Create a Caption: Here Fishy Fishy Fishy . . .

So my friend, Dema, just got a new fish. He's a happy little beta fish with orangey-red tints. His interests include: swimming around his tank, eating his food pellets for breakfast, and watching TV (he seems to look towards the light when she watches TV, and she works in the television industry . . . so he must like TV!). He also enjoys occasional treats of dried bloodworms once a week. Yum.

She misses him when she goes to work, which got me wondering . . .what do you suppose he does when she's not at home? Leave a comment with what YOU think goes in the thought bubble.

Also, Dema hasn't decided on a name for him yet. For now, she calls him “Fishy.”

Think you can help? Let us know what you think his name should be! Leave your ideas in the comments, and I'll let you know what she names him!

— Ratha, STACKS Writer

Book Flap: Watch Your Favorite Books!

This week, Book Flap (your every-other-Friday book news column) has all the latest news about books becoming movies, TV shows becoming books, and even a book-based Broadway play! It's all part of our first Summer on the Splot!

Alice in Wonderland

Last week, the first look at the newest live action Alice in Wonderland movie was released to USA Today.

Lewis Carroll's classic book, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, has been adapted for film over 20 times since the first silent film in 1903. The most famous of the adaptations is probably the Disney animated movie from 1951. This latest version is directed by Tim Burton, who lent his trademark surreal style to another classic children's book adaptation, Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, in 2005.

The upcoming movie will star Johnny Depp (whom you might know as Captain Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean) as the Mad Hatter, Helena Bonham Carter (Belatrix Lestrange from Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince) as the Red Queen, and Anne Hathaway (Mia Thermopolis from The Princess Diaries) as the White Queen.

Looks like a great cast! The only downside is the wait — Burton's Alice in Wonderland doesn't hit theaters until March 2010. But at least we can look at some early artwork and photos! Let me know what you think!

Because of Winn-Dixie

A singing and dancing dog?! It's not as crazy as it sounds. Kate DiCamillo's Newbery Honor book Because of Winn-Dixie is being adapted as a Broadway musical. And a real dog is going to be playing the title character!

We had trouble teaching my dog not to eat out of the garbage, so I'm sure that will be some sight to see! Do any of you have any star-worthy (or particularly troublesome) pets?

The Secret Saturdays

The Cartoon Network cartoon series, The Secret Saturdays, is making the jump from your television onto the pages of a book. This August, everything you've ever wanted to know about yetis, chupachabras, and tons of other cryptids will be right at your fingertips with the release of The Official Cryptid Field Guide, a Secret Saturdays' encyclopedia. And this fall, you can join Doc, Drew, and Zak Saturday on their cryptozoology missions in a brand new graphic novel series.

My favorite cryptid's always been the Loch Ness Monster. What's yours?

LEGO® Star Wars™: The Visual Dictionary

This October, get ready for a new visual dictionary . . . and a possible Storm Trooper invasion! On October 5th, Star Wars fans and LEGO enthusiasts alike can get their hands on LEGO Star Wars: The Visual Dictionary by Simon Beecroft. The book will be chock full of photos and facts on everything from the characters and accessories to the manufacturing and construction of the figurines.

And across the country, people will be celebrating the book's release with in-store parties in both book stores and LEGO stores — complete with trivia contests, giveaways, raffle prizes (including the limited-edition LEGO Star Wars Chrome Darth Vader figure), and visits by the 501st Legion (the world's definitive volunteer Imperial — aka Star Wars bad guys — costuming organization).

The book will come with an exclusive, never-before-released LEGO Star Wars figure. The character for the mini-figure will be announced this July — give me your best guess who it will be in the comments!

Go Mutants!

Sometimes a book sounds so cool, it gets optioned for a movie even before it's come out. That's what's happened with Larry Doyle's upcoming book, Go Mutants! The book, which Doyle is writing this summer along side the movie script, will ask the what-if question we are all dying to know: What if all the aliens and monsters in 1950s horror movies really did invade Earth in the 1950s? Doyle's answer to the question: Of course, all of those aliens would have gotten married and had half-monster-half-human kids who have regular lives and go to regular boring school and are just like you or me . . . just a little more monster-ish.

Since the book won't be out until next summer, tell me what you think: do monsters make good classmates?

