Entertainment Weekly magazine just released it’s Photo Issue (on newsstands now) and decided to put pretty boy Zac Efron on the cover of the issue. With his new movie High School Musical 3 ready to hit movie theaters (the first HSM sequel to show in movie theaters rather than on television) and his aforementioned “prettiness”, it seems like an appropriate choice for the mag. Here is Zac’s EW coverphoto and a portion of the magazine’s coverstory on him:

Most teenage heartthrobs insist that it’s actually a drag to be craved, day in and day out, by millions of underage girls. If we were to listen in on a cross-generational pinup guy support group (think: Shaun Cassidy, James Van Der Beek, the brothers Jonas), the litany of grievances would likely include the obliteration of privacy, the lack of fellowship with other dudes, and, worst of all, the assumption that they’re all a bunch of talentless knuckleheads. But Zac Efron, the current crown prince of the Tiger Beat set, takes a different approach to the experience. For him it’s not just a job, it’s an adventure. ”I’m always bobbing and weaving through alleyways trying to get to meetings, scouting out and looking outside doors and running around like Jason Bourne,” says Efron, who has emerged as a prime target of both the paparazzi and love-struck tweens ever since High School Musical became an international obsession almost three years ago. ”I’ve always loved secret agent movies, whether it be James Bond or Bourne Identity. Now I’m kind of living it” … Just weeks shy of his 21st birthday, Efron is plotting his route from teen phenom to adult actor. It’s a perilous path, littered with the failed careers of former pretty boys (anyone heard from C. Thomas Howell lately?), and Efron knows he’s got a tough hike ahead of him … Efron is plotting his escape from the teen scene by studying the winning playbooks of other young hunks who went legit. ”I would love to just sit down and talk with Leonardo DiCaprio and “Johnny Depp and pick their brains about their early careers,” Efron says, citing two recent actors who have made the leap from poster boys to Oscar contenders. ”They do it because they love it, not because they enjoy being famous. You have to have good foresight and be really careful. If you don’t adapt and learn at a very young age, you can really mess up” … As affable and easygoing as he likes to seem, Efron is also hyperaware of the precariousness of his position — and is happy to hide behind his buffed and polished Disney-trained media persona. He doesn’t swear and seems to sweat the potential fallout each time he offers an unfiltered glimpse of the smart, skeptical, archly funny guy underneath the admittedly bland facade. One minute he’s defending HSM’s whitewashing of adolescent angst, saying it’s good to present a ”why so serious” version of the high school experience. The next minute, when asked if he’s seen the current installment, he lets slip, ”I hope it’s better than the last one.” Then he panics: ”I didn’t mean that the way it sounded!’”

I mean, Zac is in a great position right now. He really does have the world at his feet. He has managed to stay out of trouble and has gathered the clout to pretty much steer his own direction. It always seems to me that if you manage to navigate the waters of a childhood star career (usually with Disney) then you manage to secure an amount of power that can really be used to your advantage. The trick is to use that power wisely. It remains to be seen if Zac will be one of the lucky ones but thus far he’s shown no sign that he might eff it all up. If he goes the Daniel Radcliffe route, then he’ll be set. Tho, it should be clarified that Radcliffe really has the acting prowess to make the transition very successfully into the adult world. I’m not sure that Zac is really up to snuff. But, he’s purdy and that will take him far … just how far is the question. After the jump, check out a bunch of photos from Zac’s EW photospread …

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Hilary Duff, Lance Bass, Jennie Garth and others were all on hand at the Beverly Hills Hotel in Beverly Hills, CA last night for the 4th Annual GLSEN Respect Awards hosted by the Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network. Darren Star, Disney/ABC Television and Lance Bass were the special honorees at last night’s event for their “commitment to all America’s students, regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity/expression”. Here are a few pics from the red carpet last night:

It’s great to see Hilary Duff so proudly supporting this amazing organization. You may recall that earlier this week we got to see her new GLSEN produced PSA that encourages young people to Think Before You Speak in order to curb curb bullying or threatening language aimed at LGBT youth. I am such a huge supporter of the GLSEN organization. They work so tirelessly to bring together straight allies with the LGBT community in order to foster inclusiveness so that, together, they are able to work towards ending bullying and hatespeak aimed at targeted youth. The Respect Awards annually celebrate those folks who work towards that inclusiveness. I am constantly surprised and impressed with the strides that are made in acceptance and inclusiveness among different groups of people in this country. Even tho there are still those who fear and vehemently oppose the equality of all citizens, the country seems to be moving towards inclusion rather than exclusion. It’s a long process and it is slow-going at times but we are getting there. It’s just really exciting, y’all :)

[Photo credit: Wireimage]

Sheryl Crow was the musical performer at Yoplait’s 10th Annual Save Lids To Save Lives event at the Wiltern Theater here in LA last night and was joined by various celebs, including David Arquette and the Sex and the City ladies Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon. Here are a few pics from the event’s red carpet last night:

For the past decade, Yoplait has urged its customers to save the pink lids found on their yogurt bottles and send them back into the company who, in turn, converts those lids into a financial donation to breast cancer research. For each lid that they receive between September 1 and December 1, Yoplait will donate 10 cents to Susan G. Komen for the Cure through their Save Lids to Save Lives program. This is an amazing campaign that really shows that the company puts forth a great effort to encourage people to donate to breast cancer research. Last night’s event was a celebration of this campaign and hopefully inspires more people to save those lids and to send them in. You can click HERE for more information on the program.

[Photo credit: Splash News]

Britney Spears isn’t the only pop diva releasing a new music video this weekend … here is our first look at Beyoncé’s new music video for her single If I Were A Boy (the first of two new videos to be released from her upcoming new album I Am …):

The song is deffo growing on me and I really like the stark nature of the video. I’m usually not a fan of narrative music videos (at least, not the ones that have been produced in the past few years) but I quite like this one. It’s a clever way to tell a tale, especially when the twist occurs. The vid may not be club-worthy but it’s deffo not to be missed. What do y’all think?

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