Growing Up

With Corbin Bleu, both are the stars of the “High School Musical” juggernaut, are growing up. When “High School Musical 3” "HSM3" comes out this fall, the gang will be seniors. Corbin Bleu is shifting into a musical career, and he is already working on his second album, due out next year.

Vanessa Hudgens and Corbin Bleu -- the singing-dancing actors who play Gabrielle and Chad in Disney's popular "High School Musical" film series -- brought their youthful charms to town Tuesday night, Aug. 26, for a joyfully exuberant co-headline concert at Fifth Third Field.

The pair, both already entertainment veterans at 19 years of age, performed individual one-hour sets on a simple stage situated along the second-base, infield line.

Bleu opened the early evening concert with a powerhouse show that seemed choreographed down to every quarter beat of the beat-heavy material. Backed by four instrumentalists -- playing bass, keyboards, guitar and drums -- and four dancers, Bleu thrilled the predominantly pre-adolescent audience with his athletic dance moves and magnetic personality.

Although his segment was plagued by various sound problems that made his speaking voice difficult to follow and cut out the lead vocals through the first half of what could have been a show- stopping "Marchin,' " Bleu never missed a beat.

In comparison, Hudgens' set seemed less orchestrated, though no less appreciated by the adoring crowd, which danced and sang along to the popinfused songs culled from Hudgens' two album releases.

Backed by six dancers and no instrumentalists, Hudgens gave a looser performance than Bleu's, and the heavy use of pre-recorded material made it difficult to tell from the stands when the singing was live. No matter. She was live and in person, and that's what mattered most to the crowd.

WOW COOOL...

Personal life

Vanessa Hudgens Personal life

She confirmed, in an interview with Teen Magazine as of October 2007, that Hudgens is dating her High School Musical series co-star Zac Efron . In an interview, Hudgens' publicist stated that her music video for "Say OK" was their official "come-out" as a couple.

Vanessa Hudgens "Hot" photo controversy

On September 6, 2007, controversy erupted after provocative photos of her surfaced online. Two showed her posing in suggestive lingerie, and another showed her "more hot". A statement from her publicist claims that the photo was taken privately and it was "unfortunate" that they were released on the Internet. She later apologized, saying that she was "embarrassed over the situation" and regretted having "taken [those] photos." Disney Channel spokeswoman Patti McTeague indicated that Disney will still be working with her, stating, "Vanessa has apologized for what was obviously a lapse in judgment. Yeah...We hope Vanessa's learned a valuable lesson."

Music career

V Album (2006-2007)

Vanessa Hudgens' debut album, entitled V, was released in early September 2006. She is signed with Hollywood Records, a Disney-owned record label. A music video for her first single, "Come Back To Me", debuted after the world premiere of The Cheetah Girls 2 in late August. The official music video for her second single, "Say OK", was first shown following the premiere of Disney's Jump in!. In August 2007 at the 2007 Teen Choice Awards, Hudgens was named the Choice Breakout Singer - Female.

Identified Album (2008)

Vaneesa Hudgens new album is titled Identified. The first single from her new album, titled, "Sneakernight", premiered on Radio Disney on April 11, 2008.

Good Luck Vanessa...

Film and television Career

Vanessa Hudgens debuted in Thirteen as Noel and appeared in the 2004 film Thunderbirds as Tintin and appearances include guest roles on Quintuplets, Still Standing, The Brothers Garcia and The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, as Corrie. She also appeared on Drake & Josh, playing Drake's girlfriend, Rebecca.

Vanessa Hudgens' largest role among teenage audiences has been starring in the Disney Channel movie High School Musical, High School Musical 2 starring as the shy, intelligent student Gabriella Montez. Hudgens and Efron had won "Best Chemistry" award at the Teen Choice Awards for their roles. The first High School Musical spawned a hit soundtrack, a worldwide concert tour, a show at Walt Disney World, and even a book series that helped Hudgens land in Forbes magazine's list of top-earning stars under 21." In the list, the 18-year-old Hudgens was No. 7 with estimated earnings of $2 million.Hudgens will reprise the role in the upcoming High School Musical 3: Senior Year, scheduled for release in October.

On January 11, 2008, The Hollywood Reporter announced that Hudgens would star in the comedy, Will (now Rock On), alongside Gaelan Connell, Alyson Michalka, and Lisa Kudrow. Hudgens will play 15-year old Sam. Hudgens was also to have starred in Prom Night but turned down the offer to work on her music. Brittany Snow was offered the role instead.

Early life

Vanessa Hudgens was born in Salinas, California, the daughter of Gina (née Guangco) and Greg Hudgens. Vanessa has a younger sister, Stella Hudgens. Hudgens's father is an American of Irish and Native American descent, and her mother, who grew up in Manila, is a Filipino-born of Filipino, Spanish, and Chinese descent. She has been home-schooled since after her seventh-grade year at the Orange County High School of the Arts.

Starting at the age of eight, Hudgens performed in musical theater as a singer, and appeared in local productions of Carousel, The Wizard of Oz, The King and I, The Music Man, and Cinderella, among others.

Vanessa Hudgens

Vanessa Hudgens
Vanessa Hudgens performing at the High School Musical: The Concert tour
Background information
Birth name	Vanessa Anne Hudgens
Born	December 14, 1988 (1988-12-14) (age 19) Salinas, California, United States
Genre(s)	Pop, teen pop, dance-pop
Occupation(s)	Actress, singer
Years active	2003–present
Label(s)	Hollywood
Website	Official website

Vanessa Anne Hudgens (born December 14, 1988), is an American actress and singer. She made her debut in 2003 appearing in the Hollywood films Thirteen and Thunderbirds, before reaching fame in 2006 after appearing in the Disney Channel film High School Musical hit series. Hudgens began a music career and released her debut album, V, in 2006. Her sophomore album, Identified, was released July 1, 2008.