Nickelodeon and the White House are joining forces to bring awareness to ways kids can support U.S. military families with a special episode of iCarly, featuring the First Lady of the United States Michelle Obama, premiering Monday, Jan. 16, at 7:30 p.m. (ET/PT). Leading up to the debut of iCarly ”iMeet the First Lady,” the stars of the hit series will appear at four screening events for military families across the country.

Nickelodeon will be hosting screening events at the following locations:

• Monday, Jan. 9 – Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in Miramar, Calif.
• Wednesday, Jan. 11 – Naval Submarine Base New London in Groton, Conn.
• Thursday, Jan. 12 – Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in Fort Dix, N.J.
• Friday, Jan. 13 – Hayfield Secondary School in Alexandria, Va.

“Having Mrs. Obama guest star on iCarly as part of Joining Forces, an initiative that supports and honors military families, was a great honor,” said Marjorie Cohn, President, Original Programming and Development, Nickelodeon.  “Her appearance helps us teach kids how important friendship and support are to military kids and their families. Plus, not only was the First Lady completely at ease when acting, she also showed some serious moves when she joined the iCarly gang in a bit of Random Dancing!”

“iMeet the First Lady” will be preceded by a special dedication from the iCarly cast and Mrs. Obama to military families. Immediately following the premiere, Nickelodeon will debut a PSA that features ways kids can show their thanks and support. For more information, visit www.thebighelp.com.

Mrs. Obama watches iCarly with her daughters and chose to appear on the show because the lead character, Carly Shay (played by Miranda Cosgrove), is the daughter of an Air Force Colonel currently serving overseas in the military. In “iMeet the First Lady,” Mrs. Obama talks to Carly about her service to America as a member of a military family and thank her friends for supporting Carly during her father’s deployment.

In the episode, Carly and Spencer are excited that their dad is returning from active duty in time to celebrate his birthday and they begin planning a party to commemorate the occasion.  Unfortunately, Colonel Shay is deployed again and must cancel his trip home. Carly is devastated when she learns that she won’t be able to spend her dad’s birthday with him.  To cheer Carly up, the gang surprises her during their next iCarly webcast by transmitting a live feed to Colonel Shay.

The webcast catches the attention of high-level government agencies and results in an unexpected visit from Mrs. Obama. Having seen the webcast, Mrs. Obama is moved by what Sam, Freddie, and Gibby did for Carly and commends Carly for being such a strong and supportive daughter to a father in the service. iCarly series creator and executive producer Dan Schneider makes his first cameo appearance on the show as a Secret Service agent.

Nickelodeon’s multi-platform offerings for “iMeet the First Lady” include highlights from the episode on Nick.com and the special will also be available for purchase in HD via iTunes, Xbox, Vudu, Samsung, PlayStation and Amazon, beginning Tuesday, Jan 17.

Joining Forces is an organization spearheaded by Mrs. Obama and Dr. Jill Biden, who have been leaders in supporting our nation’s military families and advocating for their priorities. The initiative aims to educate, challenge, and spark action from all sectors of our society – citizens, communities, businesses, non-profits, faith based institutions, philanthropic organizations, and government – to ensure military families have the support they have earned.

Joining Forces was created to address the unique challenges and needs of military families that Mrs. Obama and Dr. Biden have heard firsthand during meetings with military spouses, briefings with military leaders, and many visits to military communities at home and abroad, and through their work on military family priorities.

Building on this groundwork, the initiative will focus on key priority areas – employment, education, and wellness, while engaging in a comprehensive effort to raise awareness about the service, sacrifice, and needs of military families.

Image Courtesy of  http://www.flickr.com/photos/barackobamadotcom/

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