Who is Eric Himpton Holder, Jr

Who is Eric Himpton Holder, Jr.? He is a former Judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, United States Attorney and Deputy Attorney General of the United States. He is currently a senior legal advisor to President Barack Obama, a position he also held in Obama's campaign. He was one of three members of Obama's vice-presidential selection committee.
On December 1, 2008, Obama announced that Holder would be his nominee for Attorney General in the incoming administration. If confirmed, he will be the first African-American Attorney General of the United States.

Eric H. Holder, Jr. was born January 21, 1951, in the The Bronx borough of New York City,[1] to parents with roots in Barbados;[2] Holder's father, Eric Himpton Holder, Sr. (1905 – 1970)[3] was born in Saint Joseph, Barbados, arrived in the United States at the age of 11.[4] He later became a real estate broker. His mother, Miriam, was born in New Jersey, while his maternal grandparents were immigrants from Saint Philip, Barbados.[4] Holder grew up in East Elmhurst, Queens and attended public school until the age of 10. When entering the 4th grade he was selected to participate in a program for intellectually-gifted students.[5] He went on to attend Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan[6] and attended Columbia University, where he played freshman basketball and was co-captain of his team and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in American history in 1973. Holder received his Juris Doctor (J.D.) from Columbia Law School, graduating in 1976. He worked for the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund during his first summer and the United States Attorney during his second summer.[5]

After graduating from law school, Holder joined the U.S. Justice Department's new Public Integrity Section during an interval lasting from 1976 to 1988. During his time there, he assisted in the prosecution of Democratic Congressman John Jenrette for bribery discovered in the Abscam sting operation.[7] In 1988, President Ronald Reagan appointed Holder to serve on the Bench as a Judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.[8] Holder stepped down from the bench in 1993 to accept an appointment for U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia from President Bill Clinton. He was the first African-American U.S. Attorney in that office.[5] At the beginning of his tenure, he oversaw the conclusion of the corruption case against Dan Rostenkowski, part of the Congressional Post Office Scandal.[7] He was a U.S. Attorney until his elevation to Deputy Attorney General in 1997.

In 1997, upon the spring retirement of Jamie Gorelick, Clinton nominated Holder to be the next Deputy Attorney General under Janet Reno. Holder was confirmed several months later in the Senate by a unanimous vote.[9] During his confirmation hearing, Holder's opposition to the death penalty was questioned, but he pledged his intention to cooperate with the current laws and Attorney General Janet Reno, saying, "I am not a proponent of the death penalty, but I will enforce the law as this Congress gives it to us."[10] Holder was the first African-American to serve in that position.[5] Holder briefly served as Acting Attorney General under President George W. Bush, until the Senate confirmed Bush's nominee, John Ashcroft.[11]

Deputy Attorney General Eric Holder opened an Interagency Working Group meeting of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders hosted by the Department of Justice on October 18, 2000.
As Deputy Attorney General, Holder advised Reno about how far to go in the Justice Department's use of the Independent Counsel statute. Ultimately, Reno made the fateful decision to permit Kenneth Starr to expand his investigation into the Lewinsky affair, indirectly leading to Clinton's impeachment.[5]
In his final days with the Clinton administration, Holder was involved with Clinton's last-minute pardon of fugitive and Democratic contributor Marc Rich. Between November 2000 and January 2001, Jack Quinn, Rich's lawyer and former White House Counsel from 1995-96, had been contacting Holder, testing the waters for the political viability of a presidential pardon. After presenting his case to Holder in a November phone call and a last minute January 17th letter, Quinn arranged a phone call between the White House and Holder, asking the Deputy Attorney General to share his opinion on the Rich pardon. Ultimately, Holder gave Clinton a "neutral, leaning towards favorable" opinion of the pardon.[5]
During his February testimonies before the House Government Reform Committee[12] and Senate Judiciary Committee, Holder argued his phone call was not intended as a formal Justice Department blessing of the pardon, saying, "my interaction with the White House, I did not view as a recommendation. Because... I didn't have the ability to look at all the materials that had been vetted through the way we normally vet materials." He also did not believe his opinion would be interpreted as a go-ahead for the pardon. "What I said to the White House counsel ultimately was that I was neutral on this because I didn't have a factual basis to make a determination as to whether or not Mr. Quinn's contentions were in fact accurate, whether or not there had been a change in the law, a change in the applicable Justice Department regulations, and whether or not that was something that would justify the extraordinary grant of a pardon."[13] An investigation championed by Republican House Government Reform Committee chairman Rep. Dan Burton concluded, in a 2003 report covering 177 Clinton pardons, that Holder had played a significant role in facilitating the Rich pardon, first by recommending the well-connected Jack Quinn to legal representatives of Marc Rich, by failing to fully inform prosecutors of the pending pardon, and by eventually delivering a "neutral leaning favorable" opinion of the twilight pardon to the President from a position of authority.[14] Holder has expressed some regret over his handling of the Rich pardon, stating "I wish I had done some things differently with regard to the Marc Rich matter. Specifically, I wish that I had ensured that the Department of Justice was more fully informed and involved in this pardon process" [15]


