Thursday, January 17, 2013

Actress Sophiya Haque, Who Played 'Senkhara' In "House Of Anubis" Season 2, Passes Away Aged 41

The Official London Theatre website, officiallondontheatre.co.uk is reporting the tragic news that the Indian actress Sophiya Haque, who played the villain character "Senkhara" in season two of Nickelodeon's "House of Anubis", sadly died of cancer at the age of 41 last night (Wednesday 16th January 2013):
Actress Haque passes away

Actress Sophiya Haque has died aged 41. She had been starring as Sylvia Morgan in Privates On Parade at the Noël Coward theatre and had been diagnosed to cancer several weeks ago.

Haque performed in the acclaimed comedy for the last time before Christmas. Her partner confirmed today she passed away peacefully in her sleep last night.

Michael Grandage and James Bierman, the Artistic Director and Executive Producer of Michael Grandage Productions, the company behind Privates On Parade, announced they would be dedicating the remainder of the run to Haque’s memory, saying: “We are devastated by Sophiya’s sudden passing. She was a true force of nature and her glorious performance as Sylvia is one that will be remembered with great joy. A spirited lady, she lived life to the full, and her presence in the theatre will be sorely missed. The company would like to dedicate the remaining performances to her memory.”

A graduate of London’s Arts Educational School, the actress began her career as a successful presenter on MTV Asia. In 2002 the Portsmouth born actress returned to the UK to appear in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Bombay Dreams at the Apollo Victoria theatre and subsequently appeared in West End musicals The Far Pavilions and Wah Wah Girls, as well as Ghandi & Coconuts at the Arcola theatre [...].

On screen Haque also found success, appearing in Coronation Street, popular Nickelodeon series House Of Anubis and in the hit film Wanted. She was also a DJ for The BBC Asian Network.

Stuart Piper, Managing Director of talent agency Cole Kitchenn who represented Haque, paid tribute to the actress, saying: "Sophiya was one of the most inspirational people I ever met. She was the kind of person you always want to spend time with: full of light, warmth, compassion, care and with an infectiously wicked sense of humour and I loved every minute of working with her. On stage, it was like you were watching her in close up even if you were sat at the back of the stalls such was her star presence and charisma. I am so desperately sad that she has been lost to the world at such a tragically young age, but feel blessed to have known her. Our whole team miss her greatly".
In the second season of Nickelodeon's "House of Anubis", Sophiya Haque portrayed the main antagonist, 'Senkhara', a spirit of an unforgotten despot from Ancient Egypt who was imprisoned for centuries within the Cup of Ankh until being freed unintentionally by Nina in the second season.

[Above photograph from Sophiya Haque's profile page on the "House of Anubis" Wikia Wiki.]

Nick At Nite USA To Premiere Jerry Trainor's Brand New Family Comedy Series "Wendell & Vinnie" On Sunday 17th February 2013

Nickelodeon has announced in the following Nickelodeon Press Release from PRNewswire the Nickelodeon News that Nickelodeon USA's nighttime programming block, Nick at Nite (stylized as nick@nite), will start to premiere and show Nick at Nite's brand-new live-action family comedy called "Wendell & Vinnie", which stars and is produced by Nickelodeon Star and "iCarly" actor Jerry Trainor, on Sunday 17th February 2013 at 8.00pm (ET/PT)! Nick@Nite's brand new comedy series "Wendell & Vinnie" is a multi-camera scripted half-hour show that follows 30-year-old Vinnie Bassett (Trainor) living the life of a carefree bachelor, when he suddenly becomes the legal guardian of his precocious, wise-beyond-his-years nephew, Wendell (Buddy Handleson, "Shake It Up") forming a hysterical odd-couple family dynamic. Nicole Sullivan ("Rita Rocks", "MadTV", "The King of Queens", "The Penguins of Madagascar") also stars as Vinnie's older unlucky-in-love sister, Wilma, with Haley Strode ("Gangster Squad") as Vinnie's newly divorced neighbor and love interest, Taryn. The series will air regularly on Sundays at 8pm (ET/PT) followed by Nick@Nite's Scott Baio original comedy, "See Dad Run" at 8.30pm:
iCarly's Jerry Trainor Stars in Brand New Nick at Nite Family Comedy Series Wendell & Vinnie Premiering Sunday, Feb. 17, at 8p.m. (ET/PT)

