The Good: From Weathersby Posner & Klein’s original and inspiring mission statement to “serve the public good and honor the public trust” that was scribbled on a napkin thirty years prior (Bartlett for America anyone?), to the master class in acting put forth by Victor “Where’s My Emmy?” Garber, “good” doesn’t even begin to describe my feelings when it comes to last night’s installment of ELI STONE. Especially now that we know that Eli’s future includes making it all the way to the Supreme Court alongside friend and mentor Jordan Weathersby. (And yes, in case you’re wondering, this TV Addict’s jaw is still partially on the floor following last night’s shocking final scene involving Maggie Decker siding with the evil that is Posner & Klein.)

The Bad: 90210. Whose committee of showrunners don’t seem to “get” that fans are not in the business of caring about couples they’ve manufactured out of thin air. Ethan and Annie’s will-they-or-won’t-they relationship is absolutely pointless when the two characters have been given zero redeeming qualities for fans to latch on to and root for. And don’t even get me started on Navid and Adrianna — I mean have those two even shared a scene together prior to last night’s episode? Memo to Gabe Sachs and Jeff Judah. Your viewers are not morons and if you expect us to remain invested in this show outside of the occasional Brenda/Kelly cameo you probably should go back to the drawing board and remember that the likes of Brenda & Dylan, Ross & Rachel and Pam & Jim don’t just happen. It takes seasons of build up and hard work. So get to it.

The Ugly: Apparently it wasn’t enough for HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 3 to squeeze 42 million dollars out of North American theatergoers this weekend. The show must go on. Which is why Disney cleverly used Zac Efron’s swan song to launch an obvious HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL: THE NEXT GENERATION spin-off and a full-blown Broadway Musical. Which wouldn’t be so ugly except for the fact this TV Addict just donated ten bucks to the cause!

In the world of movies, it is extremely rare for a sequel to be better or as good as the original, let alone for the third film in a series to be the best of the lot.

My niece, Ainsleigh, and I were both lucky enough to discover that HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 3: SENIOR YEAR is one of those rare treasures. We both came out of the theatre thinking that HSM 3 is without a doubt the best of the series. What’s more, we both agreed on the exact two reasons why.

The first and most prominent reason is that the movie has the best musical numbers (i.e. music, lyrics, and dance choreography) to date. The filmmakers obviously took the bump to theatrical seriously as the music is better produced, the lyrics are a little less corny, and the dance numbers are much more sophisticated. HSM 3 even expanded its inspirational pallet there, including numbers that are obviously influenced by everything from Bob Fosse, the Rockette’s and Gene Kelly’s “Gotta Dance” number from SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN (in “I Want It All”), to ballet (“Can I Have This Dance”), to Stomp and GREASE (“The Boys Are Back”). It’s increased scope and ambition goes along way to make the film special. Most importantly though, the musical numbers do exactly what they should: sweep you up in their emotions and choreography. You became enamored, and just like for the characters, the world stops for a moment and makes way for musical celebration and expression.

The second reason that HSM 3 is the best of the series is that the musical numbers are much more seamlessly and legitimately integrated into the story. Ainsleigh noted that the songs were more closely linked to the characters’ personalities, thoughts and feelings. Her point is a great one, as a shortcoming of the first two films was that there would be numerous occasions where the reason for a song to emerge was forced, and had little to do with the overall story. In HSM 3 every musical number comes back to what Ainsleigh pointed out is the central theme of the story: what happens when teenagers grow up (in this case, when seniors face the decisions that will shape their futures). She felt it added a greater tinge of reality to the film. Or, as she put it, it made HSM 3 seem more like a “true story” in the sense that it is something all teenagers do or will face.

