Hilary Duff on NBC Tonight: Get Used to It

Former tween queen (the first Miley Cyrus) Hilary Duff will be appearing as a guest on the popular NBC show Law & Order tonight. Duff will play a "young, irresponsible mother named Ashlee". First of all is it just a coincidence that there is currently another young celebrity mother whose name is spelled the exact same way (Simpson, anyone?)? I think not.
Second get used to seeing the Duffster on the Peacock. As was reported on this site earlier, Duff has a development deal with the network and is working on Barely Legal-a Doogie Howser like law show. Duff will play the youngest lawyer ever to pass the bar in California. It'll be a far cry from her last full-time TV gig (Lizzie McGuire), but should allow her to shed some of her tween image (if there's any still left).
It's been a while since Hilary has made headlines. Besides pictures surfacing of her a beau Mike Comrey (he's a professional hockey player), not much else has been worthy of media attention. Duff's most recent movies have found anything but commercial success (War Inc. = independent flop) and her latest musical endeavors haven't hit the charts.
I'm thinking the return to television is a chance for Hilary to start all over. Everything else is well... "So Yesterday". If the former tween queen can establish a new audience in TV she may just be able to re-incarnate her musical career too. Good luck. You'll need it.

Deja Vu? Is Hannah Montana just a backwards Lizzie McGuire?

I know I'm old. And by old, I mean I was around for the Disney craze that was "Lizzie McGuire". It's been over six years, which in Disney speak is a lifetime. The fact that I'm now also in the middle of the "Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus" generation provides me with a unique viewpoint. Anyone who has ever watched the Disney Channel knows that every show is just a recycled version of its predecessors. The cast changes (sometimes), the theme gets a facelift (if you're lucky), but there are only so many life lessons a show can provide-and thus you have the recycling effect.
The great thing is that every half decade or so, you take what was your most popular franchise, give it a face lift, and re-brand it into what hopefully becomes a new craze. That is exactly what happed with "Lizzie McGuire" and "Hannah Montana". The themes contained in the shows are identical (money problems, boyfriends, identity crises, bullies, etc.). The only difference is that with "Lizzie McGuire" the network pushed the show first, and the music later. With "Hannah Montana" they've pushed both at the same time.
Let's look at the movies for both successful series:
*"The Lizzie McGuire Movie". Hilary Duff and company go to Rome where she is mistaken for a famous pop star and has to make the decision whether her home or her newfound fame is more important. This movie served as a vehicle for Duff's music career as her debut album "Metamorphosis" came out the same summer, and she had numerous songs on the soundtrack.
*"The Hannah Montana Movie". Miley/Hannah get in a shoe fight with Tyra Banks causing Billy Ray to take her back to Nashville for a little down home discipline. Miley must then decide if the double life is really for her. The soundtrack to the film will feature 12 new songs and will likely sell another gagillion records.
The question is what the Hannah Montana movie will mean for the TV series..."The Lizzie McGuire Movie" marked the end of Hilary Duff's Disney run. Will the big screen version of "Best of Both Worlds" do the same for Miley Cyrus?

Miley Shedding her ears?

Miley Cyrus has been under the Disney umbrella for as long as her short career has spanned. Now, the tween queen has announced that she'll shed the Disney ears for a more serious project (or at least that's what she's calling it, anyways).
Cyrus will work with best selling author Nicholas Sparks to create, simultaneously, a new book/movie. Cyrus will play the lead, and her mom Trish will serve as an executive producer. Does this ring a bell for anyone else? Can you say Hilary Duff and her mom Susan? Hilary starred in "A Cinderella Story", mom Susan served as the movie's executive producer. Funny. Hilary also got her start on the Disney Channel. Hum, really funny. Both starlets used the expanded fan base they acquired with successful music sales to boost their transition to the big screen (Hilary Duff went multi-platinum with "Metamorphosis" while Miley has hit gold with "Breakout".) I'm getting deja vu here.
The question is whether or not Miley's star power will translate into success of the big screen. Will her tween audiences follow her? Will the content of the film be enough to engage her older fans too? Only time will tell, but I'm guessing that much like Hilary Duff's Lizzie McGuire stigma, Miley will have Hannah Montana on her back for quite some time.