15-year-old actress who plays Hannah Montana poses seminude.

[gwen]

American teen singing sensation Miley Cyrus has apologised to fans over a provocative new photo shoot in which she appears to be topless.

The 15-year-old star of Disney series Hannah Montanna posed for the racy shot, which was taken by famed photographer Annie Leibovitz, for an upcoming issue of Vanity Fair.

Miley, who is on track to become a billionaire by the end of this year, is seen with a blanket wrapped round her chest, appearing to be naked underneath.

She said: "My goal in my music and my acting is always to make people happy. For Vanity Fair I was so honoured and thrilled to work with Annie.

"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 this to happen and I apologise to my fans, who I care so deeply about."

A source close to Miley said she was excited to be working with Leibovitz and added: "Her parents were there all day. Billy Ray shot too."

Parents Billy Ray and Tish left before the final shot, in which she appears to be topless.

But the source went on: "Miley's grandmother and her teacher were there when she shot it. Annie convinced them it was going to be artistic. Her parents are mortified. They know this is a learning moment for Miley.

"The photo suggests that she is naked but she is not. She is covered by a sheet but beneath the sheet she is clothed. Originally she was in a flesh-coloured tank top but was asked to remove it."

Miley has also apologised for a separate set of racy pictures which have been posted on the Internet, one showing her with a bare midriff, draped over the lap of her ex-boyfriend, another revealing a green bra.

She said of the online photos: "The pictures of me on the Internet were silly, inappropriate shots.

"I appreciate all the support of my fans and hope they understand that along the way I am going to make mistakes and I am not perfect.

"I never intended for any of this to happen and I am truly sorry if I have disappointed anyone.

"Most of all I have let myself down. I will learn from my mistakes and trust my support team.

"My family and my faith will guide me through my life's journey."

Vanity Fair was quick to deny claims that Miley was tricked in any way.

A spokesman said: "Miley's parents and/or minders were on the set all day.

"Since the photos were taken digitally, they saw it on the shoot and everyone thought it was a beautiful and natural portrait of Miley.

"In fact, when writer Bruce Handy interviewed Miley he asked her about the photo and she was very cheerful about it and thought it was perfectly fine."

But a spokesman for the Disney Channel, which broadcasts Hannah Montana, said: "Unfortunately, as the article suggests, a situation was created to deliberately manipulate a 15-year-old in order to sell magazines."



http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/a ... ge_id=1773

[Obscuregawdess]

[gwen]

:shock:

My thoughts exactly.

As if she did not know what she was doing. GMAFB

[SavannahStar]

My thoughts exactly.

As if she did not know what she was doing. GMAFB

Really.

Wonder what Daddy thinks.

Reminds me of Jodi Foster in Taxi Driver.....a teenage whore.

[Obscuregawdess]

Really.

Wonder what Daddy thinks.

Reminds me of Jodi Foster in Taxi Driver.....a teenage whore.

That movie was crazy, lol. It kinda' reminds me of Jodi in that movie too, now that ya mention it!

[gwen]

Leibovitz Defends Provocative Miley Cyrus Photos
Photographer Calls Bare-Back Picture of Cyrus a 'Simple, Classic Portrait'
By SHEILA MARIKAR
April 28, 2008

Annie Leibovitz, the photographer who shot provocative photos of Miley Cyrus for the June issue of Vanity Fair, is defending her depiction of the 15-year-old star.

"I'm sorry that my portrait of Miley has been misinterpreted," she said in a statement released by Vanity Fair. "Miley and I looked at fashion photographs together and we discussed the picture in that context before we shot it. The photograph is a simple, classic portrait, shot with very little makeup, and I think it is very beautiful."

Sunday, Cyrus said she's "embarrassed" by the photos and apologized to her fans.

"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," she 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."

Cyrus, the daughter of country music star Billy Ray Cyrus, is the singing and acting sensation known to her legions of teenage fans from the Disney Channel series "Hannah Montana."

In one of the photos, Cyrus is shown from the side, with most of her back bare, clutching what appears to be a satin sheet loosely around herself. In another, she's draped over the lap of her dad, baring her midriff.

While Cyrus said she's embarrassed by the photos in her Sunday statement, in her interview with the magazine that accompanies the spread, she called the back-baring shot "really artsy" but not "in a skanky way" and said "You can't say no to Annie."

The Disney Channel, after learning of the Vanity Fair photo spread and article also issued a statement critical of the magazine.

"Unfortunately, as the article suggests, a situation was created to deliberately manipulate a 15-year-old in order to sell magazines," the statement said.

