Disney Channel Shows

Get “Lost At Sea” this October

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I think it's great that Disney is starting to allow more and more of these two and three part episode specials. While they tend not to do as well in repeats they do get phenomenal ratings when they premiere.  But even more important than that, two part episodes allow the writers to tell fuller stories that wouldn't necessarily fit into a traditional episode. Disney press release follows:
ZACK, CODY, LONDON, BAILEY AND WOODY ARE "LOST AT SEA" IN A NEW ONE-HOUR SPECIAL EPISODE OF "THE SUITE LIFE ON DECK," PREMIERING FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2 ON DISNEY CHANNEL Viewers Go Around the World to the S.S. Tipton's Ports of Call During a Week-Long Programming Event Zack, Cody, London, Bailey and Woody are lost at sea in a new one-hour special episode of "The Suite Life on Deck," premiering FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2 (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET/PT) on Disney Channel. Viewers go around the world to the S.S. Tipton's ports of call during a week-long programming event. (Editors please note: photos and a screener are available at www.disneychannelmedianet.com. Registration is required). In "Lost At Sea," Zack, Cody, London, Bailey and Woody find themselves stranded on a deserted island when Woody accidentally hits the release lever on a lifeboat and the gang drifts out to sea. Zack hops into action, putting his survival tactics to use, while London takes it all in stride, believing that they have found a remote five-star resort. When Mr. Moseby realizes that the kids are missing, he sets off on a search to find them. Beginning Monday, September 28 (7:30 p.m., ET/PT) and continuing throughout the rest of the week, Disney Channel will air a special lineup of episodes that highlight the exotic locales where the S.S. Tipton has laid anchor. "The Suite Life on Deck" stars Dylan Sprouse as Zack Martin, Cole Sprouse as Cody Martin, Brenda Song as London Tipton, Debby Ryan as Bailey Pickett and Phill Lewis as Mr. Moseby. Matthew Timmons has a recurring role as Woody and Erin Cardillo as Ms. Tuttweiler. The series is executive-produced by Danny Kallis ("Smart Guy," "Hangin' with Mr. Cooper"), Pamela Eells O'Connell ("Family Matters"), Jim Geoghan ("Family Matters") and Irene Dreayer ("Sister, Sister," "Smart Guy"). "The Suite Life on Deck" is produced by It's A Laugh Productions for Disney Channel.

Press Release: Hannah Montana Diabetes Episode to Air

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If you recall, there was a big commotion several months ago about the season three episode "Sugar, No Sugar." The episode was pulled, parts of it have been re-shot, and it's scheduled to air as part of season four.

"Uptight (Oliver's Alright)" – When Miley and Lilly learn that Oliver has been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, the misguided pair become the "food police" at Traci's Sweet 16 party.  After a very strange evening, Oliver puts an end to their meddling ways and misconceptions and they ultimately learn that, with the support of their friends, they can navigate any challenge, in a new episode of "Hannah Montana" premiering SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 20 (7:30 p.m., ET/PT) on Disney Channel.

A prologue directs viewers to learn more about type 1 diabetes at www.JDRF.org. The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International is the leader in setting the agenda for type 1 diabetes research worldwide, and is the world's largest charitable funder and advocate of type 1 diabetes research. The mission of JDRF is to find a cure for diabetes and its complications through the support of research. The episode's consultants are Dr. Paul Strumph, Vice President of Medical Affairs and Chief Medical Officer, The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International; and Dr. Andrew Drexler, Co-Chief, Division of Clinical Endocrinology, Diabetes and Hypertension and Director, Gonda Diabetes Center at University of California, Los Angeles. "Hannah Montana" stars Miley Cyrus as Miley Stewart/Hannah Montana, Emily Osment as Lilly Truscott, Mitchel Musso as Oliver Oken, Jason Earles as Jackson Stewart, Billy Ray Cyrus as Robby Stewart and Moises Arias as Rico. Guest starring are Rebecca Creskoff as the school nurse, Romi Dames as Traci, Shanica Knowles as Amber and Anna Maria Perez de Tagle as Ashley. "Uptight (Oliver's Alright)" was written by Sally Lapiduss and directed by Art Manke.  The executive producers are Michael Poryes and Steve Peterman.

