'Best Player': Nickelodeon Movie to Star Jerry Trainor and Jennette McCurdy
Premiering Saturday, March 12, the original TV movie will feature the "iCarly" duo portraying brilliant gamers competing in the ultimate virtual showdown.
Jerry Trainor and Jennette McCurdy in "Best Player"
February 23, 2011
SANTA MONICA, CA — Jerry Trainor and Jennette McCurdy, stars of the mega-hit comedy series "iCarly," go head-to-head as video game rivals in Nickelodeon's brand-new original TV movie, "Best Player," premiering Saturday, March 12, at 8 p.m. (ET/PT). The two-hour, primetime movie follows Quincy (Jerry Trainor) and Chris (Jennette McCurdy), two online video game junkies who inadvertently learn that the real world can be just as exciting and rewarding as the virtual one.
"Jennette and Jerry bring the same great comedic sensibility to this movie that has endeared them to leagues of "iCarly" fans," said Marjorie Cohn, President, Original Programming and Development, Nickelodeon. "Both are hugely talented and versatile actors and we think audiences will enjoy seeing them bring these new characters to life."
In "Best Player," Quincy is a thirty-something Chinese food delivery man by day and online video game master by night. Simply known as "Q" by fellow gaming enthusiasts, Quincy has dedicated his life to being the best cyber multi-player athlete online. Perfectly happy to live in a tricked-out basement in his parents' home, Quincy's world gets turned upside down when his parents decide to sell their house and move to Florida—without him. His only chance to maintain his "perfect" life is to enter a tournament introducing a brand-new video game, Black Hole, and win the prize money to buy his parents' house. As the current multi-player champion, Quincy thinks it's a done deal…until he encounters "Prodigy," who threatens to annihilate him.
With help from his friend and fellow game enthusiast, Wendell (Amir Talai, "Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay"), Quincy sets out to find and stop Prodigy from qualifying for the Black Hole tournament. They are surprised to discover that Q's fierce online rival is not at all what they expected. Prodigy is a smart, shy teenage girl named Chris who is more comfortable destroying competitors in the virtual world than navigating through the perils of high school. With prodding from Wendell, Quincy takes a job as Chris' home economics teacher and unwittingly begins dating her mother, Tracy (Janet Varney, "Dinner and a Movie"), so that he may better "know thy enemy." But Quincy's plan to beat out his nemesis gets complicated when his relationship with Chris and her mother takes an unforeseen turn.
"Best Player" is executive produced by Lauren Levine, Marjorie Cohn and Jessica Rhoades. Also serving as executive producers are Sandy Climan and Christine Foy. The primetime movie is directed by Damon Santostefano and written by Rich Amberg. "Best Player" is produced by Pacific Bay Entertainment.
A leader in digital effects, Zoic Studios delivers the visually striking CG animation for Black Hole, the fictional multi-player video game featured in "Best Player." A wide array of effects, including 3-D animation and compositing, digital modeling, texturing and rigging and motion capture technology are used throughout the movie. Specializing in visual effects for film, television, commercials and video games, Zoic Studios' award-winning visual effects can be seen in feature films including "District 9" and "Zombieland"; the television series "Fringe," "Battlestar Galactica" and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and critically-acclaimed video games such as "Dead Space 2," "Medal of Honor," "Medal of Honor: Precision," "Twisted Metal" and "Guitar Hero Warriors of Rock."
On "iCarly," Jerry Trainor plays Carly's older brother Spencer Shay and Jennette McCurdy plays Sam Puckett, Carly's best friend. In 2010, the series was the number-one show on television among K6-11 and T9-14 and was the number-one live-action series with kids 2-11. Last year, more than 28 million total viewers tuned in to watch the hit series each week, including 10.2 million adults.
Jerry Trainor's portrayal of Spencer garnered a 2009 Teen Choice nomination for Choice TV Actor: Comedy and a nomination for Big Kid Award at the 2010 Australia Kids' Choice Awards, which Trainor also co-hosted. Trainor also stars as Dudley Puppy, a gung-ho, dim-witted dog who is recruited as a secret agent by the crime-fighting organization, T.U.F.F. (Turbo Undercover Fighting Force), in Nickelodeon's animated series "T.U.F.F. Puppy." Quarter-to-date, "T.U.F.F. Puppy" ranks as the number-two animated series with kids 2-11 on all TV (behind only "SpongeBob SquarePants").
