Hater Hall of Shame: Hannah Miley Montana Cyrus Edition

So, that’s how it is in their family

Destiny Hope Cyrus aka Miley Cyrus, Born November 23, 1992

Destiny Cyrus was born in Nashville, Tennessee to Leticia and Billy Ray-chy Breaky Cyrus.  Her parents named her Destiny Hope because they felt she would accomplish great things in life – with their help, of course.  The name Miley was later derived from her nickname as a child, “Smiley.”  The daughter of one of the most well-known one-hit wonders in music history was raised on a 500 acre farm, along with her three half-siblings.  Not surprisingly, her parents claim that Miley showed an “affinity” for performing as a toddler; the child star says that she didn’t think about acting until age 8, however.  Honestly, how many eight year-olds want to be an actor/actress on their own accord, without some kind of pressure – or at least prodding – from their parents?  When I was eight, I don’t even think I knew what an actor was.  I probably believed Bill Murray actually made his living as a Ghostbuster.

At age 11, Cyrus sent in an audition tape to the Disney Channel after hearing about a show that would eventually become Hannah Montana.  She initially applied for the role of the main character’s best friend, but later received a call asking that she come in and audition for the lead.  The creators of the show initially thought she was too young and too small to play the part, but eventually cast her as Miley Stewart.  The series premiered in 2006, and the first episode was the most watched show in the history of the Disney Channel.  Before long, it became the highest rated show on basic cable, then fame and wealth soon followed.  As Time magazine once said, “her phenom[enal] success is due partially to her talent, and partially to Disney learning to use its vast multimedia holdings, and market Cyrus and Hannah Montana appropriately.”  In other words, the company had perfected the art of pimping young child stars.  As a result of her successes, Cyrus eventually became the first person within the Disney Company to have deals in TV, film, consumer products and music.  Later in 2006, Disney released the first Hannah Montana soundtrack, and the album soon sat atop the Billboard music charts – and received quite a bit of air time in mini-vans across the country.

After signing a four-year record deal with Disney, Cyrus released a double disc album in 2007; one served as the second season soundtrack to her Disney show, and the other was Cyrus’s debut album credited to her own name.  This multiple personality CD also reached number one on the Billboard 200, and was later certified three times platinum by the RIAA.  Her first tour promptly began in 2007, and parents across the country scrambled as tickets for the shows sold out within minutes.  There were reports of tickets later being scalped for up to $2,500, with an average price hovering over $200 – initial face value ranged from $25-65.  The saturation of Hannah Miley Montana Cyrus continued into 2008 with a 3D concert using footage taped during her tour, which was initially only supposed to run in theaters for one week.  After earning $29 million during that span, Disney executives decided they would extend the run because, “We don’t want to turn away kids from the theaters who couldn’t get into the concerts.” – yea, right.  For all the successes that Cyrus has achieved – and there is quite a bit I have chosen to skip over – I am more interested to see if she can stay relevant over the long haul.  She has obviously made enough money – her net worth is estimated at $60-80 million – but controversies have also begun to swirl around the now 17 year-old star.  Will she quietly disappear from the limelight like a Debbie Gibson, or turn into the Lindsay Lohan of a new generation?  Only time will tell, but I foresee drunken debauchery captured by the paparrazzi, and possibly a SCRAM bracelet at some point in her future.

Comedian Jamie Foxx offers some career advice to Miley Cyrus on his Sirius Satellite Radio show (Language is NSFW):

Miley reveals the reasons why she closed her Twitter account in the form of a rap, and her reasons are almost as stupid as the song itself:

Cyrus performs without the aid of a recording studio on The Today Show, and flexes her rusty pipes: