The Disney Music Machine

(Newser) - Miley Cyrus, aka Hannah Montana, is in hot water, but not for breaking curfew or forgetting her homework. Consumer Reports is on the teen superstar's case for setting a bad example: not buckling her seatbelt. A scene in the 3-D blockbuster Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds shows Miley and her dad, country singer Billy Ray Cyrus, riding in the back of a Range Rover unrestrained. More »

(Newser) - As their 3D concert film's weekend box office domination shows, the craze for Hannah Montana and alter ego Miley Cyrus isn't even close to slowing down. In a Q&A with the AP, Cyrus talks about the pressures of performing on tour: "I really have to be good. Especially when you hear what people are doing for tickets. It has to be perfect.” More »

(Newser) - Disney’s Hannah Montana sang a high note this gridiron weekend and nabbed top spot at the box office with $29 million, Variety reports. It also shattered Titanic ’s $21.6 million Super Bowl weekend record. A pleased Disney extended the pic’s planned one-week run. More »

(Newser) - Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: The Best of Both Worlds may be a vanilla production, and the songs its tween icon belts out during this big-screen 3D version of her concert are "fizzy" and "forgettable," writes Jan Stewart of Newsday . But those shortcomings are trumped by the fact that, at just 15 years old, pop star Cyrus is "insanely likable and talented, with poise and presence beyond her years," says AP's Christy Lemire. More »

(Newser) - The Jonas Brothers may rock 'n' roll, but they're also sons of a minister and avowed virgins until marriage. Their lack of bad-boy behavior isn't killing sales, though: An upcoming Jonas tour is already almost sold out. Where did these gentle boy banders come from? An appearance on "Hannah Montana," a run opening for her $36 million tour, and a contract with promoter Live Nation apparently didn't hurt. More »

(Newser) - The verdict on Disney's latest Broadway musical, The Little Mermaid , is grim. "Loved the shoes. Loathed the show," Ben Brantley of the New York Times says of the "merblades" the cast uses to glide across a stage "soaked in that sparkly garishness that only a very young child—or possibly a tackiness-worshiping drag queen—might find pretty." More »

(Newser) - Heartthrob singer Hannah Montana has pulled a switch on fans—using a body double who lip-syncs a song on stage in her hugely popular national concert, reports OK! magazine. The jig was up when an outraged fan, who said he felt "played for a fool," spotted the switch. A spokesman for Miley Cyrus, Hannah's real-life alter ego, confirmed that a lookalike replaces the singer so she can complete a costume change. More »

(Newser) - Enchanted charmed moviegoers out of $50 million this weekend, one of the best turkey weekend scores ever, Variety reports. Its magic veiled a strong debut by Sony-Screen Gems’ This Christmas, which banked $27.1 million. Newcomers August Rush and The Mist fizzled in seventh and eighth, respectively. More »

(Newser) - Hannah Montana fans have filed a class-action lawsuit against the actress' fan club, charging they were deceptively lured into paying a $30 entrance fee with the promise that they would have better access to concert tickets. In fact the "vast majority of club members" couldn't get tickets to star Miley Cyrus' first concert series. More »

(Newser) - Parents across the nation are wringing their hands as scalpers rub theirs with glee over Hannah Montana, the 14-year-old fictional pop star whose concert tour dates are selling out in minutes. Her popular Disney Channel show rocketed the character to Madonna-level stardom with kids, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer says, which means scalpers are charging thousands for tickets. More »

(Newser) - Disney’s squeaky-clean billion-dollar High School Musical franchise has been staggered by an amateur nude photo of star Vanessa Hudgens making the rounds on the internet. So far The Mouse is backing Hudgens, but the shot has been ripped by parents. Hudgens is negotiating for the third Musical installment, but some blogs report Disney is now considering Adrienne Ballon of The Cheetah Girls . More »

(Newser) - An estimated 17.2 million viewers tuned into "High School Musical 2" Friday night, making the Disney Channel original the most watched basic cable program in history. Backed by an 18-month promotional blitz, the sequel nearly doubled the debut audience of last year's "High School Musical" and is expected to generate $650 million from spinoff products by the end of 2008. More »