Sharpay's Fabulous Adventure

High School Musical meets Legally Blonde in this Disney Channel vehicle for Ashley Tisdale, who—unlike other HSM alumni—has yet to graduate to big-screen stardom. Sharpay (Tisdale), the franchise's villainess diva, is an odd choice around which to build a spinoff: her sharper edges have been polished to make her more likable, but her ego is still intact as she heads to New York after a Broadway producer catches her show-stopping performance in a local fundraiser. Alas, Sharpay discovers that the producer was really interested in auditioning her dog, Boi, for a show starring Amber Lee Adams (Cameron Goodman), whom Sharpay idolizes. Unbowed, Sharpay is determined to land Boi the role over his competition, a cocker spaniel named Countess, whose owner is bratty 12-year-old Roger (Bradley Steven Perry). Meanwhile, she lands a job as personal assistant to Amber, and meets Peyton (Austin Butler), a student filmmaker who decides she'd make a fascinating subject. Not as “fabulous” as the title suggests, this fluffy adventure has all the bugaboos of a Disney movie—ham acting, a lame love story, and zero connection to the real world; but Tisdale gamely adds zip to some of her snappier dialogue. Optional. (D. Liebenson)