Tag: Disney Channel

Disney Channel at Comic-Con 2011

Damn. Should have got Comic-Con tix…

DISNEY’S “PHINEAS AND FERB” CELEBRATE SUMMER AT COMIC-CON INTERNATIONAL 2011 AS “PERRY THE PLATY-BUS ON TOUR”
ROLLS ONTO SHOW FLOOR

NBA All-Star Dwight Howard, “Dancing with the Stars” Finalist Chelsea Kane and “The Middle’s” Atticus Shaffer Highlight a Roster of
Disney Channel and Disney XD Panels

Featured Panels to Include “Phineas and Ferb,” “Fish Hooks,”
“Kick Buttowski – Suburban Daredevil” and Upcoming Animated Series
“Tron: Uprising,” “Motor City” and “Gravity Falls”

“Phineas and Ferb” leads the charge for Disney Channel at Comic-Con International, as “Perry the Platy-bus On Tour” arrives on the show floor in celebration of the Emmy Award-winning series. After making its debut in Times Square on July 11, the Platy-bus will ride into San Diego Comic-Con JULY 21-24. This incredible, 4000-pound customized Airstream trailer comes complete with bill, tail and googly eyes inspired by Phineas and Ferb’s teal-colored pet platypus, Perry. The event marks a banner year ahead for the franchise, which is set for the fall debut of the Disney Channel Original Movie (DCOM), “Phineas and Ferb: Across the 2nd Dimension.” The Platy-bus officially opens for a three-hour preview night on Wednesday, July 20.

Fans who visit the “Phineas and Ferb-Disney Channel/DisneyXD” booth will be able to play the upcoming video game inspired by the DCOM on the Wii or Nintendo DS family of handheld systems, the Unity3D online game, which will also be available on www.DisneyChannel.com/2D, “The Movie Game: The Dimension of Doooom!” and sing Perry-oke. In addition, Disney will offer premium giveaways and a collection of four Comic-Con exclusive “Phineas and Ferb” figurines and one mystery figure from Jakks Pacific for purchase.

The “Phineas and Ferb-Disney Channel/Disney XD” spectacular showcase spans 25×60 feet and will be located immediately opposite the main entrance on the convention floor.

The “Phineas and Ferb” panel is joined at Comic-Con by Disney Channel and Disney XD panels showcasing current hit animated series “Kick Buttowski – Suburban Daredevil” and “Fish Hooks,” and will feature an exclusive sneak peek at the upcoming animated slate for 2012 — “Tron: Uprising,” “Motor City” and “Gravity Falls.”

Disney Channel Panels at Comic-Con International 2011:

• FRIDAY, JULY 22: “Phineas and Ferb” – Creators and executive producers Dan Povenmire and Swampy Marsh join cast members Vincent Martella (“Phineas”), Ashley Tisdale (“Candace”), Dee Bradley Baker (“Perry”) and Olivia Olson (“Vanessa”).

• SATURDAY, JULY 23: “Kick Buttowski – Suburban Daredevil” – NBA star Dwight Howard makes a special guest appearance along with creator/executive producer Sandro Corsaro and cast. Additionally, fans will get a sneak peek of Disney XD’s future animated series, “Tron: Uprising” and “Motorcity.”

• SUNDAY, JULY 24: “Fish Hooks” – Creator/executive producer Noah Z. Jones, executive producer Maxwell Atoms, director Bill Reiss and cast including “Dancing with the Stars” finalist Chelsea Kane (“Bea”), Atticus Shaffer (“Albert Glass”) and Justin Roiland (“Oscar”). Fans will also get a sneak peek of Disney Channel’s upcoming animated series “Gravity Falls.”

• Autograph sessions with the cast and crew from “Phineas and Ferb” will occur throughout the weekend, and signings for “Kick Buttowski-Suburban Daredevil” and “Fish Hooks” will take place at the “Phineas and Ferb-Disney Channel/DisneyXD” booth preceding each of the respective panels.

