I know it’s a lot of preliminary stuff but in order for you to really get the feel for what happened you need details. I want you to relive this weekend through my eyes. So okay here goes,Taylor and I arrived in Salt Lake around 1:30 in the afternoon last Friday. We grabbed our rental car and headed to the Grand America  . Beautiful Hotel btw. We checked in and unloaded our bags. We knew the cast was staying there (everyone at the hotel was talking about it) so we quickly set out to “explore” (”zanessa siting”) this beautiful hotel. Unfortunately we never saw them there. I was told that the hotel had a special entrance/exit for them and they really didn’t wander the hotel too much because of their notoriety that was published about them staying there. I felt really sad for them, that’s when Tay and I decided we would stop trying to find them and if it happened, then fine. We did see some of the set assistants, but no Zac or Vanessa. We walked by a banquet room that was set up for a luncheon on Sunday at around 11:30 am and on one of tables a place card said “Miss Tisdale” as soon as we spied it a hotel staff member asked if we needed any “help?” I explained we were just trying to find the fitness center which was close by and we were lost. He helped us on our way. We constantly saw the white vans coming and going all weekend from our balcony but could not tell where at the hotel they were pulling out from or dropping off at. Okay so the hotel experience was fairly boring, but it does get better. Much better.

We arrive Saturday morning at East High (EH) and wait in line to get in. They’re are about 1000 other extra’s including the 8 auction winners and some charity groups. We finally get in and are ushered into the EH auditorium (yes it looks just like it did in the movie, just a little smaller) after signing agreements and filling out pay vouchers we were verbally told of the rules (also given written ones) No approaching or touching the cast, Absolutely no asking for autographs, no cell phones or cameras. Any rule breaking will bring about your immediate exit and cell phone/camera confiscation. Taylor and I decided, no rule breaking. We were then given T shirts to wear. Ours were red with white trim. Had a large “E” on the front with a wildcat paw at the top corner of the E. There were about 4 different t shirt styles and a hoodie. Taylor and I really liked the hoodies they were cool. We were broken up into groups, I think there were about 10 groups. Taylor and I were in group 1 and went first. We were ushered over to the EH gym and loaded onto the bleachers. We only filled one small section of the main bleachers. From the lower front of the bleachers clear to the top. We are also closest to the corner set of doors where the Wildcats come running out to start the game and luckily we were sitting on the 2nd bleacher up from the floor directly behind the West High Knights “water cooler table prop” it has a blue water cooler on it with blue plastic cups. On the opposite side of the wildcat entrance doors is the short end of the gym bleachers with more EH fan extras there along with the EH band and cheerleaders.

For filming purposes the gym is set up so that both teams are on the same side of the gym.The other side is equipped with camera track so that the camera man can role up and down the track to film the game action. They have cameras on lifts near the ceiling and cameras in the stands, cameras on shoulders etc, etc. At any rate lots of cameras and lights. Okay that’s out of the way.

So Taylor and I are sitting in the bleachers for awhile as they slowly brought in the other extras groups. We eventually fill up the whole side of the principle bleachers with EH fans. One group of extra’s had to wear blue and gold West High t-shirts and they were located at the opposite end of the gym from the band. Taylor and I were glad we did not have to wear the blue t shirts. The long set of bleachers directly across from us where the camera track was, was reserved for principle cast members to sit with family and friends and one section was for the parents that chose not to be in the movie as an extra but was there because they had to be on set because their minor child was working. Very large basketball jersey’s hung from the ceiling above the end of the gym where the band and cheerleaders were close to where the wildcats would make their grand entrance to the game, one with name Bolton on it. I saw this and literally pinched myself, the whole thing was very surreal. I look over at Tay whose eyes were as big as quarters taking it all in and has this huge smile on her face which still has never left her. She looks at me and says, “Mom I cannot believe this happening!”” All I could muster was “neither can I sweetie”.

We kept scanning the gym for anyone we could recognize. We saw so many people running around like crazy. The first people we see are the West High b-ball players who came out to warm up. The WH players are actually the real EH basketball players. I thought it was so nice of Kenny to use them. Soon though we spotted Kaycee Stroh. Taylor and I both grabbed each others arm. She was dressed in her cheerleading outfit with her hair pulled up and a headband. She is so beautiful, her skin is beautiful. She milled about talking to people on the gym floor even walking around talking to some of the seated extra’s. She soon made her way over to our section and started talking to a young man her age seated just to my right about three people down. Come to find out he was her boyfriend and she made frequent trips to our bleacher area to chat with him and their friends. She is the sweetest girl. Soon the new principle actors came out who got some applause from the extras. I am really not familiar with these kids but Taylor knew who the were. I have to say the kid that will probably take Zac’s place in the future movies, (I’m not thrilled with the idea of doing this but there will be a HSM 4 per what Kenny told us) I didn’t think he was that cute when I saw his pic on IMDB but he really looks like a younger version Zac in person. In fact I was constantly confusing them from the back. The only way I could tell from a distance was the number they had on the back of their jersey. Anyway, soon the EH b-ball players came out, except for Zac, Corbin and Zeke. Everyone cheered and I have to tell you the whole experience left me completely star struck. When one of them would make eye contact, all I could do was smile and look away. I know, lame right?

