Hey all!
If you have a question for me, ask me on Twitter (@DanWarp). Just include #AskDanWarp so I can easily find them.
When I can, I'll go on Twitter, check out some of your questions, and post the best ones here, with my answers.
Question #1: Do you write all the episodes of your TV shows all by yourself? [from @jvac]
Answer: No. I work with an extremely talented, small group of writers (just 4 or 5 people). They are instrumental in helping me come up with stories, outlines, and the all funny stuff that happens in the episodes. Then, I take the lead in writing the actual scripts, usually with just one other writer. And sometimes we write together, as a group.
Question #2: Will we see the iCarly gang learn to drive in an episode? [from @Ezriela]
Answer: I've discussed a doing a "someone gets their driver's license" episode with my writers many times. The problem is, it's an idea we've all seen done sooooo many times. We did a really fun driver's license on Drake & Josh. I do my best not to repeat myself, so... I'm open to the idea of doing a driver's license episode (on iCarly or Victorious)... as long as we come up with something really different and unusual – and FUNNY, of course. :)
Question #3: Does it bug you when fans criticize the episodes you make? [from @CindyKay618)
Answer: Luckily, the response I get from fans is usually great and really nice. But the feedback is never unanimously positive. One thing I've learned for sure is: No episode will ever please all the fans. I always do my best to make every episode as funny and great as I can. But if I tried to write episodes that never upset anyone, my shows would be really boring! I look at it this way: Some people don't like pizza. Some people don't like The Beatles. Nothing is for everyone. If I can make most fans happy the majority of the time, I'm cool with that. Hey, the Beatles are my favorite band of all time, but… I don't like all their songs.
Question #4: What did the goat do to Carly? [from @Piper_Mackenzie]
Answer: Haha. I get asked this question so much! You know who asks it a lot? Miranda Cosgrove – no kidding. Even she doesn't know. And the fact is, neither do I. When we wrote that script, the writers and I had fun thinking about things the goat might have done... but we all had different ideas. And, as you know, it was never stated in the episode. So, this one is up to your own imagination. There is no correct answer. It's anyone's guess. But I have a feeling I'll be asked this question by fans for a long, long time.
Question #5: Did you ever see your future like this when you were a kid? [From @RockOutLoudL]
Answer: No. When I was a kid, I loved television comedy, but I never dreamed I'd actually work in that field some day. I thought I'd be an inventor, or work with computers (some kind of technology). I wanted to go to college at M.I.T. But then, by chance, I became an actor at age 18. A few years later, again by chance, I was asked to write and produce a TV show for Nickelodeon, and the result was a sketch comedy show called All That. Since then, I've created around 8 television shows and written/produced a few movies (e.g. Good Burger, Big Fat Liar). It all just kind of happened.
Question #6: What did you think of the One Direction boys' acting during filming? Were they all good actors? [From @xflom_diao13x]
Answer: Yes, the One Direction guys are good, funny actors. When I booked them to appear on iCarly, I didn't know if they could act or not. I took a chance, and I was thrilled with their work. Also, they were extremely nice, polite, and professional on set. I'd love to work with them again, anytime.
Question #7: How did you come up with the names of both series, iCarly and Victorious? [From @AmalYouzbaki]
Answer: It wasn't easy! Show titles are very important to me. I came up with the name iCarly while filming on the set of Zoey 101. My friend Steve Molaro (now executive producer of The Big Bang Theory) was working with me, and we were trying to think of a good title for my new series about kids who start their own web show.
At that point, in my pilot script, the lead girl's name was "Sam" and we tried to get the URL iSam, but it was taken. So, I tried a bunch of other girls' names. I actually bought iJosie (dot com), thinking I might name the lead character Josie, but then I decided I didn't like it.
Then I tried iCarly, and I got it. I loved that name for the lead character, so I changed the names of the two lead girls from Sam and Kira to Carly and Sam. (I still have my original script where it's Sam, Kira, and Freddie.)
So, back in 2007, if someone hadn't already owned the URL iSam.com, then iCarly would likely have been called iSam.
