Disney’s FRIENDS FOR CHANGE GAMES has found a fun way for kids to learn about going “green” and being aware of their impact on the world around them.  In the games series, Disney’s hottest young actors and stars participate in the games to show how easy and fun it is to make some changes in our lives that help the planet and protect the environment. 
 
What is the purpose of Friends for Change?
Tiffany: Friends for Change is a Disney initiative that started 2 years ago.  This is our third year to do it.  It’s trying to get the kids involved around the world in helping the environment, and knowing what it means to go green.  There’s ideas online.  There’s a website at ProjectGreen.com which invites kids to participate as a part of this initiative and they have ideas online on how to help the environment.  So it’s games about recycling and washing your clothes in an environmentally friendly way.  So I think it will draw their attention even more so than just the games themselves.
Brigit:  I think the first step is getting the kids aware of the causes that are out there and then making it accessible and making it fun.  I think that’s the great thing about the Friends for Change games is that, first of all, the kids can realize there are ways to make saving the environment fun; and then from there to know it’s something that they can do within their own life, and then can go to Disney.com Project Green and see the different ways that they can participate.

Which teams did you play on?
Tiffany:  I hosted it, so I was not a participant in the games.  So I got to watch them.
Brigit:  I was on the yellow team.  I was part of Team Unicef and we reached over 100 countries in helping get people clean water, nutrition and healthcare. Each team has a specific color and there were 4 teams.
Adam:  I was with the green team.  So I was international causes, like wild life and wild animals.

What kinds of games were there?
Brigit:  There’s some great games and the cool thing about it is all the games had an environmentally friendly theme, so the first game was the high-energy dance off.
Tiffany: Which was so fun to watch.
Adam:  They didn’t tell us anything before the games.  So when we found out was right before we had to play.
Brigit:  It was the first thing we did on the first day.
Tiffany: The dance floor was empowered in energy meters so that is how that was judged.  Then there was washout, which was showing you how you can reduce your impact while washing your clothes.  That means like hand washing them, hanging them up to dry.  That’s a real easy one to do.  And then there was the recycler, which was fun. 
Adam:   You run on this huge hamster wheel.
Brigit: And the last thing was eco-challenge.  It’s like a relay race where each of the team members had to do something different.

Is it a big goal to get to be on the games?
Tiffany:  The games stopped the year that we all got to be on our shows.  So we didn’t get to do that. But then we got to be a part of Friends for Change, which was a great.
Brigit:  So then we were like, ‘we finally made it!’
Adam:   It was competitive.  Like on that day you could feel the tension.
Brigit:  It’s for important causes and you actually have the ability to make a difference.  So I think we all had that kind of pressure going in the back of our minds.  But really it’s an honor to be a part of something that reaches so many people and that is actually able to make a difference and get a voice out for their cause.

Is there an age range of the participants?
Tiffany:  There’s some Disney kids on the new shows. Some of them are quite a bit younger, but then there’s also the Disney Channel veterans that have been around awhile and — it’s so weird, now we’re like, ‘we’re the veterans!’

What was the whole experience like?
Brigit: We really wanted to shake it up. . . I was not surprised that Sterling Knight was so competitive.  Everyone else was like, ‘whoa, this guy is really serious.’
Adam:   I was on the green team.  The green team had David Henrie, and older kids and so we were like pretty competitive — especially Sterling Knight.  But it was friendly.  It was a friendly vibe.
Tiffany:  It was so funny ’cause there’s these little kids that are maybe like 10 or 11, and then there’s all these older guys and they’re like, ‘we want to win’ and so they were wishing they had that kind of energy of the younger kids.  They are crashing by mid-afternoon and the younger kids are like, ‘let’s keep going!’

Will you be performing at the closing ceremonies?
Tiffany:  There is a song, but it was not performed at the Friends for Change Games.  There is the new song for Friends for Change, which we just did the music video for.  When they wrap up on July 31st, during the 30-minute finale, our music video will be playing.  It’s also going to be available for download.  All the proceeds go to the different causes that Friends for Change is for.

