78violet Logo Contest Reminder!!
Video reminder from Aly and AJ Michalka of 78violet about the 78violet Logo Contest happening over at http://www.78violet.com. Help define what 78violet will look like to the world! Your design may have the opportunity to be chosen to represent the new band plus you can win some awesome prizes from 78violet.
Get all the details and enter here:
http://www.78violet.com
ENTRY DEADLINE IS AUG 30!!!
And if you win and get to meet them…BRING ME ALONG TOO!!! 
lol
Want to see ‘Bandslam’ Early? Find Screenings Near You!
Aly Michalka is currently in the UK, promoting her upcoming movie Bandslam.
Recently she tweeted this picture from the set of the British show Toonattik with hosts Jamie and Anna. What a fun looking set…and Aly as always looks cute!
Aly on "Toonattik" with hosts Jamie and Anna
The big news from Aly is the following tweet:
Just got info for US screenings if you guys want to go see Bandslam early!! Details in the link. Xo Aly http://bit.ly/hydnr
Wow!!!!! Too bad there’s no screenings in Maryland. 
So I can’t go.
I’m asking for you out there to go to one of the screenings and give us a full report! We want to know if there’s anything special going on. And give us a (non-spoilery) review!
E-mail us at podcast@magicneverends.com
Call us at 206-250-2422
Or leave us a comment here!
Thanks and have fun!!
Go to http://bandslam-movie.com/screenings.html for list of screenings available.
MySpace Artist on Artist Interview with Aly Michalka and Vanessa Hudgens
Aly Michalka and Vanessa Hudgens take part in the MySpace Artist on Artist interview video series to promote their upcoming musical romantic comedy movie, Bandslam.
Artist on Artist Interview with Vanessa Hudgens and Aly Michalka
Remember, Bandslam opens August 14!!!
Have Aly and Vanessa Rock Out Your iPod Touch and iPhone
The musical-romantic comedy, Bandslam is next month. And to get ready for this rocking new movie, why not dress up your iPod Touch or iPhone with an Aly Michalka or Vanessa Hudgens Bandslam wallpaper?
Click the thumbnails below for full-sized versions.
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Check out the Bandslam Official Movie web site for more exciting news and downloads.
Aly and AJ Reveal 78violet Meaning During Ustream Chat
Aly and AJ fire up the Ustream chat to reveal to their fans the meaning of their new name, what’s the story behind it and when will the next album be released?
The girls speak of the early days of being a singing act. AJ stated that they “always wanted a cool band name; a real name.” Her sister chimed in that the name “Aly and AJ is safe.” Since they couldn’t decide on a band name when they first started, they just went by Aly & AJ.
Now, the sisters Michalka want to change things up. After brainstorming on things they like, they decided on 78violet. The girls explain that the numbers 7 and 8 are Aly and AJ’s favorite numbers, respectively. Violet is a “cool powerful name that means a lot to us.”
78violent depicts a new revamp sound for Aly and AJ, which has a new attitude. The pop band said it represents where they are currently now in their lives.
What I’ve always enjoyed about Aly & AJ’s music is how they’re so expressive in their lyrics. They truly do speak their feelings in the music. So I’m eager to hear where they are in their lives and how they are maturing as people and artists.
Speaking of the new album, which will be titled 78violet, as to not confuse their fans. (Though I must confuse I’m still having trouble calling my favorite sister singing act 78violet instead of Aly & AJ – but I’m working on it!)
The first, yet undisclosed single will come out in fall sometime. No specific date is available.
Now for the big fan news! Aly and AJ revealed the Design the 78violet Logo Contest! The girls want YOU to design their new logo. Be creative and design the BEST 78violet logo. The sisters want you to keep an eye on their Facebook and Twitter pages for more details. Of course, when I learn of something I’ll surely post it here!
With the news of 78violet and their new album complete, they talked about more random topics like their love of Guitar Hero and even showed off their new dog Moneypenny.
Watch some of the chat below:
What did you think of the chat? Did it change your mind about their new name? Do you like their new name? Are you excited for their new music?
Live Chats TONIGHT with Demi Lovato and 78violet
Two exciting LIVE web chats tonight!
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First up is Demi Lovato. She will be doing a live, interactive web chat TONIGHT at 5pm PST. Fans will have a chance to submit questions and have them answered live by Demi!