Vanity Fair representative Beth Kseniak defended the magazine's use of the photos.

"Miley's parents and/or minders were on the set all day," she said in a statement. "Since the photo was taken digitally, they saw it on the shoot and everyone thought it was a beautiful and natural portrait of Miley. In fact, when Bruce Handy interviewed Miley, he asked her about the photo and she was very cheerful about it and thought it was perfectly fine."

Cyrus also apologized Sunday for a series of personal photos that circulated on the Internet last week in which she bared her midriff and her bra.

"The pictures of me on the Internet were silly, inappropriate shots. I appreciate all the support of my fans, and hope they understand that along the way I am going to make mistakes and I am not perfect," she said in a statement to People.

Cyrus is known for her good-girl image. In 2007, she told USA Today that her Christian faith is "the main thing" and what helps her stay grounded in Hollywood. That year, she also told ABC News' "20/20" that she faces the same pressures and temptations as less-than-wholesome stars like Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan.

"People will say, 'Well, you're only 14. You're not getting the same pressures as them,'" she said. "It's like ... 'Yes, I am.' It's because, you know, this life that I lead is pretty crazy. It's just about, you know, having value and having pride in yourself."

That image has helped propel her to the top of the entertainment industry. She came in No. 17 on Forbes' latest list of the 20 top earning stars under 25-years-old, having banked $3.5 million between June 2006 and June 2007. Earlier this month, she signed a seven-figure book deal with Disney-Hyperion Books to publish her memoirs next spring.

ABC News and the Disney Channel are both owned by the Walt Disney Company.

http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/sto ... 358&page=1

[SavannahStar]

The photograph is a simple, classic portrait, shot with very little makeup, and I think it is very beautiful."

Very little makeup my ASS!

And WTF is with her hair????????? Color??????

Ya know, I really think she looks gorgeous and sexy in that pic......BUT IT IS VERY, VERY, VERY INAPPROPRIATE for both her age and the "image" she is supposed to convey with her particular career.

Sheesh!

[gwen]

The photograph is a simple, classic portrait, shot with very little makeup, and I think it is very beautiful."

Very little makeup my ASS!

And WTF is with her hair????????? Color??????

Ya know, I really think she looks gorgeous and sexy in that pic......BUT IT IS VERY, VERY, VERY INAPPROPRIATE for both her age and the "image" she is supposed to convey with her particular career.

Sheesh!

Agree completely. Certainly doesn't look like a 15 year old!

I saw her one night on Jay Leno with her daddy. She is a spoiled brat and was really condescending to her dad. He was trying to talk and she kept cutting him off. She then said she had never known something that her dad was trying to say. Leno finally told her maybe if you would let him talk once in a while you might know. I was so glad he did that.

[gwen]

Jamie Lee Curtis: Adults Should Have Protected Miley
By Mike Fleeman

Jamie Lee Curtis says she knows how Miley Cyrus feels – to a point.

"I too was a little embarrassed by my recent topless 'scandal' and the subsequent parodies," Curtis, 49, who dropped her top for AARP's magazine, blogs for The Huffington Post, "but I am an adult woman. I protected myself during the shoot and I can take the heat. I only wish that her guardians had protected her."

The 15-year-old Cyrus issued a statement to PEOPLE apologizing for photos from a racy Vanity Fair photo shoot in which she appears to be nude.

Cyrus's parents, including father Billy Ray, were at the shoot – however they left before the final photo was shot. However, Cyrus's grandmother and teacher were still present at that time. Photographer Annie Leibovitz defends the photos as "simple" and "beautiful," and says she's "sorry that my portrait of Miley has been misinterpreted."

Curtis, whose photos in AARP The Magazine were parodied on Saturday Night Live, says she empathizes with Miley Cyrus.

"Of course she is embarrassed. She is a young girl. She shouldn't have to deal with any of this," writes Curtis. "I don't feel that she was duped. I know the integrity of Ms. Leibovitz and the magazine and I know there were people present at the shoot that should have been looking out to make sure that this didn't happen."

http://www.people.com/people/article/0, ... 85,00.html

[gwen]

Miley Cyrus and her father, Billy Ray Cyrus, photographed in Calabasas, California. Their easy on-screen rapport is a key part of Hannah Montana’s success. Photographs by Annie Leibovitz

[SavannahStar]

Hmmmmmmmmm.

[Obscuregawdess]

[prolific]

I don't like that picture of her and I don't think it really represents her and I agree with Jamie Lee Curtis. Where were the adults and what were they thinking? Being 15 and being photographed by Annie Lebowitz I don't think any kid would challenge what she said.

