Name	The Last Song
Caption	Theatrical release poster
Director	Julie Anne Robinson
Producer	|Tish Cyrus }}

| writer = | starring = | music = Aaron Zigman | cinematography = John Lindley | editing = Nancy Richardson | studio = Offspring Entertainment | distributor = Touchstone Pictures | released = | runtime = 107 minutes | country = | language = English | budget = $20 million }} The Last Song is a 2010 American coming of age drama film developed alongside the Nicholas Sparks novel by the same name. The film was directed by Julie Anne Robinson in her feature film directorial debut and co-written by Sparks and Jeff Van Wie. The Last Song stars Miley Cyrus, Liam Hemsworth, and Greg Kinnear and follows a troubled teenager as she reconnects with her estranged father and falls in love during a summer in a quiet Southern United States beach town. The film is distributed by Touchstone Pictures.

Sparks was approached to write both the film's screenplay and the novel. Sparks completed the screenplay in January 2009, prior to the completion of the novel, making The Last Song his first script to be optioned for film. The setting, originally North Carolina like the novel, changed to Georgia after states campaigned for months to host production. Upon beginning production in Tybee Island, Georgia and nearby Savannah, The Last Song became the first movie to be shot and set in Tybee Island. Filming lasted from June 15 to August 18, 2009 with much of it occurring on the island's beach and pier. The Last Song was originally scheduled for wide release on January 8, 2010,

Plot

At seventeen, Veronica "Ronnie" Miller (Miley Cyrus) remains as rebellious as she was the day after her parents' ugly divorce and father's subsequent relocation to Georgia three years ago. Once a classical piano child prodigy under the tutelage of her father, Steve Miller (Greg Kinnear), Ronnie now rejects the instrument and has not spoken to her father since he left. While Juilliard School has been interested in her since she was young, Ronnie refuses to attend.

Now, Steve is given the chance to reconnect with his estranged daughter when her mother, Kim (Kelly Preston) sends the rebellious teen and her younger brother, Jonah (Bobby Coleman), to spend the summer with him. Steve, a former Juilliard School professor and concert pianist, now lives a quiet life in Tybee Island, the small Georgia beach town where he grew up, working on a stained glass window for the local church to replace the one the church lost in a fire.

Upon arrival, Ronnie is miserable, hostile and defensive toward all those around her, including handsome, popular Will Blakelee (Liam Hemsworth) whose introduction is crashing into her during a volleyball match, spilling Ronnie's strawberry shake on her. She shrugs him off and meets Blaze, an outcast who lives with her boyfriend Marcus. While at a beach campfire, Marcus hits on Ronnie and Blaze mistakes this for Ronnie flirting with him. Angered by this, Blaze sets Ronnie up by placing a bracelet in Ronnie's bag. When Ronnie walks out she is promptly arrested, reminding her of an incident back at home. Later on, Ronnie discovers a Loggerhead Sea Turtle nest at the beach by her house and while protecting it, she meets Will again on his volunteer work for the aquarium. After a night of staying up to defend the turtles with Will, she discovers he is deeper than she believed.

As Ronnie falls in love with Will, she also manages to form a better, stronger bond with her father. As their relationship deepens, her father collapses with a coughing fit one day. Ronnie immediately takes Steve to the hospital to realize that he had been diagnosed with cancer long before her summer visit. She decides to start spending more time with her father since he is not likely to live much longer. Around the same time, Ronnie and Will get into a fight. With Will leaving for college, there is no time to patch things up.

Steve has been working on a piece of music for quite a while. Fall comes and Jonah has to return to New York for the school year but Ronnie stays behind to take care of her father. Leading a slow life she tries to fill the three years of ignoring her father into a couple months. She continues working on his piece of music (titled "For Ronnie"), finishing what her father could not (because of his hands). When she finally plays the last chord, she realizes that her father died listening to her play, and is heartbroken.

At his funeral she stands up to make a speech but declares that none of the speeches she wrote would ever be able to show how wonderful her father was. Instead, she played the piece of music that her father had been writing but never finished.

After the funeral, while Ronnie is talking to the attendants, she runs into Will. The two make up, and at the end of the movie Ronnie tells Will that she will be attending Juilliard for the second semester. Will surprises Ronnie by revealing that he will be transferring to Columbia in order to be with the girl he loves.