How long did the games go on?
Tiffany:  The games were pretty long.  They were 12-hour days over 3 days.  But we’re not really sure how it will show when it airs.  It would be a long day if they showed it all at once!

In order to see how these remarkable kids are doing their part to bring attention to helping the world around them and finding smart and innovative ways to do it, be sure to check out DISNEY’S FRIENDS FOR CHANGE GAMES which returns on June 24th on Disney Channel and airs for five weeks through July 31st.

Are there any similarities between you and your character Chyna?
China:  There are some similarities.  I can play some of the instruments she does.  But generally not all of them.  I guess I am kind of complicated in a way.  Not as much as she is.  But I really love her.  I see some similarities between us.
 
In your mind, what would be the one word you would describe your character with — what does she embody?
China:  Confidence.  She doesn’t care what anyone thinks about her. She is who she is and she’s okay with that.  I love that about her.  She’s not seeking to be liked.  She just doesn’t want to be bullied.

How big an age difference is there between you and your character?
China:  My character Chyna Sparks is 11 years old and I’m 12.  So there’s not a big difference, but I’m about to turn 13.  There’s not a big difference between 11 and 12.

What’s your biggest challenge in portraying Chyna?
China:  I think the recordings.  Because after learning some words and stuff, you have to go to the recording studio and make a song, and I think that is probably the hardest part.  But all the rest of it is fine.  I mean, the cast — I love them so much.  We go and do stuff together.
 
What instruments do you actually play, not just the ones that Chyna can play?
China:  I play guitar, the bass, piano and a little violin right now. Violin is one of her big instruments.

Did you know any of the other cast members before working on this show together?
China:  I did actually.  I knew my co-stars Sierra McCormick and Jake Short.  We actually did another Disney pilot together.  So we knew each other, and Sierra and I knew each other way back.  We did HANNAH MONTANA together.  So it was really fun getting to work with them again.
 
How do you feel about working with the older actors?
China:  It’s kind of like, whatever.  We’re almost the same age.  Sierra and Jake are 13.  But it’s fine. We’re all about the same age and we act the same age.  So it’s fun.  It’s not really a big difference.

What can you say about the other characters — the other A.N.T. kids?
China:  Jake is supposed to be like the artistic genius. Like making sculptures and that kind of stuff and he [change to he’s] very artistic.  I love that about him.  And Sierra, every time I forget my lines, she remembers them.

Do they have you play any instruments on the sound set?
China:  Most of it is dubbed.  I mean, like some of the stuff I can’t play.  So just to be safe, it’s dubbed.  But the singing is all me.  It’s fun to be able to do that.  I enjoy the singing.

What would you like viewers to know about your character Chyna that may not be obvious in the first episode?
China:  She loves her family.  Her family is very support of her.  Like her brother, Cameron.  He loves her.

Do you think that the love and support of Chyna’s family grounds her?
China:  Oh yeah.  She’s always grounded by her family.  Her family seems like, if she gets out of line, they would bring her back in quickly.  So I love that about her.

If this show were to attain the same kind of success as HANNAH MONTANA, how would you feel about that?
China:  I would be lucky.  But it could never be the same.  Nobody could do what Miley [Cyrus] did ’cause she did something incredible.  If I have half the success of her show, I’d be happy.
 
The new fun family series A.N.T. FARM premieres on Friday, June 17th at 8:30PM on the Disney Channel. Find out why the kids are going to be talking about this series all summer!

Tiffany Vogt is a contributing writer to The TV Addict. She has a great love for television and firmly believes that entertainment is a world of wondrous adventures that deserves to be shared and explored – she invites you to join her. Please feel free to contact Tiffany at Tiffany_Vogt_2000@yahoo.com or follow her at on Twitter (@TVWatchtower). Tiffany also writes as a columnist for NiceGirlsTV.

What drew you to to the show — what excited you about it?
Jason:  After coming off HANNAH [MONTANA], I was excited at the prospect of doing a show that was geared a little bit more towards boys.  It’s an action show.  So we have a lot of cool fights, and skateboarding and all sorts of action.  And we get to do more boy jokes.
Leo:  For me, it’s just that it has never been done before.  It’s an action mixed with a sitcom, which I think is really attractive to boys ages 6-18.

