The Secret life is back!!  Stay tuned for updates, recaps, some new pics, etc.

Brandi Cyrus, aka Miley’s older sister, has a new band called Frank and Derol with pals Megan Park (blonde, star of ABC Family’s The Secret Life of the American Teenager) and Codi Caraco (brunette).

The trio of girls are opening up for papa Billy Ray Cyrus on Saturday at House of Blues Anaheim and Sunday at House of Blues in West Hollywood. Check out JustJared.com’s exclusive interview with Brandi from yesterday!

How did the band’s name come about? How did coming together with Megan [Park] and Codi [Caraco] come about? We all know each other through Miley’s guitar player Jaco. Codi is Jaco’s younger sister, and I met Codi in L.A. at one of Miley’s shows. And I met Megan in Nashville at a show (Megan is dating Jaco’s best friend). We just all started hanging out together and started the band for fun. The name is completely random, we think it’s funny that its two guys’ names when clearly we’re three girls!

How does the band write new music? How does the collaboration process work? Usually we all get together when we have a day off and one of us will have an idea, either a piano melody or a guitar rift and it will just come together from there. Once we get going we all just put in our creative ideas, sometimes we finish a song in a day and sometimes it takes week, it just depends.

Who inspires you musically? What was the last concert you went to? Definitely my sister and my dad, but aside from them I listen to so much different music. My favorite band of all time is Jimmy Eat World, I’ve listened to them for so long. I’m good friends with Hayley, from Paramore and I look up to her a lot. I basically watched that band build their entire career from the ground up.

Besides your music, are you working on any other projects? Music is my main priority right now, were just starting to get off the ground with Frank and Derol and we wanna go forward with full force. I’ve also always had an interest in acting and do go on auditions when I’m home. It would be rad if that picked up. I really wanna be in one of the Twilight movies!!!

What’s your favorite memory of you and Miley? Gosh, there are seriously so many! Recently, we got to play a show for our friends and like 200 fans in Nashville. It was super cool, and Sheryl Crow came and played a few songs with us. It was so amazing to get to play with her, she is a legend! And we got to do it together, it was pretty cool.

Cred: Just Jared

Par For The Course Season 2 Episode 3

The Secret Life of the American Teenager brand-new parents Shailene Woodley and Daren Kagasoff arrive at the premiere of 17 Again held at Grauman’s Chinese Theater in Hollywood on Tuesday night (April 14).

The duo will see their ABC Family series return to television this summer on June 22. During the last season, Amy (Woodley) and Ben (Kenny Baumann) got married and unmarried. Ricky (Kagasoff) and Adrian (Francia Raisa) had an on and off again relationship. Baby John was also born, leaving Amy and Ricky and Ben all have to try to figure out how to work and live together now.

Credit: JustJared

Amy and Baby

It took almost nine months but the wait is finally over!  At last, fans will witness the highly anticipated birth of Amy’s baby on the first season finale of The Secret Life of the American Teenager, airing tonight at 8pm on ABC Family.

Last time we saw The Secret Life of the American Teenager, viewers were treated with a pivotal flashback episode that shed light on how Amy (Shailene Woodley) and Ricky (Daren Kagasoff) first met that night at band camp.  In a series of flashbacks that took place as Amy lay in her hospital bed waiting to give birth to their son, she reflected on the events that led her to this unexpected point in her life.

In the season finale entitled “And Unto Us, A Child is Born,” friends and family gather at the hospital to give their support to the Juergens family, who eagerly awaits the arrival of Amy’s baby.  At the same time, Ben (Kenny Baumann) and Ricky agree to forge a friendship as they discuss their future relationship, with Ricky as the father and Ben as the future stepfather to the baby.  As Adrian (Francia Raisa) arrives at the hospital to support Ricky, Grace (Megan Park) tells Ricky that she’s getting back together with Jack. 

