My little jesters are big High School Musical fans. They play games revolving around the characters, usually generating an argument about who gets to be Gabriella. We've got the High School Musical DVD board game. This summer I took an afternoon off and we went to see the stage production by a local theatre. They've seen the DVD roughly forty times. So when they heard that HSM 2 was coming out in August, well, the planning began in earnest. And there was no stopping them. All of the neighborhood kids were invited. By the night of the show they already knew the songs, having listened to the CD for HSM 2 multiple times. Oh, but it gets better.
The students were divided by age into groups - freshmen, juniors and seniors. They received a schedule for their day, listing a set of activities leading up to the show including yours truly as "Coach Bolton" directing and supervising basketball practice in the "gym" (driveway). Ms Darbus" (Gwendolyn) supervised each of the kids fashioning a "Hollywood Star" for themselves, and of course sentenced those with bad behavior to "detention." We even had a station set up with an age-appropriate "Math Decathlon." Then the kids went to the "cafeteria" for "lunch", followed by changing to PJ's for the movie (boys to the "locker room," girls to the "dressing room.") The red carpet was rolled out and the kids settled themselves into the "theater" in time for the premiere. The only things missing were Joan and Melissa Rivers.
It appears we were not the only family so involved.
Disney Channel's highly anticipated "High School Musical 2" made history Friday night when 17.24 million viewers tuned in, making the debut of the original movie the most-watched basic cable telecast of all time.
"HSM 2," a sequel to the successful 2006 telefilm, surpassed the previous record holder, ESPN's "Monday Night Football" game on Sept. 23 2006, which averaged 16.0 million viewers.
It also shattered the previous basic cable record for an entertainment program -- 12.5 million viewers for the premiere of the 2001 TNT Western "Crossfire Trail."
Overall, "HSM 2" was the most-watched program on television since the season finale of Fox's hit drama "House" on May 29, which logged 17.26 million viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research.
Additionally, "HSM 2" ranked as the most-watched TV telecast ever in kids 6-11 (6.1 million) and the most-watched entertainment telecast ever in tweens 9-14 (5.9 million). Overall, it is the second highest-rated telecast among tweens 9-14 only behind the 2004 Super Bowl.
The numbers would been even higher if the numerous "HSM 2"viewing parties around the country were taken into account.
[...]
"HSM 2" had emerged as the TV event of the summer for preteen girls who had been planning parties tied to the premiere of the movie for weeks.
Like ours.
