Willow Smith to make TV debut

LOS ANGELES, July 7 (UPI) -- Willow Smith, the 8-year-old daughter of Hollywood stars Will and Jada Pinkett Smith, has signed up to make her television debut, Nickelodeon announced.

The child actress, who has appeared in the movies "I Am Legend" and "Kit Kittredge: An American Girl," will appear in a special one-hour episode of Nickelodeon's comedy series "True Jackson, VP," which is to air July 25, the network said.

Willow will play a younger version of the show's title character in flashback scenes. The older True, who is the teenage head of the youth division of a major fashion label, is played by Keke Palmer.

"I get my style ideas from 'True Jackson, VP,'" Willow said in a statement. "If I had my own fashion company, I would call it 'Willow's Reign.'"

"After seeing True mostly in the office, it is fun to see another side of her life. Most kids don't have dual lives as vice presidents and high school students, so True's comic dilemma is how to balance both. She faces this crisis with lots of comedy and her usual flair," added Marjorie Cohn, Nickelodeon's executive vice president of development and original programming. "Willow Smith is fantastic playing the young True and was able to channel Keke's energy yet put her own signature on it."