'Elena and the Secret of Avalor' Set to Premiere November 20, Cast Includes Sara Ramirez, Ana Ortiz, Darcy Rose Byrnes

Elena and the Secret of Avalor premieres November 20.

Elena and the Secret of Avalor, a special television movie event, premieres as a special simulcast Sunday, November 20 at 7 p.m. ET, on Disney Channel and Disney Junior. The TV movie tells the backstory of how Elena was imprisoned in her magical amulet by the evil sorceress Shuriki, voiced by legendary actress Jane Fonda, and eventually set free by Princess Sofia of Enchancia. Elena's anthem "My Time," performed by Aimee Carrero (voice of Princess Elena), makes its debut in the special TV movie. Elena and the Secret of Avalor will also be available on the Disney Channel and Disney Junior apps and Disney Channel VOD beginning Sunday, November 20.

On October 18, Disney Publishing will release a hardcover picture book titled "Elena of Avalor: Elena and the Secret of Avalor."

In addition to Carrero and Fonda, the voice cast includes: Ariel Winter as Sofia; Sara Ramirez as Queen Miranda; Chris Parnell, Yvette Nicole Brown and Carlos Alazraqui as the jaquins Migs, Luna and Skylar, respectively; Jenna Ortega as Princess Isabel; Ana Ortiz as Rafa; Darcy Rose Byrnes as Princess Amber; Tyler Merna as Prince James; Travis Willingham as King Roland; Barbara Dirickson as Flora; Emiliano Díez as Francisco; Julia Vera as Luisa; Christian Lanz as Chancellor Esteban; Jillian Rose Reed as Naomi; Joseph Haro as Mateo; Jorge Diaz as Gabe; Keith Ferguson as Zuzo; and Joe Nunez as Armando.

Elena and the Secret of Avalor combines the creative teams from Sofia the First and Elena of Avalor. The TV movie was written by Craig Gerber and directed by Jamie Mitchell, both of whom serve as executive producers. John Kavanaugh serves as songwriter/music director and Kevin Kliesch is the composer. "Elena and the Secret of Avalor" is a production of Disney Television Animation and carries a TV-Y parental guideline.

For 2016 to date, Elena of Avalor and Sofia the First have reached 75 million Total Viewers, generated 51 million consumer engagements on the Disney Channel/Disney Junior apps, and rank among the Top 5 animated cable TV series in Kids 2-11 and across kids cable networks in Total Viewers. Furthermore, "Sofia the First" is the No. 1 cable TV series among Girls 2-5.

Disney Channel Previews 'Stuck in the Middle' Tonight, Starring 'General Hospital's' Nicolas Bechtel

Nicolas Bechtel and Malachi Barton. Photo Credit: Disney Channel/
Eric McCandless

Disney Channel is airing a sneak peak of its upcoming series Stuck in the Middle on Sunday, February 15 at 8:45 p.m. ET/PT (the episode repeats at 11 p.m. ET/PT). General Hospital actor Nicolas Bechtel (Spencer Cassadine) plays Lewie Diaz, the twin brother of Beast.

In Stuck in the Middle, being a middle child isn't easy, as tween Harley Diaz can tell you. The inventive girl feels the need to come up with creative ways to stand out in her family's crowded home, where she lives with her parents and six siblings, to avoid getting lost in the madness. The series, told from Harley's point of view, tends to find humor in the otherwise mundane happenings of everyday life. The menagerie that is the Diaz children includes self-involved Rachel, basketball-playing Georgie, invincible twins Lewie and ``Beast,'' strong-willed youngster Daphne, and Ethan, Harley's closest ally.

Watch a sneak peek below.

NEWS: Peter Reckell, Disney Subscriber Losses, 'Empire' Online Store, Bryan Cranston

Peter Reckell on shooting the death of Bo Brady on Days of our Lives
“What’s keeping me from saying, ‘Killing Bo? That’s not a good idea,’ is … what I discovered over the past three years, and that is being a dad,” Reckell tells Soap Opera Digest. "And the important role I have in my daughter’s life…. As important and as wonderful and inspirational as being Bo Brady is, this job of being Loden’s dad is more important to me at this time.”

Being Mary Jane is redefining single womanhood
Creator Mara Brock Akil intentionally kept her title character single. "The working title of this was Single Black Female, because sometimes we’re reduced to those three words,” she says.