A special sneak preview of the Disney Channel Original Movie sponsored by Time Warner Cable, “Phineas and Ferb: Across the 2nd Dimension,” will take place Saturday, July 23, with a Q&A with Dan Povenmire and Swampy Marsh following the screening. Additional details will be available soon.

In this animated Disney Channel Original Movie adventure based on the Emmy Award-winning comedy series “Phineas and Ferb,” stepbrothers Phineas and Ferb go on their biggest journey yet, into another dimension! When the boys finally discover that their beloved pet platypus Perry is in fact a secret agent who battles the forces of evil daily, they join him on a grand adventure that blasts them to another dimension, where a truly evil Dr. Doofenshmirtz has taken over an alternate Tri-state Area. When they uncover his ploy to travel back to their dimension to take over their Tri-state Area, the gang, as well as their alter-egos, must band together to stop him.

The teleplay was written by creators/executive producers Emmy Award-winner Dan Povenmire, Jeff “Swampy” Marsh and Jon Colton Barry. Povenmire and Robert Hughes direct. The voice cast features actor Vincent Martella (“Everybody Hates Chris”) as Phineas Flynn, Thomas Brodie-Sangster (“Nanny McPhee”) as Ferb Fletcher, Ashley Tisdale (“Sharpay’s Fabulous Adventure”) as Candace Flynn, Mitchel Musso (“Pair of Kings”) as Jeremy, Caroline Rhea (“Sabrina, the Teenage Witch”) as mom Linda Flynn-Fletcher, Richard O’Brien (“The Rocky Horror Picture Show”) as dad Lawrence Fletcher, Dee Bradley Baker (“American Dad”) as Perry the Platypus, Alyson Stoner (“Camp Rock,” “Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam” ) as Isabella, Jeff “Swampy” Marsh as Major Monogram and Dan Povenmire as the nefarious Dr. Doofenshmirtz. Doris Roberts (“Everybody Loves Raymond”) guest stars as Mrs. Thompson, Dr. Doofenshmirtz’s senile neighbor. “Phineas and Ferb: Across the 2nd Dimension” is a production of Disney Television Animation. It carries a TV-G parental guideline.

2011 to date, “Phineas and Ferb” is TV’s No. 1 animated series in Prime among Kids 6-11 (1.3 million/5.4 rating) and Tweens 9-14 (1.0 million/4.2 rating), reaching more than 110 million unduplicated Total Viewers across the U.S. in the first quarter. In addition, the series has been TV’s No. 1 animated series each year since its launch in 2008 among Tweens 9-14. (Source: NTI, US ratings, most current, 12/27/10-6/19/11, trackage data with minimum 6 telecasts. Reach: 12/27/10-6/19/11, minimum 6 minutes.)

July 14, 2011
Debby Ryan’s Jessie Filming Update

Here at DC Fans, we’ve been excited for Debby Ryan’s new show Jessie for quite some time. Well, I’m proud to be one of the first to bring you an inside report from the taping of very first episode, last Friday, June 17th 2011.

The show is filming at Hollywood Center Studios on the same soundstage where Wizards once filmed. sonny/So Random also films here, and Suite life on Deck also filmed at Hollywood Center Studios.

In the new series, Debby plays recent HS graduate Jessie who was raised in rural Texas. She wants to be a singer/actress and comes to New York to chase that dream. She ends up as a live in nanny to four kids, three of whom are adopted from all over the world. The parents are like “Brangelina” with the mom an ex-model and the dad having a movie background. So Jessie quickly finds herself hired and on the job.

Emma is the oldest and the only biological kid. She’s played by Peyton List. Luke is next oldest and is a bit of a trouble maker. He’s played by Cameron Boyd. Ravi is a ten year old indian boy who also has a pet Komodo dragon!? He is played by Karan Brar. Zuri is the youngest at seven, and is played by Skai Jackson.