As for Victorious, I liked the idea of having the name "Tori" in the title, and I really liked the power of the title Victorious. It's a show about kids following their dreams to be entertainers, so Victorious works great in many ways. And if you watch the first episode, it's all about Tori facing her fears, giving an incredible performance, and emerging from the experience victoriously.
Question #8: What is your favorite episode of Victorious? [From @jose98_andre]
Answer: I often get asked what my favorite episodes are (mostly about Drake & Josh, Zoey 101, iCarly, and Victorious). It's a tough question – sort of like asking a parent "Which is your favorite child?" I like all episodes for different reasons. But since you asked about Victorious, I really like Survival of the Hottest – the one where they got stuck in Beck's R.V. on a very hot day, while Cat was outside having fun with a bunch of guys. There's just something about that episode I love. I wouldn't say it's my favorite episode, but it's definitely one of the Top 10.
Question #9: Do all the castmates get along?! Do you consider the actors on both TV shows family/friends or just co-workers? [From @xoAriJennetteox]
Answer: If you're talking about iCarly and Victorious, yes – the cast members get along very well. The best way I can describe it is like a family. The cast members are very close and spend lots of time together. But as with any family, there are conflicts along the way. Just like you might get mad if your sister uses all the toothpaste, actors also get annoyed with each other, once in a while. But 99.9% of the time they laugh all day and have a blast at work. Personally, I like all the cast members of iCarly and Victorious very much (and I'm not just saying that). They're all sweet, nice, fun people with great senses of humor.
Question #10: I always wondered why CAT has no locker. [From @R2ELAZUL]
Answer: You're right – we've never shown Cat's locker on Victorious. It's kind of like how we didn't show Carly's room (on iCarly) for a long time. It's just sort of worked out that way, because we've never needed to show Cat's locker in a specific episode. But some day, we will show Cat's locker. I just have to figure out how it should be decorated. Hmmmm...
Question #11: Are there any cool guest stars coming up on Victorious any time soon? [From @AmberNichole_16]
Answer: Yes, but I'm not allowed to say who. I know that sounds dumb, but for "legal" reasons, I'm not allowed to release the information until it's officially released by the star's publicity people. :(
Question #12: Do you ever plan on revealing Cat's brother on Victorious? [From @NotAnotherEric]
Answer: Haha. Ariana and I talk about that a lot. She wants me to play her brother! I told her I'm too old. But then, I had this idea that I could play her brother who's 19, but say I have some "condition" that makes me look 20 years older than am I. That's either really funny... or stupid... I'm not sure yet. Others have suggested that Ariana's real- life brother (Frankie, who's hilarious) should play her TV brother. Anyway, the answer to your question is: I think I probably will show Cat's brother, sometime in a future episode.
Question #13: Who do you think is more deadly: Sam or Jade? [From @codyowens3]
Answer: Excellent question. This has been discussed on the iCarly and Victorious sets by the actors and the writers. Jade is extremely intimidating... but Sam can be brutal when she's pushed. In all all-out fight... it's no contest – Sam wins easily. A better question might be: Who is more deadly: Sam or Shelby Marx? (I know the answer)
Question #14: How hard was it to write the script for iGoodbye? [From @AgentSeddie]
Answer: Very hard. iCarly has been a major part of my life. So, to write the final episode was both a huge challenge, and a very emotional experience for me. It was a challenge because I really wanted it to be awesome (I hope I achieved that with the script). And it was emotional because iCarly has been such a big hit around the world, it was just very tough knowing that, after 109 episodes, I was writing the final one – the end. I tend to be a pretty emotional, sentimental guy, so I had tears in my eyes more than once as I was writing the final iCarly script.
Question #15: Can you tell us the last word spoken in the last episode of iCarly? [From @mccurdyluv]
Answer: Wow – great question! I wasn't sure if I should really answer, but I decided... why not? The last new word spoken by a character in the final episode of iCarly is the word "out".
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Best,
–Dan Schneider (a.k.a @DanWarp)