Pop-Corn: Teen Choice Awards, Austin Butler & 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!)

TEEN CHOICE AWARDS REPORT: BEHIND THE SCENES SCOOP!

Hannah Montana, The Jonas Brothers and Twilight were the big winners at the Teen Choice Awards, where stars walked the eco-friendly green carpet and nominees hoped to take home surfboard trophies.  Zac Efron snagged two of them for High School Musical 3 and 17 Again, adding to his collection. "I hang them in my garage above my car," he said. Right now he's working on The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud.  It's a mix of drama, romance, suspense and the supernatural that'll hit theaters next year.

On the green carpet, Wizards of Waverly Place's Jake T. Austin was an excited nominee for Choice TV Sidekick, as was iCarly's Jennette McCurdy. They lost to Emily Osment of Hannah Montana, but Jennette has other news to celebrate: she just signed a record deal with Nashville's Capitol Records for her debut album, due next year. Emily, meanwhile, has her own album in the works for spring 2010 but you can hear the single "All the Way Up" on Radio Disney, see the video for it starting August 24^th, and get her EP in October. Emily describes her sound as "a very wide spectrum of pop."

Em's castmate Jason Earles told us about the fun he had during his summer hiatus on trips to Hawaii and to the Caribbean on a Disney Summer at Sea cruise, and Josh Hutcherson said he was about to begin filming a remake of the action movie Red Dawn. He's been reading a lot of scripts, so he's behind on the Twilight book series, "But all my friends have read it so I have to get up to speed," he said. Nathan Kress of iCarly was looking forward to studying American literature this fall in school, and he told us why he loves to read here in this exclusive video.

Castmate Jennette McCurdy's favorite book list includes Cyrano De Bergerac, the Lord of the Rings series, and of course, Harry Potter. "Too bad the movies have already been made because I would have loved to play Luna Lovegood," she confided. "I was her for Halloween one year."

Here's why Jennette loves to read:

Emily Osment, Jake T. Austin, Jason Earles and Lucas Cruikshank of the YouTube series Fred also told us why they love to read in exclusive messages to Stacks readers. Check them out here in our video hub!

While at Teen Choice, lots of celebs visited the Backstage Creations Bop It Celebrity Retreat, where they picked up gift bags, played games like the Band Hero video game and the hand-held Bop It. High scorer Shailene Woodley of Secret Life of the American Teenager won $10,000 for her favorite charity. They also designed and signed Office Depot backpacks to donate to sick kids at the City of Hope hospital. Abigail Breslin of My Sister's Keeper and Jordin Sparks, whose friend Wendy battled cancer, were two stars that showed off their decorating skills. For the chance to design your own and win a prize, visit Project Backpack.

          

Jordin, Abigail, Brenda Song, Emily Osment and Jennette McCurdy loved the colorful neoprene bags by California Leash Co., and Debby Ryan and Jennifer Stone snapped up the clever Snap Caps necklaces and hair accessories made from bottle caps. First created by 13-year-old Maddie Bradshaw three years ago, the hand-painted caps are magnetic and interchangeable and include a special edition rainbow design she made to benefit the Make-a-Wish Foundation. Enterprising Maddie wants to go to Princeton, Harvard or Stanford when she graduates and she'll probably have her pick!

ROCKIT GUY: AUSTIN BUTLER

"I'm having such a blast," Austin Butler raves about playing Jordan on ABC Family's Ruby and the Rockits, but he almost didn't audition for the role. "I wasn't going to go to the audition because I didn't sing," he reveals, but his manager insisted, "and somehow I got the role." The singing is coming easier now, and the guitar and piano playing were no problem. "I've been playing guitar for about six years and piano for a long time too," says Austin, previously known as Zippy on Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide, James Garrett on Zoey 101, and who can be seen in theaters as Jake in Aliens in the Attic. So, does the 18-year-old native Californian want to record an album now?  "I don't know. I'm taking it one step at a time," he says. "I am loving music though. And it's a great stress reliever!"

WHAT TO WATCH

Alex's wish that her parents never met unleashes trouble in paradise in The Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie, which the cast shot in Puerto Rico. "It's everything you love about the show times ten," says Jennifer Stone (Harper). "There's comedy as well as drama and a ton of action—it's amazing how much action they fit into the movie. Anything that can make me feel like Angelina Jolie is cool by me!" It premieres Aug. 28^th at 8 p.m. on Disney Channel.