The web chat will be streamed live on Demi’s Facebook page: |
Next, tune in and find out what 78violet exactly means from Aly and AJ!!! The talented pop band will hold a live video chat for their fans TONIGHT!!!
TODAY!! Thursday, July 16
Live Video Chat
6pm Pacific / 9pm Eastern / 2am London / 11am Australia (Fri)
Tune in on facebook.com/alyandaj
78violet Live Video Chat this Thursday!
Formerly known as Aly and AJ, the talented pop band 78violet will hold a live video chat for their fans on Thursday, July 16, 2009!!!
I was so extremely excited to see the following e-mail in my inbox!!!!
Hey everybody!!
Sorry we haven’t emailed you in a long time but we wanted to let you know we’re doing a live video chat this THURSDAY, July 16th, to talk with all of you and offer a little bit of explanation on why we’re going by a new name for the new album. Here’s the details…
Thursday, July 16
Live Video Chat
6pm Pacific / 9pm Eastern / 2am London / 11am Australia (Fri)
Tune in on facebook.com/alyandajRSVP for the event on Facebook here.
See you then!!
xoxo, A+A
Demi Lovato began a weekly video chat series so I was hoping that other Disney stars would follow suit. As being a big fan of 78violet, I’m so very glad to get my fix! Unfortunately, they didn’t tour this year so I couldn’t rock out with them in concert – something I had been getting used to doing a couple times a year for the past two years.
I imagine that the big topic will be their name change. Why did they change from Aly and AJ, a name they’ve used since 2005, to 78violet? Do the girls think this change will hurt their already established fan base and brand image?
Thus far fan response has been favorable. Fans of the singing duo love them for their music so whatever they call themselves, we will still buy their CDs and attend their concerts.
Maybe this name change is their shift from being to “just a teen pop act” to a more mature sound? 78violet sounds more like a rock band than a duet.
What questions do you have for Aly and AJ / 78violet? Make sure you attend their Live Video Chat on Thursday, July 16, 2009 at 9pm EST / 6pm PST!!!
Aly Michalka Rocks Out in ‘Bandslam’ Clip
Bandslam is musical-romantic comedy film, centered around high school kids from different cliques that come together over their mutual musical passion.
Aly Michalka (of the sister singing duo 78voliet, formerly Aly & AJ) plays the cool and popular Charlotte Banks, who is a talented singer-songwriter. When Charlotte meets the unpopular Will Burton (Gaelan Connell) and learns of his eclectic knowledge of music, she asks him to manager her band. Will agrees and the band eventually expands into a crew of like-minded outcasts. Their goal is to win the annual Battle of the Bands contest.
Vanessa Hudgens also stars as Sa5m, a classmate with untapped musical talents, that Will has a crush on.
Her goal is to take revenge on her egocentric musician ex-boyfriend Ben Wheatley (Scott Porter) at a regional battle of the bands.
Check out the group’s first big rehearsal in the video below.
I’m very excited for this movie! Aly Michalka is a phenomenal talent. Having many of her musical concerts and her television acting, I’m so eager to her translate those skills to the big screen.
Bandslam rocks into theaters August 14.
BANDSLAM TV Spot – “Dreams”
Wizards of Waverly Place The Movie Soundtrack
To coincide with Wizards of Waverly Place The Movie, Disney is releasing a soundtrack to movie. Premiering in August, Wizards of Waverly Place The Movie will air on the Disney Channel as part of the network’s Summer of Stars.
Here’s the Wizards of Waverly Place The Movie Soundtrack Listing:
1. Disappear – Selena Gomez
2. Magical – Selena Gomez
3. Magic (Pilot) – Selena Gomez
4. Strange Magic – Steve Rushton
5. Magic (The Cars) – Honor Society
6. Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic – Mitchel Musso
7. Magic Carpet Ride – KSM
8. Magic (Xanadu) – Meaghan Martin
9. You Can Do Magic – Drew Seeley
10. Some Call It Magic Raven – Symoné
11. Do You Believe in Magic – Aly & AJ
12. Everything Is Not As It Seems – Selena Gomez
Now listen to samples from the album:
Unfortunately, I’m not not overly excited about this soundtrack. I love Aly & AJ (now called 78violet), but their contribution to the album is song that already appeared on “Into the Rush.” Selena Gomez does sing four of the twelve songs on the soundtrack, so if I’m purchasing it I’m buying it for Selena. More likely I’ll purchase the Selena Gomez songs off iTunes.
