Kenny Ortega, the man behind “High School Musical” and Miley Cyrus’ concert film, is directing this film, which is being produced by Randy Phillips, Kenny Ortega and Paul Gongaware. Executive producers are John Branca and John McClain.

I’m curious to see this film, and see how it portrays Michael Jackson. I wonder if we’ll ever really get a true behind-the-scenes look into his life. Probably not. 

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Movie: Bandslam * Gecko Preview *  Official Site	In Theaters: Aug. 14, 2009
Runtime: 111 minutes	Directed by: Todd Graff; Produced by Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas
MPAA Rating: PG for some thematic elements and mild language	Gecko Rating:

I take back my earlier thoughts about "Bandslam." If, like me, you were expecting something akin to "High School Musical," you’d be dead wrong!

Yes, there’s a teensy bit of sap in this movie, but nothing like the volume offered up in Disney’s HSM. This is Summit Entertainment, after all, which automatically kicks it to a different level. The soundtrack includes Lou Reed’s "Femme Fatale" and Steve Wynn’s "Amphetamine," and David Bowie is an integral part of the story. You wouldn’t get that with Disney.

Vanessa Hudgens is the known star here, but it’s really an ensemble cast, all revolving around Gaelan Connell’s character, Will Burton. In the opening scene, Will is being kicked around and made fun of at his high school. He’s the class nerd and the target of bullies and jocks. And right away, we learn that he has a secret, only we don’t get to know what it is until the end of the movie.

Will and his mom Karen (Lisa Kudrow) move to a new town and a new high school, where he falls in with former cheerleader Charlotte (Aly Michalka). The fact that she befriends a nerd is another mystery, which we learn more about later in the movie.

Will also befriends a sullen Vanessa Hudgens – her name is Sa5m (the 5 is silent) –  who tries to warn him about Charlotte. But he gets ever more friendly with her and ends up managing her band, made up of other nerds. The main story revolves around a "battle of the bands" contest called Bandslam, with the winner getting a recording contract.

Charlotte’s band includes a rag-tag group of kids, including Charlie Saxton (Ray Drecker’s son on HBO’s "Hung"), Tim Jo, Ryan Donowho, Elvy Yost, and Lisa Chung.

Competing against Charlotte’s band is a band fronted by her former boyfriend Ben, played by Friday Night Lights’ Scott Porter.

How to sum up "Bandslam"? It doesn’t break any new ground in cinematic history, but it’s a good movie. I think of it as "Napoleon Dynamite" meets "The School of Rock" meets "The Breakfast Club." Funny, heartfelt, dramatic, engaging.

Music lovers will appreciate the soundtrack, which includes the aforementioned tunes, as well as David Bowie’s "Rebel Rebel" and Rick Nielsen’s "I Want You to Want Me." Nerds will appreciate the nerdy-boy-makes-good storyline. And parents will appreciate the fact that there’s more to these characters than meets the eye – something you don’t often get in a movie about teens.

Images: TM and © 2009 Summit Entertainment, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

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Zac Efron

Hudgens ("High School Musical") and Alyson Michalka ("Phil of the Future," "Aly and AJ") are starring in "Bandslam," due in theaters Aug. 14, 2009. Michalka plays a gifted singer-songwriter who recruits a new kid in town (Gaelan Connell, "Chocolat") to manage her rock band. Her main motivation? Go up against her egotistical ex-boyfriend (Scott Porter, "Friday Night Lights") and his band at a battle of the bands competition. Meanwhile, Sam (Hudgens) and Will find romance.

My first instinct is this sounds a lot like "High School Musical" kicked up to a PG rating (for some thematic elements and mild language). But it’s produced by Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas and distributed by Summit Entertainment ("Twilight"), so it might surprise me. It will definitely appeal to fans of Hudgens and Michalka. Are you looking forward to this movie?

After the jump, more pics and a trailer…

Images: TM and © 2009 Summit Entertainment, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

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She’s signed for the teen romance “Beastly,” a film based on an Alex Flinn novel about a vain New York teen who’s made to look ugly in order to find true love. Sort of a reverse version of “Penelope.” Daniel Barnz has signed to direct.

Hudgens was also recently cast in an all-girl action flick “Sucker Punch,” co-written and directed by Zack Snyder (“300” and “Watchmen”). Kind of a different role for her, but you know, good for her.

“Sucker Punch” is set in the 1950s and stars Emily Browning as a young woman who undergoes a lobotomy and is institutionalized by her evil stepfather. She then slips into her own fantasy world and must steal objects in order to escape. It also stars Abbie Cornish, Jena Stone and Jamie Chung.

