EXCLUSIVE: Netflix has assembled the cast opposite Dennis Quaid in holiday-themed multi-camera comedy series Merry Happy Whatever. Former Undateable co-stars Bridgit Mendler and Brent Morin will play leads in the series, joined by Ashley Tisdale, Adam Rose (Santa Clarita Diet) and former Angie Tribeca co-star Hayes MacArthur. The eight-episode series hails from former Everybody Loves Raymond executive producer Tucker Cawley, Aaron Kaplan’s Kapital Entertainment and Wendi Trilling’s TrillTV.
In Merry Happy Whatever, written by Cawley and directed by Pam Fryman, Dennis Quaid plays Don Quinn, a strong-willed patriarch who must balance the demands of his complicated family with the stress of the Christmas season when his youngest daughter comes home for the holidays with a new boyfriend.
Mendler plays Emmy Quinn, the independent-minded daughter home for the holidays and hoping her over-protective father will accept her musician boyfriend Matt (Morin), or at least not kill him.
Morin’s Matt is a struggling musician from LA who will have his hands full as he meets his girlfriend’s imposing father and close-knit family over a stressful and emotional Christmas break.
Tisdale plays Kayla, recently separated from her husband, desperately trying to figure out what’s next, and making everyone in the Quinn household as miserable as she is.
Rose plays Todd, a beleaguered son-in-law who is perpetually frustrated by the close-knit family he married into and copes by venting and drinking with his fellow in-laws.
MacArthur plays Sean, the only son of the Quinn family, a working-class family man who’s just trying to keep his head above water so he can watch the Eagles game in peace.
Mendler and Morin’s background of portraying a couple on NBC’s multi-camera comedy series Undateable played a role in their casting as a couple onMerry Happy Whatever. It was a scene of the two of them from the NBC sitcom submitted by Morin that led to the Netflix series producers also reaching out to Mendler, who had been working on a graduate degree from MIT and was not pursuing acting work at the moment.
Cawley serves as showrunner and executive produces Merry Happy Whatever with Quaid, Fryman, Kapital Entertainment’s Kaplan and Dana Honor and TrillTV’s Trilling.
Mendler is repped by Gershand Felker Toczek. Actor-comedian Morin, who has two comedy specials on Netflix, is repped by CAA, 3 Arts and Felker Toczek.
Tisdale is repped by Gersh and Red Light. Rose is with BRS/Gage Talent Agency and The Cartel. MacArtur, recently seen in MGM’s digital series reboot of Mr. Mom, is repped by WME, Management 360 and Morris Yorn.
Source: Deadline
Ashley Tisdale has found her voice. The actress-singer-producer-beauty-mogul has been through it — and by it, we mean pretty much everything. Professionally: she kicked off her career in Hollywood as a Disney superstar and came out the other side almost entirely unscathed — one of the only members of her Disney class to survive without a scandal to speak of — pivoting to production work and a beauty brand. Personally: She went through a period (a journey, in her words) of anxiety and depression that probably isn’t unfamiliar to many in the industry.
But now Tisdale is returning to her roots. No, this isn’t the exclusive announcement of an official High School Musical reunion (please don’t click away!). She’s releasing an album, her first music to hit radio waves since 2009 (the year of HSM 3) — the second single from Symptoms, “Love Me and Let Me Go,” just dropped. But diehard nostalgia-heads take note, it isn’t going to be anything like “Fabulous.”
“I knew that in order for me to do an album [again] it had to be something important,” Tisdale told EW during a visit to the Los Angeles studio. “Especially because I knew that I had recorded in the past and wasn’t in love with anything that I had done.”
In the old version of her music career (Ashley Tisdale 1.0), she admits the focus was often on the sound of the songs far more than the lyrics. It’s a realization that has presumably hit many of her peers — compare anything by current-day Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato, or Selena Gomez to their tracks during the Disney years and you won’t find much subject matter of substance. But now that Tisdale has the autonomy that comes with years of a career driven by her own self — instead of a huge team beholden to a huge machine — she knows exactly what she wants.