Though some of you adult readers will certainly give my niece a pass, you might question the objectivity (and maybe sanity) of a twenty-six year old film reviewer and masters degree holder in film who can seriously, truly, enjoy something like HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 3. To you I say, of course the film isn’t perfect. Sure, there are things I could nitpick about, such as the fact that at times it’s too “stagey,” (even going meta with a high school musical within the high school musical), that there are a few lyrical clunkers here and there and some really cheesy moments, or that maybe there are too many Troy/Gabriella numbers (and that they sound a bit too similar to ones from the other films). However, there is so much heart, enthusiasm and musical craftsmanship in HSM 3,that to indulge my inner adult cynic would mean missing out on its unapologetically fun ride, and be someone this movie wasn’t really meant for.

Besides, if I had been that cynical film student person, I then would not have had the pleasure of taking my niece to see the film, let alone been able to completely enjoy it together with her. If that’s what the cost of not being willing to put my inner adult aside and enjoy a film for its sheer fun and escapism is, then I’m not sure that’s the kind of person I want to be anyway.

Ainsleigh’s Overall Rating: A-
theREELaddict’s Overall Rating: A-

P.S.: In case your curious as to what our favorite parts were, it’s probably no coincidence that Ainsleigh’s favorite song (“Now or Never”), favorite dance (“Scream”), and favorite moment (the opening, sweaty close-up), all mostly involved a certain young movie star whose last name rhymes with Teflon.

And me? Well, as a gooey sap, I’ve always been a sucker for romantic duets/ballads (think “Cheek to Cheek” in TOP HAT) – especially when rain and summer dresses are thrown in for good measure – so “Can I Have This Dance” proved to be a musical highlight for me, all the more so given its incorporation of surprisingly effective ballet influences. In terms of dancing though, even though the lyrics/concept of the song was a notable weak point in the film, “The Boys Are Back” had genuinely impressive choreography, as did Efron’s Gene Kelly-like solo number “Scream” (a much needed improvement on the similar themed “Bet On It” from HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 2).

With HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 3 making the jump to the big screen today, this morning’s question of the day should come as no surprise. Simply put, will you be braving the hordes of screaming tweens to watch Zac, Vanessa, Ashley and Corbin graduate in style? Or will you sheepishly wait until the movie is released on DVD as to not have to face the humiliation and awkward looks of being the only twenty-something male in a movie theater comprised of eight year old girls? Ummm… not that this TV Addict was planning on seeing HSM 3 today. Because really, I’m so stoked for SAW V! I swear… I don’t know how I accidently walked into this theater…

What was some of the most surprising things that you discovered while you were out searching for talent for HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL: GET IN THE PICTURE?
It was definitely the variety of how people really performed.  Everybody is different, each style is different.  In the Midwest, it’s a little bit more reserved as well as the other people, and then you get to up north and you have the brothers there and they’re supporting, and you got a different vibe.

What is some of the best advice that you’ve been given that you were able to pass along to the kids?
Oh my goodness.  There was so many different times when we really got to talk to the kids.  I wanted to relay to them that they only thing permanent in this world is that everything is temporary.  Because a lot of these kids, it’s a major process to go through and some kids feelings would get hurt or they would do a little bit much and for reasons I don’t know or for reasons they don’t’ even understand, I always tried to remind them, you know, nothing’s permanent.  Don’t dwell too hard in what happens today, just learn, and keep pushing through.  I think that they got that concept, I think that they were understanding.  I definitely wanted them to find their own characters; not just through dancing, but really define who they are.  At that age,  you’re trying to blend in, you’re trying to fit a clique, and they already came in as individuals, but because we were getting deeper and deeper and deeper with them, they definitely grew to find out who they were.

How exactly does the show work?
You’re going to see the whole group do what we call live and learn, and that’s basically an on location performance of some sort.  Last night they performed in Kmart where they had to sing out loud one of the HSM songs, but no one in the store heard the music, so they kind of had to be a little awkward and be boastful.  You’re going to see different situations like that, where the kids have to, in real life situations, not just on stage,  be performers and who’s going to rise to the occasion. From there, they’ll go through classes, sometimes you’ll see them, sometimes you won’t, but there will definitely be a performance.  And from the performance that we help them on, and we work on them vocally and staging and concepts of why they’re singing these words,rather than just singing these words, we make the decision on who’s going to the chorus.  The kids don’t get eliminated, they get to go into the chorus.

