Here are Nickelodeon UK and Ireland's, Nickelodeon HD UK's, Nickelodeon +1's, Nicktoons UK and Ireland's, Nick Jr. Channel UK and Ireland's, and Nick Jr. 2's channel highlights and events for February 2013:
More of Nickelodeon UK's February 2013 schedule highlights and upcoming events will be posted in this NickALive! Nickelodeon UK blog post when they are announced. Latest Nickelodeon UK schedule news and updates will be posted towards the top on this blog post.
Keep your TV tuned to Nick This February as Nickelodeon welcomes lots brand new shows and episodes and old friends for you to watch! PLUS, the countdown to Nickelodeon UK's 20th Birthday in September 2013 continues!
Brand New Show - Dance Academy: Nickelodeon UK and Ireland and Nickelodeon HD UK will premiere the brand new Australian teen-oriented television drama series "Dance Academy" on Nickelodeon UK & Ireland and Nickelodeon HD UK from Monday 11th February 2013 at 6.30pm, as part of "February on Nickelodeon UK 2013"!
New Show - Guess How Much I Love You – The Adventures of Little Nutbrown Hare: Nickelodeon UK and Ireland's preschool channels, Nick Jr. UK and Ireland and Nick Jr. 2, will start to premiere and show the brand new German-Australian animated preschool series "Guess How Much I Love You – The Adventures of Little Nutbrown Hare" from Monday 4th February 2012.
The '90s Are All That!: Nickelodeon UK and Ireland and Nickelodeon HD UK will start to show a "The '90s Are All That" style Classic Nickelodeon programming block from Monday 4th February 2013, featuring the Classic Nick advice sitcom "Clarissa Explains It All", the Classic Nickelodeon sketch show series "The Amanda Show", and the Classic Nick Sci-Fi series "The Journey of Allen Strange"!
Brand New Episodes Of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Nickelodeon UK and Eire and Nickelodeon HD UK will continue to premiere and show more brand new episodes of Nickelodeon's new TMNT TV series on Nickelodeon UK and Eire and Nickelodeon HD UK Saturday's at 9.30am (repeated at 10.30am on Nick UK's +1 (plus-one) timeshift channel, Nickelodeon +1) throughout February 2013 from Saturday 9th February 2013!
Get ready to Go! Go! Go! on Nick Junior UK!: Nick Jr. UK & Ireland, Nickelodeon's popular preschool channel, will start to premiere and show their brand new short form series 'The Go!Go!Go! Show' in February 2013! Each of the ten three minute episodes features the hit family musical act "The Go!Go!Go! Show".
Brand New Victorious: Nickelodeon UK and Ireland and Nickelodeon HD UK are planning to premiere and show three brand new episodes of the popular Nickelodeon comedy series "Victorious" on Monday's throughout February 2013, including the all-new episodes "Wanko's Warehouse", "The Blonde Squad" and "Crazy Ponnie", which guest stars Nickelodeon & "iCarly" Star Jennette McCurdy.
More New You Gotta See This: Nickelodeon UK and Ireland and Nickelodeon HD UK will continue to premiere brand new episodes of new Nick show "You Gotta See This", a brand new Nickelodeon reality show presented by Nickelodeon Stars Noah Caleb Crawford and Chris Richard O'Neal (who portray the characters 'Nelson Baxter' and 'Kevin Reed', respectively, in the popular Nickelodeon comedy series "How To Rock") in February.
New "Bubble Guppies": Nick Jr. UK has announced the Nick Jr. News in a Tweet (post) on their official Twitter profile page (@NickJrUK) that Nickelodeon UK and Ireland's preschool channel, Nick Jr. UK and Ireland, will be premiering and showing brand new episodes of Nickelodeon Preschools' popular CGI-animated (animated using computer-generated imagery) original educational show "Bubble Guppies" from Monday 25th February 2013, everyday at 9.30am and 5.00pm (repeated at 10.30am and 6.00pm on Nick Junior UK's (plus-one) timeshift channel, Nick Jr. +1), as part of "February on Nick Jr. 2013".
Dino Days On Nick Jr. 2: Nick Jr. UK and Ireland have unveiled a brand new "Dinosaur Train" programming block called "Dino Days" to celebrate the February half-term school holidays on Nick Jr. 2.
New Show - "Big Block SingSong": Big Block SingSong has announced the exciting Nickelodeon UK News in a Tweet (post) on their official Twitter profile page (@bigblockshow) that Nickelodeon UK's preschool channel, Nick Jr. UK and Ireland, started to premiere and show the brand new animated preschool series "Big Block SingSong" on Monday 18th February 2013, and are currently showing each brand new episode as musical shorts inbetween programmes at 9.55am and 3.25pm!