Cast

Miley Cyrus as Veronica "Ronnie" L. Miller, an angry, rebellious seventeen year old forced to spend a summer with her estranged father. She becomes very angry at the fact that her mother sent her there, in the beginning of the film it is obvious Ronnie has stolen before and her rebellious friend encourages her to steal again, Ronnie learns her lesson and pays for the shirt, later Ronnie's friends boyfriend tries to hit on Ronnie and her friend becomes angry and jealous. Greg Kinnear as Steve Miller, Ronnie and Jonah's father and former Juilliard School professor and concert pianist who moved to South Carolina after his divorce. During the summer, Steve reconnects with Ronnie through their mutual love of music. With Jonah's help, Steve also works to reconstruct the centerpiece of the local church, a stained glass window, after the original was destroyed in a fire. a popular and skilled beach volleyball player, Will aspires to attend a top university and volunteers at the Georgia Aquarium. He is Ronnie's love interest. Bobby Coleman as Jonah Miller, Nick Lashaway as Marcus, Blaze's abusive boyfriend who breaks up with her because he wants Ronnie which lead him and Will to fight at Megan's wedding party and the leader of a gang of thugs who hustle money from beach carnival crowds through spectacular fire juggling performances. who befriends Ronnie when she is sent to Georgia. Blaze betrays Ronnie when she frames Ronnie for shoplifting a watch. Adam Barnett as Teddy, a young thug adept at hacky sack and juggling, skills he uses as part of Marcus' crew to hustle money. Nick Searcy as Tom Blakelee, Will's father. Melissa Ordway as Ashley, Will's ex-girlfriend. Carrie Malabre as Cassie, Ashley's best friend who aids Ashley in antagonizing Ronnie. Rhoda Griffis as a Doctor Stephanie Leigh Schlund as Megan Blakelee, who signed on to produce the potential Cyrus film along with his sister and Offspring Entertainment production company partner, Jennifer Gibgot. Tish Cyrus, Cyrus' mother and co-manager, became the film's Executive producer. Cyrus' acting representation, United Talent Agency, then contacted Sparks, also a UTA client, to ask if he had plans for a novel appropriate for a film adaptation starring Cyrus.

At the time, Sparks had been wrapping up The Lucky One and beginning to ponder an original plot for his next book. The author told himself he could "either go younger than 20 or older than 50", having recently written about every age in between. Wary of venturing above 50 again after his memorable hit The Notebook, Sparks had already been leaning toward writing a teenage story when he received a phone call from Gibgot on behalf of the film in August 2008. Sparks recalled, "Jennifer asked if I had anything laying around? I said no, but funny you should say that…" Sparks returned with a premise by the end of July 2008. Sparks explained that such an arrangement was necessary in order to accommodate filming in summer 2009, as Disney had scheduled, The finished screenplay was approximately 100 pages long. While The Last Song is not the first screenplay Sparks has written, it is his first to be optioned for film. The plot of the film and novel remained secret throughout development. The Last Song is Robinson's first feature film, although she is a veteran of television and theater. Robinson previously helmed episodes of American series such as Weeds and Grey's Anatomy and earned a Golden Globe nomination and a BAFTA award for her work on the BBC series Viva Blackpool. In order to film The Last Song, Cyrus' contract for season four of Hannah Montana included an extra long hiatus.

Writing and title

Recognizing the popularity of A Walk to Remember as both a novel and film, Sparks "put all [his] thoughts into that, trying to make the story as different from A Walk to Remember as [he could], but try to capture the same feelings." Ronnie became a composite character inspired by several young women Sparks has known, such as his nieces. Cyrus herself influenced Ronnie fairly little, although her singing career did inspire the musical elements of the story. The film was referred to by the working title "Untitled Miley Cyrus Project" In March 2009, Variety magazine called "The Last Song" a "tentative" title.

Casting

Cyrus chose the name "Ronnie" for her character in honor of her grandfather, Ron Cyrus, who died in 2006. and learned to play classical piano. After she completed filming, Cyrus said that in a case of life imitating art, she had matured and "changed a lot" over the course of her summer in Georgia, similar to the way Ronnie does in the film. "Showing this movie, I feel like I'm really showing a part of my growth as a person as well. So I'm really excited for people to see it."

In April 2009, Disney officials chose Rafi Gavron for the part of Will Blakelee, but switched to Australian actor Liam Hemsworth by May. On May 18, 2009, the decision to cast Greg Kinnear as Steve Miller was made final. After being introduced to Cal Johnson, the film's stunt coordinator, Adam Barnett landed the role of Teddy in May 2009 due to his pre-developed talent in juggling and hackey sack.

