TGIF FEATURE: Vanessa Hudgens doing “Grease: Live", Jan. 31

Filipina/American actress Vanessa Hudgens on the Jimmy Kimmel show.

VANESSA HUDGENS is not a celebrity that I follow closely but I may be changing my mind after her recent guest stint on Jimmy Kimmel's late night show.

She was articulate, animated, funny, poised and - well - charming. Fresh off her Broadway debut in the musical Gigi, her next gig is a live telecast of the popular musical Grease.

In the Fox production of Grease, she'll take on the iconic role of Rizzo, the tough-talking, worldly role made famous by Stockard Channing, who played the role in the film version. Rizzo is the counterpart to the innocent girl-next-door Sandy, the Olivia Newton John part played by good-girl-next-door-type Julianne Hough. Broadway vet Aaron Tveit (Les Miserable) will play John Travolta's bad boy role of Danny Zuko.

“Being Rizzo is something I’ve never imagined, and I love that because it will be a new challenge," says Hudgens. "She is such an iconic character that continues to transcend generations. I cannot wait to bring her to life on live television. I’m going to be a Pink Lady!”

Fox (not Fox News) will air the special on Sunday (Jan. 31) from 7 to 10 p.m. on each coast (sorry, Pacific time zone, you get tape-delayed).

It has been a busy January for the 27-year old Filipina/American actress. She took part in  the 10-year reunion of the cast of High School Musical, her breakout role. Besides Hudgens, the other cast members included Ashley Tisdale, Lucas Grabeel, Corbin Bleu, and Monique Coleman. They celebrated in a Los Angeles high school gym to mark the Disney Channel hit movie's 10-year anniversary, which aired on the Disney Channel on Jan. 20.

Noticeably absent was Zak Efron, Hudgen's on-screen and (for a while) real-life boyfriend.

The original High School Musical Movie debuted on Jan. 20, 2006 and earned 7.7 million viewers in the U.S. alone. At the time, the movie broke records for Disney Channel’s highest ratings of all time. The original soundtrack ranked as the No. 1 album of 2006, and the love story of Troy, Gabriella, and fellow Wildcats went on from the TV movie to create two more theater movies and a concert tour.

Hudgens may be a little distracted. On Jan. 24, she tweeted that her father, who has stage 4 cancer, is not doing well and asked her fans for their prayers.

From left: Julianne Hough, Aaron Tveldt and Vanessa Hudgens as their Grease characters.

For more news about Asian/Americans and Pacific Islanders, read AsAm News.

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