Kenny Ortega To Direct In the Heights Movie Musical

It has recently been announced in Variety that director/choreographer Kenny Ortega will be helming the forthcoming film version of the multiple Tony Award-winning hit Broadway musical In the Heights. This development could bode very well for the movie of In the Heights, as Ortega has already led the High School Musical franchise on to multi-millionaire dollar success and worldwide fame. Kenny Ortega also directed the Disney cult favorite musical Newsies (starring Christian Bale) and the recent Michael Jackson concert film This Is It. Other details are still sketchy about the upcoming In the Heights musical film, but it is known that the current plan is for co-creator and original star Lin-Manual Miranda to reprise his lead role as Usnavi. And the show's Tony-nominated bookwriter, Quiara Alegria Hudes, will be writing the adapted screenplay.

Corbin Bleu To Join Cast of In the Heights in 2010

High School Musical star Corbin Bleu is bound for Broadway, scheduled to join the cast of the Tony Award-winning hit musical In the Heights for a limited time, from January 25th to April 25th 2010. Although Bleu played second banana in the High School Musical franchise as Zac Efron's best friend, he will be taking the lead in In the Heights, assuming the demanding role of bodega owner Usnavi, originally played by the show's co-creator Lin-Manuel Miranda.

Broadway Bailey Goes To High School

Bailey Hanks, the talented young lady who made her Broadway debut in Legally Blonde thanks to the MTV reality show "The Search For Elle Woods," had the misfortune to learn that her Broadway run would end not long after it began, due to Blonde's impending closure on October 19. However, Bailey will bounce back quickly - not to Broadway this time, but to New Jersey. She will be playing Sharpay in the upcoming Paper Mill Playhouse production of that teenybopper sensation, High School Musical, opening in early November.

High School Musical Reality TV Show Debuts

ABC's new reality show based on the hit Disney franchise High School Musical debuts on TV tonight, July 20. Hosted by Nick Lachey, High School Musical: Get in the Picture has contestants competing through a series of High School Musical-themed singing and dancing challenges. The winner of the reality TV series will get a guest spot in a music video to be shown at the end of High School Musical 3: Senior Year (due in theaters October 24) and will also get to record two singles for Walt Disney Records.

Nick Lachey To Host High School Musical TV Show

Pop star Nick Lachey, who most recently appeared on TV in NBC's reality show Clash of the Choirs, will be host of the new High School Musical-themed reality competition on ABC. High School Musical: Summer Session will have contestants doing special challenges while at a music conservatory. The show is currently holding open auditions in California and Florida for aspiring stars aged 16-22. In keeping with the spirit of High School Musical, people from all walks - whether it's a jock who's always secretly wanted to sing or the drama club queen - are welcome to try out.

Broadway Meets Reality TV Again. Sort Of.

Another musical is going to feature on a network reality TV show soon. But this time it's not a Broadway musical, like this season's Grease. Instead, it's a TV musical -- High School Musical, to be exact. The Disney Channel TV movie has become a ubiquitous brand name, spawning a sequel, stage shows, a forthcoming feature film, and more. It is now coming back to its roots on television.

Many details of the new ABC reality TV show are yet unknown, but Variety has reported that the summer series will involve a national talent search which will have the contestants competing in High School Musical-themed challenges. Exactly what they're competing for is still unknown, but stars of the HSM movies are expected to appear on the program.

Now that this little Disney TV movie has exploded into an inescapable cultural phenomenon, could High School Musical: The Broadway Musical be far behind?