BTR's Big Time Movie on CITV: CITV, the children's television arm and channel of ITV, the British commercial public service television network, have announced in a Tweet (post) on their official Twitter profile page (@ChildrensITV) that CITV will be showing the original Nickelodeon TV movie, "Big Time Movie", which is based on the hit Nickelodeon comedy series and Nickelodeon boy band "Big Time Rush" on Wednesday 20th February 2013 at 2.00pm, as part of the channels February school half-term holidays schedule line-up!.
Episode Schedule & Name Change: The online British and Irish TV guide website Digiguide is reporting the Nickelodeon UK News that Nickelodeon UK have made a slight schedule change and are no longer planning to premiere and show the brand new "VicTORIous" episode "Crazy Ponnie", which guest stars Nickelodeon & "iCarly" Star Jennette McCurdy, on Monday 25th February 2013. Instead, Nickelodeon UK and Ireland and Nickelodeon HD UK will now premiere the brand new season four episode of the popular Nickelodeon original comedy series "Victorious" called "The Hambone King" on Monday 25th February 2013 at 6.00pm (repeated at 7.00pm on Nick UK's +1 (plus-one) timeshift channel, Nickelodeon+1), as part of "Victorious Month", which will be followed by a brand new episode of Nick UK's brand new Australian teen-oriented television drama series "Dance Academy" at 6.30pm (replayed at 7.30pm on Nick+1)! [Source: Nickelodeon UK fanblog NickUKHub]
"Xcardz" Ad: Flair Plc's new "Xcardz" television advertisement gives Harlow schoolboy a taste for the spying game.
Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards 2013 Nominees Special: The online British and Irish TV guide website Digiguide is reporting the exciting Nickelodeon UK News that, to celebrate Nickelodeon opening the voting for the Nickelodeon 2013 Kids' Choice Awards to British and Irish fans and viewers of Nickelodeon soon, allowing Nick fans in the UK and Eire to vote for their favourites from the worlds of film, music, sports and television, Nick UK will premiere a special 15-minute KCA UK nominees show called "Kids' Choice Awards 2013 Nominees" on Saturday 23rd February 2013 at 4.15pm (repeated at 5.15pm on Nickelodeon +1), which will showcase all of the 2013 KCA nominees which Nick UK & Ireland viewers can vote for, including the UK-specific Nickelodeon 2013 Kids' Choice Awards award category's exclusive to Nickelodeon UK's version of "Kids' Choice Awards 2013", such as "Favourite UK TV Show"! [Nickelodeon UK News via NickUKHub]
New Show - "Monster High": Monster High: The Nickelodeon UK fanblog NickUKHub is reporting the Nickelodeon UK News that, according to the online Nickelodeon UK and Ireland television schedule on the British and Irish TV guide website Digiguide, Nickelodeon UK will start to premiere and show the brand new one-hour long CGI-animated "Monster High" television specials on Nickelodeon UK and Ireland and Nickelodeon HD UK in February 2013, as part of "February on Nickelodeon UK 2013"! The first "Monster High" special episode that Nick UK will show will be called "Escape from Skull Shores", which Nickelodeon UK will premiere on Saturday 9th February 2013 at 7.00am (repeated at 8.00am on Nick UK's +1 (plus-one) timeshift channel, Nickelodeon +1). Nickelodeon UK will then continue to show more brand new episodes of "Monster High" every Saturday then on at the same time.
New "Kung Fu Panda: Legends": The official Sky Media UK websites' 'Sky TV's Children's Television Highlights In February 2013' webpage has announced the Nickelodeon UK News that Nickelodeon UK and Ireland's animation channel, NickToons UK and Ireland, will premiere and show more brand new episode of the popular animated Nickelodeon series (Nicktoon) "Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness" Saturday's during February 2013 as part of "February on Nicktoons UK 2013".
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Nickelodeon Star Victoria Justice Announces Details About Her 2013 Tour Of The USA, "Here's 2 Us"
The entertainment news website ClevverTV has announced the news in the following article that Nickelodeon Star Victoria Justice ("Victorious", "Zoey 101") today (Tuesday 29th January 2013) announced that she will soon be embarking of a brand new concert tour of the United States in 2013 called "Here's 2 Us"!
Victoria Justice made the big announcement about her forthcoming "Here's 2 Us" tour on the US "On Air with Ryan Seacrest" radio programme this morning that she will be performing in over 30 cities across the US, including stops in Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston and Atlanta, starting this summer from Wednesday 19th June 2013. During her upcoming tour, she will perform music from Nickelodeon's hit original comedy television show "Victorious" in addition to some covers, as well as some all-new material from her forthcoming solo effort. Tickets for the tour go on sale to the public beginning Saturday 2nd February 2013 at 10.00am at www.ticketmaster.com or by calling 1-800-745-3000.