There was mention in the press release of a 20 yr old door man named Tony. He’s played by Chris Galy but it seems unlikely he and Jessie would end up as a couple. There’s also a lazy, sarcastic butler named Betrum that’s not very nice to Jessie. He’s played by Keven Chamberlain.

Along with the producers, Debby has put a lot of work into developing this show and building each character’s back story. It’s very much unlike any show Disney has ever ordered for DC. If it succeeds it could be a major game changer for the future of the network. If it fails, well, expect more shows built on the HM formula for a loooong time.

The show is expected to premiere in the fall. We will of course continue to keep you updated as we learn more.

BTW, there are also some new pics of Victoria Justice at Debby’s 18th birthday party posted over at my Nickelodeon Girls Blog. Here’s a sample. 😉

June 22, 2011
Selena Gomez Monte Carlo Mall Tour in Santa Monica

Yesterday I spent four and half hours in the sun (and I have the sunburn to prove it!) waiting to see Selena Gomez at the first stop of her rescheduled Monte Carlo Mall Tour.

I haven’t commented here on Selena’s health scare over the weekend and her subsequent trip to the hospital, but I’ve been worried about her.

Selena herself said no less than three times that she’s felling much better now. She missed a few notes in “Who Says” and I think it was because she had to catch her breath.

Anyway, I’m incredibly thankful I got to actually see her with my own eyes because I know now that she’ll be just fine.

That said, OMG was she looking HOT! I mean, yes, I’ve seen her preform before. I’ve met her before, but wow I’ve never been that close to her bare legs. 😉

I could even see the nail polish on her fingers and toes. That’s like, mega HD. 😉

And speaking of camera’s it was a media circus! Camera’s everywhere. Here’s a shot of MTV news filming, there’s more in the gallery too.

MTV News also had a nice writeup about the event:

Selena Gomez was back onstage and appeared to be in much better health on Monday (June 13). The Disney star spent the weekend recovering after being hospitalized last Thursday in Los Angeles for a combination of food poisoning and exhaustion.

The 18-year-old singer/actress took the stage for a performance at the Santa Monica Place mall Monday afternoon, wearing a flowing, white blouse over a white tank top, black shorts, and black strappy heels. Gomez and her band, the Scene, played two of her hit songs, “Who Says” and “A Year Without Rain,” to cheers from the crowd. Gomez thanked her fans profusely for coming out to see her and for their support, especially in the last few days. She also apologized for missing her original appearance, which had been scheduled for this past Friday.

“I want to thank you so much for coming. If you guys came on Friday, I’m so sorry that I couldn’t be here,” she said before the band struck up the first few notes of “Who Says.” “I love you guys very much.”

Although Gomez didn’t do any crazy dance moves or flips, she performed each song with plenty of energy. Her voice sounded strong and steady. At the end of the second song, the teen star answered a few questions from fans in the audience, mostly pegged to her experience filming the upcoming movie “Monte Carlo,” around which the event was organized.

Gomez did take a brief moment to assure her fans (and the throng of reporters also gathered) that she’s feeling just fine. “I’m feeling much better, thank you,” she said.

After performing “Who Says” Selena addressed the crowd asking us if we wanted another song…
Selena: “What other song should I sing?”
Crowd (chants): “Naturally! Naturally! Naturally!”
Selena: “Um… How about A Year without Rain?”
Crowd (collectively): “Okay.”

There was no meet and greet I’m afraid, but that was okay. I already met her… twice. 😀

Click on any picture to see the full image gallery. I’ve already embedded all my video from the event in this post. And be sure to see Monte Carlo in theaters starting July 1st!

June 14, 2011
The Skinny on “So Random”

We all know that Demi’s back in LA and looking forward to getting back to work. Will she be returning to Sonny with a Chance? Well… maybe.

The third season of Sonny isn’t really a third season of anything. It’s really a spin off of the Show within a show, So Random. Or should I say, “SO R@n:D0?!” It’s basically kid friendly Saturday Night Live, without the “live” part.

