THE PREMIERE OF DISNEY CHANNEL’S ORIGINAL MOVIE ‘FREAKY FRIDAY’ IS THE #1 TV TELECAST OF THE SUMMER IN KIDS 6-11 AND TWEENS 9-14 !!

Sarah Willey and Jag Arneja star in this comedic body-swap movie musical, told as a new story for a new generation.

Based on the stage musical by Disney’s Theatrical Group It premiered August 10th on Disney Channel.

As a Disney Channel Original Movie, it will be seen in 400 million homes on Disney Channels worldwide.  It is also newly available via Music Theatre International (MTI) to schools and community theatres.

This is the fifth iteration of “Freaky Friday,” but the first in telling the story through music on screen, with the musical numbers progressing the story as well as heightening the emotion of the actions of the story. Adding song and dance to the subtext of each scene, each character’s inner dialogue is emphasized and all the more relatable to the viewing audience. The story and the music gets a message across about empathy — and how the empathy we develop for our parents extends to the rest of the world.

Based on Mary Rodgers‘ 1972 novel, Freaky Friday first hit screens in 1976, starring Barbara Harris and Jodie Foster. The popular franchise has been remade on screen twice since then, as a 1995 TV movie with Shelley Long and Gaby Hoffman, and again in 2003 with Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan. Disney Theatrical Productions developed the contemporary stage musical adaptation, which has a book by Bridget Carpenter (Friday Night Lights, Parenthood), original songs by Tony and Pulitzer Prize winners Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey (Next to Normal, If/Then).

Whether the medium is stage, film or TV, the “Freaky Friday” story tells the truth about the push and pull relationship between parents and kids – it’s a story that is ultimately optimistic with a fitting dose of sincere emotion.

Starring are: Cozi Zuehlsdorff (“Dolphin Tale“) and Heidi Blickenstaff (“The Little Mermaid” and “Something Rotten!” on Broadway, and the stage production of “Freaky Friday“), Ricky He, Alex Désert, Jason Maybaum, Kahyun Kim, Dara Renee’, Jennifer Laporte, Isaiah Lehtinen, Sarah Willey (aka Marlowe Percival) as “Kitty” Rukiya Bernard, Jag Arneja as and Joshua Pak.

The production is directed by Steve Carr, choreography by Tony Award-nominee John Carrafa (“Into the Woods“, “Urinetown“) and Emmy nominee David Lawrence (“Descendants“, “High School Musical“) composed the score.

Perry Andelin Blake is the production designer. Academy Award winner Angus Strathie (“Moulin Rouge!“, “Deadpool“) is the costume designer.

The executive producers are: Steve Carr, Susan Cartsonis and Thomas Schumacher, president and producer, Disney Theatrical Productions (“The Lion King“, “Aladdin” and “Frozen” on Broadway).

SNEAK PREVIEW:
Jag Arneja as Señor O’Brien:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fo4UuLDZnBU

Freaky Friday has nine musical scenes – as music videos on DisneyMusicVevo and/or Disney Channel YouTube.

MUSIC VIDEOS:
See Sarah Willey (aka Marlowe Percival)  performing below…

Oh, Biology (From the Disney Channel Original Movie “Freaky Friday“)

Music video by Cozi Zuehlsdorff, Ricky He, Jennifer Laporte, Isaiah Lehtinen, Dara R. Moss, Sarah Willey (aka Marlowe Percival) performing Oh, Biology. © 2018 Walt Disney Records:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZ4BnBAWvVw

Go (From “Freaky Friday” the Disney Channel Original Movie)
by Cozi Zuehlsdorff & Ricky He & Jennifer Laporte & Isaiah Lehtinen & Dara Reneé & Sarah Willey
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OntNV_FufEo (4:19)

The 12 song soundtrack was released by Walt Disney Records on Friday, August 10.

Freaky Friday soundtrack is available here: http://disneymusic.co/freakyfridaymoviedl

https://www.laughingplace.com/w/articles/2018/08/09/soundtrack-review-freaky-friday-2018-disney-channel-original-movie/

On Friday, August 24 (8:00 p.m.), “Freaky Friday Live Play“, a special telecast and second screen interactive experience, will connect kids’ interest in the movie with their favorite activities – leveling up via trivia and quizzes.