Holder was also involved in Clinton's decision to reduce the sentences of 16 members of the Boricua Popular Army, an organization that has been categorized by the FBI as a terrorist organization. The clemency request was initially opposed in 1996 by U.S. Pardons Attorney Margaret Love. When Holder was elevated to Deputy Attorney General in 1997, he was asked to reexamine the issue by 3 members of Congress. In July 1999, Holder recommended clemency to President Clinton with a report from then U.S. Pardons Attorney Roger Adams that neither supported nor opposed clemency. A month later, the clemency was granted by Clinton. According to The Hartford Courant, the clemency was unusual because it was opposed by the FBI, the federal prosecutor and the victims. According to the newspaper, it was also unusual because, before the commutations, the Boricua Popular Army members were not required to repudiate their actions, and they were not asked to provide any information concerning the whereabouts of Victor Manuel Gerena, a co-conspirator and one of the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives, or the millions of dollars stolen by the group in a 1983 robbery of Wells Fargo in West Hartford, Connecticut.[16]


Since 2001, Holder has worked as an attorney at Covington & Burling in Washington, D.C.,[5] representing clients such as Merck and the National Football League.[1] He represented the NFL during its dog fighting investigation against Michael Vick.[17]
In 2004, Holder helped negotiate an agreement with the Justice Department for Chiquita Brands International in a case that involved Chiquita's payment of "protection money" to the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia, a group on the U.S. government's list of terrorist organizations.[18][19] In the agreement, Chiquita's officials pleaded guilty and paid a fine of $25 million. Holder represented Chiquita in the civil action that grew out of this criminal case.[19]
In March of 2004 Holder and Covington & Burling were hired by Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich to act as a special investigator to the Illinois Gaming Board. The Gaming Board had voted 4-1 earlier that month to allow a casino to be built in Rosemont, Illinois. That vote defied the recommendation of the board's staff, which had raised concerns about alleged organized-crime links to the Rosemont casino's developer. The move had also raised concerns that the governor had named his close friend and fund-raiser, Christopher Kelly, as a "special government agent" to be involved in official state negotiations about the casino. Holder's legal work for the State of Illinois never materialized when the board reversed its decision and refused to hire Kelly. The investigation was subsequently canceled on May 18, 2004.[20]
While D.C. v. Heller was being heard by the Supreme Court in 2008, Holder joined the Reno-led amicus brief, which urged the Supreme Court to uphold Washington, D.C.'s handgun ban and said the position of the Department of Justice, from Franklin Roosevelt through Bill Clinton, was that the Second Amendment does not protect an individual right to keep and bear arms for purposes unrelated to a State’s operation of a well-regulated militia.[21] Holder said that overturning the 1976 law "opens the door to more people having more access to guns and putting guns on the streets."[22]


