Hannah Montana: The Complete First Season

Disney is so forward-thinking it's almost mind-boggling that it's taken them so long to realize fans of Disney Channel TV shows want complete seasons, not random three- or four-episode samplers. Given the enormous popularity of "Hannah Montana," it's a no-brainer that their first full-season offering of a contemporary kids show would also be the one that's their runaway hit, featuring a star and a character who've caused children and their parents all over the country to do nutty things.

And boy, has Hannah Montana slash Miley Cyrus grown over the past two years. I mean physically, not necessarily professionally, because even as a 14 year old in her debut 2006 season Cyrus had the poise of a veteran, the comedic sensibilities of a Lucille Ball, and the musical talent of her country-singer dad, Billy Ray Cyrus, who also plays her TV father. This kid is a major talent, and you can see it in every scene. But boy, does she look little this first season.

Call me old school, but I liked the old (ancient?) Disney TV shows that featured relatively smart adults and equally smart kids. The trend these days is to dumb everyone down and to inject every show with a large dose of sass. The kids talk to adults the same way as they talk to their peers, and so the attitude gets piled higher than a Seventies' hairdo. And every character is played so broadly for comic effect that I hope kids who are watching know that real people don't (or shouldn't) act or talk this way.

But I have to admit that "Hannah Montana" is the sweetest of the Disney shows that are currently airing. Maybe it's the daughter-father combination of Miley and Billy Ray, the latter best known for his mega-hit "Achy Breaky Heart." Or maybe it's the way that reality imitated art, with the real Miley Cyrus suddenly playing Hannah Montana concerts all over the country and reaching a level of fame that her father never enjoyed.

There's a poignant subtext that you can feel in each episode, with just enough real daughter and dad to make this show toe a narrower line than the rest of the Disney line-up. Back-talk is kept to a relative minimum, and TVpre-teen Miley Stewart--who leads the life of a normal, brunette schoolkid by day and becomes the blonde wig-wearing Hannah Montana pop star by night, seems to listen to her dad more than most kids. The acting also isn't as consistently over-the-top as it is with other Disney sitcoms, and the implied lessons behind every episode are more wholesome as well. But the big difference is that while it'd be a stretch to call the writing intelligent, it's certainly clever and the scripts are well constructed. There's more artistry here than most teen/'tween shows that rely on stale formulas.

When the series first aired, Miley was an 8th grader. She's aged considerably, but probably not nearly as much as her father. This past year, parents did all sorts of crazy things to try to get their teens and tweens tickets to the hottest concert tour in America, a 56-city grind starring Miley/Hannah. She's on a roll, because in 2007 she also earned the Best Actress Comedy Award in the Teen Choice Awards, and "Hannah Montana" was the Number 1 cable program.

The show's premise is simple. Miley lives with her musician father/manager and brother Jackson, all of whom have just moved from Tennessee to Malibu. Miley's brother (Jason Earles) plays it the broadest, except when he has a tender moment with Sis. But the best scenes come with Miley and her best friend, Lilly (Emily Osment), who have as much chemistry together as Hilary Duff and Miranda Sanchez did on that the previous hot-ticket Disney diva sitcom, "Lizzie McGuire." Through no coincidence, the show was created by Terri Minsky, who wrote for "Lizzie McGuire" from 2001-04. But as much as "Lizzie," the model here is clearly "I Love Lucy," because Miley and Lilly could pass for a much younger Lucy and Ethel.

They have the same dynamic, they get into the same sticky (yes, often slapstick or undercover) situations based on Miley's jealousy or errant schemes, and they shift gears from normal to exaggerated dialogue and expressions as quickly as Lucy went from wide-eyed stupefaction to tears. Like Ball, young Cyrus also seems willing to "uglify" herself if it means milking a scene for laughs. When you see Miley with a blackened tooth or crazy hair, for example, you can't help but think of Lucy before her. It's to Miley's credit that she's more dedicated to getting the show's comedy right than she is protecting her evolving image. This kid's got great comic chops.

I have two children who watch the show regularly on the Disney Channel, which means I do to, to some extent. They couldn't wait for this full-season set to come out, and I have to confess that I enjoy it too. Just as "I Love Lucy" was aimed at adults but was loved by children as well, this show might be aimed at the allowance set, but parents who grew up with "I Love Lucy" may also appreciate it. Compared to the rest of the kid-oriented sitcoms on TV these days, it's really well done, especially this first season. But a word of warning about the "Hannah Montana" theme song: Once you hear it, you're not going to lose it any time soon.

Here's a rundown on the 27 episodes which are presented on four single-sided discs that unfortunately overlap in a cardboard single-fold box. All of the titles, you'll notice, are puns and twists on pop songs:

1) "Lilly, Do You Want to Know a Secret?" The opener has Miley reluctant to let best friend Lilly learn about her secret life, but the truth slipping out after a concert. Look for "HSM" star Corbin Bleu, too.

