Opening Day

So, High School Musical 3: Senior Year came out yesterday. It's the highly anticipated, final installment of the Disney gold mine we lovingly refer to as HSM. Technically, I don't think Disney considers this the "final installment" of HSM, but for now it's the last one starring Zac Efron. And really? Would it be HSM without Zac?

We haven't been to see a movie on it's release date since . . . ever. I am not a crowd person. I don't like to wait my turn, or sit right next to complete strangers who may or may not have brushed their teeth that morning and listen to them chomp their popcorn. But several weeks ago, I read a special Disney insider message in my in-box and decided to put my personal feelings aside and take the kids to see their favorite movie stars ever in their last days as East High Wildcats.

We did cheat a little though. I bought our tickets weeks ahead on-line through the Disney insider thing. When I purchased the tickets, I had to choose a movie time. They were offering 11 am, 2pm, and 4pm shows at our local theater. I imagined the pre-pubescent after school crowd at the 4pm show and decided to buy tickets for 2pm. I began in earnest the plans to pull off HSM3: Opening Day. It would be complicated since, technically, Bubba is scheduled to be in school on Fridays until 3:15pm.

All the planning paid off, and the day went off without a hitch. Honey took the afternoon off and took the girls in at 1:20 to save us some good seats. After packing our contraband of M&Ms and Weight Watchers cakes in my purse, because they do not sell anything diet friendly to snack on at the movies, I checked Bubba out of school at 1:30, giving him plenty of time to take his spelling and math tests for the week. We made it to the theater by 1:50, and found Honey and the girls at the very front of the line waiting to find seats.

The girls couldn't have been more excited. Honey was . . . whatever it is when you want so much to indulge your kids but realize that you're the only Dad in the place . . . uncomfortable. He felt better when I showed up. It felt more like a "family thing", and way more macho than an "I couldn't wait to take my girls to see Zac Efron so we got here 45 min. early to be first in line" thing. He muddled through and loved being there to see the kids reactions and excitement first hand.

As for the movie? Well, it was cute. For me, High School Musical has always been a fairy tale. It's a show about the way kids picture high school to be, but they know it really isn't. Troy is the guy every girl wants to date and the ruler of the school that every guy wishes he were. I loved that this movie allowed us to get to know some of the supporting characters like Taylor and Kelsie and Ryan. I loved that it was so over the top, kinda like Grease was. I loved that it had a happy ending, just like every fairy tale should.

We'll do our part to support the economy and pick up the soundtrack some time this weekend. We'll listen to the songs over and over remembering all of our favorite parts. And the DVD will be at the top of our Christmas list, along with the dance mix DVD that is sure to come out in the spring. I anticipate many more hours dedicated to HSM in the Hairdryer house. Once the last DVD comes out, we'll be proud owners of all three movies. I'll let you know when we plan the first HSM marathon.

Have a great weekend!

If you make a movie named High School Musical

I just couldn't resist, y'all. I promise, after this, I'll quit.

If you make a movie named High School Musical,
People young and old will probably love it.

And if everyone loves it so much,
You'll probably have to release it to the masses on DVD.

The DVD will be so popular that just a few months later you will have to release a second "remix" version DVD of the very same movie with a few new bonus features like how you made the movie and how to dance to all the up-beat songs.

People will buy a second copy of the movie, will still long for more, anything, so you will need to ask the actors and actresses who starred in the movie to do a concert tour reliving the excitement of the story live and on stage.

You will need to tour the world with your live show, and the actors and actresses will be recognized in every country and in every language.

All the time spent traveling will give you time to think of a new, great idea!

You will begin to make a new movie: High School Musical 2.

And, if you make a movie named High School Musical 2,
All of your fans will begin a worldwide countdown to the premier of the new television event.

During the worldwide countdown, they will plan parties to celebrate the exciting evening of being reunited with their favorite East High Wildcats.

The thought of being reunited with the Wildcats will cause the fans to debate whether or not Troy and Gabriella will actually get to reveal their true feelings for each other and FINALLY KISS ALREADY!

And if, on the night of the movie premier, while attending their parties and watching the movie with their friends and family, the fans actually get to witness Troy and Gabriella's first kiss, EVERYONE WILL LOVE HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 2!

And if everyone loves High School Musical 2 . . .
You will probably have to make another movie named High School Musical 3!

A day for the history books

I know you are all dying to know how the family liked High School Musical 2. Well, settle in and I'll tell you. (And, yes, I took pictures.)