In late 2007, Holder joined then-United States Senator Barack Obama's presidential campaign as a senior legal advisor. He served on Obama's vice presidential selection committee.[8]
Holder favors closing the Guantanamo Bay detention camp,[23] although he has said that the detainees are not technically entitled to Geneva convention protections.[24] He is opposed to the Bush administration's implementation of the Patriot Act, saying it is "bad ultimately for law enforcement and will cost us the support of the American people."[25][26] He has been critical of US torture policy and the NSA warrantless surveillance program, accusing the Bush administration of a "disrespect for the rule of law... [that is] not only wrong, it is destructive in our struggle against terrorism."[27]

On December 1, 2008, Obama announced that Holder would be his nominee for Attorney General.[28][29] He was formally nominated on January 20, 2009.[30] If the Senate confirms him, he will be the first African-American Attorney General. Starting January 20, Mark Filip is serving as Acting Attorney General.
During his confirmation hearings in the Senate, Holder agreed with Senator Patrick Leahy, Democrat of Vermont, that a technique used by U.S. interrogators under the Bush administration known as waterboarding was torture.[31]

Holder is married to Sharon Malone, an obstetrician; the couple have three children.[32] Malone's sister was Vivian Malone Jones, famous for her part in integrating the University of Alabama.[33]

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Who is Amy Lou Adams?

Amy Lou Adams[2] is an American actress. She began her performing career on stage in dinner theaters before making her screen debut in the 1999 film Drop Dead Gorgeous. After a series of TV guest appearances and roles in B movies, she landed the role of Brenda Strong in 2002's Catch Me If You Can but her breakthrough role was in the 2005 independent film Junebug, playing Ashley Johnsten, for which she received critical acclaim and an Academy Award nomination.

Adams subsequently starred in Disney's 2007 film Enchanted, which was a financial and critical success, and received a Golden Globe Award nomination for her performance as Giselle. She received her second Academy Award and Golden Globe Award nominations the following year for her role as a young nun named Sister James in Doubt. Though she has appeared in a range of dramatic and comedic roles, Adams has gained a reputation for playing characters with cheerful and sunny dispositions.[3][4]


Amy Adams was born August 20, 1974 in Vicenza, Italy,[5] the fourth of seven children of American parents Kathryn (née Hicken) and Richard Adams.[2] She has four brothers and two sisters.[6] Her father, a U.S. serviceman, was stationed in Italy at the time of her birth, and took the family from base to base before settling in Castle Rock, Colorado when she was eight or nine years old.[7] Thereafter, her father sang professionally in restaurants, while her mother was a semi-professional bodybuilder.[7][8] Adams was raised as a Mormon, although her family left the church after her parents' divorce when she was 11 years old.[9] Regarding her religious upbringing, she said, "... it instilled in me a value system I still hold true. The basic 'Do unto others...' — that was what was hammered into me. And love."[10]

Throughout her years at Douglas County High School, she sang in the school choir and trained as an apprentice at a local dance company with ambitions of becoming a ballerina.[11] Her parents had hoped that she would continue her athletic training, which she gave up to pursue dance, as it would have given her a chance to obtain a college scholarship. Adams later reflected on her decision not to go to college: "I wasn't one of those people who enjoyed being in school. I regret not getting an education, though."[12] After graduating from high school, she moved to Atlanta with her mother.[7] Deciding that she was not gifted enough to be a professional ballerina, she entered musical theater, which she found was "much better suited to [her] personality".[10] To support herself while performing in community theater, Adams worked at Gap as a greeter.[11] She took her first full-time job as a hostess at Hooters, a fact that became her "entire press career" for a while.[13] Upon turning 18, she worked as a Hooters waitress and left three weeks later after having saved enough money to buy her first car. She admitted: "... there was definitely an innocence to my interpretation of what Hooters was about. Though I did learn, quickly, that short shorts and beer don't mix!"[7]