For the faculty, do you all have a particular expertise that you’re mentoring for?
I can say for the most part that we all have worked in each field.  Each one of us has done musical theatre, each one of us can dance, each one of us can sing.  It’s just easier to pinpoint what our strengths are.  My strength was choreography and dance, as well as Regina.  And with Montre, I believe he was on the acting skills.  I think the other three are in the same boat.  We just honed in on what we could work with kids best.  We all do have the experience to talk about everything.

What is your background?  How did it all start for you?
It started so long ago.  While in my mom’s womb, she would go to Prince concerts.  I think I was destined to dance.  And then when I was really young, she took me to the MC Hammer concert, and they wanted to get kids on stage and it was general admission and I was like “Mom get me up on stage”.  from them, I just had a taste of what it’s like and I knew for a fact that that’s what I wanted to do.  So I danced in studios, dance competitions and dance teams.  I always found a way to keep dancing.  I did musical theatre when I was younger too, up until I was a senior.  From there I just focused on dance in NY and a talent agent, such as myself, but more for dance, came and found me in a dance class, and they were like, we’d like to sign you.  From there, I was so randomly working in LA, I was doing this gig called Carnival, they were like, can you audition for Britney Spears?  And I said, but of course. [laughs] and I auditioned for Britney Spears I’m a Slave 4 You music video and VMAs and I booked it.  All that hard work came with that booking my first job with Britney.  From there, I kind of haven’t stopped. I moved to LA.  I’ve danced with every pop artist of our time.  Like J. Lo, Christina Aguilera, Outkast, The Game, and Pussycat Dolls, Christina Milian, Fergie, the Black Eyed Peas, Toni Braxton.  I literally have danced in every venue, every stage, every sort of way that an artist can promote themselves, I’ve been there.

As a dancer, you probably had to build up a thick skin very quickly because I know that it‘s a tough world.
Oh it is. It is because there’s a lot of artists, and there’s always like a certain style that you’re going to fit. Obviously, I’m not going to dance for Rihanna.  I’m 5’2”, ya know, she’s a tall  young lady, so I have to realize.  I’ve been told no a few times and I have questions myself.  Because I realize the pattern of when you’re a starving artist, to trust yourself, trust your talent, when you keep pushing on, a big surprise is on the other side.

What do you hope to see in the future, both for the kids and for yourself?
For the kids, I definitely want them to pursue whatever is destined for them.  I think that they learned about performing, they learned a lot about themselves.  I think they’re going to be strong characters in this world and I just want them to keep doing what they do. If I see them here, and I end up working with them, that would be the coolest thing ever.  To be on set and working.  The show was so not about what even can I do, I just wanted to see what the kids can do. And how much could they learn?  I hope for the best for each one of them.

I hope for myself, I am in the middle of creating and producing this show on the internet.  I hope it really takes flight.  It’s called The Get In or Get Out Show. And it’s me and my best friend hosting about all the cool things that happen in Los Angeles.  Dining, shopping, pop culture of our city, anything and everything in between, and I hope that does something because we’ve put a lot of effort into it.  I do hope to be hosting my own TV show.  I’m a very inspirational kind of girl.  I just hope that a lot of people in this world don’t get defeated and I can totally see myself doing that.  It’s what my mom did, so as long as you follow your parents, I feel like your life is successful.

The internet seems to be taking off.  Series created for the internet seem to be taking off where they didn’t use to.
Oh yeah.  There’s definitely a better chance.  It’s cool because there’s another creative outlet.  I think a lot of people are getting their chance on the internet.  I’m always on the internet, I created my own website.  I love it. I hope it doesn’t take away from television because I think that’s a great thing too.  I think it’s another way to make the industry bigger.

Is there anything else that you’d like to say to the readers of theTVaddict.com?
As far as the show goes, I just want people to take into consideration how hard these kids are working.  I don’t know if we were working that hard when we were kids and we’ve just got to give it up to them for putting themselves out there and pushing for something that’s super cool.  And to know that they’re just kids.  This isn’t some sort of awkward ghetto dating show that we’re all addicted to in some way shape or form. And it is a form of reality, but it’s a form of hope, and I think that people can get into it.