“I was very overproduced in the last two albums that I’ve done,” she says. “And this, I would say, is much more stripped-down.”
Now, Tisdale is eager to keep moving forward in her career. As fondly as she considers her time in the High School Musical franchise — costar Vanessa Hudgens is still one of her best friends and a duet with Lucas Grabeel delivered one of her highest-viewed YouTube videos — she still marvels at its seemingly unending lifespan.
“I still see stuff about High School Musical trending and I’m like, ‘Why?’” she laughs. “It’s been so long.”
She also has a very particular aversion to watching any of her past movies or TV shows. She points out that she has no problem listening to the songs from Symptoms (“I don’t know if it’s learning not to be so hard on myself, but I’m so proud of it”), but that her past acting always brings up things she could have done better.
“One of my old movies — I think it was Aliens in the Attic — came on recently and I was just like, ‘Oh God!’” she laughs. “Oh, and Scary Movie 5 came on once. Change the channel!”
For the record, when pressed, she says she would totally re-watch High School Musical 2 — but we wouldn’t recommend reading into that statement too much. For now, she’s all in on music without Sharpay.
Is there anything Ashley Tisdale can’t do?
The actress, singer, and influencer may have risen to fame via Disney Channel, but her life since has been filled with so much more: a hit debut album, several starring roles in film & TV series, a fashion line, and most recently, a booming cosmetics brand (she acquired her namesake brand, Illuminate by Ashley Tisdale, from BH Cosmetics last year).
So what’s next for this busy entrepreneur? She’s returning to music for the first time in a decade to produce the album we all need to hear. Symptoms, her forthcoming album, is based on Ashley’s experiences with anxiety and depression—she wants to break the stigma around talking about mental health, and we can’t wait to watch her do it.
You’re about to release a new album, Symptoms. Tell us about your return to music after a 9-year hiatus.
It feels great to be back in music. It’s been a long time but I feel Symptoms is the most authentic thing I’ve done. For the first time, fans are gonna really get to know me personally!
Symptoms is based on your experiences with anxiety and depression. Was it intimidating to put yourself out there in such a vulnerable way?
It’s definitely scary! I’ve never really let people in like this and you feel kind of naked, but I think it’s too important to finally speak about these things and what I go through. I just wanted to make someone feel less alone in their journey!
Why do you think it’s important to share your struggles with mental health?
I think it’s easy to think that we all live perfect lives because of social media but it’s so important to also share that no one lives a perfect life we all have different issues and struggles. Anxiety is so acceptable now but there is still a stigma around depression and I want to break that!
You rose to fame via Disney Channel. Do you look back fondly on your High School Musical days?
Yeah! It was such a great experience, it feels like a lifetime ago.
What’s been the biggest surprise or highlight of your career to date?
I would say taking over Illuminate and becoming CEO. Years ago I would have never thought that was gonna be a role I would fill or even be confident to handle and yet here I am!
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
Let go of fear of failure because there is no such thing. Everyone goes through ups and downs and it is what gets you to the next step! It is truly a journey.
When you hit a bump or hurdle in your career, how do you find new roads + switch gears to find success?
Staying positive. Don’t let bump or hurdles scare you, usually that’s a challenge you are meant to grow from! Just keep going and let your intuition guide you.
Let go of fear of failure because there is no such thing.
What about your job makes you feel the most fulfilled?
Being creative! I love working and love being creative in everything I do. I also love to keep learning. I can’t just be an actress because it’s not in my blood to sit and wait for the next job or audition. I love working on so many things and just being creative in general.
What guidance would you offer to young women who are chasing their dreams in entertainment?
Nothing comes easy, it takes hard work and never giving up. You will cry, you will tell yourself it’s not worth it and at times you will feel like you failed but don’t listen to those voices and keep going because you will never get to where you’re going if you quit.