She began working professionally as a dancer at Boulder's Dinner Theatre and Country Dinner Playhouse, where she was spotted by a Minneapolis dinner theater director, Michael Brindisi, in 1995.[14] Adams relocated to Chanhassen, Minnesota and worked at the Chanhassen Dinner Theatres for the next three years. While she was off work nursing a pulled muscle, she auditioned for the satirical 1999 comedy Drop Dead Gorgeous, which was being filmed in Minnesota, and was cast in her first film role. Persuaded by her Drop Dead Gorgeous co-star, Kirstie Alley, Adams moved to Los Angeles, California in January 1999.[8][14] Describing her first year there as her "dark year" and "bleak",[10] she recalled that she would "pine for that time" at Chanhassen because she "really loved that security and schedule", and said, "The people I worked with there were also a great family to me."[15] Shortly after arriving in Los Angeles, she was cast in Fox Network's television series spin-off of Cruel Intentions, Manchester Prep, in the role of Kathryn Merteuil. The series did not live up to the network's expectations and following numerous script revisions and two production shutdowns, it was canceled.[16] The filmed episodes were then re-edited to be released as the direct-to-video film, Cruel Intentions 2.
From 2000 to 2002, Adams appeared in a series of small films like Psycho Beach Party while guest-starring on television series such as Charmed, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Smallville and The West Wing. She then appeared in Steven Spielberg's Catch Me If You Can as Brenda Strong, a nurse whom Frank Abagnale Jr (played by Leonardo DiCaprio) falls in love with. It was "the part that should have launched her career" but she was unemployed for a year after that.[6][17] However, Adams said, "It was the first time I knew I could act at that level with those people. To be believed in by Steven Spielberg... it was a huge confidence booster."[18] In 2004, she starred in The Last Run as well as voicing characters on the animated television series King of the Hill. She was also cast a regular in the television series, Dr. Vegas, in the role of Alice Doherty but was later fired after a contract dispute.[19]


Prior to leaving Dr. Vegas, she had received the script for a low-budget independent film named Junebug and auditioned for the role of Ashley Johnsten, a young, cheerful and talkative pregnant woman.[7] Director Phil Morrison explains his decision to cast Adams: "Lots of people looked at Ashley and thought, 'What's the sorrow she's masking?' To me, the fact that Amy didn't approach it from the angle of 'What's she covering up?' was key."[20] The film was shot in 21 days in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.[21] During that time, Adams turned 30 years old and was worried about her film career: "I thought maybe I should move to New York, maybe I should do something else. It wasn't that I was quitting or making a dramatic statement. It was more like maybe this just wasn't a good fit."[22] On the experience of making Junebug, Adams said, "It was really empowering. At the end of the summer I was unemployed but I was happy and I was proud. I was like, you know what, I'm done with being pushed around."[21] Junebug premiered at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival with Adams winning a Special Jury Prize for her performance.

After the theatrical release of The Wedding Date, in which Adams appeared alongside Debra Messing and Dermot Mulroney, Junebug was released in theaters by Sony Pictures Classics. Adams earned critical accolades for her work in Junebug; Carina Chocano of Los Angeles Times noted, "Adams' performance in a role that could have easily devolved into caricature is complex and nuanced."[23] Meanwhile, Joe Leydon of Variety commented, "Partly due to her character's generosity of spirit, but mostly due to her own charisma, Adams dominates pic with her appealing portrayal of a nonjudgmental optimist savvy enough to recognize the shortcomings of others, but sweet enough to offer encouragement, not condemnation".[24] She received several awards for Best Supporting Actress including the National Society of Film Critics award and the Independent Spirit Award. She was also nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award and an Academy Award. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences invited Adams to become a member in 2006.[25]

Although Junebug had a limited audience, Adams' critically-acclaimed performance in the film helped to increase interest in her acting career. Adams went on to appear in films like Standing Still and Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, and played the recurring guest role of Katy on the television series The Office. After providing the voice for Polly Purebred in Walt Disney Pictures' Underdog, Adams starred in Disney's 2007 big-budget animated/live-action feature film, Enchanted. The film, which co-stars Patrick Dempsey, Idina Menzel, Susan Sarandon, and James Marsden, revolves around Giselle, who is forced from her 2D-animated world to real-life New York City. Adams was amongst 300 or so actresses who auditioned for the role of Giselle,[26] but she stood out to director Kevin Lima because her "commitment to the character, her ability to escape into the character's being without ever judging the character was overwhelming".[27]

