LOS ANGELES – The “High School Musical” franchise is riding high — but it seems the seams are slightly coming apart as certain characters appear to think they're a step up from their performing pals.
Packs of press flooded Hollywood last Monday to interview the super-skilled singers and actors, only to discover that the film’s stars Vanessa Hudgens and Zac Efron (who just walked the carpet at the DVD premiere) suddenly had better things to do at the Renaissance Hotel together … leaving their fellow film “friends” to do all the dirty work.
At a time when Ness needs to pick up the pieces of her naked photo scandal, peeving the press probably isn’t the smartest thing to do. Especially when you decide to do a no-show and not even tell your director.
So does this dating duo think they’re too hot for "High School" and not want to sign up for the third film after all?
“Everyone wants to be involved in the trilogy, and that’s why the cast is all here today,” director Kenny Ortega told us enthusiastically, just before we gently let him know that his two biggest names had opted out.
“Really? They should be here … I don’t know why they aren’t; they were here just this afternoon. I can’t believe it.”
And to make matters worse, it seemed Ashley Tisdale also had more important things to do than promote the perky and popular film that made her famous.
After giving a few interviews alongside the very grounded and cooperative Corbin Bleu, Pop Tarts popped Tisdale twirling down the hallway waving goodbye with a “See you at the after-party!” swan song.
And then there's the money.
“We don’t discuss our salaries,” Tisdale told us the evening before at the American Music Awards. “But let’s just say that we love Disney — Disney is very, very good to us.”
And Hudgens agreed, adding that Disney is so generous that Ashley happens to hightail around town in a Porsche.
But least our glamorous Gabriella can admit to being a bit high-maintenance.
“Gosh, it takes me forever to get ready for an event like the AMAs,” Vanessa said. “But I’m always so unprepared, my stylist tells me but I still never know what I’m wearing. (Clothes this time, please!)
“But as you can imagine my hair and makeup takes so long, if I tell you honestly how many hours I will sound like a diva. But I’m lucky I don’t have to do it myself — I can just hire someone else to put the bronzer on me," she added.
And despite all the inaccurate reports that she’s being dissed by Disney for the upcoming film, Hudgens thinks that all the “drama” is actually what draws a big fan base.
“I think what is so great about the 'HSM' series is that people can really connect to our characters and fall in love with our characters; teens love all that drama that surrounds our lives,” she added on the red carpet of the DVD release.
And if you thought you’d already seen “everything” Hudgens has to expose, think again. This girl is ready to reveal more, and Tisdale too is getting down to the nitty-gritty.
“I’m busy working on my second album at the moment — I have a few songs down but I’m working with some huge producers which is exciting,” Vanessa told us. “This one is going to be a lot more grown up than the last one, a little jazzier and I’m showing a side of me that people haven’t seen before.”
“I’m working on another album too,” Ashley added. “It will be a real balancing act to get it completed, but this one is going to be a lot more edgy than the last.”
Hmmm … it seems the cast has done a lot of “developing” since their debut, but let’s hope that they’re not too hot for a 'High School' graduation.
Lindsay Lohan Causes Chaos When She Shops 'Naked' in New York
Reformed rehabber Lindsay Lohan was spotted in the very cold Big Apple on Black Friday bumming around for bargains at none other than … Naked.
Our sources tell us that the sexy actress spent more time posing for the paps at the popular clothing store than picking out her picks, and was so busy positioning herself for the happy snappers outside that she almost bumped into her own reflection.
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Meryl Streep Is a News Junkie While Tom Cruise Is a 'Dialogue' Druggie
She was great at playing a fashion devil, but Meryl Streep actually prefers politics to Prada.
“I'm a news junkie and I watch a lot of the programs, and I'm interested in journalists and Christiane Amanpour is my hero,” Streep said when talking about her role in the recently released “Lions for Lambs."
“I really admire people who get out and are brave and [are at] the front lines and give us the story and are thoughtful and have a certain amount of journalistic integrity where they're not pushed by emotion," she added.
Meanwhile, it seems Tom Cruise, Streep’s co-star in the war-driven drama, may need to romp into rehab to get help for his “dialogue” overdose.
“This film challenged my own ideas and it not only entertained me, but when I put it down I wanted to have a discussion, I wanted dialogue,” he said. “To have that entertainment value and something that I can walk away and I want to know more about the subject and I want to have a dialogue with someone, that's what interested me in this screenplay, in this story. The dialogue.”
Cruise also said he wouldn't call the movie "an Iraqi war film."
"I think it's important to have dialogue now. It's the foundation of our country, the freedom of speech, freedom of ideas. And I think that this film will, or my hope is that it will promote that kind of dialogue."
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