And this summer, Hudgens will star in the teen musical comedy “Bandslam.” She stars as a weird rocker chick who sings her heart out on screen. But it still doesn’t sound like HSM.

MTV caught up with her on the Austin, Texas set last year, and she said, “And they are like, ‘We are going to have two weeks of music rehearsals,’ and I was like, ‘What?’ But it was really cool. It’s definitely not the kind of music I do normally."

Image: Bauer-Griffin

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E! caught up with High School Musical’s Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens, who dished about how nerve-wracking their Oscar duet was, and what it was like being on stage with host Hugh Jackman. These two are such a cute couple. I hope they stay together for a while.

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The youngsters are taking over the Oscars this year! And it’s just days away! ABC’s live telecast from Hollywood’s Kodak Theatre will air this Sunday, Feb. 22, 2009 at 5 pm PT/8 pm ET.

Robert Pattinson, the hunky vampire Edward Cullen in "Twilight" and the upcoming "New Moon," will be presenting, though I haven’t heard which award it will be. Also no word on whether his co-star, Kristen Stewart, will be by his side. Next up for the 22-year-old British actor is "Little Ashes," in which he’ll play artist Salvador Dali.

Also at the Oscars will be "High School Musical" star Zac Efron, who’ll be presenting the award for Best Original Song. Hmmm, will HSM girlfriend Vanessa Hudgens walk down the red carpet with him? They’ve managed to stay together for a while, haven’t they? An eternity in Hollywood!

I’ve also heard that Disney star Miley Cyrus will be there, as well, but she won’t be presenting. She’ll be there to support her animated movie, "Bolt," which is up for Best Animated Feature. And no word on whether her underwear model-actor boyfriend, Justin Gaston, will be her date. 

Image: Picapp.com; Source: Eonline.com

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Vanessa Hudgens

But it’s unlikely she’ll get the part – at least for now.

"I’m not sure about [final] casting, but I had heard Vanessa Hudgens was going up for the part of Leah [Clearwater, a werewolf]," screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg, who wrote both films, told PEOPLE at the Directors Guild of America Awards in L.A. Saturday night. "But at the moment, the part of Leah doesn’t happen until the third movie."

Ok, so she could still get it, but Hudgens’ reps have denied she was ever being considered for the role. If she does get it, she’ll have to do some heavy-duty image makeover. Many fans of the series think she’s just plain too sweet looking.

Join Film Gecko’s “New Moon Casting News and Rumors” discussion here!

Image: High School Musical 3, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, 2008

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Wow, I really can’t see her in the role at all. What do you guys think about this? Maybe I need to stop thinking of her in terms of the HSM movies, since those are pretty much a done deal. I mean, she has to move on, right?

The "Twilight" sequel is in the works, with Chris Weitz in as director and filming scheduled to begin in March. Look for the vampire movie to be theaters on Nov. 20, 2009.

And if you haven’t yet checked out our "New Moon Casting News and Rumors" discussion, get over there and check it out!

Image: Vanessa Hudgens and Zac Efron; Newscom

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Young patients at the Mattel Children’s Hospital UCLA were delighted when the “High School Musical” star played Santa Claus by giving away $10,000 worth of toys, including art sets, board games, and HSM products. He also signed autographs and posed for pictures.

A source told Us Magazine, “He really spent time bonding with each of the children and their families. The kids were smitten and beaming from ear to ear. Some of the kids couldn’t even speak, but they had the widest grins and would sit as close to him as possible.

“Zac was super gracious and could not have been more kind and truly happy to be there.” Ok, other celebs take note! Way to go, Zac Efron!

Watch a video montage of his visit after the jump…

Image: Newscom

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David Cassidy — ‘member him, from “The Partridge Family“? — has a few words of advice for Zac Efron: Keep it real.

“All I can say to Zac is that as long as he does good work, doesn’t lose his mind, and stays grounded as a human being, he’ll be fine,” Cassidy, 58, tells Britain’s Daily Mail as he’s about to embark on a U.K. concert tour (!).

He adds: “But he’d better fasten his seatbelt because it’s going to be a very bumpy ride.”

More after the jump…

Seems like Cassidy knows a thing or two about keeping it real. He says the secret to longevity in show business isn’t about having an adoring public. Rather, it’s about the talent, “and never about how many fans or photographers you’ve got outside your home.”

Yeah, I think that would mess with a person’s psyche big-time — worrying about the fans (or lack thereof) all the time. Go, David! And go, Zac!

Image: David Cassidy and Shirley Jones, Picapp.com, 2004

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