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Teacher in Space
The Hoopla Over High School Musical

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id you see the premiere of High School Musical 2 on August 17? If not, put on your dancing shoes, and come out of that cave! An estimated 17.2 million people tuned in to the sequel of last year's Disney sleeper High School Musical. According to Nielsen Media Research, that's the most viewers of a basic-cable program ever!

Watching the film isn't enough for most fans. The new movie's soundtrack topped the charts in its first week, selling more than 600,000 copies. High School Musical merchandise is everywhere. There are High School Musical CDs, DVDs, dolls, clothes, board games, toothbrushes, tambourines, napkins-you name it. Since the original High School Musical debuted in 2006, hundreds of schools around the country have put on their own productions of the show. A whopping 170 million people have now seen the first film.

In case you're one of the few that missed the flicks, they center around Troy, Gabriella, Sharpay, Ryan, and friends, as they sing and dance their way through life at East High School in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The sequel is set in summer, and some of the teens score jobs at a fancy country club.

Hitting the Right Note
So what makes the High School Musical movies so popular with kids? Allie L., 7, of New York says it's all in the music. "I think we like singing and dancing, and that's what [the characters] are doing," said Allie, who knows all the films' dances and decorates her room with posters of Zac Efron, who plays Troy.
Think About It!
  • MusicalWhat do you think would make a good storyline for High School Musical 3?


    • Thirteen-year-old Megan D., of Newtown, Conn., is another big fan. "I thought [the sequel] was better than the first one. It had better music and dancing … and they really developed the characters a lot better," Megan said.

    Now What?
    So what's next for the High School Musical gang? High School Musical 3, of course! Word has it the story will focus on graduation. And this time, fans will need movie theater tickets. The movie is slated to hit the big screen in 2008 or 2009.

    Musical2 Talk about a Wildcat mixup! Play our jigsaw game and put the cast of High School Musical back together again.


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