The title notwithstanding, I do realize that Hannah Montana is not in fact a geographic location on a map, but apparently is some sort of phenomenon that drives 6 - 16 year old little girls into pack animals. But I have to ask: what is the draw?
Case in point: My wife and I spent Thanksgiving up in Nashvill, and watched the Red Wings (unfortunately) lose to the Predators on Thursday night. The next day, we drove around a little bit surrounded by roving gangs of little girls, rivaling the hordes of Orcs in the LOTR trilogy [sub]about as ugly too[/sub]. It was to the point that I commented to my wife that pop some smoke and fling a few flash-bangs just to create a diversion to clear out the crowd so we cound escape.
Now, as I understand it, this “Hanna” who pretends to hail from “Montana”, in fact is the daughter of one Billy Ray Cyrus. I am quite sure that these younglings are by far too young to know Mr. “Ray” from “Cyprus’” big hit Achy Breaky Heart from the 80s. I’m sure they further don’t realize he now looks like that ‘Chris’ thing Garth Brooks tried way back when.
So, what’s the mass appeal? Why were throngs of young girls appearing in Nashville? I mean, it was worse than the time Hanson descended on New York City in '91 or Menudo in Phoenix '73.
Tripler
I don’t have kids yet, but when I do, I must be prepared for this sort of evil thing. . .
There is no Hannah, Montana, but there is a Joe, Montana.
I must apologize in advance for the length of this post- I have a lot to say on the subject.
Anyway, knowing more about this than I should for someone my age without any children (my excuse: “there’s nothing else on”), I think I’m more than qualified to answer this question: Hannah Montana is a fictional character portrayed by Destiny “Miley” Cyrus on the television series of the same name. Ms. Montana does not come from Montana- it’s a stage name. Her real name is Miley Stewart, and she lives in Southern California, though she was born in Tennessee. Ms. Stewart lives with her brother, Jackson and father, Robby Ray, a former famous singer (portrayed by her real life father, Billy Ray Cyprus…er, Cyrus.) It’s one of those typical kiddie sitcoms like Full House or the like. The acting is good, but the writing is horrible. It’s one of those shows that, as Grampa Simpson once put it, “reminds you of the good old days when entertainment was bland and inoffensive.” Kids eat it up- the show is constantly the top non-sports show in the cable Nielsen ratings, the two soundtrack albums both made it to number one on the Billboard sales charts, and Play Along/Jakks Pacific’s Hannah Montana doll is one of the top most-wanted Christmas toys. (Disney licenses the image of the character on various merchandise- it has been reported that merchandise of the other current cash cow, the made-for-TV movie High School Musical, has garnered the company over $100 million in profit: I am unsure of the money that has been made off of Hannah Montana, but I assume it is a lot as well.)
Anyway, Ms. Stewart lives a regular life as a typical teenager who doesn’t really fit in and has to make the best out of bad situations, as all sitcom kids do. But she also secretly leads a double life as Hannah Montana, a famous singer, and only her closest friends know it. I’m not exactly sure what the appeal is, but the songs are actually very well-written. In this thread, an idea was posed that the reason it is so popular because it is a wish fulfillment fantasy, which Disney is pretty big on. Now that I think about it, young girls probably do wish they had some sort of escape. And Ms. Stewart/Montana certainly does. As the theme song, penned by Matthew Gerrard and Robbie “C’est La Vie” Nevil (who are for Disney today what Richard and Robert Sherman were in the mid-'60s), puts it:
A concert tour featuring both Hannah Montana performing songs from the show and her alter-ego Miley Cyrus performing songs she wrote herself has been going on for a while now, and since the show is so popular, tickets have sold out fast- and parents have gone crazy trying to look for them. The popularity of the character, performer, show, and concert are no doubt the reason for the huge crowds, but this certain tour date had two special pieces of importance: it took place in Ms. Cyrus’s hometown on her birthday.
(Also, you assume Mr. Cyrus is much older than he is- Achy Breaky Heart stormed the charts in 1992, the same year Ms. Cyrus was born. In fact, Hannah has helped his career as well- he’s now semi-famous again, as well as starring on a reality show, Home At Last, with his daughter on CMT.)
I watched one episode of Hannah Montana when I was babysitting the granddaughters, and it was better than I expected.
I wish I’d seen Mobo’s rundown, because I didn’t know why Hannah wore a wig – I guess she’s incognito when she’s out in public? Anyway, in the one I saw, Hannah’s dad gave her a credit card to use for emergencies. She and some friends went to a swap meet (it looked like a swap meet – maybe it was an outdoor market) and of course she ended up using the card for lots of cute stuff. Then she had to take the stuff back. (Is her dad banking her earnings for college? Looked like it.)
Anyway, I liked the character. She’s famous, but she’s no Paris Hilton, she doesn’t dress trampy, she doesn’t have a big head, she treats her friends nice, and her dad isn’t a dummy, like so many TV dads. I saw a lot of respect in the show.
Based on that one episode anyway, it’s something I’d let a little girl watch.
Hannah Montana wears a wig to differentiate her from Miley Stewart. It’s equivalent to Clark Kent’s glasses- when she wants to be incognito, she doesn’t wear the wig.
That’s the same episode I saw while visiting my cousins. >_>
And, yeah, it’s pretty good as teeny-bopper sitcoms go. Hell, I’d call it a low average as far as sitcoms in general go.
