A star is born

Photo:Getty

Zac Efron exploded onto the teen scene last year as the star of "High School Musical," a Disney Channel movie that became a national phenomenon. Singing and dancing with the fantasy Wildcats high school basketball team, Zac helped revive the musical genre for a new generation.

"High School Musical" has been seen by an astounding 160 million people around the world, according to Disney. Still more amazing: The soundtrack sold more copies in 2006 than any other album -- 3.7 million. "High School Musical" went on the road as a sell-out live concert without Zac, who was busy with another big role -- in the movie musical "Hairspray," out on DVD this week.