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Punk'd is an American hidden camera-practical joke reality television series that first aired on MTV in 2003 and was created by Ashton Kutcher and Jason Goldberg, and produced and hosted by Ashton Kutcher. It bore a resemblance to both the classic hidden camera show Candid Camera and to TV's Bloopers & Practical Jokes, which also featured pranks on celebrities. Being "punk'd" referred to being the victim of such a prank.

The series finale aired on MTV on May 29, 2007. The series culminated in early June with the Punk'd Awards.^[1]

After a five-year hiatus, the series was revived with a March 29, 2012 premiere. The revived series will be hosted by different celebrity guests each week.^[2]

History and format[link]

Originally, Ashton Kutcher and MTV were developing a series called Harassment, a hidden camera show which would feature pranks on regular people. However, a January 2002 prank involving a fake dead body at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas backfired and the couple who were targets of the prank sued Kutcher, MTV and the hotel for $10 million.^[3] The concept was later retooled to involve celebrities instead. Pranks would be set at a variety of locations, public and private. The show's first prank was set at singer Justin Timberlake's home, where he was led to believe that government agents were seizing his home and valuables because of unpaid income taxes. The prank was named by Time magazine as #3 in their list of 32 Epic Moments in Reality-TV History.^[4] Furthermore, Ashton Kutcher's prank on Justin Timberlake was Ashton Kutcher's first prank of the show and there was a celebrity scandal that led Timberlake to stop smoking marijuana after the prank. During the prank Timberlake was high according to Starplus Online^[5] Kutcher would sometimes use real-life current events as elements in his pranks, as when he punked tennis player Andy Roddick, who was scheduled to appear on The Tonight Show, by convincing him that his automobile was trapped by the Los Angeles mudslides. Kutcher sometimes sets his pranks where his targets work, such as on the sets of movies, TV shows, and music videos. As one example, Kutcher pulled a prank on The Rock, who was filming the movie Be Cool, by convincing him that his trailer was destroyed. As another example, Kutcher punk'd Kanye West by convincing him that he could not shoot his music video for "Jesus Walks" on Sundays without a permit. Kutcher has also done holiday-themed pranks, as when he punk'd Beyoncé Knowles into thinking she knocked over a 50-foot (15 m) Christmas Tree, or when he pulled a prank on Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz into thinking he derailed a train at a Christmas festival. After the joke progresses to a point, usually with the celebrity having become angry or frustrated at the outrageousness of the situation, Kutcher or one of the actors will announce to the surprised victim that they just had a practical joke played on them, usually with use of the catchphrase, "You just got punk'd!", or by revealing a large sign or banner to that effect. Each half-hour episode usually features three pranks.

A frequent segment during the first two seasons was a Punk'd cast member pretending to interview celebrities at red carpet events, only to mock them instead. This segment closely copies what originated on The Howard Stern Show in the 1980s, when Stern and his writers began sending interns (most notably Stuttering John Melendez) to ask celebrities embarrassing questions on the red carpet.^[6] During the first season then-fifteen-year-old Ryan Pinkston posed as a reporter from a children's television program, and would insult the celebrities.^[7] During season two, the producers then chose a foreign interviewer accompanied by her interpreter who would then ask inane questions to the guests.

Revival[link]

In October 2010, New York Magazine revealed that Punk'd was being revived with Justin Bieber replacing Kutcher as the host; however it stated that Kutcher would remain as executive producer.^[8]

The first episode of the ninth season, featuring Bieber as a guest host, was filmed in late August 2011. On December 31, 2011, MTV confirmed that the series would be revived in 2012, and that a different celebrity guest host would be featured each episode. Confirmed celebrity guest hosts include Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus, Hayden Panettiere, Heather Morris, Kellan Lutz, Bam Margera, Dax Shepard, Tyler, the Creator, and Nick Cannon while celebrities that have been "punked" for the revival include Khloe Kardashian, Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens,Kelly Osbourne, Taylor Swift, Demi Lovato, Miley Cyrus, Liam Hemsworth, Tyler, The Creator, Dianna Agron, Ronnie Ortiz-Magro, Lauren Conrad, Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi, Josh Hutcherson, Tyler Posey,Ashley Tisdale,The Wanted, and Scott Disick. They have also confirmed that Kutcher will remain as executive producer for the revival. The series returned on March 29, 2012.^{[9][dated info]}

Failed and unattempted "punks"[link]

While the pranks most of the time are successful, some pranks actually have failed.

