Cosgrove connects with the 'i' generation

Miranda Cosgrove appeared to be a typical 15-year-old shopper -- applying the latest flavor of lip gloss at the cosmetics counter, fawning over designer sneakers, trying on headbands -- except most of the other Nordstrom customers on this crowded Sunday afternoon weren't accompanied by security guards and didn't have the ability to make youngsters audibly gasp, as if they'd just spotted a Juicy Couture purse for 69 cents.

Cosgrove stars in Nickelodeon's "iCarly," a series about a tech-savvy teen who creates her own goofy Internet show, which could best be described as a "Wayne's World" for hip girls. Unlike the Disney Channel series "Hannah Montana," about a pop star who moves achy-breaky hearts, and "The Suite Life of Zack and Cody," in which two kids live in a luxury hotel, thereby eliminating the need to take out the garbage, "iCarly" centers on the very real possibility of putting on your own show without the need of great dance moves, a barn or Mickey Rooney.

Viewers are encouraged to visit icarly.com and submit their own work, and the results are as entertaining and creative as a season of "America's Funniest Home Videos."

Creator Dan Schneider believes no other TV program has so successfully integrated the Internet into its content. It's a marriage that almost didn't happen.

Schneider, who had previously cast Cosgrove as a scheming sister in his hit series "Drake & Josh," planned to build a new show around her titled "Star Struck," which would follow the adventures of a young girl who, quite by accident, becomes the star of a hit show. But as the first day of shooting approached, Schneider started to have second thoughts.

"All my shows are about kid empowerment," said Schneider, who's also responsible for "Zoey 101" and "The Amanda Show." "With young people embracing technology, it was possible to have a character create her own thing. She actually says in the 'iCarly' pilot, 'We've got no adults to tell us what we can and can't do.'"

Schneider's last-minute switcheroo paid off.

The most recent episode, in which the gang rebuffs the advances of a know-nothing network exec, was the week's top nonsports program on cable TV and the second most-downloaded show on iTunes. The soundtrack for the series debuted earlier this month at No. 28 on the Billboard charts.

Further proof of the show's popularity was on display last weekend at the Mall of America's Rotunda, where more than 600 screaming teenagers gathered to get autographs from Cosgrove and snap pictures with their digital cameras and cell phones.

Fans, some of whom waited seven hours for 20 seconds of face time with the actress, seemed to crash once they got their turn, but Cosgrove was more than happy to compensate for their awkward and awed silence, complimenting their "supercool" T-shirts, sharing how she's "superexcited" about summer and telling them how awesome it would be to live just a parent's ride away from the Mall of America.

If that sounds like simple "girly" chatter, well, it's because she's just a girl -- a fact that's easy to overlook when you consider she's already starred in two hit series, procured a scene-stealing role in Jack Black's "School of Rock" (she was the no-nonsense band manager) and has a record deal with Columbia Records that could very well do Miley Cyrus-type numbers.

But during a half-hour shopping trip right before the autograph session, it was clear that Cosgrove is more or less a typical teen, eager to be trendy and liked.

While trying on some funky Ed Hardy sneakers (she's a size 7, for those planning on buying her something for Christmas) and modeling summer hats, she didn't begrudge fellow shoppers a chance for a photo and has been known to stick around for extra signings if some unlucky fan near the back of the line starts crying. She has the sweet habit of asking salespeople for their opinions. She's addicted to "The Hills," the ultimate show about being in the "in crowd." She said she loves purple -- the color of the pants and part of the vest she wore that day -- but hasn't abandoned pink, which she admits isn't nearly as cool. Her worst nightmare is accidentally leaving her cell phone at home on Friday afternoons, because she's worried she'll be left out of her friends' weekend plans. She doesn't have a Facebook or Myspace page because "I would have to check it every day. If you don't, then people think you're mean."

Of course, there's no denying that Cosgrove does live a privileged life.

When asked how many purses she has, she replied: "Not many, maybe 50." When the questioner did a triple take, she tried to correct herself. "Just kidding! I'd say 30. I didn't realize 50 sounded like so many."

njustin@startribune.com • 612-673-7431