‘TEENick Back-to-School Bash’ Rolls Out Rocking Season Premieres with Fancy Footwork on Nickelodeon’s Dance Night, Sunday, September 16
[via press release]
‘TEENick Back-to-School Bash’ Rolls Out Rocking Season Premieres with Fancy Footwork on Nickelodeon’s Dance Night, Sunday, September 16
Miranda Cosgrove (iCarly), Lil JJ (Just Jordan), Jamie Lynn Spears (Zoey 101) and Raja Fenske (Unfabulous) Host Dynamic Dance Party
SANTA MONICA, Calif., Aug. 29 – Kicking off the new fall season on TEENick, Sunday, September 16 (6:00-9:00 p.m. ET/PT), stars of hit Nickelodeon series will jump and jive in all dance-themed episodes in “TEENick Back-to-School Bash,” a celebration including season premieres of Just Jordan, Zoey 101 and Unfabulous and brand-new, rocking episodes of iCarly and Drake & Josh.
TEENick stars Miranda Cosgrove (iCarly), Lil JJ (Just Jordan), Jamie Lynn Spears (Zoey 101) and Raja Fenske (Unfabulous) will host the night from a dance party marking the start of the new season and featuring some eye-popping moves. In wraparound segments, they’ll share behind-the-scenes secrets to mastering the dances from their respective series. Kid viewers who glimpsed the snappy routines — ranging from hip-hop and jazz to swing and The Highland Fling — in preceding weeks at nick.com, may vote online for their favorites, rating them for Fanciest Footwork and Superb Style and determining who gets the ultimate prize at night’s end: the Back to School Bash trophy.
Getting the party started and laying the footwork for the evening, at 6 p.m. the teen tipster of Ned’s Declassified (Devon Werkheiser) lends advice on how to succeed at school dances by really trying in an episode titled “Dances.” Nonetheless, Unfabulous’ Addie (Emma Roberts) stumbles a bit in her adorable fashion at 6:30 p.m., in that series’ fabulous third-season premiere, “The Auction,” as she tries to make her dream dance with Jake come true via the First-Ever Rocky Road Middle School Bachelor Auction
Next at 7 p.m., outspoken, ultra-confident 10th grader Jordan (Lil JJ) proves his dancing prowess while aiming to pledge a high school fraternity with his pals. as Just Jordan’s “Dancing King.” Choreographer Chuck Maldonado (Stomp the Yard) lent his expertise to the episode that commences that series’ second season.
At 7:30 p.m., in the second week of TEENick’s brand-new series iCarly, Carly (Miranda Cosgrove), Sam (Jennette McCurdy) and Freddie (Nathan Kress) receive a boatload of cool dance videos from fans for their web show – and then show off their moves in production numbers spotlighting each of them and a diversity of styles — jazz, tap, Scottish and more — within crazy musical dreams in the episode titled “iDream of Dance.”
Competition heats up with a pair of premiering episodes — each titled “Dance Contest”– from mega-hit series Drake & Josh and Zoey 101. First up at 8 p.m., kids’ favorite stepbrothers, teen odd couple Drake (Drake Bell) and Josh (Josh Peck), face off on the dance floor with deft moves — and Drake rumbas off with Josh’s partner. Then capping the night, in Zoey 101’s momentous season starter at 8:30 p.m., when Zoey’s (Jamie Lynn Spears) contest partner breaks a leg, left-footed Chase (Sean Flynn) steps in after a bit of coaching from Michael (Christopher Massey) and Logan (Matthew Underwood).
Dance instructor/choreographer Lane Napper, who has trained youngsters in Broadway’s Mary Poppins, Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King, choreographed the dance episodes of iCarly, Drake & Josh and Zoey 101.
Post-season premieres, TEENick’s regular weekend lineup will be as follows: SATURDAYS — iCarly (episode premieres) at 8 p.m.; Just Jordan (episode premieres) at 8:30 p.m.; The Naked Brothers Band at 9 p.m.; Drake & Josh at 9:30 p.m. SUNDAYS — Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide at 6 p.m.; The Naked Brothers Band at 6:30 p.m.; iCarly at 7:30 p.m.; Zoey 101 (episode premieres at 8 p.m.; Unfabulous (episode premieres) at 8:30 p.m. (all times ET/PT). Tween leader Nickelodeon has been number one with that demo (kids 9-14) in total day ratings for 15 years.
What’s New in the New Season?
As Zoey 101 heads back to the books at Pacific Coast Academy amid ocean breezes, the teen leader will court romance and face life-changing decisions. Yet Zoey (Jamie Lynn Spears) and her roommates Lola (Victoria Justice) and Quinn (Erin Sanders) still thrive at the newly co-ed boarding school, despite detractors like Logan (Matthew Underwood) and with the help of pals Chase (Sean Flynn) and Michael (Christopher Massey). In the season premiere, “Dance Contest,” Zoey’s would-be partner breaks his leg, and Chase decides to step in despite a small handicap: He can’t dance. It’s up to Michael and Logan to get him ready in time for the contest at PCA. Creator/executive producer is Dan Schneider (All That, The Amanda Show, Drake & Josh and iCarly).
Unfabulous’ Addie Singer’s (Emma Roberts) penchant for sometimes silly, but poignant song-writing keeps guiding her through the trials of teendom, and new music by hit singer/songwriter Jill Sobule (90s hits Supermodel and I Kissed a Girl), performed by Roberts, is featured again in this third season’s new episodes. In the season opener, “The Auction,” Addie’s dream of having the perfect dance with Jake (Raja Fenske) may fizzle when she floods the gym and the first dance of 8th grade is cancelled. To raise money to restore the floor and the dance, she holds the First-ever Rocky Road Middle School Bachelor Auction, but to her chagrin a newly made-over Mary Ferry bids on Jake to be her date. This season, Addie balances romance and her friendships with Geena (Malese Jow) and Zach (Jordan Calloway) and tries to solve various adolescent puzzles, while her hunky older brother Ben (Tadhg Kelly) makes it all look like a piece of cake. Sue Rose (Pepper Ann, Angela Anaconda) is the series’ creator/executive producer.
Season two of the multi-generational comedy Just Jordan, based on its star Lil JJ’s standup comedy, finds outspoken, ultra-confident 10th grader JJ piping up even louder about all of the kid injustices in the world. Whatever happens, this take-charge teen, isn’t going to take it lying down like all the other teenaged sheep out there. In the season opener, “Dancing King,” when Jordan discovers that the high school fraternity that he, Tony and Joaquin aim to pledge by proving their dancing prowess might be more crooked than cool, he takes a stand that ruins the fun for everyone. Realizing that he jumped to wrong conclusions, he must use his leadership and smooth moves to help his friends dance their way back in. The series co-stars Justin Chon as school heartthrob Tony; Raven Goodwin as JJ’s cousin Tangie; Eddy Martin as politically minded Joaquin; Kristen Combs as adoring little sis Monica and Chelsea Tavares as beautiful, aspiring model Autumn, who is Jordan’s new love interest. The show is filmed in front of a live studio audience. Just Jordan is executive produced and created by Alison Taylor (The Cheetah Girls), with executive producer Warren Hutcherson (The Bernie Mac Show) and co-executive producers Teri Schaffer (The Bernie Mac Show) and David Hoge & Dan Cross (One on One).
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