Once again, Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale, Lucas Grabeel, Corbin Bleu, Monique Coleman, Olesya Rulin, KayCee Stroh, Chris Warren Jr. and Ryne Sanborn will hosts the special.

Beginning Thursday, June 18, fans can log on to www.DisneyChannel.com for printable song lyrics and choreography instructions and join in the dances of “Get’cha Head in the Game,” “We’re All in This Together,” “What Time Is It” and “All for One.”

Will you watch the encore presentation of these movies?

Image Credit: Amazon.com

Post from: Disney Society

I have some more “High School Musical 3” goodies! Read these audition tips from Kenny Ortega, director of all 3 of the “High School Musical” movies. I know a lot of you are interested in acting, so I think you will love to hear what he has to say.

Have you got what it takes to be the next Ashley Tisdale or Zac Efron? Fancy hitting the big time? Want to bag a role on HSM4? High School Musical director Kenny Ortega reveals the secrets to the perfect audition. Follow his top-secret audition advice and you’ll be a star of the silver screen in no time…

Hi Kenny! What are your top audition tips for wannabe actors?

If you’re a young person who wants to become an actor, it’s really important to walk into a casting room with a sense of yourself and some life experience. You can really delight a room and have them already choose you before you’ve even said a word!

How can that happen?

This actually happened to me years ago when a young Leonardo DiCaprio auditioned for me for a film. He ended up not doing it. He ended up doing a movie called What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, which was a good choice, but he came in and he completely won me over.

Read the rest below, plus a new HSM clip!

High School Musical (Film)

What happened?

We hung out and he was so honest and real and fun and interesting. He was in the audition room with me and I said to him, “Well, get out of here and good luck. I wish I could’ve had you in my movie, but I understand you have a lot on your plate.”

What was the movie you were casting?

It was a Disney movie called Hocus Pocus with Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy. He left the room and I picked up the phone to speak to my casting director. I said, “Oh my god! This kid is unbelievable. Where did you find him?” They explained that they knew I’d like him and asked how he read, but that’s when I realised I’d forgotten to ask him to read. That’s a true story.

Did you hang out with the new cast members from High School Musical 3 – Matt Prokop, Jemma McKenzie-Brown and Justin Martin – before you cast them?

It’s important for me to be able to have a conversation with the cast – and these three were very interesting to chat to. These three new kids – like Zac, Vanessa, Ashley, Lucas, Corbin and Monique – came into the room and were very interesting to hang out with. I like to know who I’m working with and it’s important because they’ve got to be able to bring something to the party.

Is there one set question you ask at every audition?

Usually, I will ask, “What did you do before you came here today?” And I love it when I hear someone say, “I went for a bike ride.” Or, “I was riding my skateboard.” Or, “I was swimming.” Or, “I went for a walk.” Or, “I was hanging out with my best friend.” Or, “I was playing a video game.” I like that there is a life and that there is a person there.

What’s the wrong answer to this audition question?

I don’t want to hear, “I’ve been practicing my lines for a week.” To want to be an actor is enough – you don’t need to tell us about it. The interesting person who comes with some life experience is always the person who is going to be chosen by me.

Is school important to young actors?

Studying and education is very important. When you’re creating and building and developing as an actor, you never know when you’re going to need to depend on Geography or History. You don’t always have the time to have a quick study into a subject, so I’m constantly saying to actors get as much of an education as you can early on. It sets you up and deepens your possibilities of work.

Do you have any dance audition tips for us?

Wear appropriate clothes. Don’t come in trying to look like you’re wearing a costume; come in to dance. Wear something that allows the choreographers to see the line of your body as you’re performing. Fashion sometimes gets the better of kids. They walk into an audition in layers of clothes and they try too hard. The clothes get in the way of the simple, clean lines you’re trying to show off – so keep it simple.

Do you have any singing audition tips, too?

This one’s easy! Make sure you warm up your vocal chords before you walk into an audition room. Be prepared to sing, but make sure your voice is warmed up and ready to go.

Did you cast all of the actors in all three High School Musical movies?

I did. I am very hands-on when it comes to the High School Musical movies. I pride myself in being at the forefront of selecting each of these talented young actors.

What made the new cast members of High School Musical 3 stand out?

They each brought something into the room that you could sense even before they danced, sang or acted. They just had something in them that I could see and that excited me. That combined with everything else they brought into the audition as a talent made them hard to deny.

