Nickelodeon Gets Down With Dance on Sunset, New Dance/Variety Series With a Tween Twist Premiering Saturday, March 29, 9:30 p.m. (ET/PT), on the Heels of Nickelodeon's 2008 Kids' Choice Awards

Nickelodeon Gets Down With Dance on Sunset, New Dance/Variety Series With a Tween Twist Premiering Saturday, March 29, 9:30 p.m. (ET/PT), on the Heels of Nickelodeon's 2008 Kids' Choice Awards

Guest Stars Slated Include Ashlee Simpson, Janet Jackson, Sean Kingston, Akon With Colbie, Menudo, Miranda Cosgrove, The Naked Brothers Band and Omarion

Nick Extends the Interactive Dance Experience Online With the Launch of the New Website www.danceonsunset.com

LOS ANGELES, March 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Kids will rock 'n rule -- and hip hop, too -- in Nickelodeon's new dynamic Dance on Sunset series, hosted by Quddus Philippe (MTV's TRL), kicking off on the heels of Nickelodeon's 2008 Kids' Choice Awards, Saturday, March 29 (9:30 p.m. ET/PT). The dance/variety show with a tween twist will feature a mix of today's hottest musical acts, free-style dance competitions and a troupe of young dancers to teach kids the latest moves, while viewers at-home can get in step each week in front of the tube and on a new, complementary website: www.danceonsunset.com.

Produced by Emmy-nominated Magical Elves (Project Runway, Top Chef), and created by top talent agents Bryan Leder and Frederick Levy, the series will roll out with 12 new original half-hour episodes that teach kids how to freestyle like Justin, shake it like Shakira and get down like Fergie. Post-premiere, Dance on Sunset will move to its regular timeslot, Sundays at 8:30 p.m. (ET/PT).

(Photo:

http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080311/NYTU094 )

"We know that music and dance are a big part of our viewers' lives so, in true Nickelodeon tradition, we're giving them their very own destination offering musical performances, dance competitions and their favorite celebrities" said Marjorie Cohn, Executive Vice President, Original Programming and Development, Nickelodeon. "In addition to serving up great entertainment, we are also offering our audience the unique opportunity to participate in this show at home."

Stars slated to perform include Ashlee Simpson, Sean Kingston, Akon with Colbie and Menudo. Among the guest-stars on tap are Janet Jackson, Omarion and Nickelodeon's own Miranda Cosgrove (iCarly) and The Naked Brothers Band.

The series will feature the "Nick 6," a newly formed troupe of young dancers from around the country who will perform and teach the latest moves and routines to a live audience, led by ace choreographer Tony Testa (Janet Jackson, Aaron Carter). Dance on Sunset will also tap into its live studio audience for contestants to compete weekly for the "Sunset VIP" title through a series of freestyle dance competitions. Viewers at home will be able to participate and learn a new dance in a segment titled, "Fresh Squeezed Dance."

Nickelodeon will also offer home viewers an additional way to participate in Dance on Sunset through a complimentary website, www.danceonsunset.com. Kids can visit the site to learn and practice the week's "Fresh Squeezed" on- air dance segment, including an exclusive, "advanced" version. Viewers may also submit videos online of their own "Fresh Squeezed Dance," check out "Backstage Pass" video highlights featuring guest performances, read weekly blogs, ask questions, post comments, participate in polls and play games.

Throughout the series, the "Nick 6" will take viewers behind the scenes, illustrating what it takes to be a member of the dance group. Members of the "Nick 6" include: Karen Chuang (Los Altos, CA), Johnny Erasme (Miami, FL), Ashley Galvan (Visalia, CA), Shane Harper (Irvine, CA), Aubree Storm (Elburn, IL), and Hefa Tuita (Spanish Fork, UT).

Host Quddus Philippe has interviewed some of the biggest stars in the worlds of music, TV, and film as one of the top VJs of MTV's popular Total Request Live (TRL). In addition, TV Guide named him one of the "Hottest New Stars" in 2005; USA Today included him among their "Sizzling Young Hunks" in 2004 and Teen People called him one of the "50 Sexiest Guys Ever." He's been a part of MTV's biggest events including the annual Video Music Awards (VMAs), New Year's Eve Bash and Fashionably Loud, and he hosted a range of other shows including MTV Hits, Morning After and his own show MTV Soul. Quddus hosts the nationally syndicated radio show TRL Weekend Countdown. He is featured on The Fairly OddParents DVD "School's Out: The Musical."

Famed choreographer Tony Testa recently relocated to Los Angeles from his hometown of Fort Collins, Colo. He started dancing at the age of eight and later toured with the original cast of TapKids and nationally with Aaron Carter on his Jukebox World Tour. Since moving to Los Angeles, he has choreographed for Sony's Las Vegas consumer show, danced with Beyonce in "Dreamgirls," danced with Britney Spears for the VMA's, and choreographed and danced for Janet Jackson throughout her "20 Y.O." project.

About MAGICAL ELVES INC.

Since its formation in the summer of 2001, Magical Elves has developed and produced shows for NBC, ABC, Bravo, USA and HBO. After a successful collaboration on the Emmy-nominated reality show Bands on the Run, Jane Lipsitz and Dan Cutforth formed Magical Elves to exploit their diverse backgrounds and varied experience. This partnership has gone on to create some of the most talked about shows on television, including the Emmy- nominated Project Runway, Top Chef and Project Greenlight for Bravo, as well as Last Comic Standing and Treasure Hunters for NBC. Magical Elves has constantly been on the cutting edge of entertainment, embracing new technologies and pushing the boundaries of reality television.

About Nickelodeon

Nickelodeon, in its 28th 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).

Photo: NewsCom:

http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080311/NYTU094
AP Archive:

http://photoarchive.ap.org/
AP PhotoExpress Network: PRN9
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: Nickelodeon

CONTACT: Jennifer Musselman, +1-310-752-8205,
Jennifer.Musselman@mtvstaff.com, for Nickelodeon; or Jodi Davis of
Nickelodeon, +1-212-846-5981, Jodi.Davis@Nick.com

Web site:

http://www.danceonsunset.com/

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