Thursday evening, the night before the big premier, we realized that the record feature on our DVR wasn't working. Translation, we couldn't record High School Musical 2. I realized this at approximately 8/7c, giving me 24 hours to contact the cable company, schedule a repair time, and GET IT FIXED! We must record the movie. How else would we be able to wake up the morning after the big premier and watch the movie AGAIN? It won't be out on DVD months!

Friday morning, at around 7:59, I called our cable company tech support. I wanted to be first in line for getting that repair man to our house. Over the phone, in about 4 minutes, they were able to connect to our DVR via the telephone cables, the cords that plug in to the wall, magic? I don't know how, but I called and told them that it was broken and 4 minutes later, it was fixed. And, I found out that tech support is open 24/7. So I could have called last night even though I was already in my pj's and had them fix it right then and there. No repair man required. I love tech support!

Once the DVR was fixed, we were free to make a trip to Walmart to pick up the soundtrack to HSM2. Gran offered to pay for it, so we did her shopping for her. The version we got also came with a 45 minute DVD of the making of the movie. We cracked the CD open and listened to it in the car on the way home, and as soon as we got there, we watched the DVD. After the DVD, we were inspired to make decorations for our little party. So while the kids were making their cast posters, we listened to the rest of the sound track.

The kids drew their own pictures of Ryan, Chad, Gabriella, and Troy. I also drew my own pictures of the leading ladies Gabriella, Sharpay, and Taylor.
I am not an artist, nor have I ever claimed to be, but it sure was fun coloring with the kids.

At this point, the girls had been up since 6:15 am and were getting tired. So while they napped, Bubba and I finished decorating for the party.

The girls were so surprised to see the fruit of our labor that they agreed to pose sweetly for a picture.

At this point, there was not much more to do besides cook and wait for Honey to get home so we could eat supper. We had hot dogs and homemade chocolate ice cream. We finished eating just a few minutes before the movie started. There was a countdown on Disney channel all day and here is the shot with just over 8 minutes until show time.

Here is a pic of the kids with just under 8 minutes until show time.

We watched the movie, and the premier of the new series, and the new episode of Hannah Montana. And then we were all partied out. At random points during the movie, Mary TuTu would climb in my lap and exclaim, "Oooo, this is such a good movie!". Bubba and Brooke were less expressive, but they were glued to the TV so as not to miss a thing.

In the end, they gave it 6 thumbs up!

Oh, and, this morning? On the Today show? I heard that HSM 3 is already in the works. My family says, "Keep 'em coming Disney!"

Here and There

My thoughts have been a bit scattered lately. Here are a few things floating around in my head:

- In Bible class we have been studying the minor prophets. Sunday we were in Habakkuk which is one of my favorite books. Mainly because it is a conversation between Habakkuk and God, where Habbakkuk questions the events that God has allowed to take place. He doesn't understand why God allows bad things to happen. God not only allows Habakkuk to question, but he also gives an answer. This book reflects a relationship between God and one of his children that is strong enough to endure the questions. It inspires me to seek that kind of relationship with God. I love the fact that I rest in the arms of a Father that allows me to ask the tough questions. It encourages me to praise God and honor him even when I don't like the answers I get.

- In class on Sunday we highlighted 2:20 "But the Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him." It reminds me of a sign I had hanging in my locker in high school that said,
"God's in his heaven, all's right with the world!" - Robert Browning.

Thank goodness God is in control and I am not.

-Only 2 days until the premier of High School Musical 2. I'm just sayin'.

-The kids and I are in the process of planning a premier party. The girls have ordered High School Musical "pupcakes".

-The girls also think that my dad is driving around in a new white "hickup".

-And my son has taught the girls the real names of the actors that play the parts in High School Musical. We can no longer refer to the people by their movie names such as Troy, Gabriella, Sharpay and Ryan. We must call them by their real first names Zac, Vanessa, Ashley, and Lucas. I think it makes us feel like we're BFFs with all of them. If I accidently slip up and say Gabriella, Mary TuTu says, "You mean Vanessa Hudgens, Mom."

-And yesterday, while flipping through the channels, we found "Grease". The kids and I watched it, and this was the first time I've seen it as an adult. WOW! I never did really understand that movie.

-However, I'm not worried that my kids understood any of the suggestive dialogue because we spent most of the movie comparing the Grease characters to the High School Musical characters. "So Danny and Sandy are like Zac (Troy) and Vanessa (Gabriella), and Rizzo and Kiniki are like Ashley (Sharpay) and Lucas (Ryan)?"