It’s obvious Disney decided to just remake songs that have magic in the title, since it’s for a movie about Wizards. While it’s neat to hear the Disney music stars’ rendition of these pop classics, I’d much rather Disney offer original music for the Wizards of Waverly Place The Movie.
Aly & AJ Change Name to 78 Violet
HUH?!
Tommy2.Net confirmed with Hollywood Records that Aly and AJ are now 78 Violet.
The girls Tweeted about the change on their Twitter account. The sisters explained to their fans, “Fyi…..u pronounce #78violet as seventy eight violet:)”
The girls reassured one fan by tweeting to her, “don’t be sad…..its an exciting new beginning! The music will speak for itself.”
I was immediately shocked by the name change. For three years, I’ve been big time Aly & AJ fans. Their music has helped to both soothe me and jazz me up. I’ve been to multiple concerts, enjoying every minute of them! So to me all that matters is the music. The ladies behind the music seem like geniuely great people. So I don’t care what they call themselves, as long as they continue to perform awesome concerts and produce amazing music.
Though I do wonder how this name change will affect their career. Or maybe this is their way of reinventing themselves?
We wish Aly and AJ / 78 Violet much success!
What do you think of the name change? Let us know!
Aly & AJ Attend Naven and Boulee Fashion Event
Aly & AJ Michalka attended the Naven and Boulee Fashion Event in LA hosted by Kloe Kardashian Tuesday night. Earlier this week, the sister singing act announced on Twitter that their album is complete, tweeting that “It has been worth making a record over a year long span to give u the quality u deserve!”
Click on over to TeenDaily.net to see very fashionable pictures of Aly & AJ!
Aly & AJ Guitar Hero/Rock Band Girl Guitars Launch Event
A message from Aly & AJ…
Hey guys! We wanted to let you know about a cool event coming up this Saturday in Los Angeles for our new Guitar Hero / Rock Band guitar game controllers. So…if you live in or around LA, listen up! We’re going to be at the GameStop on the Universal City Walk this Saturday, Oct 11th, to play some Rock Band and we might even get a chance to play with you! You’ll be able to play Rock Band on our new controllers, qualify for a chance to play on stage in the store, and maybe even win the opportunity to play Rock Band with us later that night at the store. Ha! We’re super excited to play on these new guitars and hope we’ll get to see you this Saturday. So let’s recap…cool?
Saturday, Oct 11
GameStop @ Universal City Walk
Los Angeles, CA
Store phone #: (818) 980-5766
4:00pm – 9:30pmPlay some Rock Band (and maybe we’ll get to play with you!)
For more info, CLICK HERE!
WOW! This is SUCH an AWESOME event!!! I wish we could make it to LA. For those of you lucky enough to make this event, please call the voicemail line at 206-350-2422 and let us know about the experience! Or e-mail us at podcast@magicneverends.com. We want to hear about it from you! And of course let Aly & AJ know how much Will and Shannon think they RAWK!!! HA!
Aly & AJ show off Guitar Hero and Rock Band girl guitars
September 24, 2008
Aly & AJ are getting their own Guitar Hero and Rock Band girly guitars. The guitar peripherals will be available in mid-October 2008 for Wii & PS2 and will cost $69.99.
The girls appeared on the E! Network (Entertainment Television) and although brief, the girls do talk about their love for Guitar Hero and show off their guitars; whose look was actually designed by the teen pop star sisters themselves. So the duet can now add “video game guitar co-designers” to their growing list of accomplishments that includes: acting, song writing, singing and guitar playing (yes they do actually play real guitar), among other things (like shooting guns: see video at very bottom).
And why not? As a new study has shown, 97% of American youth play video games, and that includes 94% of girls. So it’s fitting that companies should develop guitar peripherals that girls would be more inclined to pick up.
And since Aly (real name: Alyson Renae “Aly” Michalka) & AJ (real name: Amanda Joy “AJ” Michalka) are young themselves (one is 17 the other is 19) it’s only fitting that their new guitars are aimed at a younger audience.
Here is a breakdown of each guitar.
Aly’s Guitar
Features a heart and cross bone print with a pink and brown colored guitar.
