On Friday, it was reported that the Walt Disney Co. will be sticking by Vanessa Hudgens (one of the stars of the wildly popular High School Musical films) after a nude photo of her surfaced on the Internet. The 18-year old Hudgens played the brainy Gabriella in the first two HSM films and is in negotiations to reprise her role in the third installment, which is scheduled to be released in theaters next year. Hudgens apologized and expressed regret for having posed for the photo.I think that Disney made the right choice in not cutting ties with Hudgens. It is 2007 after all and the nude photo appears to be a minor mistake on the part of Hudgens. However, the cynic in me suspects that Disney's decision is mainly a financial one. Although I haven't seen either of the HSM movies and have no plans to, there is no denying that they are hugely successful and Hudgens is a big part of it. If Disney was to wash their hands of her, they'd run the risk of messing up a franchise that shows no signs of slowing down.
More important than Disney's reaction to this incident is the way Hudgens has handled the matter. She could have easily avoided addressing the situation or denied that it was her in the photo. Instead, she admitted she made a mistake and issued an apology. A member of young Hollywood taking accountability for their actions... imagine that.
7 comments:
Oh come on Malcolm. Don't lie. You know you've seen HSM....just admit it! (JJ) It is nice to see an apology coming from a "youngster." That makes me feel old!
I have seen both HSM's (more than once...someone help me!) and she happens to be my kid and her friends least favorite character. So I know there have to be more fans out there that wouldn't care if she didn't return.
As far as Disney, I take every statement they make with a grain of salt. I wouldn't be surprise if the situation changed by the time the next one is filmed.
I agree with you about Disney not letting her go...BUT, wouldn't it be refreshing (and shocking) if there were some some young female Hollywood role models that didn't have anything like this that or the other thing to hide?
It does tarnish her image a bit, but please don't get me wrong, I am not slamming this young lady, I wish having a nude photo taken of myself was my biggest faux pas !!!
I say better a nude photo than a sex tape.
~sigh~
The world worries about such trivial things. And lordy...the world goes to see those HSM movies. Blergh!
Kind of sad that she felt she had to do that--and yes I'm sure it was primarily a financial decision, those movies are HUGE.
But if Harry Potter can ride naked through Broadway, I suppose this is to be expected :)
Mama PJ: Although I haven't seen either of the HSMs, that's not to say that I will rule out the possibility completely. After all, I've watched "Hanna Montana" and "Drake and Josh" a few times. Once when my ex-girlfriend was over, I was watching "Drake and Josh". Since she mainly watches hour long dramas, she was practically in agony while she sat through the episode. You should have seen her, it was kinda funny. I mean I realize that "Drake and Josh" isn't "Seinfeld", but it is what it is.
Taj: It sounds like you and your daughter wouldn't mind a few more photos (or better yet a video) of Vanessa surfacing. :)
Barbara: I suspect that things like this have been a part of young Hollywood for a long time. The only difference is that with the Internet and media coverage being what it is, these types of missteps have a better chance of seeing the light of day.
Mistress of the Dark: You are right, it could have been a lot worse. Good way to look at this incident in a glass half-full type of way. :)
I think it's amazing that approx. 17 million viewers watched HSM 2. I can't blame Disney for making the next film a theatrical feature.
Scribbit: I am a little skeptical about the whole thing. It sounds like the pics were intended for her boyfriend (HSM co-star Zac Efron). That makes me go "hmm" just a little bit. I guess they can't be together 24/7, so maybe she was just giving him something to tide him over during their time apart. It'll be interesting to see if there are any further developments on this story. I am almost ashamed of myself that this has me mildly intrigued.
As for Daniel Radcliffe, props to him. I think it's a good move to prepare himself for his post-Harry Potter career.
I have never seen "High School Musical" and I am not familiar with this young lady. I am trying to figure out what she did wrong to warrant apologizing. America is way too hung up on nudity, which is far too often equated with sex. It's not like she was in pornographic film and even if she was whose business would it be. Americans use the concept "family values" and other terminology to get others to tow-the-line and such vernacular is just another word for "budinsky" in my opinion. Don't mind me, just stirring the pot a bit.
Post a Comment