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Did You Watch "High School Musical 2"?

Molly — Sun, 19 Aug 2007 09:00:00 PDT

Friday night's premiere of "High School Musical 2" on The Disney Channel brought in 17.24 million viewers, which makes it the most watched basic cable program ever. Yes, you read that right - ever. Not only that, but it was the most watched Friday night television program in five years. So I'm guessing it wasn't only tweens and their parents watching those spunky kids dance and sing their hearts out. I'm totally curious - did you watch High School Musical 2?

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Why Pixar's First Leading Lady Merida Is the Bravest Princess of Them All

Tara Block — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 12:44:25 PDT

I recently attended a Pixar event at the animation film company's HQ for its upcoming Summer flick Brave. I was able to watch the first 30 minutes of the film, interview the director Mark Andrews and producer Katherine Sarafian, learn all about Scottish traditions, and even channel my inner Merida with archery lessons. Not only am I hooked on archery (pretty proud of my bull's-eye), I'm also hooked on Brave's heroine Princess Merida - Pixar's first leading lady! But don't let Merida's royal title fool you. As an adventurous girl in ancient Scotland who'd rather shoot arrows than get married, she's far from a typical Disney princess. Katherine and Mark both shared the ways she's breaking the princess mold and what makes her a great role model for us all. And as you'll see in the clip from the film below, the last thing Princess Merida wants is a Prince Charming.

Brave producer Katherine Sarafian agrees that the studio's latest project is especially exciting because it stars a girl. She asked me, "Who among us wouldn't want to give our daughters or sons a great cinema role model?" And not only is Merida a "powerhouse of a girl" with "fire and gusto and vigor" as Katherine describes her, she's also relatable, as she doesn't come with any special superpowers. "She just has great skills and she practices them," Katherine explains, "and she earned her skills by working hard and practicing and playing archery and playing sword fighting with her dad."

What really makes Merida someone little girls and adult women alike can relate to is that she's not perfect. At one point Merida's mom, Elinor, who's trying desperately to persuade her daughter to conform to her traditional role as a lady, says, "A princess strives for perfection." As women, we're constantly feeling that pressure to meet impossible expectations and aspire to society's ideal of who we should be and what we should be doing. But we rarely hit the mark. Katherine tells me, "I find her very relatable as someone who's coming of age and struggling with that central question of how can I really be seen for who I am in a world where there's an expectation of me that is incongruous to who I am?"

So why is such a relatable female lead so rare? Katherine tells me she's never understood why we haven't seen more strong female characters onscreen. With Brave, the filmmakers weren't trying to produce a story with a leading lady; it was the story, that happened to be about a girl, that got the project made. "If more filmmakers are developing ideas with great females at the center of the story, we should be able to take the world by storm," Katherine says.

The good news is with hits like The Hunger Games that are incredibly popular with both sexes, perhaps Brave is a part of a trend toward more female-driven films. Katherine points out that the box office figures have proven that people want to see girls and women lead stories. She adds, "I'm hoping people are realizing and studios realize that there is an audience, that this is half the population."

I found it interesting that Pixar (a subsidiary of Disney) would have its first female lead in a feature film be a princess, meaning, technically, Merida is a Disney princess. It appears that for a girl to be the lead in an animated movie she has to be princess. But both Katherine and director Mark Andrews insist the princess decision had nothing to do with the classic Disney princess archetype, but rather it was about a more exciting plot. "If you're a teenager and you make a stupid decision, maybe you get grounded," Katherine explains. "If you're royalty, your bad decision can have consequences that could cause a war in your kingdom. It was important that her decisions be tied to something much bigger than herself and her immediate family."

Zac Efron Dishes on His Full-Body Transformation in Men's Health

PopSugar — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 08:35:12 PDT

Zac Efron shows off his newly buff body on the May cover of Men's Health, which is on newsstands on April 17. He'll soon be on the big screen when his most recent movie project, The Lucky One, is released on April 20. The former Disney Channel star showed up in a t-shirt and Vans for the shoot at LA's Weddington Golf & Tennis center, where he hit golf balls on the driving range. Zac has been all about the links recently. While in Sydney, Zac played golf solo on Easter. Inside the pages, the 24-year-old actor opens up about his work ethic, the changes his body underwent for his role in The Lucky One, and meeting with real-life Marines. Here's more from Zac Efron in Men's Health:

On his body's transformation for The Lucky One: "By the end of the movie I didn't recognize myself. You hear about guys like Christian Bale who dive into it and are really able to transform. I've always wondered if I had the willpower to actually do it. And I'll always have pride around the sense that I can."
On his work ethic: "I could pick up almost anything. If you put it in front of me, I could always find a way to tackle it. I was never a natural at anything, but I could always outwork everybody."
On meeting real Marines: "They were my age. 23, 24, even younger. And most of the staff sergeants were not huge guys. They were about my height, 5'9", 5'10", some shorter, but all very stocky. And I'm there in a backward hat and Vans, walking around like I'm still in college."