Several hours later, Amy’s baby is finally born, and a deliriously tired Amy and her sister Ashley (India Eisley) decide to name him together.  Upon returning home, however, Amy struggles with adjusting to being a new mom.  Later, Ricky visits his newborn son and realizes he might like fatherhood while Ashley and George (Mark Derwin) surprise Anne (Molly Ringwald) by moving out of the family home. 

Although tonight’s installment marks the conclusion of the 23-episode first season, fans can look forward to the sophomore season of The Secret Life of the American Teenager, which consists of 24 episodes that will tentatively return in the summer.

Cred – BuddyTV

Are you guys as excited as we are?!!!!

Some would dare to call it a third season as the first season was split in two.  But here is the announcement c/o hitfix.  Congrats to the show and the fans we all win!

ABC Family has made a heft commitment to “The Secret Life of the American Teenager,” ordering an extra-long second season for the hit drama.

On Monday (Feb. 9), ABC Family announced the pick-up of a 24-episode second run of “American Teenager” tentatively set to return in the summer of 2009.

That will leave fans of the show with only a brief window with “The Secret Life of the American Teenager,” which will complete its first season on March 23.

“‘The Secret Life of the American Teenager’ has really struck a chord not just with our Millennial audience, but with viewers across the board,” says Kate Juergens, ABC Family’s executive vice president for original series programming and development. “We’re delighted to announce the series will return. The success of this show goes directly to creator Brenda Hampton’s telling of this heartfelt story and is backed by the standout performances of our talented cast.”

After a successful summer premiere, ABC Family moved “The Secret Life of the American Teenager” into a Monday night 8 p.m. slot opposite “Gossip Girl.” The drama has thrived in that slot, ranking as TV’s most watched program in the hour among females 12-34 (2.1 million) and as cable’s most watched show in total viewers (3.7 million) and adults 18-49 (1.7 million).

The show’s first season, focusing on the various relationships impacted by an unplanned teen pregnancy, was 23 episodes. The series stars Shailene Woodley, Molly Ringwald, Mark Derwin, India Eisley, Ken Baumann, Daren Kagasoff, Francia Raisa, Megan Park and Greg Finley.

The renewal of “The Secret Life of the American Teenager” had been expected for some time. ABC Family also just ordered up new seasons of “Greek” and “Liberty Heights,” plus 10 episode seasons of the comedies “Ruby and the Rockits” and “10 Things I Hate About You,” as well as the drama “Perfect 10.”

Daren Kagasoff was born an raised in Encino, California, and attended San Francisco State University. He was very lucky in Hollywood, when he decided he wanted to be an actor and was picked in his first audition to play the role of Ricky Underwood on Brenda Hampton’s hit ABC Family series The Secret Life of the American Teenager. Ricky is the father of Amy’s baby, and the bad boy ladies man with his own dark family past.

Daren recently took the time to talk about how his character has developed, and the different moral shades that he gets to play as Ricky.

Question> Did you have any surprises about where the first season ended up and how your character evolved through season one?

Daren> Throughout the first season I was the kid that never really took responsibility for anything. As far as hooking up with different girls and getting Amy pregnant, he really didn’t know what to do in that situation, so I’m hoping during the second season the fans get to see Ricky change a little bit and hopefully you get to see a better side to him.

Question> Would you say, is the character still going to be morally gray or in between or are we going to get to see that continued evolution towards good?

Daren> Definitely, you’ll definitely see him change. There’s definitely a baby coming on the way, so he has to step it up. I guess we’ll see what he ends up doing.

Question> Could you talk maybe in some general terms about what they have coming up for you?

Daren> In the first season we touched on how my character was sexually abused when he was a kid, so this second season you get to see that unravel and get to go deeper into that side of it. It was just real fun shooting it and I’m just excited to see the work that comes out of it.

Question> What’s the favorite scene that you’ve done so far that we have seen? And can you alert us to any certain episodes coming up or maybe certain scenes that we should watch for that are your best portrayal of Ricky?