A special ticket pre-sale for members of her Fan Club and Citi Cardmembers will be available beginning January 29th at 8.00am (ET). In addition, Victoria Justice has teamed up with CID Entertainment to provide a variety of VIP ticket packages for the tour, including premium seats, meet-and-greets, and a special front row package. You can find out more information about fan club pre-sale tickets, VIP packages, exclusive tour content and more here on Victoria Justice's official website, www.victoriajustice.net:
Victoria Justice made the big announcement about her forthcoming "Here's 2 Us" tour on the US "On Air with Ryan Seacrest" radio programme this morning that she will be performing in over 30 cities across the US, including stops in Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston and Atlanta, starting this summer from Wednesday 19th June 2013. During her upcoming tour, she will perform music from Nickelodeon's hit original comedy television show "Victorious" in addition to some covers, as well as some all-new material from her forthcoming solo effort. Tickets for the tour go on sale to the public beginning Saturday 2nd February 2013 at 10.00am at www.ticketmaster.com or by calling 1-800-745-3000.
Victoria Justice Announces “Here’s 2 Us” Tour
Victoria Justice is heading back out on tour!
Victoria made the big announcement on ‘On Air with Ryan Seacrest’ this morning that she will be performing in over 30 cities across the US, including stops in Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston and Atlanta beginning on June 19th. She will perform music from the hit TV show “Victorious” in addition to some choice covers, as well as some new material from her forthcoming solo effort. Tickets for the tour go on sale to the public beginning February 2nd at 10am at www.ticketmaster.com or by calling 1-800-745-3000.
“I’m so excited to be going out on tour again this summer. I can’t wait to sing your favorites and share some new ones from the latest Victorious soundtrack” said Victoria Justice. “Here’s 2 Us Tour is dedicated to all of you. 2013 is our year!”
A special ticket pre-sale for Fan Club and Citi Cardmembers will be available beginning January 29th at 8am ET. In addition, Victoria Justice has teamed up with CID Entertainment to provide a variety of VIP ticket packages for the tour, including premium seats, meet-and-greets, and a special front row package! For fan club pre-sale tickets/VIP packages, exclusive tour content and more please visit: www.victoriajustice.net.
Check out all the tour dates inside…
Tour Dates
6/19/13 Los Angeles, CA Nokia Theatre
6/21/13 Las Vegas, NV The Pearl
6/22/13 San Diego, CA SDSU Open Air Theatre
6/23/13 Phoenix, AZ Comerica Theater
6/26/13 Bakersfield, CA Rabobank Theater
6/29/13 San Jose, CA Events Center at San Jose State University
7/2/13 Troutdale, ORTBA
7/3/13 Redmond, WATBA
7/6/13 Rosemont, IL Rosemont Theatre
7/7/13 Detroit, MI Fox Theatre
7/9/13 Kettering, OH Fraze Pavilion
7/12/13 Bethel, NY Bethel Woods Center for the Arts
7/13/13 Holmdel, NJ PNC Bank Arts Center
7/15/13 Boston, MA Bank of America Pavilion
7/16/13 Camden, NJ Susquehanna Bank Center
7/19/13 Hershey, PA Hersheypark Pavilion
7/20/13 Harrington, DE Delaware State Fair
7/21/13 Wallingford, CT Toyota Presents Oakdale Theatre
7/24/13 Vienna, VA TBA
7/26/13 Baltimore, MD Pier Six Pavilion
7/27/13 Raleigh, NC Red Hat Amphitheatre
7/28/13 Charlotte, NC Time Warner Cable Uptown Amphitheatre
7/30/13 Clearfield, PA Clearfield County Fair
8/2/13 Scranton, PA Toyota Pavilion At Montage Mountain
8/3/13 Cleveland, OH Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica
8/8/13 Atlanta, GA Chastain Park Amphitheatre
8/9/13 Nashville, TN Ryman Auditorium
8/12/13 Kansas City, MO Starlight Theatre
8/13/13 Des Moines, IA Iowa State Fair
8/16/13 St. Augustine, FL St. Augustine Amphitheatre
8/17/13 Boca Raton, FL Mizner Park Amphitheatre
*More dates to be announced
Nickelodeon's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles To Visit Argos Merry Hill On 2nd February 2013!; To Celebrate With TMNT Toy Sale; LEGO To Launch "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" Playsets In The UK On 15th February 2013!
Home Retail Group, the parent company of Argos, the United Kingdom's largest general-goods retailer, has announced the exciting Nickelodeon UK News in the following Press Release that Nickelodeon Stars Raphael, Leonardo, Donatello and Michelangelo, from Nickelodeon's brand new CGI-Animated "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" television series, will be holding their very first UK store appearance by visiting the Argos shop in Merry Hill (Argos Merry Hill) on Saturday 2nd February 2013 to hold a special Meet and Greet session, where TMNT fans can have their photo taken with the Heroes in a Half Shell! To avoid disappointment, this is a wristband only event, with fans advised to collect a wristband from the Argos Merry Hill store from 11.00am on Friday 1st February 2013. Those with wristbands will receive a free character eye mask when they meet the Turtles.
