High School Musical....The new Grease?

Welcome back dear reader.
Earlier today I had to take care of some business within the famed Staples Center in downtown LA and curiously enough the arena was bustling for the event of the night, High School Musical on Ice. Now I know enough about this popular Disney franchise to know that it is a heavy hitter in the current sphere of entertainment. From what I remember reading in the papers the second High School Musical did some of the highest ratings ever on cable tv. And while I've brought up comparisons with Grease. The comparison may perhaps be unfair. Grease is an eternal classic. A musical that transcends its era. It's music to this day is beloved and kept alive with plenty of Broadway versions all over America. Yet as I walked down the concourse of the arena one thing was very clear, High School Musical is a money making machine. All throughout the arena, vendors were setting up and displaying every form of merchandise imaginable. Now does marketing and merchandising a la Disney affect or tarnish the way a movie or show is perceived over time? In other words would we still look fondly at Grease if it was so heavily marketed and product driven?
As I made my way out of the Staples Center I purposely exited thru the doors of the 11th street entrance to see firsthand the progress of the LA Live complex across the street and most notably the Nokia Theater (the new home of the Grammy's). Now from my contacts I've heard two differing views. A good friend of mine who has already toured the inside told me she was not impressed. According to her the Kodak Theater in Hollywood is much nicer. However speaking with another of my contacts, and a fellow alum as well, his opinion is quite different. That place is going to be amazing, he told me, they are throwing so much cheddar at that building its going to blow everything away. While he has not toured the Nokia he told me that all the events scheduled are sold out. And there are crews working 24 hrs to have it ready to go in the next week or two for its debut concert. Well it has actually been a light day for me, I was thinking of going to Koreatown for a late lunch but I've decided to head homeward. Tomorrow I have a dinner date in Westwood and methinks there will be some good times. Better save my energy ;-).