This fall, the incredibly silly live show of Yo Gabba Gabba will make its return to the US. More than 50 stops are scheduled in cities across North America.

Yo Gabba Gabba’s cast, after garnering two nominations from the Daytime Emmys recently and being picked up by Nickelodeon for a fourth season, is ready to boogie out on the road.

Featured on “The Yo Gabba Gabba! Live! It’s Time To Dance! Tour” will be classic favorites from their hit children’s show in addition to new performances and songs. DJ Lance Rock, Toodee, Plex, Muno, Foofa and Brobee will all be there in addition to Leslie Hall and Biz Markie. Once again, the tour will be sponsored by Kia Motors America.

The fun will begin at The State Theatre in Minneapolis on September 15 and wrap up at Broward Center For The Performing Arts in Fort Lauderdale, FL with two performances on December 10 and 11.

Stops on the cross country trek include September 15 in Milwaukee, WI; September 18 in St. Louis, MO; September 20 in Cincinnati OH; September 23 in Detroit, MI; October 2 in Boston, MA; October 8 in Pittsburgh, PA; October 14-16 in New York; October 30 in Atlanta, GA; November 12-13 in Seattle, WA; November 20 in San Diego, CA; November 25-26 in Los Angeles, CA; and December 6 in New Orleans.

Canadian shows include September 22 in Toronto and November 11 in Vancouver.

A presale for Citi card members will start on May 31. On June 3 Gabba Mail fans get the opportunity to buy pre-sale tickets as well as Gabba Party Packages.

Info for general public onsales will be announced soon.

More information can be found at yogabbagabba.com.

This past weekend, Radio City Music Hall in NYC played host to a kind of entertainment that both trhe kids and adults have enjoyed.  The entire crew of the hit children’s show “Yo Gabba Gabba!” were the featured acts in last weekend’s Super Music Friends show, and they teamed up with a string of music acts who remained as a surprise for the audience until they were called in to share the stage with the colorful eccentric gang led by DJ Lance Rock and Muno.

On Saturday, the “Gabba” crew shared the stage with Steel Train and Urge Overkill for the song
“It’s Fun to Dance” which was written by Steel Train specifically for the show.  Sunday saw the likes of pop-electro icon Moby, Shooter Jennings and Soulive jamming with the cartoonish gang.  Soulive performed “Eleanor Rigby”, a cut taken from their current release which features their own take on several of the greatest hits from The Beatles.  Captain Kirk Douglas, the guitarist from The Roots, also jammed on stage.

The weekend show also saw several TV personalities having fun on stage with the “Gabba” team.  Among them were Kelly Rutherford from “Gossip Girl”, Drea de Matteo from “The Sopranos” and Taran Killam from “Saturday Night Live”.

Adult TV viewers recognize her as Angela Martin from the NBC sitcom “The Office”, but to her two-year old daughter Isabel, she is Angela Kinsey, her mom and the special guest in the back to school episode in Isabel’s favorite Nick Jr. show, “Yo Gabba Gabba” which airs today at 5 PM ET, playing the role of a teacher who welcomes kids back to their second home after the summer break.

The actress recently spoke to Speakeasy, the official Wall Street Journal blog and relayed her own experiences as a child who migrated back and forth to the Pacific and the US, and how did the unlikely “Yo Gabba Gabba” gig came about and what made her want to do it.

It was a fateful meeting with one of the “Yo Gabba Gabba” heads at a certain event that led Kinsey to the role.  After expressing her delight – in behalf of her daughter’s – about the show being “interesting and funny and very cute”, she was invited to come by the set which eventually led to a phone call with the actress being casted as a school teacher trying to make kids feel both excited and comfortable on their first day in class.  Although the role was totally different from the uptight “Angela Martin” she portrays in the half-hour comedy show, it was her experiences as a three-time new student – once in Jakarta in grade school, in Dallas during middle school and finally in Baylor University as a college student – and having a sister who works as a teacher helped her assume the role easily – well, almost.  The role required her to sing and dance (but of course, it is a show for kids), so upon hearing the news, she exclaimed, “I was terrified. I was like ‘I can’t sing!’”

But apart from the challenges it presented, the role allowed Kinsey to be out of her comfort zone even for a short while.  “I really am uncomfortable singing in front of people so it was a really great exercise to get me out of my shell a little bit,” the actress added.