To celebrate Nickelodeon's Raph, Leo, Donnie, and Mikey making their first UK shop appearance at Argos Merry Hill, Argos will be holding a special sale, in which there will also be an additional 20 per cent off all products from Argos' "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" merchandise range, which includes various action figures, costumes and accessories, vehicles and playsets, with prices ranging from £9.99 to £49.99, on Saturday 2nd February 2013!
Argos has also announced the great "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" news in the same Press Release that The LEGO Group, makers of the world's leading construction toys, will launch and start to sell their brand new range of "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" building block playsets in the UK on Friday 15th February 2013!:
To celebrate Nickelodeon's Raph, Leo, Donnie, and Mikey making their first UK shop appearance at Argos Merry Hill, Argos will be holding a special sale, in which there will also be an additional 20 per cent off all products from Argos' "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" merchandise range, which includes various action figures, costumes and accessories, vehicles and playsets, with prices ranging from £9.99 to £49.99, on Saturday 2nd February 2013!
Argos has also announced the great "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" news in the same Press Release that The LEGO Group, makers of the world's leading construction toys, will launch and start to sell their brand new range of "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" building block playsets in the UK on Friday 15th February 2013!:
Meet the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles at Argos Merry Hill this SaturdayAlso, from ToyNews, a monthly trade magazine for the toy business:
Calling all Turtles fans! The famous four will be making their first ever UK store appearance at the Argos Merry Hill store on Saturday 2 February.
Raphael, Leonardo, Donatello and Michelangelo will be meeting fans, who can have their photo taken with their heroes between 11.15am and 3.40pm. To avoid disappointment this is a wristband only event, with fans advised to collect a wristband from the Merry Hill store from 11am on Friday 1 February. Those with wristbands will receive a free character eye mask when they meet the
Turtles. There will also be an additional 20 per cent off products from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle range on Saturday 2 February.
Argos' new range of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle merchandise includes various action figures, costumes and accessories, vehicles and playsets with prices ranging from £9.99 to £49.99. The range will be expanded further on Friday 15 February with the addition of new LEGO® playsets - there's something for every fan!
Funnier and "ninja-ier" than ever before, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series returned to UK TVs in October 2012. It follows the four mutant turtles, trained in the art of ninjutsu by their mutant rat sensei, Master Splinter, who teaches the Turtles to battle evil from the New York City sewers. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles airs Saturdays at 9.30am on Nickelodeon with brand new episodes starting on Saturday 9 February.
- ENDS -
Notes to Editors
If you would like to send a photographer on the day please contact the Argos Press Office on 0845 120 4365 or by email: media.relations@argos.co.uk, to confirm your attendance.
About Argos
Argos is a leading UK digital retailer, offering more than 35,000 products through argos.co.uk, its growing mobile channels, stores, over the telephone and uniquely, through Argos TV.
Argos continues to be the UK's largest high street retailer online with over 440 million website visits in the last 12 months. Argos serves around 130 million customers a year through its network of around 740 stores.
In the financial year to February 2012, Argos' sales were £3.9 billion and it employed some 31,000 people across the business.
Argos is part of Home Retail Group, the UK's leading home and general merchandise retailer.
About Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon has been bringing audiences in the UK and Ireland hit international and locally-produced kid's content since 1993. Reaching 14 million homes, Nickelodeon offers a schedule packed with innovative, playful and heartfelt programming featuring top shows such as House of Anubis, SpongeBob SquarePants and iCarly. Viewers can also catch Nickelodeon in high definition through Nickelodeon HD and have the opportunity to catch up with the schedule through Nick +1. Exclusive games, behind the scenes clips, show information and more are available on Nick.co.uk. Nickelodeon is on Sky 604, Virgin 712, through BT Vision and TalkTalk channel 315.
Argos cuts 20% off Turtles toys
Raphael, Leonardo, Donatello and Michelangelo will meet fans at Argos' Merry Hill store.
Argos is cutting 20 per cent off the price of Turtles toys this Saturday only.
And the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will make their first UK store appearance at Argos' Merry Hill store on the same day.
Fans will be able to have their photo taken with Raphael, Leonardo, Donatello and Michelangelo between 11.15am and 3.40pm, and pick up a free mask.
"This is a wristband only event, with fans advised to collect a limited wristband from the Merry Hill store from 11am on Friday, February 1st," read an Argos statement.
"Those with wristbands will receive a free character eye mask when they meet the Turtles. There will also be an additional 20 per cent off products from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle range on Saturday, February 2nd."
New Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle products include action figures, costumes and accessories, vehicles and play-sets. Argos' prices range from £9.99 to £49.99.
The Turtles toy line will be expanded further on Friday, February 15th with the addition of new LEGO play-sets.
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series returned to UK TVs in October 2012 on Nickelodeon.
