'iCarly' star set for Nick spin-off
Jennette McCurdy will continue Sam Puckett character.
NEW YORK - Nickelodeon's hit show
iCarly
made Jennette McCurdy a star, and although the show will have its series finale in November, the 20-year-old doesn't have to worry about what comes next.
The network has tapped McCurdy and actress Ariana Grande to star in a spin-off tentatively titled Sam & Cat. The series will follow the girls' characters, Sam Puckett from iCarly and Cat Valentine from Victorious, as they become roommates and start a baby-sitting business.
Sam & Cat will be produced by Dan Schneider, who is behind Nickelodeon shows iCarly, Victorious, Zoey 101, and Drake & Josh.
"I couldn't be under a better person's wing, so I'm really happy about that decision," McCurdy said in a recent interview. "I haven't seen a script . . . so I'm dying for information."
McCurdy says that taping the series finale of iCarly was emotional.
"The last day of shooting was really sad. There was a lot of crying and there were a lot of hugs going around. None of us wanted to say goodbye, really."
Besides acting, McCurdy loves singing. She recorded a self-titled album with Capitol Records Nashville, but is no longer under contract with that label.
"I knew that I was starting this show and I needed to be focused on that," she said. "I didn't want any one thing to get too muddied with the others. Hopefully a different label will like to sign me."
She has spoken with Schneider about incorporating her music into Sam & Cat.
McCurdy hopes that celebrities will appear on the new show, as they did on iCarly, which included guest spots by first lady Michelle Obama, One Direction, and Jane Lynch.
Who would be her ideal guest star?
"Andrew Garfield. I'm gonna marry him," she said with a laugh. "In my dreams, maybe. Sorry, Emma Stone. Emma Stone was on iCarly. If she sees this, she's gonna kill me. Oh my goodness. No. I love him though. I love his face. I love his hair! 'Andrew Garfield, I love you.' "