As I posted last week, the trailer for High School Musical 3: Senior Year was scheduled to hit Disney yesterday, and it did. You can check it out big or small and shnazzy over at Disney.com, but since it's location-locked, I'm including the YouTube video of the premiere after the jump -- and make sure you head on over to Moviefone to see their exclusive photos (including the one above) from the film.

Now it's mostly what you'd figure -- the perfect-looking kids singing pop songs while dealing with the woes of big-screen high school. In this case, it's basketball and lots of romance, but there's also some Footloose flavor in there. Well, that's what I'm assuming since the trailer shows some clips of Zac Efron dancing about in a plaid shirt and a white tee in an industrial yard. But seeing that he takes that look into the classroom -- is plaid back in style?!

The kids finally get to graduate this October 24.

Cinematical was just sent this brand new poster for High School Musical 3: Senior Year! This one hits the big screen on October 24th, and it marks the return of all your favorite High School Musical-ers like Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens. From the official synopsis: "High School Musical 3: Senior Year finds high school seniors Troy (Efron) and Gabriella (Hudgens) facing the prospect of separation as they head off to different colleges. Joined by the rest of the Wildcats, they stage an elaborate spring musical reflecting their experiences, hopes and fears about the future. With incredible new music and exciting dance numbers designed to take maximum advantage of the big screen, this motion picture extravaganza delivers plenty of high-energy entertainment from East High's talented ensemble."

I don't think we need to tell you that this one is gonna be HUGE ... with a capital "We Love You Zac!" High School Musical 3: Senior Year touches down right on our hearts this October 24th.

Poor Disney ... They must have been aching at the thought of their High School Musical franchise coming to an end once number 3 hits the big screen. It's been an insane sensation, and certainly good for both the company and channel. But what do you do when it all comes to an end? You could look for new material, or you could spin it.

Variety reports that Walt Disney Pictures has picked Steven Antin (jerky prep Troy from The Goonies) to write and direct a new musical project for them, which will be produced by Scott Sanders (who recently developed The Color Purple musical). The plot and title are being kept under wraps, but they might as well call it High School Musical 4: The Next Generation. Antin says: "It's a music-driven movie set in a high school, geared toward a Disney audience." Gee, how original.

But we just might get a bit of a breather before it comes out. Antin has finished part of the screenplay, and says that this project is "neck and neck" with Burlesque for filming this fall -- he had written the script, and Diablo Cody spunked it up with a rewrite. Either way, we're not out of the musical woods yet. Stay tuned to see who wins the showdown between burlesque and teen singers!

Um, no, not that Lohan. As if Disney would ever take a chance on a gal fresh out of rehab. BUT, they might take a chance on Lohan's little sister, Ali. Oh yes, E! reports that Ali Lohan (Lindsay's 14-year-old sister) is auditioning for a part in High School Musical 3. Word has it she might take on the role of a spoiled little princess; E! says to "think of her as a Sharpay (Ashley Tisdale) in training." For this third installment in the ultra-popular Disney franchise, Troy (Zac Efron) and Gabriella (Vanessa Hudgens) will reunite as high school seniors preparing for college. If you thought there was plenty of singing and dancing before, wait till you get these kids as seniors -- the possibilities are endless!

Thankfully, Ali Lohan is no stranger to singing. Back in 2006, she released her debut album full of Christmas tunes, Lohan Holiday. I tell ya, after hearing about this girl's older sister for the past several months, I'm about ready to take a Lohan holiday too. A part in High School Musical 3 would almost guarantee the minor Lohan a future career in front of the camera (assuming she doesn't hit 18 and go absolutely nutty on us). How do you fans of HSM feel about a Lohan sibling joining the party? Does it pump you up for the new film, or leave a sour taste in your mouth?

Well, you can all breathe easy now. After all the hubbub over whether the entire cast of Disney's remarkably successful High School Musical franchise would return for the third film in the series, all the main cast has finally signed on to come back one more time. Variety reports that all six leads -- Zac Efron, Vanessa Anne Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale, Lucas Grabeel, Corbin Bleu and Monique Coleman -- have signed on to return for High School Musical 3, which will hit a theater near you on October 24.