Tags: argos, turtles
The CW Picks Up Pilot For Julie Plec And Greg Berlanti's Remake Of The Classic Nickelodeon USA Series "The Tomorrow People"
From Zap2it's 'From Inside The Box - TV News And Buzz' news column:
The CW picks up Julie Plec and Greg Berlanti's 'The Tomorrow People' adaptation, family coma dramedy [dramatic comedy] 'Blink'Also, from The Hollywood Reporter:
Just when we thought TV was about to be taken over by some unsavory types, fantastic news comes down the line from some of our all-time favorite showrunners.
The CW has ordered a pilot for a current adaptation of "The Tomorrow People," a beloved '70s British series about humans with supernatural abilities. Powers like telepathy, telekinesis, teleportation, and other interesting tele-things emerge in teenagers, complicating their lives and relationships. Presented as the next stage of human evolution, the only thing these teenagers can't do is intentionally kill other people.
The new adaptation has quite a pedigree, as it's executive produced by Greg Berlanti ("Arrow," "Political Animals") and Julie Plec ("The Vampire Diaries," "Kyle XY"). The pilot was written by Phil Klemmer ("Chuck").
In other C-dub news, the network also picked up hour-long family dramedy pilot "Blink." It's about a man who gets into a car accident and enters a vegetative state where he can still see and hear his family around him -- but can't actually interact with them. (We're assured that it's cheerier than it sounds.) The pilot was written by Vera Herbert, best known for her work on MTV's "Awkward."
Greg Berlanti, Julie Plec's 'Tomorrow People' Among CW Pilot OrdersAlso, from Dread Central:
Also garnering a pilot order was David Marshall Grant's "Blink," a drama about a family whose lives are forever changed when the patriarch has a car accident resulting in a coma-like syndrome where he cannot speak or move but can see and hear all.
The CW continued with its pilot orders Monday with orders out to projects from Greg Berlanti and Julie Plec as well as Sarah Timberman and Carl Beverly.
The new orders -- for Tomorrow People and Blink, respectively -- join six other efforts already in contention at the network, including a Plec-produced Vampire Diaries spinoff The Originals.
Tomorrow People, based on a 1970s U.K. drama series, tells the story of young people around the world who represent the next stage in human evolution and possess special powers, including the ability to teleport and communicate with one another telepathically. Together, they work to defeat the forces of evil.
STORY: TV Pilots 2013: The Complete List
The drama entry will prove a reunion for executive producers Berlanti (Arrow) and Plec (Vampire Diaries), who have long shared a passion for the ’70s U.K. series, which reran on Nickelodeon during the mid-'90s. The pair, who worked together on The WB's Dawson's Creek, brought aboard Political Animals writer-producer Phil Klemmer to pen the pilot. Berlanti Productions' Melissa Kellner Berman will co-executive produce the effort, which hails from FremantleMedia and Warner Bros. Television, where Berlanti is under an overall deal.
For its part, Blink is being billed as a warm, quirky, humorous drama about a family whose lives are forever changed, for better and worse, when the patriarch has a car accident resulting in a coma-like syndrome that leaves him unable to speak or move but able to see and hear all. His narration and fantasy sequences emanating from his mind provide context and a wry counterpoint to the stories and conflicts of the family and his own situation.
Awkward's Vera Herbert will pen the pilot and serve as a supervising producer, with Smash's David Marshall Grant executive producing alongside Timberman and Beverly. The hourlong effort is set up at CBS TV Studios, where Timberman-Beverly has a deal.
Berlanti is repped by WME and Felker Toczik, Plec is repped by WME, Klemmer is repped by Sloane Offer, Herbert is repped by Gersh, and Grant is repped by CAA and Untitled Entertainment.
Julie Plec, The CW, TV Pilots, Greg Berlanti
The Tomorrow People Gets a Green Light from The CWAlso, from Entertainment Weekly's 'Inside TV' blog's "The Women Who Run TV" column on Insidetv.EW.com:
Another new pilot in the sci-fi vein has been greenlit by The CW, and since this one comes from Julie Plec ("The Vampire Diaries") and Greg Berlanti ("Arrow"), we thought it worth mentioning.
Per Deadline, Berlanti and Plec will executive produce "The Tomorrow People," an adaptation of the cult British 1970s sci-fi series. It will be written/exec produced by Phil Klemmer ("Chuck").
In the vein of X-Men and "Heroes," "The Tomorrow People" is the story of several young people from around the world who represent the next stage in human evolution, possessing special powers, including the ability to teleport and communicate with each other telepathically. Together they work to defeat the forces of evil.
Created by Roger Price, The Tomorrow People, ITV’s answer to BBC’s Dr. Who, ran on the commercial broadcaster for eight seasons from 1973-1979. It developed a strong cult following and was a favorite of Berlanti and Plec, who are good friends from college.
