Are they bragging or complaining ? ; )

I just had to share this with everyone because I find it rather ironic and just a little bit off-putting. It was sent to me by Focus on the Family and is presented here verbatim:

Even if you don't follow pop culture, you've inevitably read or heard of the teen actress Miley Cyrus. Playing the wholesome character "Hannah Montana" on her popular Disney television show of the same name several years ago, Miss Cyrus was catapulted into entertainment's stratosphere. She quickly became a marketer's dream and was earning millions of dollars in TV, music and feature films. In the midst of her rapid ascent, though, she also found herself wrapped up in controversy, from being caught posing for provocative photographs to smoking a bong and taking hallucinogenic drugs.

Just another child actress given too much too soon?

Miss Cyrus, now 18, is the daughter of country singer Billy Ray Cyrus, perhaps best known for his hit, "Achy Break-y Heart."
Ironically, and sadly, that's exactly what Billy Ray is suffering from these days. He told GQ Magazine that he now wishes his daughter never went to Hollywood and found fame and fortune.

I don't know that I can sympathize with this very much, the reason being that he is in the country music business and knowing full well what he was allowing his daughter to do, he obviously didn't prepare her for the pitfalls. If he has successfully navigated the entertainment business well enough that he sees what is going on with his daughter, then he could have also given her real guidance so that her so-called downhill slide wouldn't have even occurred. The details are missing out of Focus on the Family's account and most likely for a good reason. You have to read between the lines and know a bit more about this particular case, obviously, than they do and I happen to know a bit more.

I wrote an entry on this web site back on December 9, 2008 about the merchandising of Billy Ray's daughter and it was all too obvious that they really wanted to clean up in the business. If you read it you'll see that I figured out what an average take on each consumer might be in modest terms and I don't know how she couldn't end up with quite a wad of cash and her promoters, to boot ! I know my entry was basically just a satirical piece of fun more than anything else. However, I do take the marring and scarring of a life a quite serious matter. I didn't see the likes of Billy Ray or his daughter at the Grammys this year and it was probably for this very reason.

Having said that, I think this is just drama queen theatrics designed to garner one more headline in an attempt to keep the limelight on themselves. Sadly, many people in the entertainment business tend to crave negative attention just as much as the positive kind. It explains the antics of Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton ( Happy 30th birthday, dahling ! ), Nicole Ritchie and the like. It's not just sad- it's pathetic.

It's all uphill with

The Castle Lady !