D23 Expo Recap (Part 1)

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Okay, so it's been real quiet around here the past few days because I was at the D23 Expo from Thursday through Sunday. I was tweeting the whole time, and you can still find those comments on my twitter (@anitrain).

Among other things, I had the honor of meeting Debby Ryan! I even got to tell  her about my Debby fansite DebbyRyan.net

Webmaster Greg and Debby Ryan

On Saturday, I got to meet the fabulous Tiffany Thornton and the lovely Chelsea Staub. I told Tiff about my fansite TiffanyThornton.us and my SWAC fansite Sonny-With-A-Chance.com. She said the was gonna check them out! :)

Tiffany Thornton and Chelsea Staub

I met a lot of other cool people, like Nicole Anderson, Doug Brochu, and Cody Linley. I didn't have websites just for them, so I told them about DC Fans and Save Disney Shows.

Nicole Anderson

And I didn't get to meet Selena Gomez, but I did get to see her in person at the Wizards panel in the arena!

Selena Gomez Wizards panel

Besides all the Disney Channel stuff, I saw presentations and sneak peaks of Disney's upcoming live action and film projects, new developments for the theme parks (which included Darth Vader demanding that the new Star Tours attraction open no later than 2011. And he brought storm troopers).

I even met and got the autograph of Disney Legend Mary Costa, the voice of princess Aurora!

It was really an unbelievable experience. I've uploaded photos and videos from the event to my new Disney events website SoCal Disney And I'll post more of the Disney Channel stuff here over the next couple days.

Updates:
D23 Expo Recap (Part 2) - Miley Cyrus
D23 Expo Recap (Part 3) - Tiffany Thornton and Chelsea Staub
D23 Expo Recap (Part 4) - Wizards of Waverly Place Cast and Crew

All event photos: Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Videos are on my youtube.

Wiz-tober Kicks of Wizards Season Three

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Only a month until Wizards season three! (So says this Disney press release) And it's confirmed that Juliet will be back for at least one episode! :)
"WIZ-TOBER," A MONTH-LONG HALLOWEEN PROGRAMMING EVENT HOSTED BY HUGELY POPULAR STARS OF "WIZARDS OF WAVERLY PLACE," RETURNS FOR SECOND YEAR ON DISNEY CHANNEL -- Season Three Premiere of "Wizards of Waverly Place" October 9-- Wiztober returns for the second year with a new Halloween and wizard-themed programming lineup hosted by the stars of the Emmy-nominated hit series "Wizards of Waverly Place" -- Selena Gomez, David Henrie, Jake T. Austin and Jennifer Stone. The month is highlighted by the Season Three premiere of "Wizards of Waverly Place" on FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9 (8:00 p.m., ET/PT). Last year's Wiztober delivered TV's No. 1 rank in Total Day among Tweens 9-14. "Wiz-tober" kicks off with a special encore presentation of "Wizards of Waverly Place The Movie" on THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1 (8:00 p.m., ET/PT), leading into an entire month of magic-filled movies, including the popular Disney Channel Original Movies "Halloweentown" and "Twitches" (and their sequels), and two installments from the popular "Harry Potter" feature film series, among others. The month also delivers the premiere of a brand new Halloween-themed episode of Disney Channel's "JONAS" and spooky episodes of "The Suite Life On Deck" and "Wizards of Waverly Place." Beginning Wednesday, September 16, kids can log on to DisneyChannel.com and get printable instructions for "Call in Your Haunt," where fans can record their own spooky haunted house sound effects. Select entries can be heard online in the Wizards of Waverly Place Haunted House, and will air on Disney Channel during the programming event. Following the premiere episode of the new season of "Wizards of Waverly Place," new episodes will air Friday nights throughout October. In the new season, Alex's best friend, Harper, moves in with the Russos. Meanwhile, Alex pursues her dream of becoming an artist and designs her own art studio inside a miniature dollhouse. Justin, in his last year of high school, plans to savor every senior year moment and to try his hand at monster hunting, and Max hones his wizard skills and becomes a serious contender in the Russo kids' quest to become the sole heir of the family's wizard powers. The schedule is as follows: FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9 (8:00 – 8:30 p.m., ET/PT) • "Franken-girl" -- Justin becomes fed up with Alex constantly going through his stuff and creates a female monster to guard his room and to think like Alex. However Justin's plan backfires when the monster and Alex become fast friends. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16 (8:00 – 8:30 p.m., ET/PT) • "Halloween" -- After the Russos are told by the Waverly Place Merchants’ Association that their haunted house has never been scary enough in Halloweens past, the family comes together to create the scariest haunted house ever. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23 (8:00 – 8:30 p.m., ET/PT) • "Monster Hunter" – After Justin masters his ten-thousandth spell, he signs up for Monster Hunting as the next step in completing his wizard training. "Hannah Montana's" Moises Arias guest stars. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30 (8:00 – 8:30 p.m., ET/PT) • "Three Monsters" – Justin begins his Monster Hunting course and gets more than he bargains for when Juliet and her vampire family turn out to be the three monsters he’s searching for. "Hannah Montana's" Moises Arias guest stars.
Edit: The "Franken-girl" description is inaccurate. this episode was screened at the episode, and Justin deliberately makes the monster think it's friends with Alex in order to mess with his sister.