Enchanted was a commercial success, grossing more than $340 million worldwide.[28] Her performance was well received by the critics, with Todd McCarthy of Variety describing Enchanted as a star-making vehicle for Adams the way Mary Poppins was for Julie Andrews.[29] Roger Ebert of Chicago Sun-Times commented that Adams was "fresh and winning",[30] while Wesley Morris of The Boston Globe stated that she "demonstrates a real performer's ingenuity for comic timing and physical eloquence".[31] Adams garnered a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, a Critics' Choice Award nomination for Best Actress, and the Saturn Award for Best Actress. Three of the film's songs were nominated for Best Original Song at the 80th Academy Awards.
Following Enchanted, Adams appeared in Charlie Wilson's War as the title character's administrative assistant, co-starring with Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, and Philip Seymour Hoffman. On the experience of making the film, Adams said, "It was so much fun. Just to be on that set and learn from these people and get to watch Philip Seymour Hoffman and Tom Hanks do these amazing scenes together, directed by Mike Nichols, it was for me like going to school."[32]

The success of Enchanted increased Adams' media exposure during the 2007–08 film awards season. At the 80th Academy Awards ceremony, she performed "Happy Working Song", one of the nominated songs from Enchanted, live on stage. "That's How You Know", originally performed by Adams in the film, was sung by Kristin Chenoweth at the ceremony. In an interview, Adams remarked that the song was "perfect" for Chenoweth since Chenoweth "was a huge inspiration for how [she] approached Giselle".[18] As well as appearing on the covers of Interview, Elle and the Hollywood issue of Vanity Fair, which named her as one of the "10 fresh faces of 2008",[33] Adams hosted the seventh episode of the 33rd season of Saturday Night Live in March 2008. In the episode, she played various characters, including Heidi Klum as well as singing "What is This Feeling?" from Wicked in a mock battle with SNL cast member Kristen Wiig during the opening monologue.

Adams' next project was Sunshine Cleaning, an independent film shot in and around Albuquerque, New Mexico from February to March in 2007.[34] She plays a single mother who starts her own crime scene clean-up business in order to make enough money to send her son to a private school. The film premiered at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival as one of the most anticipated titles, but received mixed reviews and wasn't sold to a distributor as quickly as expected.[35] Its theatrical release is scheduled for 2009.
Her first theatrically released film of 2008 was the 1939-set film Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, in which she plays Delysia Lafosse, an aspiring American actress living in London whose life is changed after meeting a governess named Miss Pettigrew, played by Frances McDormand. While the film received generally favorable reviews,[36] Adams' role was noted to be similar to her joyful and naïve characters in Junebug and Enchanted. Carina Chocano of Los Angeles Times stated that "Adams is amazingly adept at playing smart playing dumb".[37] Similarly, Kirk Honeycutt of The Hollywood Reporter wrote that "Adams more or less reprises her princess from Enchanted, only with a beguiling touch of ditzy naughtiness".[38]
When asked whether she is in danger of being typecast, Adams responded, "Not at this point... Right now I'm just doing what I enjoy and I've done some different films, I've done some different types of roles. I've done drama this year, we had a film at Sundance (Sunshine Cleaning), but I enjoy playing upbeat characters, I really do because you take your characters home with you whether you intend to or not."[39] In another interview, Adams said, "I think I just respond to those kinds of characters... They're so layered, and I love the fact that they've made this choice to be joyful... I really identify with that sense of hope."[40] She also noted that before dyeing her natural blonde hair red, she mostly played the role of "the bitchy girl".[3]
In late 2008, Adams starred in Doubt, an adaptation of John Patrick Shanley's play of the same name, as Sister James alongside Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Viola Davis. After being informed of the project by her Sunshine Cleaning co-star, Emily Blunt, Adams pursued the role of Sister James but was told that it had already been offered to another actor.[41] Shanley eventually cast Adams in the role because "she's got this Ingrid Bergman thing going on, this luminosity. You see a good person struggling in this complicated world. She's fiercely intelligent but has this peculiar innocence about her. She has a beautiful face of light."[42] On acting alongside Streep and Hoffman, Adams revealed that there was "a sense of uncertainty, a sense of doubt, a sense of wanting to please these amazing actors".[43] The film was well-received by the critics, while Adams' role was noted to be the "least-showy" among the four major parts.[44] Though her performance was criticized by Manohla Dargis of The New York Times as "unsteady",[45] Todd McCarthy of Variety commented that "Adams does all anyone could with the role of a nice young nun".[46] Mick LaSalle of San Francisco Chronicle wrote: "Adams provides one of the film's singular advantages. She takes the role of Sister James, which onstage seemed little more than a sounding board for Sister Aloysius, and turns the young nun into someone quite specific and lovely."[47] Adams was nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the 81st Academy Awards, the 66th Golden Globe Awards, the 15th Screen Actors Guild Awards, and the 62nd British Academy Film Awards.

