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via Nickelodeon press release:

RISING TEEN TALENT VICTORIA JUSTICE TAKES STAR TURN IN VICTORIOUS, NICKELODEON’S NEW LIVE-ACTION COMEDY SERIES ABOUT KIDS AT A HOLLYWOOD PERFORMING ARTS SCHOOL PREMIERING SATURDAY, MARCH 27, AT 9:30 PM (ET/PT)

Co-Produced with Sony Music and Created by Hitmaker Dan Schneider

Victorious Features Ensemble Cast Showcasing Original Music and Dance, Plus an Integrated Companion Community Website, TheSlap.com

Series Theme Song “Make It Shine,” Written by Dr, Luke and performed by Victoria Justice, Available on iTunes on Tuesday, March 23

NEW YORK, March 12, 2010 – Rising teen star Victoria Justice (Zoey 101, Spectacular!) will debut in her first starring role on Nickelodeon’s new live-action comedy series, Victorious, premiering Saturday, March 27, at 9:30 p.m. (ET/PT). The new 20-episode series follows Tori Vega (Justice) as she unexpectedly finds herself navigating life at an elite performing arts high school. Featuring an ensemble cast of teens who act, sing, dance and perform to original music, Victorious is a co-production with Sony Music and is created and executive produced by prolific hit-maker Dan Schneider (iCarly, Zoey 101, Drake & Josh, The Amanda Show). The series will move into its regular timeslot on Sunday, April 11, at 8 p.m. (ET/PT).

“Victorious combines original music from some of today’s most successful songwriters and producers with Dan Schneider’s proven track record of creating unique hit comedies,” said Marjorie Cohn, Nickelodeon’s Executive Vice President, Development and Original Programming. “It’s a perfect vehicle to showcase the comedic and musical talents of our star Victoria Justice and the rest of the gifted cast.”

Victorious follows Tori Vega (Victoria Justice) a girl who has grown up in the shadow of her older sister Trina (Daniella Monet, Nancy Drew), a singer/performer who’s always been the “star” of the family. When Trina has a medical mishap on the night of her school’s annual talent showcase, Tori steps in to perform Trina’s song. Accompanied on the piano by her musically gifted friend André (Leon Thomas III, August Rush, Broadway’s The Lion King, iCarly), Tori’s singing and dancing impress the school’s principal so much that she offers her the opportunity of a lifetime – an invitation to become a student at Hollywood Arts High School. From her first day at the school, however, Tori feels out of place among the amazingly talented students, especially mean diva Jade (Elizabeth Gillies, Broadway’s 13). With the help of Trina, André and her new friends – brooding bad boy Beck (Avan Jogia, Spectacular!), eccentric Cat (Ariana Grande, Broadway’s 13) and lovable but psychologically scrambled ventriloquist Robbie (Matthew Bennett) – Tori realizes that she was born to perform and that entertaining people not only makes her happy but may change her life. The series will feature original music performed by Victoria Justice and the ensemble cast.

Launching in tandem with the show premiere is its companion website TheSlap.com – a social networking and community site that will be featured and used by the characters in the series. The site will also allow the audience to interact with and be a part of the Hollywood Arts High School community. TheSlap.com is Hollywood Arts’ go-to place for gossip, posting new content and social interaction. It lets fans follow the characters’ lives 24/7, giving them access to the characters’ profile pages, uploads from the characters themselves, e.g. photos, videos, blogs, vlogs (video blogs) and characters’ status updates. Fans of Victorious can comment, take polls and play show-themed games.

Victorious will feature songs performed by Justice and the cast under the guidance of Sony Music. The Victorious theme song, “Make it Shine,” is performed by Justice and co-written by one of today’s most successful songwriters Dr. Luke (Katy Perry, Britney Spears, Kelly Clarkson) along with Michael Corcoran (Drake Bell, Miranda Cosgrove). “Make It Shine” will be made available for download on iTunes on Tuesday, March 23.

Victoria Justice joined Nickelodeon in 2005 when she was cast as a series regular on the network’s Emmy-nominated hit Zoey 101. For three seasons, she played Lola Martinez, Zoey’s artsy and dramatic roommate at Pacific Coast Academy. A triple threat, Justice also acted, sang and danced in the Nickelodeon movie-musical Spectacular! Most recently, she guest-starred as championship fighter Shelby Marx in the iCarly one-hour movie “iFight Shelby Marx” which set a ratings record for the hit series. Her other television credits include guest-starring on Gilmore Girls and a role in the Hallmark Hall of Fame Christmas special Silver Bells opposite Anne Heche and Tate Donovan. Justice’s feature film credits include supporting roles in Fallacy with Gary Busey and When Do We Eat with Michael Lerner, Leslie Ann Warren and Jack Klugman, as well as a leading role in the 2005 Sundance Film Festival hit, Mary. She also starred in The Kings of Appletown, a modern adaptation of the Mark Twain classic Tom Sawyer. She attended the musical theater program for three years at Milikan Middle School for the Performing Arts at age 11.

Writer-producer Dan Schneider has established himself as a dominant force in the world of family entertainment by creatively drawing on his affinity for youth culture at Nickelodeon. Under his Schneider’s Bakery Productions, he has carved a unique, progressive niche in the world of kid and family entertainment, most recently as creator and executive producer of the mega-hit Nickelodeon series iCarly starring Miranda Cosgrove and Zoey 101 starring Jamie Lynn Spears—both of which have received Emmy nominations. Victorious marks Schneider’s fifth series with the network. Schneider began with Nickelodeon creatively running the sketch comedy series All That from 1993 to 2004. After which, he went on to produce other groundbreaking series for the network, including Kenan & Kel, starring Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell, The Amanda Show headlined by Amanda Bynes and Drake & Josh starring Drake Bell and Josh Peck. Schneider also created the hit WB series What I Like About You, starring Amanda Bynes and Jennie Garth. His comedic success has also translated on the big screen, writing and producing the popular films, Good Burger and Big Fat Liar.

About Sony Music
Sony Music Entertainment is a global recorded music company with a roster of current artists that includes a broad array of both local artists and international superstars. The company boasts a vast catalog that comprises some of the most important recordings in history. It is home to premier record labels representing music from every genre, including American Recordings, Arista Nashville, Arista Records, Aware, Battery Records, Beach Street Records, Black Seal, BNA Records, Cinematic, Columbia Nashville, Columbia Records, Epic Records, Essential Records, Flicker Records, Fo-Yo Soul, GospoCentric, Hitz Committee Entertainment, J Records, Jive Records, LaFace Records, Legacy Recordings, Masterworks, Polo Grounds, RCA Records, RCA Nashville, RCA Red Seal, RCA Victor, Reunion Records, Slightly Dangerous, Sony Classical, Sony Music Latin, Star Time International, Verity Records, and Volcano Entertainment. Sony Music Entertainment is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America.

About Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon, now in its 30th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books, magazines and feature films. Nickelodeon’s U.S. television network is seen in more than 99 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for 15 consecutive years. For more information or artwork, visit http://www.nickpress.com. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B).