TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Pop Princess

ADVERTISEMENT

By WALT BELCHER | The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 15, 2007

As the craze over Hannah Montana reaches a fever pitch, reactions range from cynical snickers to idol worship.

Naysayers will always knock an act that springs from a television show.

But to tween girls, Miley Cyrus, the actress who plays Hannah, is a likable, accessible hero.

Cyrus stars as Miley Stewart, an ordinary teen with a secret identity, on Disney Channel comedy "Hannah Montana." She's a cute, spunky Everygirl who dons a wig and miniskirt to transform herself into a pop singer who delivers songs of self-empowerment.

Parents see her as a wholesome role model — there's spandex under that miniskirt. She is a squeaky-clean ray of light in a world darkened by Paris Hiltons and Lindsay Lohans.

Destiny Hope Cyrus, daughter of "Achy Breaky Heart" singer Billy Ray Cyrus, is a country girl who grew up on the family's 500-acre farm outside Nashville.

Nicknamed Smiley (soon shortened to Miley), she has become a TV star and singing sensation at age 14.

Billy Ray, 46, a country singer turned actor, plays her father on the TV show.

The real appeal of "Hannah Montana" is not just Hannah, said Adam Bonnett, senior vice president of original programming for the Disney Channel.

"It's the Miley Stewart character, who every girl wants to be," he said in a recent telephone interview. "Girls and boys can relate to her. And Miley Cyrus is the secret ingredient because she does a brilliant job of being that everyday kid that is accessible and relatable."

He notes that when adults go to concerts it's usually for the music. But when kids go to a Miley Cyrus concert, Bonnett continues, they not only see her as a performer but as a close friend because she comes into their homes two or three times a week.

Billy Ray is another secret ingredient in the TV show's success, he added. "Capturing the chemistry of this real-life father-daughter relationship has made the show special."

In an interview in Pasadena, Calif., last January during the television critics' media tour, Billy Ray said he had tried to discourage Miley from becoming an actor because it can be a cruel business; but she was determined.

"There was no stopping her," he said. "I'm just glad that she is grounded and none of this has gone to her head."

Miley had appeared in a handful of episodes of Billy Ray's 2001-'04 series "Doc," which ran on Pax TV. She was 11 when she first auditioned to be on a Disney show.

"Hannah Montana" debuted in March 2006 and immediately became Disney Channel's most popular series, as well as the most popular show among tween viewers on cable.

At that same January media tour, Miley said she was having fun playing a character with two different personalities. She said she could relate to both of them and was able to bring some of her own personality to each one.

She said her father's musical career was a major influence on her. She was born the year "Achy Breaky Heart" became a huge hit. "Of course I have heard it and I think it was very cool that my dad did that," she said.

Some critics have called her music simplified bubblegum pop. The quality of the performances on her current sold-out concert tour has been hard to judge, apparently because of the constant screams from the audience.

For Disney, Hannah Montana mania is a cash cow. With a second season of the show under way, Bonnett said a decision has not been made about a third year, even though it remains the top-rated cable shows for tweens.

Disney is considering a full-length "Hannah Montana" movie and there will be a 3-D film of the concert tour. More than 2 million "Hannah Montana" DVDs have been sold.

Disney licenses dozens of Hannah Montana products, from pajamas and fragrances to dolls and video games. The concert tour is expected to generate $28 million, and that's not counting the money ticket scalpers have raked in.

Bonnett said Disney Channel's tween and teen programming started to take off with "Lizzie McGuire" (Hilary Duff) and "The Cheetah Girls" (Raven-Symone).

But "High School Musical" and "Hannah Montana" "feel bigger because of the musical elements," he said. "When music is an integral part of the show, there is more media attention and it creates excitement, concert tours and CDs."

Walt Belcher can be reached at (813) 259-7564 or wbelcher@tampatrib.com.

ON TOUR

Hannah Montana (Miley Cyrus)

WITH: Jonas Brothers

WHEN: Monday at 7 p.m.

WHERE: The Forum, 401 Channelside Drive, Tampa; (813) 301-6500

TICKETS: Sold out

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT