JSYK.com is definitely our BFF. They are sponsoring the First Ever Tween Town Hall Meeting this weekend. They'll be reporting live from Los Angeles. And JSYK is sponsoring the 2010 Summit in NYC in October.

FOR ALL GIRLS: Even if you can't attend the Town Hall Meeting, JSYK is looking for a girl to help them cover the 2010 Summit in NYC in October. Just tell them why YOU should be their on-site reporter and you could win a trip to New York! Visit JSYK.com/b-r-reporter for details.

(The contest will run March 13, 2010 thru June 30, 2010. Entries will be judged on writing quality and creativity. The winner will be selected in July. Winner must be able to travel to NY in October. See full rules on the site jsyk.com).

Announcing the first ever A.L.L.Y. Award Winners - tweens/teens who founded their own non-profits - who will be at the Town Hall Meeting on March 13:  Code Blue, Inc., Cupcakes for Cancer, Green Youth Movement, Kids Helping Kids, Kids Who Care Foundation, One is Greater Than None, and Step by Step. 

CertifiK.A.T.'s of Achievement go to Alexandra Rose Rieger of In a Perfect World, Emerald-Angel young of Tea Party Angels, Megan Kilroy of Team Marine and Johna Rivers and Toni Gutierrez of Actionist Network for their efforts within larger organizations. 

These tweens and teens highlight the very best of what youth today stands for.  They had the insight, the compassion, the courage, the willingness, and ultimately the commitment to stand up, speak out, and lead others by spearheading their own charities or making an impact on a larger non-profit.  I am so thrilled to honor them and look forward to expanding the reach of the awards at future AK Tween events.  We are forming a Network of philanthropic youth.

If you're thinking... "What about me - how do I apply?"  Or "I know someone, how can they apply?"  Soon, we have an official "Enter here"... but until then, just send an email to tweensummit@allykatzz.com. 

xoxo,
Denise

Hey Girls! So, last night I had my first interview ever, with Bridgit Mendler! You may recognize her from some episodes of Wizards of Waverly Place or as Nick Jonas' crush on the TV show Jonas. as well as this, she has also played roles in General Hospital, Alvin and the Chipmunks the Squeakqual, and Labor Pains.  She is very excited about the new TV show Good Luck Charlie in which she plays the lead role of a girl named Teddy and she is also excited about her song that's coming out on the Disney Mania CD! Now back to the interview.. How did she get interested in acting? When she was 8 years old, she moved to California and went to an acting camp for fun. She started acting in local plays and then decided acting was something she really enjoyed doing and wanted to try to pursue it. Bridgit Mendler said "I decided i was really going to go after it so i got an agent and here i am!" How has the paparazzi affected her life? "Well, I haven't had too much of a problem with that just because I'm not really that out there and so I haven't had a big problem with that.  I worked on a movie Labor Pains with Lindsey Lohan last summer and that was an interesting experience.  that was the first time I'd actually experienced the paparazzi." said Bridgit.   What's a typical day like for her? When she's working on set, she has a week of rehearsals and run-throughs of the episode in front of producers and executives.  Then, at the end of the week they shoot the show in front of a live audience With a week like that, what does she do in spare time? She loves to spend time with her friends. She thinks of herself as being very lucky because she becomes great friends with her coworkers.  She also likes to play her guitar, maybe write a song at the end of the day to just unwind. What was her favorite thing she acted in? She said that her favorite was being able to be in Good Luck Charlie. "It's soo much fun and I love that I've been here since the beginning.  We've developed this family on set and we have such a great time together.  And it's nice to be with a character long enough that you actually get toknow her and so I think I really know Teddy at this point." How did she feel during her first performance? The first thing she ever did was she was in a carpet commercial when she was really young. "I thought it was soo cool that they had there's giant rolling cameras and I had a lot of fun.  The first thing that I had lines in was in General Hospital in LA and it was awesome. The more I act, the more fun it gets for me." How would she describe her style? "I'm kind of all over the place.  I like to pair different colors and patterns and try to tie them in together and make it work.  I don't know if I'm the most traditionally stylish person, but I like to have fun with what I wear." Any advice for kids who have a dream of becoming an actor? "Acting is a great dream to have, but it takes a lot of work to pursue.  Just about every dream does, but you really have to take it seriously, you can't try and act only half-way and be successful with it.  So I think in order to start acting I think you should really let your parents and the people you surround yourself with know that it's something you really want to pursue.  Maybe take some acting classes to get the ball rolling."