Erica Hubbard has some scoop for us about the fourth season of Lincoln Heights. "Cassie is starting to design clothes this year," says Erica, who hints about a possible proposal from her boyfriend Charles later in the season. "There's a lot of drama before that. The relationship has its ups and downs," she says. Check out the premiere on ABC Family Sept. 14^th at 8 p.m.

If you're up for a fun summer movie about the crazy stuff that happens when things you wish for come true, check out the new movie Shorts. Trevor Gagnon of TV's The New Adventures of Old Christine plays one of the kids who finds a magic rock at the end of a rainbow. "It grants wishes to anybody who holds it," says Trevor. "Neighborhood kids get the rock, then the adults get it, and the kids have to team up to stop the adults before the world crumbles." It's in theaters August 21^st (Rated PG).

Find out which family wins $100,000 in the finale of The Great American Road Trip August 24^th at 8 p.m. on NBC, which airs the season finale of Merlin at 8 p.m. on August 23^rd. Hannah Montana: The Movie is now out on DVD, and Greek returns to ABC Family for its third season on August 31^st at 9 p.m.

— Gerri Miller, for the Ink Splot 26 Celeb Beat

Zac Efron photo © Ray Mickshaw/Fox, Austin Butler photo © ABC Family/Isabella Vosmikova

POP-Corn: Disney Channel Celebs & 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!)

DISNEY CELEBS HELP TEENS

Singing songs from her new Guilty Pleasure CD, Ashley Tisdale joined cast members from Disney Channel's Wizards of Waverly Place and Sonny With a Chance at a benefit for Los Angeles Team Mentoring, the largest mentoring program in Los Angeles middle schools. "It's a program for kids who can't necessarily achieve because they're from disadvantaged homes," explained Wizards' David Henrie. "It instills good qualities in kids and a good work ethic to achieve their dreams."

"To inspire kids to become better people is such an important thing," added his castmate Jennifer Stone. "I think everybody needs a role model at this time when they're morphing into the person they're going to be for the rest of their lives."  Selena Gomez, Jake T. Austin, Sterling Knight, Tiffany Thornton and Allisyn Arm were on hand too. "I think it's very important for kids to have a role model in life," said Allisyn, "somebody who will help them make the right decisions and help them pursue their dreams." 

For Tiffany, that person was her grandfather, who always told her to "run the race to win, don't ever quit." And for Ashley, it was a teacher. "She wasn't always supportive because I was in and out of school, but she definitely challenged me and in a way she guided me throughout school. When I graduated I remember I was walking down and she screamed out my name. She was so proud of me. It was a really touching moment."

WHAT TO WATCH & HEAR

Who'll take home the surfboards this year? Find out when the Jonas Brothers host the Teen Choice Awards, August 10^th at 8 p.m. on Fox. Nominees Miley Cyrus and The Black Eyed Peas perform on the star-studded show.

In related — literally! — Jonas and Cyrus news, Miley's brother Noah and the youngest Jonas, Frankie, both lend their voices to the new animated movie Ponyo, which hits theaters August 14^th. The G-rated movie is about a goldfish princess who longs to become human, and the little boy who befriends her.

High School Musical's Vanessa Hudgens and Aly Michalka of Aly & A.J. star in the new movie Bandslam, about a high school battle of the bands competition. The PG-13 musical flick opens August 14^th. Meanwhile, HSM-er Zac Efron's movie 17 Again comes out on DVD August 11^th.

Victoria Justice (Zoey 101) guest stars in a special one-hour iCarly movie event called iFight Shelby Marx, premiering August 8^th at 8 p.m. on Nickelodeon. Victoria plays a mixed martial arts champ named Shelby who Carly (Miranda Cosgrove) jokingly challenges to a match — and Shelby takes her up on it!

Meet the cast of Glee this summer at a mall near you! Stars of the Fox musical series are traveling around the country this summer to meet fans at Hot Topic stores and give a sneak peek at the new season of Glee, which premieres September 9^th on Fox.The mall tour kicks off August 17^th in Boston. Go to Fox.com/Glee  for the dates and places.

The season two premiere of The Suite Life On Deck marks the debut of new regular Larramie 'Doc' Shaw as Marcus Little, a former member of a singing group who was kicked out when his voice changed. He's trying to make a fresh start as a solo singer on the S.S. Tipton. Not new to the series — he was on House of Payne — Doc has had smooth sailing from the start as the new guy on Suite Life. “When I got there everybody was really open and was treating me like I was family. So I wasn't nervous at all.” But he's had to have singing and dancing lessons for the role. “I'm liking it,” he says. American Idol winner Jordin Sparks will perform on the show later this season.

