The "High School Musical" Phenomenonby Michele Cheplic | More from this Blogger 06 Feb 2007 04:57 PM Does the name Corbin Bleu ring a bell? Are you familiar with the characters Gabriella and Troy? When your child refers to "Troy's dad the school's basketball coach" do you know what school she is referring to? If you were able to answer any of the aforementioned questions then you know a thing or two about Disney's hit "High School Musical." "Hit" may be an understatement. Some analysts call the success of the Disney Channel Original Movie "High School Musical" unprecedented. Last year the film vaulted the Disney Channel into a tie with the USA Network for top-rated cable network in prime time. But that's nothing compared to how well the movie's soundtrack fared. It sold nearly 4 million copies in the U.S. and was the year's top-selling CD. (Parents of preteens-- I'm sure you are familiar with songs like "We're All in This Together.") If you are a parent of a tween obsessed with the movie that melds the plots of "Grease" and "Romeo & Juliet," then you probably know a long awaited sequel to the film is in the works. Is this the first you are hearing about the sequel? Consider yourself "out of it." After all, the hoopla surrounding the announcement nearly crashed Disney's website. Last month, Disney posted 10 questions on its website asking fans for input on the "High School Musical" sequel--- more than 27 million votes were cast in 20 days. But that's not all. Last month, when "High School Musical" heartthrob Corbin Bleu starred in the Disney Channel movie, "Jump In!"--a film about an aspiring jump rope champion--8.2 million people tuned in making it the top-rated TV movie premiere in the network's history. It's only February, but my 12-year-old niece is already looking forward to the sequel's release this summer. (I know she isn't alone.) Disney is keeping mum on the movie's details, but insiders say it will be set mostly at a country club and "will explore different themes than the original," which was mainly concerned with the characters' needing to express themselves. Do you have "High School Musical" fans in your home? Related Articles: Disney + Celebrities = Hot New Ads "Santa" Gets Booted From Disney World How Carefully Do You Watch TV? Learn more about Michele Cheplic  Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism. Relevantpopular culture tags User Comments  Julie Gentry (5915) 06 Feb 2007 05:35 PMThis was actually a movie that we all enjoyed :-). It's TiVOed and gets played at least monthly.  Valorie Delp (49340) 06 Feb 2007 06:28 PMMy daughter will be 8 in March. I thought I had a few more years before we had to endure "tween ness". The only thing to say now is. . 'we're all in this together. . .'  Michele Cheplic (37445) 07 Feb 2007 06:58 AMI'll be curious to see how many "sequels" this movie generates... kinda like Shrek... Community Tags disney, high school musical, high school musical sequel, teens, TV movie Discuss this article
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