I was lucky enough to be able to attend the live audience filming of the fifth SR episode and it was pretty good. There’s no plot, like the Halloween and Christmas specials, it’s all sketches. Sonny is just gone and Chad is a regular on so Random. There’s no explanation given in the show itself, but it’s obviously because Demi’s not there and because they want to keep Sterling. Better to have chad out of character than to not have him at all, I suppose.

Demi is welcome to come back if she wants, but it sounds like they have the whole season planned out based on the assumption that she will not be there. I wouldn’t hold my breath for Sonny’s return. Even is she did, they’d probably just add her into the sketches and not address the plot points of the first and second seasons.

Also, Selena Gomez was this week’s musical guest. <3 I love her new song “Who Says,” but I think you could all guess I would say that.

I really hope you all give So Random a fair shake. It’s not the Sonny we know and love, but you guys didn’t see how hard they were working on this show. It really touched me and I’m so afraid that it’s gonna fall flat just because Demi’s not there.

Got a question about the show? Leave a comment at the Sonny With A Chance Forum or below.

March 9, 2011
Camp Rock 2 Advance Screening Review

Today I attended a special advance screening of Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam The Walt Disney Studios’ Studio Theatre in Burbank, California.

Now, D23’s resident “Disney Geek” and host of today’s festivities specifically asked us not to give away any plot point – particularly the ending. But he did say it was okay to discuss our general feelings on the movie, the songs, and the Q&A session after the film with director Paul Hoen, writer Dan Berendsen, Michael Healy, senior vice president, Disney Channel Original Movies, Disney Channel, and Steven Vincent, vice president, Music and Soundtracks, Disney Channel.

Now that I’ve got that disclaimer out of the way, let me say that Camp Rock 2 was awesome – a huge improvement from the first film. If you read my thoughts about the original Camp Rock, you’ll see that my biggest complaint about the original was the atrocious writing. It was almost as if they wrote the music scenes first and then threw together a few plot points to connect them. That was not the case with camp Rock 2.

As Steven Vincent said about the music, “It was driven by the story .. [we] don’t stop for a song” instead the music moves the story along. In a lot of ways, this film was more musical than the original. It was a full on musical, with a touch of the “Musical about a musical” feel of HSM. Michael Healy said that was a conscious decision to “turn it into a full blown musical” and alluded to a decision as one that made the film less realistic. I can’t really speak to the realism element (I mean, no one ever actually breaks out into song) but I think it was a very good move. The film didn’t have that awkward in between feel of CR1.

As for the overall plot, it’s a very different story than the original. Dan Berendsen explained that “This story is timeless … it’s fighting for something you believe in.” Mitchie is a very different character; she was the outsider before but now she’s a definite leader. If you’ve looked at the soundtrack, you’ll know that Demi has a lot of songs on the soundtrack, and that corresponds to a lot of screen time. Of course, she is the star! Mitchie essentially takes command of Camp Rock following the exodus of most of their staff to Camp Star. The always self-centered Tess Tyler (Meaghan Martin) seemed to learn her lesson from the first movie, but still quickly defected to the other camp thus allowing her to be an antagonist once more. Caitlyn Geller (Alyson Stoner) seemed to have a lot more screen time, although she still didn’t sing much. Joe was actually… dare I say it, kinda good as Shane Gray. The Nate (Nick Jonas) and Dana (Chloe Bridges) subplot was okay; nothing special. Jason (Kevin Jonas) was, as usual, just kinda there. Although there was one good line during the tour bus scene. Maria Canals-Barrera also reprized her role as Mitchie’s mom, but she was hardly even in the film.

Again, I don’t wanna give too much away, but this really is a solid film. Demi gives a very solid performance and the whole team really pulls it together. I give it a 4.5/5, which is among the highest rating I have ever given a DCOM. And what of Camp Rock 3? I think Michael Healy said it best, “Never say never [but] it would be hard to round everybody up.”