There was concern over whether Vanessa Anne Hudgens, who plays female lead Gabriella, would be back for the third film after some nudie pics she sent to boyfriend (and High School Musical heartthrob) Zac Efron leaked out onto the internet. Then there was concern over whether Disney would fork over enough cash to entice Efron himself to return (and sorry, but you just cannot have High School Musical 3 without Efron asTroy -- the tween girlies of America would unite against that in a hurry), given all the big screen success he's enjoying as a result of his High School Musical fame. Efron had a decent turn as Link Larkin in Hairspray (where he finally got to sing all on his own) and has been in talks on several projects, including upcoming pic Seventeen, (kind of a reverse of Big, one of my favorite movies ever -- remember how young and cute Tom Hanks was in that?) in which he will play a man who returns to being a high school student.

I don't know about you, but I'll sleep easier at night knowing the continuing adventures of the Wildcats gang are coming this fall. I can't think of a better way to come down off the headiness of all those serious films at Telluride and Toronto than to hit a screening of High School Musical 3, and find out what happens when Troy and Gabriella head to different colleges. Oh, boy! The possibilities (and opportunities to randomly break out into song-and-dance numbers) are practically endless. If you've got a tween in your life, you'd better start practicing your cool dance moves, and get ready to have more annoyingly-perky-yet-catchy tunes stuck in your head.

Do a little dance, make a little [fun with Disney] .... get down tonight -- oh yeah, get down tonight. Us Weekly reports Vanessa Hudgens and Ashley Tisdale will indeed reprise their ultra-popular roles for the upcoming High School Musical 3. Not only that, but their "sources" say Hudgens will receive a "substantial increase" in pay. See kids, that's what you get for going nekked on the internet. Earlier this year, Hudgens was head-deep in a scandal which involved nude photographs of the actress that were spread online; photographs she apparently took in private for her boyfriend and High School Musical co-star Zac Efron. At first it wasn't clean whether the family-friendly Disney would allow Hudgens to return to the series, but then they came out and stood by her -- saying something like "we hope she's learned a valuable lesson."

Not long ago, a rumor claiming Hudgens was dumped by Disney spread like wildfire across these very same internets; a rumor that was very quickly shot down. Now, if Us Weekly is to be believed, the actress will not only be back for part three, but she'll be back with a heavier wallet. Kudos to the folks who negotiated her contract -- I imagine they used Jedi mind tricks on the Disney heads: "You will ask Vanessa to return. And you will pay her more money. And you will take those nude pics of her off your computer." Disney would not confirm the casting reports, only that everyone (including Hudgens) was still in negotiations. Chances are Efron will also reprise his role, though his publicist said a deal is not yet signed. So what do you think about this whole thing? Should Vanessa have opted out of High School Musical and looked for some more adult-themed roles? Or if she smart for remaining on this money train a little while longer?

It's been over a month since those nude photos of High School Musical star Vanessa Hudgens leaked online, and practically everyone had forgotten about them ... with the exception of a few lonely guys who use them for, um, research. Not long after the photos were revealed, it was believed that Disney would stand behind Hudgens and keep her onboard their High School Musical bus for at least one more film. Well, looks like they may have changed their minds. According to OK! Magazine, Disney has officially dumped Hudgens and will not ask her to star alongside Zac Efron in a High School Musical 3.

A moment of silence for the fans ...

Here's what their "inside" source had to say: "Disney finally decided that they don't want her back. They feel that as long as Zac Efron is in the movie, all will be fine. He's the real star - the household name - and, most importantly, he comes without baggage." Sounds a little gossipy to me, but then again it's OK! Magazine. OK! (Ya know, that exclamation point is supposed to tell you they mean business -- OK!?) The magazine goes on to say that "one of the Cheetah Girls -- Adrienne Baillon, 23, or possibly 23-year-old Sabrina Bryan -- will take Vanessa's place." Oh, and then there's this part: "The producers think that after Dancing With the Stars, Sabrina will be more famous than Vanessa." Really? The producers said that? And did they say that during recess on the jungle gym, or what? Until we get word from Disney regarding this major development, I'd consider this strictly a rumor for now, and, regardless, I'm sure Hudgens won't have to go without any offers for long. Paging Brett Ratner's Hugh Hefner biopic -- there's a girl you should consider ...

