Brenda Song | Table for Five

Wizards on Deck with Hannah Montana, JONAS Rockin’ The House

September 28, 2009 By Elizabeth

I have a confession to make. I might be a 42 year old Mom, but I think Wizards of Waverly Place is a cute and funny show. Sometimes I watch it even when the kids aren’t around! And I also started watching JONAS with Nathan and I have to admit, those boys are cuties and the show’s kind of funny. Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment released two new DVD collections on September 22nd that I said “yes” to reviewing because I knew I would like them as much as my boys would

Wizards on Deck

Wizards on Deck with Hannah Montana combines the casts of three Disney Channel shows into one full-length movie adventure. Wizards of Waverly Place character Justin Russo (David Henrie) wins an essay contest and his prize is a Teen Cruise to Hawaii for himself and his siblings Max (Jake T. Austin) and Alex (Selena Gomez) on board the S.S. Tipton. That’s the boat that the show Suite Life on Deck takes place on, in which twin brothers Zack and Cody Martin (Cole and Dylan Sprouse) and hotel heiress London Tipton (Brenda Song) enroll in a semester-at-sea program. As if that wasn’t enough Disney Channel stars, who should show up but Hannah Montana (Miley Cyrus), on her way to a sold-out concert in Hawaii.

There are plenty of pranks and magic-gone-wrong (someone turns Justin blue!), crazy schemes (Alex sneaks best friend Harper on board to take her make-up science test), and a little mystery (Miley Stewart loses her lucky charm ankle bracelet AND her Hannah wig!), plus of course, lots of laughs. I’ll be honest, it surprises me how entertaining I find these kids, especially Selena Gomez, who I think is just adorable and has great comic timing.

Here’s a funny clip with Selena Gomez called Mistaken Identity:

And of course my favorite, Bloopers:

If your kids (and you too!) are fans of Wizards of Waverly Place, Suite Life on Deck and/or Hannah Montana, I highly recommend picking up this DVD. It’s $14.99 on Amazon.

JONAS rockin the house

Also available on DVD is Jonas Rockin’ the House (Volume 1) combines five episodes from the TV series with two “world premiere on DVD” bonus episodes (I assume that means they weren’t shown during the regular season) and DVD feature called “You’ve Just Been Jo Bro’d” in which the guys play a prank on costar Chelsea Staub. The DVD also contains a Collectible Card that MAY be signed by Nick (ours wasn’t). The episodes are:

Groovy Movies
Wrong Song
Pizza Girl
Band’s Best Friend
Chasing The Girl
Bonus Episode- Beauty and the Beast
Bonus Episode- Cold Shoulder

What I like about this show is that it’s not overly-acted. The Jonas boys are naturally funny, really comfortable on camera, and not afraid to poke fun at themselves, their looks, their celebrity status. It might be a little hard to buy the premise that they are high school students, since Kevin is 21 and Joe is 19 (Nick is 16), but it’s a good quality show that’s appropriate for any age. Okay, I like it!

Here’s a JONAS clip called Kevin’s Guitar:

And a bonus feature called The Prank:

Surprise the Jonas Brothers’ fan in your house by picking up this DVD or hiding it in a Christmas stocking! Jonas Rockin’ the House (Volume 1) is available on Amazon for $14.49.

Watch With Your Kids-Suite Life On Deck and Sonny With A Chance

September 2, 2009 By Elizabeth

All-new adventure, fun and excitement on the latest Disney Channel Original Series takes to the seas as tween favorites Dylan and Cole Sprouse reprise their roles from the Emmy-nominated series The Suite Life of Zack & Cody. The Suite Life on Deck: Anchors Away! follows twin brothers Zack and Cody Martin (Dylan and Cole Sprouse) and hotel heiress London Tipton (Brenda Song) as they enroll in a semester-at-sea program aboard the SS Tipton. Much to his chagrin, dutiful hotel manager Mr. Moseby (Phill Lewis) must go aboard, too, assuming responsibility for all three. The DVD contains four episodes, including one with Ashley Tisdale (High School Musical) reprising her role as Maddie from the original series, along with these extras:

Bonus Episodes

“Mulch Ado About Nothing”

“International Dateline”

Bonus Features

Debby On Deck – The guys interview Debby, the newest member of the cast.

The Floating Premiere – 10 minutes of jam-packed fun at the star studded premiere.

Here’s a clip from International Dateline:

Also available from Disney DVD is Sonny with a Chance: Sonny’s Big Break
, with four episodes of the latest smash-hit Disney Channel Original Series. Meet Sonny (Camp Rock’s Demi Lovato), a talented Midwestern girl who relocates to Los Angeles to join the cast of the most popular sketch comedy show for teens and tweens, “So Random!” But life behind the scenes on a Hollywood set is not as idyllic as Sonny imagined, especially because of her fellow performers: the self absorbed Tawni (Tiffany Thornton), suave Nico (Brandon Mychal Smith), funnyman Grady (Doug Brochu), quirky Zora (Allisyn Ashley Arm) and dreamy Chad Dylan Cooper (Sterling Knight), star of the teen drama “Mackenzie Falls” that films in the adjacent studio, and his simmering rivalry with the cast of “So Random!”

Sonny With A Chance: Sonny’s Big Break comes with bonus features as well as a bonus world premiere episode on the DVD!

Bonus Episode – “Sonny In The Middle” – World Premiere Episode on DVD, never before seen!

Bonus Features – Backstage Disney – Demi Lovato Audition Tape

Bonus Short – “Mackenzie Falls – Season Finale Cliffhanger” – an all original online series starring Sterling Knight

Here’s a clip with Sonny at the movies:

What I like about both of these shows is that they are good clean fun. My 10.5 year old son is the Suite Life fan, and I have to admit that I watched most of Sonny With A Chance by myself and thoroughly enjoyed it. Demi Lovato is just adorable. Pick these up for your kids (or yourself!) to watch any time.