• In December 2003, Kutcher attempted to "punk" then-WWE wrestler Bill Goldberg by having a truck run over an exact replica of his prized motorcycle, but the stunt went wrong when the truck clearly missed the bike. When the bike spontaneously exploded without any visible reason, Goldberg realized what was going on, and asked, "Who do I get to kill first?" as Kutcher revealed himself, knowing the joke had failed. It aired on the season 2 finale.
• Michael Vartan and Pamela Anderson both deny ever being fooled. Anderson's punk involved convincing her that a porn movie was being shot in her back garden. She explained that she realized it was a prank when she confronted a nude model on the premises.^[10]
• Kutcher has claimed that he himself is "unpunkable." In the first season, he was "punked" as he had to keep walking through the metal detector at MTV Studios. It went off again and again despite the strip-searching and repeated pat-downs by the guard. They got Kutcher all the way down to his underwear. The second time, his crew attempted to punk him using Britney Spears, but Kutcher got wise to the plot and convinced Spears to help him turn the tables on his own crew.
• In the March 2012 series revival premiere, celebrity host Justin Bieber attempted to punk professional skateboarder Rob Dyrdek by creating a staged argument between a man and woman near his table at a restaurant. Following the argument, Dyrdek immediately stated "Are we on Punk'd? Cause that shit is fake as fuck." The prank was then canceled and the same prank was later successfully performed by Bieber and Dyrdek on musician Sean Kingston.
• During his interview of Kutcher for Interview, actor Brad Pitt advised Kutcher not to prank his Ocean's Eleven co-star George Clooney, a notorious expert prankster himself. Pitt told Kutcher, "Don't do it. Don't ever go near it. Clooney will kill you and everything you love. I know it's tempting, but don't do it."^[11]
• Talk show host Ellen DeGeneres has stated that she does not wish to be Punk'd, and is so paranoid that she often assumes she is being Punk'd whenever any suspicious or out of the ordinary mishap occurs. For example, if a valet were to give her the wrong car when leaving a restaurant, which Kutcher's crew members did to Simon Cowell during the Season 5 Premiere.^[12]
• On May 24, 2012, Heather Morris tried "punking" Joe Jonas by arriving at a house and helping "burglars" rob the house. When Joe and his friend Ashley Benson arrived, one of the "burglars" asks him to carry a TV into a white van. Later, Joe walks into the house and sees "victims" tied up. One tied to a fridge and another hog tied on the ground. Joe and his friend walk in. Joe with a smirk on his face. A "security guard" comes in and asks for information and asks what Joe's name was and Joe replies, "Tom Cruze". Again with a smirk. The Security Guard asks what Joe's e-mail address was and Joe types in "Nice try, Home Boy". Finally, The "Security Guard" asks, "What are you doing here?" Joe Jonas simply replies, "I came to this house to get Punk'd and you guys did a pretty good job". The whole crew are speechless. Joe and his friend leaves and says to his friend, "I knew it was a reality show because I saw a hidden camera in the van and I knew something was sketchy." Heather Morris and the crew pulls the plug on this failed Punk'd attempt.

Controversy and conflict[link]

• Alias star Michael Vartan reportedly refused to sign the release after being punked by Kutcher, preventing the prank from airing. However, Vartan denies ever being punked, and claims that the story was completely false.^[13]
• Scrubs star Zach Braff was involved in a prank with teenagers vandalizing his car. Braff was so furious that he proceeded to, in his own words, "pummel" a twelve-year old.^[14]

Episodes[link]

Celebrities who have been Punk'd[link]

• List of celebrities who have been Punk'd by name

Syndication[link]

Reruns began airing on TV Guide Channel in 2009 and PMC (with Persian dubbing) on November 20, 2010.