Wild Thing: Fergie's 15 Most Showstopping Red-Carpet Looks

Brittney Stephens — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 03:30:55 PDT

Today is Fergie's 37th birthday! The talented and dynamic performer has been in the business for over 20 years (if you're especially cool, you'll remember her from her stint on the Disney Channel's Kids Incorporated, as well as in the '90s girl group Wild Orchid - those were the days!). These days, Fergie has exploded to fame as a member of the Black Eyed Peas as well as a successful solo artist, and never hesitates to take fashion risks on stage as well as the red carpet. She has mastered the art of hanging with the boys while looking ever the sexpot in body-conscious dresses, rocker-chic gowns, and sky-high heels. In honor of Fergie's big day, we're celebrating her true Fergalicious-ness by taking a look at 15 of her most jaw-dropping, fashion-forward looks - click through to see them all now.

Lululemon's Ivivva Athletica Joins Disney For Kids' Collection

LilSugar — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 13:01:25 PST

Shake it up! Now lululemon-loving mamas will be able to have matching mini mes, thanks to the new line of dance and athletic gear from ivivva athletica, lulu's line for lil ones. Inspired by the Disney Channel's hit series Shake It Up, the Spring collection has everything your lil gymnast, dancer, or budding yogi needs for her active lifestyle, in all of the same fabrics and cuts that you've come to love for your own workouts. With pieces ranging from $12 - $58, the new collection is everything moms who love matching clothes need to get their lil one's grooves on!

Get in the Spirt of Animal Hoods This Season

Rebecca M Gruber — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 03:16:22 PST

They growl at us, show their teeth, and dig their heels in when we ask them to do something. Some kids are more like wild animals than sweet offspring on some days. If your lil one has animal tendencies - or simply wants to get in on the season's biggest trend - channel your inner mama bear and get them an animal hoodie. The furry hoods with attached paws first hit the LA club scene last year, eventually showing up on the heads of singers and celebs - including Pink - around town. Now they're making their way onto the heads, necks, and hands of tots everywhere, and the styles couldn't look any cuter than they do on lil ones!

Clockwise from top left: Spirit Hoods' Grey Wolf ($79), Bear Hats Polar Bear Animal Hat Mufflers with Mittens ($19), Spirit Hoods Disney Muppets Kermit ($99), Etsy Shop Designsbyshyvonne Polar Bear Animal Hood Hat Faux Fur ($30), Restoration Hardware Baby and Child Luxe Fur Animal Hood ($46).

A Grown Woman's Guide to Dressing as a Princess For Halloween

Annie Scudder — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 04:00:22 PDT

If Halloween as a little girl meant dressing up as every Disney princess from Cinderella to Snow White, you should still feel perfectly comfortable going as a princess now that you're a grown woman. And no, I don't mean by choosing among the sexier options of Ariel's bikini top or Jasmine's midriff bearing outfit. If you still have princess fever, this is the year to channel non-cartoon royalty; be it an obvious royal-wedding inspired choice like Kate Middleton or Princess Beatrice, or an overlooked classic like Princess Grace of Monaco or Audrey Hepburn's Princess Ann from Roman Holiday. Here's your guide to channeling your inner princess this Halloween.

Jason Segel Talks Muppets, Amy Adams, and His Next Hollywood Dream

Allie Merriam — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 11:48:00 PDT

We were able to pay a visit to the LA set of The Muppets earlier this year, and the movie's mastermind, lifelong Jim Henson fan Jason Segel, stopped by to chat about life on the set with Kermit. The project was written by Jason and his partner Nick Stoller, and was brought to life with director James Bobin, leading lady Amy Adams, and a roster of talented puppeteers. Jason spoke about how he and Nick tried to make the film fun for both kids and adults, and revealed how happy he was to land Amy Adams as a costar. Jason, who at the time was finishing the Five Year script with Nick between scenes while logging an almost-regular workweek on the set of How I Met Your Mother, also touched on new Muppets, operating Fozzie himself, and what his next big Hollywood dream is. Jason said:

