Sunday, August 19, 2007

The End of the Hype

Hey guys-

One final HSM tidbit before moving on to other Disney news. The NEW YORK TIMES, as well as other major news-broadcasting outlets are stating that the Friday premiere of High School Musical 2 produced the LARGEST single-audience in the HISTORY of cable television with a whopping... 17.2 MILLION VIEWERS. Keep in mind, there were probably a few hundred HSM2 parties going on, so this number should probably be a little bit higher if you multiply each television set by 10! Click here for the complete story.


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Speaking of new Disney movies, the upcoming live-action movie (with a 20 minute animated introduction), ENCHANTED has finally released its official movie poster.


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You can also watch the official trailer for the movie at its official youtube page, or you can watch it below:


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Tonight on the DISNEY CHANNEL @ 8PM: (In order to complete the wild weekend kick-off.. the third, and final, showing of...)


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Click here for the complete Disney Channel TV listing for today.

That's it for now...
Peace out!
-andi w.

Saturday, August 18, 2007

HSM2: The Review


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Do not believe a word that Entertainment Weekly is spewing about the newest Disney Channel Original Movie. If you liked the first installment of High School Musical, you will absolutely adore the second! And if you hated it? You will still be one of many in the crowds to mock the cheesy dialogue and roll your eyes at the plot, but the musical numbers will, nonetheless, get your foot tapping and lure your inner-child into a full swing. Although the plot is a carbon copy of all-things-teen-romatic-comedy, there were a few changes to make this movie a little more captivating.

The first movie was filmed and based around the social hierarchy within a typical high school, East High, but this time around, the surroundings are at Sharpay's summer country-club, and the Wildcats are no longer searching for popularity... this time, their jobs, and ultimately, their futures, are at stake. And instead of competing for the starring roles in their high school's winter musical, the Wildcats are now going at it to win the Star Dazzle award for the country club's annual talent show.

So basically, the second movie is the original with a few tweeks. This then makes you wonder...what did director, Kenny Ortega do differently to make High School Musical 2 a winning formula?


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The secret ingredient: Sharpay, Sharpay... SHARPAY!!


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In the first installment of High School Musical, Sharpay Evans, and her brother, Ryan, (portrayed by Ashley Tisdale and Lucas Grabeel), were used soley for the purpose of comic relief. Their characters were also needed to create the plot by causing conflict between the stars of the movie, Troy Bolton (Zac Efron), and Gabriella Montez (Vanessa Anne Hudgens). This time around, it seems as if all of the roles changed. Gabriella and Troy are the ones that are needed for the sole purpose of plot, while Ryan is still used for comic relief.


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However, in HSM2, Sharpay steals the entire show and is not only the star of the movie, but also IS the movie. Her flamboyant actions, her shrill giggles, and her wittily, cheap remarks are what drive the audience into a fit of captivated amusement and laughter. Some might say that Tisdale's acting is a little too over-the-top, but it sure beats Hudgens's bland, dry, and pathetic character, or shall we say, CAMEOS. Her only believable scene in the movie is when she manages to pinch out one, lonely tear, while singing her ever-so-cliche lonely-girl-song, which I admit, was beautifully touching! However, her song pales in comparisson to Sharpay's first solo musical number, FABULOUS:


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Also, for all you CORBIN BLEU fans, it is sad to say that his character, Chad, did not make the final cut into the movie. Oh, wait... he did? That's right! He shared a duet with Ryan in the "Get'cha Head In The Game"-like musical number, "I Don't Dance," which was only bearable because of Ryan's contagious, and humorous, character. Other than that piece, most scenes containing Chad remains entirely forgetable and unamusing. The same goes for Monique Coleman's character, and the pop-and-lock-girl/Mr. Creme-Brulee!


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Although the cast of HSM2 tries to close the movie with another uplifting "Breaking Free" moment, followed by a positively inspiring unification song like the previous, "We're All In This Together," because Ortega tried to highlight more characters in this movie, the respective numbers, "Everyday" and "All For One" were a little too hectic and disorderly to fully enjoy, aesthetically speaking. However, the numbers were extremely catchy and left you singing while the credits rolled. However, unlike the previous movie, the highlight of High School Musical 2 came with Sharpay's rendition of Troy and Gabriella'a melodically beautiful duet, "You Are The Music In Me."


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Overall, if you're looking for an amusing, comical, feel-good movie, (and if you don't mind a few cheesy moments and horrible dialogue), High School Musical 2 is the flick just for you!


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Friday, August 17, 2007

WHAT TIMES IS IT?!?


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IT'S FINALLY HERE! HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 2 will be airing on the Disney Channel tonight at 8PM/7C!! Beceause of this FABULOUS occurence, there will be no news updates until tomorrow, when I can post pictures from tonight's HSM2 PARTY! :D

Have an awesome day and...
Peace out!
-andi w.

Thursday, August 16, 2007

Main Course: Ratatouille... Dessert? Ice Cream!!

Hey guys-

I start my first day of work at The Palo Alto Weekly today! But before that happens, let's start off with a few interesting tidbits of Disney news.


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For those of you who have seen Pixar's RATATOUILLE, do you recall the scene where Remy's dad shows him the rat-trap-shop-of-doom? I remember while I was seeing that scene, I thought to myself, "That's really gross.. thank God it's just in a movie!" Well, I was WRONG! That shop in the movie is based on an actual rat-trap shop, in Paris, whose window display has been like that since 1925! Apparently, the movie has made the shop, today, a highly visited tourist attraction! Click here for the full article!


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In other food related news, in order to celebrate MARY POPPINS on Broadway, a Manhattan dessert shop, Serendipity 3, has created an ice-cream special called the Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious Sundae.

"Try a scoop of strawberry ice cream in a goblet with a slice of cheesecake under a sweet strawberry topping and clouds of whipped cream drizzled with caramel sauce. It's decorated with an umbrella hovering above a chocolate wafer chim-chimney."
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This dessert is going for a whopping $13.50; although I'm not so sure about paying that much for ice-cream, this concotion sounds absolutely DELICIOUS!! The Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious Sundae will only be available for a limited time, so hurry and try a bite!


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Remember, in order to celebrate the world premiere of High School Musical 2, the Disney Channel has been showing movies that ROCK all this week. Tonight on DISNEY at THE MOVIES @ 8PM:

The ORIGINAL... HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL!


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For the complete Disney Channel TV schedule, click here!

That's it for now-
Peace out!
-andi w.

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Start of Something New: HSM2 Edition!

Hey guys!

What's up? I'm finally back in action! These past couple of months have been CRAZY! I've been all over the world, including Tanzania, Kenya, Morocco, Egypt, Spain, and Portugal. Everything was beautiful, and Africa really reminded me of The Lion King. Anyways, let's get to it!

Yesterday, August 14th, the HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 2 Original Soundtrack dropped in STORES! You can pick up your copy now at your favourite cd-selling shop... or you can get it delivered straight to your home through amazon.com. Click here or on the picture below to get a copy!


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Remember, the premiere of High School Musical 2 is THIS FRIDAY, Aug 17th, at 8/7c!! For the kick-off, the Disney Channel will be airing a Suite Life of Zack and Cody MARATHON starting @ 10AM!! After the actual movie premiere, there will be a "sneak peek" of a new Disney Channel original series... followed by a special episode of Hannah Montana, with guest stars.. The Jonas Brothers! Check out the trailer below!


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And just for fun... two HSM2 music videos that have been airing on TV, nonstop (that I haven't posted before):


You Are The Music In Me
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I Don't Dance
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If you head on over to abc7.com, there is a collection of interviews from the stars of HSM2 as they pass by on the blue carpet for the premiere! Click here or on the photo below to check it out!


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If you're looking for pictures of the premiere, you can check out a few at hsmusicalweb.org. Click here, or on the photo below, to go directly to the page.


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In celebration of HSM2, the Disney Channel is airing MOVIES THAT ROCK this week. Tonight @8PM:


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For the complete Disney Channel TV Listing, click here.

That's it for today-
Peace out!
-andi w.