HSM = High School Monster

The Disney Channel's Friday night broadcast of "High School Musical 2" earned the highest ratings in television history among viewers ages 6-11.

I use italics to highlight that fact even though I have no idea what else might have previously topped that list ... because I love italics.

And it was the highest rated entertainment program ever among 9-14-year-olds. The total audience tallied 17.4 million viewers.

There's a lesson to be learned here. Somewhere. Presumably.

Actually, I think this is like the inevitable "what will be the next Harry Potter phenomenon" questions after "The Deathly Hallows" came out. There won't be a next Harry Potter, although there will be a bunch of moderately successful imitators. Likewise, try as they will, "High School Musical" struck a chord, but didn't create a new consituency of pre-teen musical theater lovers waiting for the next Technicolor dance number to come along.