Kinsey’s childhood was filled with migrations and adjustments to new cultures.  She was her daughter’s age when her entire family had to move from her birth place in LaFayette, Louisiana to Jakarta, Indonesia after her father who worked as an engineer, was based in the Indonesian capital.  Her memories of her nearly 12-year stay in the Pacific, especially her life as a student at the Pattimura Elementary School, were not as vivid but her fondest memories were her “Holly Hobbie lunch box” which according to her “was really cool” and the school activities aimed in strengthening cultural ties between other nations, such as the United Nations Day celebration, “…people would dress up in their nation’s official dress and get to talk about it and do a song or dance from their country. It was a great way to grow up, being surrounded by a lot of people who were different culturally,” she recalls.

She was about 14 years old when her family moved back in the States but not in Louisiana, but this time in Dallas, Texas.  And once again, it was another round of adjustments and “first day of school” shockers in a city where big hairdos and make-ups were the trend.  She described her first day in middle school in Dallas as “scary” and a total turnaround from the laid-back culture she became accustomed to.  She recounted a moment during her first day in school with Speakeasy, “I was this beach kid, I had straight hair, I didn’t wear any makeup, and I came to this middle school in Dallas in the ‘80s and everyone had perms and a ton of makeup and I was so out of my league. I was completely freaked out. There was this girl who sat next to me in my homeroom and her name was Bobbi, she had a patch on her eye. First day of school she had a patch on her eye. So I asked ‘are you okay? Do you have pink eye?’ And she goes ‘no, I had eyeliner tattooed on my eyelid and this one got infected’. I was like ‘where am I’?”

Having grown up in Jakarta, Speakeasy also asked the actress if she feels a certain connection or “special bond” with President Barack Obama who is also known to have lived in Indonesia as a child, and especially after attending the White House Correspondents Dinner earlier this year.  “I don’t know about a special bond…I was like—do I get to meet the president? Because if I do I’m going to say “selamat malam!” or good evening!–but I didn’t get to see him,” Kinsey recalled.

With Labor Day just around the corner, why not celebrate the end of a very sunny summer with a bunch of Nickelodeon’s most colorful characters and pop music’s biggest names at the “Nickelodeon Mega Music Fest” airing tonight at 8 PM?

Hosting the event is actor John Leguizamo with special guests including hip-hop star Wyclef Jean, Colbie Caillat, The Roots and teen singing and hair flipping sensation, Justin Bieber.

Each music act will be collaborating with a Nickelodeon star for a musical performance.  “Lovely, Love My Family” will be sung by The Roots with the Yo Gabba Gabba crew, Wyclef Jean and everyone’s favorite explorer, Dora, will be performing a fun duet of “La Bamba” while Bieber will be singing his breakout hit, “Baby” with the Fresh Beat Band.  Caillat is going solo, or might be singing in front of a bunch of kids to the tune of “Walking on Sunshine”.

Other stars slated to appear in the special are TV host Sherri Shepherd and the Laurie Berkner Band.

Yo Gabba Gabba! has announced that their Cool Tricks contest has launched, providing North American fans a chance for showing off their special and unique talents.  A video of 30 to 60 seconds can be uploaded by Gabba fans to demonstrate their Cool Trick for an opportunity of receiving a VIP Family Four Pack and having the winning video played at intermission of “KIA Motors Presents Yo Gabba Gabba! Live!: There’s A Party In My City!” in the show playing closest to the winner’s hometown.  In addition, all participants will be entered automatically in a sweepstakes.  One fan will be receiving a free five day trip to Mexico or the Caribbean for four people.

Each winner, in addition, will be receiving $100 value of lunchbox snacks, organic baby food and two concert t-shirts from “Party In My Lunchbox Yo Gabba Gabba! Live!” shows from Plum Organics and Revolution Foods.  The grand prize will include Junior Suite accommodations, round trip air fare, and meals selected from Palladium Hotels & Resorts.

Fan can enter the contest by uploading their video to http://facebook.yogabbagabbalive.com on Facebook.  For each of the tour markets public vote will determine the winners.  Be sure all your family and friends vote for you!

The Cool Tricks contest will start Wednesday, August 18.  Winners will be announced and notified before the date of the show for each of the local markets.  On Sunday, December 12 the grand prize sweepstake period ends.  Official rules can be found at at http://facebook.yogabbagabbalive.com.

The contest comes from the popular Cool Tricks segment on Yo Gabba Gabba! where adults and children show off their skills and special talents, such as break dance moves, cup stacking and gymnastics.  Among those who have made appearances on Cool Tricks are Rhys Darby who did the robot and Tony Hawk who showed off his skateboard move.