Original Multi-Camera Scripted Series from Emmy Award-winning Executive Producer Jay Kogen and Aaron Kaplan; Also Stars Buddy Handleson as Trainor's 12-Year-Old Nephew along with Nicole Sullivan

SANTA MONICA Calif., Jan. 17, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- After five successful seasons on the groundbreaking series iCarly, Jerry Trainor steps into his first starring and producing role on Nick at Nite's brand-new live-action family comedy, Wendell & Vinnie, premiering Sunday, Feb. 17, at 8p.m. (ET/PT). A multi-camera scripted half-hour, the series follows 30-year-old Vinnie Bassett (Trainor) living the life of a carefree bachelor, when he suddenly becomes the legal guardian of his precocious, wise-beyond-his-years nephew, Wendell ( Buddy Handleson , Shake It Up) forming a hysterical odd-couple family dynamic. Nicole Sullivan ( Rita Rocks , MadTV) also stars as Vinnie's older unlucky-in-love sister, Wilma, with Haley Strode (Gangster Squad) as Vinnie's newly divorced neighbor and love interest, Taryn. The series will air regularly on Sundays at 8p.m. (ET/PT) followed by the Scott Baio original comedy, See Dad Run at 8:30p.m.

(Download - Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130117/NY44098)

"Jerry's infectious style of wacky comedy made him a favorite with kids and families over the past five years on iCarly, and this new family series from the Emmy award-winning sitcom veteran Jay Kogen will showcase his incredible comedic talents to an even broader audience," said Russell Hicks , Nickelodeon's President of Content Development and Production. "We look forward to the smart humor that develops from this collaboration."

Wendell & Vinnie follows Vinnie Bassett , proprietor of a pop culture memorabilia store who only takes breaks to read comic books and play video games. His bachelor life comes to a halt when he assumes guardianship of his incredibly intelligent and mature nephew, Wendell. They soon find that 12-year-old Wendell may be just the parent Vinnie needs. This season will find lighthearted Vinnie helping socially awkward Wendell – and vice versa – including Vinnie navigating through PTA politics to help Wendell build a school garden, a sleepover that goes awry when Vinnie becomes the center of attention and Wendell sent to detention after he helps Vinnie get closer to his vice principal. Wendell & Vinnie will also feature special guest appearances by Dan Castellaneta (The Simpsons), Robin Givens (House of Payne) and Willie Garson (Sex and the City).

In support of the Feb. 17 premiere, NickatNite.com has launched its Wendell & Vinnie show site, which includes trailers, character information, sneak peek photo galleries and message boards as well as a "Are You A Wendell or a Vinnie?" quiz. Full episodes will also be made available after each premiere. Beginning Feb. 18, Wendell & Vinnie episodes will be available for purchase on iTunes, Amazon Instant Video, Xbox Video, Vudu, PlayStation Store and Samsung Media Hub. Viewers can keep up with the show on Twitter by following the Nick@Nite handle at @nickatnitetv and by liking the Wendell & Vinnie Facebook pages.

Star and producer Jerry Trainor is best known for his role as Spencer, the off-centered aspiring artist and brother/guardian of his teenage sister Carly on Nickelodeon's mega-hit television series iCarly. Trainor also currently stars in the hit Nickelodeon animated comedy series T.U.F.F. Puppy as the voice of Dudley Puppy. Additionally, he starred alongside his iCarly co-star Jennette McCurdy in the 2010 Nickelodeon original television movie Best Player. After moving to Los Angeles, Trainor landed a three-episode arc on MTV's Undressed and has also appeared in the feature film Donnie Darko starring Jake Gyllenhaal before going on to guest-star in episodes of Malcolm in the Middle, ER and Angel. He also played a recurring character as an audio-visual geek in Crossing Jordan before winning the career catalyst role of erratic usher Crazy Steve in Drake & Josh.

The series is executive produced by Emmy Award-winning Jay Kogen and Aaron Kaplan . A seasoned TV comedy writer/producer, Kogen, along with friend Wallace Wolodarsky , started writing as a team on the critically acclaimed The Tracey Ullman Show where, in four seasons, they rose to producers, received three Emmy nominations and garnered an Emmy Award. Soon after, the two helped launch The Simpsons, where they became supervising producers and worked on the show for the first five seasons, helping to create and develop many of the regular characters including Mr. Burns, Smithers, Otto, Mrs. Krabappel and Krusty. Kogen also wrote and co-executive produced Frasier, winning two more Emmy Awards and a Humanitas Award. Since then, he has spent the last few decades writing, producing and directing shows such as Malcolm in the Middle, Everybody Loves Raymond, The George Lopez Show, Wanda At Large, The Class and Nickelodeon's The Troop. Most recently, Kogen was co-executive producer of Happily Divorced for TV Land.