I hope she doesn't get exploited and I hope she doesn't wind up like Britney or Lindsey Lohan.

I love this song Billy Ray wrote for her.

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[prolific]

Disney Channel Statement

In its own statement about the Vanity Fair story, the Disney Channel, which broadcasts Cyrus's series Hannah Montana, said: "Unfortunately, as the article suggests, a situation was created to deliberately manipulate a 15-year-old in order to sell magazines."

Describing the photo session to PEOPLE, a source close to Cyrus reiterated the teen's excitement at working with Leibovitz, and also said of the shoot: "Her parents were there all day. [Father] Billy Ray shot, too."

Though Cyrus's parents left before the final shot, with Miley supposed to be appearing topless, the source said: "Miley's grandmother and her teacher were there when she shot it. Annie convinced them it was going to be artistic. Her parents are mortified. They know this is a learning moment for Miley.

"The photo suggests that she is [naked], but she is not. She is covered by a sheet, and beneath the sheet she is clothed. Originally, she was in a flesh-colored tank top but was asked to remove it."

PEOPLE's requests to Vanity Fair for comment were not answered on Sunday. In a statement to The New York Times, Beth Kseniak, a spokeswoman for both Vanity Fair and 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."

[gwen]

I don't like that picture of her and I don't think it really represents her and I agree with Jamie Lee Curtis. Where were the adults and what were they thinking? Being 15 and being photographed by Annie Lebowitz I don't think any kid would challenge what she said.

I hope she doesn't get exploited and I hope she doesn't wind up like Britney or Lindsey Lohan.

I love this song Billy Ray wrote for her.

<object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/L4DI6JMpykg&hl=en"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/L4DI6JMpykg&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>

Good song, pro!

[prolific]

Good song, pro!

Isn't that sweet.

Myley Cyrus/Hannah Montana has been around for about 3-4 years now but no one would know about her unless they had preteen and young teens who watched her shows and Disney concerts. My daughter's been watching her for a few years and has sat through quite a few Hannah Montana marathons.

But IMO, with all the publicity she got from her recent concerts ( I'm not sure but I think this was her first ever real concert tour) and it being all over the media about how much people were paying to go see her concerts and how fast they all sold out, I think adults are going to latch themselves on to the money train. It's too bad because she was really a wholesome kid, one of the reasons she was so popular with that age group.

Billy Ray plays her dad on her show and Miley's popularity revitalized his career.

[gwen]

Isn't that sweet.

Myley Cyrus/Hannah Montana has been around for about 3-4 years now but no one would know about her unless they had preteen and young teens who watched her shows and Disney concerts. My daughter's been watching her for a few years and has sat through quite a few Hannah Montana marathons.

But IMO, with all the publicity she got from her recent concerts ( I'm not sure but I think this was her first ever real concert tour) and it being all over the media about how much people were paying to go see her concerts and how fast they all sold out, I think adults are going to latch themselves on to the money train. It's too bad because she was really a wholesome kid, one of the reasons she was so popular with that age group.

Billy Ray plays her dad on her show and Miley's popularity revitalized his career.

I had heard of the show, but had never seen it. I could certainly see why she would be popular with the teenage girls. I saw her on Jay Leno, as I said above, but she could have been nervous and that's why she was talking so much that night.

I also saw her on some award show with Billy Ray. I always liked him and was glad to see him back. You can tell he is so proud of her.

The media and adults may really latch on to her now kinda like they did Britney. That would be really sad as that kind of attention has to affect a young girl in adverse ways.

[woebedamned]

this is a snippet from a commentary I read. Interesting food for thought, IMO.

Hannah is the fictional character made famous by 15 year old Miley Cyrus in the last few years. She is the idol of young girls everywhere, and most agree until recently, a good role model for kids. In recent weeks Ms. Cyrus has been seen dancing in a sexually suggestive manner on "American Idol". More recently, news has broken that Vanity Fair will release semi-nude photos of Ms. Cyrus in its upcoming June release of the magazine. The photos include what are considered by many to be sexually provocative poses, amounting in effect to soft porn. According to Ms. Cyrus, she is now embarrassed about the photos and insists she was persuaded to do them by the photographer, Annie Liebowitz. Ms. Liebowitz is reportedly a lesbian and political activist. According to a marketing rep, Ms. Cyrus is taking the baby steps to grow her image for the future.

Why does the alleged exploitation of girls result in a raid on a community in which hundreds of children are removed, and the rights of many others subverted. Why is a publication which clearly sexually objectifies a young girl, with the potential to influence millions of girls nationwide, justified?

http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/60173

[SavannahStar]

Food for thought is right.

