'High School Musical 2' hits TV Friday, August 17

By Stone Martindale Aug 15, 2007, 18:50 GMT

06/09/2007 - Corbin Bleu - Nancy Drew World Premiere - Grauman\'s Chinese Theatre - Hollywood, CA © Chris Hatcher / Photorazzi

If you are unaware, the hottest August buzz for smallscreen is the upcoming "High School Musical 2" to air on Disney this Friday.

Described as the most anticipated summer sequel - it won’t be screened in movie theaters. The movie has become this generation's "Grease."

Millions of homes across the nation will tune into the Disney Channel at 8 p.m. for Disney’s “High School Musical 2,” and the rumor is it's going to be big.

- courtesy Disney

Disney’s “High School Musical,” has turned into a bubblegum conglomerate, a multi-million dollar juggernaut and the Christmas bonus of the Disney Channel empire.

“High School Musical,” a made-for-TV movie musical, is essentially a tale of star-crossed lovers. The soundtrack to “High School Musical” was the best selling album of 2006 and was named Soundtrack Album of the Year by Billboard.

Vanessa Anne

The original two-hour movie premiered in January 2006. Since then, more than 150 million people have watched it, claims Disney, generating $500 million in DVD sales.  It is also continually the top story read on Monsters and Critics since it was posted over a year ago by reviewer Jeff Swindoll.

Zac

The movie yielded a concert tour featuring most of the cast, as well as an ice show, a big-screen version and countless stage versions.

The film has won awards too, including an Emmy for Outstanding Children’s Program and an award for Outstanding Achievement in Children’s Programming from the Television Critics Association.

The theme of remaining true to yourself has won over parents too.