Kurt Ostlund has just booked a role on Episode 1404 of Supernatural. 

Gigi Jackman has booked a role on episode #704 of Arrow.

Stephen Amell stars as Oliver, with principal cast members David Ramsey, Emily Bett Rickards, Echo Kellum, Rick Gonzalez, Juliana Harkavy, and Katie Cassidy also returning from previous seasons. Colton Haynes, a principal cast member for seasons two and three and a guest actor for seasons four and six, was reinstated as a series regular for the seventh season.

Synopsis:
Spoiled billionaire playboy Oliver Queen is missing and presumed dead when his yacht is lost at sea. He returns five years later a changed man, determined to clean up the city as a hooded vigilante armed with a bow.

SEASON 7 COMIC CON TRAILER:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-6HwQ_6Iu8

Lily Killam on ABC’S crime drama ‘Take Two‘.

From ‘Castle’ creators and executive producers Terri Edda Miller and Andrew W. Marlowe.

The Alphabet Network is dialing up the heat this summer!!

Take Two airs Aug 9th with an all-new Thursday night episode.

Season 1 Episode #108:

On this episode “All About Ava”, as per the ABC synopsis, Sam takes an unexpected journey into her past when she and Eddie are called on to investigate the seemingly accidental death of Ava Day, star of the ’90s sitcom “All About Ava,” which featured a 12-year-old Sam (played by Lily Killam) in her acting debut as Ava’s little sister. But when the investigation uncovers dark truths about past events, Sam is forced to reconcile her childhood impressions with newly found facts in order to crack the case.

ABC’s “Take Two,” is the network’s newest procedural crime series starring Rachel Bilson (“Hart of Dixie,” “Nashville”) and Eddie Cibrian (“CSI: Miami”, “Rosewood”).

This upbeat detective series follows Sam Swift (Rachel Bilson), the former star of a hit cop series whose epic breakdown is broadcast to the public and sends her to rehab. Desperate to restart her career, she talks her way into shadowing lone-wolf private investigator Eddie Valetik (Eddie Cibrian) as research for a potential comeback role. Though Eddie resents the babysitting gig, high-spirited Sam uses the skills she learned as an actor playing a cop and proves herself to be surprisingly valuable.

The cast also includes Xavier de Guzman, Aliyah O’Brien and Alice Lee.

“Take Two” is created and executive produced by Terri Edda Miller and Andrew W. Marlowe, along with Studiocanal TV’s Rola Bauer and Tandem Productions’ Tim Halkin.

TRAILER:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09p9P3y1q6U

Holly Barkwell has booked a FE role in “Project Drive“, a commercial spot for “Toyota“.

Markets:
BROADCAST: PAN EURO

INTERNET: GLOBAL

Jason Bempong and Cole Dirksen have booked OCP roles on the spot “Holidays” and Brody Busch on the spot “Toys and Games” for Amazon. Anthony Ames books FBG role in “Project Solve” – A commercial for “Filemaker (an Apple Subsidiary) Workplace Innovation Campaign”. Markets- WW internet with options for all media for North America

Gigi Jackman will be filming a role in Wu Assassins later this month.

Chance Hurstfield – Welcome back to A Million Little Things

Chance has been busy shooting his recurring role on Season 1 of the ABC Series.

They say friendship isn’t one big thing, it’s a million little things; and that’s true for a group of friends from Boston who bonded under unexpected circumstances. Some have achieved success, others are struggling in their careers and relationships, but all of them feel stuck in life. After one of them dies unexpectedly, it’s just the wake-up call the others need to finally start living. Along the way they discover that friends may be the one thing to save them from themselves.

A Million Little Things stars David Giuntoli as Eddie, Ron Livingston as Jon, Romany Malco as Rome, Allison Miller as Maggie, Christina Moses as Regina, Christina Ochoa as Ashley, James Roday as Gary, Grace Park as Katherine, Stephanie Szostak as Delilah, Chance Hurstfield as and Lizzy Greene as Sophie.

DJ Nash is writer and executive producer; Aaron Kaplan and Dana Honor are executive producers; and James Griffiths is the director on the pilot and an executive producer, from ABC Studios/Kapital Entertainment.

“A Million Little Things” premieres WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 26 10|9c on ABC.