Soon one of the assistant directors came out with a bull horn and let us know that what we were filming today was the opening scene of the movie. It was EH Vs. WH for the state championships. EH is getting their butts kicked. Troy is getting fouled a lot and he is hurt from all the fouling. He is feeling tired and really bad not being able to carry the team and losing. He is very down. I know, I wanted to cry at the description. The assistant director then tells the rules of filming. Absolutely no talking when Kenny yells cut. No talking while the actors are rehearsing their scenes, which they do each time before the shoot a scene and they shoot each scene many, many, times. They shoot the same scene from each camera location and they do a fast camera shoot where they shoot the scene in fast motion and then when they go to make the movie they put in slow motion so everything looks more fluid. At least that’s what Kenny Ortega explained. At any rate we would shoot one scene maybe 15 times and that’s only if everything looked good.

An assistant came around and started to move some of us around. Since Taylor and I had the same kind of t shirt on they separated us. She wasn’t too far away, they moved her three rows behind me to my right so the 5th row up sitting on the aisle step (more on why they seated people on aisle steps later) behind the WH bball players chairs, almost behind the announcers table, but not quite. The announcers table was located between the WH and EH teams, but all the people seated behind the teams and the table are EH fans.  If your watching the movie she is a long haired darker blonde with the top middle section of her hair pulled back on top of her head with a barrette. I on the other hand, am right behind the water cooler table for the WH knights and I am a real light blond with bangs and the ends of my straight shoulder length hair flipped up. I have a lady about my age in glasses beside me to my left she is in a gray EH t shirt. Woo, got that out of the way. (On Sunday they moved us)

A prop assistant came by and handed everyone a big a big square to hold that was folded in half. One whole side of the card was red, the other white. We were told to keep the card folded and placed on our laps and when told, we would be opening the card up flat and resting it upon the top of our heads. Then at Kenny’s instruction we quickly take the card down, fold the card and turn it so the opposite side of the card was showing and again placing it back on top of our heads. First the red side was showing then flipping the card and turning it white. We practiced the whole flipping thing a lot. This was important (more on this later). We were told to take a break. I glanced at Taylor to see if she needed to go to the restroom or get a drink, she shook her head no, but I really had to go. So I stepped off the bleachers and turned to my left to exit through the wildcat entrance doors. As I approached the doors I looked up and saw her. Vanessa!!!! She was walking with Ashley Tisdale’s sister I believe, walking directly at me. I angled my steps around her on her right and I smiled at her as we passed by.  They both smiled back. Vanessa was dressed in this beautiful ivory lace sleeveless dress above the knee with a black velvet ribbon belt. Her hair was long and wavy with a black headband and she wore ivory ballet flats. She was gorgeous. And taller than I expected. I’m 5’2” and I could swear she was a little taller than I. Anyway I passed through the doorway and hurried down the hall thinking OMG I just smiled at Vanessa, OMG Vanessa over and over again. I about peed myself before I could get to the bathroom! Then I thought if I am this star struck now, how in the hell am I gonna react when I finally see Zac!

Well, I wouldn’t have to wait too long. I returned to my seat and looked over to Tay who was mouthing “Vanessa Mom, Vanessa, did you see her?” I shook my head yes. But then I couldn’t find her in the gym. Then there was a long wait time, an hour at least. We watched while the cheerleaders were rehearsing their dance routine with Bonnie and the WH b-ball team was rehearsing with Chucky. This was cool to watch and as I was scoping everything Corbin entered the gym dressed in his EH game uniform with the EH warm-up on over it. With him was Monique and Olesya. Tons of applause erupt from the stands they smile and wave at everyone. Still no Zac…………….or, so I think.

The whole time everyone was going crazy over Corbin, MoMo and Olesya, I noticed someone over to my left, standing to the side of the bleachers in line with my row not but 10 feet away from me. He had his game warm up on and the hood of the warm up pulled way up on his head so it kind of hung over the top part of his head. He had his head down checking out his shoes so you couldn’t see his face very good. There he stood……….. Zac the hotness himself along with a very large menacing looking body guard who was standing just behind him at the side of the bleachers so he was more hidden. I squinted my eyes so I could really tell if it was him or not, and it was. Again OMG OMG was replaying over and over in head. My heart literally stopped beating. I stopped breathing and I could literally feel all the blood draining from my face. I immediately look over to Tay to see if she is looking, she’s not, she’s taking in Corbin and all. I look back at Zac and I realized at that moment…. he did not want to steal their thunder. So he waited. Yes, he really is that wonderful! And only after everyone had quieted down and the three actors had finished crossing the gym and were talking with production assistants did he start to make his move. I think only a couple of people like me close by even realized it was him. Slowly he crossed in front of me in front of the bleachers, never removing his hoodie, his head still looking down, his hands in his pockets, he had his backpack on his back covering the number on the back of his warm-up, his body guard close behind. As he entered more into the gym everyone spied him and the whole gym became a screaming frenzy. He did a stutter step and looked behind him like he almost wasn’t sure if all the commotion was for him.

As he approached the middle court he removed the hoodie and waved and smiled at everyone. And believe me he was blushing and smiling at everyone. Groups of girls sitting together would scream in unison “Zac we love you!!” He would look up at them acknowledging them, sheepish grin on his face that he gets when he‘s kind of embarrassed blushing to beat the band and thank them. It totally melted my heart, a feat that would happen many times over the weekend. He then proceeded over to the others and greeted everyone.