Disney Channel’s “Night of Premieres” is Back!

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Disney Press Release. The two part Phineas and Ferb sounds cool but paring it with a new Suite Life on Deck is hardly event worthy. Anyway, catch it September 25th,
Disney Channel’s “Night of Premieres” is back and this time it features a two part Phineas and Ferb, The Suite Life on Deck and the movie Meet the Robinsons. A new, two-part time travel back-to-the-future episode of the hit animated series "Phineas and Ferb," guest starring Jennifer Stone ("Wizards of Waverly Place"), Moises Arias ("Hannah Montana") and Jennifer Grey ("Dirty Dancing"), kicks off Disney Channel’s Night of Premieres on FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25 (8:00–11:00 p.m., ET/PT). The lineup includes a new episode of "The Suite Life on Deck," a sneak peek clip from an upcoming "The Suite Life on Deck" one-hour special entitled "Lost at Sea," and the network premiere of Walt Disney Pictures’ animated feature film, "Meet the Robinsons." In "Phineas and Ferb’s Quantum Boogaloo" (8:00–8:30 p.m., ET/PT), Phineas and Ferb travel to the future to find a tool that hasn’t been invented yet. There they encounter future Candace, who follows them back through time and finally busts her brothers as they’re building their rollercoaster. She also accidentally foils Agent P’s defeat of Dr. Doofenshmirtz, setting off a chain reaction that turns the future into a dystopian society. The episode guest stars Jennifer Stone as future Candace’s daughter, Amanda, Moises Arias as future Candace’s son, Fred, and Jennifer Grey as the Librarian, and features a musical solo by Dr. Doofenshmirtz. At 8:30 p.m., ET/PT, viewers will be treated to a sneak peek clip from an upcoming "The Suite Life on Deck" one-hour special entitled "Lost at Sea," which will premiere October 2 on Disney Channel. A new episode of "The Suite Life on Deck" (8:30-9:00 p.m., ET/PT), entitled "Goin’ Bananas," finds Zack submitting one of Cody’s old term papers as his own without realizing it contains a bizarre passage about a banana phobia. Before long, Ms. Tuttweiler sends him to see a counselor, as London goes through withdrawal when her cell phone is taken away after she’s caught texting during class. The network premiere of "Meet the Robinsons" (9:00-10:30 p.m., ET/PT), starring Nicole Sullivan ("The Penguins of Madagascar"), Laurie Metcalf ("Desperate Housewives"), Daniel Hansen ("Roswell") and Jordan Fry ("Charlie and the Chocolate Factory"), follows a brilliant young inventor named Lewis as he sets off on a time-traveling journey to find the family he never knew.

