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Commentary: Team Cyrus has itself to blame
Although being photographed wrapped in a satin bedsheet with a bare back showing in Vanity Fair magazine isn’t the same as exposing a breast during halftime of the Super Bowl, the Miley Cyrus/ Annie Leibovitz controversy has something in common with Janet Jackson’s famous “wardrobe malfunction.” In both cases, pop singers tried too hard to be provocative, and messed up, big time.
The hoped-for rejuvenation of Jackson’s sagging career by way of scintillation didn’t happen. And now Miley Cyrus, the 15-year-old “Hannah Montana” star on her way to becoming a billionaire by her 18th birthday, has gone from heavy rotation to spin cycle. The folks at Disney, which makes hundreds of millions of dollars a year off Miley’s wholesomeness, didn’t even know about the photo until they saw it on “Entertainment Tonight.”
“I took part in a photo shoot that was supposed to be ‘artistic’ and now, seeing the photographs and reading the story, I feel so embarrassed,” Miley Cyrus said in a statement. “I never intended for any of this to happen and I apologize to my fans who I care so deeply about.”
As soon as the migraines eased, Disney execs issued a statement blaming Vanity Fair for creating a situation “to deliberately manipulate a 15-year-old in order to sell magazines.”
If Vanity Fair played anyone it was Miley’s parents, who the magazine said were on the set for the shoot. You don’t think that dad Billy Ray Cyrus, the most controversial singer in Nashville when he broke on the scene 17 years ago with “Achy Breaky Heart,” knows how the media operates? You go to Krispy Kreme for doughnuts and you go to Vanity Fair to create a stir.
Entertainment Tonight has reported that Billy Ray Cyrus was not present when the “racy” photos were shot; he had to leave for a prior commitment. No excuse, if it’s true. You don’t leave your 15-year-old with a photog known for edginess and provocation.
Team Cyrus intentionally set out to show that Miley was not just for little girls. She can’t be “Hannah M.” forever, so I think the article, in which Miley admits her favorite show is “Sex and the City,” and the PG photos, were orchestrated to transition Miley from tween to teen/ young adult. Pretty soon Miss Goody Jimmy Choo Shoes will be competing with the Rihannas of the world, just as Lindsay Lohan soon found herself going up against Scarlett Johansson and Kate Hudson for roles. Li-Lo was unprepared, but Miley wouldn’t be. But by looking ahead, the plot backfired. And now there’s backpedaling.
The Cyrus family made a big miscalculation, well, two really. First, they’re not bigger than Disney, no matter how many consecutive soldout concerts Miley and Billy do. But probably the biggest mistake was that it’s the parents, not the 10-year-old girls, who buy the tickets and the T-shirts and the DVDs. And many are outraged.
This will blow over and “Hannah Montana” will continue to be an enormous money machine. But I think someone whose name rhymes with virus learned a lesson about gooses and golden eggs.
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Comments
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By brocktoon
April 29, 2008 11:19 AM | Link to this
Nice commentary, gramps. You forgot to tell us to stay off your lawn. The sickest part of this whole mess is the Disney tween machine having the nerve to admonish ANYBODY for exploiting a 15-year-old for financial gain. Walt? Meet kettle.
By AustinGuy
April 29, 2008 1:35 PM | Link to this
What’s the big deal.? The girl showed her back!!!! You can see more of her on YouTube in a bikini. I don’t think there is anything inappropriate about the photo at all.
By Lynn
April 29, 2008 2:00 PM | Link to this
The photo is definitely PG, but if you see NOTHING inappropriate, you probably don’t have a daughter. It is not as bad as some are making it, but it isn’t innocent. 15 years old is still quite young and it isn’t the bare back, it is the idea of the bare back, the sheet, tousled hair, the look, and what all that implies. Again, I actually kind of like the photo, just on its own, but if this was on a random site of a random 15 year-old girl, it would be considered completely inappropriate.
By California
April 29, 2008 2:05 PM | Link to this
Live Music Capital of the World???? I guess if you like total crap music from never will be computer geeks and burnouts then Austin is the place for you. I’ll show you the biggest pile of crap and call it the world’s biggest, it is still crap.
By Reader
April 29, 2008 3:05 PM | Link to this
This is not a discussion of who thinks this is or is appropriate or not. This is a discussion of someone who made a bad decision to go along with something without thinking out the consequences in advance. Correct me if I’m wrong but Disney is finding itself the butt end of too many of these things as of late. Too many parents are pushing young impressionable daughters too far, too fast. Everybody from parents to photographer, to a magazine get a big thumbs down on this one. Next Miley Cyrus tour should be named The Apology Tour, if there is one.