How would you describe your characters?
Jason:   I play Sensei Rudy who runs the worst dojo, the Bobby Wasabi Martial Arts chain and I’m sort of like a very goofy Mr. Miyagi.  His heart is in the right place, but sometimes his methods are a little more unorthodox and maybe causes more trouble than normal.
Leo:  My character is Jack, and Jack is kind of an energetic, fun, cool guy.  Everybody likes Jack.  Even though he’s cool and all, he still makes his mistakes.  Jack also has this talent to be able to lift people up around him and encourage them.  So if someone is feeling down, he has a talent to encourage them to do something they don’t want to do and something ultimately believable.

How did your characters originally connect?
Leo:  I’m getting ready to lose the dojo because it is under-performing.  We’ve got this rag-tag Bad News Bears sort of group of kids and we’re just not performing up to snuff, and I basically suckered Jack into joining the dojo to help out and he discovers that he loves these kids and he wants to help us all get better.
Jason:  I think that Jack discovers like the other kids, as a group, they are greater than the sum of their parts.  So our dojo, while it’s under-performing at an indeterminate standpoint, it is up to these kids to discover who they are and gain confidence in who they are, learn to interact with each other in a good way.

How many episodes are there going to be?
Leo:   So far, I think we’re on number 7 of 13 and total for the season there will be 21.

Do you have a favorite episode so far?
Jason:   Last week’s.
Leo:   The ’70′s one?  Yeah, mine too.  We dress up in ’70′s outfits.  Very groovy dialogue, which is pretty cool.
Jason:   It’s like those great old Kung Fu movies.  We got the afros and the long shirts.  It’s genius.

If you would use one word to describe each of your characters, what would it be?
Leo:  Probably that Jack is very confident in what he does in a good way.
Jason:  I would say that Rudy is unorthodox.

Is this a 1/2 hour sitcom?
Jason:  Yeah, this is a 1/2 hour sitcom.  That’s what is really unique about it.  It’s a traditional 4-camera show with huge action elements.

Is it difficult doing such [change such to so] much action in the midst of the show?
Leo:   Oh yeah.  Not only are we studying our lines, we still have tremendous fight scenes in every episode. That’s a lot of choreography.  There’s quite a bit of choreography that goes on.
Jason:   And it’s got to be safe too.
Leo:  I think it’s going to look good on camera.

How old are the kids at the dojo?
Jason:   Our characters are about 13 years old, and our kids in real life are each from 13 to 15 years old.  So they are actors, beyond just acting for the Disney shows right now.  It’s a cool opportunity for kids who watch to grow up with our characters.

Will girls want to watch the show?
Jason:   Yes.  For one, our guys are super cute.  Leo’s going to be dreamy.  We also have our character Kim who is also a black-belt, kick-butt sort of a girl.
Leo:  Very tough.
Jason:  Very tough.  So there’s a girl-empowering element to her.  I think she’s testing very well.
Leo:   She pushes us all around in the episodes.  She bosses us around.  It’s a good balance. 
Jason:  She’s our only girl regular. So she has a very cool role in that she’s one of the guys for the most part, but she’s beautiful and she picks and chooses her moments where she flaunts her femininity.  But she’s a very strong character, which is sort of refreshing, especially for a teen show.  She’s a good role model.

Were you involved in martial arts before this show?
Leo:   I’ve personally been doing martial arts for about 9 1/2 years.  So I have been doing martial arts, which really helped me get started.
Jason:  And Leo is a black-belt.
Leo:  I have been training since I was a kid.  I know it was worth it – the training — and it really helped me for the show.  I have been able to teach them and help them with the karate and it’s one of my favorite things: to combine what I love the most in acting and comedy.
Jason:   I think Leo’s going to be a huge action star.  I think this is the launching point.
 
Did the other kids on the show have experience in martial arts?
Jason:   No.  We did some fight training before the show launched, but we’re progressing.

