The TV Zone

Who'd have thought the biggest mob scene at TV critics' press tour would be for a Disney Channel presentation?

Only anyone who's ever been in the vicinity of a kid fallen under the all-encompassing spell of the pop culture phenomenon that is "High School Musical."

Dozens of reporters swarmed the TV movie hit's six young stars Saturday morning after their press conference about the Aug. 17 debut of "High School Musical 2." The rush created gridlock in a Beverly Hills hotel ballroom of the ginormous scope awaiting anything remotely having to do with the hotly awaited "HSM2."

And there will be plenty of those things. Disney Channel's web site premieres its first "HSM2" music video this week, with a second number getting an on-air Disney Channel sneak peek July 27. Radio Disney will debut the sequel's soundtrack, in a simulcast with Disney XD broadband. Already available is the film's online "supersite," which adds a debut-night "party planning kit" before the movie's official premiere. But Cablevision and FIOS subscribers can get access to a video-on-demand preview screening even before then.

The "HSM" machine rolls on. Luckily, the sequel itself, like the original January 2006 sensation, merits the mania. Screened in its entirety here, it's a quality musical spectacular with an uplifting message as well as catchy new songs, exciting dance moves and cute teen stars. "It's a cautionary tale about learning to pay attention to your own moral compass," said Disney Channel entertainment president Gary Marsh. Heartthrob star Zac Efron's young athlete character has his head swayed by Ashley Tisdale's spoiled rich witch during a summer working with his erstwhile school friends at a lush desert resort.

"It's summer and we're outdoors," director Kenny Ortega said of the colorful Utah location filming, which includes a huge baseball production number echoing the original film's basketball sequence. Athletics, academics, performing arts and youthful romance are all represented, with the familiar Wildcats also dancing through school halls and into a resort talent competition.

That clique-crossing mix of teen activities has spilled over into real life. Since the original "HSM" exploded, teachers report school plays have attracted a larger and broader range of auditioners, bringing athletes together with brainiacs and drama lovers. Disney has licensed more than 1,500 amateur theater productions of "HSM," a side-effect covered back on Disney Channel this fall in a documentary from Oscar-winning director Barbara Kopple that chronicles a staging by two Fort Worth high schools.

The musical's pervasive popularity has also changed the lives of its young stars. "The whole thing is still very overwhelming for me," said female lead Vanessa Hudgens, who's become a favorite of paparazzi when she's out with costar and now boyfriend Efron. Supporting player Lucas Grabeel mentioned getting "to travel the world and perform in front of 65,000 people in Sao Paolo, Brazil." Corbin Bleu, whose own subsequent Disney Channel movie "Jump In" set ratings records, said "everything done in the name of 'High School Musical' seems to create some kind of phenomenon."

So far, the cast members have managed to avoid Lindsay Lohan-style publicity for troubled behavior. "This is such an awesome opportunity, and such a special thing," said Monique Coleman, who parlayed her "HSM" splash into a "Dancing With the Stars" run. "Why would you want to ruin that?"

Director Ortega, too, accelerated his career, 20 years after choreographing the "Dirty Dancing" blockbuster. "This has turned on a whole new generation that has said to us 'We like musical storytelling,' and that is a thrill," said Ortega. He credited the late Gene Kelly as his mentor (they worked together on 1980's "Xanadu"), a dance legend from an old-Hollywood era when the musical was a hot big-screen genre. "This is the most successful original musical in like 25 years," Ortega said, "and the kids have made it that way. That's a wonderful thing for our industry, and a wonderful thing for people that enjoy working in musical film, and a great legacy."

[Cast photo courtesy Disney Channel.]