For more info on Tiana Brown, check out her web site at www.tianabrown.com

ABC’s new show HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL: GET IN THE PICTURE starts tonight and I had the chance to speak with one of the “Faculty Members”, Montre Burton, about his role as mentor, and how you can live life to the fullest just by being you.

Tell me about HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL: GET IN THE PICTURE!?Montre Burton: So I am a faculty member and what I do is mentor, encourage, challenge, nurture the students and what happens is I went across the country. There were six of us cohosts and I am one of the cohosts. We actually went across the country discovering new talent and ultimately looking for the next star. I would go to the southeast region, so went to Virginia, which is great because that’s where I’m from, North Carolina, Tennessee, Orlando, I went to Wisconsin, so I go to all these little different small obscure towns where it’s literally population 1, and it’s like Montre, and that’s it. I would go to these small towns and go to the high schools and see them perform, or go to their dance recitals or go to open mike night and find the talent and send them to the semifinals in Orlando. Then from there we have the open calls, where we saw literally thousands of kids. Plus we also saw the people I discovered in small towns. From the best of the best, the people we saw at the open calls and the people we found on the road, we sent them to Utah, which is where we are right now. And then literally, every day, acting singing, dancing, all trying to be the next star.

I didn’t realize that you were searching for the talent; I didn’t realize that it wasn’t just the open call, so it seems like there is a better possibility for an undiscovered talent.?
Oh yeah, we have been all over this country! The six of us, they took 3 for the west and 3 for the east and they split the three of us across the entire region. We went to about 9-10 different states a piece.

Have you been traveling for ever now and you’re happy to kind of be somewhere and relax for a bit??
Oh my gosh, so happy! I am so tired of freaking hotel food, airplane food. I would fly to a state on one day, literally go around the city talking to everybody, which you’ll see on the show. I would literally be walking around, asking where to go to find talent, like, oh where’s the best place for talent in this town, and the people are like “oh you should go here” or “oh you should come to my school.” Sometimes it’s great, and sometimes it would be a hot mess. And we went to see people who sent in tapes. The people we saw in these small towns were either referred to by their acting teacher or their drama teacher or their music teacher or their dance instructor. There are people that were referred to us in addition to everyone else. It’s been amazing, especially for me, because this is how I started out. I started out as a young kid in the south, singing at church, acting, and doing my thing. In middle school, I’ve always been a performer, singing, dancing, and playing the violin. In high school, I went to an arts school. In college I did musical theatre, and I thought, ya know what, I want to be on TV, and in between that I was doing nothing but Shakespeare. It would have been so great if I was a 15, 16 year old kid, and have these people come and be like, hey, ya know what, you are great. This is what you need to work on, and work on it, and someday you’ll be what you want to be!

What is some of the best advice you got as a kid that you’re able to give kids now??
To always remain confident. Always make sure that you find reasons for no one to tell you why you can’t do anything. You try to eliminate the reasons or possibilities for someone to tell you no. it’s all about knowing who you are as a person and being confident in that. Trying to literally find a way to live your life extraordinarily everyday. It took a long time for me to see that on the inside. I could hear it and process it, but you have to really know it deep down and that way, you’ll always make sure that you’re the best person you can be.

Is there anything that surprised you about dealing with these kids??
To be honest, what really blew me away, some of the kids that are from small towns that never were really experienced to diversity, aren’t experienced to a lot of culture, they were never encouraged to involve themselves in the life of art. Some of these kids literally never acted before or never sang in public, they’ve always followed the track of wanting to be a doctor or a lawyer. You find, we’ve given them an outlet to where they can be who they really are. They get up there, never having performed ever, and they get up there any blow us away, and we’re like, “wow, what, wait a minute now! Where is all this talent coming from?” I am from Virginia and a city I went to Stoneridge, VA, I had never heard of it, and I grew up in VA my entire life. It’s a small developing community and we found some great talent in Stoneridge.

