It's a pop culture orgy! Albeit a G-rated one. The 24th annual Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade, to be telecast by ABC Dec. 25 at 10 am/ET, will kick off with an dance number choreographed by Dancing with the Stars' Tony Dovolani and hoofed by Helio Castroneves and Julianne Hough, Sabrina Bryan and Mark Ballas, Joey Fatone and Kym Johnson, and Drew Lachey and Cheryl Burke. What's more, Vanessa Hudgens, Corbin Bleu, Monique Coleman, and Ashley Tisdale will perform a version of “What Time Is It?” (from High School Musical 2), and Miley Cyrus will croon "All I Want for Christmas is You." Also look for performances by Josh Groban and American Idol finalist Katharine McPhee, while Jessica Simpson will team with the Harlem Gospel Choir on "9 to 5" "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.” Regis Philbin and Kelly Ripa will cohost the Walt Disney World portion, with Ryan Seacrest overseeing the Disneyland happenings.
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Ashley Tisdale by Steve Granitz/WireImage.com
High School Musical starlet Ashley Tisdale underwent a rhinoplasty on Friday, but purely for medical reasons. "I always knew I had a deviated septum on the right side of my nose, which caused trouble breathing," she tells People. "The older I got, the worse it got. I went to get it checked out, and the doctor told me the septum was 80 percent deviated and that I had two small fractures." Tisdale describes her recovery as "uncomfortable," but her beak will be all better in time to film HSM3. "I didn't do this because I believe in plastic surgery. I did this to help my health," she maintains. "I'm not someone who is going to act like I had nothing done. I just want to be honest because my fans are everything to me." Watch videos of Ashley (in profile!) as she records voice-overs for The Tuttles' Madcap Misadventures, a downloadable video game that benefits charities.
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Vanessa Hudgens and Zac Efron by Adam Larkey/Disney Channel
Though it can hardly matter for its success, the plot of the hush-hush High School Musical 3 (hitting theaters in October) has been blabbed by leading lady Vanessa Hudgens. "It's their senior year," she tells Us, "so there's going to be graduation — and prom!" Adds director Kenny Ortega: "All of the original cast will be back. [But] I have a feeling this will be the end [for the current stars]. This franchise may move to another generation!" Oh lord — not HSM4 starring those creepy Sprouse twins! — Ben Katner
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America Ferrera by Eric Charbonneau/WireImage.com
At Wednesday night's ninth-annual Family Television Awards, Ugly Betty won best comedy and star America Ferrera was named best actress. High School Musical 2 took best movie musical and leading boy Zac Efron was awarded best-actor honors. Pushing Daisies was also singled out as the best new show by the Family Friendly Programming Forum, narrowly beating out Shot at Love with Tila Tequila. — Ben Katner
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Just in time for the long holiday weekend, the Disney Channel will debut the pop-up edition of High School Musical 2. Fun facts, trivia and behind-the-scenes production tricks will all be featured in this special HSM look on Friday, Nov. 23, at 8 pm/ET on Disney. Also over Thanksgiving weekend, a "Company's Coming" programming event features episodes of Disney Channel hit series with celebrity guest stars that include Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Zac Efron, Jesse McCartney, Heather Locklear, Brooke Shields and Dolly Parton.
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Ashley Tisdale by Adam Larkey/Disney Channel
Good news, rugrats! The much-awaited High School Musical 3 has not been waylaid by the WGA strike. "Fortunately, Peter [Barsocchini, who also penned the original and sequel] was able to get [the new script] into us before the strike," director Kenny Ortega told TV Guide at Sunday's Diversity Awards. "Now we're developing our music. It's exciting. We're looking forward to beginning in '08," with an eye on an October theatrical release.Despite much chatter about whom from the original cast has signed on to return — Ashley Tisdale, for one, tells us she definitley has — Ortega maintains, "They're all coming back."And back again? "I don't know that it will be the final for the franchise, but it's the last in this trilogy," he says. "It's the last year in the life of the Wildcats." — Reporting by Nick FreilichMore from our Strike Watch blog:• Writers, Producers Agree to Resume Talks Nov. 26• Michael Eisner Clarifies His "Stupid" Strike Comment• Strike Chart:...
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Vanessa Hudgens with her dad, Greg by Gary Gershoff/WireImage.com
High School Musical starlet Vanessa Hudgens' father, Greg, grew outraged and began flinging a water bottle at paparazzi when he and his daughter were swarmed by rapidly clicking shutterbugs as they emerged from a Hollywood gym on Nov. 7. According to Us, Vanessa bellowed "Daaaaad!" and then put her head down to mask her embarrassment. Given Pop's Tony Little-esque workout attire, who can blame the gal?
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Zac Efron by Lester Cohen\WireImage.com
Leslie Mann (Knocked Up, 40-Year-Old Virgin) will play the wife of High School Musical heartthrob Zac Efron in 17, a comedy about a grown man who finds himself back in high school.... More Disney-HSM goodness from the Reporter: Billy Ray Cyrus is pop to Olesya Rulin in Flying By, an indie about a businessman who pursues his dream of being in a rock band.... Jessica Biel will produce and star as a mysterious woman in the crime thriller Die a Little.... Kevin Costner is a dad disturbed by the increasingly ominous behavior of his munchkin (Pan's Labyrinth's Ivana Baquero) in The New Daughter.
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Corbin Bleu, High School Musical
If you thought the kids from High School Musical couldn't possibly soar any higher, think again. On Oct. 8 Corbin Bleu literally defied gravity as part of the Northrop Grumman Weightless Flights of Discovery, a program designed to provide teachers with material that will inspire kids to pursue careers in math and science. When Bleu returned to earth, TVGuide.com was there to talk about his flight experience as well as the upcoming HSM3.
TVGuide.com: Tell me exactly what happened up there!Corbin Bleu: Well, they take you up in a modified plane that has had all the seats removed, leaving an empty space in the middle for me to move around in. What they do then is move the plane in a way that creates a very, very strong force of gravity, a lot stronger than we're used to. It's like those rides where you're st
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Showtime, Lionsgate and Spitfire Pictures have teamed up on an as-yet-untitled documentary offering a behind-the-scenes look at the cutthroat world of high-school musicals at Southern Indiana's Floyd Central, New Albany and Jeffersonville high schools.... Fox is developing Raffik, a Borat-flavored cop show about an Albanian detective who baffles his LAPD partners, says the Reporter.... A Season 2 pickup for AMC's glorious Mad Men is expected imminently, as first teased/buried in Wednesday's Ask Ausiello.
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