But just for fun, I want to share one more though from Senior VP Michael Healy when asked about Disney’s developing talent, he quickly responded “Selena is a fantastic star” then he paused for a moment before continuing, “um, well, Bridgit.” and finally concluding with one final thought, “I wish we had Raven back though.”

August 7, 2010
Shake It Up – Second Episode Filming

I was fortunate enough to be ale to attend the second live-audience filming for Bella Thorne and Zendaya Coleman’s new Disney Channel show “Shake It Up!” yesterday, July 27th, in Los Angeles, CA.

For those of you unfamiliar with how a filming works, I recommend you stop and read the recap of the first filming I went to before you continue reading this post.

We where seated in the audience area a good hour before the actual filming started. During part of this time, they showed us the pilot episode. For those unfamiliar with TV terms, the pilot is a single episode they film before a show is picked up for a full season. Because actors are sometimes re-cast and sets are changed, pilots are rarely if ever shown to the public at large. The first episode broadcast in a season is typically a re-shot and slightly reworked version of the pilot, although the actual plot can vary significantly.

In the pilot we are introduced to best friends CeCe Jones (Bella Thorne) and Rocky Blue (Zendaya Coleman). The show opens with the BFFs panhandling on the Chicago metro using their impressive dance moves. And they do a great job, until a transit cop shows up! After After receiving a ticket made out to “Mrs. Justin Bieber” we join your heroines at home and we meet CeCe’s little brother Flynn Jones (Davis Cleveland). After an eh, interesting, breakfast scene, the three kids are off to school. At school, we meet Deuce (Adam Irigoyen), and he lets us in on all the concert tickets he can hook us up with. He also had an important gift for the girls, a flier with the info to audition for a dance show called “Shake it Up Chicago.” Rocky is reluctant, but CeCe insists that they give it a try – it is their dream to be professional dancers after all. We also met sibling duo Gunther (Kenton Duty) and Tinka (Caroline Sunshine). Think Ryan and Sharpay from High School Musical, except they’re, well, I think they where supposed to be Swedish. Anyway, CeCe and Rocky audition for the show and through no fault of her own CeCe is eliminated. Rocky makes it, but doesn’t want to go without her BFF. CeCe insists that Rocky follow through with her dream and marches her to the studio – with Rocky still in her pajamas. This next segment was very Hannah Montana-esque as CeCe helped Rocky change into her dance clothes during the love show. Fortunately, the host though more of it than I did, because instead of firing Rocky, he asked both girls to stay on the show. And that is how these two best friends ended up on TV.

Now, it’s tough to objectively grade a pilot because it’s primary focus is to introduce the show and characters. It sets up the show and isn’t the best refection of what will actually happen in it. this show is clearly about dancing, there’s a lot of it, and it’s done very well. The humor fell a little flat, especially the breakfast scene I mentioned. the plot was predictable, but that again has to do with the constraints of it being the pilot. Using my normal scale, I think a 3.5/5 would be appropriate.

Now that the pilot was done with, we could begin the actual filming! Episode #102 is titled “I Could’ve Danced All Night” and opens with a pretaped scene where we see CeCe’s dream. “If this wasn’t a dream, then why where you kissing Robert Pattinson before you came out here?”

It turns out CeCe is obsessed with getting the “Spotlight Dance” on the show. And when they announce a special charity event the next day, Rocky wants to enter to help their local senior center. CeCe could care less, until she learns the winner also gets that week’s spotlight dance.

CeCe buys a bunch of energy drinks to help them stay awake for the event, but Rocky refuses to let them drink them. She compares them to steroids and how that temptation will take them to dark places… “then you get kicked off the show, expelled from school, your mom kicks you out, you’re living behind a dumpster, and you can’t plug a cell phone into a rat’s mouth!” Needless to say CeCe is convinced. But her brother, well, he’s find the discarded energy drink and likes it, a lot.