Jane the Virgin's is portraying a radically frank depiction of early motherhood
“The truly radical thing about this season of Jane the Virgin,” says Kathryn VanArendonk, "has been how much of these first episodes have been about the unavoidable, unglamorous, and absolutely life-consuming physical reality of new motherhood. Jane Villanueva uses a breast pump. Frequently. She worries about her milk supply. Her body does not bounce back instantly. She is exhausted, and her baby’s presence is a new constant in her life.”

NBC is developing a college sex scandal drama
Fated will revolve around a sex scandal connecting the university’s president and head football coach, who are brothers.

Robert Rorke complains that primetime's "high brow" dramas are turning into daytime soap operas
The New York Post writers says: "Bringing characters back from the dead? That’s the kind of plot device usually found on daytime drama to goose ratings and arouse sleepy fans. So when did shows such as Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead become soap operas on par with Days of our Lives, which famously brought back notorious villain Stefano DiMera (Joseph Mascolo) from the grave, or The Young and the Restless, which killed off Adam Newman and revived him — with another actor (Justin Hartley) playing the role?"

Disney Suffers Severe Cable Subscriber Losses
The Walt Disney Company has lost 7 million subscribers to its cable networks in the last two years, according to a regulatory filing posted by the company Wednesday. Among the networks posting losses is ESPN, which at 92 million subscribers is down from the 95 million reported in 2013. Disney Channel, Disney XD and ABC Family, all Disney-owned, each had 4-5 million lost subscribers over the two year period, according to the company’s annual 10K report.

FOX has launched the official Empire online store
The store, which boasts show-inspired apparel (like a skirt-and-crop-top outfit and colorful jersey dresses), show quote tops ("Porsha, get my damn shoe!"), and more items. To celebrate the opening, Fox is hosting a contest that includes a $1,000 shopping spree to shop the store. (For those who don't win, there's still good news: the store's currently running a sale, with items up to 40% off!)

Freak TV: Welcome to the Golden Age of Weird
From BoJack Horseman to Broad City, television programming has become more bizarre – and better – than ever.

Bryan Cranston Cries While Watching Emotional Breaking Bad Clip: "I Saw My Daughter's Face"
On Wednesday's Inside the Actors Studio, Bryan Cranston got emotional when explaining his thought process behind a pivotal Breaking Bad scene.

On the James Lipton-hosted Bravo show, Cranston watched a clip of his character, Walter White, choosing not to help save Jesse Pinkman's (Aaron Paul) girlfriend Jane (Krysten Ritter), instead letting her choke on her own vomit. According to Cranston, shooting the scene was surprisingly tough on him.

Watch below:

Disney Channel Orders 'Stuck In The Middle' Starring Jenna Ortega, Nicolas Bechtel

Jenna Ortega, Nicolas Bechtel

Disney Channel has ordered the family comedy series Stuck In The Middle, starring Jenna Ortega (Young Jane, Jane the Virgin) as Harley Diaz, an engineering whiz who uses her inventions to navigate life as the middle child in a family of seven kids. Playing her siblings are Ronni Hawk as Rachel, Kayla Maisonet as Georgie, Isaak Presley as Grant, Nicolas Bechtel (Spencer, General Hospital) as Danny, Malachi Barton as Beast and Ariana Greenblatt as Daphne. Production begins this November for a Spring 2016 premiere.

Stuck In The Middle, a single-camera family comedy, centers around the Diaz family and is told from the point-of-view of the middle child - Harley. Her overlooked status proves to be both a blessing and a curse as she maneuvers her way through the everyday antics that come with being part of a big family.

Ortega and Bechtel also starred together last year in FOX's Rake.

Linda Videtti Figueiredo (Rules of Engagement and Last Man Standing) will serve as Executive Producer/Showrunner. The pilot teleplay was written by Alison Brown (Dog With A Blog) and Linda Videtti Figueiredo and story is by Alison Brown.

Derek Theler and Melissa Peterman Will Appear on 'General Hospital' February 13

Derek Theler and Melissa Peterman

Derek Theler and Melissa Peterman, who play Danny and Bonnie Wheel on ABC Family comedy Baby Daddy, will guest star on the February 13th episode of General Hospital.

According to Entertainment Weekly, the actors will appear on a Valentine’s Day-themed episode.

Spoiler Alert!

When Olivia (Lisa LoCicero) has a surprise visitor from her Bensonhurst days, Melissa Santoro Picard (Peterman), it quickly becomes clear that Olivia is upset on V-day because she’s carrying a torch for Ned… who is carrying a torch for Alexis… who is carrying a torch for Julian. (Soaps, right?) Melissa sets out to give Ned a piece of her mind over the way he's treated Olivia and is surprised to find a familiar face working at the Quartermaine mansion.

