Movie, music instant success

LOS ANGELES -- The most he and his colleagues were expecting to do with "High School Musical," a song-and-dance romance that Disney executive Gary Marsh described as "'Grease' meets 'Romeo and Juliet,'" was create a hit movie for kids.\nWhat they did instead was unleash one of the biggest children's-television phenomenons since Fess Parker pulled on a coonskin cap and set a nation of kids to singing "The Ballad of Davy Crockett" in the 1950s.\nWhen "High School Musical" debuted on the Disney Channel on Jan. 20, it drew nearly eight million viewers, making it the top-rated basic-cable TV show that week. When it was repeated the next night, it drew more than six million viewers, according to the Nielsen Media Research group, making it the No. 2-rated cable show of the week.\nThen it got bigger.\nThe broadcast of a karaoke version, for which people were encouraged to hold parties and sing along, was also a hit, and in March three videos from the movie were among the 12 most-popular downloads at the Apple iTunes Music Store.\nThe movie soundtrack, meanwhile, reached No. 10 on the Billboard pop-music charts two weeks after its release, hit No. 1 four weeks later and, after sliding down to No. 3, returned to the top spot again. At one point there were nine singles from the soundtrack on the chart in the same week.\n"I knew we had something when everybody around the office was asking for a copy of the CD before the movie came out, wanting to play it in their cars and take it home to their kids," said the upbeat Marsh, president of entertainment for Disney Channel Worldwide.\n"But to have ever dreamed this could go to Number One on the Billboard chart -- twice no less -- that was beyond my wildest dreams. And I can dream pretty big," he added with a laugh.\nSo much so that plans for the sequel are already in the works. The DVD of the original will be released next month along with "High School Musical -- the Novel." Also, a stage show is in the works and a touring concert version is a possibility.\nCell-phone ring tones from the movie are going on sale, and there will be a back-to-back airing of the film and the karaoke version at 8 p.m. EDT. on Friday. Then in June, Disney will export "High School Musical" to its cable channels in 23 other countries, including Taiwan, India, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, England, France, Spain and Germany.\nWhich raises the question: What is all the fuss about?\n"What I like about it is that it shows people making friends and trying out new things. I also liked the parts where they were dancing," said 9-year-old Lexi Resch of Arcadia, Calif., who added sheepishly that she has even sung and danced along to the karaoke version.