International versions[link]

• An Icelandic version of the show, Tekinn, hosted by Auðunn Blöndal, premiered on Sirkus TV in fall 2006.
• A Norwegian version, Lurt av Karlsen hosted by Jan Fredrik Karlsen, premiered on TV2 4. march 2010.
• A Hong Kong version, Whatever Things!, was hosted by Edison Chen, in which he pranked famous Asian artists like Vanness Wu.
• A Dutch version, Gotcha was hosted by Georgina Verbaan for the first season and Tatum Dagelet for the second.
• An Arab version called الكاميرا الخفية (The Hidden Camera).
• An Indian version called MTV Bakra was initiated by Cyrus Broacha airing from 2007.
• In Iraq there was a show, Put Him in Bucca, where fake bombs were planted in celebrities cars and they were threatened with death and prison.
• In Romania there is a show broadcast and produced by Intact Media Group, who run host TV station Antena 1. It is called "Plasa de stele" (A trap for stars) and it has been broadcast for over 2 years. It is hosted by Dan Negru
• In the Philippines a version of the show called "Victim" was a short lived Prank show pranking celebrities the host was Actor/Model/VJ/Fitness Guru/singer Carlos Agassi the show lasted for one season and in one year in 2005-2006 on ABS-CBN and re-aired on sister networks Studio 23 and MTV Philippines (Now MTV Asia)
• In Japan the show is called ドッキリ　パニックフェイス (Surprise Panic Face) where famous comedians and celebrities are punk'd.
• In Canada the show is broadcast on MuchMusic.

See also[link]

• The Jamie Kennedy Experiment – a similar television show

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Punk'd at the Internet Movie Database
• Punk'd at TV.com

Ashley Tisdale
Tisdale during the signing event for Sharpay's Fabulous Adventure in Madrid, Spain on May 23, 2011
Background information
Birth name	Ashley Michelle Tisdale
Born	(1985-07-02) July 2, 1985 (age 26) Deal, New Jersey, U.S.
Genres	Pop, dance pop, teen pop, pop rock[1]
Occupations	Actress, singer, songwriter, spokesperson, voice actress, executive producer
Instruments	Vocals[1]
Years active	1997–present
Labels	Warner Bros.
Website	ashleytisdale.com File:Signature of Ashley Tisdale.svg

Ashley Michelle Tisdale (born July 2, 1985) is an American actress and singer who rose to prominence portraying the candy-counter girl Maddie Fitzpatrick in Disney Channel's The Suite Life of Zack & Cody and the female antagonist Sharpay Evans in the High School Musical film series. The High School Musical series became a successful franchise which included two television films, a feature movie, a spin-off and numerous soundtrack albums. The popularity earned by Tisdale in High School Musical led her to sign a solo record deal with Warner Bros. Records in 2006. Her debut album Headstrong, was released in February 2007, and debuted at number five in the U.S. chart and sold 64,000 copies in the first week. It was later certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America. A second studio album, Guilty Pleasure, was released in 2009.

Tisdale owns a production company and has worked as an executive producer in movies which included the ABC Family television film Picture This. Tisdale has a prominent voice role as Candace Flynn in Disney Channel's Phineas & Ferb, a cartoon which became television's most-watched animated series among kids and tweens and had been met with acclaim by critics.^[2][3][4] In 2009, she was cast in her first major broadcast role in The CW's television series Hellcats as Savannah Monroe, an intense and very religious cheerleader.

