CHEETAHS PROSPER.Byline: Sandra Barrera Staff Writer Emily Mahler turns 8 today, and she can think of no better way to celebrate than by going to tonight's sold-out Cheetah Girls concert at the Gibson Amphitheatre The Gibson Amphitheatre (formerly Universal Amphitheatre) is a theatre located in Universal City, California, USA. It was originally built in 1972 as an outdoor venue, but was remodeled and converted into an indoor theatre in 1982. at Universal CityWalk Universal CityWalk is a part of Universal Studios Hollywood, Universal Orlando Resort and Universal Studios Japan originating from Universal's first park, Universal Studios Hollywood. . ``For my first concert, I wanted to see the Cheetah Girls, and so my mom got me the tickets,'' she says. They didn't come cheap. Her mom plunked down nearly $300 for a pair of brokered tickets. On eBay, tickets were fetching fetch·ing adj. Very attractive; charming: a fetching new hairstyle. fetch  ing·ly adv. upward of more than; above.See also: Upward $500. And why not? The Cheetah Girls are the most popular group on the planet -- if you're a young girl who watches the Disney Channel  Editing of this page by unregistered or newly registered users is currently disabled due to vandalism. like Emily does. ``My daughters are not into the princess stuff anymore; they're into Cheetah Girls and Hilary Duff,'' says Aileen Kendall of Sherman Oaks about daughters Iris, 7, and Ruby, 5. ``I was that age, too, and those are the things that intrigued me.'' And just what is it about the Cheetahs that intrigues Iris? ``I like how they dress,'' she says. ``And my friends like them because they're famous.'' Spot on. Queens of all media Since their first Disney Channel premiere three years ago, this sassy sas·sy 1 adj. sas·si·er, sas·si·est 1. Rude and disrespectful; impudent. 2. Lively and spirited; jaunty. 3. Stylish; chic: a sassy little hat. , ethnically diverse foursome -- as big on cheetah print as it is on good old-fashioned girl power -- has energized the 12-and-under set with its top-rated movie sequel, multiplatinum-selling soundtracks and, more recently, an offering for Game Boy Advance. But all the merchandising hasn't stopped the group -- inspired by the best-selling best·sell·er also best seller n. A product, such as a book, that is among those sold in the largest numbers. best book series of the same name -- from being a source of healthier-than-the- usual-fare inspiration. Just ask parents. ``They actually are good role models,'' says Barbara Jergensen of Chatsworth, whose 3 1/2-year-old daughter, Jillian, is a huge Cheetah Girls fan. ``They're not like, skinny. They're average-sized girls. They don't dress trashy or talk bad or any of that.'' R-E-S-P-E-C-T ``It's very hard to know what shows you can let kids watch without being there the whole time,'' adds Linda Mahler, who says ``The Cheetah Girls'' movies have proven to be age appropriate. ``They say a lot about family values family values pl.n. The moral and social values traditionally maintained and affirmed within a family. because all the parents stick with them ... and also that your friends are very important.'' That last bit came in handy last Halloween when Mahler sewed sew v. sewed, sewn or sewed, sew·ing, sews v.tr. 1. To make, repair, or fasten by stitching, as with a needle and thread or a sewing machine: Cheetah Girls costumes for her daughter and her three girlfriends. ``We went and bought the fabric together and made the designs together, and even though I did it myself because they were all a little too young, they were very much a part of it,'' she says. ``And the best thing about it is I made all of them come over, do their homework, and then we worked on their costumes.'' Sabrina Bryan, the 22-year-old blond actress who plays Dorinda Thomas in the Disney Channel movies, says the Cheetah Girls do care about how they're perceived by young girls. They often tell their fans, ``Be proud of who you are. Reach for your dreams. Do your very, very best, and you can accomplish anything.'' It seems to be working for Bryan and her bandmates -- Adrienne Bailon Adrienne Bailon (born October 24, 1983) is an American actress and member of the singing groups 3LW with Kiely Williams and Jessica Benson and The Cheetah Girls with Kiely Williams and Sabrina Bryan. Her mother is from Puerto Rico and her father from Ecuador. and Kiely Williams Kiely Alexis Williams (born July 9, 1986 in Alexandria, Virginia) is an American singer, actress, and dancer most notable for singing in the girl groups 3LW (3 Little Women) and The Cheetah Girls. Williams is best known as a member of the group 3LW. , a Latina and African-American, respectively. Bailon and Williams also moonlight as members of the r&b trio 3LW. Crazy tour The Cheetahs (minus Raven-Symone, who is touring solo, and Williams, who was out getting her hair done) were on speakerphone speak·er·phone n. A telephone or telephone attachment that contains both a loudspeaker and a microphone, allowing several persons to participate in a call at the same time without the telephone receiver being held. Noun 1. from Seattle. ``It's been so crazy,'' Bryan says. ``Our schedule is so hectic that I had to get up at 3 o'clock in the morning just to get my roots done.'' And this was just day one of their 61-city concert tour in support of the soundtrack for ``The Cheetah Girls 2'' movie, which followed the girls to Barcelona for some singing, dancing and boy-meets-girl drama brought on by Bryan's character. ``Dorinda goes through having a boy really like her for the first time and all the insecurities that go with that,'' says Bryan, adding she's been there. ``I definitely have gone through that as I've grown up. ``I'm a normal girl. I lived a normal life into high school, and I know going through that at the time just seemed so dramatic. You think your life is over. You don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. what you're going to do. ``But she has best friends that she feels will stick by her no matter what -- and I definitely have that with Adrienne and Kiely,'' she says. ``We have become a little unit that's unstoppable.'' Finding their inner Cheetah All the Cheetahs are missing now is an official fan club for girls like Emily. She's had her concert outfit -- a leopard-skin- embellished denim jacket denim jacket n → chaqueta vaquera, saco vaquero (LAM) denim jacket n → veste f and skirt with black tights and boots to match -- laid out for a week. ``She's going to be so Cheetah,'' says her mom. But the Cheetah Girls say they're working on ways to connect more with their audience. ``We're actually getting ready to start a fan site,'' says 23-year-old Bailon. ``We created the official Cheetah Girls MySpace page, and from there, we'll begin to sell merchandise and post daily diaries from our tour and photos and stuff,'' not unlike the Disney Channel movie site. ``But the MySpace one is going to be a lot more personal.'' Stay tuned. Sandra Barrera, (818)713-3728 Sandra.Barrera(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 3 photos Photo: (1 -- color) GROWL POWER Cheetah Girls' message of friendship has spot-on appeal to the younger set (2 -- color) In the Cheetah Girls movies, Raven-Symone, left, joins Adrienne Bailon, Sabrina Bryan and Kiely Williams to portray the positive-thinking group of singing and dancing friends. (3 -- color) Embarking on a 61-city tour are Sabrina Bryan, left, Adrienne Bailon and Kiely Williams. |
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