Vanessa Hudgens: Flying Solo at Mr. Chow

Out and about all by her lonesome, Vanessa Hudgens was spotted driving over to Mr. Chow for some delicious dinner last night (April 2). The “High School Musical 3: Senior Year” hottie was looking mighty fine as she pulled her car up to the Beverly Hills eatery, presumably meeting some friends for a meal. Meanwhile, Miss Hudgens’ main squeeze Zac Efron was hundreds of miles away in Las Vegas for the ShoWest 2009 Awards Ceremony at the Paris Hotel. Efron took home the Breakthrough Performer of the Year trophy for his work in “Hairspray” as well as “High School Musical 3: Senior Year.”

Zac Efron Talks Turning Down “Footloose"

While it seemed just as good a career move as any, Zac Efron recently revealed his motivation behind turning down the lead role in the remake of “Footloose.” The “High School Musical 3: Senior Year” stud explained that while it was a promising gig, doing the “Footloose” movie was just more of the same for him. “I was looking for a new challenge, and this was another musical.” Efron continued, saying that he’s hoping to help his career evolve past the teen star status he currently holds. “I want to grow a bit with the types of movies I want to make.” Zac added, “It was more along the lines that I was looking for a new challenge, and this was another musical. I’m still figuring it out truthfully...I don’t know. It’s more about learning for me right now and trying as many things as possible.” The “17 Again” hunk said he looks up to “anyone who has tried new things and isn’t afraid to take risks. People that work hard. Leo [DiCaprio], Johnny [Depp], Michael J. Fox.”

Zac Efron Looks Up to David Beckham

It seems that Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens have a power couple they look up to. They adore the Beckhams. Efron explained how he “loves” the soccer celeb’s fashion sense. But when it comes to being compared to the couple with girlfriend Hudgens, he finds it silly.The “17 Again” star says, “Vanessa and I would love to be like the US David and Victoria Beckham. It’s funny when we’re compared to them, I just can’t believe it. I totally love the way David dresses.” And when it comes to the 21-year-old’s work, he’s still going strong. Efron is starring in the upcoming film, “The Death & Life of Charlie St Cloud.” The movie is about a cemetery caretaker who is able to talk with his dead younger brother. About the film, Efron says, “It sounds very grim, but it’s a fantastic story. It’s a little bit more grown-up. It deals with some heavy material.”

Zac Efron’s Q-Tip Pelting

Following their successful evening at the Kids’ Choice Awards, Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens bolted off with gal pal Brittany Snow for a birthday party at Beso on Friday night (March 28). The trio hopped out of their chauffeured vehile upon arrival, heading inside to join some of ‘90210’ cast members including Jessica Stroup and Brandon Michael Vayda. Upon finishing up at the fun-filled birthday bash, the group left only to find an overwhelming swarm of paparazzi awaiting them. To cap it all off, someone in the crowd threw a packet of Q-Tips at Efron following a highly publicized photo showing a bit too much earwax - with the Q-Tips landing on the back of Vanessa’s head. Fortunately enough, the young stars were quickly guided back to their car - speeding away from the Beso chaos!