newsmakers
newsmakers
‘Hannah Montana,’ happily ever after
“Hannah Montana” is no more. The hit ... the franchise ... the Disney Channel meal ticket ... even the blond wig (especially that wig) all were officially retired Sunday night. How did it all end after four seasons? With a big hug and tears — not Miley Cyrus’ but the audience’s.
The ending was precisely as fans would have expected and almost certainly demanded: Miley decides to forgo a Stephen Spielberg offer to star in a movie filmed in Paris — not an insignificant temptation — to head to Stanford with best friend Lilly Truscott (Emily Osment). Education trumped career. Friendship trumped both.
Fade to credits — and repeat episodes. It’s on to another career for Cyrus, whose tempestuous, can’t-be-tamed, off-screen life long ago turned into a cautionary fable for young starlets and the Disney machine that turns them out so effortlessly.
Except for the teen stars themselves, nothing much seemed to change over four seasons on “Hannah Montana,” a sweet, gentle, by-the-book sitcom that carefully eschewed any references to sex, drugs or booze, making it sort of an alternate universe show to “Jersey Shore” or “Skins.” Cyrus became a huge star in the process, struggled to segue into a more-adult image and career, suffered a few indiscretions along the way (bong, lap-dancing), and alienated millions (mostly parents) who couldn’t quite stomach the (ummm) creative dissonance.
But Sunday night, all was forgiven. Miley Stewart (Cyrus) headed off to college, and life — at least in sitcoms such as “Hannah Montana” — does end happily ever after.
Sugarland headlines new ACM Fan Jam
NASHVILLE, Tenn.
The party that The Academy of Country Music throws for its annual awards show in Las Vegas is getting bigger.
Sugarland will headline the new ACM Fan Jam, a live concert that will run simultaneously with the awards show April 3 on CBS. There will be three live remotes from the event at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino — one during each hour of the live broadcast.
The awards show will be at the MGM Grand with Reba McEntire and Blake Shelton hosting. Nominations will be announced Feb. 1.
Tickets for the Fan Jam, the awards show and the April 4 taping of the television special “Girls’ Night Out: Superstar Women of Country” go on sale at 1 p.m. Wednesday at www.ticketmaster.com.
Kidman, Urban have second daughter
NASHVILLE, Tenn.
Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban have added a second daughter to their family, born through a surrogate mother.
The couple announced Monday the arrival of Faith Margaret Kidman Urban, born Dec. 28 at a Nashville, Tenn., hospital.
Kidman and Urban released a statement saying they are “truly blessed” and thanked everyone for their support, “our gestational carrier” in particular.
The couple also has a 2-year-old daughter, Sunday Rose.
Kidman credited her first daughter’s unexpected appearance to swimming in the waters of a small Australian Outback town during the filming of “Australia.”
She and six other women became pregnant after swimming in Kununurra.
No other details about Faith Margaret were available.
Vindicator wire services