Tisdale snaps 'Picture' for MGM DVD

By Carolyn Giardina Aug 28, 2007
Ashley Tisdale will star in "Picture This" for MGM's DVD Premiere unit.

Tisdale will play Mandy, a high schooler who has caught the eye of the most popular boy in school. In the story, he invites her to his party, causing a dilemma as she has just been grounded.

Stephen Herek will direct "Picture" from a script written by Temple Matthews. Production begins this week in Montreal. Brian Reilly and Patrick Hughes will produce.

"Ashley is clearly a huge talent, and we couldn't be more excited to be working with her on this movie," said Jason Weiss, vp in the DVD Premiere division at MGM. "We are excited to be giving Ashley her first role carrying a movie and feel 'Picture This' is a perfect vehicle for her to showcase both her acting and singing talents."

Tisdale starred in the Disney Channel original movies "High School Musical" and "High School Musical 2." She also appeared in the Disney Channel series "The Suite Life of Zack & Cody" and the animated comedy series "Phineas and Ferb."
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This is turning out to be Ashley Tisdale's year.

This is turning out to be Ashley Tisdale's year. Consider that within the first two months of 2007, the former Ocean Township resident has performed in "High School Musical: The Concert," released her first solo album (which peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 albums chart), debuted an Ashley Tisdale fashion doll and, most recently, starred in the most-watched basic cable program ever. "It's been really crazy," Tisdale said with a laugh during a recent telephone interview. "Everything seems to be happening at once . . . but it's great." Reprising her role as the rich-and-snobby Sharpay Evans for "High School Musical 2," Tisdale and the rest of the cast of the Disney Channel movie had no way of knowing just how big the sequel was going to be. Record-breaking is a better term. The Aug. 17 premiere drew an audience of 17.2 million, making it the most-watched basic-cable program ever, according to Nielsen Media Research. It more than doubled the viewership of the first movie, "High School Musical," which drew 7.7 million in 2006. "We really had no idea what the ratings were going to be," the 22-year-old Tisdale said. "We were just hoping that our fans would enjoy it." Indeed they did. Among children 6 to 11 and youngsters 9 to 14, two out of three children in those age groups watching TV were tuned in to "High School Musical 2," according to the Disney Channel. Among female viewers age 6 to 11, it was four out of five. "I've worked very hard' To say the "High School Musical" franchise is creating a media whirlwind for its young stars is an understatement. In recent weeks, Tisdale has been a guest on "Live With Regis & Kelly," appeared on MTV and given countless newspaper and magazine interviews. Co-star Zac Efron has graced the cover of Rolling Stone magazine, and the entire cast has walked the red carpet for their movie premiere in Disneyland and currently are featured in the latest "Got Milk?" campaign. In an even more telling testament to the popularity of "High School Musical," supermodel Cindy Crawford and her two children arrived by helicopter for the Disneyland premiere, while David and Victoria Beckham and their boys (along with bodyguards) sneaked into the theater for the movie's premiere. While things seem to be happening fast and furious for the former Jersey girl (who now calls California home), success has come at a slow and steady pace. Tisdale wouldn't have it any other way. "I've worked very hard to get here," said Tisdale, who attended Ocean Township schools until moving to California with her family during her middle-school years. "It hasn't always been easy, but that's OK because I truly love what I'm doing." And it may never have happened if not for a chance encounter at the Monmouth Mall in Eatontown. At the time, Tisdale was a bright and bubbly blond 3-year-old in a stroller shopping with her mom, Lisa. Bill Perlman, owner of New Talent Management in Berkeley, was holding a talent search at the mall. "She had a head full of beautiful curly hair, huge eyes and when she looked at me, she made the hugest of smiles," Perlman said in a 2006 interview. Initially reluctant, the family did end up bringing Ashley in for an interview. Soon after, the toddler landed her first job — a commercial for JC Penney. It was the beginning of a exciting career that's included commercials, the role of Cosette in the Broadway production of "Les Miserables" and a starring role on the Disney Channel show "The Suite Life of Zack & Cody." Yet for all the media attention, Tisdale refuses to allow her newfound fame to go to her head. "That's not who I am," she said, "and it's not how I was raised." You won't find her out-and-about doing the Hollywood party scene, either. "I don't drink and I don't smoke," Tisdale said. "My mom has always been a role model for me, and it (drinking and smoking) just isn't something she does." Ultimately, though, it's up to Tisdale to make her own decisions. "My parents guided me when I was younger, but now, at 22, it's up to me to make choices," she says. "I just want to make the right choices for me, and that doesn't include going out and partying." No rivalry with Hudgens But it does include clearing up reports in the tabloid and Internet worlds that she and co-star Vanessa Hudgens are rivals. "We're always laughing when people pit us against one another in magazines, like Vanessa versus Ashley: The Feud!" Tisdale said. "It's amazing what people can make up. The truth is, she's really one of my best friends." If fact, she said, the cast is like one big family. "Personally, we haven't changed at all," Tisdale said. "When we started out, we were one big family, and with all the traveling and projects we've done, it's only brought us closer together and made the bond stronger." While there has been rumors of a "High School Musical 3," it still is in the early talking stages. But that doesn't mean that Tisdale will be taking it easy any time soon. In the fall, Tisdale will be re-releasing her debut album, "Headstrong," with bonus material. She's also heading back in front of the cameras for the feature film "Picture This." Unlike her "High School Musical" character, Sharpay, who is rich, spoiled, popular and oh-so-fashionable, the character in the new movie is unfashionable and unpopular. "It's a great part . . . totally opposite of Sharpay and the other characters I've played," Tisdale said. "My character works at Petco, and she's not popular. It's also a father-daughter movie and a movie about letting go." With so much on her plate, Tisdale regrets that she can't get back to New Jersey to visit relatives still living in the Ocean Township area. "If I have to do interviews or something in New York, I try to get back," she said, "but there's so much going on, sometimes it's hard." Still, Tisdale says it's important to maintain ties with her family, friends and her fans. "They're (the fans) the ones who put us where we are today," Tisdale said. "And I'm so very grateful to them." Tisdale also offered up a piece of advice to her fans: "Dream big and follow your dream and pursue what you want to pursue. If you work very hard, it will come true. It did for me, and it can for you."

Posted on 8 Sep 2007