Meanwhile, Dr. Patrick Drake (Jason Thompson) is called to consult on a case at the last minute, delaying his date at the Metro Court with Sam (Monaco). His colleague, Derek (Theler), also happened to be stood up by his date, so he keeps Sam company, and the two discover the true meaning of Valentine's Day.

General Hospital actress Kelly Monaco will appear on the February 4 episode

RELATED:
- Kelly Monaco To Play Herself in 'Baby Daddy' Episode With 'General Hospital' Crossover

Disney Acquires Maker Studios

Furthering its goal of bringing content to consumers on all the platforms they prefer, The Walt Disney Company has agreed to acquire Maker Studios, the leading network of online video content on YouTube.

Maker Studios shareholders will receive total consideration of $500 million, and a performance-linked earn-out of up to $450 million if the strong performance targets are met.

With more than 55,000 channels, 380 million subscribers and 5.5 billion views per month on YouTube, Maker has established itself as the top online video network for Millennials. (EDITOR'S NOTE: Last summer Maker Studios acquired Blip where episodes of WE LOVE SOAPS TV air).

NEWS: Melody Thomas Scott, Maksim Chmerkovskiy, BEING MARY JANE Renewed, Jill Hennessy Visits THE GOOD WIFE; Crystal Chappell Film; Tuc Watkins

Asian PRETTY LITTLE LIARS, ER, GOSSIP GIRL in the works
Companies in the Philippines, Thailand and India are working on local adaptations of three of Warner Bros' most successful US dramas. Medical drama ER is under option for local production in India by Gold Television Network. In the Philippines, ABC Development Corporation is producing a local adaptation of Warner Bros’ ABC Family teen drama PRETTY LITTLE LIARS. Meanwhile, Thailand's Kantana Public Company is producing an 18-part local adaptation of GOSSIP GIRL.

Andy Zein, Warner Bros International Television Production’s senior VP of creative, format development and sales, said: “We are seeing a significant increase in the number of our scripted formats travelling successfully around the world.”

Melody Thomas Scott on what makes Nikki Newman so fascinating after 35 years
"One writing regime wanted to make her a senator, which was ludicrous. The viewers don't want to see Nikki be a feminist or take a job. They want to see her stay home and have personal problems and suffer like crazy. [Laughs] And they looove to see her drunk!"

Disney to Spend $200 Mil on Marvel Series for Netflix Set to Film in New York
Disney chief Bob Iger and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, at a joint press conference this week, announced that Marvel’s landmark live-action television series will film principally in the Big Apple. The production is skedded to yield 60 one-hour episodes, resulting in 400 full-time jobs and 3,000 part-time production jobs.

Former SOAPnet Excecutive Deborah Blackwell Dead at 63

Deborah Blackwell, the former general manager of SOAPnet, died Friday in Virginia after battling Pick's disease for seven years, Deadline.com reported. She was 63.

Blackwell ran SOAPnet from 2001 to 2007, building the network for Disney's ABC Cable Networks group. Under her leadership the channel's distribution reportedly grew to more than 67 million homes, with SOAPnet gaining same-day rights to NBC and CBS programming, along with soaps from owner ABC.

The channel also acquired primetime shows under Blackwell's leadership, including ONE TREE HILL and THE O.C. It added original programming as well, launching the scripted series GENERAL HOSPITAL: NIGHT SHIFT and the reality show THE FASHIONISTA DIARIES

Disney's Marvel Developing Four Serialized Series for Netflix

The Walt Disney Co. and Netflix Inc. today announced an unprecedented deal for Marvel TV to bring multiple original series of live-action adventures of four of Marvel’s most popular characters exclusively to the world’s leading Internet TV Network beginning in 2015. This pioneering agreement calls for Marvel to develop four serialized programs leading to a miniseries programming event.

Led by a series focused on “Daredevil,” followed by “Jessica Jones,” “Iron Fist” and “Luke Cage,” the epic will unfold over multiple years of original programming, taking Netflix members deep into the gritty world of heroes and villains of Hell’s Kitchen, New York. Netflix has committed to a minimum of four, thirteen episodes series and a culminating Marvel’s “The Defenders” mini-series event that reimagines a dream team of self-sacrificing, heroic characters.