Nickelodeon Presents a Night of Nick Cannon Behind and In Front of the Camera With Back-to-Back Movie Premieres, Sunday, Feb. 21

NEW YORK, Feb. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- TeenNick Chairman Nick Cannon takes the helm behind and in front of the camera as Nickelodeon presents two back-to-back movie premieres featuring the multi-talented entertainer, on Sunday, Feb. 21.  Cannon makes his movie directorial debut with School Gyrls, a new hour-long original musical comedy, which he also penned, premiering at 7 p.m. (ET/PT) and stars in the network's premiere of the popular theatrical film Drumline, at 8 p.m. (ET/PT).

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"School Gyrls introduces the multi-talented Mandy Rain, Jacque and Monica to the teen audience," said Nick Cannon, Chairman, TeenNick.  "The girls are triple threats -- each with their own amazing individual personalities – and Nickelodeon viewers will get an inside look at their road to fame in this movie."

School Gyrls centers on the eponymous, real-life, multi-talented teen pop group discovered by Cannon consisting of 15-year old Mandy Rain; 15-year-old Jacquelyn Rae Pyles aka Jacque Nimble; and 16-year-old Monica Parales aka Mo Money.  The TV movie also features guest appearances by Justin Bieber, Cannon, Kristinia DeBarge, Reverend Run, Soulja Boy, Angie Stone and Pete Wentz.  School Gyrls marks Cannon's second project for Nickelodeon and comes on the heels of the TeenNick HALO Awards, an hour-long special he created, hosted and executive produced, that recognizes and celebrates real teens who are making a significant difference in the world.

School Gyrls follows the adventures of three freshmen at Summerdale Academy, an exclusive all-girls boarding school.  Mandy Rain, Jacque and Monica love to sing and dance, but have very different individual personalities.  Fate unites the girls at school and they join forces forming an unlikely and unexpected friendship.  The trio enters the Teen Island stunt party, where they find themselves battling it out with the reigning champions and resident mean girls: the sophomore cheerleaders.

"Nick Cannon's creative vision as Chairman of TeenNick has come to life, first with the TeenNick HALO Awards and now with his directorial debut -- School Gyrls," said Marjorie Cohn, Executive Vice President, Original Programming and Development, Nickelodeon.  "School Gyrls really showcases Nick's knowledge of the teen demo with his discovery of these three relatable and gifted girls whose talents can live across multiple platforms."

Drumline is a dramatic comedy that spotlights the world of university marching bands.  Devon Miles (Cannon) is a Harlem teenager who receives a full scholarship to attend Atlanta A&T University based on his excellent percussion talents.  However, making the transition from hip-hop street drumming to the drumline of the school's legendary marching band is more challenging than he expected.  

The premiere of School Gyrls will coincide with the release of a brand-new multimedia book series from Simon & Schuster Children's Division as well as the release of a debut album and a musical tour by the pop trio.  Kicking off the School Gyrls book series is a movie novelization that will be published in this month by Simon Spotlight, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing. Aladdin Books will publish six original novels based on the three girls.  Additionally, the School Gyrls, signed to Cannon's NCredible Entertainment, will also embark on a 10-week cross-country tour with Cannon in spring 2010 timed to the March 23 release of their debut album on Island Records.  The first single off the album, "Something Like a Party" will be available for sale digitally on Feb. 9.  Cannon has also partnered with Archie Comics to introduce the School Gyrls into their iconic comic book series, with the cartoon characterization of the girls being introduced into Archie issue #607 which will hit newsstands nationwide on March 24 and be available for download on iTunes and Archie Digital.

School Gyrls not only look the part of sweet high school students, they actually are.  Consisting of Mandy Rain, Jacque (pronounced "Jackie"), and Monica, the three young pop stars have major charisma and talent.  Under the guidance of Nick Cannon, the group officially formed in November 2008 and have been hard at work ever since.  They made their television debut as the School Gyrls with Nick Cannon on the season finale of E!'s TV show Party Monsters in Cabo San Lucas in January 2009 and have been busy recording their forthcoming debut album.  Though barely old enough to drive, these young ladies are seasoned professionals with over twenty years of acting, singing and dancing experience combined.  All are professionally trained triple threats and have each appeared in countless print and TV ad campaigns, music videos and performed as dancers for a variety of live stage shows.  At the heart of all of it though, they are still sassy teenage girls who share a love for shopping, fashion and roller coasters.

About Nick Cannon

Cited by People Magazine as one of the 'Top Ten most successful young people in Hollywood' and featured on the Cover of Black Enterprises' 40 Under 40, Nick Cannon, 29 years old is a successful, multi-faceted entertainer: film star, comedian, musician, writer and executive producer of his very own hit TV shows. A San Diego native, Cannon began performing at the age of eight after his grandfather left him several instruments as a gift. Cannon headed for Hollywood at the age of 15 and landed gigs at world renowned comedy venues including The Improv, The Laugh Factory and the Comedy Store. Cannon went on to share the stage with the likes of Chris Tucker, Dave Chappelle and Chris Rock before landing his first television gig as a stand-up audience warm-up for the long running Nickelodeon hit show All That. Producers quickly recognized Cannon's calling was in front of the camera and he became a regular on the show as well as a writer, making him the youngest staff writer in television history at the age of 17. This path culminated in the creation of The Nick Cannon Show which he starred, directed and executive produced, earning him his first Kids Choice Award.  While he enjoyed tremendous success on Nickelodeon, Cannon's career catapulted onto the big screen in 2002.  He made an appearance alongside Will Smith in Men in Black II before landing a leading role in the classic feature film Drumline.

That same year he released his own self-titled debut album on Jive Records.  In 2005, MTV debuted Nick Cannon Presents Wild 'N Out, an improve comedy show with musical performances that Cannon created, produced and hosted which eventually became one of MTV's highest rated shows in the network's history, airing new episodes for four consecutive seasons.

In the fall of 2006, Cannon was featured in the Emilio Estevez written and directed film Bobby. His performance earned him a 2007 SAG nomination for "Outstanding Performance" in addition to becoming the first African American Actor in history to be honored at the world renowned Cannes Film Festival with the "Breakthrough Actor of the Year" award.

In 2008, Cannon hosted the Teen Choice Awards for FBC, and was the host/DJ for ABC's highly successful Presidential Inaugural Neighborhood Ball.  NBC also recently tapped Cannon to serve as the host for the new upcoming season of their hit show, America's Got Talent in 2010 following a successful stint as their host 2009.  Cannon's other film credits include Sundance Film Festival featured films Weapons, American Son, and his most recent role in the psychological thriller, The Killing Room. He now has his own multi-media company called NCredible Entertainment, which has several TV shows and films in development.  In addition to serving as the Chairman of TeenNick, Nickelodeon's 24-hour network for and about teens, Cannon is also host of his own morning radio show on CBS Radio's 92.3 NOW (WXRK-FM) in New York.  

About TeenNick

TeenNick (formerly The N), the 24-hour TV network exclusively for and about teens, is currently available in 66 million households via cable, digital cable and satellite, as well on mobile, VOD and broadband.  TeenNick's distinct perspective connects its audience to the electricity and possibilities of teendom, anytime and anywhere, with original series and ever-popular favorites.  TeenNick.com, paired with sister site Quizilla.com, makes TeenNick the #1 online destination for teens.  TeenNick and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom International Inc.

About Nickelodeon

Nickelodeon, now in its 30th 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 almost 100 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for 15 consecutive years.  For more information or artwork, visit http://www.nickpress.com.  Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B).  

SOURCE Nickelodeon