Disney Channel Stars Blink Off to the Big Screen

Until a few months ago, my daughter had Disney Channel fever. She watched Hannah Montana, Wizards of Waverly Place, and the Suite Life (both on and off the deck) over and over and over. Isn't it great, when you're a kid, that you can watch the same show multiple times and never seem to get tired of it? My daughter was just as absorbed the tenth time Hannah Montana's back-woods grandmother came to visit as she was the first time she saw that episode. I was tired of it before the writers even wrote the script.

But my problem is minor compared to the impending crisis faced by the Disney Channel: both Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez are leaving the shows that made them famous and other stars, not so well-known but still bankable, are getting older and will soon succumb to the same temptations.

Is there much wisdom in giving up your gig on a hit Disney show and hoping your act is good enough for the movies? Miley Cyrus is the exception in the bunch since she actually might have gotten too big for Disney - but Selena Gomez? Demi Lovato? the Sprouse twins? (Never heard of the Sprouse twins, eh?) I can see them all in a slasher flick next summer.

Rich Keller of TVSquad has given this issue far more thought (and doesn't stoop to snarky remarks about slasher films). He identifies two possible replacement shows for the departing mega-stars: Pair of Kings and Shake It Up.

Pair of Kings is a young guy show starring two young guys, Hannah Montana co-star Mitchel Musso and Suite Life guest star Doc Shaw (his real first name is Larramie - no clue why he picked Doc as a nickname instead of Larry or even Curly). The Kings in question find themselves kings of a tropical island. A guest appearance by Gilligan might help. A tribe of cannibals who eat the two Kings might work, too.

The second show, Shake It Up, is a comedy about two teens who become back-up dancers on a 'hot' music show. I can see girls watching this show more than boys watching the other.

Rich Keller has some interesting suggestions about which current Disney performers also might be ready for the big step-up into their own programs. For a change, I have no ideas of my own, except for a reality show starring classic Disney characters (in costume) who work through serious emotional issues in front of the camera. Guest starring Doc Shaw, of course.

Contact the Author: Bob McLain

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