What was the genesis of the show?
Jason:   I think the creator of the show Jim O’Doherty pitched another show to Disney, and they were like, ‘We like you.  We think you’re really funny.  We want a karate show.  Go write us a karate show.’  So Jim went back and took the idea and ran with it and then pitched them back, and they loved it.  And so here we are.  It was that Disney was basically looking for something along these lines.
Leo:   Really, we keep talking about action, action, action, but it is only a factor.  The main show is about 5 kids in San Jose who come together in the dojo — and really learn lessons from each other.  Life lessons. Peer pressure.  Bully lessons.  There’s a good message there and in every episode.
Jason:   Just stuff that teens go through.  They all go through it and hopefully in an integrated way where the martial arts is maybe the foundation for how they go about learning the lesson.  But, really, it’s more about the kids growing up and not so much, ‘we’re going to have big tournaments every episode.’  It would get old after awhile.  It really is watching these kids grow up.

Is this show a real depiction of the martial arts world?
Leo:   Somewhat.  I think the kids will love it also because it’s really how kids talk. It’s not different than what normal kid interactions are like.  As for the martial arts, it’s very realistic.
Jason:   I think we’ll get a lot of kids excited to maybe try to it.  I wouldn’t be surprised as the show takes off there is an uptick in martial arts interest.
 
To check out this fun new Disney show, KICKIN’ IT premieres Monday, June 13th at 8:30 p.m. on Disney XD.

How big is the island and how many people are within the kingdom?
Doc:  We honestly don’t know the measurements of the island.  The island is big enough.  It’s kind of like — I would say like maybe 100,000 islanders, and I would say the island is as big as maybe the main island of Hawaii.
Mitchel:  It’s got a dark side that we didn’t even know about.  So there’s a whole other half island that we didn’t know was there.  We really don’t know how many people are there and what’s over there.

How has being kings made your characters different than other people?
Mitchel:  Yes, I think so.  I guess the nicest word for it is arrogance.  We’re kind of dumbfounded and it gives us that little bit of an attitude, which is funny.
Doc:  But I think you’ll see more maturity this season.  We have lives in our hands.  Being an adult means taking a look at things and making sure things go smoothly.  So you’ll see a different side of the characters.
 
Are your characters still in high school?
Mitchel:  We’re still go to school in the show, but not too often.  It’s more about other things.  But we still go to school. At the school they train us.  It’s not like regular school.  We learn stuff like how to survive in the jungle, to fight and stuff like that.

What’s been the coolest thing you have been able to do so far on the show?
Mitchel:  All the fireworks and all the stunts, anything that involves the green screen.  Whenever it is in slow motion, you know it’s cool. And we do a lot of green screen.

Is PAIR OF KINGS more a show geared towards a male or female audience?
Mitchel:  I think it is for both, but it’s definitely geared towards boys.
What kind of feedback have you gotten for the first season from the fans?
Mitchel:  The feedback is great.  The show has been doing really, really good.  And it’s nice being recognized as my character.  It’s the same thing all the time when you get involved in a project, obviously that’s going to happen.  But it’s nice.

Is it difficult being recognized as your character?
Doc:  It’s not really that difficult.  I think the show lets us do what we want.  The feedback lets us know what jokes are good, and the fans have been really supportive of the show.  It’s fantastic.

Is the show a tie-in with a videogame?
Mitchel:  I would hope so!  That and a movie that would be awesome.  I don’t know, but I definitely think that the show could be.

Does the show lend itself to a game format?
Mitchel: I guess.  Every week there is something, so I can see how that could definitely make sense to be a game.
Doc:  I know they have different games on the Disney website.  But a video game, I think that would be awesome!

To see more of the trials and tribulations of Brady and Boomer as they hilariously try to be the best kings possible, tune in for PAIR OF KINGS on Monday, June 13th at 8:00 p.m. on DisneyXD.

Mitchel Musso just can’t wait to be king. And lucky for him, he doesn’t have to. For after four years of playing second fiddle to Hannah Montana, 19-year old Mitchel Musso is about to have his moment. As one of two teen kings of a mysterious island in the new comedy adventure series PAIR OF KINGS, Musso joins fellow Disney alum Doc Shaw (THE SUITE LIFE ON DECK), in their very own series Disney Channel series premiering tonight at 9PM.