“KIA Motors Presents Yo Gabba Gabba! Live!: There’s A Party In My City!” is headed back to the road.  The tour will visit 60 cities at leading amphitheaters, arenas and theaters across North America, beginning in Bethel, NY on August 27 and ending on December 12 in Dallas, TX.  “KIA Motors Presents Yo Gabba Gabba! Live!: There’s A Party In My City!” features animation, dancing, singing and music.  The experience is an interactive one that provides audience members of every age an opportunity for seeing their favorite characters coming to life.  On stage Biz Markie, the hip-hop legend, will join the characters and teach kids beat boxing via his “Biz’s Beats of the Day.”  During the segments of Dancey Dance and Super Music Friends Show, special guests will be come on stage to join the party.

For complete VIP package, ticket and tour information, go to www.yogabbagabbalive.com.

Van Shoes made an announcement that they will be releasing a shoe line based on Nick Jr.’s show“Yo Gabba Gabba.”  In November the shoes will become available in child sizes only.  That makes sense.  It’s hard to imagine moms wearing a Toodie pair of sneakers.

There will be eight separate designs.  Each of the characters from the show will have their own design.    The pink flower Foofa will be getting a slip on and SK8-Hi.  In addition there will be a few group designs that feature all of the show’s characters.  Too bad there won’t be a shoe of DJ Lance, they could have made a fuzzy Ugg style and match it with his hat.  So do you plan to buy Vans with “Yo Gabba Gabba” designs, or are you sick of clothes having TV characters on them?

When DJ Lance, Biz Markie, Brobee, Muno – who by the way,  just made his Super Bowl debut through the KIA Sorento ad – and the rest of the colorful and entertaining “Yo Gabba Gabba!” gang from the Nickelodeon channel goes on National tour, they will be partnering with one of today’s leading car manufacturers – Kia.

After the positive response from those who have seen the famous Super Bowl ad, Korean car manufacturer Kia has signed on as the gang’s official and main sponsor for the upcoming national trek, which is a big thing for both the Nickelodeon party crew and the Korean car giant.

It may seem as an unlikely partnership at first glance but it actually is a perfect fit.  According to Kia’s Vice President for Marketing in the US, Michael Sprague, the partnership will definitely result to a mutual-benefit type of relationship because “the new Sorento has great-looking design and we were looking for characters who have great design, which Muno does”, and as for Muno and the rest of the “Gabba” gang, having Kia backing them up for their forthcoming national tour will result to a more up-scale promotion of their gig which, we all know, could translate not only to a bigger fan base and probably a wider demographic, but more importantly, to huge ticket sales.

In fact, the continued partnership is research based.  “The research showed it was going to do well with couples with young kids, or couples thinking about having kids,” Sprague adds.  In fact, whether you are single, married, with kids or no kids, people are not spared from the magic that sprouted between Muno and the Kia Sorento.  “Yo Gabba Gabba” EP Michael Polis had the same observation, “I had just someone tell me…that people are going into the Kia dealership and asking for the car that Muno drives.”

The “Yo Gabba Gabba! There’s a Party in My City” national tour, which will showcase an afternoon of dancing, singing, and other colorful antics and tricks by the entire “Gabba” gang, will kick off on August 27 and will close on December 12.  Fans of the Nickelodeon hit crew can catch them as they perform in LA’s Nokia Theatre on November 26 and 27, with two shows for each day.

Forget about the Teletubbies and Barney. Not since the TV show “Sesame Street” have kids had a program with the mass appeal that is enjoyed by the monster crew and DJ Lance Rock from “Yo Gabba Gabba!”

Around three years ago the show debuted on Nickelodeon, It targets three to five year olds, however Tony Hawk, Jack Black and Brad Pitt are fans of the show, along with a whole host of other hip hoppers and adult hipsters.

As with many children’s programs, there is a lot of dancing and singing. What makes this show stand apart? The dancing and singing.

DJ Lance Rock isn’t on other shows wearing hip-hop old school gear and carrying his magic boom box. The other programs don’t have guests dropping in like Sarah Silverman, Weird Al and the Shins.

Twenty seven year old Rosisella Villegas explained, it’s the kids show that I wanted to always have while growing up. If people are not hip to the show, I advise them to try it. They might like it.

Like many adult fans of the show Rosisella was initially attracted to it via the musical guests on the program.

I thought to myself, isn’t that Bix who is teaching children how to beatbox?

Rosisella is referring to the hip-hop legendary beatboxer Biz Markie, a 1980s vocal percussionist, who is a regular on the show.

The musical guest list for the show is comparable to the rosters for late night talk shows. Among the guests who have made appearances on the show are the Ting Tings, MGMT, Solange Knowles and Mos Def.