And, blandness of her music aside, Miley’s not too bad a singer, based on a concert shown before the show. (Kim Possible was the lead-in, and I didn’t have anything better to do while my cousins watched it…cut me some slack!)
But, oh, my god, the dancers were wearing clothes that was last in fashion a decade before the target audience was ALIVE…how old did that make me feel?
In fact, based on the episode we saw, he practically bloody Batman.
I agree that the show is actually surprisingly good - and I’m 27. But I have to add that Miley Cyrus has one of the most annoying speaking voice I’ve ever heard. Other than that though, the show is good, has it’s funny moments and is pretty well acted. However, since I am not an annoying giggly preteen (and I never was annoyingly giggly) and since I live with preteen BOYS, I can’t tell you what the appeal is with the girls. I can say though that my nephews think she’s hot. I don’t think they actually pay attention to the plot of the show.
Not wanting to cut aside from the praise of this Hannah Montana, apparently she’s a family oriented Britney Spears wannabe? Maybe without the ‘wannabe’?
Is she that good of a role model for little girls?
Tripler
I don’t have kids. They’re years off. I’m just curious now. . .
The show is sitthroughable – not actively terrible, but not a bad choice to waste some time.
The setup seems common elsewhere: Roger Ebert commented on how movies for this teeny girl age group seem to feature the lead actress becoming a rock star. It’s a strong fantasy and not just for preteen girls (ever hear of “Guitar Hero”?)
The reason for all the press lately is that Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus is touring the country. When the tickets went on sale, there were apparently one or more internet ticket brokers who managed to snatch up a great majority of tickets. They then hawked them for many times over what they retailed for, forcing parents to either pay a $200+ price tag or (gasp) telling their daughters that they couldn’t go to the concert.
Mylie is a picked-on girl, regarded as a “hick” by the “cool” girls in class. BUT, she always has the last laugh 'cause she’s also a famous pop star who is worshipped by the very same girls who pick on her.
What 11 year-old struggling through the social horror that is school wouldn’t go for (or, hell, hasn’t) had a fantasy like that? “I wish I was a famous rock star, then all the kids would think I’m cool, especially for that hateful Jessica who’s always so mean to me!”
And as far as teeny-bop music is concerned, the songs aren’t as horrible as they could be. Power-chorded pop songs about Grrl power and livin’ the double-life, that sort of stuff.
More like $2,000 plus. A New York Daily News article today blaming Governor Spitzer’s recent removal of price limits on resold tickets for the astronomical prices for her stop in Long Island lists the original top ticket price as $63, but going online for over $3,000. There’s cotemplations of a class-action lawsuit against the official Miley Cyrus fan club by angry parents who paid $40 or so to join just to get the chance to buy advance tickets, but discovering that everyone else had already bought them.
If anything, Hannah is the anti-Britney. Although Hannah/Miley does go into wacky escapades on the show, they’re more of the type that Lucy and Ethel would go into rather than Britney Spears does (for example, disguising herself as a manicurist and sneaking into The Rock’s hotel room to dress him up as a woman to get a picture for a tabloid in exchange for one that could possibly give away her secret)- and Hannah/Miley usually learns a lesson from them (in this case, that it isn’t right to try to dig up dirt on or embarrass anyone- famous or not). If there’s a message to Hannah Montana, it’s “I may be young and famous, but that doesn’t mean life is easy- I have the same problems you do.” Or, to quote another one of her songs:
Since Billy Ray Cyrus is a representative of the Parents’ Television Council, I assume that he’s one of those red-state conservative Christian moral-values people. I recall reading in People that he and his wife give Miley articles about Britney and the like as cautionary tales about what not to do- so I’m sure Miley Cyrus will not grow up to be the next Britney Spears.
She’s cute, but she’s no Selena Gomez. (Yes, I realize they’re both 15- I’m just pointing out what Disney stars I’d probably have a crush on if I was the target audience.)
The plots however, aren’t so sugar coated as that statement would lead you to believe. There is a plot where the brother unknowingly dates his friends sister, and the sister is definately on the make (but is the sweet innocent around her brother). Mylie is a fifteen year old who dates - innocent sorts of fifteen year old dates, but dates. And there is LOTS of consumerism - and rock star outfits. Appropriate for a fifteen year old rock star, but since what happens is young girls want to look like Hannah, it translates into less appropriate street wear for girls. And, far as I can tell, the show is completely secular in the Disney fashion.
I like the show (ok, I let my kids watch the show and don’t find it objectionable), just wanted to let people know it isn’t some sort of teenaged Touched by an Angel.
What **Dangerosa **really likes is Billy Ray making fun of himself. She’s a sucker for guys who don’t take themselves too seriously.
The only thing that bugs me is that I want to take a pair of clippers to the head of every single male on the show with the exception of the token Fat Bald Guy. As with other Disney shows, the hairstyles on the boys are execrable. Think Beatles from the mop-top era but with less forethought.
You just described my 14-year old brother’s “haircut”. Every time I go home I want to sneak up while he’s sleeping and make him look decent, or at least get his bangs out of his eyes.
Yeah, I walked into the room one day while my daughter and niece were watching this show, and the two main teenage boy characters were sitting at a juice bar with a similarly shaggy-haired tween boy. All I could say was “Don’t boys cut their hair anymore?”
And get off my lawn!
Nothing against long-haired guys, but I still think boys below a certain age should keep their hair short or grow it long rather than keep it at that awkward in-between stage.