Were you hands-on in selecting the original High School Musical cast, too?

The original castings came after many weeks of auditioning – and I was there all the way. Eventually, we put all of them through two, six-hour days of auditions, which were grueling and very intense. By the time they left, their agents were on the phone saying, “What are you doing with these kids?”

Why were the auditions so demanding?

The original auditions were tough because I wanted to make sure I had the right people for the roles. I knew I only had two and a half weeks of rehearsal and 28 days of shooting, which isn’t very long for a movie – and I wasn’t going to hire kids that I couldn’t depend upon. I needed kids who would bring something to the party and have a sense of responsibility and enthusiasm to be there.

How has the real-life relationship between Vanessa and Zac affected the movies?

Their relationship has been a blessing. A lot of real-life couples lose chemistry on-screen together, but maybe we lucked out because they weren’t a real-life couple when we started these movies.

How did Zac and Vanessa react when you first met them?

When Zac and Vanessa came to us, they didn’t know each other and they hadn’t worked together before. We put them together just because we thought they looked appropriate – but something happened there. Something sparked.

Did they stand out straight away?

They did. I remember those early auditions vividly. When we tried to see if the same thing clicked with any other pairing, we couldn’t find it. We closed the door and we said, “We’re all old enough and experienced enough to know something great when it’s standing in front of us.” And that was Zac and Vanessa. We saw something in them before they even saw something in each other.

Is off-screen chemistry not always there?

Not always. Often an actor and an actress who aren’t even on speaking terms come together for a film and explode on-screen with their chemistry, but they aren’t very close off-screen. I’ve been there and seen it many times before. I’m not going to say who the actors are – but I’ve been in situations where the chemistry has been spectacular on-screen but as soon as you say cut, the two walk off in silence in completely opposite directions. Amazing, but true.

Image Credit: © WDSHE. All Rights Reserved.

Post from: Disney Society

In celebration of the February 17th release of “High School Musical 3: Senior Year” on DVD and Blu-ray, Disney Society is teaming up with Walt Disney Home Entertainment to provide you with an opportunity to win one awesome prize package!

This contest is going to take some reader participation, but I know you guys can do it! I have two prize packages for a main winner and a runner-up. Let me tell you about the prizes and then we’ll get into how you can win one.

Prize Package #1 – An HSM 3-disc Blu-ray Prize Pack:

• High School Musical: Remix Edition

• High School Musical 2: Extended Edition

• High School Musical 3: Senior Year Deluxe Extended Edition (includes DVD copy)

• Wildcat Valentine (The lid of the box has a heart on it and when you open up the box, the HSM3 finale plays. Also inside the box is a stuffed animal and tassel.)

Prize pack number 2 and the rules of the contest are below.

Prize Package #2 – For the runner up:

• High School Musical 3: Senior Year Deluxe Extended Edition (includes DVD copy)

• Wildcat Valentine (The lid of the box has a heart on it and when you open up the box, the HSM3 finale plays. Also inside the box is a stuffed animal and tassel.)

Awesome prizes aren’t they? Okay, here’s how you can enter to win:

Calling all eagle-eyed Wildcats! Want to put your High School Musical 3 knowledge to the test? Well, take our quote quiz to discover if you’re the ultimate expert on East High and all its students…

SAY WHAT?!

Below are some quotes from High School Musical 3 and a list of HSM characters – but which Wildcat said what? Match the quote to the character and submit your answers for the chance to win one of the 2 prize packages.

• Contest starts today, February 10th and goes until February 17th. Everyone’s names who got the answers right, will go into a drawing. I will pick 2 winners on February 18th.
• Open to U.S. residents only.
• One entry per person.
• Email me your answers to julie at b5media.com

Here are the quotes and the names:

THE QUOTES:

1. “For the record, I was a much better superhero than you were.”

2. “What’s a picnic without chocolate-covered strawberries?”

3. “This has two weeks detention written all over it!”

4. “It’s called Babe Magnet… I bought it just for the show.”

5. “One, two, three, great, five, six, seven, eight…”

6. “Is this a pirate’s wheel?”

7. “Understudy isn’t a role you moron!”

8. “If you own any orange, get rid of it.”

9. “I still have to write lyrics.”

10. “Gentleman, start your engines!”

THE CHARACTERS

A: Troy Bolton

B: Gabriella Montez

C: Sharpay Evans

D: Ryan Evans

E: Taylor McKessie

F: Chad Danforth

G: Kelsi Nielson

H: Tiara Gold

I: Donny Dion

J: Jimmy Zara

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!!

