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DOOL Discussion Group
From the NY Times...
Revealing Photo Threatens a Major Disney Franchise
LOS ANGELES — Fifteen years old, topless and wrapped in what appears to be a satin bedsheet in the June issue of Vanity Fair. Did Miley Cyrus, with the help of a controversy-courting magazine, just deliver a blow to the Walt Disney Company’s billion-dollar “Hannah Montana” franchise?
Some parents reacted with outrage over the weekend when the television program “Entertainment Tonight” began showing commercials promoting a scoop: Ms. Cyrus, the star of the wholesome Disney Channel blockbuster “Hannah Montana,” had posed topless, albeit with her chest covered, for the Vanity Fair photographer, Annie Leibovitz.
Screen grabs of the photo quickly popped up online, sparking a blogosphere debate. “Bonfire anyone?” wrote Lin Burress on her marriage and parenting blog, Telling It Like It Is, referring to the mountain of Hannah Montana retail items — makeup, shoes, clothes — in the marketplace. “Parents should be extremely concerned,” Ms. Burress said in an interview. “Very young girls look up to Miley Cyrus as a role model.”
It is doubtful that one photograph — especially one that is tame in the context of an Internet awash in nude photographs of other starlets — could dent the Hannah Montana machine, said several Wall Street analysts. Retail sales for the franchise are expected to total about $1 billion in 2008. A motion picture is in the works for 2009 and Ms. Cyrus signed a seven-figure book deal with the Disney Book Group last week.
But keeping a teenage entertainment franchise on track in an age when stars are monitored around the clock by bloggers and paparazzi is extremely difficult, even for a company with the experience of Disney. Executives are constantly battling to keep minor slipups from growing into full-blown controversies.
Last week, the public relations problem du jour was a green bra; photos online showing Ms. Cyrus pulling away her tank top to flash her underwear.
Ms. Cyrus and the “Hannah Montana” series have been championed as one of the few entertainment sanctuaries for children, complicating matters. Last month, Ms. Cyrus was chosen favorite television actress at Nickelodeon’s “Kids’ Choice Awards.”
More than 3 million viewers regularly watch “Hannah Montana,” most of them age 6 to 14.
Media outlets, in particular the rabid celebrity-focused tabloids, have been pushing to capture new angles of the ubiquitous Ms. Cyrus. After popping up everywhere from the Academy Awards to “American Idol” in recent months, the only photos of her that are assured of selling are controversial ones.
A Disney spokeswoman, Patti McTeague, faulted Vanity Fair for the photo. “Unfortunately, as the article suggests, a situation was created to deliberately manipulate a 15-year-old in order to sell magazines,” she said.
The article, written by Bruce Handy, seems to support that claim, quoting Ms. Cyrus as saying, “Annie took, like, a beautiful shot, and I thought it was really cool. That’s what she wanted me to do, and you can’t say no to Annie.” She also said of the photo, “I think it’s really artsy. It wasn’t in a skanky way.”
Ms. Cyrus had a different view in a prepared statement released on Sunday:
“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. I never intended for any of this to happen and I apologize to my fans who I care so deeply about.”
Beth Kseniak, a spokeswoman for both Vanity Fair magazine and Ms. Leibovitz said, “Miley’s parents and/or minders were on the set all day. Since the photo was taken digitally, they saw it on the shoot and everyone thought it was a beautiful and natural portrait of Miley.”
At the very least, Ms. Cyrus and her advisers do not seem to be on the same page as Disney. The company learned of the photo only when “Entertainment Tonight” started showing its promos.
Last week, Gary Marsh, the president of entertainment for Disney Channel Worldwide, was quoted in Portfolio magazine saying, “For Miley Cyrus to be a ‘good girl’ is now a business decision for her. Parents have invested in her a godliness. If she violates that trust, she won’t get it back.”
In ML World...my 15-year-old daughter would NOT be printed in this magazine, artistic or not. And if I had been at that photo shoot, my daughter would NOT be posing like that. And the pictures of her and her father...even if by Annie Leibovitz...are strange.
The first picture...it looks like something right out of a "b rated" horror flick, lol.
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Some of Annie Leibovitz' work...
http://www.nytimes.com/library/photos/leibovitz/bourgeois.html
http://www.temple.edu/photo/photographers/leibovitz/
http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2007/02/hollywoodcovers_slideshow200702
Some of these are just gorgeous...
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Uhhh...both pics are just wrong. The one with her dad...gross. This poor girl is being pimped out by that has-been.
But, I am sick of Miley regardless of what she has on (or doesn't).
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Well, her fame makes more sense to me than the girls from that show "The Hills." It should be called "The Wills" since they're all living off their parents' money and can't wait to inherit. But I digress.