How does the show work – does America vote or do you guys decide??
It’s all us. It’s completely us. Because all of us have different expertise. What happens is that the six of us get together and we figure out who is ready to move on and who we feel is a part of the HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL family and who is ready to move onto that next level, who will ultimately be our next star.

What do you see yourself doing after this??
After this, I will, because I always do everything, so I will continue to ultimately do more film. More television. And also coming out with my own CD. I also want to, with my production company that I just formed, I want to find a way to encompass everything. I’m that type of performer where I’ve always sang, I’ve always acted, I’ve always danced, I’ve always done film and TV and have a strong basis in musical theatre, so I wanted to form a production company where it really allows you to do that. I want to be that person that can do a Broadway show, or producing a Broadway show, and doing a TV show, and making a film.

It seems like there are a lot more people that are having to choose, to be an actor, to be a singer, and not both. It sounds like that kind of production company might benefit a lot of people.?
I would definitely, because the thing is, there are so many different talented artists in the world anyway. What happens is that we usually choose our niche, and I’ve done it myself. Someone tells me that I’m only an actor, or I’m only a singer or you only can do theatre, or you’re only a classical actor, or you’re only a film actor. People try to limit you and put boundaries on you. The more that I’m in this industry, the more I realize that it’s actually the opposite. The moer that you bring to the table, the better, because you are a full fleshed out, you’re a multilayered person. You have a lot of different things going on; why let other people hold you back. As long as you’re attacking it 100%, why not. Some of the most amazing entertainers in the world are people who can do everything.

That leads me to my next question, actually. Who are some of your favorites, who do you look to to model yourself after??
Honestly, I love the old greats, like Syndey Poitier, and Montgomery Clift, and coming more modern, Denzel Washington, Will Smith. And then when you look on the Broadway realm, someone like Taye Diggs, who like myself started out in musical theatre, and now he has a career in film, he has a career in TV. And I envision myself, especially because of my personality, and what I’ve trained, I’m like a merger of Denzel Washington and Will Smith.

What are some of your favorite TV shows??
I was a TV fanatic. I grew up watching THE COSBY SHOW, GROWING PAINS, FAMILY MATTERS. Those were the shows that I used to watch. DALLAS and FALCON’s CREST, that only old people watched ha! Now I love like BROTHERS AND SISTERS on ABC is a great family show. That’s one of my favorite shows. Anything that’s exciting. The one thing that I have to come home and watch every Sunday night is for sure BROTHERS AND SISTERS.

Is there anything else you want people to know?
Definitely, it’s all about finding a way to be yourself and remain who you are, in no matter what you’re doing in your journey. That’s the great thing about this show. It’s not just about who is the most talented kid, it’s about really stressing upon people, in order to be the best artist you can be, you have to be the best person you can be. The more that you are yourself in whatever you do, it doesn’t matter whether you want to be a doctor, lawyer, actor, singer, doesn’t matter, the more that you are, the more that you bring all of yourself into what you’re doing, that is how you get the most amount of success. You’re free to create, you’re free to be you. You’re happy and confident, and happy with what you’re doing, because that’s contagious. You really want to be infectious, you want to infect someone with what you have to offer. You want to make sure that if you’re going be a freaking janitor, be the best janitor that you can be and if you’re going to be an actor, be the best actor you can be. Whatever you do, find a way to attack it 100%.

There are great kids. You’ll see these people who are so happy and so committed and they aren’t taking this for granted, and they’re working to be better people especially at a young age. The people that don’t necessarily win this competition, they are going to have something that they can take with them on the rest of their journey. When they go back to their small towns or they decide to do something else, they’ll have this with them for the rest of their lives.

