By Anita Harkins
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
Have you seen the new TV movie "High School Musical"? Join the crowd if you answered yes. It set a record for a Disney Channel original movie by singing and dancing its way into about 5 million homes on its first night.
What makes it so hot? The top two stars (Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens) really click in this love story with a funny twist. The music, dancing and clothes are teenage cool, and the "High School Musical" CD is selling fast.
The hip-hop song "Get'cha Head in the Game" was popular as a music video even before the movie came out. It has a scratchy sound you won't forget, with squeaky sneakers picking up the heat as boys dribble and shoot to a hip-hop beat.
Ashley Tisdale from "The Suite Life of Zack and Cody" also stars as the high school drama queen who thinks she's soooooooo cool!
The movie was made in Salt Lake City, Utah, because the guy in charge of dancing had a similar job at the Winter Olympics there in 2002.
If you haven't seen the movie yet, don't worry. Disney Channel is showing it a lot, including on Thursday and Feb. 13. We'll sum it up:
High school students Gabriella (played by Vanessa Hudgens, who was in the Disney movie "Thunderbirds") and Troy (played by Zac Efron of the TV show "Summerland") meet during winter vacation. They get stuck singing karaoke together --- and they're great! Later, they wind up at the same school after her family moves.
She's brainy in math and science, and he's a basketball star. Their friends don't hang out together. Things get wacky when they both decide to forget what their friends say --- and sing together in their school show.
News for Kids talked with busy Zac and Vanessa. Here's what they told us:
NFK: What's the hardest thing about an audition?
ZAC: You have little time to practice. You might just get the lines a day ahead.
NFK: Did you and Vanessa fall in love while making the movie?
ZAC: Kind of. But not in a loving way. We hang out together all the time. She loves shopping, so we go to the mall.
NFK: What did you do in Salt Lake City, Utah, after rehearsing the movie?
ZAC: We sat by the pool. And we ate at every restaurant within five miles!
NFK: Do girls chase you?
ZAC: Not yet!
NFK: Were you ever scared to try something new?
ZAC: In fifth grade, my dad pushed me into acting. I was in tears because I was so scared.
NFK: Do you have a girlfriend?
ZAC: No --- but I'm working on it!
NFK: What would you do for a girl on Valentine's Day?
ZAC: Take her to dinner and give her a teddy bear and candy or roses.
NFK: Any advice for kids who want to be a star?
ZAC: Enter a school play. If you freeze onstage and pass out, forget it!
Cricket
Bade Achche Lagte Hain Naya Season