Article: ‘Wizards of Waverly Place’ movie casts ratings spell

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Looks like the Wizards movie was a hit! :) Source: Zap2It
The Disney Channel's newest movie/exercise in franchise building put up magical ratings numbers on Friday night. "Wizards of Waverly Place the Movie" premiered to 11.4 million viewers on Friday, making it the most-watched cable telecast of 2009. It's also the No. 2 Disney Channel movie ever in terms of total viewers, behind only 2007's "High School Musical 2." The movie could very well also end up as the most-watched show on television this week -- broadcast or cable. The Tuesday edition of "America's Got Talent," which has been leading the broadcast rankings for much of the summer, averaged 11.2 million viewers in the overnight ratings this week. There's typically a small change in the numbers when the final ratings are calculated, but at worst "Wizards" should end up second on all of TV for the week. "Wizards of Waverly Place the Movie" follows the Russo family on a vacation to the Caribbean resort where parents Jerry (David DeLuise) and Theresa (Maria Canals-Barrera) first met. Daughter Alex (Selena Gomez), however, inadvertently casts a spell that undoes that meeting, and she and her brothers (David Henrie and Jake T. Austin) have to reverse the spell before it's too late. The movie also drew predictably strong numbers among Disney's core kid and tween audiences, bringing in 4.5 million viewers ages 6-11 and 4 million in the 9-14 set.

My thoughts on Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie

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Okay, that was one of the best DCOMs ever. The cast and crew where awesome, of course. The script was very well done. This was one of those films where you knew the basic plot outline from the very beginning, so what was most important thing was to keep the audience engaged and interested. And in that respect, I think they did a great job. It was obvious that the crew had a pretty decent budget. There was some serious magic in this film, which was a very nice change from the last few episodes of the series. I totally did not see the whole wizards competition part coming. I mean, yes it was kinda in the previews, but I was still surprised when it happened! And I must admit, I was rooting for Alex. :) And despite the fact that she gave it up (a bit of a cop out so they could make season three) you have to admit she certainly has an advantage for when they have the real wizards competition. My minute by minute commentary follows: 0:00 LOL That bag really sucks. 0:02 Alex really is a good pick pocket. 0:03 Are they on a new set? There are a lot of other camera angels. 0:05 How is she steering it? ... Oh, it's magic and knows where it's going. Right. 0:07 "Seriously! Who designed this subway?" 0:10 "They where supposed to be tigers" 0:11 "Sticky note to self: Do not forget sticky notes." 0:13 That was a great shot of Alex diving out of the car. 0:16 Check out Alex's sunglasses.:) 0:18 Wow, Max did magic that didn't go terribly wrong. 0:20 How many people in the world are wizards and/or former wizards. 0:24 "Well, every castle needs a princess" You can be my princess Alex. :) -- commercial -- 0:29 "More like a never ending photo shoot" 0:32 "...like you're actually pleasant to be around" 0:35 "So you're admitting this is kinda your fault" 0:37 Why are they having Max do the magic? 0:41 LOL Alex sleeping face down in the hammock. 0:42 That guy is back. Okay. Glad to see that wasn't a dead end. -- commercial -- 0:50 "That doesn't count. I actually am a little girl" 0:51 Okay, that guy is up to something. We get it already 0:53 That was mean, even for Alex. 0:55 That really didn't go as expected. But maybe it worked. 0:59 Wow. that was dramatic. 1:00 Pay attention Guys! 1:04 He sank the boat! Maybe Max has a chance of winning the wizards competition after all 1:05 It's the campfire scene that Selena was talking about. :) 1:07 You're the boy, you go check it. 1:08 "Oh, there it is again. So close" -- commercial -- 1:15 More goats. :) 1:17 I want one of those floating captions! :) 1:18 Looks like the cavalry is coming. Probably too late, but whatever. 1:19 The quicksand claims another victim. 1:20 I think it's the right cave. :) 1:24 "Hold on the the torch thing, but not the hot part" 1:25 don't step on the crumbly parts! 1:30: Why was Max the first to go? I would have thought Justin would be as he is the oldest. 1:31 Okay, it's wizard competition time. This is starting to make sense. 1:34 Holy sh*t! This competition is intense! 1:36 She's the bird! What a bitch! 1:37 Go Theressa! Too bad she's a wizard. 1:38 He used his one wish to turn her back into a bird? What a waste. 1:40 Alex did it! I'm shockingly not surprised. 1:41 "I taunt you and I tease you but you love me anyway." 1:42 Now Justin's gone that doesn't make a lot of sense. 1:43 Universal undo button for the win! :) 1:45 So much hugging 1:46 And end credits. Wow, that was something!