And that's how you can watch your favorite books! Check back on July 17th for another edition of Book Flap!

— Carly H., STACKS Staffer

Book Review: Island of the Blue Dolphins

Take TV's Survivor and Fear Factor, Hollywood's Cast Away, and the books Robinson Caruso and Call of the Wild, . . . wrap them all together . . . make them SO MUCH better (in my opinion!) and what do you have? The classic book by Scott O'Dell, Island of the Blue Dolphins.

Many of you may have already read this book, as it's a Newbery Award winning classic. The author, Scott O'Dell, wrote for adults for 26 years before publishing his first children's novel. That first novel was Island of the Blue Dolphins. And I can see why it's a classic.

I was expecting to write a scholarly “Now kids, it's important to read your classics” book review, but after reading the book, I totally have to revise my approach. Now it's “Read this book because it's totally awesome!”

The story takes place in the 1800s (but you would never be able to tell because the book feels timeless) and is about Karana, an Indian girl who lives with her tribe on a small island off the coast of California. When Aleutian sea hunters come and kill most of her tribe, the remaining members eventually decides to move to the mainland. As they are sailing away, Karana sees the tribe has left her brother behind on the island. She begs the ship to turn back, but they don't, so she jumps overboard to go back to him. She and her brother are left alone on the island.

They struggle for survival, but her brother is eaten by a pack of wild dogs. Now Karana is completely alone on the island. Many suns and many moons pass. She has to learn how to fend for herself, battle the loneliness and despair, and basically just . . . survive. She builds a canoe to escape the island (does it work? You'll have to read the book!).

Karana is amazingly resourceful. Since she has no light, she hangs silvery fish to reflect the firelight at night so she can work. She builds a “house” from whale ribs and makes her own clothes and weapons. These are only a few of the many amazing things she does out of many — and they all had my head spinning.

I almost ached for Karana's loneliness reading this book. Something in it touched my most basic level of humanity and made me want to read more. It was devastating, refreshing, and uplifting all at the same time. (I finished this book in two days, and I'm sure many people have done it in one!)

I hope I'm not over-promising, but this is one of the best books I've read in a while. No wonder it was named one of the best children's books of the past 200 years (by the Children's Literature Association).

Have YOU read Island of the Blue Dolphins? Let me know what you think. Or tell me what your other favorite classics are. I might be on a classics groove now, thanks to this book!

— Ratha, STACKS Writer

Summer Screen-Time

Ah, summer. Time for sun, sand, surf, and . . . afternoons in an air-conditioned movie theater! Now, don't get me wrong -- I like a good romp outdoors. But sometimes when I just have to beat the heat, nothing's better than a cool summer blockbuster.

Our friend, Marie (who has the awesome job of interviewing celebs for Scholastic's magazines) used her entertainment biz contacts and got us all the dirt on what's hitting the silver screen this summer. Start marking your calendar!

— Karen, STACKS Staffer

In theaters now:
Title: Land of the Lost
Release Date: June 5, 2009
Stars: Will Ferrell, Anna Friel, Bobb'e J. Thompson, Sierra McCormick, Jorma Taccome
Tagline: Right place. Wrong time.
Plot: As Dr. Rick Marshal, Will Ferrell, plays a wacky archeologist who, with his team, is transported to another dimension, an alternate universe. They land in a place where dinosaurs still roam and nightmarish creatures crawl. Their only friend is a primate named Chaka, who tries to lead them through wild adventures . . . and in the end, back to their own time.
(Universal Pictures: PG-13)

Title: Imagine That
Release Date: June 12, 2009
Stars: Eddie Murphy, Bobb'e J. Thompson, Thomas Hayden Church, Vanessa Williams
Tagline: What if your daughter's imagination . . . was the secret to your success?
Plot: Another laugh-a-minute Eddie Murphy family comedy! This time he plays a finance executive whose career is sputtering — until he takes a cue from his young daughter and enters her world of imagination . . . and success!
(Paramount Pictures: PG)

Title: Year One
Release Date: June 19, 2009
Stars: Jack Black, Michael Cera, Oliver Platt, David Cross,
Tagline: Meet your ancestors
Plot: Seems to be the summer of back-in-time! In this flick, Jack Black and Michael Cera — Zed and Oh — have moved from the caveman stage and live in a primitive village. Zed and Oh are supposed to help hunt for the food for the village, but they would rather lie around and be “stone-potatoes.” Finally the village has had enough and the two are kicked out and have to fend for themselves. Needless to say, they gather lotsa laughs!
(Columbia Pictures: PG-13)

Title: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
Release Date: June 24, 2009
Stars: Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, Isabel Lucas
Tagline: Revenge is coming
Plot: The sequel to the action-packed Transformers, this film chronicles the Decepticons return to Earth under the command of Starscream. This time they are after the mere human, Sam (Shia LaBeouf), who helped defeat them before! And once again, Optimus Prime and the Autobots join Sam to save the earth and all mankind!
(DreamWorks SKG: PG-13)

Title: Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaur
Release Date: July 1, 2009
Stars: (Voices) Ray Romano, Simon Pegg, Seann William Scott, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary, Queen Latifah, Josh Peck, Joey King, Chris Wedge
Plot: Much has changed since Ice Age: The Meltdown. Manny and Ellie are a couple and expecting a baby. Diego thinks he has to find his saber-tooth tiger roots and give up his pussy-cat ways. Sid wants to start a family of his own and he “adopts” some dinosaur eggs — unfortunately the proud dino parents aren't too thrilled with that, so they go in search of the egg-snatcher. And the hunt is on while the crew meets up with some new characters along the way.
(20th Century FOX Studios: PG)

Coming soon to a theater near you:
Title: Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince
Release Date: July 17, 2009
Stars: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Michael Gambon, Alan Rickman, Helena Bonham Carter, Robbie Coltrane, Tom Felton, Evanna Lynch
Tagline: Once again I must ask too much of you, Harry
Plot: It's Harry's sixth year at Hogwarts and, as usual, things get off to a mysterious start. Harry becomes the secret owner of a magical Potions Book, which was previously owned by someone referred to only as the Half-Blood Prince. Harry learns much from the mysterious book — but some of the spells may be very dangerous! Harry starts his one-on-one classes with Professor Dumbledore and tries to learn the secrets of the evil Voldemort so he might defeat him. Most of the time at school is taken up with studies, friendships that are strained, and romances that spark, — and Quidditch is played (Harry is the new captain of the Gryffindor team). But somehow there is a an overriding feeling that Voldemort is getting stronger and stronger and is getting ready to make the ultimate strike! It's action-packed and magical at the same time. A must-see!
(Warner Brothers: PG)

Title: G-Force
Release Date: July 24, 2009 Stars: (Voices) Nicolas Cage, Penelope Cruz, Bill Nighy, Sam Rockwell, Steve Buscemi, Jon Favreau, Tracy Morgan
Plot: Guineas pigs with a mission! G-Force is a team of highly trained guinea pigs who work for the government. This time they have to take down an evil billionaire who plans on taking over the world . . . with household appliances!
(Walt Disney Pictures: PG)

Title: Aliens In The Attic
Release Date: July 31, 2009
Stars: Ashley Tisdale, Robert Hoffman, Carter Jenkins, Austin Robert Butler
Plot: Kids to the rescue! Believe it or not, aliens have invaded a family's Maine vacation home and they are living in the attic. The kids and their friends discover their existence and their secret — they have a mind control weapon, but it only works on adults. It's up to the kids to save their family, friends, town, and the whole world!
(20th Century FOX Studios: PG)

Title: Shorts
Release Date: August 7, 2009
Stars: Jimmy Bennett, Kat Dennings, Trevor Gagon, Rebel Rodriguez, Jake Short
Plot: Poor Toe Thompson (Jimmy Bennett) is bullied by the kids in his hometown of Black Falls. Black Falls is the home base of Black Box Industries, which manufacturers the ultimate household gadget — it does everything! That's strange enough for Toe, but then an amazing thing happens — a Rainbow Rock falls from the sky during a storm and as it lands in someone's hands and bounces to another, wishes are made and come true. Good wishes. Weird wishes. Aliens, giant boogers, and lots more! Remember the old saying, "Be careful what you wish for," before you see this fun-filled flick!
(Warner Brothers: PG)

Title: Bandslam
Release Date: August 14, 2009
Stars: Vanessa Hudgens, Gaelan Connell, Alyson Michalka, Lisa Kudrow, Scott Porter
Plot: Will (Gaelan Connell) doesn't fit in, and Charlotte (Alyson Michalka) is the most popular girl in school. They have nothing in common — right? Well, they do: music. Charlotte asks Will to manage her rock band, and not only does he make them rockers-on-the-move, but Will sheds his loser status and becomes Mr. Cool. At the same time, Will is falling in love with Sa5m (the 5 is silent), who also has a musical talent. Things are looking up, even when Will and Charlotte's band goes head-to-head with her ex-boyfriend's band, Glory Dogs, at Bandslam, the ultimate battle of the bands!
(Summit Entertainment: PG)

Photo from Imagine That © Paramount Pictures
Photo from Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen © DreamWorks SKG
Photo from Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaur © 20th Century FOX Studios
Photo from Harry Potter & The Half-Blood Prince © Warner Brothers
Photo from G-Force © Walt Disney Pictures
Photo from Shorts © Warner Brothers
Photo from Bandslam © Summit Entertainment

On the road with Lisa Yee (and Peepy)

Have you ever had someone come up to you and offer to pay you to eat chocolate? Lisa Yee has.

She is the author of Millicent Min, Girl Genius, Absolutely Maybe (for ages 12 and up), and coming out this September, Bobby vs. Girls (Accidentally). But that's not all! Along with getting paid to eat chocolate, she's also been a hand model and has written a speech for the President of the United States! Joining Lisa on all her adventures is her yellow stuffed Easter bunny Peep, named "Peepy," which (whom?) she carries everywhere with her — from the ancient Mayan ruins of Mexico to the busy streets of New York, and everywhere in between!

In between all her travels — not to mention penning a book now and then — Lisa also writes her own blog, and she starts off each entry with a photo of her and Peepy. Here are some of those pictures, which Lisa gave us to share with you! Take a look and see if you recognize any of these places!

—Alyssa, STACKS Intern

Photos courtesy of Lisa Yee

Book Review: Found by Margaret Peterson Haddix

History is about to be changed!

I just FOUND my HG (Holy Grail) of kids' fantasy series! It's called Missing, and it's by Margaret Peterson Haddix, the author of the Shadow Children series. While I think Twilight and Harry Potter are both great series, they were somewhat predictable in the end. [SPOILER ALERT!!!!!] I mean, who didn't doubt Bella was going to end up with Edward? Or that Harry was going to succeed against Voldemort?

Predictability is certainly not the case in Found, the first book of Haddix's Missing series. Why is that, you ask? Well, I don't want to give away the entire story, but if you like time travel, history, mystery, and action, then you'll love this book.

At the start of Found, Angela DuPre, an airline worker, finds 36 abandoned children on a plane. The weird thing is, there are no adults, no pilots, and no one knows how the plane got there in the first place. Weird . . .

Meet Jonah and Chip 13 years later — they're two of the surviving kids from plane. Both were adopted into wonderful families, and both strangely end up in the same town. Is this a coincidence or pre-determined fate? One may think it's just some bizarre occurrence, but when Jonah and Chip both start receiving the same strange, unmarked letters, they begin seeing things that are unexplainable to the human eye. And then both end up at an adoption convention, along with the other 34 children from the mysterious flight! At this point, questions will be raised not only by Jonah and Chip, but the readers as well.

Found will leave you asking: what would happen if I were to go back in time and change one little event, or if I were to effect the actions of a prominent figure? How would that change the future? Would how we live today be any different if one person's life was changed in any way?

These are exactly the kind of questions you'll be asking when you're finished. Fortunately, in August 2009 Haddix will bring readers one step closer to answering these questions in the second book of the series, Sent. I'll certainly be visiting the library or nearest bookstore. What about you?

— Carly M., STACKS Staffer

ICE AGE 3 is DINO-MITE!

If you loved the first two Ice Age movies, wait till you see the third flick in the animated series. Not only are all your favorite characters back, but as the title (Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs) suggests, there are lots of other prehistoric creatures in this one.

When Sid finds a trio of dino eggs and gets snatched up by their mama T-Rex, his buddies go off on a rescue mission that takes them to a lost world under the ice.

“All kinds of perilous things happen that we have to run from and escape from and save each other from,” says Queen Latifah, who voices Ellie the Mammoth. As for the acorn-chasing Scrat, “he finds a girlfriend in this one,” says Ray Romano, the voice of Manny the Mammoth.

Adding to the fun, the visuals really pop because it's in 3D. The movie hits theaters July 1st.

Check out what the stars of Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs' told me about the movie in these exclusive on-the-SPLOT videos:

PLUS, Queen Latifah explains why she loves to read — check out the exclusive video!

— Gerri Miller, for the Ink Splot 26 Celeb Beat

Queen Latifah photo © Kevin Estrada

THE FIVE: Best Books about Camp!

Ratha's post about the Camp Confidential series got me thinking about my own camp experiences. I've only been to cheerleading camp, which I don't consider “real” camp because instead of spending all day taking swimming lessons in a lake or making arts & crafts, I was stuck in a gym, practicing back handsprings and losing my voice. In other words, my camp experience was nothing like what I imagined!

Luckily, I got my fill of sleep-away camp thanks to reading. (And really, isn't that the coolest part of reading? That you can travel to places you've never been, without even leaving your house?) So, if you're like me and you love reading books set at camps, check out my list of THE FIVE best books about camp!

5. There's a Bat in Bunk Five by Paula Danziger
After reading this one, I reconsidered my dreams of sleep-away camp. Because, bats?! IN MY BUNK? No, thank you! In this book, Marcy gets to be a junior counselor at a creative arts camp, and she's psyched about spending the summer away from her family and reinventing herself. The problems begin when she meets her charges in bunk five. Can she handle them and all the challenges they bring?

4. Camp Nowhere (The Nightmare Room #9) by R. L. Stine
Haunted camps are the best! In this book by uber-scary author R. L. Stine, Russell is a senior camper and is ready to make his mark. The canoe trip over the legendary Forbidden Falls is just the place to do it . . . or is it? Russell must overcome his fear, or put up with his co-campers' teasing for the rest of the summer!

3. The Big Camp Secret (Sweet Valley Twins Super Edition) by Francine Pascal
Speaking of haunted camps, this one is by far my favorite Sweet Valley Twins book! Elizabeth and Jessica are away for two weeks at sleep-away camp, and they waste no time diving into all the fun. But a mysterious light at an abandoned house near the camp draws their attention, and camp lore has them wondering if the grounds are haunted! The twist in this book happens pretty quickly, but the twins spend the rest of their time in camp trying to keep their big secret. 

2. Letters from Camp by Kate Klise
Camp Harmony is supposed to be a place for sparring brothers and sisters to learn how to get along. But this summer's batch of campers finds the whole thing to be just plain weird: strange uniforms, gross food, and chores all day long! Told through letters, memos, menus, and other documents, you'll discover just what's behind the wacky Camp Harmony!

1. Help! I'm Trapped in the First Day of Summer Camp by Todd Strasser
Jake's first day of camp turns out pretty rotten. But tomorrow's another day, right? Wrong! Jake keeps waking up to relive the same awful day over and over again. He's sure he just needs to figure out what he's doing wrong in order to break the cycle. But at camp, it's not so easy to tell right from wrong! (Interestingly, the dilemma of the repeating day is also central to the book 11 Birthdays by Wendy Mass, which I reviewed for Ink Splot a while back. Do I detect a pattern in my favorite stories?)

So, what sorts of camps do you readers go to? Leave a comment and let me know!

— Morgan, Scholastic Staffer

Create a Caption: Monkey on THE STACKS

Sometimes I think I should work a little less and make a few more friends -- because I find myself talking to my stuffed animal friend, Monkey, a lot.

I guess Monkey was thinking the same, because one day I came home and found him working on a webpage for THE STACKS! I can't imagine what he was thinking -- can you?

Leave a comment telling me what you think Monkey was thinking — or what he said after I saw him!

— Nancy, STACKS Staffer

POP-Corn: 10 Things I Hate About You, Selena, & More!

Tasty tidbits on your celebrity faves!
From Gerri Miller, for the Ink Splot 26 Celeb Beat

Hello and welcome to POP-Corn, your source for cool news from the world of entertainment. You may remember the POP-Corn column from Scholastic News Online. Well, this summer it's on The Splot! We'll be bringing you a new jam-packed edition every other week, so be sure to tune in every other Friday all through the summer! (And on the other Fridays, STACKS Staffers will be posting their own Book Flap columns clueing you in to all the latest happenings with your favorite books, series, authors, and page-to-screen adaptations. It's all part of our first Summer on The Splot!)

THINGS TO LOVE ABOUT 10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU

You're sure to recognize the two stars of the new ABC Family series 10 Things I Hate About You — Lindsey Shaw was Moze in Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide, and Meaghan Jette Martin played Tess in Camp Rock. Now they're playing very different sisters Kat (Katerina) and Bianca Stratford in the TV adaptation of the movie 10 Things I Hate About You, which was itself based on Shakespeare's play The Taming of the Shrew. Meaghan has been reading the original play, and says, “It's interesting to see how Shakespeare portrayed the characters because they're so similar to the movie and TV show. It's the same plotline and a great structure to build on.”

Kat, the older sister, “is tough and independent and has an outside view on things, always kind of looking in,” describes Lindsey. “She often gets caught up in her strive for justice and fairness and misses the small things that are going on around her in high school.” Lindsey relates to Kat a lot, even though she has no siblings in real life. “I was always on the outside looking in at things I thought were silly, or I did not fit into, or wanted to fit into so badly but didn't,” adds Lindsey, who thinks Kat is a great role model. “She gives girls the opportunity to see somebody who is completely independent, intelligent, and speaks her mind. I hope they see somebody they want to be.”

After Camp Rock, Meaghan is thrilled to play a sweet, though popularity-obsessed, girl. “Finally I get to be nice and intelligent and a good human being,” she laughs. “The popularity shallowness isn't so great, but it's okay because she's learning from her mistakes.” As the team mascot, “I get to wear a penguin suit a lot on the show,” says Meaghan, who was a “drama nerd” when she was in high school. She has one older sister who's in medical school, and like Kat and Bianca, they fight. “But in the end we love each other,” confides Meaghan, who'll film Camp Rock 2 at the end of the summer.

Ethan Peck, the grandson of Hollywood legend Gregory Peck, plays bad boy Patrick Verona, who has a love-hate relationship with Kat. In his high school days, Ethan claims he was “a dork, really shy and insecure and nervous, and on the outside because of that.” Also in the cast is Nicholas Braun as Cameron, who has a crush on Bianca — he's a veteran of the Disney Channel movies Minutemen (airing July 4th at noon) and the new Princess Protection Program.

10 Things I Hate About You premieres on ABC Family on July 7th at 8 p.m.

CATCHING UP WITH SELENA GOMEZ

Yesterday, in an exclusive interview with Scholastic, Selena Gomez talked about her new Disney Channel movie Princess Protection Program and working on it with BFF Demi Lovato. I got the chance to catch up with Selena, and got a few more tasty scoops for you!

Selena thinks she "looked 12" in the movie, but had fun working on it with Demi. Selena's favorite scene? The montage when they tried on lots of fancy dresses.

Her character Carter's dad owns a bait shop, but Selena didn't mind working with the slimy-looking bait. "It was fake,” she reveals. “It smelled more like plastic than anything. It was no big deal!"

Selena, who'll start shooting the third season of Wizards of Waverly Place in early July, went to Puerto Rico to shoot the Wizards of Waverly Place Movie, which will air on Disney Channel in August. “I think you're going to see a lot of more serious sides to all of our characters in it,” she says.

Selena loves to get lost in romantic novels. "I love that you can kind of just put yourself into that place for a moment and nothing else around matters," she explains. She's thrilled about starring in the movie version of Ramona and Beezus because she read Beverly Cleary's books in the third grade. "What's really neat is kids are now reading it over again or for the first time because of the movie," she says.

Selena and Demi host the premiere of Princess Protection Program on Disney Channel on June 26th at 8 p.m., giving sneak peaks at the Wizards movie and their music video for "One and the Same," which is included on the Princess Protection Program DVD (out June 30th). A new Wizards episode follows the movie at 9 p.m. on Friday, and Princess will air again June 27th at 8 p.m. and June 28th at 7 p.m.

WHAT TO WATCH & HEAR

Brooke Shields and Cody Linley guest star on a new episode of Hannah Montana on July 5th at 8 p.m. on Disney Channel, following a Hannah Montana marathon starting at 1 p.m. Every day between June 29th and July 3rd, a new video from the Season 3 soundtrack of Hannah Montana will premiere, and all five vids will air after the 8 p.m. episode on July 5th. The soundtrack hits stores July 7th. Miley is currently in Savannah, Georgia, shooting the movie The Last Song for release next year.