2) "Miley Get Your Gum." Miley's other best friend, Oliver (Mitchell Musso), has the hots for Hanna and does everything to try to win her over, almost as much as Miley (Hannah) tries to figure out ways to get him off her back. In the end, it's friend number two who learns Miley's secret.

3) "She's a Super Sneak." Miley and her friends will do anything to meet Ashton Kutcher at a movie premier, even sneaking out of the house. But Dad also neglected to tell the truth, as Miley finds out when she sees him and a new woman at the movies. Is he trying to replace their late mother?

4) "I Can't Make You Love Hannah If You Don't." Miley's new boyfriend hates Hannah Montana, and that complicates her life. Jackson (Earles), meanwhile, is having his own weird triangle.

Miley Cyrus Celebrates Birthday on ‘Hannah Montana’ Set

The cast and crew of Hannah Montana throw its star, Miley Cyrus, a little birthday celebration on the set of their hit Disney show on Thursday (November 20). Her dad, Billy Ray, and on-screen brother Jason Earles, helped cut the cake.

The 15-year-old starlet will be performing at the American Music Awards this Sunday, November 23rd and she’ll have a leg up on everyone there - because it’s her real 16th birthday! Rumor has it that singer-dancer Julianne Hough and country cutie Taylor Swift are even planning a surprise party at the show for her.

Host Jimmy Kimmel joked to People about Miley being mature for her age. He laughed, “She seems like an adult to me. She seems like she’s 33.”

Best of Both Worlds: Hannah Montana's Miley Cyrus to Celebrate 'Sweet 16' Birthday and Honor Youth Volunteers at Disneyland Bash

ANAHEIM, Calif., Aug 21, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- When the world's most popular teenager turns "Sweet 16," it's cause to celebrate. And when that teen is Miley Cyrus -- star of Disney's "Hannah Montana" -- there's no better place to celebrate than at a Disney Park.

To honor the occasion and Miley's philanthropic passion, Disneyland Resort in California has created "Miley's Sweet 16 -- Share The Celebration," an unforgettable event for Miley and her fans that also will serve to recognize Youth Service America and help drive awareness of the need for youth volunteerism.

The Hollywood-style bash is planned for Sunday, Oct. 5, from 6 to 11 p.m., with ticket sales limited to 5,000 fans.

Tickets, priced at $250, go on sale at 9 a.m. PDT, Saturday, Aug. 30, at www.disneyparks.com/miley

For Miley, the birthday bash is a once-in-a-lifetime event and she plans to make new Disney theme park memories during the evening. "I only turn 16 once, so it's going to be an awesome party with my favorite rides, hanging out with friends, fireworks and more," she said. "I'll even get to sing a couple songs."

The evening will celebrate Miley's career as a Hollywood Records solo musical artist and as the "secret pop star" she portrays on the wildly popular Disney Channel series, "Hannah Montana."

Miley's Sweet 16 at Disneyland will feature a medley of party elements, large and small, that will allow guests to join in the celebration of Miley's magical milestone. Special Party Zones will highlight the music and fun of Miley and Hannah Montana with themed activities and entertainment. Some of Miley's favorite attractions will be open in each Party Zone, and the party will end with a bang as fireworks fill the Disneyland sky.

Sharing the Celebration with Youth Service America

In addition to all the birthday fun, Miley's Sweet 16 will shine a spotlight on Youth Service America, an organization that seeks to improve communities by increasing the number and diversity of young people, ages 5 to 25, serving as volunteers. (For more information, visit http://www.ysa.org/ .)

In keeping with Miley's passion for youth volunteerism, Disney Parks will make a significant contribution to Youth Service America.

With the organization's involvement in "Miley's Sweet 16 - Share The Celebration," Miley said she hopes that other young Americans will be encouraged to volunteer in their own hometowns.

"The best part of the party is we're going to recognize some really cool kids from Youth Service America who are giving back to their community," she said. "That's so awesome because I think it's really important for kids like us to volunteer."

For More Party Information
For ongoing information about "Miley's Sweet 16 - Share The Celebration" party at Disneyland Park in California, as well as details on how to obtain tickets, fans may go to www.disneyparks.com/miley for details.

Hannah Montana: Miley Cyrus Opens Up About Her Relationship With Nick Jonas

For quite some time now, Hannah Montana fans have wondered what the real story was with star Miley Cyrus and her supposed boyfriend Nick Jonas, of The Jonas Brothers. The story that has been passed around is that the pair became involved in a serious relationship. He wanted to keep their relationship private but she wanted to tell the world. When she ignored his wishes and kissed him on stage at a concert, he broke up with her. It has been suggested that her recent song, “7 Things” is about him. Neither Miley nor Nick have ever spoken about their relationship … until now. In the September issue of Seventeen magazine, Miley opens up, claiming the two were “in love” and claims that he did, in fact, break her heart.