Did you ever expect HANNAH MONTANA to turn into the phenomenon that it did?
Mitchel Musso: I didn’t and I still don’t, it never hit me. Really! We were all just a big family over there. It was the easiest shoot I’ve ever done in my life and that went on for six years, which is a long time to put up with people that you’ve never met in your life. We had fun, we grew up on that show, I went to school there, my teachers were there and most of my childhood was spent there.

What is it that attracted you to another TV show versus, say, a movie career?
I love the live part of doing television. You have an audience every week. I’m so used to playing shows, doing my music, and it’s better for me to react off of large amounts of people. I need a crowd to do 100 percent, and in movies you don’t really get that, it’s very intimate, it’s a tough job.

What is PAIR OF KINGS about?
It’s all about me and my hilarious twin brother (Doc Shaw) who were raised in Chicago, but born on this magical island called Kinkow. When our parents pass, they discover that they’ve inherited this island. These two ridiculous kids are given an island, it’s absurd! But it’s magical, hilarious and I can’t wait for everybody to tune in.

Also magical is how you, unlike many of your peers have avoided becoming a young Hollywood cliché! How did you do it?
I don’t know. I think it’s just a personality thing. There are certain types of people who get involved and gravitate towards that scene, whereas I just stay away from all the stupid stuff. I’d rather sit here and talk to you.

Do you feel any added pressure now that you’re headlining a show?
On HANNAH I wasn’t the star, I was a little portion, but that doesn’t really matter because everybody on the show, no matter how small a role, counted. But do I love PAIR OF KINGS because I get to star in the show, get much more to do and get to use my talent, progress and keep excelling at what I love to do? Definitely!

You can catch the series premiere of PAIR OF KINGS Friday September 10th at 9PM on Disney Channel, and then follow it to Wednesdays at 8PM on Disney XD.

Now all grown up, well almost, Dolley will next be seen in tonight’s Disney Channel premiere of GOOD LUCK CHARLIE. A family comedy reminiscent of ABC’s TGIF friday lineup where he’ll play oldest brother P.J. who alongside his two siblings must care for their baby sister Charlotte (“Charlie”) when their parents return to work. And why we’re proud to present five things you didn’t know about the him.

He doesn’t want to grow up, he’s a Disney kid!
Unlike some other Disney actors who shall remain nameless, Dolley is in absolutely no rush to move on to more adult roles. “Oh my gosh, really, being part of the Disney family has been an incredible experience,” explained Dolley, as we quickly glanced through his imdb profile to realize just how much he has to be thankful for. “Even before CORY IN THE HOUSE, I did a part in a Disney Channel original movie, then I got CORY after which they basically gave me MINUTEMEN, I didn’t even have to read for it, same thing for HATCHING PETE. Disney loves to do thing in the family, and it’s been awesome.”

He’s not interested in the best of both worlds.
Despite guitar skills that have been highlighted in both CORY IN THE HOUSE, and to a lesser extent tonight’s premiere of GOOD LUCK CHARLIE, Dolley swears Hannah Montana he ain’t. “I do love music and I did start to learn guitar on CORY because Newt was supposed to be super-good. But that’s not really me,” said Dolley. “As far as doing music professionally, it’s not really my passion. My passion is acing — I mean you never know, anything can happen — but that’s not what i’m focusing on right now.”

Jason & Julia.
Proving that this kid may in fact be smarter than a fifth grade, the career this up and coming young actor would most like to emulate does not include any cast member from Twilight. “I’m probably shooting pretty high, but Meryl Streep is just the best,” said Dolley. “When you watch her you don’t see her, you see the character she is playing and I think that’s something that I really strive for and I try to do.”

