Demi Lovato (left) and Selen Gomez prepare for the prom.ROMAN FRANCISCO
Disney stars and best friends Demi Lovato and Selena Gomez met at the age of 7, while waiting in line to audition for Barney . "She turned around and asked me if I wanted to colour," Gomez told the rowdy fans at the North American premiere in Toronto of their new TV movie Princess Protection Program (Friday, 8 p.m. on Family). Lovato plays Rosalinda, a teenager about to be crowned queen when her tiny European nation is overthrown. She's rescued by a PPP secret agent who brings her to his Louisiana bayou bait shop, to share a room with his daughter Carter (Gomez). Carter's job is to teach the princess (renamed Rosie) to act like a normal teenager. This is the first film the BFFs have worked on together since they sang and danced with the purple dinosaur, and their friendship is tangible onscreen (particularly when Carter teaches Rosie how to belch).Playing off their Barney beginnings, we asked the 16-year-olds what they like to watch on TV. Gomez happily chatted about her favourite series, but Lovato, who at first only admitted to watching movies, eventually spilled her guiltiest TV pleasures.
What do you like to watch on TV?
GOMEZ: Friends . I love that show. I have every season of Friends on DVD. I watch that religiously. I also watch Gossip Girl , and me and my mom like to watch investigation shows. We love watching Intervention and 48 Hours and Law & Order , but other than that I hardly ever watch TV.
Demi, if you're too busy to watch TV now, as kid did you watch the two of you performing on Barney?
LOVATO: Yeah, totally. Because it tripped me out. I was like, 'Oh my gosh! I have a twin, but it's smaller and on a TV screen.' It was kind of crazy. I remember being late for school because one of my first episodes was on, and my sister and I were so excited that I was on TV. I used to watch TV when I was younger, before I fell in love with my first boyfriend, which was music.
So seriously, no guilty pleasures when no one's watching?
LOVATO: When no one's watching I will watch trashy reality television, but only because someone in the house will leave it on, and then you walk past the TV and VH1 has one of those love shows and you're like, "Ahh, why am I watching this?" My IQ drops 10 points!
You're not drawn to True Blood or Twilight?
LOVATO: [suddenly grinning and shrinking back, as if hiding behind her coffee mug]I don't know if I can say this, but I love True Blood . It's really inappropriate for me to be watching it, but I love it. I watched it on the plane - they had the first three episodes. It's horrible! I was looking over my shoulder and saying, "Mom don't look!"
Do 16 year olds even watch shows on TV, or do you catch them online?
GOMEZ: I actually watch it on iTunes. The TV shows I buy are on iTunes, that's where I usually get all my stuff and it goes right to my iPod. I have the iPod touch so it's kind of bigger. And at the same time, I have it on my laptop, so if I'm on the airplane I watch it on my laptop.
Princess Protection Program airs Friday at 8 p.m. ET on Family.