Picture this: It’s the summer of 2007. And in order to
promote his then-newly published book, “Lemonade Mouth,” Mark Peter Hughes climbed
into a car with his wife and three kids. And over the next eight weeks, Mark &
family put 12,592 miles on their 1996 Honda Odyssey as Hughes did readings
& book signings at 60 stores in 38 states.
This is what the Hughes
family car looked like circa the Summer of 2007
Photo courtesy of Mark Peter
Hughes
“And since – at that time – my kids really loved the soundtrack
for ‘High School Musical‘ … Well, that’s what we listened to in the
car. Over & over & over again,” Mark recalled. “I mean, even when we
stopped at Disneyland to have a quick family vacation in the middle of the ‘Lemonade
Mouth’ book tour, there was just no escaping the songs from ‘High School
Musical.’ Since this was the summer that
DCA had that ‘High School Musical Pep Rally’ street show.”
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Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved
Now jump ahead four years. Where – starting this week –
there’ll be just no escaping the songs of “Lemonade Mouth.” As the soundtrack
to this new Disney Channel Original Movie hits store shelves on Tuesday. And then on Friday night, the TV movie
version of “Lemonade Mouth” has its world premiere on the Disney Channel.
When Hughes and I spoke on the phone last week, I asked this
Massachusetts-based author if he ever thought that his book would ever be
selected to receive the “High School Musical” treatment.
“Lemonade Mouth” author
Mark Peter Hughes
“Never in a million years,” Mark exclaimed. “I mean, it was
a thrill to get a phone call from Debra Martin Chase and then have her say that
she just loved ‘Lemonade Mouth’ and that she wanted to turn my book into a
movie. But I never actually believed that it was ever going to happen.”
So imagine Hughes’ thrill last summer when he and his family
traveled to Albuquerque, N.M. so that they could then visit the set of “Lemonade
Mouth.”
(L to R) Adam Hicks,
Naomi Scott, Bridgit Mendler, Hayley Kiyoko and Blake Michael on set
as “Lemonade
Mouth” ‘s Halloween dance scene was shot. Photo by Colleen Hayes.
Copyright Disney
Channel. All rights reserved
“That was such a surreal experience. To see something that
you wrote brought to life like that. With 300 extras dressed in Halloween
costumes reacting to characters that you wrote who are up there onstage saying
things that you really believe,” Mark explained. “My wife actually burst into
tears while they were shooting this scene for the movie. It was quite the
emotional moment for us.”
Mind you, Hughes wasn’t allowed to be overcome by emotion.
You see, he was one of the extras in “Lemonade Mouth” ‘s Halloween concert
scene.
Bee on the lookout for
Mark in his Bee costume during this portion of this Disney Channel
Original
Movie. Photo by Colleen Hayes. Copyright Disney Channel. All rights reserved
“They put me in this Bee costume and then stuck me in amongst
the crowd. Where I thought that I’d blend in as I did my cameo appearance,”
Mark laughed. “But when I recently got to see the finished version of ‘Lemonade
Mouth,’ I kind of stick out like a sore thumb. For about a minute there in this
TV movie, whenever they cut away to the crowd in the Halloween concert scene,
there I am. The guy in the Bee costume.”
Speaking of the finished film … As part of a promotional stunt that Radio
Disney did last weekend to help get the word out about “Lemonade Mouth” (which
involved screening this Disney Channel Original Movie theatrically in 20
different major markets), Hughes and his family got to see the movie version of
his book up on the big screen last Saturday at Legacy Place‘s Showcase Cinemas
De Lux in Dedham, MA.”
Mark Peter Hughes
speaks to the audience at Cinemas De Lux before
last Saturday’s “Lemonade Mouth”
screening begins.
Image courtesy of Mark Peter Hughes
“That was a lot of fun to be there with all of the Radio
Disney contest winners. Kids who were clearly excited to be among the first to
see ‘Lemonade Mouth,’ Mark remembered. “But me? I kept marveling at what a great
job April Blair had done when it came to translating my 400-page book into a 107-minute-long
movie. How her script managed to stay faithful to my characters and the story
that they tell.”
Getting back to “High School Musical” now … Since that
Disney Channel Original Movie not begat two sequels (i.e. the 2007 TV movie “High School Musical 2” as well as the 2008 theatrical release, “High School Musical 3: Senior Year“) but also a concert tour, a stage musical and an ice show …
Plus the fact that Debra Martin Chase has produced three “Cheetah Girls” TV
movies, two “Princess Diaries”
and two “Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” films
… Is Hughes ready for “Lemonade Mouth” to perhaps become something more
than just a single TV movie? Maybe even become a “High School Musical” -like phenomenon
and eventually turn into a full-fledged Disney brand?
The poster for “High
School Musical China,” one of three international
versions of this Disney Channel
Original Movie that have been
produced over the past five years. Copyright
Disney
Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved
“Well, I have been writing the “Lemonade Mouth’ sequel,”
Mark admitted. “In fact, I just printed out a big chunk of the manuscript for
my kids to read. And I’m anxious to hear about what they think about this
continuation of Charlie, Mo, Olivia, Stella and Wen’s story.”
By the way … If you’d learn how these five high school outcasts
met one day in detention and then went on to form this powerhouse band, be sure
and catch “Lemonade Mouth” when this Disney Channel Original Movie premieres
this Friday night at 8 p.m. ET / PT on the Disney Channel.
Copyright Disney
Channel. All rights reserved
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