High School MusicalA lot of stuff happens in this long-ass performance before my then-imaginary boyfriend Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens joined Jackman on the Kodak Theatre stage. The main stuff is Beyoncé, who appears in a red, glittery leotard and tailcoat to assist Jackson in a rendition of “Top Hat, White Tie, and Tails” fromI was a big Beyoncé fan at the time, especially during her Sasha Fierce era.
There are a million suited-up dancers onstage with them, but it took me about a milli-second to recognize Hudgens’ nasally soprano. I can’t really describe how I felt at that moment other than “seen.” Thefranchise had consumed my life for the past three years, to the point where I can still recite all the lyrics to any song from any soundtrack.High School Musical 3
had gotten bumped to a theatrical release. Seeing Efron and Hudgens perform the film’s song “Last Chance” on such a large stage proved what I had always believed:wasn’t just some cute television movie for kids. It was a blockbuster Hollywood franchise. Looking back at this moment, I truly can’t imagine anything this earnest ever occurring on the Oscars stage again. Over the past few years, the organizers have seemed to hate their own awards show and its history as a fun, campy event. Regardless, this memory is enough to keep me fed for Oscar ceremonies to come.
Um, we were in the depths of the recession in March 2009.