Daren> In the second season I think there’s so much drama going on, so every scene that Ricky is in, it’s very pivotal. I don’t really have a particular scene that I love, because I love them all. But I think the first season, the last episode that Jason Priestley directed we just had such a fun time, Megan Park just had some great dialogue scenes and we had a lot of fun with that last episode of the first season.

Question> How much has the series meant to you? I know it’s one of the first things you’ve done and me and all of your fans have really enjoyed seeing your progress as an actor, but how much has the series meant to you in terms of establishing yourself and getting recognized and getting set in your career?

Daren> To be quite honest, I’m having the time of my life. I couldn’t be more thankful. The writers, the cast, everybody that’s a part of the project is absolutely phenomenal. You want to be in that type of work environment, so I couldn’t have lucked out in a better situation and I’m trying to take full advantage of it. When I have time off all I’m doing is studying for Secret Life, nothing else really is going on in my life as far as other acting projects, so all my time and effort is definitely going to Secret Life.

Question> Is there anything about you that’s like Ricky or are the two of you alike in any way? Is Ricky the kind of guy that Daren would hang out with or ever be a friend with?

Daren> To be quite honest, I think back in high school I’d be the guy to maybe straighten Ricky out a little bit. Yes, we relate in some instances as far as, I don’t know, I guess girls were attracted to me in high school. I don’t know if I had the game that Ricky had, but I guess we relate on that level, I don’t know.

Question> Why do you think the show continues to draw in so many viewers?

Daren> I think all the topics and issues that are dealt with on the show are very true to life and the demographic that we get are from very young kids from 11 all the way up to middle-aged adults. I think the realness of the show and the issues that everybody goes through is real pivotal in why kids and everybody else is so attracted to the show.

Question> Teen Vogue Magazine said that you’re currently in talks for your first film. Is there anything you can tell us about that?

Daren> To be quite honest, I read that and I was like, “Why did they say that?” because I never said that. I wish I was in talks with my first film. There have been some opportunities that I haven’t really been able to tackle because of Secret Life and whatnot. Hopefully in the near future we can get some other projects, but as of right now Secret Life is the number one priority.

Question> Since this is your first gig, what advice do you have for people that want to get into acting?

Daren> My advice is, the work, it’s all about the work. Everybody thinks show business, it’s all the glamour and this and that. If you’re getting into the business for those reasons, it’s completely wrong. You just have to be dedicated. You have to work hard at what you do. I know that booking this role was the toughest thing in my life because we went through so many rounds of testing and auditioning and each time I was going back I was getting coached and you just have to work. The work of it all is what it comes down to. If you’re not dedicated in that, then you’re not going to see really any progress, so I guess just being dedicated and really knowing what you want out of acting.

Question> Is there anyone that stands out that you’ve gotten to work with in the 2nd season that you didn’t in the first?

Daren> In the first season, I really worked with most of the girls because I had so many love interests. But the second season you get to see me work with Kenny Baumann and then Greg Finley a little bit, so it switches it up. You get to see some of the boys just having some great scenes. It was just so fun changing it up and working with the other actors on set.

Question> What actors would you say that you most admire?

Daren> Actors, I would probably say Sean Penn, I absolutely just look up to and idolize and Leonardo DiCaprio. Those two, I don’t think it gets any better that as far as artisticness and professionalism, as far as what they want at the job at hand and getting it done. So I think those two guys I’d definitely love to try and be like, I guess you could say.

Question> Is it hard to relate to the scope of the issues that your character is dealing with?

Daren> Yes, I think it’s definitely difficult. I know that in high school a lot of people go through a lot of issues. They’re growing up. They’re going through puberty. They’re doing this. They’re doing that, so it’s definitely a crucial time in a young adult’s life. So I think the issues that are brought up in Secret Life really are true and the kids, the way that we respond to them and handle these issues, I think is a true testament to society.

Question> What are your personal views on getting married at 15?

