andPOP - Pop Culture With Substance

If you go into “Bandslam” with very low expectations, you’ll be pleasantly surprised that this PG movie isn’t half bad. In fact, there’s some great lines, characters and story arches (for a Disney-style movie).

The key word here is Disney-style because Bandslam is definitely a step up from its Disney Channel predecessors. And don’t let Mickey Mouse alumna Alyson Michalka (“Phil of the Future”) and Vanessa Hudgens (“High School Musical”) discourage you from seeing this movie because tween, tween parents and everyone in between can take something out of “Bandslam” (including a lesson by Michalka’s character on how to kiss).

Hudgens plays Sa5m (the five is silent and no, I’m not kidding). Sa5m’s a high school misfit with an artistic personality, who speaks slowly and with little tone because she used to stutter as kid. Charlotte (played by Michalka) is her complete polar opposite. The former blond cheerleader (who has her own wikipedia page) ditches pom poms for music during her senior year.

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Vanessa Hudgens may be turning 20 this year but she’s not in any rush.

“Your fans are the ones who support your movies,” she says in the new issue of Teen Vogue. “Without them, your career is over. I’m turning 20 this year, so of course I’m going to have to grow up. But I’ll do it when the time is right.”

Hudgens has enjoyed success with the family-oriented Disney musical blockbuster High School Musical. The last of the franchise series is the upcoming HSM3 movie, scheduled for release on October 24.
Hudgens’ music career has capitalized on her young teen fanbase from High School Musical, having recently released her sophomore solo album.

“It’s a little more sophisticated [than my first album],” Hudgens explains, “though not in a sense where it’s too old for my fans.”

Hudgens has not been without controversy. Nude photographs of the young Disney star surfaced on the internet this past year. She, along with Disney, has worked vigorously to restore her wholesome image.

School is officially back in session, as all the stars of “High School Musical” have officially signed on for the third edition of the franchise.

Oren Aviv, president of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Production, announced yesterday that Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale, Lucas Grabeel, Corbin Bleu and Monique Coleman will all star in “High School Musical 3: Senior Year.”

The last instalment shattered records, boasting the largest audience ever for any basic-cable telecast. This time, the Wildcats will have their sights set even higher, as HSM3 will be released to theatres as a full feature film.

Senior year will find Troy (Efron) and Gabriella (Hudgens) worrying about their future together as college approaches. Efron and Hudgens’ off-screen relationship has been plagued constantly with break up rumours, but they appear to be still together.

After nude photos of her popped up around the internet, nearly jeopardizing her career as a keystone child entertainer, you’d think Vanessa Hudgens would simply be a ball of regret. However, in an interview with Seventeen magazine, the actress admits that she does not regret taking the inappropriate pictures, but rather regrets being stupid enough to get caught.

“It’s very unfortunate, because with the Internet these days, you don’t have a personal life,” she explained to the magazine. “Nothing is private: Everyone knows everything, and they can find out everything about you. You’re not as safe as you think you are, and you have to be aware of the people you’re around. It was something that was meant to be private, and even though it isn’t anymore, I’d still like to keep it as private as I can.”

After the pictures showed up on just about every website imaginable, rumours began to circulate that the photos had been intended for her boyfriend, Zac Efron. Nevertheless, wherever their intended destination, the pictures were intercepted along the way, causing an uproar in the online community.

“I’m a teenager, and yes, kids do stupid things sometimes,” she told the magazine in a weak attempt at redemption.

Although it seems that Hudgens may not have learned all that much from the ordeal, judging by her lax answers, maybe her story can help others.

“I hope all my fans can learn from my mistake and make smart decisions.”

Zac Efron will have a heck of a lot more money to spend on makeup and hairstyling costs after the upcoming “High School Musical 3.”

After holding out for more money and script approval, Efron has signed a deal with Disney for a $3 million paycheck.

Efron and all of his original co-stars, including his off-screen girlfiend Vanessa Hudgens, will be back. This time, however, the flick will hit movie theatres. The previous HSM movies have been Disney Channel television specials.

The movie will focus on the kids’ senior prom, and will start filming in March.

Vanessa Hudgens, the 18-year-old star of the popular High School Musical apologized Friday for posing naked.

“I want to apologize to my fans, whose support and trust mean the world to me,” Hudgens said in a statement.

With the majority of Hudgens’ fans being children and teens, the Walt Disney Co. was left in a dilemma after nude pictures of Hudgens surfaced on the internet.

It is unclear yet, as to how the pictures were taken and how they got on the internet, but the Disney Channel appears to be sticking by Hudgens.