What are you most excited for in 2019?
I’m excited for everyone to hear the full album Symptoms and to see all the exciting things we’ve been creating at Illuminate Cosmetics!
Source: Create & Cultivate
Anxiety is real for both humans and their pups, but Tisdale has figured out how to manage both.
On her exercise routine
“I like to exercise five times a week, and I feel like that helps me stay really strong and also less stressed,” Tisdale tells Health. One of her favorite ways to fit in a workout is by hiking with her pup. “It really helps to clear my mind, and I love to be outdoors in Los Angeles.”
On the importance of meditation
During fashion week, Tisdale posted a video on Instagram on her way to a fashion show, and mentioned that while going to events like those can cause her anxiety to spike, listening to music helps her calm down.
Another self-care strategy she swears by? Meditation. Tisdale meditates daily with 10 minutes of mindfulness each morning, and tries not to have too much caffeine. “I’m a huge coffee lover, but it actually makes me more anxious, so I just do one cup and meditation,” she explains.
Want to meditate like Ashley? Head to iTunes and search for DEN Meditation—they’re recorded by Tal Rabinowitz, founder of L.A. meditation studio The DEN. “It is honestly the best thing– I’ve cried every single time,” she reveals. “I can’t even explain to you…you get through something and you feel so much better.”
On her desert island beauty product
As the woman behind makeup brand Illuminate Cosmetics, Tisdale knows a thing or two about the products that really matter. One she can’t live without? Oil. She prefers coconut oil, since “you can use it on your face, your skin and your hair,” she says. Her fave is Trader Joe’s Organic Virgin Coconut Oil ($9; amazon.com).
On styling her iconic haircut
For her thick, curly strands, Tisdale recommends SexyHair Tri-Wheat Leave-In Conditioner ($18; ulta.com), which she says helps revive damage. “I have really processed hair, obviously—my color has gone from brunette to blonde in a couple of months, so I like to deep condition it.”
She loves her short hair, though, noting that it gets even better the longer she goes in between washes. “The best thing with short haircuts is that you’re able to leave it a couple of days,” she says. Her go-to tool: a small curling iron that can create her trendy bends. (We love this one from Sutra.)
On her idea of self-care
“I like to take a bath,” says Tisdale, adding that she’ll put bath lavender or bath salts in the tub to elevate the experience. We like Pursoma After The Class Bath Salts ($34; net-a-porter.com) because they’re packed with magnesium, lavender, and essential oils for ultimate relaxation.
On how she gets Maui to calm down
Little known fact: dogs can suffer from anxiety. Tisdale describes her own pup’s panic episodes as just what you would expect from a human—shallow breathing, shaking, the works. To keep Maui at ease, Tisdale has discovered Happy Hempies ($30 for 30 treats; bestbullysticks.com), a hemp-laced dog treat that leave her canine at ease. (Tisdale is an ambassador for the brand.) “It’s the best way to keep her calm,” she says.
Source: Health Magazine
The actress, musician, and entrepreneur worked with designer-to-the-stars Jake Arnold to renovate and style her 1930s Spanish Colonial
“I knew the moment we saw it,” Tisdale says of the extended search the couple embarked on to find their new home. I can’t explain it. We stepped onto the property and I knew, ‘This is it.’”
Even before finding her 1930s Colonial, Ashley Tisdale had one rule for her dream home: to renovate it with her father. “My dad, Mike Tisdale, is a contractor,” she explains. “I grew up with him building all these amazing houses—including Darren Star’s home in Los Angeles—and I missed working together.”
Tisdale—who dropped her new single, “Voices in My Head,” last week—was drawn to her father’s ability to renovate old structures without sacrificing their original character. “He knows how to make a space feel fresh and clean while still looking old. He doesn’t turn it into a new build.” To Tisdale, who had only ever lived in modern homes and was looking for a change, this was key.
