iCarly Star Miranda Cosgrove Signs With Columbia Records as Part of Ongoing Global Partnership Between Nickelodeon and the Sony Music Label Group

iCarly Star Miranda Cosgrove Signs With Columbia Records as Part of Ongoing Global Partnership Between Nickelodeon and the Sony Music Label Group

Nickelodeon and Columbia Records Join Forces to Release iCarly iPlaylist, Featuring Music From and Inspired by the Hit Live-Action TV Series

iCarly iPlaylist Available at Retail and Online Tuesday, June 10

NEW YORK, April 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Columbia Records has signed tween TV sensation Miranda Cosgrove, star of Nickelodeon's convergent mega-hit iCarly to be a recording artist, as part of the global partnership between Nick and the Sony Music Label Group. First up for Cosgrove is the release of iCarly iPlaylist, the eagerly awaited album that also will feature songs inspired by the popular live-action TEENick series, among other exclusive tracks from multi-platinum popular artists, including Natasha Bedingfield and Avril Lavigne. The album will be available at retail and online on Tuesday, June 10.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080418/NYF027 )

iCarly iPlaylist will debut four original songs performed by Cosgrove, including the series' theme song, "Leave It All to Me" (featuring Drake Bell), which recently charted on the Billboard Hot 100. The hit song currently averages a four-star rating with customers on iTunes, as well as charting on the music store's Pop chart for 11 consecutive weeks. The new album also will feature songs inspired by iCarly from top artists like Lavigne, Bedingfield, Good Charlotte, Sean Kingston and a brand-new, exclusive song from The Naked Brothers Band, stars of the Nick hit live-action series of the same name.

iCarly, one of the most watched live-action premieres in Nickelodeon history, is the highest-rated program on all of TV in its time slot with kids 6-11 and tweens 9-14. Since its launch, kids have uploaded more than 100,000 videos to the iCarly.com website, and the site has received more than 11.6 million visits and averaged 2.8M monthly visitors in the first quarter of 2008 alone.*

"Miranda Cosgrove is one of today's brightest and fastest rising young stars," said Steve Barnett of Columbia Records. "We are happy to welcome her to the Columbia Records family and very excited to be releasing iCarly iPlaylist."

"Nickelodeon is on the cutting-edge of programming for tweens and young adults," said Rob Stringer, Chairman of the Sony Music Label Group. "With iCarly, Nick has achieved a brilliant synthesis between television and the internet. Sony Music is thrilled to be partnering with Nickelodeon to create new ways for fans to interact with their favorite musicians, actors and media stars."

"We've watched Miranda essentially grow up here at Nickelodeon and this is an exciting next step she's taking in her career," said Cyma Zarghami, President, Nickelodeon, MTV Networks Kids and Family Group. "iCarly is a true creative innovation as a multi-media hit for kids and tweens, and we're thrilled that Sony will bring Miranda to a brand new platform in music."

iCarly iPlaylist is a product of the development and production partnership between Nickelodeon, the number-one entertainment brand for kids, and the Sony Music Label Group and the Sony BMG Commercial Music Group.

   Tracks from iCarly iPlaylist include:    1. Leave It All to Me - Miranda Cosgrove featuring Drake Bell (Theme from      iCarly)   2. Stay My Baby - Miranda Cosgrove   3. About You Now - Miranda Cosgrove   4. Beautiful Girls - Sean Kingston - (Nick mix)   5. I Don't Wanna Be In Love (Dance Floor Anthem) - Good Charlotte   6. I Like That Girl - Leon Thomas   7. Girlfriend -featuring Lil Mama (Dr. Luke/Nickelodeon remix) - Avril      Lavigne   8. Freckles - Natasha Bedingfield   9. Face In The Hall - The Naked Brothers Band   10. Let's Hear It For The Boy - The Stunners   11. Thunder - Boys Like Girls   12. Headphones On - Miranda Cosgrove   13. Move (Theme from Dance on Sunset) - Menudo   14. I'm Grown - Tiffany Evans featuring Bow Wow    DELUXE PACKAGE/FAN PACK - Bonus Tracks:    **15. Leave It All To Me - Miranda Cosgrove featuring Drake Bell (Theme         from iCarly) - Jason Nevins remix   **16. "Whatever My Love" - performed by Mickey Drummond (From iCarly         Episode "iLike Jake")   **17. "Take Me Back" - performed by Backhouse Mike (From iCarly Episode         "iAm Your Biggest Fan")    **(Bonus Tracks available on Fan Pack and Wal-Mart Versions only)   

iCarly stars Miranda Cosgrove as Carly Shay, a teenager who lives with her twenty-something brother/guardian Spencer (Jerry Trainor) and produces webcasts from a makeshift loft studio with pals Sam (Jennette McCurdy) and Freddie (Nathan Kress). iCarly is TV's only scripted series ever to let kids contribute by incorporating videos they created to showcase their unusual talents.

Cosgrove, 14, nabbed her first TV series and feature film at age nine: She was cast first as Megan Parker, the deceptively sweet, scamming sister on Drake & Josh's and soon after as Summer Hathaway, the over-achieving preppy manager of Jack Black's rock band on the big screen in School of Rock. Her other film credits include the '05 feature-film release Yours, Mine and Ours from Paramount Pictures/Nickelodeon Movies and Keeping up with the Steins.

iCarly was created by Dan Schneider, the creative force behind other Nickelodeon hits including Emmy Award-nominated Zoey 101, Drake & Josh, The Amanda Show, Kenan & Kel and All That. Called "the Norman Lear of children's television" by The New York Times, Schneider created the WB's What I Like About You and wrote and co-produced the film Big Fat Liar.

About Nickelodeon: Nickelodeon, now in its 29th 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, magazines and feature films. Nickelodeon's U.S. television network is seen in more than 96 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for more than 13 consecutive years. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NYSE:VIA) (NYSE:VIA.B) .

About Columbia Records: One of the most respected and successful record labels in the world, Columbia Records is home to established superstars and exciting new talent. Columbia Records is a wholly-owned subsidiary of SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT.

About Sony Music Label Group: Sony Music Label Group, a division of SONY BMG Music Entertainment, is a global recorded music joint venture with a roster of current artists that includes a broad array of both local artists and international superstars, as well as a vast catalog that comprises some of the most important recordings in history. SONY BMG Music Entertainment is 50% owned by Bertelsmann A.G. and 50% owned by Sony Corporation of America.

*Source: NMR - 9/8/07 - 4/06/08

Source: Omniture SiteCatalyst V. 13.5 (1/1/08-3/31/08).

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080418/NYF027
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
AP PhotoExpress Network: PRN3
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com

Source: Nickelodeon; Columbia Records

CONTACT: Anthony Coorey, +1-212-833-4140, anthony.coorey@sonybmg.com, or
Yvette Noel-Schure, +1-212-833-4483, Yvette.Noel-Schure@sonybmg.com, both of
Columbia Records, Media; or Jodi Davis of Nickelodeon, +1-212-846-5981,
Jodi.davis@nick.com

Web site: http://www.nick.com/
http://icarly.com/

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Profile: International Entertainment