Aaron Kaplan is the Founder and CEO of Kapital Entertainment, a self-funded, truly independent production company. Since its formation in 2009, Kapital Entertainment has become a prominent leader in the media industry, known for its vast array of television, digital and film content. In just three years, Kapital Entertainment has had six television projects ordered to series including The Neighbors on ABC and The Inbetweeners on MTV. He also executive produced FOX's Terra Nova with Steven Spielberg and Peter Chernin .

Nick at Nite is Nickelodeon's nighttime programming block that features popular hit family comedies including the Emmy Award-winning series Friends, My Wife & Kids, George Lopez, The Nanny, Yes, Dear and most recently, See Dad Run starring Scott Baio.

About Nickelodeon

Nickelodeon, now in its 33rd year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books, and feature films. Nickelodeon's U.S. television network is seen in almost 100 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for 18 consecutive years. For more information or artwork, visit www.nickpress.com. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB).

For downloadable photos and additional information visit: www.nickpress.com.

SOURCE Nickelodeon

RELATED LINKS
http://www.nick.com.

WISHCLOUDS Previews Price-Tracking Social Shopping Platform at Famed Film Festival Event; Nickelodeon And "Big Time Rush" Stars Part Of Company's Celebrity Tastemakers

Below is a WISHCLOUDS Press Release from PRNewswire:
WISHCLOUDS Previews Price-Tracking Social Shopping Platform at Famed Film Festival Event

WISHCLOUDS Presents the Exclusive 10th Anniversary ChefDance Dinner Series

PARK CITY, Utah, LOS ANGELES and BOCA RATON, Fla., Jan. 17, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- WISHCLOUDS (www.wishclouds.com), the social shopping platform that lets people save products they like as they shop online and then alerts them when those products go on sale, is previewing in Park City to film festival attendees beginning on January 18th. The company will debut the social shopping platform as the presenting partner for the 10th anniversary of the prestigious ChefDance dinner series.

WISHCLOUDS blends the benefits of "wish lists" with those of a "personal shopper" into an innovative technology that tracks a wished-for product wherever it is sold. Alerts of sale pricing are pushed directly to the consumer via mobile, email and Internet connections. WISHCLOUDS currently tracks over 30 million of the most popular products from more than 75 top retailers nationwide that include Macy's, Nordstrom, Best Buy, Williams- Sonoma, Bloomingdales, Sephora, Sunglass Hut, Forever 21 and Restoration Hardware among others. The "invitation only" beta launch at ChefDance marks the first public exposure for this highly- anticipated platform.

WISHCLOUDS was founded by a group of veteran entrepreneurs who have led over two dozen companies in the areas of marketing, e-commerce, technology and distribution. It has been in stealth mode over the past 18 months creating a highly sustainable social retail platform that mutually serves the interests of consumers, retailers, brands, advertisers and influencers alike. To date the company has been privately financed with nearly $2 Million of angel investment.

"Throughout its 18 month history, WISHCLOUDS has quietly demonstrated best-in-class technology development and a disruptive approach that makes the company a game changer," said Greg Miller , Founder & CEO of the company.

WISHCLOUDS' growing list of 60+ celebrity tastemakers includes stars from ABC's "Castle," USA's "Fairly Legal," Nickelodeon's "Big Time Rush" and MTV's "Teen Wolf."

About WISHCLOUDS:

Privately held WISHCLOUDS helps consumers make smart, money-saving buying decisions by letting people save products they like as they shop online and then alerting them when those products go on sale. WISHCLOUDS unique social retail ecosystem serves the collective interests of consumers, retailers, brands, advertisers and celebrity influencers alike. WISHCLOUDS has over a dozen patents pending.

For more information on WISHCLOUDS, visit www.WISHCLOUDS.com, Like WISHCLOUDS at www.facebook.com/WISHCLOUDS and follow the company at www.twitter.com/WISHCLOUDS.

Contact:

Jim Hughes/Jackie Crystal
Rogers & Cowan
310-854-8275/310-854-8157
jhughes@rogersandcowan.com
jcrystal@rogersandcowan.com

SOURCE WISHCLOUDS

RELATED LINKS
http://www.wishclouds.com.