In 2009, Adams will portray Amelia Earhart in Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian. She will then appear in Julie & Julia as a frustrated temp secretary, Julie Powell, who decides to cook all of the recipes in Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Her other upcoming film projects include: Leap Year, a romantic comedy scheduled to begin filming in March 2009;[48] Daughter of the Queen of Sheba;[49] and an adaptation of Adena Halpern's novel The Ten Best Days of My Life.[50]

As of April 2008, Adams is engaged to her boyfriend of six years, actor and artist Darren Le Gallo.[7] She met Le Gallo in 2001 in an acting class.[51] Since she was "really focused" in class, he initially thought that she was "like Tracy Flick in Election".[6] About a year after they met, Adams and Le Gallo acted together in a short film called Pennies over one weekend, during which they became better acquainted with each other.[7] They started dating shortly thereafter. more

Who is Vanessa Anne Hudgens

Vanessa Anne Hudgens is an American actress and singer. She made her debut in 2003 appearing in the Hollywood films Thirteen and Thunderbirds, before reaching fame in 2006 after appearing as Gabriella Montez in the Disney Channel film High School Musical hit series. Hudgens began a music career and released her debut album, V, in 2006. Her second album, Identified, was released July 1, 2008. She is a spokesperson for Neutrogena, Sears, and Eckō.

Hudgens was born December 14, 1988 in Salinas, California, the daughter of Gina (née Guangco) and Greg Hudgens.[1][2][2][3] She has a sister, Stella Teodora Hudgens (born November 13, 1995, San Diego).[4] Hudgens's father is an American of Irish and Native American descent, and her mother, who grew up in Manila, is a Filipino-born of Filipino, Spanish, and Chinese descent.[5][2] Hudgens has been home-schooled since after her seventh-grade year at the Orange County High School of the Arts.
Starting at the age of eight, Hudgens performed in musical theater as a singer, and appeared in local productions of Carousel, The Wizard of Oz, The King and I, The Music Man, and Cinderella, among others.[6] She got her first gig when her friend couldn't go to an audition for a commercial and asked if Hudgens could go.


Hudgens debuted in Thirteen as Noel and appeared in the 2004 film Thunderbirds as Tintin and appearances include guest roles on Quintuplets, Still Standing, The Brothers García and The Suite Life of Zack & Cody (episode title - Forever Plaid), as Corrie. Hudgens also appeared on Drake & Josh, playing Drake's girlfriend, Rebecca.

Hudgens's largest role has been starring in the Disney Channel movie series High School Musical, starring as Gabriella Montez. She auditioned for Gabriella with the song "Angels" by Robbie Williams. Hudgens and Efron had won "Best Chemistry" award at the Teen Choice Awards for their roles.[7] The first High School Musical spawned a hit soundtrack, a worldwide concert tour, a show at Walt Disney World, and even a book series that helped Hudgens land in Forbes magazine's list of top-earning stars under 21." In the list, the 18-year-old Hudgens was No. 7 with estimated earnings of $2 million.[8] Hudgens started concentrating on her music career by signing a record deal with Hollywood Records in 2006 as the start of her solo career, but first covered the song "Colors Of The Wind" for Disneymania 5 album in that same year.
Hudgens launched a worldwide tour with the rest of the cast of High School Musical in fall 2006, performing the songs from the soundtrack album as well of three songs from her debut album, "Come Back to Me", her lead single, "Say OK", and "Let's Dance.[9] A DVD and an album named High School Musical: The Concert were released in 2007, featuring only one of the three songs performed by Hudgens from her debut album in the tour.