Things happened very quickly for Miley Cyrus and Nick Jonas. "We became boyfriend and girlfriend the day we met," she said.. "He was on a quest to meet me, and he was like, 'I think you're beautiful and I really like you.' And I was like, 'Oh, my gosh, I like you so much.'" The pair dated for 2 years and were together every free minute that they could be. Keeping the secret of their relationship wasn’t easy though and it took its toll on the pair. They soon went from being best friends to constantly fighting and Miley says, “It really wasn't fun."

Remember when Miley went through a dark phase, with her black hair and heavy eye makeup? Fans seemed confused by her new look but she finally offers up the explanation: The rock star had ended things with her in 2007 and she took the news very hard. "At first I bawled for a month straight. I was so sad. I just went into this weird funk. And I dyed my hair black. When we were dating, Nick wanted me to get highlights and so I did that, and I got myself looking great. And then, on the day we broke up, I was like, I want to make my hair black now. I don't want to look pretty; I want to look hard-core. I was rebelling against everything Nick wanted me to be. And then I was like, I've got to be by myself for now, and just figure out who I really am,” she confessed to Seventeen.

Miley hasn’t ruled out the possibility of rekindling a romance with Nick, who is currently linked to fellow Disney star Selena Gomez. She’s not been involved in any serious relationships since but perhaps that’s because her thoughts are still with her ex. She told the teen mag, "Maybe he'll be my best friend for the rest of my life or maybe I'll end up marrying Nick Jonas!"

Hannah Montana: Miley's Sticking With Disney

In her interview, Miley explained that soon, she’ll have to say goodbye to Hannah Montana forever. “It will wrap up, eventually. I mean, I won't be Hannah Montana by the time I'm 30,” she said. “But we've only done two seasons, so we definitely want to work on that hopefully for another two years.”

Miley is currently filming Hannah Montana: The Movie in her home state of Tennessee. All the regular cast members from Hannah Montana will appear in the movie as well as some of country’s biggest music stars. “The story of the new movie is basically about going back to Tennessee and wanting to just kind of get back to your roots, but then realizing that maybe you don't want to go back to them,” she said.

The movie is a project that Miley is excited about and a lot of the reason is because she won’t be wearing the blonde wig as much. “I think the movie is about just having the Hannah character not disappear, but kind of be put on the back burner for a minute and have Miley Stewart just really show her talent and also her ambitions and dreams and other things,” she said.Once Miley hangs up the wig forever, she’ll look to do other project outside of the Disney family but, for now, she’s happy where she is. “I've been talking to people about some cool movies, but right now I mostly want to stay within my company and keep them happy, and keep everything that we're doing successful and focus on that,” she said.

If there’s one thing Miley wants her fans to know, it’s that she’s just a regular girl. According to the 15 year old, she stresses about the same things that everybody else does and combats that with a little late night snack!

Horsing around: Teen queen Miley Cyrus goes for equestrian fashion for a gig in New York City

Dressed in tight white jeans, black boots and a riding hat, you'd be forgiven for thinking Miley Cyrus was going horseriding in the country.

Instead, the 15-year-old star wore the equestrian-inspired outfit to perform to thousands of fans at an outdoor concert in New York City.

The Hannah Montana singer/actress was up bright and early this morning to perform in the Rockefeller Plaza on U.S. live morning programme Today Show.

Giddy up: Miley Cyrus looked like she was ready to go horse-riding as she arrived at the Rockefeller Centre in New York City for a concert today

In a scene reminiscent of Beatle-mania in the 1960s, screaming 'tweens' were kept back from Miley and her dancers by crash barriers.

Miley belted out tracks from her latest album Breakthrough, including 7 Things and See You Again, much to the delight of her ecstatic fans.

Following her energetic performance, the pretty teen happily signed autographs and posed for photographs with a selected lucky few who were able to get close enough to their idol.


Drawing the crowds: Miley Cyrus sings tracks from her new album at the Rockefeller Plaza in New York City

Speaking to Today hosts, Miley admitted she couldn't sleep the night before because she was so nervous.

She said: 'Last night I had just an hour and a half sleep. But I walked out there and heard the crowd scream - and I was ready.'

Miley was thrilled with the huge response by fans, admitting she didn't think she would draw such a big crowd out of her Hannah Montana persona.

Following her Rockefeller performance, Miley moved on a few blocks to Central Park, to launch the Bolt Across America fund.

Bolt Across America, linked to the forthcoming Disney film of the same name, aims to find homes for homeless pets.