December 13, 2010 | 9:44 pm

Who knew Zac Efron was Jewish and who the hell is Vanessa Hudgens?

Posted by Ilana Angel

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I am not ashamed to say I have a crush on Zac Efron.  I love him.  He is gorgeous, talented, charming, and seems like a nice guy.  Maybe it was his love of Tracy in Hairspray, his rejection of Sharpay in High School Musical, or perhaps it was his heartbreak as Charlie St. Cloud.

Maybe it’s because he seems so normal in a sea of young Hollywood train wrecks.  My son wants to pursue a career in the entertainment industry, so maybe the reason I love Zac is because he is a role model to my child, and some sunshine on a road that often looks dark and gloomy.

I had no idea he was Jewish.  He defines himself as an agnostic who was not raised with religion, but still, a Jew is a Jew.  The name “Efron” means “lark” in Hebrew which is lovely.  They are sweet looking birds, and Zac seems like a sweet boy, so it all makes sense.

Sidebar: When did I get old enough to refer to a 23 year old as a boy?  I am old enough to be Zac Efron’s mother.  That’s just wrong, and certainly puts a bit of a creepy spin on my crush.  I’m going to change my crush to simple admiration for a menschy young man.

After four years Zac has reportedly broken up with girlfriend Vanessa Hudgens.  I like to think I’m up to date on these things because I have a teenager, and am a follower of pop culture, but I did not even know they were still together. Seriously, Vanessa who?

Zac Efron will have a lifetime career in entertainment because he is talented.  Vanessa is on minute 14 of her 15 minutes, and she is lucky she managed to hang on for as long as she did.  The best part is that people are saying it’s amicable and they will remain life long friends.  Right.

Grow up kids.  You will be friendly until one of you starts to see someone else, and then all bets are off.  To clarify, if Vanessa dates someone first, Zac will feel relief that she is ok and not stalking him, and if it’s Zac who falls in love first, Vanessa will fall apart and spiral out of control.

The end of a love affair is painful, so it’s cute they say they will be “friends forever”.  Oh to be young and stupid.  A train wreck is coming and we’ll watch, as much as we want to turn away. To Zac, you are fabulous, and to Vanessa, buy some Kleenex and keep the faith.