On people's perceptions of a Jason Segel Muppets movie: "I think maybe there was a moment of wariness that I was doing this with a sense of irony. Like there was a wink-wink about it - 'Oh, cute. R-rated Jason Segel is going to do the Muppets and make fun of it.' But as soon as we arrived on set and everyone saw that that wasn't the case, that this was coming from a very genuine and true place, we were all on the same team very very quickly."
On making a movie for kids and adults: "We're trying to harken back to the original three Muppet movies, The Muppet Movie, Muppets Take Manhattan, and The Great Muppet Caper. I think one of the things the original Muppet movies did amazingly well is that they don't condescend to children by feeling like they have to dumb things down to the lowest common denominator. And when you don't do that, you get a family film in its truest sense. An entire family can sit and watch and enjoy it. The worst equivalent is Barney the dinosaur where parents are having to sit there while their kids watch this and the parents want to blow their brains out. This I think is going to be the exact opposite. I think parents are going to be laughing as hard as kids are going to be laughing. We have jokes geared toward children and we have jokes that are geared specifically toward adults that go right over a kid's head. It's something that The Simpsons does as well. There's something very special about a family sitting down to enjoy something together - that was our goal."
On why Amy Adams is the perfect leading lady: "I wrote it for her. She was in my mind from the beginning, ever since I saw Enchanted. The role is very different, but first of all, she's like the best actress alive. To go from Enchanted to Doubt, and The Fighter, this woman can do anything. She's able to do this wide-eyed naiveté that is not part of her personality in real life - she's one of the most smart, on-top-of-it women I've ever met. But she can do this kind of thing - my character and her character and Walter are true innocents. She's able to do that. She channels it through her eyes, and she can sing. She's totally game. She's up for it. She also really gets the jokes, so she was the perfect choice from the start. I don't know what we would have done if we hadn't gotten her."
On writing, filming TV, and filming movies at the same time: "I spent [ages] 21-25 totally out of work. And so now that I have a chance to do stuff, there's a part of me that thinks I'm not letting this opportunity pass by. You see it go away so quickly. It's so fickle. I like writing, I genuinely do. I get tired and all that stuff, but when you think about it, it's like the alien is going to burst out of your chest. When I get an idea it's kind of hard not to do something because it feels like the alien is going to burst out of my chest. I'm not good at setting it aside and saying I'll get to it eventually. I want to start writing it, even if it means staying up all night. It's tough to complain . . . I bought a house! What do I have to complain about, a little lack of sleep?"

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Photos courtesy Disney

To read what Jason says about the new Muppet, more on the movie, and his one remaining Hollywood dream, just

