TORONTO - Miley Cyrus, star of the Disney Channel's "Hannah Montana" TV show, has trudged through a mess of controversy on her "Best of Both Worlds Tour," which lands in the city this weekend.
Shows have sold out in as little as four minutes, resulting in many disappointed tween admirers and their parents. Some members of the Miley Cyrus fan club even launched a class-action lawsuit, arguing they were supposed to get first dibs on tickets and didn't.
Then there was the pregnancy rumour and whispers of weight gain.
Through it all, the 15-year-old has remained remarkably down-to-earth. She still gets an allowance and has even been grounded by her father - "Achy Breaky Heart" singer Billy Ray Cyrus - while on tour.
"It was because I was being a smart aleck, I deserved it. I was smarting off," Cyrus said in an interview ahead of her Saturday show at the Air Canada Centre - her only Canadian stop.
Cyrus acknowledges that the hype surrounding the tour is "definitely stressful," but says she's surrounded by good people, including her famous dad.
"You know - you've got your manager, you've got your this, you've got your that, like, they all know so much more than you do and so I just try to stay out of it," she said in her trademark raspy voice.
The Nashville native with the big blue eyes and long chestnut hair became an overnight sensation a year and a half ago with the launch of the "Hannah Montana" show, which airs on Family Channel in Canada.
The popular series stars the spunky Cyrus as Miley Stewart, who leads a secret dual life as a high school student by day and the pop star Hannah Montana at night.
For the first half of her live shows, Cyrus is in character wearing the blond Hannah Montana wig and singing the breezy, sugary pop songs from the series' hit soundtracks.
She closes the show as herself, cranking out tunes from her own pop debut album "Meet Miley Cyrus," released with the "Hannah Montana 2" disc in June.
Her dad - who no longer sports his famous mullet - plays her father and manager on the show.
The tween queen, who has four siblings, said her parents have been very supportive of her decision to get into show biz.
"They basically just told me whatever I want to do, just to follow my dream," said Cyrus, who wore a purple sweater dress during the interview.
"My mom was super, super supportive and really was very into this, you know, me kind of finding my own thing to do."
Cyrus's squeaky-clean image is a refreshing contrast to some of the other scandal-plagued pop stars on the scene.
Her tour has been one of the hottest tickets of the year, attracting celebs including Nicole Richie, Heidi Klum, Steven Spielberg and Kobe Bryant.
And Cyrus, who was born Destiny Hope and now lives in Los Angeles, said she's doing what she can to help with the ticket demand.
She recently added more dates, but said it's impossible to make everyone happy, adding she'd have to tour "for months and months" to allow everyone to see her show.
St. Jude is unlike any other pediatric treatment and research facility anywhere. Discoveries made here have completely changed how the world treats children with cancer and other catastrophic diseases.
At St Jude some of today's most gifted researchers are able to do more science, more quickly. Doctors across the world send their toughest cases and most vulnerable patients. No one pays for treatment beyond what is covered by insurance, and those without insurance are never asked to pay. It is America's 3rd-largest health-care charity, with a model that keeps the costs down and the funds flowing, so the science never stops.
All patients accepted for treatment at St. Jude are treated without regard to the family's ability to pay.
One dollar of each ticket from the tour will go to benefit the City of Hope Foundation, which helps in fighting against cancer.
| January 11 | Detroit, MI | Joe Louis Arena |
| January 13 | Milwaukee, WI | Bradley Center |
| January 14 | Chicago, IL | United Center |
| January 15 | St. Louis, MO | Scottrade Center |
| January 18 | Las Vegas, NV | MGM Grand Arena |
| January 19 | Las Vegas, NV | MGM Grand Arena |
| January 22 | Glendale, AZ | Jobing.com Arena |
| January 24 | Austin, TX | Frank Erwin Center |
| January 25 | Lafayette, LA | Cajundome |
| January 26 | New Orleans, LA | New Orleans Arena |
| January 28 | Orlando, FL | Amway Arena |
| January 29 | Orlando, FL | Amway Arena |
| January 30 | Jacksonville, FL | Jacksonville Veterans |
| January 31 | Miami, FL | American Airlines Arena |
2 1/2 cup - Flour
2 cups - Hot milk
2 pkg. dry yeast
1/4 cup - Lukewarm milk
6 - Egg yolks
2/3 cup - Sugar
1 tsp. - Vanilla
Rind of 1 lemon or orange
1/2 cup - Butter
Jam - for filling
Oil - for frying
icing sugar (powdered sugar)
Directions:
Sift one cup of flour into the hot milk and beat until smooth, then allow to cool. Dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm milk, add to the flour mixture, and set aside for about half an hour. Mix the egg yolks and sugar with the vanilla and rind, and add to the dough. Add the remaining flour and the butter and knead. Allow to rise until double in bulk (about 45 minutes). Roll out on a floured board to a thickness of 1/2 inch, and cut into rounds. Put a teaspoon of jam in the center of one round, and cover it with another round. Press the edges together and allow to rise again in a warm place. Fry in hot oil, drain, and dust with icing sugar.
Latkes
Ingredients:
5 large potatoes, peeled
1 large onion
3 eggs
1/3 cup flour
1 tsp. Salt
¼ tsp. pepper
¾ cup oil for frying
Use: 10-inch skillet
Yields: 4 to 6 servings
Grate potatoes and onion on the fine side of a grater, or in a food processor; or put in a blender with a little water.
Strain grated potatoes and onion through a colander, pressing out excess water. Add eggs, flour, and seasoning. Mix well.
Heat ½ cup oil in skillet. Lower flame and place 1 large tablespoon batter at a time into hot sizzling oil and fry on one side for approximately 5 minutes until golden brown. Turn over and fry on other side 2 to 3 minutes.
Remove from pan and place on paper towels to drain excess oil. Continue with remaining batter until used up, adding more oil when necessary.
Serve with applesauce on the side.
Variation: Zucchini or Carrot Latkes: Substitute 5 medium zucchini or 5 medium carrots for potatoes.
"Hannah Montana: Music Jam,"is an adventure which lets you take on the role of Hannah Montana who learns to play an assortment of musical instruments. In the game you can also simulation a rock band with you and your friends creating your own music video and jamming together.
The adventure takes place in the world of Disney's "Hannah Montana". You assume Miley Stewart personna, the high school girl whose secret identity is rock star Hannah Montana. Only Miley's family and close friends know about her other life.
Up to four friends can play together, each using a DS as an instrument. The jam session can be saved as a song which can be used to create a music video with backgrounds found in the adventure game. Upload your video to the Internet with a Nintendo Wi-Fi connection. You can also explore videos created by other "Hannah Montana Jammers".
The game has two modes: Adventure and Creative Play.
This software is a must for Hannah Montana fans, budding musicians and kids who love video games.