Greg Berlanti, Horror TV, Julie Plec, Phil Klemmer, [...], The CW, Tomorrow People
The Women Who Run TV: Q&A with 'Vampire Diaries' EP Julie PlecAlso, from Digital Spy:
In the new issue of Entertainment Weekly on stands Friday, we speak to the women behind the shows we love, and that includes The Vampire Diaries‘ exec producer Julie Plec, who weaves an epic tale of vampire romance — and loneliness — with twists that make us gasp, swoon, and sob. Here, Plec, 40, shares how she went from TV fan to showrunner, where she gets her inspiration, who is her secret weapon, what she and Kevin Williamson were doing when they “met and fell in love,” and when they decided how TVD would ultimately end.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: When you first moved to LA, what did you set out to do?
JULIE PLEC: I embarrass myself repeatedly when I say this, because I find it to be so terribly shallow. I wish I could say, “Oh, having read Shakespeare, I just really wanted to be a storyteller.” No. I wanted to work in Hollywood. I was captivated by it. I read Premiere magazine, and Movieline magazine, and Us before it was a weekly magazine. I read Tiger Beat and Bop from the time I was 9, 10, 11 years old. I loved movies. I saw E.T. seven times. I used to yell at people who called me when L.A. Law was on because they should know better. So I just have been so in love with the business of Hollywood since I can remember. And I just sorta said, “Well, I ‘m gonna go. I’m gonna do something.” And what’s hilarious is that I was a film major at Northwestern, and I transferred out of the film program halfway through because I thought, “Well, I don’t want to be a director, and I can’t write, and producers are only into the money, so I don’t know what the hell I’m gonna do.” I ended up with an interdepartmental major where I did a lot of theater, a lot of communications, and some film work. I learned more about who I am, and how to be a great worker, and a great artistic worker, from doing student theater. I was a stage manager, I was an assistant stage manager, I was on the running crew. I did probably 25 shows at Northwestern, all musicals of course. [Laughs]
Your first job was as the second assistant to agent Susan Smith.
A mentor friend of mine gave me a piece of advice: He said, “When you get out there and you interview for a job, it doesn’t matter what you want to do, you tell them you want to do what they do.” So I sat in the interview with her, and she said, “What do you want to do as your career?” And I said, very confidently, “I want to be an agent.” Then three months later, I got offered another job, and I left her. And she was so lovely to me. I felt so terrible, but I’m telling you, it’s still the best piece of advice I’ve ever been given. I always say two things to people when they’re coming to Hollywood, and I’m giving them advice: 1.) I repeat the advice I was given. And 2.) If you have an opportunity to work at an agency desk as you’re coming up in the business, it’s the smartest thing you can do, because it’s the one place where you get access to all the information in the world, and you can’t learn that any other way.
You were poached by your friend Lisa Harrison, who’d been promoted at Wes Craven’s company and needed to replace herself. (Harrison later became Plec’s agent.) That’s how you and Kevin Williamson met. But how did you bond?
Scream was the first thing he’d ever written that had gotten made, and I’d been in Hollywood for less than two years. We were both kids in a candy store. So there was that, combined with the last month of the movie being all night shoots, so there was a lot of work that meant I didn’t need to do a thing. My job was to sit there and make sure Wes is happy, but Wes is just generally happy all the time and didn’t really need me. [Laughs] And so Kevin and I would sit in his rental car and turn the heat on, because it was freezing cold, and we’d find an old radio station, which was inevitably country, and we’d sing Kenny Rogers songs together. And then we’d sing Broadway musicals to each other. And it was just sort of meant to be. And then one night, he said, “Hey, so, I’m writing this pilot. I’d love you to take a look at it. It’s about my life growing up in North Carolina on a creek.” So our creative partnership was sort of born in that car, on that set.
When he got “superfamous,” he asked me if I’d come work with him as an executive and as a producing partner. So I did. One of my first jobs was to sit in on Dawson’s Creek season 2, because Kevin was directing his first movie [Teaching Mrs. Tingle]. He just wanted me to go over there and make sure everything that was happening was in the spirit of what he would do, because I knew his voice so well. And I fell madly and deeply in love with Dawson’s Creek and basically spent the better part of that year actually working on the show, and when Kevin was finished with his movie, working with Kevin. And I had been able to get my friend from college Greg Berlanti and Kevin introduced to each other, right before the season started, and Kevin hired Greg as a staff writer on the show. So the three of us were kind of like this crazy insane, overworked, exhausted, stressed out and highly dysfunctional trio that muddled our way through season 2 of Dawson’s Creek together. And I wasn’t writing at the time, but I would help. I would help lay out scenes, because we were always so behind and so busy. That was my first taste of writing. And I never thought I was a writer, ever. I was always the one who helped the writers. I was the soundboard, the muse, the one who had the energy to sit in the room with them ’til four in the morning and help them rebreak a story. I thought that was always gonna be my job, which is to be a producer. And then a long series of shifts between that moment and [ABC Family's] Kyle XY, but basically, I was producing that show, and we lost our only female writer, Liz Tigelaar, who had been, funnily enough, the post-production intern on season 2 of Dawson's Creek and used to deliver cuts to my house at 10 o’clock at night. David Himelfarb, who was the executive producer of Kyle XY, looked at me and said, “I think you know the show as well as anybody, why don’t you write a script?” And it was literally that easy. They asked me to do another one, and then another one.
