andPOP - Pop Culture With Substance

High School Musical director Kenny Ortega has stepped down as director of the planned remake of Footloose, citing issues with the tone and budget of the film, reports E! News. This comes after Zac Efron also bailed on the project.

Ortega’s latest endeavour, This is It, a behind-the-scenes concert film about the late Michael Jackson, hits North American theatres Wednesday.

“Coming off of the extraordinary project, Michael Jackson’s This is It, director Kenny Ortega has decided it is premature for him to commit to his next film and will not be moving forward with Footloose as previously reported,” Paramount Pictures said in a statement.

The film will star Chace Crawford and Julianne Hough, and is still planned to begin production in March.

Perez Hilton reports High School Musical’s Zac Efron may be given the lead in an upcoming film based on the novel Spin by Robert Rave.

Hilton describes the film as “like Devil Wears Prada, only with sex, drugs, and a homoerotic bathroom scene with Efron’s character.”

The role Efron, 21, is being considered for is that of Taylor Green, “a recent college graduate from the Midwest who works for one of New York City’s most wretched publicists.”

Christina Applegate graces the cover of this year’s “People’s Most Beautiful” issue, but many teen idols are featured in the magazine as well.

“Twilight’s” Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart have both made People’s annual 100 Most Beautiful List. “I don’t get it. It’s funny, you look the same for years, and no one ever mentions it. Then suddenly it’s a big deal,” Pattinson tells People.

Other young stars such as “Gossip Girl’s” Taylor Momsen, brothers Nick and Joe Jonas and “17 Again” star Zac Efron have also made the list.

Efron revealed to People his secret to staying fit. “Backpacking, hiking, surfing, swimming, playing tennis — things that get you active and are also fun.”

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Back in the day, the word “Disney” brought thoughts of fairy godmothers, evil stepsisters and happily ever afters into our minds. The Disney stars that most of us looked up to were Cinderella, Pocahontas and, of course, Mickey Mouse (although now I’m not sure why).

But nowadays, all that has changed. When most children and teenagers hear the word “Disney,” they tend to think of the famous actors whose careers were launched on the television network, the Disney Channel. 

Due to shows like ‘Hannah Montana’ or the Disney Channel Original Movie ‘High School Musical,’ it is now virtually impossible to ignore any gossip associated with Disney’s princess Miley Cyrus or Brangelina wannabes Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens.

With plenty of shame, I will admit that even I watch some of these shows on a somewhat regular basis (I fully blame my boyfriend’s younger nieces for my sudden semi-addiction to shows like ‘Wizards of Waverly Place’ and ‘Sonny With a Chance’).

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Fueled by a hefty dose of tweener love, Zac Efron’s 17 Again won this weekend’s box office sweepstakes without breaking a sweat. The high school time-warp comedy, which costars Matthew Perry and Leslie Mann, earned $24.1 million, according to studio estimates from the box office tracking firm Nielsen EDI.

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Tween girls will be happy to know “17 Again” kicks off with a shirtless Zac Efron. But their parents will be even happier to know it’s a movie the entire family can enjoy — for different reasons.

The premise is quite easy to like and even easier to follow. Mike O’Donnell (played by Matthew Perry as an adult and Zac Efron as a teen) had everything going for him as a highschooler in 1989: cool-status, mad basketball skills, a hot girlfriend and a promising sports scholarship. But instead of going with the game, O’Donnell marries his high school sweetheart and twenty years later ends up with a dysfunctional family, a marriage held by a loose thread and a lame job.

To top things off, O’Donnell is now separated from his wife Scarlett (played by Leslie Mann), and living with his extremely nerdy friend Ned Gold (Thomas Lennon) in a house filled with “Star Wars” memorabilia. Things couldn’t possibly get any worse. O’Donnell questions whether he made the right choices in high school and wishes he could somehow make it right.

Sounds cheesy (or like a repeat of ‘Freaky Friday’)? I thought so too — but that was before I had actually seen the film. “17 Again” turned out to be a nice blend of pop culture teen-movie with legitimate doses of emotional moments. In fact, you can be 17 and relate to this movie or 47 and still find ways to connect because let’s face it, most of us remember vividly (or at least think we do) the “good old high school days.”
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“High School Musical 3: Senior Year” took home top prizes at the slime-filled Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards in Los Angeles Saturday.

The Disney musical was voted favourite movie, while star Vanessa Hudgens was named favourite movie actress at the 22nd annual awards, which took place inside UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion.

Hudgens’ co-star Zac Efron thanked the fans as he accepted the movie’s trophy. “Lately, a lot of people have been taking credit for bringing back the musical,” he said. “The truth is we’ve known who’s been responsible for bringing back the musical all along. It was you guys!”

