I feel old.

I consider myself well versed in the happenings of the entertainment industry. Until this past weekend I thought I was up-to-date on pretty much every major TV show, Movie, and music phenomena. I was wrong. Sunday I babysat for four girls under the age of 10. In the afternoon I decided to implement a babysitter's best friend (aka a movie). The girls begged me to put in their Hannah Montana DVD. I was flummoxed. I had never seen it. Hell, I had barely even heard of the Disney Channel series that has apparently taken tween America by storm. I knew that Billy Ray Cyrus was one of the stars thanks in large part to his role on Dancing With the Stars. I was in awe, though, as I watched the girls ooh and ahh over Miley Cyrus and sign along with Hannah Montana. I was so blown away I decided to do some research for this blog (that is saying a lot...it is the summer and I hate doing research ;). The 14 year old Miley Cyrus (real named Destiny Hope Cyrus) is the Hilary Duff/Lindsay Lohan of her generation. Her songs have propelled the Hannah Montana soundtrack to platinum status and have inspired a solo album due out this summer. Her TV show only falls to American Idol in the rankings for its time-slot and audience. If you Google her you will find videos and stories from interviews with every major news and entertainment show. After watching four back-to-back episodes I have a solid sense of what the show is all about. I'm impressed. The Disney machine is back at it. They took all the things that worked with Lizzie McGuire (you aren't too old for that one ;) and amplified them. For example, one of the episodes I watched was about Miley's best friend getting her first boyfriend and the complications that came with the new relationship. This same theme appeared in a classic Lizzie McGuire episode where Gordo got a girlfriend and Lizzie freaked out. This time around, however, Disney got smart. Instead of waiting until the show's 62 episodes were up to introduce their star's musical ability in a movie...the Ears have encorporated Miley's singing right into the show (actually her life is a pop star is the premise for the show and is a large part of every episode). Unlike Hilary Duff and Lizzie McGuire, though, Miley had a voice to begin with (thanks in part to her country crooner father-Billy Ray). Her acting ability is not nearly as important as her role as a pop star- although I admit she doesn a very good job for a 14 year old in a comedy. Just be on the look out for the Miley Cyrus clothing line, perfume, and MTV series to follow. She's got the talent, and the stage has been set, just don't be like me and almost miss the boat. Babysitters take note...Hannah Montana is THE in show for tween nation.

Here is a more adult note for you...according to IMDB The jeans are going around again...The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 is in pre-production and the four stars...Alexis Bledel, Blake Lively, America Ferrera, and Amber Tamblyn are all set to come back. For you chick-flickers out there this is one to keep your eye on.