Hudgens performing "Let's Dance" at the High School Musical: The Concert Tour.
She officially signed a recording contract with Hollywood Records on June 2006. Hudgens's debut album, entitled V, was released in late September 2006. V debuted on the Billboard 200 in early October 2006 at number twenty-four on the chart, with 34,000 copies sold that week.[10] A music video for her first single, "Come Back to Me", debuted after the world premiere of The Cheetah Girls 2 in late August. The official music video for her second single, "Say OK", was first shown following the premiere of Disney's Jump In!. In August 2007 at the 2007 Teen Choice Awards, Hudgens was named the Choice Breakout Singer - Female.[11] Hudgens promoted the album when opening for The Cheetah Girls during their The Party's Just Begun Tour.[7] The album was re-released in a limited Deluxe Edition format, released only in Japan.[12] The album was certified Gold for shipments to retailers of 500,000 copies on February 27, 2007.[13] The album was nominated as #7 on "Album of The Year" by Billboard Readers' Choice.[14] Hudgens sang the duet "Still There For Me" with Corbin Bleu for his debut album.
Hudgens also appeared on the soundtrack of High School Musical 2, performing several songs such as "Gotta Go My Own Way", "You Are The Music In Me" and "What Time Is It?". In the end of 2007, she had performed "The Christmas Song" along with Katharine McPhee and Ne-Yo for "Christmas In Washington" event.

On January 11, 2008, The Hollywood Reporter announced that Hudgens would star in the comedy, Bandslam. Hudgens will play 15-year old Sam and the movie is set to premiere on July 31, 2009.[15][16][17] According to sources, Hudgens is currently recording the soundtrack to the film.[18] The tracklisting hasn't been confirmed yet. Bandslam will take full advantage of Anschutz’s AEG Live to boost the film’s awareness level. AEG Live will book dates at the Anschutz-owned Nokia venues in New York and Los Angeles, where the girls and other acts from the film will play.[19] Hudgens's second album was Identified. It was leaked a week before its July 1, 2008 release.[20] The first single from this album, "Sneakernight", premiered on Radio Disney on April 11, 2008. On the first week of the release of her album, Identified sold more than 22,000 copies, 12,000 less than her debut album. Though the album had poor sales its first week, Identified received generally positive reviews from music critics. The album was released a week before the United States in Japan featuring three exclusive-bonus songs. Though the album wasn't very successful on the charts, the lead single was able to climb at the top 10 on the Hot Dance Club Play and peaked at #8.[21][22]
Hudgens launched on July 31, 2008 her first solo tour called "Identified Summer Tour" in order to promote her two albums, performing some of the most popular songs from her debut album and others from her second album. The tour reached Mexico too and she appeared in the Neutrogena Fresh Face Concert on September 7, 2008 at Santa Monica, California Powerhouses with fellow spokesperson, Hayden Pannettiere.[23][24] As of October 2008, she has officially closed the concert tour.
Hudgens reprised her role as Gabriella for the third time in High School Musical 3: Senior Year. She also appeared on the soundtrack of the movie, performing songs such as "Can I Have This Dance" and "Walk Away". She also presented an award in the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards along with the rest of the HSM cast.[25] Hudgens and the cast of HSM 3 launched a European promotional tour to promote the movie.[26] Vanessa made only $2 million for the film, reportedly due to the photo scandal that hurt her image.[27] She is currently in talks to star in Nick Marine's novel, "Dreary and Naughty" which is set to be directed by Tommy O’Haver. [28] Hudgens and Efron is in currently on tour in Japan to promote High School Musical 3: Senior Year, which opens on February 7, 2009 in Japan. [29]

In 2007, Hudgens signed a promotional deal for the Eckō Red footwear in which she did two commercials for the brand. She also endorsed the sneakers in the video for the song, "Sneakernight".[30][31] Sears has teamed up with Hudgens for a back-to-school marketing campaign that began in July and had the theme, "Don't just go back. Arrive."
Hudgens is also currently a Neutrogena spokesperson. "Vanessa Hudgens has an energetic, dynamic personality that will truly complement the spirit of Neutrogena. We are pleased to welcome her to our team", says Neutrogena President, North America, Jim Colleran. As a new spokesperson for Neutrogena, Hudgens will be featured in both national TV and print campaigns.[32] In September 2008, she performed in the Neutrogena Fresh Faces Concert.