The game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? is back in prime time this month for 11 nights, and each show will feature one celebrity guest trying to answer a single question to win $50,000 for their favorite charity. Gymnast Shawn Johnson will be on the August 13^th episode.

"Send it On," the inspiring anthem for Disney's "Friends for Change: Project Green," performed by Miley Cyrus, Jonas Brothers, Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato, will debut today on Radio Disney. The "Send it On" music video premieres August 14^th on Disney Channel, and August 15^th on Disney.com and the ABC Television Network.

That's it for this edition of POP-Corn! Don't forget to check back August 21st for more celebrity scoop!

— Gerri Miller, for the Ink Splot 26 Celeb Beat

Ashley Tisdale photo © Jim Ober/Disney Channel; Jonas Brothers photo © Todd Plitt/FOX

POP-Corn: Ashley Tisdale & 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!)

ASHLEY & THE ALIENS

What would you do if aliens invaded your summer vacation house, turned your boyfriend into a remote-controlled zombie robot, and planned to take over the world? That's what Ashley Tisdale has to deal with in the new adventure movie Aliens in the Attic. In the movie, opening July 31st with a PG rating, Ashley plays Bethany, who finds out she's got bigger problems than a lying boyfriend (Robert Hoffman) when four little space creatures (including one voiced by Drake & Josh's Josh Peck) land on her house.

Although she wasn't there as long as the other actors because of her High School Musical 3 shooting schedule, Ashley had a great time shooting the movie in Auckland, New Zealand. "Every weekend we were going to a different island or going to a different beach and hanging out. The whole cast would hang out all the time, so it was definitely a lot of fun," says Ashley, who went with castmates to see fave band Goodnight Nurse in concert while she was there.

Ashley's own music career is hotter than ever, with the release of her second album Guilty Pleasure on July 28th. "There are a lot of break-up songs," says Ashley, who co-wrote four of the CD's tunes. "It's very personal—everything behind the album is all my idea," she says. "Switch," one of the tracks, is also on the Aliens soundtrack. She plans to do a concert tour to support the album, probably in Europe first.

Between looking for her next acting role and projects to produce, Ashley took time out to appear on an upcoming episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition with the Hampton family of Missouri. "The kids really wanted to meet me as one of their wishes, so I'm going down there to design part of their room, and then also do a concert with my band," she explains.

Ashley has seen her own wishes come true in Hollywood. "At a young age I did not know I'd be where I am today. I was doing commercials and modeling but I always dreamt of doing movies and TV shows," she says. "I've always been very driven," she confides. "And even though I've been in the business for so long and I've had a lot of success with the High School Musical movies I still feel that my career has just begun."

She hopes she can set a good example for kids who want to achieve their goals. "Don't ever limit yourself," she declares. "Keep going no matter what and don't let anybody tell you otherwise. With hard work, you'll definitely get there!"

Find out what Ashley and co-star Robert Hoffman have to say about Aliens in the Attic in this exclusive video!

Want to know why Ashley and Robert love to read? Get the scoop in this video:

POP-Corn: Harry Potter, Alexa Vega & 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!)

HARRY POTTER IS BACK!

Harry Potter fans, your two-year wait is finally over: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the sixth film adaptation in your favorite book series, hits theaters July 15th! As the story moves towards its two-part Deathly Hallows conclusion in 2010 and 2011, Harry will learn a lot more about Lord Voldemort’s past as his mentor Dumbledore prepares him for the confrontation to come. Meanwhile, there’s Quidditch to play and some new romances at Hogwarts. Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) has a new relationship with Ron Weasley’s (Rupert Grint) little sister Ginny (Bonnie Wright) and Hermione (Emma Watson) becomes jealous of Lavender Brown’s (Jessie Cave) attention toward Ron.

“These characters are usually facing such huge issues, like fighting evil, so it’s easy to forget that they’re just teenagers,” says Emma. “This film feels more like a romantic comedy than the others, in the sense that we get to see them coping with first love, jealousy and insecurity and all the usual things involved in dating.”

ABC Family will catch you up with the previous Potter flicks starting on July 10th at 7:30 p.m. with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, repeated July 11th at 12:30 p.m. followed by Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets at 4 p.m., and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban at 8 p.m. On July 12th, Chamber will air at 12:30 p.m., followed by Prisoner at 4:30 p.m. and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire at 7:30 p.m. Then find out about Potter’s creator in an ABC special about the author titled J.K. Rowling: A Year in the Life, airing July 16th at 8 p.m.

