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Breaking Down The Hannah Montana...I Mean Miley Cyrus Phenomenon

Jenn Harris |
April 15, 2009 | 4:10 p.m. PDT

Staff Reporter
I seen your movie.&& miley it'd mean the world for you too writeme back. you are like my biggest fan.im like seriously crying right now.i'd do ANYTHING too talk too you. mrocks09 (1 hour ago) miley, you rock!!! I loved the movie and when it comes out on DVD, I will be the first to buy it!!! i already memorized all of your songs from the movie and just all of your songs n general! I LOVE YOU!!! 

That's just a taste of the teen angst Miley Cyrus elicits from her obsessed fans on a daily basis.

I spent this weekend on Miley overload. Miley Cyrus...the name alone evokes screams from little girls all over the planet; but why is this 16-year-old so famous? Tweens worship her, copy everything she does and buy her products without question. I decided to investigate the mania that follows Ms. Cyrus and her southern drawl wherever she goes.

Miley's fame might have something do with the fact that she has mastered every form of entertainment and celebrity. She stars in the most watched Disney Channel television show and a new movie, she's sold millions of albums and she blogs regularly to connect with her fans. The girl is everywhere. I see how famous she is but no matter how hard I try to stomach the teenager, I can't understand why.

Miley Mania started in 2005, when the star grabbed her "big break" with the lead role on her television show. She stars as Hannah Montana; the cooler, talented, pop star alter ego of Miley Stewart, just a regular school girl, on the hit Disney Channel show Hannah Montana. Her over the top acting, that includes speaking loudly and arm gestures that would rival a monkey tantrum, make watching the program intolerable. Add in Miley's corny country star dad Billy Ray Cyrus, who also plays her father on the show, and the dysfunction continues. What bugs me the most is that on the show, Miley's friends can't see that Hannah is Miley with a blonde wig on - hello... Superman is Clark Kent without glasses . I can't figure out why girls tune in every Saturday to see Miley and her friends get into silly situations and sing their way out of all of them. If only Miley could really sing. Check out this video of her singing live and decide for yourself. Promise me you will at least wait for the chorus:

Despite my personal qualms with the pop star, that include her voice sounding irritably nasally and like she's constantly playing "chubby bunny," she sells records; a lot of records. She earned over $25 million in just 2008 alone. Too bad for Miley, being successful is not synonymous with being talented. She is a product in the worst sense of the word. The Disney Channel made her into a squeaky clean, teen pop queen that can't sing or act but knows how to entertain. She can wow an audience of 9-year-old girls but for the older crowd, there isn't much to see or hear.

 

Miley tries to keep her image P.G. and polished in order to be a good role model to all of her fans, but when she slips, the whole world watches.

Remember that topless Annie Leibowitz photo shoot with Miley for Vanity Fair?

Yes it is supposed to be looked at as art; and yes it could be tasteful because it was taken by Annie Leibowitz, but it is also creepy because it is a topless 14-year-old girl.

And what about her blatant derogatory dig at Asians with the squinty eye photo? She apologized on her website with the following blog post:

Something I Want You To Know:

Posted on Feb 08, 2009
I want to thank all of my fans for their support not only this week, but always! I really wanted to stress how sorry I am if the photo of me with my friends offended anyone. I have learned a valuable lesson from this and know that sometime my actions can be unintentionally hurtful. I know everything is a part of GODs ultimate plan, and mistakes happen so that eventually I will become the woman he aspires me to be. Peace and love, Miles

Good cover Miley. It was definitely God's plan for you to take that photo and make fun of Asian people.

I really tried. I immersed myself in her television show and music but I still don't understand why people love Miley Cyrus. I admit that me not being 9-years-old might have something to do with it, but I like to think that at 9-years-old I would have had better taste. Regardless of my opinions, Miley knows how to market herself. She has a knack for talking to her fans and making herself accessible; as accessible as you can be for a world-famous teen star.

She puts out diary videos and blog entries so fans can feel like they're her friends. Here is a video of Miley at home as she takes viewers through a personal tour of her house:

 

I'm glad my Miley overload is over, but this weekend did teach me one valuable thing about the teen star: although she isn't particularly talented or skilled in anything, she is very good at one important thing: being Miley.


 

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