He gives credit where credit is due.
“I have a fantastic support system, my family has been with me the entire way. They’re extremely supportive and it has really is a a family endeavour.” explained the actor who credits his Mom with taking time away from her life to drive him to auditions and chaperone him on set. “And I’m really blessed to have lived in southern California and have grown up here because I have friends that I’ve grown up with all my life and can hang out with on weekends where I’m just a normal kid. A couple of nights ago we played ultimate frisbee at a local park. It’s stuff like that is really important in keeping someone grounded.

He downplays the rivalry between Disney and Nickelodeon.
As much as media reports (yes we’re talking to you LA TIMES) loves to fan the flames between the much-buzzed about rivalry between Disney and Nickelodeon, Dolley promises that whatever corporate animosity there may be in the executive suite, is kept far from the actors. “I don’t really feel like there is a harsh rivalry, certainly not between the kids,” promised Dolley. “In fact, you don’t really get to see them often because Disney and Nickelodeon events are separate. But when we do, there’s not animosity between the kids at all.”

GOOD LUCK CHARLIE premieres on the Disney Channel Tonight, April 4 at 8:30PM

I had the great chance to speak with Anna Maria Perez de Tagle (Ashley from HANNAH MONTANA) to celebrate her role in the upcoming Jonas Brothers movie from The Disney Channel – CAMP ROCK.

Tell me about CAMP ROCK.
Anna Maria Perez de Tagle: CAMP ROCK! is about a whole bunch of kids coming to this camp to discover and enhance their talents, like singing, dancing, rapping, drumming. And Mitchie comes to this camp, she’s played by Demi Lovato, she comes like a turtle. She’s very shy, she’s very reserved, but as the movie progresses, she gains a confidence and shows the camp how real and raw her talent really is. I play the girly-girl of the Mean Girl clique. She’s not so smart, she’s kind of a ditz, but her character changes completely towards the end of the movie. She’s obsessed with makeup hair, clothes, and lip gloss most of all. I talk about lip gloss 24/7 in the movie.

What about the character made you want to be in the movie?
I think just because Ella is kind of like Ashley DeWitt from Hannah [Montana]. And so it was kind of like I knew how to play this part. I didn’t have to go through many auditions. I just did two, and luckily the producers and the casting directors knew that I could play this role perfectly, so it was a lot of fun. I knew that I could probably make this role kind of fun.

Did you know anybody in the movie before you shot it?
I did, I knew Demi Lovato about 2 weeks before. We met on a show called Just Jordan, and when I found out she got Mitchie, I called her and said “Oh congrats” and like a week later, she found out I got Ella and she called me and she’s like “Congrats, we’re so excited!” and then I also met Allison on a show that I was on called CAKE TV and she was a judge on a show next door so we got to meet there. I’ve never met the Jonas Brothers, so meeting them the first time was exciting!

They’re pretty popular – everyone seems to love them!
They’re pretty good for their age. They’re great.

Did you have a great time on the set?
Yes, we loved it. Where we filmed, it was kind of like a remote place, we had no internet connection and no cell phone reception so all we really had to do was bond. We’d do dance parties at the Jonas Brothers’ villa and just dance around or we’d play golf or tennis. We had a lot of fun while we weren’t filming, too, but while we were filming, it was just like a big party!

Why do you think people should tune in to watch?
CAMP ROCK’s got good morals, like to never be somebody you’re not and to always be yourself, and that kind of happens in the movie. It will show kids that if you really like what you’re doing, or if you know you have talent, then it shows that you don’t have to be in a shell, just gain your confidence. It’s got good morals and I think kids will be able to relate to it.

Let’s switch gears and talk about HANNAH MONTANA for a little bit. Does Ashley know yet that Hannah and Miley are the same person?
No, we don’t. It’s funny because we make fun of Miley Stewart in school, but we’ll go to a concert and watch HANNAH MONTANA and then come back the next day and just rub it in Miley’s face, but she knows what’s coming, and she knows that we don’t know who Hannah Montana is.

What do you think would happen if they found out? What would your group do?
I think, it’s kind of happened in one of the episodes. It was almost there, and I think that the Mean Girls would turn into nice tagalongs to Miley Stewart. There’s one episode called Achey Jakey Heart and Miley starts dating Jake Ryan and int hat episode, both Mean Girls act as if Miley Stewart is their best friend. I’m excited if I ever do get to find out in the episodes that Miley Stewart is Hannah Montana; that would be pretty exciting.