For a sneak peek at The Half-Blood Prince including behind-the-scenes interviews, check out this featurette:

ALEXA VEGA’S RUBY ROCKS

Alexa Vega got to sing a bit in Spy Kids and later played Penny Pingleton on stage in the Broadway musical Hairspray. Now she’s singing again in the new ABC Family series Ruby & the Rockits, playing a teenager named Ruby who goes to live with her rock star dad (David Cassidy) and his brother’s family. Acting is her first love. “But I’ve been really fortunate that music has been a part of my life,” says Alexa, who remembers growing up watching David in The Partridge Family on TV. Now 20, she’ll turn 21 August 27th and she hopes to celebrate with her family on a trip to Disney World or the Bahamas. Catch the premiere of Ruby & the Rockits on July 21st at 8:30 p.m.

WHAT TO WATCH AND HEAR

Sonny With a Chance star Demi Lovato will release her new album Here We Go Again on July 17th and will make several TV appearances to promote it. That day, Demi will visit The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien, and guest on both Good Morning America and The View on July 23. We’ve got some scoop for you on Camp Rock 2, which will once again star Demi, the Jonas Brothers, Meaghan Jette Martin and Alyson Stoner. This time, there’s a rival camp that challenges the kids to a musical showdown, and a love story involving Nate (Nick Jonas) and the piano-playing daughter of the rival camp owner, portrayed by Chloe Bridges. Cameras start rolling this summer on the movie, which will air on Disney Channel next year.

Three Disney Channel series join forces in Wizards on Deck with Hannah Montana, a crossover event featuring the casts of Hannah Montana, The Suite Life on Deck and Wizards of Waverly Place. It airs July 17th at 8 p.m.

Willow Smith, Will Smith’s daughter, will guest star on a special one-hour episode of Nickelodeon’s True Jackson, VP on July 25th at 8 p.m. She’ll play a younger version of True in flashback scenes.

Nickelodeon will celebrate SpongeBob SquarePants’ 10-year anniversary with The Ultimate SpongeBob SquarePants Weekend July 17-19. It includes a marathon of fan-picked episodes, a countdown of celebrity-chosen episodes, and 11 premieres.

The new comedy series The Assistants, the N’s new show set behind the scenes in Hollywood, will follow new episodes of Degrassi: The Next Generation on Friday nights. It premieres July 10 at 8:30 p.m. with two back-to-back episodes that will repeat July 12 at 9 p.m. on Nick at Nite.

That’s it for this edition of POP-Corn! Don’t forget to check back July 24th for more celebrity scoop!

— Gerri Miller, for the Ink Splot 26 Celeb Beat

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince video courtesy of Warner Brothers
Harry Potter photo courtesy of Jaap Buitendijk
Alexa Vega photo © ABC Family/Bob D'Amico

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

POP-Corn: Tiffany Giardina, Imagine That, & 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!)

TIFFANY GIARDINA: NO AVERAGE ANGEL

“The first time I heard 'No Average Angel' on the radio I freaked out. I was driving around blasting it,” declares Tiffany Giardina, who has a Radio Disney hit with the first single from her CD of the same name. “It's about being yourself, not being afraid to be different,” says Tiffany about the song, which she recently performed along with another tune, “Hurry Up and Save Me,” on a visit to Radio Disney with her band.

I was lucky enough to be there for the show — check out my on-the-spot (or should I say on-the-SPLOT) video footage:

POP-Corn: American Idol, Teens help Teens & 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!)

IDOL CHATTER

Winning American Idol came as quite a surprise to Kris Allen. “I felt shocked almost every week that I made it. And to beat Adam, I was really shocked,” he confided a few hours after Ryan Seacrest announced his name. “Adam deserved it just as much as I do. He's an amazing performer,” added Kris, who became close with Adam Lambert when they roomed together early in the competition. “The best thing is I made some really good friends — the tour is going to be a blast!”

Kris, who has dreamed of a singing career since he was 13, is proof that you should never give up on something you love. “I tried for so long, and it happened, and it's been the coolest experience ever. If you want to do something, go after it. And if you fail a little bit, just keep going.”

Kris will soon get to work on his debut album, and runner-up Adam will too. “My dream is to make a really good record, do something new, push people's buttons, push the boundaries a little bit, open people's minds,” Adam said, not upset about coming in second. “I got to sing with Queen and KISS. First or second, it doesn't matter to me. I got to sing with two great heroic rock bands!” he declared, happy to make it this far. “We both get to do great things in the future. For me, it's not about what happens tonight, it's about tomorrow.”