Meanwhile, Deuce stops by with some new outfits designed by his cousin. He offers them to the girls for free… they just gotta wear them of the show for a little free publicity. He explains that they’re fine couture, “my cousin explained to me that that’s a french word that means fancy clothes. I thought it meant lady parts.” LOLz. Rocky doesn’t care for the clothing deal either, but eventually relents. The girls go back inside to find CeCe’s little brother bouncing off the walls. They try to catch him, but he wind up keeping them up all night before the competition.

Fast forward a few hours and it’s time to dance! And the girls can barely keep their eyes open. Somehow they make it until it’s just them and Gunther and Tinka and the host calls a break. At this point Rocky’s older brother Eddie (Max Ehrich) who had been watching CeCe’s little brother arrives on set after realizing that the donation he had pledged was per hour. And the girls had already been dancing for four hours! He decides it’s time to end things and demands that the girls quit immediately, or even better if they can “find a way to quit four hours ago.” Deuce will have none of this and pinches CeCe to wake her up. A short pinch fight ensues and the girls get back up on stage where they ultimately win the competition and $5000 for the senior center! But before CeCe can collect on her spotlight dance, they fall asleep on stage and her brother ends up stealing the show.

This was a good, solid episode. Well written, well paced (although that’s hard to say just from the filming), well acted, and just plain entertaining overall. A definite 4/5 just on my first impression.

My friend J had asked for a brief description of the sets, so I’ve decided to draw a diagram.

I got mad paint skillz. 🙂 The filming photos from last week show a little bit of the Shake it Up Chicago studio and quite a bit of the home set.

Following the conclusion of the filming, the cast signed autographs. They didn’t announce that they would, so a bunch of people just left. But those of us who knew how it usually worked lined the railing and eventually got to talk with the cast. I brought a photo of Bella & Zendaya and another paper for any other cast members I talked to.

Kenton Duty (Gunther) was nice enough to sign that paper for me…

Like my Shake it up sign? I made it the night before so I could get the attention of the audience warm up guy and tell everyone about the site. I printed two copies – Kenton signed one and I gave the other to Bella. She was very excited about my shake it up fansite: DisneyShakeItUp.com! She literally jumped up and down with excitement and proceeded to show it to her cast mates, never mind the fact that I was still talking to her about the site at the time! She came back over of course and I was able to finish my 15 second pitch. And of course, She and Zendaya both signed that photo I brought.

Isn’t that just the coolest thing? These girls are gonna be big. Disney casting rarely, if ever, makes mistakes and a few hours with Bella & Zendaya convinced me that as usual Disney knows what they’re doing. I know I’ve said it before, but I know that Bella’s gonna be the next Miley (and I mean that in a good way)! And I for one feel quite honored to have been there at the beginning.

July 28, 2010
Tiffany Thornton Benefit Show (Part 2)

It took a couple weeks, but i wanted to share these photos from Tiffany Thornton’s benefit show for Falling Whistles. I posted the videos back in part one so be sure to check those out if you haven’t already!

Anyone that’s ever watched Sonny with a Chance knows that Tiff is pretty, but I dunno, there’s just something extra when you’re there a few feet away. It’s almost magical.

Ask Sterling. He was there, he can vouch for me on that. 🙂

One moment I particularly liked was when Tiff signed one girl’s skinny jeans “Hey, just like that one Sonny episode!” 🙂

And be sure to click through the full gallery of pics. There are some with fans, some of the venue, Sterling Knight, All Star Weekend, and more.

June 11, 2010
Sonny with a Chance Episode Filming! 😀

For those of you unfamiliar with how an episode filming works, I recommend you stop and read about my first filming for Good Luck charlie before you continue.

For whatever reason, SWAC starts filming later in the day than the other DC shows. The scheduled time is 5:30, but it was more like 6 before we where seated inside. Our “warm up guy” was Ezra Weisz, who has to be the best in the business. I saw him before at my Wizards filming. Ezra’s job is basically to keep us entertained between takes, and one of the first games he did was he asked people what they wrote on their facebook status before they came to the show. I saw this as a great opportunity to get to talk to him, and the group as a whole – so I raised my hand – “I’ve got a good one!” He seemed skeptical of that, but let me continue to say that I was going to write that I was excited to see him again. He commented and let me continue to say that everyone should check out the behind the scenes videos on his youtube. At which point he knew that I really was a fan of him and not just trying to butter him up. And then I mentioned the fansite: “That’s sonny with a chance dot com, with dashes between the words” before sitting back down.

