Nickelodeon's New TEENick Comedy Series Just for Kicks to Kick-Off with Special One-Hour Premiere, April 9 (7-8 p.m. ET/PT)

Nickelodeon's New TEENick Comedy Series Just for Kicks to Kick-Off with Special One-Hour Premiere, April 9 (7-8 p.m. ET/PT)

Developed by Whoopi Goldberg, Live-Action Series Follows the Fast Friendship, Swift Moves of Indomitable Girls' Soccer Team

Goldberg, Tom Leonardis, David Brookwell and Sean McNamara Executive Produce

SANTA MONICA, Calif., March 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Nickelodeon's new live-action comedy series Just for Kicks, about the swift soccer moves, fast friendship and sometimes bumpy road through adolescence of four diverse players on a winning girls' team called the Power Strikers, will premiere with a special one-hour episode, Sunday, April 9 (7-8 p.m. ET/PT). The TEENick show developed by Whoopi Goldberg comes courtesy of executive producers Goldberg, Tom Leonardis, David Brookwell and Sean McNamara and is a collaboration of Goldberg's Lil' Whoop Productions and Brookwell-McNamara Productions, in association with Nickelodeon. Post-premiere, it will continue to air Sundays (7-7:30 p.m.).

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060320/NYM027 )

Five-time Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award winner Goldberg, who produces and stars in Nick, Jr's live-action/animated specials Whoopi's Littleburg and was spokesperson for Nick's first Big Help campaign, relishes her connection to the kids' network. "I've been involved with Nickelodeon for a lot of years now, and they're not only the Kids' Choice but my choice for a home in which to create great television. They are amazing partners and I'm thrilled to have another project under their roof," said the Emmy, Oscar, Grammy and Tony Award winner.

Nickelodeon's Marjorie Cohn, Executive Vice President, Development and Original Programming, says of the show, "Just for Kicks is not only exciting, funny and heartfelt, it's about kids finding their identity and the empowerment they derive from playing sports. Power Strikers learn about perseverance, competition, teamwork and the importance of having fun along the way. We think Just for Kicks will resonate with all kids, and of course, with the 11 million kids ages 6-17, who play soccer across the country today, nearly half of whom are girls."

"We love working with Nickelodeon," says McNamara. "They are very creative and collaborative on this project. We are honored to be in business with such great people. Whoopi Goldberg and Tom Leonardis are second to none when it comes to great ideas. They have a strong vision for the show and we believe it will be our best work yet!"

Nickelodeon will offer content from Just for Kicks on several other platforms:

-- A behind-the-scenes reel began streaming on March 13 on TurboNick,
Nickelodeon's broadband video service on Nick.com.
-- TurboNick will sneak peek the first two minutes of the series on March
27.
-- On April 3, a behind-the-scenes reel will be available on all of
Nickelodeon's Video on Demand (VOD) partners and on its wireless
platforms.
-- The one-hour premiere episode will be available on TurboNick on April
10 and on VOD that week, after its Nickelodeon premiere.

Odds are Alexa (Francesca Catalano), Freddie (Mallory Low), Lauren (Katija Pevec) and Vida (Jessica Williams) wouldn't even cross paths if it weren't for their love of the sport, but the unlikely quartet click after making the elite New York City squad. And they discover that soccer, with its quick strikes, bold blocks and skinned knees, is a lot like life at age 14. Though these tight teammates diverge in everything from ethnicity and social status to personality and interests -- aside from soccer and boys -- they are a spirited, fiercely competitive bunch whose differences dissolve on the field.

Cool, confident, strong and 5'11", Vida is a natural born leader and a great athlete. She's also a bit of a rebel who says it like it is. The daughter of a Manhattan doctor (Kadeem Hardison, A Different World), she designs her own eclectic outfits and copes with an older sister with supermodel aspirations and a nettlesome younger brother. Popular Alexa is torn between the two things she loves most: cheerleading and soccer. Her likeability enables her to cross from one clique to another, but she struggles with having two circles of friends. Her schoolmate Freddie, a tomboy and independent thinker, lives on the Upper East Side with her Bohemian grandmother. She is one of the team's best, most competitive players despite her klutziness off the field. And Lauren, a studious overachiever whose passions include violin and ballet, has a crush on Alexa's brother Chris (Jerad Anderson) but is overscheduled thanks to a sacrificing single parent mom.

In the one-hour series premiere, when the Power Strikers hold tryouts, Vida, Alexa, Freddie and Lauren jump personal hurdles to make the cut: Alexa must convince her popular pals that she isn't ditching them and that soccer won't trump cheerleading. Schoolmates and would-be teammates Freddie and Alexa must erase preconceived notions about each other. A smitten Lauren is stung when Alexa's older brother Chris attends the games with his girlfriend. Vida struggles to keep her cool around belittling team captain Dana. When the rookies finally face Coach Moore's arch-enemy in their first game, Dana goes down with an ankle injury, and it's up to Lauren to lead the team to a come-from-behind victory.

Goldberg and Leonardis' credits under the Whoop, Inc. banner include Strong Medicine, What Makes a Family, Whoopi's Littleburg, Call Me Claus and the feature film The Piano Man's Daughter. Credits of Brookwell-McNamara Productions include Phil of the Future (pilot), That's So Raven, Raise Your Voice and Even Stevens. Brookwell and McNamara also each served as producers on Nickelodeon's The Secret World of Alex Mack.

Nickelodeon, in its 26th 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 89 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for more than ten consecutive years. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom International Inc. (NYSE:VIA)(NYSE:VIA.B).

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060320/NYM027
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
AP PhotoExpress Network: PRN7
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: Nickelodeon

CONTACT: Press Contact: Margo Zinberg, +1-310-752-8207,
margo.zinberg@nick.com, or Photo Request: Michelle Hernandez, +1-212-846-7722,
michelle.hernadez@nick.com, both of Nickelodeon

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

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