HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL star ZAC EFRON is prepared to abandon the fans who helped him find fame - so he can ditch his 'teen star' tag. The 21-year-old's role in the Disney musical franchise helped Efron amass a huge teen following.   But the actor is desperate to take his career in a new direction, and recently bowed out of a movie remake of Kevin Bacon's Footloose for dark drama The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud - about a caretaker at a cemetery who has weekly meetings with the ghost of his deceased younger brother.   And Efron accepts his decision may cost him his fanbase.   The star says, "You're never going to please everybody. I'm growing up and that's a part of life, that's the way it is. So I know that."

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Singer/actress MILEY CYRUS celebrated the success of HANNAH MONTANA: THE MOVIE by reuniting with her ex-boyfriend, rocker NICK JONAS on Saturday (11Apr09). Cyrus - whose Disney alter-ego Hannah Montana shot to the top of the U.S. box office over the weekend (10-12Apr09) - was snapped sharing an intimate lunch with her former beau in Los Angeles.   But the pair suffered embarrassment as they left the lunch date at the Village Idiot restaurant, with Jonas scraping his car against another vehicle in full view of the paparazzi.   Cyrus split from the Jonas Brothers star last year (08). She has since been dating model/singer Justin Gaston.

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MILEY CYRUS' HANNAH MONTANA: THE MOVIE has taken over the top spot at the U.S. box office, boasting earnings of $34 million in its debut weekend (10-12Apr09). It's the second number one domestic box office debut for Cyrus and her Disney alter-ego Hannah Montana - who took the top spot last year (08) with a 3-D concert film.   Vin Diesel and Paul Walker's Fast & Furious was knocked from the top spot, but pulled in at second with earnings of $28.8 million.   But the action film has held on to the title for the biggest opening weekend of 2009, boasting a two-week total of $118 million.   Animated film Monsters vs Aliens took third place with $22.6 million and was followed by Seth Rogen's new comedy, Observe and Report, which debuted at $11.1 million.   Nicolas Cage's thriller Knowing rounded out the top five, taking in $6.7 million in its fourth week at the box office.

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GENE SIMMONS' son NICK is launching his career as a cartoonist at this year's (09) comic book mecca Comic Con. The 20-year-old - who stars alongside his family in reality TV show Family Jewels - will unveil his creation Incarnate at the San Diego, California event.   Simmons tells Brazilian newspaper Comércio do Jahu, "Nick is a cartoonist. He writes and draws Incarnate, which will be launched in Comic Con San Diego."   The KISS rocker is thrilled with his offspring's career choice - because he's a huge graphic novel fan himself.   Comic book icon Stan Lee recently revealed how the star harrassed him on a recent flight for insider gossip: "I once sat next to Gene on an airplane. (He's a) huge comic-book fan, apparently. He starts quizzing me: 'You know, Stan, that Iron Man issue you wrote, number 23, on page 10 in panel 3, where...' And I say, 'Slow down, mister. I can't even remember where this plane is going.'"   Meanwhile...

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Looks like Zac is trying to shed some of his Disney persona as host on last night's SNL. What did you think?  

JENNIFER ANISTON's ex-boyfriend JOHN MAYER served up an Easter treat for Disney pop princess DEMI LOVATO via the Twitter.com social website after complimenting her LA LA LAND hit in a post. Mayer confessed he was a big fan of the tune and couldn't get it out of his head, calling the track "sophisticated" in a posting on Thursday (09Apr09).   And his positive critique really made Lovato's day.   She gushed, "That is quite possibly the best compliment I've received in this business. Thank you so, so much!"   That `tweet' prompted Mayer to respond, "You're going to make lots of records, I can tell. Write one song at a time and never, ever apologize for any of them, ever."   The teenager shot back, "That's exactly what I needed to hear today. If that's not inspiration, then I don't know what is."

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GOSSIP GIRL star ED WESTWICK has reportedly come under fire from TV bosses for gaining weight - because they've had to buy an entire new wardrobe to accommodate his expanding waistline. The 21-year-old British actor, who plays womanising Chuck Bass on the hit show, has been living large since moving to New York to film the series.   And the show's stylists are urging producers to intervene, reports the New York Daily News.   An on-set source says, “Ed has been gaining a lot of weight - not just around the waist, but through the whole body. First, the costume department had to buy him new, bigger pants. Then, his shirts and jackets got way too snug. The costumers even requested that producers talk to Ed - they don't want Chuck to be fat!”

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Teen actress/singer MILEY CYRUS has laughed off rumors she's undergone surgery to boost the size of her bust, insisting she's just going through a growth spurt. The 16 year old is appalled by suggestions she has put on too much weight recently and she cannot believe some gossips have started alleging she's had a boob job since rising to fame on hit Disney series Hannah Montana in 2006.   She tells America's Glamour magazine, "One thing that bugs me is people who say, 'Miley really needs to lose some weight,' or, 'She got her boobs done.'   "I did start out really skinny, but you're not going to have boobs when you're 12 years old. I'm like, 'What are you talking about? Let me grow!"   And the sprouting star insists she will never fall victim to Hollywood pressure to stay superslim - because she likes her curves too much.   Cyrus adds, "I'll never be a six-foot-tall, 95-pound model; I'm meant to have a little more meat on my bones.&...

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HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL star ASHLEY TISDALE has reportedly split from dancer boyfriend JARED MURILLO. The 23-year-old singer/actress began dating Murillo - a dancer on the High School Musical tour and a member of boyband V Factory - in March last year (08).   But the couple has now decided to call time on their romance, according to UsWeekly.com.   A source tells the website, "They have not been dating for a while now. They just grew apart, but are remaining friends."

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MILEY CYRUS has helped create more than 250 jobs in recession-hit Georgia after her new movie was cleared to shoot in the state. Cyrus' upcoming Disney film The Last Song will go before cameras in Savannah this summer (09) after film bosses in Georgia won a location battle with North Carolina.   A spokesman for the state governor’s office claims the film shoot will generate about 250 jobs for locals.   Novelist Nicholas Sparks wrote the film's script with Cyrus in mind. Shooting is expected to begin in June (09).

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