My husband and I sat down with 17.2 million of our closest friends Friday night and tuned into Disney Channel's High School Musical 2. Our collective viewership rendered this sequel to "High School Musical" the most-watched basic cable television program ever. It bettered a "Monday Night Football" game on ESPN in 2006, which attracted 16 million viewers.
As we watched upstairs, the 11-year-old and the neighbor kid tuned in from the family room. They watched because they are devotees of the original "High School Musical." My husband and I, who are a little long in the tooth to be considered part of the target audience, wanted to see what all the hype was about. Over Saturday morning pancakes, the kids gave HSM2 an enthusiastic thumbs-up. We adults thought it was fun to see familiar Utah locations. My husband likens the phenomena to our generation's "Grease."
It was a fun continuation of the original, although I prefer the music from the first movie. Perhaps after I have heard the music from HSM2 a jillion times as I have its predecessor, I may change my thinking. I noticed that the new lyrics are already available on the Internet.
There's already talk of HSM3 and perhaps HSM4. There are also rumors on some blogs that Zac Efron (East High's big man on campus Troy Bolton for the three of you who didn't tune in Friday night) isn't a lock for a three-peat. And there's some yapping about how old these young stars are in "real life." The "oldest" among them is 26 years old. (Perhaps she was held back in school a decade or so ....)
That point is well taken, though. Even the kids in Harry Potter grew up.
But if there is to be an HSM3, would the cast return to East High? And if 17.2 million of us tuned in Friday night (it was re-broadcast Saturday night), is that a boon to Utah? Or will Albuquerque, where the fictional tale is set, get an undeserved boost for stunning desert views shot in St. George?
These movies already have been a boon to tourism as Salt Lake's East High School has become a tourist destination. Tweeners actually convince their parents to fly or drive to Salt Lake City so they can see where the musical was filmed. These visitors even track down the actual lockers depicted in the movie.
This suggests the remarkable power of niche marketing. Fans of these movies love it because it's a musical, but more so, they swoon over Efron and Corbin Bleu. Bleu headlined the Stadium of Fire show in Provo on July 3. According to Utahns in HSM2, he is one of few stars of the HSM genre who mingled with the extras. (Way to stay grounded, Corbin!)
Funny thing, my kid hasn't asked to visit East High School to see where these programs were filmed. I find that just a little bit curious. After hosting the 2002 Winter Games, perhaps we're a bit too cosmopolitan to flock to East High School like silly tourists.
I could be wrong. Perhaps my child is waiting for the optimal moment to ask. Being that East High School is a short car trip from home, what am I going to say? "Gasoline costs $3 a gallon. We can't go because we can't afford any extra trips in the car. And let's think of our carbon imprint, OK?"
Yeah, right.
I know, I'll say something like, "I can't remember where I put my car keys."
Coming from a member of the baby boom generation, that might actually be believed.
Marjorie Cortez, who has been humming "We're All in this Together" as she penned this column, is a Deseret Morning News editorial writer. E-mail her at marjorie@desnews.com