This was episode 222 “Sonny with a Choice” directed by Eric Dean Seaton. Eric has worked on many SWAC and GLC episodes, and I was excited to finally get to see him in action! It’s also worth noting that this episode is not listed on Eric’s website. I don’t know if this was a last minute substitution for him, or if they just haven’t updated the site yet, but I thought it was worth mentioning. Also, since this was episode #22, and two weeks ago Tiffany Thornton told me there where four left to film this season, that would bring the total number of episodes this season to 25, not 30 as some believed.

Now, I don’t want to give away much on the plot. This is a major episode for the overall season two storyline and it wouldn’t be fair to you all to spoil how it ends. In this episode, So Random and MacKenzie Falls are both nominated for the Tween Choice award for best Tween show, which causes some (additional) friction between the two casts. Frequent readers already know that Chad & Sonny start dating in “Falling for the Falls.” The episode stills and Disney commercials already give that much away. But surprisingly, when the subject of Sonny and chad dating was first mentioned, there was a collective gasp from the audience. I guess they aren’t as well informed as we are. Anyway, there was some serious Channy in this episode.

“Chad is a totally changed person since we started dating” – Sonny.

There was hand holding, Chad had his arm around her a couple times, both their casts knew, they walked the red carpet at an event together, and there was even a quick kiss. Definitely a Channy episode. There where a few “Awww” moments (one of which was cut, unfortunately) and there was one very powerful scene that I really must not discuss further. Let me just say this, I know I’ve been somewhat critical of Demi’s acting skills in the past, but she blew me away last night. To film those intense relationship scenes right after her breakup with Joe? Amazing doesn’t even come close.

At the end of our episode, they filmed a pick up scene for the Christmas special. That episode is a sort of behind the scenes of So Random, with Chad guest hosting SNL style.

Following the last scene, the cast did the curtain call and signed autographs. By this point, it was almost 11PM and the crew was eager to put everything away and clear us all out of there. Sterling had to leave early to catch a flight so I didn’t get a chance to speak with him again. I got Brandon’s autograph but didn’t get a word in as he was talking to the person next to me as he signed my picture. I got maybe five seconds with Demi as she commented on “how white” she was in the picture and I laughed and thanked her. I wanted to get a picture with her, but couldn’t from where I was. Tiff was next, she saw me as was like “Hey, Greg! :D” And I was like “Yeah, I made it! :D” She signed my picture quickly and then had to move on to the next person. Finally, I managed to get over to where Allisyn was to get her autograph. She signed it quickly and I thanked her as they they where pushing us out. I snapped a few pictures of the set, but just like at wizards most of them came out blurry.

And I did win a trivia prize as well. The question was to name a member of MacKenzie falls, other than MacKenzie. A couple people guessed random names, so I stuck my hand up: “Portlyn! Season one, replaced by Chloe in season two.” Needless to say, people where impressed. Ezra took a moment then to mention that I had a fansite to one of the showrunners. I think it was creator Steve Marmel, but I’m not sure.

Overall, it was a fantastic experience, and I’m very glad that I was able to go before the end of the season.

If you have questions about the filming, please visit this thread on the SWAC forum to ask, and read what others have asked. Thanks!

June 5, 2010
My Suite Life on Deck Filming!

Last week I was fortunate enough to snag stand by tickets for last Friday’s live studio filming for The Suite Life on Deck. I had heard that On Deck was the hardest DC show to get into (not counting Hannah, ’cause that one’s impossible) so I was ecstatic just to have the opportunity!

