KIDS FIRST! News

From Monday, October 5 – Friday, October 9, “Around Town with Cyberchase” launches on air with five awesome adventures, including two premiere episodes on October 5 and 6.  Each episode will tie to a special “Around Town” printable activity at Cyberchase Online. In the first new episode on October 5, “The Deedle Beast,” the Cyberchase kids chart the bizarre behavior of a pet Deedle Beast and uncover a bigger mystery than they bargained for.  In the premiere of “Spellbound” on October 6, the CyberSquad must discover how to use a grid to communicate what a spell-breaking symbol looks like and save Pompadoria from Wicked’s everlasting rule.

On Cyberchase’s new Facebook page, fans will get an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the stars of Cyberchase making it all happen. Cyberchase is a production of THIRTEEN and Title Entertainment, Inc. in association with WNET.ORG – one of America’s most prolific and respected public media providers.

“We’re excited to give on-the-go kids and parents some great ideas on how to incorporate math into their outings around town, whether to the grocery store, the ballpark or the zoo,” says Sandra Sheppard, executive producer for Cyberchase.  “We developed ‘Around Town with Cyberchase’ to support critical STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math) initiatives in local communities and to give kids and adults the tools to create their own math adventures where they live.  We’re also thrilled that the many fans of our Cyberchase For Real star, Harry, have an opportunity to see him in brand new web videos,” she continues.

Two new sets of web-exclusive videos, “The Harry Show” and “Math on the Street,” launched on September 21 at Cyberchase Online and feature Harry, played by actor Matt Wilson, encountering wacky math moments all around New York City.  The videos take place in fun spots like the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Central Park Zoo and feature real kids and adults.  All the videos are about 1 – 2 minutes long and are available for streaming or download Cyberchase Online.

“I love meeting kids and finding out how they approach math,” says Wilson.  “I’m really excited because in these web videos, Harry talks with real kids who probably solve problems the same way as many kids at home.”  He continues, “I’m always crunching numbers – leaving a tip, comparison shopping or estimating the time it’ll take to get to the front of a line.  Through these adventures around town, Harry shows kids that we encounter math everywhere, and everyone can be good at it – often without realizing it!”

Emmy Award winner Wilson has been the live-action face of Cyberchase for the show’s seven seasons.  He is also well known on stage and screen where he has worked with Pulitzer Prize, Tony and Grammy Award winners.  Currently he is performing in the World Tour of “The Circus, Starring Britney Spears.”

The PBS KIDS GO! video player will also stream full episodes and clips from the “Around Town” episodes, plus the web videos. Also beginning September 21, the new Cyberchase Facebook page will go behind the scenes with Matt Wilson on his “Around Town” adventures, featuring exclusive photos and behind-the-scenes footage from the taping of “The Harry Show” and “Math on the Street.”  Wilson will also bring fans into a promotional photo shoot and a voiceover recording session at THIRTEEN studios.  In addition, Facebook fans will be treated to a glimpse of Christopher Lloyd and Gilbert Gottfried recording their lines as the villainous Hacker and the lovable Digit for the new episode, “The Deedle Beast.” New footage will be posted daily leading up to the “Around Town” broadcast launch on October 5.

Cyberchase – the only math series for children on American TV – airs daily on PBS KIDS GO! across the country.  Check local listings at Cyberchase Online.  In the tri-state area, Cyberchase can be seen weekdays at 4:30 p.m. (beginning Sept. 7) and 8 a.m. on THIRTEEN, Saturday at 12:30 p.m. and Sunday at 8 a.m. on V-me and Monday-Friday at 7 a.m. on WLIW21.

“Around Town with Cyberchase” kicks off September 21 when Cyberchase Online launches new web videos starring Harry and new activities that encourage kids to explore math in their own neighborhoods.  The activities will correlate to five episodes in a weeklong “Around Town” broadcast event on PBS KIDS GO! from October 5 – October 9, premiering two brand new episodes, “The Deedle Beast” and “Spellbound” (check local listings).  On Cyberchase’s new Facebook page, fans will get an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the stars of Cyberchase making it all happen.

Cyberchase is a production of THIRTEEN and Title Entertainment, Inc. in association with WNET.ORG – one of America’s most prolific and respected public media providers.

“We’re excited to give on-the-go kids and parents some great ideas on how to incorporate math into their outings around town, whether to the grocery store, the ballpark or the zoo,” says Sandra Sheppard, executive producer for Cyberchase.  “We developed ‘Around Town with Cyberchase’ to support critical STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math) initiatives in local communities and to give kids and adults the tools to create their own math adventures where they live.  We’re also thrilled that the many fans of our Cyberchase For Real star, Harry, have an opportunity to see him in brand new web videos,” she continues.

Two new sets of web-exclusive videos, “The Harry Show” and “Math on the Street,” launch on September 21 at Cyberchase Online and feature Harry, played by actor Matt Wilson, encountering wacky math moments all around New York City.  The videos take place in fun spots like the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Central Park Zoo and feature real kids and adults.  All the videos are about 1 – 2 minutes long and will be available for streaming or download Cyberchase Online.