The crew of Gabba Gabba has become rock star-like in status, performing at the White House, releasing a hit album, and performing at Coachella Festival. The red Cyclops Muno stars in the Super Bowl Kia commercial with the lovable Sock Monkey. Show segments appear regularly on music blogs and YouTube.

When it was announced that the tour for the group, “Yo Gabba Gabba! Live: There’s a Party in My City” was stopping this fall in Kansas City, I wasn’t surprised when our Twitter feed filled with updates from adult fans anxious to see them at the Midland on November 6. Tickets are going on sale on Friday and will cost $39.50, with Biz Markie being in the lineup.

Many fans will want to take nephews and nieces so they can go to the show as well. Thirty one year old Stevie Lozano is one of those uncles. However he says his brother-in-law and sister want to go as well. His entire family loves the show. They all want to see the show live.

Stevie, a graphic designer in Kansas City said, I have seen lots of children’s programs. However “Yo Gabba Gabba” is filled with hip-hop old school elements speaking to the movement’s heart.

For children it display this culture in a very positive way. It isn’t about hip-hop only. They have a musically diverse lineup with different types of guest stars. I’m not even able to say watching it is a guilty pleasure. All I can do is tell people they should watch the show.

Lady Gaga, look out. The crew from Gabba Gabba is coming to take your place.

After selling out their debut tour and making a special guest appearance at the 2010 Coachella festival, the cast of “Yo Gabba Gabba!”, the highly acclaimed kids’ program, will be hitting the road with their show. For almost four months on the road, DJ Lance Rock and the life-sized characters from “Yo Gabba Gabba!” will perform live shows called “There’s A Party In My City!” along with special celebrity guests.

Sixty cities across North America will be visited by the Gabba Gang, starting in Bethel, NY on August 27 at the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts. The outing will take place over a span of 15 weeks, wrapping up in Frisco, TX at Dr. Pepper Arena on December 12.

Several of the markets in the U.S. on the tour’s itinerary will be hosting extended stays for the Gabba Gang. Runs of two nights are scheduled for Boston, MA at Wang Theatre on September 25-26; New York City, NY at Radio City Music Hall on October 2-3; in Chicago IL at Chicago Theatre on October 9-10; in San Francisco, CA at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium on November 20-21; in Los Angeles, CA at Nokia Theatre on November 26-27; and in Phoenix, AZ at Dodge Theatre on December 4-5.

There will also be a run of two nights in Canada in Vancouver, BC at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre on September 11-12. The tour will be visiting nine Canadian markets. Other stops include a show in Toronto, ON at the Molson Canadian Amphitheater on September 4 as well as an event in Ottawa, ON at Scotiabank Place on September 19.

Dates for general on sales will vary, depending on the city. However most of the box offices in the US will be opening to the public June 4 and 5. Ticket prices will range from $25 to $75 for select cities. A dollar will be donated from each ticket sale to local Habitat for Humanity chapters. Additional information regarding Habitat donations and ticket on sales can be found on Yo Gabba Gabba Tour.

In late 2009, “Yo Gabba Gabba Live!” made its debut and sold out four shows in Chicago, New York City and Los Angeles. Six additional cities in North America were added in March 2010.

“Party” tour performances are approximately an hour long. The segments are led by Biz Markie, recurring guest, and DJ Lance Rock. The usual characters from the cast are also featured, including Toodee, Plex, Muno, Foofa and Brobee along with a super secret roster of special guests.