Early life[link]

Tisdale was born in West Deal, New Jersey on July 2, 1985,^[5] to Lisa (née Morris) and Mike Tisdale, the manager of a construction company. Her elder sister, Jennifer Tisdale, is an actress. Through her grandfather, Tisdale is related to businessman Ron Popeil.^[6] She grew up in Ocean Township. She is Jewish on her mother's side and was raised with "a little bit of both" of her parents' religions.^[7]

At the age of three, Tisdale met her current manager, Bill Perlman, at a New Jersey mall. He sent her to numerous auditions for commercials, resulting in her placement in more than 100 national network TV ads as a kid.^[9] She began her theatrical career by appearing in Gypsy: A Musical Fable and The Sound of Music at Monmouth County's Jewish Community Center.^[5][10]

At the age of eight, she was cast to play the part of Cosette in a national touring production of the musical Les Misérables. "When I was little, I saw the play Les Misérables on Broadway, I thought it was the most amazing thing I have ever seen so I went to my manager and told him I wanted to be in it", said Tisdale in an interview to Newsday in 2007.^[8] She also claims to have had only a single singing lesson before landing the role.^[8] Tisdale toured for two years on Les Misérables^[11] before landing a role in an international touring production of Annie^[9] in Korea.^[12] At the age of twelve, Tisdale sang at the White House for President Bill Clinton.^[5]

Career[link]

1997–2006[link]

Tisdale performing at the High School Musical: The Concert tour in 2006.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Tisdale had minor roles in several television shows such as The Hughleys, Smart Guy, 7th Heaven, Boston Public and Bette and in the feature films A Bug's Life and Donnie Darko.^[9] During this time, she simultaneously worked as a Ford Model.^[6] For her role in Boston Public, she received a 2000 Young Artist Award nomination for "Best Guest Performance In a TV drama".^[13]

In 2004, she was cast as the teenage candy-counter girl Maddie Fitzpatrick in the Disney Channel series The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, which premiered in March 2005 and ended in 2008.^[6] She later won her first award at the UK Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards for "Best TV Actress", due to her performance as Fitzpatrick.^[14][6]

Although the producers of the Disney Channel Original Movie High School Musical did not initially consider her because of her "good-girl image" on The Suite Life, Tisdale was eventually cast as the popular, narcissistic high school student Sharpay Evans in the 2006 film.^[8] High School Musical became Disney Channel's most watched movie that year, with 7.7 million viewers in its US premiere broadcast.^[15] The soundtrack, in which Tisdale lent her vocals for several songs, became the top-selling album in the United States that year.^[16] Tisdale became the first female artist to debut with two songs simultaneously on the Billboard Hot 100 chart with "What I've Been Looking For" and "Bop to the Top", both tracks from the film's soundtrack.^[9] Due to the popularity earned by Tisdale through her performance in High School Musical, Warner Bros. Records signed her for a recording contract in July 2006 and she started working on her debut album.^[17]

2007–09[link]

Tisdale performing at the opening of the first Microsoft Store in Scottsdale, Arizona, in October 2009.

Headstrong is Tisdale's US Gold-certified^[18] debut album, released in February 2007 via Warner Bros,^[19] which debuted at number five on the Billboard 200, with 64,000 copies sold in that week.^[19] "Be Good to Me" was released as the album's first single in the December 2006 and "He Said She Said" was released as the second, in September 2007. In 2008, "Not Like That" and "Suddenly" were released as singles in a selective number of countries that did not include North America.^[20][21] A music DVD entitled There's Something About Ashley followed the release of her debut album, with a three-song trilogy comprising music videos and a documentary about the creation of Headstrong.^[22]

Tisdale performing "Headstrong" during High School Musical: The Concert

The success of the first High School Musical film led Tisdale to reprise the role in the 2007 sequel High School Musical 2. She lent vocals for several tracks in the film's soundtrack^[8] and her performance in High School Musical 2 was critically acclaimed by many media outlets such as The Hollywood Reporter.^[23][24][25] Even more successful than the first film, High School Musical 2 became the most-watched cable-television movie, receiving 17 million viewers on its premiere night.^[26] Also in 2007, Tisdale was given the voice role of Candace Flynn, the series' secondary antagonist, in Phineas and Ferb, which became television's most-watched animated series among kids and tweens^[2] and had very positive reviews.^[3][4]

