Re: Mr. Hannah Montana's Achy Broken Heart

>> **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.
>
> **And you missed mine, that it really wasn't.  And even if it had been, he
> is still the parent who let this spin out.

You don't think navigating the dangers of fame for yourself, as an
adult, would be any different than trying to navigate them for someone
else while they're in the process of transitioning into their own
independence? Really?

>> **maybe that was not his intent.  But when her show took off he seemed
>> happy to ride along.
>
> 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.
>
> **In a sense I do too, but at the same time I also see this as
> kind of self serving.

"This" being the interview? How so?

> Yes, that was my point. "Hannah Montana" took it to a new level -- a level
> no one could have predicted.
>
> **They got exactly what they hoped for.

And how, exactly, do you know what he "hoped" for? Maybe he saw that
his daughter had talent and aspirations, and hoped for a
family-friendly safe haven where she could get her feet wet. Maybe he
hoped for a manageable amount of success on the scale of, say,
"Clarissa Explains It All." You have no idea. Neither do I. According
to Wikipedia, Miley originally auditioned for the supporting role of
Lilly, and it was the production team who thought she'd be better as
Hannah.

> **what else could they have been intending?

and

> **Oh please, Disney I would imagine was hoping for exactly that.

and

> **pft.  If the show was designed for it, and that was the desired goal, I
> would have to say it was an expectation.

If they had, why didn't they sign the cast to longer contracts? Why
wasn't Cyrus given a record deal when when the show first started? Why
wasn't a Hannah Montana movie planned from the get-go?

Yes, I'm sure everyone involved wanted the show to hit. But I'm sorry,
to say that everyone expected it to become a worldwide phenomenon on a
scale that no kidcom had ever achieved is just silly.

> 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.
>
> ** Sorry, details matter.   Did you smoke pot in front of him?  Did he got
> the pot from you?  If you took him and introduced him to the drug scene?
> Would you then be able to hide behind excuses?
> **they allowed her into that world and even joined her in enjoying it.

Did Billy Ray Cyrus smoke a bong in front of his daughter? Did he
permit her to drink while she was underage? Did he encourage her to
give lapdances to adults? Billy Ray Cyrus ain't Lindsay Lohan's mom,
who went out partying with her at the clubs, allowed drugs and alcohol
to be passed around her kid, and so on. He's about as clean-cut as you
could ask for.

You're making it seem like by allowing her to even get into show
business, he was throwing her to the wolves, which is nonsense. As has
been pointed out, Hilary Duff, Zac Efron, the rest of the Hannah
Montana cast (as well as the casts of "Zack and Cody," "iCarly,"
"Drake and Josh," etc.) have demonstrated that popular child stars
aren't destined to become trainwrecks, and I imagine the Cyrus's
counted their daughter as one of the smart ones.

I guess the bottom line is that here's a portrait of a guy who is
hurting, an otherwise respectable guy who made some choices he wishes
he hadn't made, and who wants a closer relationship with his daughter,
who seems to be on a dangerous path. Why wouldn't one's response be,
"That sucks, I hope it all works out," rather than, "I don't feel
sorry him, what a whiner," etc. I mean, *really?*

-- 
-pcg
 [email protected]

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