Adam was grateful that throughout the competition he was able to sing, be, and wear whatever he wanted. “I like things that are different, things that make you look,” he said about his style. “I don't like to blend in. I like to stand out.” When he was younger, he was sometimes afraid to take such risks, he admitted, “but I pushed myself to the point where it wasn't scary anymore.”

He and Kris are very different, Adam noted, “but we found a way to get along and have a common bond through music but also just through talking and getting to know each other. If there's anything that can come from this experience that I hope all the fans out there pick up is that even if you're really different there's a way to get along with each other.”

Season 6 runner-up Blake Lewis wished both well in the future and on the summer Idol tour. “That's where I had the most fun because you get to connect with the audience,” said Blake, who'll have a new album out October 6th. Queen Latifah, who performed with Lil Rounds on the Idol season finale, advised both to “get some sleep! You're going to need it because you're going to be working very hard,” she said. “Everyone has the potential to be a big star after they leave the show,” she added, and KISS singer Paul Stanley agreed. “Nobody lost tonight,” he said. “They're both champions.”

TEENS HELP TEENS

Last Christmas, actress Nathalia Ramos (Bratz) and her BFF Bosilika 'Bobo' An visited Children's Hospital Los Angeles and were troubled to find plenty of toys for younger kids but nothing fun for the teenage patients. “So we decided to do something just for the teens,” said Nathalia, who rounded up friends to help. The result was the Bash of All Bashes, a May 17th fundraiser that enabled the girls to outfit the hospital's teen lounge with music, computers, and games like Guitar Hero. “We're just overwhelmed to see it all come together,” said Nathalia, who plans to arrange more benefits. “This is just the start. We want to inspire other people to do the same thing. A lot of teens feel, 'I'm young, that's for my parents to do. I can't make a difference.' But you can. It doesn't matter how old you are. You can make a difference.”

Nathalia, who'll attend college at USC this fall, has been busy with her “new passion” for philanthropy, but she hasn't given up acting. She'll be seen next in the British independent movie Shadows From the Sky.

“I think it's important for everyone to reach out and help, and to see teens helping each other is really what I stand for,” said Bash guest Monique Coleman. The High School Musical star is writing a self-help advice book called From Ramen Noodles to the Red Carpet: A Guide to Becoming Who You Are Without Forgetting Who You Were. “It's about how to stay yourself in this industry and not lose sight of who you are,” she explained.

Another Bash guest, Wizards of Waverly Place's David Henrie, isn't writing a book, but he's reading a major one. “This year my New Year's goal was to read the Bible start to finish. I'm almost done with the Old Testament. It's a big book and it's hard to read it all, but it's one of my goals,” he said at the Bash event. On a break from the Disney Channel sitcom till June, he's excited about the special Wizards movie that will air in August. “Six weeks in Puerto Rico was awesome,” he said. “Getting to shoot in the rainforest, mountains, inside caves — it was great!”

WHAT TO WATCH

It'll be a hot summer on Disney Channel! Starting this weekend, there will be lots of specials, movies, and new episodes to look forward to, including a 90-minute crossover episode called Wizards on Deck with Hannah Montana aboard the SS Tipton. Cody Linley guests on Hannah Montana on June 7 (7:30 p.m.), and the same day Selena Gomez guests as herself on Sonny With a Chance (8:30p.m.).

The hit animated movie Wall*E premieres on Starz May 30th at 9 p.m.

Andy Samberg hosts the MTV Movie Awards May 31st at 9 p.m.

Former American Idol contestant Sanjaya Malakar is one of the celebs who'll be dropped into the Costa Rican jungle on the reality show I'm a Celebrity . . . Get Me Out of Here!, premiering on NBC June 1st at 8:00 p.m.

In theaters, Pixar's animated hot air balloon adventure UP opens today, and on June 5th Will Ferrell discovers The Land of the Lost.

That's it for this edition of POP-Corn! Don't forget to check back June 12th for more celebrity scoop!

— Gerri Miller, for the Ink Splot 26 Celeb Beat

Photo of Kris & Adam courtesy of Michael Becker/FOX 
Photo of Adam & Kris onstage courtesy of Ray Mickshaw/Fox
Photo of Blake, Kim, Mandisa courtesy of Gerri Miller
Photos from the Bash of All Bashes courtesy of Gerri Miller

Summer on The Splot: POP-Corn, 5/15 Edition

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!)

GLEE CLUB

If you're a High School Musical fan, Fox has a great new show for you! It's called Glee, and it's about the talented kids in a high-school show choir who sing popular songs straight from the radio. Glee, which gets a sneak preview May 19th before airing regularly this fall, had a kickoff celebration at Santa Monica High School, where I caught up with the cast.