Will Wizards of Waverly Place the Movie be Magical?

So it must be a pretty slow news day in Hollywood if I'm writing about a Disney Channel Original movie. I double checked the AP wire and all there was was Miley's stalker updates and Kate Gosselin hosting The View. Sorry but both of those topics make me nautious... so it's movie review time!
While I highly doubt I'll end up watching Wizards of Waverly Place the Movie... I don't think I'd discourage Disney fans from giving it a go. I have read multiple reviews and a USA Today preview and it sounds as though the movie will strike gold with its intended viewing audience. Thanks to Twitter, I was passed along the link to this clip featuring series star Selena Gomez. I'll be honest, out of all the Disney tween queens it appears she has the brightest acting future. I have a feeling if this film is at all a success, it'll be because of her incredible charm.
The movie is an extension of the popular TV series... which if you aren't aware already follows a family of wizards (yeah so the title pretty much says it all). The show is cute, quirky, and wholesome (Disney is a nutshell). While aimed at the younger crowd, I've seen it deliver a laugh or two to some twenty-somethings as well (you'd be surprised how many college kids watch the Disney Channel).
Like most Disney Channel originals, WOWP won't deliver amazing special effects, stellar acting, or a superb plot-driven feature. There is a reason the film didn't make it to the big screen... but remember neither did the first two High School Musicals. Don't knock a film just because it debuts on TV, but don't expect it to win any awards either.
So if you are bored this weekend WOWP may just be the two hour block of entertainment you were looking for... just don't blame me if it sucks... I warned you.

Some Things Should Just Come to an End...

I know that the Disney Channel is known for milking all of its successes for everything they're worth...but their latest move in the "High School Musical" franchise is pushing it.
Much like TV shows that have survived for too many seasons (I'm looking at you "One Tree Hill") and are now without the original cast that accounted for much of its success, the HSM franchise is moving beyond the roots that made it popular in the first place.
Disney has announced that production for the fourth installment of the franchise will start later this year, and the movie will air on the Disney Channel in 2010. Here are some of the many things wrong with that scenario:
*Going over a year without a movie spells trouble...your market is young and quickly growing, many of the fans may no longer be around...especially when the original film's stars are pulling them towards their new more adult projects.
*The screenwriter of the series may be returning, but without the original cast you might as well have changed the name and attempted to build a new franchise because nothing but the title will work the same way.
*I'm thrilled to see Disney pouring money into musicals...I'm a fan of the arts and love that all of a sudden musicals are cool again. Be careful though. If you over-do something it'll kill it. Don't make HSM into a joke and ruin everything the franchise has already done up to this point.
* Don't make this into a "Bring it On". Just because that franchise has continued to find success doesn't mean it's good. If you have to put the film back on the Disney Channel it means that the audience will be less, the budget will be smaller, and the overall quality will likely be poor. Don't screw over your fans by taking a step backwards in production quality.

Deja Vu? Is Hannah Montana just a backwards Lizzie McGuire?

I know I'm old. And by old, I mean I was around for the Disney craze that was "Lizzie McGuire". It's been over six years, which in Disney speak is a lifetime. The fact that I'm now also in the middle of the "Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus" generation provides me with a unique viewpoint. Anyone who has ever watched the Disney Channel knows that every show is just a recycled version of its predecessors. The cast changes (sometimes), the theme gets a facelift (if you're lucky), but there are only so many life lessons a show can provide-and thus you have the recycling effect.
The great thing is that every half decade or so, you take what was your most popular franchise, give it a face lift, and re-brand it into what hopefully becomes a new craze. That is exactly what happed with "Lizzie McGuire" and "Hannah Montana". The themes contained in the shows are identical (money problems, boyfriends, identity crises, bullies, etc.). The only difference is that with "Lizzie McGuire" the network pushed the show first, and the music later. With "Hannah Montana" they've pushed both at the same time.
Let's look at the movies for both successful series:
*"The Lizzie McGuire Movie". Hilary Duff and company go to Rome where she is mistaken for a famous pop star and has to make the decision whether her home or her newfound fame is more important. This movie served as a vehicle for Duff's music career as her debut album "Metamorphosis" came out the same summer, and she had numerous songs on the soundtrack.
*"The Hannah Montana Movie". Miley/Hannah get in a shoe fight with Tyra Banks causing Billy Ray to take her back to Nashville for a little down home discipline. Miley must then decide if the double life is really for her. The soundtrack to the film will feature 12 new songs and will likely sell another gagillion records.
The question is what the Hannah Montana movie will mean for the TV series..."The Lizzie McGuire Movie" marked the end of Hilary Duff's Disney run. Will the big screen version of "Best of Both Worlds" do the same for Miley Cyrus?

Miley Cyrus and Jonas Brothers= Inauguration Bash

The night before Barack Obama rocks the nation the Jonas Brothers and Miley Cyrus plan to do the same. The AP is reporting that the teen senstaions will perform Monday night at the "Kids' Inaugural: We Are the Future" event.
Soon to be First Lady, Michelle Obama and Jill Biden will host the concert that will air on the Disney Channel.

The Network will also debut a new music video from Cyrus and the official trailer for the upcoming Hannah Montana movie. All of this can be seen Monday night 8PM.

I think this an appropriate choice. Barck Obama knows what it's like to have the "Best of Both Worlds".