“I love meeting kids and finding out how they approach math,” says Wilson.  “I’m really excited because in these web videos, Harry talks with real kids who probably solve problems the same way as many kids at home.”  He continues, “I’m always crunching numbers – leaving a tip, comparison shopping or estimating the time it’ll take to get to the front of a line.  Through these adventures around town, Harry shows kids that we encounter math everywhere, and everyone can be good at it – often without realizing it!”

Emmy Award winner Wilson has been the live-action face of Cyberchase for the show’s seven seasons.  He is also well known on stage and screen where he has worked with Pulitzer Prize, Tony and Grammy Award winners.  Currently he is performing in the World Tour of “The Circus, Starring Britney Spears.”

From Monday, October 5 – Friday, October 9, “Around Town with Cyberchase” launches on air with five awesome adventures, including two premiere episodes on October 5 and 6.  Each episode will tie to a special “Around Town” printable activity at Cyberchase Online. In the first new episode on October 5, “The Deedle Beast,” the Cyberchase kids chart the bizarre behavior of a pet Deedle Beast and uncover a bigger mystery than they bargained for.  In the premiere of “Spellbound” on October 6, the CyberSquad must discover how to use a grid to communicate what a spell-breaking symbol looks like and save Pompadoria from Wicked’s everlasting rule.

The PBS KIDS GO! video player will also stream full episodes and clips from the “Around Town” episodes, plus the web videos.
Also beginning September 21, the new Cyberchase Facebook page will go behind the scenes with Matt Wilson on his “Around Town” adventures, featuring exclusive photos and behind-the-scenes footage from the taping of “The Harry Show” and “Math on the Street.”  Wilson will also bring fans into a promotional photo shoot and a voiceover recording session at THIRTEEN studios.  In addition, Facebook fans will be treated to a glimpse of Christopher Lloyd and Gilbert Gottfried recording their lines as the villainous Hacker and the lovable Digit for the new episode, “The Deedle Beast.” New footage will be posted daily leading up to the “Around Town” broadcast launch on October 5.

Cyberchase – the only math series for children on American TV – airs daily on PBS KIDS GO! across the country.  Check local listings at Cyberchase Online.  In the tri-state area, Cyberchase can be seen weekdays at 4:30 p.m. (beginning Sept. 7) and 8 a.m. on THIRTEEN, Saturday at 12:30 p.m. and Sunday at 8 a.m. on V-me and Monday-Friday at 7 a.m. on WLIW21.

Brittany Curran stars in the KIDS FIRST! title, Legally Blondes, which airs on ABC Family on August 2nd, 8pm.

Check out her new web-site if you want to take a peek! http://www.brittanycurran.com/Brittany_Curran/Welcome.html

This Memorial Day, fans young and old across the nation can celebrate heroes with Super WHY! – Hurray for Heroes, a special two- hour marathon airing Monday May 25, 2009 on PBS KIDS® (check local listings).  Super WHY! – Hurray for Heroes will delight preschoolers with two debut interactive episodes and two returning favorites, featuring the page-turning storybook adventures of Super Why and his fellow reading superheroes as they unveil what the power of reading can do.  The special event also features never-before-seen live-action interviews in-between the episodes in which real kids share their thoughts about what it means to be a hero. 

The special Super WHY! – Hurray for Heroes TV event kicks off a jam-packed summer of reading-powered fun that also will feature special Super WHY! theme weeks, online games and free downloadable materials designed to help families reinforce the literacy skill building lessons within the series and help nurture their own “super readers” at home.        

“We created Super WHY! to provide kids with superhero role models they can relate to – who show them the power of reading and that they, too, can look for answers to life’s challenging questions and problems within books,” said Angela C. Santomero, Creator and Executive Producer of the series.  “Memorial Day provides a perfect opportunity for us all to reflect on and honor all kinds of heroes and we’re delighted to bring Hurray for Heroes to PBS KIDS.  The summer months are also the perfect time for preschoolers to hone their budding reading skills and we’re pleased to offer a number of great ways for them to do so all summer long.”

In the action-packed, two-hour Super WHY! – Hurray for Heroes TV event, Super Why and his heroic storybook friends help a fairytale knight face his fears in the launch of George and the Dragon, travel “over the river and through the woods” in Little Red Riding Hood, jump into a book for an interactive island adventure in the debut of The Swiss Family Robinson, and show a stranded princess how to rescue herself in Rapunzel.

Leading up to the on-air event, PBS KIDS will feature an all Super WHY! video player at pbskids.org/video where children can view their favorite clips from the show.  Kids can also play fun reading games on the Super WHY! Web site which will launch the new Wonder Red‘s Freeze Dance Rhyming Game (http://pbskids.org/superwhy).