Daren> Personal views, I’d say I wouldn’t suggest it, but if you get that love bug, what can you do? I’m not one to tell anybody else how to live their life. I don’t think I’d get married at 15. Well, I’m not married, so.

Question> How is the show affecting your personal life?

Daren> I’m just, I guess, a face on TV. I’m still the same Daren that I was a year ago before the show started I guess it’s just people come up to you now, and that’s, I guess, what you get when you get into this business. As far as me, I haven’t changed. It’s just I’m on TV and people recognize me once in a while.

Question> What are you looking forward to exploring in season two?

Daren> We’re definitely going to more in depth with my character and as far as his background when he was sexually abused as a child, so I’m excited for everybody to see that deeper side of Ricky and you’ll get to see some true emotion out of him. That’s just a soft subject, I guess, and it’s going to be great to see the audience’s reaction.

Question> How do you get into Ricky’s head concerning his sexual abuse past?

Daren> To be quite honest, I don’t want to reveal what I do because it’s a personal thing. But definitely, you have to take yourself to the darkest place possible. It’s haunting to get to that place. I know that when I was shooting specific scenes for the second season from studying and really honing in this character, I had knots in my stomach. I couldn’t eat because I was waiting to shoot this one scene or these couple of scenes. It’s tough when you really take yourself to that place because it’s such a real place. It’s an adventure.

Question> The scene that you mentioned having with Molly Ringwald, can you give us any insight to what that was like? You got her daughter pregnant or your character got her daughter pregnant, is that a contentious scene or a fun one to film?

Daren> You know, we haven’t even shot it yet. We’re on break right now, so when we get back we’re going to be shooting it. So from what I’ve read, it’s a great scene. It’s a great scene and it’s the first one that I have with Molly and it’s a pretty pivotal scene. I’m excited, nervous. I’ve got butterflies to shoot it with her, but I’m going to do my thing, so I’m just excited to get back on set and do it.

Question> What do you want to do for your career? What would be the perfect TV series or movie and where do you want to end up with this?

Daren> You know, I do have high aspirations for myself, but it’s really hard for me to think in the future right now because I’m so content with where I’m at and just working on the whole craft of acting, because again, this is my first gig. So I guess, just keep progressing and the show is here, it’s doing great, so I’m just thankful to be a part of that. Hopefully in the near future, I can get some movies. I’d definitely love to move into the movie business, I don’t know. I’d like to explore different characters, so we’ll see. I’m definitely very creative, so hopefully in the future I can get some good stuff so I can really show my acting.

Question> What kind of genre would you like? Do you want to do comedy if you could? Would you like to do horror, dramas?

Daren> I think drama, definitely drama. Last night I actually saw Revolutionary Road, the new Leo movie and it was set in the ‘50s. That to me right there, I have to do a movie in that era, have to, so something along those lines. I’m more of like old school, so more of that type of genre, I believe.

credit: Media Blvd

Daren Kagasoff loves his job on ABC Family’s hit series, The Secret Life of the American Teenager and it shows!

The 21-year-old actor recently sat down to chat with the fam channel about his fave scenes to shoot, his character, Ricky Underwood, and how he’s having the time of his life. Here’s what he had to say:

On his favorite scenes to film: “I don’t really have a particular scene that I love [most], because I love them all. But … the last episode of the first season [which Jason Priestley directed] — we just had such a fun time. Megan Park had some great scenes, and we had a lot of fun.”

On his hopes for Ricky in season two: “I’m hoping during the second season fans will get to see Ricky change a little bit and, hopefully, get to see a better side to him. You’ll definitely see him change. There’s definitely a baby on the way, so he has to step up. I guess we’ll see what he ends up doing.”

On how Secret Life has affected his own life: “I’m having the time of my life. I couldn’t be more thankful. The writers, the cast, everybody that’s a part of the project is absolutely phenomenal … I couldn’t have lucked out in a better situation, and I’m trying to take full advantage of it.”

credit: Just Jared