Hudgens confirmed, in an October 2007 interview with Teen magazine, that she was dating her High School Musical series co-star Zac Efron and had been since the filming of High School Musical.[33][34] They were still dating as of September 3, 2008.[35]

In 2008, she was ranked as FHM's 62nd Sexiest Woman[36] and Maxim's number 12 in their 100 Hot List.[37] She was included in People's annual "100 Most Beautiful People" list in May 2008. As of 2008, she has been a cover girl for Teen Vogue, CosmoGirl and Lucky magazine.[38] She has also done photoshoots with her boyfriend, Zac Efron and High School Musical co-star Ashley Tisdale for Elle magazine,[39]Glamour magazine for the May issue, and InStyle for October.[40]
She ranked #20 for Forbes magazine 2008 highest earners under 30 [41] and #7 at the ten best dressed list for October 2008. [42] She also made the "Maxim’s Sexiest of 2009" list. [43] In an internet poll, she garnered rank #61 in AskMen.com's Top 99 Women of 2009. [44] Moreover, she is ranked #10 in Cosmopolitan magazine's Best Dressed Celebs of 2008. [45]


I'm much better now. But truthfully I don't like talking about it. It was something that was meant to be private, and even though it isn't anymore, I'd still like to keep it as private as I can. It was very traumatic, and I am extremely upset it happened. I hope all my fans can learn from my mistake and make smart decisions. But I wouldn't have been able to get through it if it wasn't for my family, friends, and fans, who supported me all along the way.
”

On September 6, 2007, controversy erupted after provocative photos of Hudgens surfaced online. Two showed her posing in suggestive lingerie, and another showed her nude. A statement from her publicist claims that the photo was taken privately and it was "unfortunate" that they were released on the Internet.[48] Hudgens later apologized, saying that she was "embarrassed over the situation" and regretted having "taken [those] photos."[49] Disney Channel spokeswoman Patti McTeague indicated that Disney will still be working with Hudgens, stating, "Vanessa has apologized for what was obviously a lapse in judgment. We hope she's learned a valuable lesson."[50][51] Early speculation that Vanessa Hudgens would be dropped from High School Musical 3 due to her nude photo scandal proved untrue.[52] Although it was reported by OK! magazine that Vanessa would be replaced by Adrienne Bailon or Sabrina Bryan from the Cheetah Girls in High School Musical 3,[53]Access Hollywood confirmed that the cast was still in negotiations and Vanessa would not be cut from High School Musical 3. "Totally untrue. It is an old rumor", Vanessa's representative told Access, "OK! Magazine never bothered to check the fact with me, but they did call Disney who said it wasn't true, but yet OK! ran it anyway. Apparently, OK! Magazine was having a slow news day."[54] She also claims that she did not regret on the leakage of the photos.[55]

Hudgens was sued by music producer Johnny Vieira, who claims she reneged on a deal to share her earnings with him after he helped make her a star. In the lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, Vieira accuses Hudgens and father, Greg Hudgens, of breach of contract and fraud, seeking more than $27 million in damages. Hudgens's record label, Hollywood, also is named as a defendant in the suit. Vieira said he was dumped from Hudgens's management team soon after she was cast in HSM. However, "it became clear that Hudgens and her new 'team' ... all directed by her father ... would take every possible opportunity to deprive Vieira of the benefits to be derived from the settlement agreement", the lawsuit says. Hudgens's publicist could not immediately be reached for comment. A Disney spokesman said the company had not had a chance to review the lawsuit.[56] According to the suit, they subsequently reached a settlement under which Hudgens agreed to pay Vieira a percentage of her earnings from her first three albums under her solo recording contract with Hollywood Records.[57]

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