High School Musical's most famous fan
By Sande Snead CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Conner Kidd starred in his school's theatrical version of his favorite film, "High School Musical."

If you've seen the feel-good "High School Musical" television film, and its sequel, "High School Musical 2," you may be able to begin to understand the devotion of Clover Hill High School sophomore Connor Kidd. But maybe not. Known as "the High School Musical guy" or the films' "most famous fan," Connor is founder/owner/administrator of the first, oldest and most successful online fan club (groups. myspace.com/highschoolmusical) for the films.

He updates the site before school each morning and sometimes several times a day. The fan club has thousands of members, some of which are members of the crew and cast of the films.

"It takes a lot of time," said Connor. "We have so many active members - 6,500 as of Jan. 10."

While Connor is a one-man operation, he often refers to it as "we." That is because he includes the members of his online fan club, though he has never met any of them.

Kendall Maida, 18, of Lakeland, Fla., is one fan who usually checks Connor's Web site once or twice a day and sometimes more. She can't count the number of times she's seen the first movie, and she's watched "High School Musical 2" an average of about once a day since receiving the DVD for Christmas.

This modern-day tale of Romeo & Juliet follows two high school juniors from rival cliques: Troy Bolton (played by actor Zac Efron), captain of the basketball team, and Gabriella Montez (Vanessa Hudgens), a shy transfer student who excels in math and science. The two try out for the lead parts in their high school musical and end up dividing the school.

Troy and Gabriella resist peer pressure and rivalry, inspiring others not to "stick with the status quo."

"What really attracted me to the films is the message that you don't have to do what everybody else does," Kendall said. "What I like about the second one is that the music is also really good. It provides a new way to tell a story and keep it fresh. After seeing the first movie, I searched on MySpace and found the fan club."

Released Jan. 20, 2006, "High School Musical" is one of the most successful Disney Channel Original Movies produced. The television sequel was released Aug. 17, 2007, and a feature film sequel is in the planning process.

Connor has long been interested in trying to find out what movies will be about before they come out on film, and he is a big fan of musicals. When he saw that "High School Musical" was in the works, he waited patiently for it to come out.

"It was better than I expected," Connor said. "I like to have a hint of what a film is going to be and have time to think about it and what might happen. I have written my own scripts for plays and musicals, and I have a big interest in directing. It's definitely something to pursue."

Meanwhile, Connor stays busy keeping up with news about the films and their stars. Before school every day, he checks several Web sites and magazines for entertainment news related to "High School Musical." Sometimes he will publish something big that is not related to the films. He tries to avoid gossip, rumors and scandal surrounding the stars.

Disney has taken notice. Connor has received e-mails of appreciation from the cast and crew as well as from Walt Disney Co. President and CEO Robert A. Iger. He's also been written about in Forbes Magazine, and has appeared on WTVR's talk show, "Virginia This Morning." After his appearance, a CBS executive dubbed him the film's "most famous fan."

But the crowning moment came this year when Connor had the chance to perform in the play, "High School Musical," at his own high school.

"I played a Brainiac," Connor said. "I got to sing, dance and act. It was such an incredible experience. It really gave me a sense of what the film's cast members had to go through: the dance training, the rehearsals, costume fittings, etc. It can all be so overwhelming. But when you stand to take that final bow, it's all worth it."