[dugo]

Miley, who is on track to become a billionaire

in other news..

[prolific]

That does put it in perspective doesn't it Dugo? A fifteen year old girl set to become a billionaire wit so much abject poverty and suffering elsewhere.

[prolific]

this is a snippet from a commentary I read. Interesting food for thought, IMO.

Hannah is the fictional character made famous by 15 year old Miley Cyrus in the last few years. She is the idol of young girls everywhere, and most agree until recently, a good role model for kids. In recent weeks Ms. Cyrus has been seen dancing in a sexually suggestive manner on "American Idol". More recently, news has broken that Vanity Fair will release semi-nude photos of Ms. Cyrus in its upcoming June release of the magazine. The photos include what are considered by many to be sexually provocative poses, amounting in effect to soft porn. According to Ms. Cyrus, she is now embarrassed about the photos and insists she was persuaded to do them by the photographer, Annie Liebowitz. Ms. Liebowitz is reportedly a lesbian and political activist. According to a marketing rep, Ms. Cyrus is taking the baby steps to grow her image for the future.

Why does the alleged exploitation of girls result in a raid on a community in which hundreds of children are removed, and the rights of many others subverted. Why is a publication which clearly sexually objectifies a young girl, with the potential to influence millions of girls nationwide, justified?

http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/60173

That is food for thought. I agree with a lot of this on a moral level although I don't really think it's completely comparable.

It shouldn't be justified though and where are the adults in her life?

I don't know why this hits me, maybe because I see Miley herself being blamed in the media and the fact that she's just a kid and it looks like she may go down the same road as some other kid stars but the problem as i see it is the adults who are behind her. Do they have her interests at heart or her welfare at heart or are they only interested in hopping aboard and riding the money train.

Or maybe it's because I sat through too many episodes of the Hannah Montana shows and marathons these past few years and see that she was just a sweet kid and now this.

There's a few other kids that are coming out of those Disney Channel shows. Raven Simone the girl who played Olivia on the Cosby show is another one, she has her own show on Disney, sings and is about to go on tour. Then there's the kids from High School Musical who are breaking out.

Seems to me the kid stars and kid celebrities that go down this road are the ones with the whacko adults surrounding them.

[woebedamned]

Pro;

I have MANY issues with the way we as a society seem to "rate" our kids. On one hand, we say they are not old enough/mature enough to make adult decisions when it comes to sex, yet we photograph them in such sexually suggestive ways. They are too young to smoke before age 18, too young to drink before age 21, and yet we turn around and give a 12-year-old LWOP because we feel he is able to make his own decisions about committing crime, and send 17 year olds to fight wars on foreign lands

[prolific]

The Miley Cyrus Uproar
April 30, 2008
Readers with little girls at home don't have to be told who Miley Cyrus is. Their daughters want to be Miley Cyrus. The Disney Channel singer/actress is the star of "Hannah Montana," one of the most popular shows on TV. Her latest album is No. 3 on Billboard magazine's bestseller list. Reports estimate that she will bring in $1 billion in business to Disney this year.


She is also 15. Thus this week's uproar over a seminude photo by Annie Leibovitz for Vanity Fair magazine. The photo – showing Miley draped in a sheet, back bared, hair tousled, with a come-hither smile – upset countless parents who immediately grasped the photo's essential vulgarity.

Such ordinary wisdom apparently escaped every so-called grown-up involved in the photo shoot. The sophisticates at Vanity Fair defended the picture as a "beautiful and natural portrait." Absent sensible adults, Miley herself stepped forward to issue a statement saying that the now-embarrassing photo shoot was supposed to be "artistic."

Next to what crosses TV and computer screens every day, Miley's photo is relatively tame – save for the fact that Vanity Fair was trying to lower the bar on this stuff to the age of 15. Parents have enough difficulty teaching their daughters how not to expose their bodies in a vulgar way; this makes it harder. If there's good news here, it's that folks in Buffalo, Charlotte or Iowa City are still insisting on cultural norms alien to the elites of Manhattan or Hollywood.


------------------

A billion dollars? She made a billion dollars for Disney, wonder exactly how many adults are gonna try to hop on and ride the money train?

[Isanah]

Miley Cyrus and her father, Billy Ray Cyrus, photographed in Calabasas, California. Their easy on-screen rapport is a key part of Hannah Montana’s success. Photographs by Annie Leibovitz

Damn! That is more provocative than the other photo with her back exposed! I'm far more shocked by this photo. They sure don't look like a father appropriately posing with his daughter.