Cyrus pushes Tennessee for ‘Hannah Montana’ film

Cyrus pushes Tennessee
for ‘Hannah Montana’ film

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Singer Billy Ray Cyrus wants his daughter’s upcoming “Hannah Montana” film to be shot in Tennessee, but state officials say they might not be able to offer the producers enough financial incentives. The film based on the wildly popular Disney TV series is scheduled to start shooting in April and expected to be released in late 2008 or early 2009. In the series, 14-year-old Miley Cyrus plays a high school student, Miley Stewart, who moves from Tennessee to Southern California and lives a secret double life as a pop star. Billy Ray Cyrus also plays her father on the show. Cyrus said the movie is centered on the fictional Stewart family’s return to Tennessee and it is only fitting for it to be shot in Tennessee as well. The real-life Cyrus family also has a home in Tennessee and was in town for Thanksgiving during a break on Miley Cyrus’ sold-out tour.

We were ready to quit,
says Eagles guitarist

LOS ANGELES — The Eagles were ready to hang up their guitars and microphones, but instead they regrouped and recorded their first new album in 28 years. “We either had to fold our tent or make a record,” guitarist Glenn Frey tells CBS’ “60 Minutes” in an interview scheduled to air today. “We were going to be done,” Frey says. “And I wouldn’t want to have it end ... where ... you’re just sort of doing a caricature of yourself, you’re just doing a tribute to yourself.” The band’s new album, “Long Road Out of Eden,” debuted at No. 1 when it was released last month. “It came out better than I thought,” vocalist-drummer Don Henley says. “I think a great many of the songs on it will stand up with the best work we’ve ever done.”

No takers, so Saudi prince
takes property off market

ASPEN, Colo. — A Saudi prince who put a $135 million price tag on his Aspen-area estate has now taken the property off the market because he got no suitable offers, his attorney and agent said. Prince Bandar bin Sultan, the former Saudi ambassador to the U.S., put the 90-acre ranch and 56,000-square-foot mansion up for sale in 2006. Real estate experts had said at the time that the headline-grabbing asking price — if someone could be found to pay it — could set a U.S. record. Attorney William Jordan III, who represents Bandar’s local interests, told the Aspen Daily News in a story published Thursday that Bandar and his family have decided to keep the estate. No one had made an offer that was acceptable to Bandar, real estate broker Joshua Saslove said. The mountain property features a 56,000-square foot palace with 15 bedrooms, 16 bathrooms, a racquetball court and an indoor pool. The prince wanted to sell because he was too busy to enjoy it, Saslove said last year.

Today’s birthdays

Actor Ricardo Montalban is 87. Actress Kathryn Crosby is 74. Actor Matt Clark is 71. Singer Percy Sledge is 67. Author, actor and game show host Ben Stein is 63. Actor John Larroquette is 60. Singer Amy Grant is 47. Rock musician Rodney Sheppard (Sugar Ray) is 41. Rapper-producer Erick Sermon is 39. Actress Christina Applegate is 36. Actor Eddie Steeples (“My Name Is Earl”) is 34.