So my copy of the game worked fine earlier in the week but now when I "Press Any Button" to advance to the menu the game freezes during the loading screen.  I have to shut the 360 down completely and reboot, any ideas on how I might be able to get the game to work again?

Clean it; buy a new one.

If a game store near you has a disk re-surfacing machine, take it there, they work miracles.

Check your disc. It's probably really scratched or dirty. Try playing another game too to make sure it isn't your console.