Re: Mr. Hannah Montana's Achy Broken Heart

> It doesn't seem to me like he presented himself as such. But I would imagine
> there's a very real difference between navigating the waters of fame as a
> responsible adult (which he seems to have done -- there were never any
> scandals or booze or what-have-you, right?) and trying to help your child
> navigate those waters themselves as they transition from being dependent on
> you to being an independent celebrity. I'd imagine that's a whole different
> set of challenges.
>
> **if he was so skilled at said navigation, then he should have known the
> peril.

You've missed my point, which is that he was evidently skilled in a
completely *different* kind of navigation. This "Hannah Montana" thing
was a whole different ball of wax.

>> Put simply, in my opinion, the guy pimped his daughter to hollwood a s
>> a way to recapture his brief fame, and now he is whiney about it.
>
> Well, as you say, that's your opinion, but you're pretty much writing your
> own fiction there, aren't you? If I read the facts correctly, Billy Ray was
> maintaining a successful (enough) acting career -- what on earth would make
> him (or anyone else) imagine that "pimping" his daughter would lead to any
> sort of fame, let alone fame for himself?
>
> **maybe that was not his intent.  But when her show took off he seemed happy
> to ride along.

Agreed, and as I concede, he could've and should've made better
choices once that train starting rumbling down the tracks. I take from
that article that he concedes the same thing, and wishes he *had* made
better choices. I sympathize with that kind of regret.

> Before "Hannah Montana," there *was* no Hannah Montana model. Since her
> explosion, Disney (and Nickelodeon) have attempted to re-create that mania
> with other young stars and starlets, but her success was unprecedented.
>
> **Huh?  Oh hardly.  Maybe she took it to a new level,

Yes, that was my point. "Hannah Montana" took it to a new level -- a
level no one could have predicted.

> but Disney and other networks have had teen mega stars for a while.

Um, no. Disney hasn't. Not anything near like what they've had with
"Hannah Montana."

> Disney in particular has relied on it for decades.  Don’t forget that part of her debut was opening
> for another Disney act, The Cheetah Girls, who predated her by 3 years.  Aly
> and AJ also predated her as did Lizzie Maguire and the whole Hilary Duff
> Phenom.

"Lizzie Maguire" made Hilary Duff Disney's biggest pre-Hannah star, I
think it's fair to say. "The Lizzie McGuire" movie grossed $55
million. "The Hannah Montana Movie" grossed $155 million, and her
concert film grossed another $70 million. Those two "stars" aren't
even playing in the same ballpark.

The Cheetah Girls were popular for what they were, but never had a
theatrical film.

I've never even heard of Aly and AJ.

> **And did you forget the Olsen twins? Hollywood has a long history of
> mastering the tween market.

The Olsen Twins were not the stars of a cheap, basic-cable kidcom.
They were stars of a top-rated, long-running network television
sitcom, and then they transitioned into other media. Look, I'm not
saying there was never a child star before "Hannah Montana." I'm
saying that based on what her show was, there was no reason to believe
she'd become an international superstar selling out concerts in
minutes.

> It sounds like Miley had an interest in acting prior to the Cyrus's moving
> to L.A.,
>
> **is this 'your' fiction?  :)

No, it was in the article!

> and when she auditioned for "Hannah Montana," I can only imagine that
> everyone thought, "Aw, a cute little Disney sitcom for kids." I highly,
> highly doubt anyone expected a worldwide phenomenon to be born.
>
> **Oh please, Disney I would imagine was hoping for exactly that.

Well, duh. "Hoping for" and "expecting" are not the same thing.

> A "monster?" That's a bit dramatic, isn't it? She's done a few things that
> would trouble me as a parent, but thus far she's certainly no Lindsay Lohan.
>
> **do not tell me you have never heard the phrase “created a monster”
> before?  Really?  Do I really have to explain how that can apply to a person
> everyone says is now out of control?

Of course I have. I just think it's a bit dramatic. Lindsay Lohan has
become "a monster." Britney Spears became "a monster." At this point,
I'd say Miley's behavior is "concerning," or something like that.

> **Perhaps.  Now though, we have everyone taking all the efforts to find
> things to blame.  Blame Hollywood.  Blame Disney.  Blame the divorce.  She
> is heading out of control, and all Billy Ray is doing here is being whiney
> when he enabled it.

Couldn't the same be said for any parent with a kid who is on the
wrong path? If my son started getting into drugs and alcohol, despite
my best efforts to help him avoid those traps, one could always look
back at choices I made and say I "enabled" it.

-- 
-pcg
 [email protected]

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