But don’t think having a contractor for a father makes it easy to find a house. “We looked for about a year and a half,” says Tisdale of her search with composer husband Christopher French. “We were living in Studio City at the time in this beautiful, brand new Hamptons-style house—the first place my husband and I lived after we got married. But it was too big. There were entire parts of the place that we never used. It didn’t feel like home.”
Luckily, the house sold just four days after listing—incidentally to a friend who bought not only the house, but also all of its furnishings. “I took almost absolutely nothing with me,” Tisdale laughs. “My dog and my husband.”
“I love a good tub, and that view saves me,” Tisdale says. “I’ve never lived in the Hills before. It gives me a good perspective on life. I look outside and remember how small I am.”
Packing light was an unexpected blessing, however, as it had Tisdale and French fortuitously prepared for what happened next.
“We were in contract for a different home, but it turned out that property had foundation issues,” Tisdale recalls. “And, of course, we had to leave our existing home. So, we found an Airbnb in Sherman Oaks. I thought we would only be there for three months, but it ended up being six.”
Fortunately, Tisdale’s 3,500-square-foot dream home was worth the wait. “I knew the moment we saw it. I can’t explain. There were certain things I wanted that this house doesn’t have, like a huge driveway… But it didn’t matter. We stepped onto the property and I knew, This is it.”
In addition to her father, Tisdale enlisted the help of interior designer Jake Arnold from 4C Design Group. “I’d seen this amazing bathroom he’d done for Julianne Hough and already followed him on Instagram,” Tisdale says. “I interviewed a few other people first, but then I was like, ‘I gotta go with him. He designed my favorite bathroom.’”
Tisdale says it was one of the best decisions she’s ever made. “In the past, I bought everything from Restoration Hardware,” Tisdale says. “My house was like a catalog. But Jake brought this minimalistic vibe. I would describe our combined style as laid-back chic with layers. He taught me how to buy key pieces from RH, then add vintage touches for a unique feel.” Arnold also seemingly helped her warm up to design treasures she didn’t even know she had, like her husband’s Shepard Fairey that now hangs in the couple’s living room. “I actually tried to make Chris get rid of that painting because it didn’t fit the style of our last house,” Tisdale says. “I’m so glad he ignored me.”
In Tisdale’s eyes, the home’s biggest issue was the lack of closet space. “Old homes usually have small closets and bathrooms. So we blew out the wall between the closet and the existing master bathroom and turned that into a huge walk-in. Then we repurposed a smaller bedroom into the master bath.” Her favorite part of the admittedly killer bathroom? “I love a good tub, and that view saves me,” she says. “I’ve never lived in the Hills before. It gives me a good perspective on life. I look outside and remember how small I am.”
All in, it took eight months to get the house—now a three bed, three-and-a-half bath—up to snuff. They started with new plumbing and air conditioning and ended with the master bedroom (which was actually only completed the night before we arrived for our photoshoot).
So, now that she’s finally done, is there anything Tisdale would change? “There was a big debate between light and dark [for the floors],” she remembers. “Jake thought black looked good. It’s beautiful and so chic, but I don’t think I’ve ever spent so much time cleaning footprints. I’m a little OCD, and we’ve had to become a shoe-free house. But it looks amazing, and we’re so happy with it.”
What it really comes down to, she says, is the creativity the couple feels in this home. “Chris has a studio here. I was inspired to write my new album, Symptoms—my first album since 2009—here,” Tisdale says. “I became CEO of my company, Illuminate Cosmetics, here. Renovating this place has been perfectly in line with where we’re going in our careers.”
Source: Architectural Digest
Catch all photos of Ashley’s beautiful home in our gallery.
It’s been nine years since your last album. You’ve had a full life since then! I know you have a lot to say. Can you give me an overview of some of the bigger themes you’re tackling on this record?
Since it’s been so long since I have done music, I always said I was not going to do music just to put something out there. It’d have to mean something. I definitely have gone through things over the last couple of years, and even have become more aware of things that I go through. It was all really weird how this happened, but John Feldmann, who is a really good friend of mine who produces the 5 Seconds of Summer records and blink-182 and all the way back to Hilary Duff, back in the day… he came to me and was like, “We just created Big Noise and we want to sign you.” And I was like, “Oh that’s so crazy. Let me feel it out in the studio.” I’ve been in and out of the studio for about four years now, but I really wasn’t excited about anything I was doing. Really the album is an upbeat record, like pop/electronic, but it’s got the undertones of issues like depression and anxiety. I’ve dealt with anxiety for a really long time. I think I became super aware of my anxiety about two years ago.
Ashley is set to perform at Holton’s Heroes (a non-profit charity, provides support, info and therapy tools for children that have suffered a traumatic brain injury) Benefit Concert in West Hollywood and YOU can join her. On their website they wrote:
Join us on Friday, November 16, 2018 at 7pm for an incredible evening of live music, dancing, food, drinks—and magic as we raise funds and awareness for pediatric brain injury survivors. Holton’s Heroes will host their 3rd annual benefit concert featuring live musical performances and endless special surprises for the supporters in attendance.
Last year, we raised over $25,000 for families around the country dealing with a pediatric brain injury. This year, we aim to beat that mark and hope you’ll join us for this yearly celebration.
We are honored to feature Ashley Tisdale as our headlining performer! Nurturing an impressive body of work that encompasses film and television, Ashley is one of Hollywood’s most sought after young talents as her career continues to evolve with exciting and challenging projects. Her latest album Voices In My Head is available everywhere Nov. 8.
About the tickets / Get them here
Join us for an incredible evening of live music, dancing, food and drink as we raise funds and awareness for pediatric brain injury survivors around the country with our 3rd annual benefit concert.
Tickets for entry are $40 per person. Raffle tickets will be sold at the event for $10 each to be used on any of the amazing raffle prizes on display. Prize winners will be chosen and awarded that night!
Additionally, our auction will feature special vacation packages, signed instruments and personalized experiences, so make sure to bring your wallet, a winning edge, and maybe a back-up wallet. 😉
The best part is that 100% of the proceeds from tickets sales, auctions, raffles, and merchandise go towards furthering Holton’s Heroes, which provides support, information, and therapy tools for children and their loved ones affected by a post-birth traumatic or anoxic brain injury.
Thank you to the Federal Bar and it’s management for once again donating their venue and service team to Holton’s Heroes for this wonderful evening of charity!
This event is 21 & over only. Must show ID upon entry
Source: Holton’s Heroes
We’re glad to share this amazing benefit concert/event with you. If you’re attending don’t hesitate to notify us so we can work out something special for Holton’s Heroes! Today, also, Ashley shared a few new photos of her Symptoms album shoot.
Back in 2007 Ashley performed her cover version of Wham!’s ‘Last Christmas’ at Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade. Today she announced that she’ll be performing her brand new single ‘Voices In My Head‘ (release date: November 8th) on this year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade on November 22nd. The new era has begun…
This High School Musical album – and darling of many other Disney Channel films – is also a legit pop music star. On her third album, Symptoms, the LA-based singer-actress trackles her lifelong struggle with anxiety with tracks like “Voices In My Head.” Plus, Ashley and her sister Jen develop and produce female-centered film and TV projects as cofounders of Blondie Girl Productions. ⭐️ Float Appearance: Fantasy Chocolate Factory from Kinder
Source: Macy’s
Ashley will perform alongside Diana Ross, Fifth Harmony, John Legend, Leona Lewis, Rita Ora and more super stars. The special will air at 9 a.m. EST on NBC’s “Today” show.
On Macy’s website they shared a brand new photo of Ashley’s Symptoms photoshoot. Enjoy!
