http://woodlandsonline.com/npps/story.cfm?nppage=31497

Savvy Heads To Howell, Michigan To Film TV Series

THE WOODLANDS, Texas — Ron Stern of Stern-LeMaire Productions, Inc. announced that The Woodlands-based teen pop recording group known as “Savvy” is moving to Howell, Michigan to start filming 26 episodes of “The Wannabes” on August 3.

Packing their bags for six months, the Savvy artists Alan Shaw, Andrew Stern, Drew Reinartz, Mariah Parks, Sarah LeMaire and Shaylen Carroll have been cast to star in the series. Savvy was formed in 2004 by Christine LeMaire and since then the group has recorded a CD, filmed a DVD and several music videos, television pilot; and performed over 400 live concerts, including a national mall tour for Radio Disney. The artists all are triple threats and have been living their dreams and following their passions.

Two additional Texas actors will be co-starring in the show, Steven Scott will play the owner of a sweet shop and David LaDuca will portray the stuffy school principal in this comedy series. The remaining cast and extras will be cast in Michigan.

Filming was first proposed to be done in Houston, Texas, however because of the Michigan film industry’s huge incentive program the location was changed.

Stern stated, “Partnering with S3 Entertainment Group (S3EG) who are the leading provider of services to the film industry in Michigan has become a most successful collaboration.”

Jeff Spilman, managing partner of S3EG stated, “Involving local youth and experienced actors in The Wannabes is an excellent opportunity to demonstrate Michigan’s exceptional talent base and work force to the larger out of state film industry.”

Also partnering is Showcase Entertainment, Inc. a Los Angeles based sales and Distribution Company. They have successfully licensed internationally the series to countries all around the globe. The show will be shopped for domestic licensing after the filming of the first four episodes.”

The half-hour comedy sitcom follows a group of freshman teens attending a performing arts academy boarding school where they assume they’d learn to be pop stars, but unfortunately not. The stuffy academy only teaches the classics: ballet, instrumental music, and Shakespeare. After a contemporary singing battle in the student lounge, the five teens are given one week of punishment to work at a local café, for free! Fortunately for them, the daughter of the café owner, played by Sarah LeMaire, shares the same hopes of becoming a pop star.

She coaxes her dad into letting her and the academy students rock out at the café, but the café owners gets his own ideas. The owner will allow them to rock out every week but the kids have to be in funny disguises promoting his specials of the week. The series will follow these wannabe pop stars as they learn to tolerate, but appreciate their high school career and really enjoy their secret life as pop stars. And the audience will see how funny things can get as they try to climb their way to the top of the pop charts. Hiding their identity from their strict principal won’t be easy but they’ll do anything to keep singing and dancing the way they like it – Savvy style!

The series was created by writer/producer, Doreen Spicer (Disney Channel’s hit movie “Jump In!” & “The Proud Family”) and will be directed by one of Disney’s finest directors, Eric Dean Seaton (Sonny With A Chance”, That’s So Raven, Cory in the House, Suite Life of Zack & Cody). Spicer, LeMaire and Stern will work as executive directors on the series that begins filming August 3, 2009.

http://www.fresnobee.com/entertainment/story/1504509.html

TOLUCA LAKE, Calif. _ Consider this television paradox: Sterling Knight stars on a TV show millions watch but his character headlines a TV show no one’s seen.

Knight plays Chad Dylan Cooper on the Disney Channel series “Sonny With a Chance.” The comedy is about the interaction of the casts of two very different television programs that film on adjoining soundstages.

Most of the action on “Sonny” focuses on the sketch-comedy show that stars Demi Lovato. Knight’s character stars on the teen-angst drama series “MacKenzie Falls,” which isn’t shown. That is, until now.

A series of webisodes _ extended previews of what episodes of “MacKenzie Falls” would look like if the show existed _ will premiere each Monday this summer on MacKenzieFalls.com.

“There have only been a couple of brief moments in ‘Sonny’ where you got to catch a glimpse of the rehearsals for the show,” says Knight between bites of a salad during a lunch interview at a small restaurant just a few blocks from the Disney Channel offices. “Actually, no one really knew what the show was about because you never saw it, we didn’t have to be specific.”

Knight met with “Sonny with a Chance” writers to come up with a “MacKenzie Falls” outline. It pokes fun at soap operas and dramas aimed at teens.

“I am really interested to see what kind of audience we get because we’re having fun with a genre our demographic doesn’t know very much about. I don’t know a lot of 9-year-olds who watch ‘Days of Our Lives,’” Knight says.

An entire cast was hired to work with Knight on the webisodes. The actor hopes that some of them make it onto “MacKenzie Falls” if extended scenes get added to “Sonny With a Chance.”

Knight is much different from his “MacKenzie Falls” role. His character Cooper is deeply in love with himself while Knight is slightly embarrassed by the attention he gets from the TV show.

“Understanding I am the most unphotogenic person on the planet helps,” Knight says.

Knight’s interest in acting started while he was growing up in Houston. He worked in local community theater until his family moved to Southern California when he was in the ninth grade. Shortly after that he started landing roles in shows such as “Hannah Montana” and “Grey’s Anatomy.”

In between making the test episode of “Sonny With a Chance” and the show going into production, Knight worked on the feature film “17 Again.” That gave him the chance to talk with co-star Zac Efron about being part of the Disney world.

That means actors have to bring lots of energy to the set. It leaves Knight tired, but he’s willing to do it because he’s proud of the show and channel.

“It can be argued that some of the programming on prime-time television may not be suitable for the way you want to raise your children,” Knight says. “The Disney Channel is a place where the subject matter is appropriate. Your children aren’t going to see anything naughty or bad.”

He adds the same goes for the webisodes of “MacKenzie Falls.”

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SONNY WITH A CHANCE

8 p.m. EDT Sundays, Disney Channel

MACKENZIE FALLS

MacKenzieFalls.comWebisodes give Disney actor a role within a role