Disney Channel’s Freaky Friday movie celebrated with a red carpet film premiere July 30. You may have seen Freaky Friday before, but never like this – the new movie is also a musical!

Marlowe Percival (AKA Sarah Willey) and Jag Arneja will star in the new version of Freaky Friday.

Directed by Steve Carr, the music-driven contemporary body-swap comedy also stars Cozi Zuehlsdorff and Heidi Blickenstaff, as well as Ricky He, Alex Desert, Jason Maybaum, Kahyun Kim, Dara Renee, Jennifer Laporte and Isaiah Lehtinen.

There are no surprises when it comes to “Freaky Friday”. The message behind the plot is fairly straightforward: mother and daughter constantly butt heads before literally walking a day in each other’s shoes and come to understand and appreciate one another in a way they’ve never done so before.

It’s a well-loved story, with its roots in a 1972 children’s book of the same name before being adapted into a film by Disney in 1976 starring Barbara Harris and Jodie Foster. Since then, it’s been remade by Disney as a TV movie in 1995, a feature film in 2003 with Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan, and a stage musical in 2016.

The latest remake – a TV movie for the Disney Channel scheduled to air August 10 – is based closely off of the musical, which was developed two years ago by Disney Theatrical Productions and debuted in Virginia before moving to the La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego in 2017. It even shares a lead in Broadway star Heidi Blickenstaff, who reprises her role as Katherine, Ellie’s perfectionist mother who’s in the midst of planning her own wedding. Ellie (played by Cozi Zuehlsdorff), in the meantime, is obsessed with participating in an upcoming all-night scavenger hunt, which is set to take place the same night as her mother’s rehearsal dinner.

“Freaky Friday” is timeless, and this new adaptation is a chance for Disney to tell that story with its new efforts in mind to accurately represent and reflect today’s youth.
Seeing it on the stage and seeing our demo – the 10-year-old kids in the audience – and how they reacted and feeling it in a theater, we [Disney Channel executives] walked out of it saying ‘We have to make this work as a movie,’” Adam Bonnett, executive vice president of original programming for Disney Channel, said.

Bonnett added that at the heart of every Disney Channel production – whether it’s a remake or an original – is the core belief that children and young adults want shows that are emotionally honest to experiences they can relate to. And in productions where songs and lyrics can convey emotions in a more obvious and direct way, adapting the “Freaky Friday” stage musical was a no-brainer for Disney.

“When I talk about the honesty of ‘Freaky Friday,’ there’s a little more of it in the stage musical because it was created and produced for a very broad audience – not just for kids, but adults as well,” Bonnett said. “I think that’s one of the things audiences walk away from our movie is really feeling that we tackle things that we may have been afraid to tackle in the past, but because of the way you dealt with it, it felt real and appropriate.”

In this new “Freaky Friday” adaptation, the musical stays true to the fun and energetic moods created in the past by original productions like “High School Musical” (in one scene, students in biology class perform a dance number while wielding iPads), but the film really hits an emotional crescendo during a song about the pain and hurt behind why parents lie to their kids.

It’s a moment, Bonnett said, that shows how carefully Disney Channel has always paid attention to it’s viewers.

“Kids today want to taste a lot of different flavors. They want a full course meal that isn’t just meat and potatoes, but has different flavors and different colors. You’re underestimating the audience if you just want to give them one thing,” he said. “We’re working hard to give them a diversity of content. I think kids really need to look at a show and say ‘That’s me up there! I’m about to go through that’ and to really see themselves in characters is so important.”

The film will premiere August 10 on Disney Channel.

TRAILERS:
Jag Arneja as teacher Señor O’Brien:
https://www.eonline.com/news/934837/your-first-look-at-disney-channel-s-freaky-friday-musical-adaptation-has-arrived

Freaky Friday | Disney Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhajYz6tH1A

LINKS:
From Broadway to Hollywood, ‘Freaky Friday‘ returns to The Disney Channel:
http://abc7ny.com/entertainment/from-broadway-to-hollywood-freaky-friday-returns-to-tv/3854733/

Marlowe Percival Talks Diversity On Set At Disney Channel’s “Freaky Friday” Premiere (@marlowepercival):
https://celebrityhautespot.com/2018/08/01/marlowe-percival-talks-diversity-on-set-at-disney-channels-freaky-friday-premiere-marlowepercival/