2010 Yo Gabba Gabba Concert Tour
August
27 – Bethel, NY – Bethel Woods Center for the Arts
28 – Bristow, VA – Jiffy Lube Live
29 – Philadelphia, PA – Mann Center for Performing Arts
31 – Gilford, NH – Meadowbrook U.S. Cellular Pavilion
September
2 – Albany, NY – Times Union Center
3 – Lewiston, NY – ArtPark Festival
4 – Toronto, ON – Molson Canadian Amphitheatre
5 – Montreal, QC – Place des Arts
8 – Edmonton, AB – Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium
9 – Calgary, AB – Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium
11,12 – Vancouver, BC – Queen Elizabeth Theatre
14 – Regina, SK – Brandt Centre
15 – Winnipeg, MB – MTS Centre
18 – London, ON – The John Labatt Centre
19 – Ottawa, ON – Scotiabank Place
21 – Rochester, NY – Auditorium Theatre
22 – Burlington, VT – Flynn Center for the Performing Arts
24 – Portland, ME – Merrill Auditorium
25,26 - Boston, MA – Wang Theatre
28 – Providence, RI – Providence Performing Arts Center
29 – Wallingford, CT – The Oakdale Theatre
30 – Pittsburgh, PA – Benedum Center
October
2,3 – New York, NY – Radio City Music Hall
5 – Hershey, PA – Hershey Theatre
6 – Cleveland, OH – State Theatre
8 – Detroit, MI – Fox Theatre
9,10 – Chicago, IL – Chicago Theatre
11 – Louisville, KY – Louisville Palace Theatre
13 – Indianapolis, IN – Murat Theatre
15 – Richmond, VA – Landmark Theater
16 – Greensboro, NC – War Memorial Auditorium
17 – Charlotte, NC – Ovens Auditorium
19 – Chattanooga, TN – Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Auditorium
20 – Huntsville, AL – Von Braun Center
21 – Nashville, TN – Andrew Jackson Hall
23,24 – Atlanta, GA – Fox Theatre
27 – Jacksonville, FL - Moran Theater
29 – Kissimmee, FL – Silver Spurs Arena
30 – Tampa, FL – St. Pete Times Forum
31 – Miami, FL – AmericanAirlines Arena
November
2 – Columbia, SC -Township Auditorium
3 – Knoxville, TN – Tennessee Theatre
5 – Tulsa, OK – BOK Center
6 – Kansas City, MO – The Midland by AMC
7 – Broomfield, CO – 1st Bank Center
9 – West Valley City, UT – The E Center
12 – Spokane, WA – INB Performing Arts Center
13 – Tacoma, WA – Tacoma Dome
14 – Portland, OR – Memorial Coliseum
15 – Eugene, OR – Hult Center for Performing Arts
18 – Sacramento, CA – Memorial Auditorium
20,21 – San Francisco, CA – Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
26,27 – Los Angeles, CA – Nokia Theatre
28 – San Diego, CA – San Diego Sports Arena
December 2010
4,5 – Phoenix, AZ – Dodge Theatre
7 – El Paso, TX – Abraham Chavez Theatre
9 – San Antonio, TX – Freeman Coliseum
10 – Houston, TX – Hobby Center
11 – Cedar Park, TX – Cedar Park Center
12 Frisco, TX Dr Pepper Arena

DJ Lance Rock, along with the Yo Gabba Gabba cast, fresh off their sold out, triumphant tour debut, White House headlining performance, chart topping, critically acclaimed album, and Coachella appearance that received rave reviews from the media and spectators, will be hitting the road once again for their tour “Yo Gabba Gabba Live!: There’s A Party In My City.” They will playing to their enthusiastic fans over a tour of 60 cities across North America. The hottest live show today for families will be making stops at leading amphitheaters, arenas and theaters across North America, beginning in Bethel, NY on August 27 and wrapping up on December 12 in Dallas, TX. S2BN Entertainment is the producer for the tour, in association with The Magic Store and Wildbrain Entertainment.

The Gabba Gang, community and stage champions, will be participating in a variety of service projects whose aim is to build hope and homes in the cities visited on the four month tour across North America. Also, one dollar from each ticket sold on the 2010 Gabba tour is being donated to local Habitat for Humanity affiliates in each of the tour cities to help with home building efforts.

Starting May 20, pre-sale tickets will be made available to card members of American Express. Pre-sale tickets offers will be made available to Gabba community members starting on May 26. In addition, VIP packages with meet and greets along with premium tickets will also be made available. Complete VIP package, ticket and tour information can be found at the www.yogabbagabbalive.com website. Children under one year old sitting on their parent’s lap will receive free admission.

To celebrate their partnership and North American tour, DJ Lance Rock along with Yo Gabba Gabba friends has invited fans and families of Habitat for Humanity to a dance party on May 20 at the Brooklyn Bowl.

The production will be state of art and feature animation, dancing, singing and music. The show will be interactive and offer audience members the chance to see their favorite characters as they come to life. Biz Markie, hip-hop legend, will join the characters and teach children to beat box through his “Biz’s Beat of the Day” segment. There will also be special guests joining on stage for the party during the Dancey Dance and Super Music Friends Show segments.

“Yo Gabba Gabba!: Music Is Awesome Volume 1” was released October 2009. It topped overall and kids music charts. It was the No. 1 kids album on iTunes and a top 5 Amazon kids album. In just 6 months following its release, the album has sold over 40,000 copies. Parent Magazine and MomLogic.com chose “Yo Gabba Gabba!: Music Is Awesome” as one of the best holiday gifts of 2009 for toddlers. This September Volume 2 will be released to stores and also on iTunes.