When did you know TV was your home instead of film?
I had a moment, and this is again before I knew I was a writer, when I had just gotten my first TiVo, and I was watching Buffy, Angel, Once and Again, Ally McBeal, The Practice, and The West Wing religiously and realized, you know, I haven’t seen a movie I liked in, like, six months, but every single night I’m watching one, two, sometimes three shows that deliver emotionally every single week. And if there’s a bad episode of your favorite show, you know the next week is probably gonna go right back to being great. And I had this sort of epiphany as a fan, and as someone who loves other people’s storytelling, that really television was where it was at and what I should be doing. I blame David E. Kelley and Joss Whedon. [Laughs]
Was there ever a moment when you almost gave up?
For someone who’s been as blessed and as nurtured and well-treated as I have by the people who have done so well by me, I did sort of have a moment that took a lot out of me. I was celebrating my 30th birthday with Greg — he and I were born two days apart — and we were having a big party to ring in our thirties as he was about to go start doing both Dawson’s Creek and Everwood. And I had just found out that week that I had made an enemy of a very important person who had basically made it clear that I would not be welcome working with them, near them, or around them. And this person was important enough that it hit me very hard in the heart, and it also set me back personally, emotionally, and professionally for a good couple years. And I had to not so much work it out with that person, because it ultimately didn’t matter, but with myself, because it made me feel like I couldn’t trust my own sense of self. When all was said and done, it was a very valuable professional lesson and a very valuable life lesson, but it took a lot of years to rebuild a true confidence and be comfortable with my personality, with my work ethic, with my passion, with my creativity, and with who I was.
If you had a time machine, what would you do differently?
I have developed a pathological self-awareness over 17 years in this business, so rarely does it surprise me to get a critique or bad news or a note. I’ve usually thought through every single scenario. But early in my career, I was less self-aware and wasn’t really thinking of consequences of what I said, how I said it, who I said it to. In my mind, I was operating from a place of passion and enthusiasm. But when all is said and done, it was just kind of impolitic and a little bit naïve. So, while nobody should have to play politics too hard, because that takes away your sense of spontaneity and being true to yourself, there is a line that you should learn young [Laughs] because it can bite you in the [...] pretty hard if you’re not at least aware that that line exists.
Where do you draw inspiration from today?
I draw from books and other people’s television shows. I read a lot. On vacation, I make a point of trying to read at least one or two books a day because when you read other people’s words, it awakens and energizes your own brain. Your brain can get really stale when you’re the only person coming up with ideas or talking to yourself. So that’s a big thing for me, to just constantly be filling my mind with other people’s storytelling. And then the other thing is, I’m a big people person. I love to sit around and drink wine and have five-hour dinners and chat. Hearing other people’s stories and trying to understand what makes people do what they do and say what they say, I can then take that into shaping of characters that I write for. Then I feel like I’ve got a context for human behavior as a result of just being genuinely interested and connected to people.
Do you write ideas down in a book?
It’s all filed in my mind. I call it my insomnia diary. When I’m really having a hard time falling asleep, which is often if I’m stressed out about a deadline or life stuff, I’ll page through the insomnia diary, and think, “Oh god, remember that idea I had five years ago. I wonder what I could do with that story?” And just the act of trying to break and craft a new story usually puts me to sleep promptly. [Laughs] So it never develops into anything brilliant, but it’s a really good sleep aid.
Who do you turn to when you do get stuck creatively?
I have what I call my Cosmo Girls, which is Liz Tigelaar and Marguerite MacIntyre, who plays Sheriff Forbes on The Vampire Diaries and was also on Kyle XY and who is an exceptional writer. She is our secret weapon. Liz and I, each struggling to break our own story or just dealing with plotting or creative frustrations, will talk it through with each other and talk it through with Marguerite, and inevitably, Marguerite will be the one to come up with the solution. [Laughs] So she could make a living being the writer muse. My favorite thing to do when Liz was working briefly on Melrose Place, was to pitch her ideas over dinner. Because I was just so excited to be thinking about anything other than the Vampire Diaries scripts that we were really behind on at the time.
Who do you think is the smartest woman making TV right now?
Bar none, Shonda Rhimes. I’ve loved Grey’s Anatomy since the beginning, but Scandal is blowing my mind. It is some of the most thrilling storytelling. I think her shows are impeccably cast. The production value is magnificent. I love the cinematography of Scandal, the music. And she’s not afraid of pace, which scares off a lot of people who say, “Oh, people talk too fast.” I LOVE IT. I love that the energy on that show is just crackling. Those are all decisions that she makes and dictates. She’s definitely an inspiration, for sure. Although my goal in life is to get her to follow me on Twitter. She doesn’t follow me, and it makes me feel very sad and insecure on a daily basis. [Laughs] [Update: goal achieved.]