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The High School Musical star has dropped out of the Footloose remake, TheWrap.com reports. The website reports that he dropped out to pursue other opportunities. “Efron told the studio last week that he did not want to do another musical at this point in his career,” a senior member of the production team told the site. The source added that Efron had script approval and used a loophole to get out of his contract. “People had been working on this project since last July,” the source said.

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Rumours have been flying everywhere that Disney stars like Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Miley Cyrus and “Twilight” actor Robert Pattinson will make appearances during the Academy Awards on Sunday February 22.

“High School Musical” star Zac Efron and his girlfriend and “High School Musical” co-star Vanessa Hudgens are rumoured to be presenting the award for Best Original Song according to E! Online.

On Monday, rumours started about “Twilight’s” Robert Pattinson and if he would present an award. However, there has been no confirmation of this, or if co-star Kristen Stewart will present the award with Pattinson.

Last year, “Hannah Montana” star Miley Cyrus made an appearance at the Academy Awards, and although there has been no confirmation if Cyrus is scheduled to take the stage, it has been reported by E! Online that she will be at the Oscars in support of the animated flick “Bolt,” which is nominated under the Animated Feature category.

There will be a day I stop blogging about the teen celeb scene and young Hollywood in general. But today is not that day.

The world of Young Hollywood is just more interesting these days. It seems like no one cares if Gwyneth’s cheating on Chris Martin. Or if Madonna’s doing god-knows-what with A-Rod. They care about Joe Jonas and Taylor Swift’s war of words. They care about Miley Cyrus and her 20-year-old boyfriend. And they definitely care about High School Musical and Twilght.

Okay. So there’s like a straight up battle going on for the title of Mr. Teen Heartthrob. The two contenders: High School Musical’s Zachary David Efron and Twilight’s Robert Thomas Pattinson.

Efron’s the reigning Heartthrob Champion, if you will, and his opponent – Pattinson – is the new kid on the block, armed with lots of hype, messy hair and a sexy accent.

It’s no secret where my allegiance lies. I have seen all three High School Musical movies numerous times after all. But my boyfriend Zac better watch his back. Accents are lethal. And the attention span of tween girls is short. Very short. The screams reserved for High School Musical 3 have been replaced with the deafening shrieks that accompany the Twilight cast wherever they go.

The movie isn’t even out yet and everyone knows Pattinson’s name. His face is everywhere. A seven year-old fangirl even asked him to bite her neck. Granted, Pattinson’s got luck working in his favour. The Twilight books already had a massive following and his character, Edward the vampire, was already the object of many teens’ fantasies. He barely had to work for it.

This – according to the gossip pundits – has got Zac feeling a little threatened and a tad bit jealous. Zac’s been touring around the world promoting his Disney franchise while Robert’s been here, right in the thick of things, stealing the hearts and screams of Efron’s beloved fan base.

Pattinson’s got the buzz on his side at the moment. He’s been named one of the ten breakout stars of the year by Entertainment Weekly and, well, it’s safe to say Twilght’s opening this weekend will see big box-office numbers. Kids are probably already lined up outside theatres. In the snow. Clutching their tattered, over-read copies of the Twilight series. Dreaming of Edward and Bella. That is how crazy Twilight fans are. Zachary should be worried.

But not too worried. Because, and I may be biased, but I contest that Zac Efron is still Mr. Teen Heartthrob, that his future will be brighter and his career more substantial.

Yes, vampires are a lot edgier and sexier than singing basketball players but Zac already knows how to work the machine. He’s got two movies in the can to be released early next year. The first one, “Seventeen Again”, co-starring Matthew Perry, will have the tweens eating out of his hands again. The second, a drama called “Me and Orsen Welles” with Claire Danes, will showcase his range and talent as an actor- not just a pretty face.

Zac is already using the high-power celebrity couple angle to his benefit. The teens are obsessed with his relationship with girlfriend and co-star Vanessa Hudgens. Though Pattinson has alluded to a real-life crush on Twilight co-star Kristen Stewart, there is nothing substantial there. Paparazzi shots of Zanessa frolicking on a Hawaiian beach send the kids into a frenzy. Awkward sexual tension between Pattinson and Stewart during interviews will not suffice.

Efron was just named one of People’s Sexiest Men Alive. He was honoured at GQ’s Men of the Year Party and he’s got some major movies in the works- like a remake of Footloose (which I predict will either make or break his career). Pattinson has just barely made it onto the pages of J-14.

The head start will work in Zac’s favour. And so will his hair. The messy rocker look will only get you so far Robert. The tweens love man-bangs. Efron’s got that down.

And so, in conclusion: Zac Efron totally trumps Robert Pattinson.