At the Wizards filming I learned the importance of getting there early. And for On Deck I was determined to get there as early as possible. Me and my Mom got there at one, and we where the first ones there! I was shocked. As it turned out, only five stand by people showed up, and they actually had room for about 15 at last weeks show.

The episode I saw filmed was called “The Ghost and Mr. Martin” and it is part of season three. In this episode, the ship is docked in New Orleans and the cast is dressed in 1800s period costumes for a ball on the deck. London and Bailey are attempting to help Mr. Moseby overcome his fear of preforming in public. Meanwhile, Zach, Cody, and Woody are attempting to find and communicate with the ghost Captain that’s haunting Zach.

The SLOD set is unlike any other I’ve seen. The ship’s sky-deck set filled the entire stage in front of our audience area. All other scenes on other sets where pre-filmed and shown to us on the monitors. Combined with the other supplemental sets, On Deck probably has the largest set of any DC Show.

As a result, we only had two scenes to film, but they where nine and ten page scenes! So there where many takes and resets back to back. There where a variety of other supplemental shots for special effects (as I mentioned before, there is a ghost), and some other special effects involving Woody. From start to finish, it took four and a half hours! By the end it was starting to get a little crazy on set!

“Wow, this is a great take. I don’t even remember the beginning! … We’re all delirious and we want to go home” – Dylan Sprouse

“You’re Not Helping!” – Phill Lewis
“But Cosby impression did?” – Assistant Producer

At 9:25, they wrapped the last supplemental shots and practically threw us all out! Apparently union rules required them to have the audience physically outside the building by 9:30. I tell ya, SAG has a lot weird rules! LOL. Obviously, we didn’t have time for an autograph session, which was a disappointment. I have met Debby before, but I really did want to meet Phill and Brenda, plus ask the cast and crew if they want to do another season or if they’re happy if season three is the end (which it probably will be). Because we wouldn’t have time to get autographs, they gave us these presigned script covers:

I would have loved to meet everyone, but I’m not complaining. I feel very blessed to have been able to go and see the show filmed. I mean, I got to see Debby dance around and lip-sync to Justin Beiber in a period dress! I watched as Brenda and Debby where literally eating the set between takes! And I learned why the director doesn’t take Matthew Timmons (Woody) seriously – “Because you’re covered in gelatin!” 🙂

I learned a couple spoilers as well (highlight to read) => Doc Shaw’s character Marcus Little was written off the show. Also, Cody and Bailey break up. <= Unfortunately, both hose things happened in episodes prior to the one I saw, so they’re only refrenced and that’s all I know about them. Oh, and Debby’s favorite costume was her Naomi Wyoming pop-star outfit, which I also thoroughly enjoyed. 🙂

April 30, 2010
My third Good Luck Charlie filming!

Yes, you heard me right, I went to another Good Luck Charlie filming!

Yesterday (04/09/10) was the filming for episode #124 “Pushing Buttons.”

This show is amazingly well written, and the cast is amazing. In this newest episode, Teddy writes and produces a video about an important day in her life using kids in her drama class – and her mom. Meanwhile, PJ and his Best friend Emmett have girl problems and Gabe wants a new bike.

I almost didn’t get in. The main audience area filled up sooner than expected (eight people came out of literally nowhere ahead of me) but they had some room for a few people in what looked like an overflow area, but was really more of the “lounge” for the family of the cast! Jason Dolley, Micah Williams, and Bradley Perry where hanging out between takes like four feet from where I was sitting. Carmen, the actress who played the Emmit’s girlfriend and her mom where sitting right behind me. I even saw Eric Kramer talking with his wife in the back. It wasn’t an ordinary filming, that’s for sure!

Of course, I made sure to ask the cast members if they had a chance to check out my fansite Good-Luck-Charlie.com and they all said that they had. Even Jason Dolley! 🙂

Simply put, this is an amazing show. I hope you’ve all checked it out. The pilot got an astounding 5.7 million viewers last Sunday, so I’m sure many of you did! And be sure to tune in this Sunday for another new episode! 🙂

April 10, 2010