East High is going 'Musical' a 3rd time

As promised by their titles, the Emmy Award-winning "High School Musical" television movies feature a lot of singing and dancing.

Ironically, a Friday press conference at East High School to announce the start of production on a big-screen version of "High School Musical" featured a few "song-and-dance" routines as well.

For example, actress Vanessa Hudgens was asked a few personal questions — including one about whether she and co-star Zac Efron are still dating. She deftly sidestepped the issue entirely, saying simply, "We're here to talk about the movie."

Of course, Hudgens did say that with a smile.

She was joined by Efron, co-stars Corbin Bleu, Ashley Tisdale and Monique Coleman, and the filmmakers, as they discussed the third movie, which was to begin shooting at East High today.

Subtitled "Senior Year," the theatrical feature follows returning characters Troy Bolton (Efron), Gabriella Montez (Hudgens) and their classmates as they begin their final year of high school and face their uncertain futures.

Screenwriter Peter Barsocchini and choreographer/executive producer/director Kenny Ortega said the "High School Musical" concept was always planned as a three-part story. Fortunately, the tremendous popularity of the earlier television films allowed them to stage the "third act" of their tale as a bigger-budgeted theatrical movie.

Ortega said he relishes the opportunity to tell the third part on "a bigger scale."

"High School Musical 3" also brings the cast and crew back to Salt Lake City, where the other two productions were filmed.

Hudgens said she was ecstatic to return to Utah, "which feels like home." And Efron added that he and the others "couldn't imagine filming anywhere else."

Also, the state's residents were categorized as "friendly," "warm" and "quiet" by co-stars Bleu, Tisdale and Coleman.

And their director, Ortega, said the decision to return to Utah and to East High was a "no-brainer." He practically sang the virtues of the state's professional film production crews, calling them "really wonderful."

"The food is great here as well, by the way," he added with a laugh.

However, Ortega and the film's producers did allude to fact that other states had offered some production incentives, such as tax breaks, to entice the production to go there instead.

Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. and the Utah Film Commission intervened, offering a few undisclosed incentives of their own. Producer Don Schain said that helped make the difference.

The media-savvy Huntsman was on hand to introduce the stars and filmmakers, even leading them in the movies' familiar "Wildcats" chant.

"We are deeply honored, and I am delighted on behalf of the state of Utah, to welcome back the Wildcats," he said.