP MUSIC ARTISTS/MENTORS ON THE HUB TV’S UPCOMING NEW REALITY SERIES ‘MAJORS & MINORS,’ PREMIERING SEPTEMBER 23
Final Young Cast Members Announced Following Nationwide Search for Most Promising Young Talent; Cast Members to be Mentored by Top Music Stars for Chance to Win RCA/Jive Recording Deal and Cross-Country Live Concert Tour
LOS ANGELES – Music stars Avril Lavigne, Adam Lambert, Colbie Caillat, and Claude Kelly have joined a growing lineup of top musical artists who will appear as mentors (“Majors”) to aspiring young talent on the upcoming original reality series “Majors & Minors,” premiering September 23 on The Hub TV Network, a destination for kids and their families. They join previously announced artists including Brandy, Leona Lewis, Jordin Sparks, Sean Kingston, Mike Posner and One Republic’s Ryan Tedder. Other major artists will be announced later and all will serve as “mentors,” guiding the talented cast as they embark on their individual journeys toward stardom.
The announcement was made today by Margaret Loesch, President and CEO of The Hub, who was joined by platinum selling music artist Brandy appearing on behalf of the series during The Hub’s appearance at the 2011 Television Critics Association (TCA) Press Tour in Beverly Hills. The series’ Executive Producers Timothy Scott Bogart, Evan “Kidd” Bogart, and Gary A. Randall participated in the event. Kelly is a popular singer-songwriter who has written
Avril Lavigne, who recently released her critically acclaimed fourth album Goodbye Lullaby, is an international music sensation, eight-time Grammy Award nominee and has sold more than 30 million albums and nearly 20 million tracks worldwide. Lambert’s debut album For Your Entertainment, featuring the Grammy nominated single “Whataya Want From Me” has sold over 1 million copies worldwide since making it’s debut at #3 on the Billboard Top 200 chart in November 2009. Caillat has sold more than six million albums worldwide and has two Grammy Awards for her duet with Jason Mraz on the single “Lucky” and as a backup vocalist on Taylor Swift’s Album of the Year, Fearless. Kelly is a hugely successful singer-songwriter who has written singles for Britney Spears, Whitney Houston, Christina Aguilera, Toni Braxton, Jordin Sparks and more.
Also announced at the TCA were the names of the 12 cast members selected from more than 40,000 children nationwide who auditioned for the series. The dozen cast members, ages 10-16 years old will gain the learning experience of a lifetime as they are mentored by some of the most successful musical artists and coaches in the business today. The cast members will vie for the ultimate dream prize of a recording deal with the RCA/Jive Label Group and an opportunity to be featured in a cross-country concert tour. In “Majors & Minors” there are no losers, and while none of the cast will be “voted off” the series, only one will win the prize. The 12 cast members will have the unique opportunity of being guided and groomed in a completely supportive and collaborative environment.
After a nationwide search via online casting submissions and open casting calls, the final cast members for season one of “Majors & Minors” include:
Name City Age
Austin Crute Marietta, GA 15
Cameron DeFaria Culver City, CA 13
Nia Holloway Norcross, GA 15
Grace Jeanette Burbank, CA 10
Emily Kocontes Newbury Park, CA 16
Kennedy Nöel Nashville, TN 13
Sabrina Lentini Tustin, CA 13
Josh Metzler Gilbert, AZ 15
Brandon Michael Quartz Hill, CA 11
Hailey Dibiasi Huntington Beach, CA 14
Ashley Nicole Greene Oceanside, CA 10
Michael Woodard Philadelphia, PA 13
Bringing her R&B star power to the new series is Brandy who is ranked (by the Recording Industry Association of America) as one of the best-selling musical artists in American music history. Brandy has used her musical talents to sell more than 8.5 million studio albums in the U.S. and more than 30 million albums worldwide. As a singer-songwriter, actress, producer and television personality, Brandy’s success has led to more than 100 awards including an American Music Award, a Grammy Award and seven Billboard Music Awards.
The groundbreaking music reality series “Majors & Minors” was developed by Evan “Kidd” Bogart, the songwriting hit-maker for music stars Rihanna and Beyonce, and top TV producers Timothy Scott Bogart and Gary A. Randall. The show is produced for The Hub by The Boardwalk Entertainment Group in partnership with Sony Music’s RCA/Jive Label Group and BMI.
The Hub TV Network is a joint venture of Discovery Communications and Hasbro, Inc., and is available to 62 million U.S. cable and satellite households. This fall, the network will debut new episodes of popular returning animated and live-action series including: “Family Game Night,” “R.L. Stine’s The Haunting Hour: The Series,” “Transformers Prime,” and “My Little Pony Friendship is Magic.”
About The Hub
THE HUB is a multi-platform joint venture between Discovery Communications (NASDAQ: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) and Hasbro, Inc., (NASDAQ: HAS) with a goal of entertaining, enlightening, empowering and educating children and their families. The cable and satellite television network features original programming as well as content from Discovery’s library of award-winning children’s educational programming; from Hasbro’s rich portfolio of entertainment and educational properties built during the past 90 years; and from leading third-party producers worldwide. The Hub lineup includes animated and live-action series, specials and game shows, and the network extends its content through a robust and engaging online presence, www.hubworld.com. The Hub rebranded from Discovery Kids on October 10, 2010, and reaches approximately 62 million U.S. households. The Hub logo and name are trademarks of Hub Television Networks, LLC. All rights reserved.
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