By scottr
April 29, 2008 3:09 PM | Link to this
gimme a break! this girl is already over-sexualized baring her belly in midriffs and wearing way too much makeup for a child her age, and that’s just on her Saturday morning TV show. NOW she and her stage-parents are upset about a couple of photos??? This wreaks of a self-created controversy so Ms Cyrus/Montanna can stay on track to be a billionaire before she’s 20! That’s what’s really obscene here!
By Amanda
April 29, 2008 3:21 PM | Link to this
I think the photos aren’t necessarily provocative, however the family apologizes hints at something fishy. You don’t apologize if you see nothing wrong with them. What you should say is “I’m sorry my fans saw these as inappropriate when I meant them as art.” You shouldn’t say you’re embarrassed by them if you aren’t.
If this was meant as a “coming out into the real world” party for Miley, then maybe she should have waited until she could drive. Yes, we all remember how we were when we were 15, but there are 10-year-olds who admire this girl. We have to think of them looking up to a girl, barely dressed, showing her midriff, etc. If we’re ok with a 10-year-olds doing that, then there’s nothing wrong with these.
By Keith
April 29, 2008 3:25 PM | Link to this
So Billy Ray leaves his cash cow daughter who he is living vicarously through at a photo shoot at Vanity Fair and then he is suprised by the result? He is either a blithering idiot or a hypocrite or both. I guess nepotism works both ways.
By new world otter
April 29, 2008 3:54 PM | Link to this
gee cali, you should know about crap music. while i’ll agree your best is generally better than ours (taste being subjective, album sales not), l.a. county holds @ 5 million folks half of whom are in CRAPPY BANDS. the ‘live music capital of the world’ tag is PR but it’s true that there are more venues hosting more music per capita than anywhere else. what the hell are you doing reading the statesman and criticizing austin anyway? don’t y’all have some fires to put out or anything?
By Mom of Seven year old
April 29, 2008 4:35 PM | Link to this
I really do not see the big deal. I actually thought the picture was horrible. I mean she looks dead. If they were going for artistic taste, at least look like you have bathed in the last few days. The jist of the picture was not bad to me and I have a 7 year old boy who watches her. He told me he thought she looked tired and was ready to go to bed which made me laugh. Usually kids do not see into these things as adults do so I didn’t make it an issue with him. Even if I had a daughter, I would have never looked at that picture as sexual and how it implies sex. That’s why this world is screwed up because people insist on making everything a sexual issue and reference. I mean kids are not ignorant to sex so don’t act like this picture corrupts the mind of tweens/teens. It’s all about how you raise your children to learn that you can make a mistake at any age and learn and grow from it. If only adults would learn from there mistakes and immoral thoughts.
By SpandTex Pants
April 29, 2008 4:45 PM | Link to this
California,
Just stay there and everyone here will be perfectly happy.
Thanks.
By Bruce
April 29, 2008 5:07 PM | Link to this
Hannah Montana has always been far to over-sexualized a character considering her target audience of kids ages 6-12. Any parents who have been feeding this crap to their kids should not be surprised when their little angel has very adult issues like eating disorders and promiscuity before they even get to high school. Will you feel so self-righteous about feeding your very young kids shallow sexuality then?
By hornsfan
April 29, 2008 5:23 PM | Link to this
i was more creeped out by the photoshoot video in which she is sprawled out over Daddy’s lap. clothed, but not in a Daddy-daughter way. ewwww!!
By keith
April 29, 2008 6:01 PM | Link to this
I think certain people are trying to blow this out of proportion to derail the whole phenom of Hannah Montana. I just hate how the Cyrus camp is saying the picture turned out different than what they expected…..well hello! you obviously saw it after it was taken, since I seriously doubt that Annie Lebowitz kept the picture secret until it showed up on the website.
But like some people have said…its just her back…big deal. I see people with less clothes on at HEB…..if she is embarassed at the picture, its because she doesn’t look all girly, but rather almost goth….it’s not a very flattering picture of her that’s for sure
By nana
April 29, 2008 9:17 PM | Link to this
Good article, but coming from someone who disparaged us old-timers for wanting to protect our kids from sleaze, it lacks a bit of authority. Now that you are a father, it’s different isn’t it? But my kids are just as worthy of protection from garbage and a right to have a childhood as yours. And to those who don’t see anything wrong with tarting up children for the sickos in this world, just wait until your kids come along. What kind of world awaits them?
By Kaya
April 30, 2008 10:57 PM | Link to this
The photograph is gorgeous, haunting and has way too much innuendo for a minor. If this was a photo of my daughter I’d love it for the artistic value but there’d be no way at all that I’d allow it to go public or be published at any time.
And Miley’s ribs show on her back…someone needs to feed her.