Image Credit: © WDSHE. All Rights Reserved.

Post from: Disney Society

Here’s a taste of what you will get:

Fans can dance along with the cast and learn their favorite kickin’ routines with moves actually taken from the top rated Disney Channel Original Movie! Jam-packed with over five hours of bonus material, Deluxe Dance Edition also gives fans an exclusive sneak peek at High School Musical 3, premiering in movie theaters nationwide on October 24th!  The two-disc set also includes deleted scenes, a virtual scrapbook featuring the cast and crew, and an exclusive musical number that will make the coolest summer vacation ever last all year round.

Included in the DVD, is a free "High School Musical 3" movie ticket. I imagine there are a few of you out there who would like one of those!

If you are a "High School Musical 2" fan, you will definitely want to get your hands on this DVD and most likely watch it over and over again. I thought the bonus features were fabulous! If you have already purchased this, let me know what you think of it!

See below for 2 great clips.

Cues From Kenny

One Fabulous Scene

Image used with permission by WDSHE Publicity

Post from: Disney Society

Image details: DVD Premiere Disney’s "High School Musical 2" – Arrivals served by picapp.com

The nominations are out for the 60th Annual Emmy Awards and a couple of Disney Channel shows and a Disney Channel Original Movie made the cut!

For Outstanding Children’s Program – Hannah Montana, High School Musical 2 and The Suite Life of Zack and Cody were nominated.

In the category of Outstanding Choreography – High School Musical 2 was nominated for these routines: Routines: ‘What Time Is It?’, ‘Fabulous’, ‘Work This Out’, ‘I Don’t Dance’, ‘You Are the Music In Me’, ‘For One’.

Congratulations and good luck! The Emmy Awards will air live on September 21st at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, CA.

Post from: Disney Society

This is such a cute video of Zac Efron! Zac is in New York giving us a little tour and being as adorable as possible. He answers fans questions about ‘High School Musical‘. This was shot in between HSM1 and 2. He was asked by a fan if there would be a sequel and he said yes, but he didn’t know anything about the script.

In the video Zac goes ice skating, tries his first New York hot dog and takes us around Central Park.

One fan asked if he was dating Ashley Tisdale and he said no, but that they are really good friends. He said on the video that he was currently single and was looking around. What?! I guess that him and Vanessa Hudgens didn’t start dating until around the HSM sequel. Or maybe he was just really good at keeping it under wraps and lying through his teeth, lol!

Anyway, it was nice seeing Zac just laid back and talking about life and HSM.

Post from: Disney Society

Well, the whole debate about if Camp Rock is better than High School Musical seems to be split right down the middle. There is one thing for sure though, and that’s the big ratings that Camp Rock brought in.

Camp Rock’s Friday Disney Channel premiere averaged 8.9 million viewers for the 8-10 pm Friday slot. Those ratings did outdo the original High School Musical movie, but it ranked second after High School Musical 2, which brought in 17.2 million viewers on its August 17th premiere.

In January 2007, the DCOM Jump In! brought in 8.2 million viewers, which is not too far behind Camp Rock.

On Friday night from 8-10 pm, the Disney Channel was the most-watched network, followed by CBS’s 3 million viewers.

Needless to say, the Disney Channel knows how to make some awesome movies and bring in some awesome ratings!

Image used with permission by Newscom 

Post from: Disney Society

Remember the fun and catchy “Bop to the Top” song that Ashley Tisdale and Lucas Grabeel sang in High School Musical? Every time I listen to this song or watch Ryan and Sharpay doing their thing, the song gets stuck in my head!

This is a video clip of Ashley and Lucas practicing this song. I wonder what they are cooking up for High School Musical 3! I love Ashley’s socks, lol.

Post from: Disney Society

Ashley Tisdale is talking about singing and how she warms up her vocals. She also mentions what kind of music she likes. Do you any of you have a special way you warm up your vocal cords?

Post from: Disney Society

Oh that Perez Hilton…trying to cause controversy!! Here is an interview from 2007 with Perez and the High School Musical gang. He talks about Monique’s wild blue eye shadow, how Zac Efron loves to wear makeup and then he asked Ashley Tisdale if she is going to steal him from Vanessa Hudgens.

My favorite quote is “I did it to match your hair,” by Monique Coleman. LOL.

Post from: Disney Society