As a producer,^[27] Tisdale formed her own production company in 2008 and named it Blondie Girl Productions.^[28] The 2008 ABC Family Original Movie Picture This marked Tisdale's debut as an executive producer and also in a leading role, in which she played Mandy Gilbert, an unpopular and bullied teenager.^[29] The film captured 4.3 million total viewers in its debut night.^[30]

Tisdale reprised her role as Sharpay Evans in the 2008 Walt Disney Pictures feature film High School Musical 3: Senior Year.^[6] Her performance in the film earned her an MTV Movie Award for "Breakthrough Performance Female" in 2009.^[31] and acclaim by critics including Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly, who labeled her one of film's breakout stars and said her portrayal of Evans makes "narcissism a goofy, bedazzled pleasure",^[32] and Mark Kermode, who said Tisdale is 2008's "best supporting actress".^[33] High School Musical 3 earned $42 million in its domestic opening weekend, which became the biggest opening for a musical film.^[34]

Her second studio album, Guilty Pleasure, was released in 2009.^[35] Described by Tisdale as a "rocker and edgier" album,^[36] it generated mixed reviews, with a 54% rating on Metacritic,^[37] and Billboard claimed the album "doesn't give the singer room to comfortably let loose".^[38] Guilty Pleasure debuted at number twelve on the Billboard 200, selling 25,000 copies in its first week, archiving a low commercial performance in comparison with her debut album.^[39] The song "It's Alright, It's OK" was released as the album's lead single in April in airplay and digital formats^[36] and a second single, "Crank It Up", was later released in October.^[40]

Tisdale starred in the 2009 20th Century Fox family feature film Aliens in the Attic as Bethany Pearson,^[41] the elder sister of the family and although she is credited as one of the main characters, The New York Times said Tisdale "spends much of the film off screen".^[42] The film was a minor success in box office, grossing $60 million worldwide.^[43]

2010–present[link]

Tisdale during the filming of the TV series Hellcats in 2010

Tisdale's return into broadcast television occurred in 2010 when her involvement in The CW Television Network drama series Hellcats was announced in March by The Hollywood Reporter, that reported Tisdale had signed on to co-star on her first major broadcast series role as Savannah Monroe, the peppy and fiercely intense captain of the Hellcats.^[44] The series had its script based on the book Cheer: Inside the Secret World of College Cheerleaders by journalist Kate Torgovnick and was described as "Election meets Bring It On" by critics.^[45][46] Hellcats, however, had only one full season as it was cancelled by The CW in 2011.^[47] She had vocal roles in several TV cartoons, during 2010, including The Cleveland Show,^[48] Family Guy^[49] and Glenn Martin, DDS.^[50] A guest appearance in an episode of Raising Hope and a starring role in a CBS pilot produced by Louis C.K., which has not been picked up by the channel, followed in 2012.^[51][52]

A High School Musical spin-off entitled Sharpay's Fabulous Adventure, released directly in DVD, featured Tisdale reprising her role as Sharpay Evans and also serving as the executive producer.^[53][54] The Disney Channel Original Movie captured 5 million viewers on its premiere night on Disney Channel.^[55] Tisdale voiced Candance Flynn in the 2011's Phineas and Ferb movie that premiered on Disney Channel with 7.6 million viewers on its debut night.^[56]

During 2011, Tisdale started focusing on her career as a television and film producer. Her production company Blondie Girl Productions signed a multiyear production deal with Relativity Media in 2010, to create, develop and executive produce a series.^[28] Tisdale has been working in a film for Disney Channel titled Adventure Quest,^[57] a project for Nickelodeon,^[58] a Bravo TV reality show titled Miss Advised,^[59] an upcoming television series based on Laurie Faria Stolarz's book Blue Is for Nightmares,^[60] three digital series,^[61] and a drama project for ABC Family.^[62]

Musical style[link]