I also read that you’re going to be a part of the Disney Channel Games.
I did, it was like [a month] ago. It was pretty exciting. I was on the red team, and my captain was Brenda Song. I had Mitchell Musso, Jason Earles, Jasmine Richards from CAMP ROCK also, I had two internationals – one from Australia and his name was Dennis, and one from Brazil, and his name is Rafael, and I also had JT Austin and Adrienne Bailon.

I like the idea of the DC Games, because it brings everybody together. Everyone who is a fan of something can watch and enjoy.
It was like a family reunion, being with everybody from The Disney Channel.

What else do you have coming up?
It’s kind of in the works. I know that I’m filming a movie called A FORGOTTEN INNOCENCE with Michael Copon and he plays my brother. I’m excited for that.

How did you originally get into acting?
Well, it all kind of originated from when I appeared on Star Search and I was junior finalist. From there, I got an agent, and then modeling, and then commercial and print work here and there. Then my agent called and said, “Why don’t you try out for this pilot called HANNAH MONTANA?”, and I was like “ok, whatever” so I went to do it, and then sooner or later, I just got flown back and forth between San Jose, where I originally lived and then went back and forth from LA, and then Disney called and said, “you got the role of Ashley DeWitt from HANNAH MONTANA,” and then they said you should really move to LA, because if you really want to pursue it, then this is the place to be. I literally packed my bags and the next day I moved to LA. It was very fortunate, because my dad’s work was alos moved to LA, so it was perfect. My parents came with me, and then my brothers followed like a year later. From there, from HANNAH MONTANA, I did a show called CAKE TV, and I just did voiceovers for Disney, I did a pilot called WHO SHRUNK DANIEL FUNK? And you know HIGGLYTOWN HEROES and then CAMP ROCK. It’s a long way.

Whose career would you like to have? Who do you idolize?
I hope to be somebody like Reese Witherspoon. She’s just an inspiration to me. I’ve followed her career, and how she started very young but she’s still down to earth. I think that she’s a very versatile actress. She does many roles and she’s very convincing.

Do you see yourself pursuing a music career aside from acting?
My first passion was singing actually. I did musical theatre when I was younger and loved it. I’ve been working and talking with producers, hopefully in the future, or near future, I can start doing record deals and singing more. I really want to do some music, I’m really excited for that.

Who are some of your favorite music acts?
I probably have to say Miley, I love her. The Jonas Brothers obviously [laughs]. Christina Aguilera is one of my idols for music inspiration and everything. And also Alicia Keys.

I read also that you lend your time to Children’s Hospital – what do you do there?
We visit the kids with different diseases and sicknesses. It’s kind of sad to see them but once all the Disney Channel stars go into their room, it’s like they have a complete transformation. They go from really sick and sad, but when they see us, they get big smiles on their faces and it’s really humbling, very heartwarming for us. Sometimes we sign autographs for them or sometimes we’ll play video games with them. I know that me and Jason Dolley, and Maiara Walsh, we got to play guitar hero with some of the kids and it was fun.

So you’re 17, right? Do you think it’s hard to be looked at as a role model? Do you ever want to just go home and hide? Or is it something that comes with the territory?
Yes, that’s definitely why. I think that coming into the business, you kind of know that you’re going to be a role model for kids and I love it. It shows kids how down to earth we are, and how we’re just normal kids, but at the same time we work on TV. I think that’s the whole point of being in the business. You’re always going to be a role model to somebody.

Anything else you want to say to fans before I let you go?
I think that they should totally watch CAMP ROCK. It’s coming out June 20 on The Disney Channel and it’s also coming out on June 21 on ABC if you don’t have cable. On the 22nd it shows on ABC Family and we’re excited for that. I hope you guys watch it.

Keep your eye on Anna Maria, and don’t miss the Disney Channel Premiere of CAMP ROCK tonight at 8PM [Family Channel in Canada].