Before Vampire Diaries‘ second season, you, Kevin, and I talked about your show’s pacing. Every episode feels like a big episode. What’s your secret?
We try to break a season down into a series of chapters, so that four times a year, basically, you’re getting a season finale, and four times a year you’re getting a premiere. Then there’s always something really big moving the story forward, and if somebody doesn’t like something, odds are good we’re going to be moving on from it within a month. So it keeps the audience guessing, it keeps the story itself feeling energized, and it makes it infinitely easier to break a season if you’re not looking at a big, daunting, 22-episode mountain. You’re looking at a series of mini-mountains.
You’re using an April episode of The Vampire Diaries as a backdoor pilot for a spinoff centered on the Originals. Do you have a grand plan for Vampire Diaries in terms of how many seasons it will go and how it will end?
Kevin and I, early in season 2 in fact, were sitting in a mall in Atlanta drinking Diet Coke, missing a deadline, and writing in the public area because it had Internet, and we came up with the way we see the series ending. I think the question in a show like The Vampire Diaries is really how Damon, Elena, and Stefan’s journey ends. We know how we want Elena’s journey to end as it relates to both her character and her relationship with the two brothers, and how we want the brothers’ relationship with each other to end. So that could come in year 6, if [the actors] decided they were ready to move on, or it could come in year 10, you never know.
The CW also just ordered a pilot of the show you’re developing with Greg, an adaptation of the ’70s British sci-fi series The Tomorrow People. How did that come about?
He and I both watched it on Nickelodeon when we were kids, because they aired that right before You Can't Do That on Television. [Laughs] And I could never find another person who had ever even heard of it, except for Greg in college once, so we were kindred spirits from the get-go. He calls up and he said, “Remember that show that you and I talked about all the time, and how nobody else that we knew had ever seen it, but we always said we wanted to make it into a TV show?” And I said, “Yep.” And he said, “I just got the rights, and you’re a producer now.” And I said, “Well, that’s the easiest job I’ve ever got in my life, so thank you very much.” It’s so great. He’s been so busy for the last seven, eight years, and I’ve been so busy for the last seven, eight years that we haven’t had a chance to do what we used to do, which is sit around over a bowl of Chinese food and talk about stories. It’s been really fun to get to play with him a little bit again.
For more with Plec and other Women Who Run TV, pick up the new issue of Entertainment Weekly, on stands February 1.
Tags: Julie Plec, Television, The Vampire Diaries, The Women Who Run TV, News
'Vampire Diaries' exec 'always wanted to remake The Tomorrow People'
The Vampire Diaries exec Julie Plec has revealed that she has "always" wanted to remake UK sci-fi classic The Tomorrow People.
The CW recently ordered a pilot for the revamp of the '70s series from Plec and Arrow's Greg Berlanti.
"He and I both watched it on Nickelodeon when we were kids," Plec told Entertainment Weekly. "I could never find another person who had ever even heard of it, except for Greg in college once, so we were kindred spirits from the get-go."
Plec revealed that Berlanti called her immediately upon acquiring the rights to The Tomorrow People and asked her to produce the US version.
"It's so great," she said. "He's been so busy for the last seven, eight years, and I've been so busy for the last seven, eight years that we haven't had a chance to do what we used to do, which is sit around over a bowl of Chinese food and talk about stories."
© Rex Features / FremantleMedia Ltd
Like the original Tomorrow People series, which aired on ITV between 1973 and 1979, the new show will focus on a team of young people who have evolved into 'homo superior' - developing special new abilities.
ITV previously produced its own Tomorrow People revamp in the '90s, which ran for three series.
Watch the credits [opening titles] for the original Tomorrow People below:
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Nickelodeon UK Redesigns Their Official NickToons UK Website, NickToons.co.uk
To celebrate the start of a brand new year, Nickelodeon UK and Ireland have redesigned and relaunched their official NickToons UK and Ireland website, NickToons.co.uk!
Nick UK's newly redesigned Nicktoons website is based on a 'machine' theme which showcases the online games based on popular NickToons UK shows which visitors can play on the main Nickelodeon UK website at Nick.co.uk and on Nickelodeon UK's official "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" website, turtles.nick.co.uk, and also features a brand new section called "ClipDeck", which lets visitors "mash-up" and edit video clips from Nickelodeon's mega-hit original animated series (Nicktoon) "SpongeBob SquarePants" by adding their own pre-selected sounds and video effects (VFX).
Nick UK's newly redesigned Nicktoons website is based on a 'machine' theme which showcases the online games based on popular NickToons UK shows which visitors can play on the main Nickelodeon UK website at Nick.co.uk and on Nickelodeon UK's official "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" website, turtles.nick.co.uk, and also features a brand new section called "ClipDeck", which lets visitors "mash-up" and edit video clips from Nickelodeon's mega-hit original animated series (Nicktoon) "SpongeBob SquarePants" by adding their own pre-selected sounds and video effects (VFX).