American Idol winner and runner-up Kris Allen and Adam Lambert both signed record deals with 19 Entertainment and will release albums this fall. You can catch them on the American Idol summer tour, kicking off July 5th in Portland, Oregon.

That's it for this edition of POP-Corn! Don't forget to check back July 10th for more celebrity scoop!

— Gerri Miller, for the Ink Splot 26 Celeb Beat

Lindsey, Ethan, Meghan © ABC/ADAM LARKEY
Demi & Selena at premiere © DISNEY CHANNEL/JOHN MEDLAND

Selena Gomez on the Princess Protection Program

Tomorrow (June 26th) is the premiere of Princess Protection Program on the Disney Channel! Here's the scoop:

Princess Rosalinda is about to become the Queen of Costa Luna when her country was invaded by an evil dictator. In order to protect her, she is placed in the Princess Protection Program to keep her identity hidden. Now known as Rosie, she moves in with Carter's family in rural Louisiana. Carter teaches Rosie how to act like a normal American teenager, and Rosie teaches Carter how to be a princess.

Did you know that Rosie and Carter are friends in real life though? Yep, you may recognize these famous BFFs — Demi Lovato (Sunny with a Chance) slips into Rosalinda's royal slippers, and Carter's sneakers are filled by Selena Gomez (Wizards of Waverly Place). Read our exclusive interview with Selena and see what it's like to be best friends with your co-star — plus some inside dish on her upcoming album and how she deals with all the craziness that comes with fame!

Was it fun working with Demi on Princess Protection Program? Were there any pros and cons of working with a really good friend?
Selena: I really don't think I could find anything that was wrong with working with Demi. We've known each other for almost 10 years now, so there isn't really anything we can surprise each other with. It is kind of odd trying to pretend like I don’t know who this person is in the movie, in the beginning, so that was fun. Being able to work with someone you're comfortable with is always nice because it’s not the awkward, "Hi, nice to meet you. We have to pretend to be best friends." So all the stuff that's genuine in the movie is actual.

Does the friendship in the movie mirror real life?
Selena: Yeah, I think the parts where we're laughing and being goofballs is absolutely one hundred percent us. Half the time, they’d keep the cameras rolling because we’d keep going and going and sit there and talk and laugh until we couldn’t breathe anymore. It was pretty much all genuine.

In terms of the casting, are you similar to Carter and was Demi similar to Rosalinda?
Selena: Yes. Demi grew up in pageants, so back home in Texas, she was always poised and grew up that way. And I was a tomboy growing up. So it was back to our childhoods just for a little bit while we were shooting the movie.

How did you guys first meet?
Selena: In line, auditioning for Barney. We were in line with 1,400 kids, and she asked me to color with her, and I sat down on the ground and colored with her. We ended up booking the series together. Ten years later, we're working for the same network, and we're getting to grow and go through all of this together.

Has your friendship with Demi ever been tested?

Writing The 39 Clues: A Jude Watson Exclusive

People always ask me if I have a writing routine. I do -- every morning I get up right before sunrise, and I go right to the computer. It's dark and quiet. Even the birds are still asleep. I like the feeling that I'm the only one awake in the whole world.

Until The 39 Clues came along, that is. Didn't I mention in my previous blog entry that things got complicated?

It happened like this: I grabbed a mug of tea, like I always do. Opened the file marked "39 CLUES #4." Stared at what I'd written so far after a grueling day of work the day before:

CHAPTER ONE

Brilliant, right?

That morning, I thought I heard a footstep outside. I held my breath. No, just the leaves skittering on the porch, I told myself. We'd been warned by our editors to be careful, but there was no need to get spooked. I started to type.

If Amy Cahill had to list what was wrong with eleven-year-old brothers, their habit of disappearing would be . . .

Another noise. Definitely not leaves on the porch this time. Definitely . . . footsteps. I got up and went to the front hallway. Slowly, something was being pushed under the frame of the door.

I bent down and picked up a plain brown envelope.

JUDE WATSON
39 CLUES

No return address.

I flung open the door. The porch was empty. I stepped out. Nobody there. Nobody on the street, nobody walking away. Spooky.