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strong>AJ’s Guitar
The shape of the guitar mirrors that of the Aly & AJ “heart” logo in bright pink with a purple zebra print.
The guitars are being designed by video game accessory company PDP (Performance Designed Products). As stated above, they are for PS2 and Wii which means that they SHOULD work with both Rock Band 2 and Guitar Hero 4 World Tour and one would presume they might also work with the PS3 versions of both games.
In addition, one of the guitars is designed specifically for tweens ages 8 to 12, while the other is for teens and older.
And just for fun, here is a video showing the girls shooting guns. For their Dad’s birthday, they went to the shooting range! Check out the video from the trip and watch them hit a bullseye… You DO NOT want to mess with Aly & AJ!
Via SlipperyBrick
Make sure you check out AlyandAJ.com and the Aly & AJ YouTube Channel for more fun videos.
Aly & AJ Official Site Is Now Live!
I was SUPER DUPER excited to receive the following e-mail yesterday! It’s so nice to have the official Aly & AJ site back online. It’s taking a bit of adjustment for me to become used to their new forums. But I like having the official word from Aly & AJ. Read the message below, then go check out www.alyandaj.com!
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Aly & AJ Unveil Two Guitars for Female Gamers
Guitars Will Feature Bright Colors and Bold Designs
LOS ANGELES–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Aly & AJ, two of the hottest names in pop music, have partnered with Performance Designed Products (PDP) to launch a line of video game accessories targeted at female gamers.
The accessories will debut in September with a signature line of guitar controllers for Wii and PS2 that will be compatible with Guitar Hero.
“We wanted to do something that really speaks to the girls who are fans of these games,” said Aly, the older of the two sisters. “We love the idea of being able to bring them into our music by playing one of our guitars.”
“We are very excited to have personally designed our own guitars for use with Guitar Hero,” said AJ. “Most video games and game accessories are designed for boys. PDP is a forward-thinking company by recognizing that females can rock too.”
PDP, one of the top names in video game accessories, sought out the sisters because they combine star power, popular appeal and musical chops. By working with Aly and AJ, PDP hopes to reach young girls and let them know that rock ‘n’ roll and video games aren’t just for boys.
“Aly & AJ were an obvious choice for us,” said John Moore, Vice President of Marketing for PDP. “They are multi-talented artists who write their own music and are proficient musicians playing guitar, piano and percussion. They are also gamers themselves, and have been instrumental in the design process.”
Since being introduced into the gaming market, music games have grown in popularity, and females make up nearly half of the current players.
“Despite the fact that the female gaming market is large and growing, it has historically been underserved by the video game industry,” said Moore. “We wanted to provide female gamers with an opportunity to rock with the best and most stylish accessories.”
The result is two guitars with fun and vibrant colors and bold designs. Both guitars are wireless and will have a suggested retail price of $69.99 each.
Aly & AJ are sisters Alyson Ranea and Amanda Joy Michalka. Their 2005 debut album “Into the Rush” went platinum. Their second album, “Insomniatic,” was released in July 2007 on the Hollywood Records label. The album features the single “Potential Breakup Song,” which was noted in Time Magazine as one of the Top 10 Songs of the Year for 2007. In addition to music, the sisters have also acted in a variety of TV shows and movies, including the 2006 Disney Channel original movie “Cow Belles” and MTV’s “Super Sweet 16: The Movie.” 2009 will bring theatrical releases for each sister: Aly in the starring role of Charlotte in the Summit Entertainment/Walden Media feature film, “Rock On,” and AJ in the role of Clarissa in the Peter Jackson directed DreamWorks/Paramount Pictures feature film, “The Lovely Bones.” The sisters are planning on releasing their third album in 2009. For more information on Aly & AJ visit www.alyandaj.com or www.myspace.com/alyandaj.
Performance Designed Products, LLC is an industry leader in designing and manufacturing products for all major video game platforms including the PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii, GameCube, Nintendo DS, XBOX 360 and XBOX. The company has been supplying video game accessories to the U.S. market for more than a decade. PDP sells products under the Pelican and Score brands with sales in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and throughout Europe. For more information on PDP, visit www.pdp.com.
Guitar Hero is a registered trademark of Activision Publishing, Inc. The products listed in this press release are not manufactured, endorsed or licensed by Activision.