I read about Billy Ray and his wife's pasts recently and they are NOT pristine, to be sure. You can take the people out of the trailer, but you can't take the trailer out of the people. IMO, they rank right up there with the Lohans and the Spears'. Exploiting their children for profit. Sad.
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Seems to me the pictures were only ''embarrassing'' and distasteful to Camp Miley once the public reacted negatively to them. They seemed fine with having her pose for them and viewing the proofs at the photo shoot.
Someone should have had the good sense to realize at the photo shoot that the poses are too mature for a young teenager. Personally, I think the one with her and her father is worse than the one of her sitting with her back exposed. Her pose emphasizes the pelvic area -- way too suggestive for a pic with Dear Ole Dad.
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I don't care for either picture-as neither seems to be appropriate (age-wise or subject-wise).
The bed sheet picture is too suggestive and the one with dad, just doesn't look father-daughterly to me.
This is straying off topic a bit-but for some reason the picture with the sheet makes me think of Les Miserables. I think it may be the coloring and her waif like face and dark hair color.
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She seems such a wholesome sweet girl and family, makes you wonder why they felt the need to do this. Perhaps for future stuff to show she can be different then just a teen Disney star? Please Miley do not grow up so fast. We have Jamie Spears star of that other kids show, PG, and they are going to have her come back and do the show! No one seems to care about these young people growing up so fast!
I have seen Annie L. work and some of her stuff is strange and odd to me. That picture of her dad is too *sensual* looking to me. They could of been standing next to some horses or something!
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Vanity Fair is supposed to be an upscale magazine for adults. Why would they want a 15 year-old pop star doing a photoshoot for it? Miley and her parents/agents need to stick to teen magazines.
As for the pic of her showing off her green bra, she's 15. We all did stupid stuff and tried to pretend we were adults when were her age. The only difference is that we weren't famous and had our every moves watched. I think she's starting to cave into the pressure of being a "wholesome role model." I hope she won't end up like Britney, as she seems to have a better support system.
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Yes, she is way too young for a pix like that. It still could have been somewhat sexy with clothes on. No wonder teens dress with less & less clothes.
I am not sure what to think about the one with her father. I would not want my dad to hold me like that. Kinda weird. They must be real close.
But I also grew up with the likes of Madonna. I never dressed in my underwear like she did. LOL!
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Not a smart move. I can't believe her agent would allow this. HELLO?! She is 15 and a kid star on Disney?! She needs to portray that image in everything she says and does. It would be different if she were just a pop star and wanted to do this. I hope they are able to stop the pictures from being printed in the magazine.
This is way worse than her not wearing a seat belt in a video. But not as bad as being 15 and winding up pregnant.
I like Miley and hope she does well with her career.
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I had to laugh when Miley said they were supposed to be 'artistic'. Hmmm. Red flag right there.
With her hair messed up, lipstick smudged...wrapped in a bedsheet, I'm thinking the 'artistic' route went out the window and HELLOOOO...sexual innuendo stepped in.
That photo looks more like a still frame from a soft porn movie. That 'come hither' look....not sure the look its supposed to represent, but it sure isn't wholesome.
And that picture of Miley and her dad is uncomfortable for me to look at. I can tell you this. I never posed like that with my dad--I'm very disappointed.
Granted, its not like she's completely naked or anything, but she is only 15!!
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I have mixed feelings on this. FOr one, I think the photo of her IS artistic, or at least could have been if she wasn't only 15 yrs old. The one of her and her dad....wow....strange......Her parents were there for the shoot, I don't think this is anything like what ANY of the other former Disney stars have done and I don't feel there is anything shameful at all about the picture of her and the sheet. At least her boobies aren't showing, or her va-jay-jay...
Now to the parent part.....surely her parents had a serious lack in judgement on this one, as did her agent. I think Myley was seriously mislead. She's is only 15 and there is no doubt in my mind she had no idea that these pictures would be taken in the context that most people are taking it. I believe her when she says she's embarassed. I think her parents should have known better.
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Too much Miley...everywhere.....I think the problem with these young stars is that the parents allow way too much exposure, too many concerts, talk shows, photoshoots...just way too much.
Why is her father allowing his underage daughter to pose provocatively with her BF (saw the recent pics)....why is he allowing her to even be in Vanity Fair ...last I checked that is not a teen magazine....my opinion....he is exploiting her....he needs to open his eyes and look at what's happened to other young stars whose fame at a young age got the better of them...Britney, Lindsay and others......not a good thing.
I also do not understand parents paying hundreds of dollars for a Miley concert....why??? and yea..lol, um, no.
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