Jennette McCurdy starred opposite internet sensation Lucas Cruikshank in the 2010 smash hit Nickelodeon original TV movie "Fred: The Movie" as Bertha, Fred Figglehorn's snarky and bluntly honest "frenemy." The movie drew 8.7 million total viewers and was the number-one TV cable movie with kids 6-11 and kids 2-11 and the year's number-two entertainment telecast (behind "iCarly"'s "iSaved Your Life") with kids 6-11 and kids 2-11 on all TV. A singer/songwriter, McCurdy is currently working on her debut country album which features several tracks co-written by the performer. Her next single, "Generation Love," will be released to country radio this spring with her first album to follow this fall. "AOL Music" recently listed the talented artist as one of the "21 Hottest Music Stars Under 21."
"Jennette and Jerry bring the same great comedic sensibility to this movie that has endeared them to leagues of "iCarly" fans," said Marjorie Cohn, President, Original Programming and Development, Nickelodeon. "Both are hugely talented and versatile actors and we think audiences will enjoy seeing them bring these new characters to life."
In "Best Player," Quincy is a thirty-something Chinese food delivery man by day and online video game master by night. Simply known as "Q" by fellow gaming enthusiasts, Quincy has dedicated his life to being the best cyber multi-player athlete online. Perfectly happy to live in a tricked-out basement in his parents' home, Quincy's world gets turned upside down when his parents decide to sell their house and move to Florida—without him. His only chance to maintain his "perfect" life is to enter a tournament introducing a brand-new video game, Black Hole, and win the prize money to buy his parents' house. As the current multi-player champion, Quincy thinks it's a done deal…until he encounters "Prodigy," who threatens to annihilate him.
With help from his friend and fellow game enthusiast, Wendell (Amir Talai, "Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay"), Quincy sets out to find and stop Prodigy from qualifying for the Black Hole tournament. They are surprised to discover that Q's fierce online rival is not at all what they expected. Prodigy is a smart, shy teenage girl named Chris who is more comfortable destroying competitors in the virtual world than navigating through the perils of high school. With prodding from Wendell, Quincy takes a job as Chris' home economics teacher and unwittingly begins dating her mother, Tracy (Janet Varney, "Dinner and a Movie"), so that he may better "know thy enemy." But Quincy's plan to beat out his nemesis gets complicated when his relationship with Chris and her mother takes an unforeseen turn.
"Best Player" is executive produced by Lauren Levine, Marjorie Cohn and Jessica Rhoades. Also serving as executive producers are Sandy Climan and Christine Foy. The primetime movie is directed by Damon Santostefano and written by Rich Amberg. "Best Player" is produced by Pacific Bay Entertainment.
A leader in digital effects, Zoic Studios delivers the visually striking CG animation for Black Hole, the fictional multi-player video game featured in "Best Player." A wide array of effects, including 3-D animation and compositing, digital modeling, texturing and rigging and motion capture technology are used throughout the movie. Specializing in visual effects for film, television, commercials and video games, Zoic Studios' award-winning visual effects can be seen in feature films including "District 9" and "Zombieland"; the television series "Fringe," "Battlestar Galactica" and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and critically-acclaimed video games such as "Dead Space 2," "Medal of Honor," "Medal of Honor: Precision," "Twisted Metal" and "Guitar Hero Warriors of Rock."
On "iCarly," Jerry Trainor plays Carly's older brother Spencer Shay and Jennette McCurdy plays Sam Puckett, Carly's best friend. In 2010, the series was the number-one show on television among K6-11 and T9-14 and was the number-one live-action series with kids 2-11. Last year, more than 28 million total viewers tuned in to watch the hit series each week, including 10.2 million adults.
Jerry Trainor's portrayal of Spencer garnered a 2009 Teen Choice nomination for Choice TV Actor: Comedy and a nomination for Big Kid Award at the 2010 Australia Kids' Choice Awards, which Trainor also co-hosted. Trainor also stars as Dudley Puppy, a gung-ho, dim-witted dog who is recruited as a secret agent by the crime-fighting organization, T.U.F.F. (Turbo Undercover Fighting Force), in Nickelodeon's animated series "T.U.F.F. Puppy." Quarter-to-date, "T.U.F.F. Puppy" ranks as the number-two animated series with kids 2-11 on all TV (behind only "SpongeBob SquarePants").
Jennette McCurdy starred opposite internet sensation Lucas Cruikshank in the 2010 smash hit Nickelodeon original TV movie "Fred: The Movie" as Bertha, Fred Figglehorn's snarky and bluntly honest "frenemy." The movie drew 8.7 million total viewers and was the number-one TV cable movie with kids 6-11 and kids 2-11 and the year's number-two entertainment telecast (behind "iCarly"'s "iSaved Your Life") with kids 6-11 and kids 2-11 on all TV. A singer/songwriter, McCurdy is currently working on her debut country album which features several tracks co-written by the performer. Her next single, "Generation Love," will be released to country radio this spring with her first album to follow this fall. "AOL Music" recently listed the talented artist as one of the "21 Hottest Music Stars Under 21."