You’ve seen him as Newt Livingston, the guitar-loving sidekick on Disney Channel’s Cory in the House, but 17-year-old Jason Dolley has more than music on the mind. The cutie is teaming up with Mitchel Musso and Tiffany Thornton in the new Disney Channel Original Movie Hatching Pete (premiering TODAY, APRIL 24).

We got Jason on the phone and had him dish the dirt on everything from his faves to the things that make him squirm…

He likes…a confident girl
When asked what’s one thing a girl can do to catch his eye, Jason’s response? “Being herself would be the best thing she could possibly do. Not trying to impress anybody. Just going in and being herself. [I like] somebody who is outgoing [and] not afraid to choose or make a decision.”

He likes…to be a romantic

What’s Jason’s idea of a perfect date? “If we went to a restaurant together, but it was a place that was either your favorite restaurant or hers, but the other one had never been there. You can compare and expose them to that [place], and they will experience it for the first time with you. That’s a lot of fun.”

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He dislikes…spiders
“I’ve always been scared of spiders. I like Spider-Man, but I hate spiders. I think it’s something about the eight legs. I’m not overly afraid of insects. I will catch flies in my house with my hands. But there’s something about those two extra legs and beady eyes…they are unsettling.”

He likes…to play
“I’m pretty good at yo-yoing and not the typical ‘rock the baby’ stuff. We’d bring them to school and have fun with them during breaks. I still have fun with it now. My string actually just broke the other day so I haven’t been able to play with it this week.”

He likes…to rock out
“Newt inspired me to play the guitar. I kind of wanted to anyways, but when I started doing it on the show I was like, ‘Oh Newt plays the guitar, it’s probably a good idea if I have some general idea of what I’m doing.’ And now I’m in love with it.”

Hatching Pete premieres on the Disney Channel tonight, April 24 at 8 p.m. ET/PT.

--Patricia McNamara

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