The storybook adventures continue in June with the kick-off of a “super” special summer reading campaign that will engage kids and caregivers through Super WHY!’s interactive Web site at pbskids.org/superwhy, and through thousands of libraries across the U.S.  Throughout the season, week-long Super WHY! Reading Camps will boost the early literacy skills of preschoolers in communities from coast-to-coast with learning-rich activities, games, and music.   In August, PBS KIDS will focus on a different Super WHY! character each week and feature never-before-seen episodes of the top-rated show.

Reading is power and Super WHY!  is the only preschool property created to help kids learn the fundamentals of reading through interactive storybook adventures.  Produced by Out of the Blue Enterprises in conjunction with Canadian-based Decode Entertainment Inc. and C.O.R.E. Digital Pictures Inc., the series has a fresh, groundbreaking multimedia aesthetic – with a winning combination of two- and three-dimensional animation formats, adorable characters and immersive environments.  The program represents a unique approach to preschool educational television, featuring a team of superhero characters with literacy-based powers, who jump into books to look for answers to everyday preschool challenges.  The home viewer is the superhero sidekick, who is encouraged and empowered to participate in the reading fun by playing research-based literacy games. 

ARTHUR, the award-winning PBS KIDS GO! television series, and CVS Caremark All KIDS CAN, a program dedicated to making life easier for kids with disabilities, are thrilled to announce the grand prize winner of the “ARTHUR/All Kids Can Character Search.” Connor Gordon, 11, of Savage, Minn., was selected for his character, Lydia Fox, a ten year-old girl fox who uses a wheelchair and loves to draw and play basketball. Connor, along with ARTHUR creator and author Marc Brown, unveiled his character at his elementary school in Savage, Minn. In recognition of Connor’s achievement, CVS Caremark presented a donation of $5,000 to St. John the Baptist school for library or arts curricula.Selected out of an overwhelming 8,500 entries, Connor, along with his character Lydia Fox will be featured in a live-action segment of the ARTHUR show. The segment will be part of an episode airing June 30 on PBS KIDS GO! (check local listings).”My character, Lydia, wants kids to know that even though she’s in a wheelchair, she can do what everyone else can do, but in her own way,” Connor stated when asked about his character. “I’m so excited.”Launched in February 2009, the ARTHUR/All Kids Can Character Search invited children ages 6-12 create a new friend for ARTHUR. The activity was designed to educate children about the importance of inclusion and how children of all abilities can play together. It also encouraged parents and children to think about what life is like for someone they know who has a disability.”We were thrilled with the enormous response from children across the country, and the exceptional thought and detail that went into each of the entries, especially our grand prize winner,” said Eileen Howard Dunn, Senior Vice President of Corporate Communications and Community Relations at CVS Caremark. “Connor’s entry really champions the idea of inclusion and helps us to think not only about what life is like for someone with a disability but also about characteristics in each of us that make us unique.”CVS Caremark All Kids Can supports programs and services that help children with disabilities learn, play, and succeed in life. Since its premiere in 1996, ARTHUR has celebrated the importance of friendship and the value of accepting and including kids with different abilities from all walks of life. Buster proves that kids who can manage their asthma can do anything, Marina shows her friends what it’s like to be blind, George succeeds as a student with dyslexia, and Carl–in an upcoming season–will share what it’s like to have autism.”We saw thousands of character ideas from around the country,” said Jacqui Deegan, ARTHUR Executive Producer. “We were truly inspired by all them, and especially by Connor’s character, Lydia Fox, whose creativity, intelligence and positive attitude are a perfect match for our series. We think Lydia would make a wonderful friend for Arthur and the gang in Elwood City.”The Character Search entries were reviewed by the producers of the ARTHUR show, colleagues from CVS Caremark, and a celebrity panel including Tolon Brown from Marc Brown Studios; Terri Mauro, About.com’s Guide to Parenting Special Needs; Matt Cavedon from Boundless Playgrounds; Katy Beh Neas, Vice President of Government Relations for Easter Seals; and Susan Kane, Editor-in-Chief of Parenting magazine’s “School Years” edition.The panel also selected nine Finalists in the ARTHUR/All Kids Can Character Search who will receive prize packages including CVS gift cards and ARTHUR merchandise. CVS Caremark will make a grant of $1,000 to each child’s school for library or arts programs. The finalists in alphabetical order are:· Emily Glaze of Birmingham, Alabama for her character “Grace Davis”· Shane Kearney of Lexington, Virginia for his character “Carlos”· Joseph Kesting of Yardville, New Jersey for his character “Sammy Gato”· Meaghan Pannasch of Morganville, New Jersey for her character “Arianna Petals”· Emily Pruitt of Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina for her character “Bubby and his service dog Aubrey”· Meg Sheeran of Worcester, Massachusetts for her character “Preston McPanda”· Amy Solov of South Easton, Massachusetts for her character “Kristy Star”· Eliana Yopp of Santee, California for her character “Alana”· Charlie Zimmerman of Delaware, Ohio for his character “Frankie Salvador”For more information about the ARTHUR/All Kids Can Character Search, please visit pbskidsgo.org/arthur/allkidscan.Funding for the “ARTHUR/All Kids Can Character Search” is provided by CVS Caremark.