TV hostess Rachael Ray (l) and actress Miranda Cosgrove (r) greet Jackson resident Kelly Anne Young on the “Rachael Ray Show.” JACKSON — Kelly Anne Young, 12, was surprised when she was selected to appear on the “Rachael Ray Show.” She was the first person to take part in the show’s newest segment, “My Favorite Show,” which offers young people a chance to critique their favorite TV show.
Kelly Anne didn’t know it, but a big surprise was coming her way.
During the taping of the show that aired Oct. 12, Kelly Anne was telling Ray about her favorite show, Nickelodeon’s hit series “iCarly,” and its 16-year-old star, Miranda Cosgrove, when suddenly Cosgrove appeared on the set.
“I just screamed and screamed,” said Kelly Anne, a seventh-grade student at the Goetz Middle School. “I just couldn’t believe it. She’s the best actress in the world, and I’ve seen every episode of ‘iCarly.’ ”
When Kelly Anne regained her composure on the set, she asked Miranda what she did in her spare time away from acting and singing. The actress told the Jackson youngster she goes horseback riding and enjoys seeing movies with her friends.
Actress Miranda Cosgrove (r) greets Kelly Anne Young of Jackson at the “Rachael Ray Show.” “Miranda was really nice, and I think she is a great role model,” said Kelly Anne, who traded “tweets” (a message on a microblogging service) with the actress. “I love the clothes she wears and think she is a wellrounded person. I relate to the show’s school scenes, and my friends and I made our own webcast, just like in the show.”
Kelly Anne’s trip to the “Rachael Ray Show” began when she was on Ray’s Internet website and clicked a “Be on the Show” link. She wrote a letter about why she likes “iCarly” and Miranda Cosgrove and submitted it to the producers. A few days later she received a phone call from an associate producer.
After several more phone interviews with Kelly Anne and her family and weeks of waiting, a producer from the “Rachael Ray Show” informed them on Sept. 8 that Kelly Anne had been chosen to tape a segment on Sept. 15 in New York.
Prior to the show’s taping, a film crew came to Kelly Anne’s home and made a video that featured what she admires about Miranda and “iCarly.” The video included her Student of the Month award and being on the high honor roll, as well as her interest in hip-hop and jazz that she learned at All That Dance Studio in Jackson. Kelly Anne plays second base and right field in the Jackson recreational softball league, too.
The video that a field crew shot in Jack- son was shown on the “Rachael Ray Show” with side-by-side comparisons of Kelly Anne and Miranda in similar clothes and poses.
“The best part of this experience was meeting Miranda,” said Kelly Anne, who said Miranda did “tweet” her after the show to say she enjoyed meeting her. “It’s given me more confidence and helps me to live in the moment.”
Kelly Anne’s parents, Paul and Maryann, and her sister, Alaina, expressed how proud they were of her accomplishment.
“I don’t know if I could be poised under all those intimidating lights and microphones,” said Paul Young. “It was the quality of her letter and her initiative that did it. The strange part of this was having a TV producer asking to speak to my 12-year-old daughter.”
Young said he and his wife are proud of the accomplishments of both their daughters. Alaina, 15, is a sophomore at St. Rose High School, Belmar, where she takes all honors level classes. She is on the Purple Roses’ track team, varsity gymnastics team and the cheerleading team, too.
“I believe my daughters are doing so well because of all the time my wife spends with them,” said Young, who has resided with his family in Jackson since 1997. “Maryann is there every step of the way guiding them with schoolwork and encouraging them in all their activities.”
Kelly Anne’s mother said the appearance on the “Rachael Ray Show” was definitely a positive experience for Kelly Anne.
“She’s the same full-of-life child that she has always been and the TV show hasn’t changed her,” she said.