If you in any way closely related to a tween, you not only know about HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 3, you probably have already promised yourself to take them to see it in theatres. If you’re anything like me, you actually won’t mind taking them because it provides a great excuse for you to see it without any embarrassment. Even if the HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL series is a bit silly and obviously aimed at a demographic more than a decade younger than myself, the musical fan in me can’t help but appreciate how infectiously fun the films are and how they signal a moderate return of the musical into popular culture. Needless to say, come October 24th I’ll be there opening night with niece, probably with a stupid grin of anticipation in my face. Till then, feel free to check out my review of the first two films over at MONDOmagazine.

What’s with the High School Musical kids and jumping? Seriously, nobody is that happy. Also jumping when “happy” is really overrated, in my opinion. I much prefer a manly slap on the back, a high five, or just a good old fashioned beer. Anyway, I’d like to say I’m posting this for my niece, but – at the risk of losing you as a reader of this blog – I won’t lie, the musical fan in me dug the HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL bringing the genre back for a new generation. Don’t believe I liked it? Check out this review I wrote for MONDOmagazine.

Live in Canada, miss THE OC? As I type this, MUCH MUSIC is in the midst of airing an OC marathon and Marissa’s alive! Re-live your favorite Newport memories from the beginning and ‘Welcome to THE OC B*tch…’

What time is it? Time for Disney to start celebrating. According to preliminary fast national ratings, last night’s premiere of HIGH SCHOOL MUSCIAL 2 ranks as the most-watched basic cable telecast EVER! Drawing an estimated 17.2 million viewers! Which, we should mention, also means it’s time for Disney to pony-up and give Zac Efron and Co. a big fat raise for HSM3.

Now I know what you’re thinking [aside from the TV Addict is way too old to be watching the Family Channel!]. Shouldn’t a seasoned TV Addict such as myself always set the PVR to record a few minutes later — just in case the network pulls the inevitable ‘AMERICAN IDOL,’ extending the show six minutes long? Well, yes and no. When it comes to the major networks, I’m used to tinkering slightly with the start and end times of my PVR recordings to ensure that I don’t miss those pivotal final moments of LOST. Unfortunately, it never occurred to me that THE FAMILY CHANNEL would stoop to such levels. Surely the channel with ‘family’ in the title must have known that parents wanted to record HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 2 [in its entirety] so that their kids could watch it over and over and over and over again.

Which leads me to the inevitable question. Was toying with the end time simply a brilliant move to ensure viewers tuned into the continuous encore presentations of the movie? If so, the plan worked. If you find yourself in the same boat as the TV Addict, you can catch an encore presentation of HSM2 tomorrow [Sunday August 19] at 12 noon. Just remember — if you actually want to see how the movie ends, be sure to set your PVR, DVR or VCR for at least fifteen minutes later than the stated end time.

At this moment, millions of phone conversations across the country are taking place. Odds are, more than a few of them sound like this:

GUY #1: Dude, Waz Up! [Yes, people still say that!] We checking out SUPERBAD tonight? It’s getting really great reviews. Michael Cera is DA BOMB! I can’t believe FOX was so dumb to cancel ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT… and FIREFLY and WONDERFALLS [okay, so that last part I just made up]

GUY #2: I totally want to see SUPERBAD! Love Michael Cera. But I’ve already got plans tonight.

GUY #1: Are you frakkin’ kidding me? Dude, we’ve been talking about this movie for weeks.

Cue background music: “We’re all in this together….”

GUY #2: Sorry man, I know. But I’ve got plans… umm… it’s a family thing.

More background music: “Na na na yeah.. You Are the Music In Me…”

GUY #1: Dude… is that HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL playing in the background?

GUY #2: Umm… errr… wait a second? How do you know this is HIGH SCHOOL MUSCIAL?

GUY #1: Umm… Okay fine… I’ll be over at 8PM

GUY #1: Make it 6, we’re watching HSM 1 first.

There’s no point in hiding folks, let’s face it, everybody’s doing it! Young, old, guy, girl — you know where you’ll be tonight. In front of your TV, popcorn in hand, lyrics in the other. Disney’s Phenomenon HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 2 finally premieres, and if you’re anything like this TV Addict, you already know half the words. Tonight at 8PM on the Disney Channel in the US, Family Channel in Canada — we’re all in this together.