On creating a new Muppet: "Nick Stoller and I did. We wrote the script together, he's my writing partner. We invented Walter! We did not get to design him physically because then they would owe us a lot of money. So we came up with him on paper and then they were very clear that we could not be involved in any aspect in the physical design of Walter. But it is pretty crazy when I saw him and I knew he was born in our brains. It's like Nick and I had a little baby - with our brains."
On whether or not this movie would be a musical: "We knew it was going to be a musical from the start. All the Muppets movies are musicals. When you look back at the great lineage of the Muppet music, like "The Rainbow Connection." I mean that is not a joke of a song. That is a serious song. If a legitimate musician put out that song they'd win a Grammy. We really wanted the music to be great and James (director) was the perfect choice for this movie and it seems like he's been training for this."
On what Muppets we'll see again: "We're bringing out a lot of the Muppets from the archives. A lot of guys from the old Muppet shows, some of the kind of obscure performances make appearances. I can't give too many away, but there's some old favorites of mine . . . there's some really cool weird ones."
On improv from the Muppeteers: "There is! I did not expect that for a minute! These guys know the characters so much better than I could hope to. I could imagine what the character might say, but these guys have been playing them for 20, 30 years."
On operating a Muppet himself: "Yeah I just operated Fozzie a minute ago! I've done Fozzie, Dr. Teeh, and I've done Beeker so far. It's been amazing. That is what knocks your socks off. This is going to sound different from how I mean it - but my hand is inside Fozzie? That's amazing. I never thought that would happen!"
On taking pieces from the set home: "I really want a lot of stuff that I see around here. They're very protective certainly over the puppets, but I've gotten a few bits of paraphernalia that I'll save and treasure forever. Some really special photographs. Me with Kermit, shooting the . . . breeze? What's the the PG version of that? That's the greatest picture I've ever seen. I love it."
On Muppets not being puppets: "In the original script, I was a ventriloquist and Walter was my puppet. But one of the things you find out is that you really don't want to cross the line into mentioning puppet. It becomes very, very complicated because the Muppets and not puppets. Muppets are living creatures in this world, you know what I mean? So as soon as I realized that that made things really complicated to have a puppet vs. the Muppets . . . it became complicated, so we cut that aspect of the story and it actually really simplified the story."
On Walter's personality: "Walter is the sweetest little guy you'll ever meet. He's like Kermit. He's like a very young Kermit. He's naive and he's sweet. Walter's thing is he's never met anyone like him. Like I said you don't use the word puppet, but he's my best friend and we grew up in Smalltown, USA - that's literally the name of the town - and he's never seen anything else like him. Except for the Muppets on television. So his dream is to go meet the Muppets and maybe have a family. It really does have tones of young Kermit."
On the movie's bad guys: "There are some other new Muppets. Villainous characters - they're not specifically Muppets. They're not very nice, so they're not Muppets. But they're adorable. I love them. They're another great creation. I can't give too much away about them, but they're really cool."
On the movie being a lifelong dream: "Once [the studio] said they were going to make it, everyone in my life was like, 'All right! Whatever you need. Let's get this thing made.' Because I've had puppets and Muppet figurines in my house, in my bedroom, since I was a kid."
On making Muppets history: "I'm not an arrogant dude, but to be even the tiniest footnote in the Muppets lineage is nuts to me. That is insane! So I feel very honored."
On Hollywood stars requesting cameos: "I got a lot of calls, especially my contemporaries who have kids all wanted to be a part of it for their kids. The idea of bringing their kids to meet the Muppets, or even to be able to show them the movie eventually. People love the Muppets. There's a lot of Muppet love out there."
On the music: "Bret McKenzie wrote most of the songs, and we have a couple reprises of some of the old songs. I wrote one of the songs, but it's a jokier version. Bret really took the songs and ran with them, and they're awesome . . . but some of the lyrics are definitely adult-based."
On where we find the Muppets: "We've got them in varying states of success and disarray. Some are famous, some are . . . destitute is the wrong word, you're not going to see any destitute moments . . . but some aren't doing what they wish they were doing. Everyone is doing their own thing, and it's a bit of a struggle for all of them to come back and do the Muppet show again."
On his next big Hollywood dream: "I'd like to be president of the United States. No. I've like to play a villain in a superhero movie. I think I'd be really good at it. I'm like 20 percent creepy. I'm really am. I am 20 percent creepy, I exclude it from this movie. But when you watch Sarah Marshall, the Dracula musical is funny but it's 20 percent creepy. I really want to play a villain in a superhero movie."

Link Time - Jack Donaghy Gets Animated!

BuzzSugar — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 13:43:25 PDT

Watch an animated 30 Rock video featuring Jack Donaghy as a superhero - Vulture
Watch the Beastie Boys' short film starring Seth Rogen and a many more celebs - /Film
The 10 buzziest movies at the Tribeca Film Festival - Flavorwire
Peep Ryan Reynolds in these new Green Lantern pics - Moviefone
Chris Colfer sold a pilot to the Disney Channel - TV Squad
She's back in: Lindsay Lohan cast as Kim in Gotti: Three Generations - MTV Movies Blog
Jennifer Lopez wants her own talent-finding reality show - The Ausiello Files
Here's your schedule to the royal wedding happenings - TresSugar

Link Time - Penelope Cruz Dresses Up as a Disney Princess

PopSugar — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 13:01:00 PST

See celebrities channel Disney stars - TooFab
Johnny Depp calls Angelina Jolie a "shockingly good mother" - Huffington Post
Model Chanel Iman talks about her attempts to gain weight - Us Weekly
A closer look at Charlie Sheen's "tornado of awesome" - Lainey Gossip
Was Zac Efron really seen holding hands with another guy? - D-Listed
See SI swimsuit model Kate Upton's serious workout routine - SI's HotClicks
Carey Mulligan steps out to party for Happythankyoumoreplease - JustJared
Bethenny Frankel calls the new season of her show "uncomfortable" - PopEater
Christina Hendricks shows cleavage in a new ad campaign - Hollywood Tuna
Another celebrity joins Twitter! - Pink Is the New Blog
Details on Paula Abdul's strange Valentine's Day 911 call - The Superficial
Fans show their love for Justin Bieber - cityrag
Beyoncé donates money she was paid for a 2009 NYE performance - popbytes
Check out Jennifer Aniston's $42 million house that just went on the market! - CasaSugar