"Yeah, kinda', accept without all the sex."

Just kidding, I didn't say that.

This just in. . .

It gives my son a twitch to think of a whole entire weekend without Disney Channel. "Mom, we can't go to the family reunion and be gone 3 whole days! What if something great comes on and I miss it?" Any day spent without Disney Channel on the nearest TV is pure torture for him.

So, he spent a good part of last Thursday afternoon looking through the programming guide on the DVR making sure that he wouldn't miss a thing. I comfort myself with the fact that this activity isn't entirely void of educational value. After all, he has to read the names of the shows and times that they air. And there is some need to understand the whole time zone factor so he can properly plan to record the show he wants at 8/7 c. Finally he decided that the only show he just couldn't miss was a movie airing Friday night. So the DVR was set.

Yesterday, while the kids were watching said movie, we saw it.

The commercial advertising the celebration extravaganza surrounding the premier of High School Musical 2! At least in 7 year old terms. The celebrations will begin with a "Suite Life of Zach and Cody" marathon, which just so happens to be Bubba's favorite. In between episodes of Zach and Cody, they will show all of the little teasers that reveal just enough about the new movie to get you excited to see it. When the marathon is over, and the premier time gets closer, they will air a cast party so that you can watch the movie for the first time with all the cast members. It will be just like you are there with them in person. Of course the main event is the movie, followed by a new episode of Hannah Montana, Bubba's second favorite.

Did I mention that the movie starts at 8/7 c? That's PM, in the evening. The Zach and Cody marathon? It starts at 10/9c. That's AM, people, in the morning! I am guessing over 12 hours of Disney Channel that day. Now I'm beginning to twitch.

I've got to hand it to Disney, they've truly outdone themselves this time. They have assembled an army of marketing geniuses. And their tactics seem to be successful. Bubba is already asking if he can record the Zach and Cody marathon. I'm pretty sure that will be a "no".

Let me explain myself

In case you don't have cable, or children between the ages of 2 and 15, I think I will take just a minute to explain the ticker above. I feel the need for you to understand the monumental day that is fast approaching.

In February 2006 BC (Before Cable), Bubba came home from spending the weekend at Gran's house with an interesting request. He said, "MOM! CAN I GO SPEND THE NIGHT WITH GRAN ON FRIDAY, MARCH 24TH AT 8/7 CENTRAL?" (I'm not exactly sure of the date, but you get the picture) I was curious as to what had prompted such a specific request from a barely 6 yr old boy. He explained that this new movie, High School Musical, was going to premier on the Disney Channel and since we didn't have cable, could he spend the night at Gran's house so he could watch it? Sure, call Gran and ask her. It didn't take long to arrange the movie date. We waited with much anticipation, but I really couldn't get in to the spirit of things because I never spent time at the Disney Channel.

Well, of course, the movie was a huge hit, Disney re-ran the movie every Friday night at 8/7 central for about 3 months, and then released it on video. We actually own 2 copies of it, but I'll save that story for another post.

As soon as the video came out, the girls watched it and fell. in. love. With the entire show, but especially with Troy, the main character. And it really is a captivating show, the first 20 times you see it.

Well, this summer the story will continue. Yes, on Friday, August 17, at 8/7 central the sequel, High School Musical 2, will premier. And this time around, we have cable. And it's summer. And the kids have an abundance of time to watch Disney Channel. And every 3 minutes there is a commercial about the premier of High School Musical 2. And did I mention that it premiers Friday, August 17, at 8/7 central?

So, I have been trying to work with the girls on learning the date of their birthday. It's in September, and to be fair, it is a hard month to repeat, much less, recall it on demand. But, anyway, we've been working on it. So, we were at the pool a couple of days ago and we met a new little girl and her mom. The mom asked Mary TuTu when her birthday was. She shrugged and said, "I don't know. Mom, when's my birthday?"

I said, "I don't know when is it?"

She said, "I don't know. August 17?"

So, we're just a tad bit excited about this new movie here at our house.

Summertime, summertime, sum, sum, summertime

I know that it is only the first weekend of summer, but this picture says it all. It represents our children's 3 favorite summer activities.

1. Hair still wet from playing in the wading pool in the back yard.

2. Sitting on the new bikes that they all got. (Bubba's is a two wheeler. I told him I would put a pic of him on here when he learned to ride it.)

3. You can't tell unless you were there, but the girls were sitting on their bikes watching "High School Musical", the new favorite movie!

Happy summer!