UPDATE: Hudgens' rep has denied these claims, saying they're "totally untrue." A Disney spokesperson says Hudgens is still in the running, and they're currently "still in negotiations with all the High School Musical stars."

For those who thought the rest of town was just going to sit back and let Disney rule the High School Musical world, think again -- Variety reports Showtime, Lionsgate and Spitfire Pictures have come together and will shovel out their own flick featuring a bunch of high school kids putting on a musical. Only, instead of having Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens blow each other candy-coated kisses from across the gymnasium (is that a scene, I don't even know?), this new film will be a straight-up documentary. Written and directed by Barry Blaustein, the doc will follow students from three southern Indiana high schools as they compete musical-wise for a spot in the International Thespian Festival.

Confession time: I was one of those drama kids back in high school, and helped work on the musicals (the ones where it was grade against grade -- we called it Sing!), although I never actually, well, sang. Behind the scenes stuff mostly, but I point this out because I know the kind of drama a drama class can provide. It could get nasty. Real nasty. Apart from the in-school activities, viewers will also get a chance to see how these kids live offstage; we'll meet the parents, teachers, local politicians, what have you. And hopefully none of the kids will get caught taking nude photos of themselves. Lionsgate will throw the doc onto the festival circuit to start out with, and if folks are really digging it, we'll see a theatrical run before DVD. So, are you fans of High School Musical ready to see how it really goes down? Or are you more comfortable in the land of make believe?

I haven't watched any of the High School Musical movies (probably because I'm not a pre-teen girl, nor do I have any pre-teen girls in my household), but I have seen pictures of star Vanessa Hudgens and ... well, let's not go there. By now you're probably well aware that naked photos of Hudgens appeared online last week, prompting male teens from around the globe to buy a whole lot of printer ink and tissues (ya know, in case the ink leaks). Almost immediately, folks began to wonder whether said photos would hurt Hudgens' chances of starring in a High School Musical 3, seeing as Disney goes to great lengths to protect their family-friendly image. However, following an apology from Hudgens herself, Disney has gone on record saying they would, according to a Reuters story, "continue negotiating her appearance in the third installment of the hugely popular series, one of the most popular programs in U.S. cable TV history."

The racy photos, which I refuse to link to (sorry), were apparently taken in private for Hudgens' boyfriend Zac Efron who, coincidentally, co-stars alongside the actress in those High School Musical movies. On-set teen romance -- does it get any cuter than that? I bet it started when she passed Efron a headshot with kissy lips on it. All together now -- awwww. But as the Reuters story points out, are nude photos of actors or actresses that big a deal anymore? Is Disney trying to forget this whole thing ever happened because they've decided to chill out a bit, chalk it up as "teens being teens" and go about their business, or is Disney simply not willing to break up the duo that helped provide them with "one of the most popular programs in U.S. cable TV history" -- even if one half of that duo now comes attached to a nude photo?

Personally, I don't know why on earth these stars continue to take photos and videos of one another in the nude when they always show up online afterwards. It almost leads me to believe the girl did it on purpose in order to (possibly) rid herself of that family-friendly rep. Then again, I'm not Vanessa and I don't know what she was thinking. But the good news is that she'll most likely star in at least one more Disney movie before moving onto bigger (and more controversial?) things. As far as her and Zac go -- I give it two months.

You may think High School Musical 2 is unmitigated dreck, but enough kids (or their adults on their behalf) bought the film's CD over the weekend to push the soundtrack to the top of the pop charts, sayeth AOL News. The made-for-cable film's premiere last Friday scored 17.24 million viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research, making it the highest-watched basic cable telecast ever.

Meanwhile, as Disney, understandably, seeks to continue riding the remarkable wave of success it's found with the hit movie series, MSNBC reports trouble may be brewing in the talks for High School Musical 3 (working title, according to IMDb: High School Musical 3: Gradu-Dancin' -- groan). The third installment of the series -- aimed at the big screen, not cable -- may have hit a speed bump, as reports surfaced Wednesday that the series' stars Zac Efron and Vanessa Anne Hudgens are holding out for more money. Efron, who has already moved on to bigger (and presumably higher-paying) big-screen roles with Hairspray and the upcoming Footloose, is sizzling-hot property these days, and his on-screen charisma is a huge draw for the tween set at which the film is targeted, so it wouldn't really be surprising if the kid held out for more cash.