Her music is predominantly pop^[1] and has included ballads and pop rock.^[63] Love and heartbreak are major themes in Tisdale's songs and her output makes use of electronic instruments such as drum machines and electric guitars. She co-wrote several songs on her studio albums.^[64][65][66] Her musical influences include Britney Spears,^[1] Christina Aguilera,^[1] Lindsay Lohan,^[1] Avril Lavigne,^[1] Kelly Clarkson,^[67] The Used,^[67] Boys Like Girls,^[67] Michael Jackson,^[68] My Chemical Romance,^[69] Lady Gaga,^[70] and Fergie^[71] and in an AOL interview, Tisdale said, "I’ve been a big fan of Pink ever since she started. I love Katy Perry’s sense of humor and her pop/rock feel. I love Pat Benatar's music. I’m inspired by all these women when I’m going into the studio, but almost anything inspires me."^[72]

Public image and personal life[link]

Tisdale posing for a fan picture at the 2008 "Jingle Ball" sponsored by Philadelphia's WIOQ.

Tisdale is represented by Creative Artists Agency.^[73] In 2007, Tisdale appeared in a promotional campaign for Staples Inc.'s "Geared 4 School" sweepstakes and appeared in promotional campaigns for Eckō Red clothing brand, that included a mall tour in the US which performances in fashion shows hosted at each.^[22] She appeared in commercials for T-Mobile and Toys "R" Us. She was ranked #10 in Maxim's 2008 Hot 100 list and was ranked #94 on Forbes' 2008 Celebrity 100 list.^[74][75] In 2008, Tisdale was ranked #17 in "Forbes' High Earners Under 30" list and earned $2.8 million from High School Musical 3.^[76] She also teamed up with Huckleberry Toys to produce a limited quantity of dolls modeled after her.^[77] She was the face of Degree Girl in the U.S. and recorded several commercials and songs to promote the product.^[78] In 2009, Tisdale signed a five-year endorsement contract with Italian clothes line, Puerco Espin^[79] and became a volunteer for the 2009 "Get on the Bus" charity campaign.^[80] In 2011, she joined Got Milk? campaign.^[81]

Tisdale was romantically involved with Jared Murillo and ended their relationship in March 2009.^[82] In March 2007, Tisdale told Blender she was drug and alcohol-free, and does not smoke and went on to add, "my mom really instilled confidence in me, so I'm not somebody who'd be under peer pressure".^[83]

Tisdale underwent a septoplasty procedure in November 2007 to correct her partially deviated septum. According to Tisdale, this was done for "health-related reasons and not out of a belief in plastic surgery". The procedure corrected two small fractures in her nose which were interfering with her breathing. She spoke to People magazine about the surgery, saying that it was important to her to be honest with her fans.^[84]

From 2009^[85] to 2011,^[86] Tisdale was in a relationship with the music video director Scott Speer.^[85] Tisdale posed nude for the May 2011 issue of Allure magazine. She was quoted as saying that "being in this shoot was me saying, ‘I’m not just the young girl everybody thinks I am. I’m actually a woman.’”^[87][88]

Filmography[link]

Films[link]

Television[link]

Discography[link]

• Headstrong (2007)
• Guilty Pleasure (2009)

Awards and nominations[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Ashley Tisdale

Media related to Ashley Tisdale at Wikimedia Commons

• Official website
• Ashley Tisdale at the Internet Movie Database
• Ashley Tisdale at TV.com
• Ashley Tisdale at YouTube

This Awards and achievements succession box's factual accuracy may be compromised due to out-of-date information. Please help improve the article by updating it. There may be additional information on the talk page. (April 2012)

Miley Cyrus
Cyrus at the 2012 People's Choice Awards
Background information
Birth name	Destiny Hope Cyrus
Born	(1992-11-23) November 23, 1992 (age 19) Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.[1]
Genres	Pop,[2] country pop, dance, electropop, teen pop
Occupations	Actress, musician
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, piano
Years active	2001–present
Labels	Walt Disney, Hollywood
Associated acts	Hannah Montana, Billy Ray Cyrus, Demi Lovato
Website	MileyCyrus.com Signature of Miley Cyrus.

Miley Ray Cyrus (born Destiny Hope Cyrus; November 23, 1992) is an American actress and pop singer-songwriter. She achieved wide fame for her role as Miley Stewart/Hannah Montana on the Disney Channel sitcom Hannah Montana.