Article: Wizards of Waverly Place for Nintendo DS

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It's about time! :)
BURBANK, Calif., Aug 25, 2009 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Teen wizards in training are creating magic and mayhem on Waverly Place. Wizards of Waverly Place the video game for Nintendo DS(TM), inspired by the popular Disney Channel television series, is available now at all major retailers. The video game allows fans to experience familiar faces and places in the world of wizards with five fun and new adventures. Mysterious mishaps start when Alex Russo buys a bracelet off the World Wide Wizard Web to impress a boy. True to Alex's style, her plan goes awry and her brothers Justin and Max join in on the fun. Alex's best friend Harper, along with Theresa and Jerry Russo are also featured in the game, taking part in adventures on Waverly Place. Players can experience the lives of the Russo kids as they explore locations from the show, including the Waverly Sub Station, the Wizards Lair, Tribeca Prep, WizTech, the Russo loft and many more. To complete various tasks throughout the game, fans apply their wizard skills in exciting mini-games by using their stylus to levitate, move and freeze objects. New and familiar story beats inspire the mini-games in Wizards of Waverly Place, such as timed sub sandwich making, casting spells to prep the sub shop, playing a game of 12-ball and organizing loose books in the library that quiz your knowledge of the show. As the game progresses, players will have the opportunity to find a number of coins and magic trinkets hidden in each of the game locations. Fans can use these items to unlock new wardrobe options to customize clothes for Alex and her brothers. "In Wizards of Waverly Place on DS, players will experience a brand new storyline along with familiar characters and exciting mini-games," said Craig Relyea, senior vice president of global marketing, Disney Interactive Studios, "This is an exciting opportunity for fans of the hit television show to explore and enjoy the world of their favorite wizards." Wizards of Waverly Place for Nintendo DS features Disney's DGamer functionality allowing players to engage with other Disney game players in a secure online community via their Nintendo DS (Wi-Fi or local wireless) or computer. The service allows users to log into their DS and online accounts to create and customize a unique 3-D avatar and persistent profile. Kids can chat, view user profiles of their DGamer friends, and post high scores to leaderboards. Developed by Black Lantern Studios, Wizards of Waverly Place is rated E for Everyone with Comic Mischief by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB). Wizards of Waverly Place for Nintendo DS(TM) is priced at $29.99. Wizard of Waverly Place: The Mobile Game is also available on all major wireless carriers for Java/Brew platforms. Fans play as one of the Russo kids in this puzzle game, featuring favorite characters from the hit series on Disney Channel. Prices for mobile games vary by carrier.

Wizards vs. Vampires: Tasty Bites

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I was a little surprised at how the "Wizards vs. Vampires" four part arc turned out. I mean, "Tasty Bites" is the only episode where the whole vampire thing actually made a difference! But before we get into all that, I wanted to point out Alex's "Go Green" t-shirt.

Wizards vs. Vampires: Tasty Bites

Then Juliet showed up looking like this. Wow.

Wizards vs. Vampires: Tasty Bites

Alex countered with this outfit. And she has her hair up. She always wins. ;)

Wizards vs. Vampires: Tasty Bites

Anyway, in this episode Juliet was trying to get the Russos to live healthier. Looks like her and Justin are about to go jogging. In the daylight. Did they forget she's a vampire? LOL

Wizards vs. Vampires: Tasty Bites

Jerry and Teressa are working out too.

Wizards vs. Vampires: Tasty Bites

Meanwhile, Max is living in his pumpkin. And it's clearly day time outside.

Wizards vs. Vampires: Tasty Bites

Later, Alex and Harper get jobs at the Late Night Bite. And Juliet's parents hatch a devious scheme to drink their blood. Okay, they put alex in a chair and ask her to turn her head for a photo. LOL

Wizards vs. Vampires: Tasty Bites

Fortunately, Alex's parents hurry over to save Harper.

Wizards vs. Vampires: Tasty Bites

I know Alex, it's not fair!

Wizards vs. Vampires: Tasty Bites

And I shall close this post with the comical stylings of Pumpkin boy. :)

Wizards vs. Vampires: Tasty Bites