Filming

Move to Georgia

{{Quote box |width = 30em |border = 1px |fontsize = 85% |bgcolor = #c6dbf7 |quote = Nobody knows what's going to happen [...] Georgia wants them badly, and we want them badly, and by Monday, there'll be four or five other states that want them badly. |source = —Bev Perdue, Governor of North Carolina Still, Disney remained interested in North Carolina and offered to film there if the state would cut the amount the company would save in Georgia, approximately $1 million, in half. North Carolina officials searched for ways to accomplish this, including applying unsuccessfully for state and Golden LEAF Foundation grants. They also introduced legislation to improve the state’s refund to 25%, Disney decided to work within existing incentive laws and agreed to film in North Carolina as long as the film rights they had bought from Sparks counted as a production cost, thereby saving the company an additional $125,000 to $225,000. North Carolina Governor Bev Perdue set up a press conference on April 1, 2009 to announce N.C.’s victory. North Carolina tax collectors refused to consider the film rights, forcing Perdue to cancel the conference at the last second. Johnny Griffin, director of the Wilmington Regional Film Commission, explains: "Disney makes feature films. They also make television series; they make individual movies for the Disney Channel. By losing this one project, in essence, we've lost all of those opportunities.” Filmmakers convinced the screenwriters to change the setting of the film and to Tybee Island, thus allowing them to incorporate landmarks such as the Tybee Island Light Station and the Savannah Historic District. The setting of Sparks' novel remained in North Carolina. With the city’s name plastered on everything from police cars to businesses, Georgia officials predict a lasting effect on the economy. and $17.5 million to state businesses. Coates oversaw the re-painting of the pier and the construction of the carnival and church.

Location scouts had searched the entirety of Georgia for an aged, isolated oceanfront property to use as a home for the Millers for nearly three months before scout Andy Young came across the "Adams Cottage" on the southern end of Tybee Island. "It was getting down to ," said Young. "Often, it's about the house. It can be a character itself in the movie." The two-story, six bedroom house was built by Adams' great-grandfather in 1918 and was made entirely out of hard pine wood with very few painted surfaces. At the end of filming, Cyrus hoped to fly the church set back to her family's estate in Tennessee. Disney agreed to donate the building to the island after Tybee officials lobbied to keep it, with the condition that its connection to The Last Song not be advertised. The set will be moved to a new location and brought up to code for use as a non-denominational chapel for island weddings; renovations are expected to cost approximately $600,000.

Shooting schedule

Cyrus' busy schedule necessitated that filming take place over the summer. Sparks noted, "She’s got a fall music tour and then she’s back filming Hannah Montana in the spring again. So the only time she had free in her schedule was over the summer." Filming did not take place during weekends. Other scenes which took place in June included the carnival and volleyball tournament, both of which were filmed on the beach near the Tybee Island pier. Filming at the pier wrapped up on June 23, 2009 after shooting the scene in which Kim drops off Ronnie and Jonah to live with Steve. Scenes of the church fire were shot on July 10, 2009. Filming at the Georgia Tech Savannah campus began on July 16. Kinnear finished taping on July 17, 2009. Wedding scenes and a key driving scene were filmed at the Wormsloe Historic Site between July 20 for twelve hours each day. Driving scenes in Isle of Hope, Georgia continued to the 28. By July 30, the movie had returned to Tybee Island for more beach scenes. Chaikin's character framed Cyrus' for stealing a watch on August 6. The funeral was filmed from August 11, 2009 to August 13, 2009 at the church set in Tybee Island. and the cast and crew arrived in Atlanta, Georgia the following day to spend the last days of filming at the Georgia Aquarium.

Loggerhead sea turtles

hatchlings featured in the film were stragglers collected from nests on Tybee and Sapelo Island. Sparks told an interviewer he suspected filmmakers would digitally add more turtles to the scene. The environmentally friendly theme was an added bonus to Tybee Island, which was then promoting ecotourism. and September 18 The director's cut was presented to the studio on October 1, 2009. The Motion Picture Association of America reviewed the film and issued it a PG rating for "thematic material, some violence, sensuality and mild language" three weeks later.

Score and soundtrack

Name	The Last Song: Original Soundtrack
Type	Soundtrack
Artist	Various Artists
Cover	The Last Song Soundtrack.jpg
Released	March 23, 2010
Length	59:25
Label	Hollywood

"When I Look at You", sung by Miley Cyrus, was originally from her EP The Time of Our Lives released August 31, 2009, but was included on the soundtrack because it fit the movie well. The song is used in the background of the film's trailer. At the launch of his album Cradlesong on June 30, 2009, Rob Thomas told the New York Daily News, "My buddy Adam Shankman, who just directed Miley's movie, called me on the phone the other day and was like, 'You have to write a song for this movie.'... I would definitely write a song for her [Cyrus]." The soundtrack features a track by Casey McPherson, frontman of the band Alpha Rev which signed with Disney's Hollywood Records in August 2008. Variety magazine's Anthony D'Alessandro notes that the use of soundtracks as "launch pads" for new Disney artists is a common practice. "A Different Side of Me" by Allstar Weekend was also included on the soundtrack. They are a group newly signed to Hollywood Records after winning the N.B.T. Competition through the Disney Channel. The soundtrack was released in the U.S. on March 23, 2010. Though not featured on soundtrack, Snow Patrol's 2006 single "Shut Your Eyes" and Feist's "I Feel It All" also appear in the film . The soundtrack had a major increase in sales in the week of the DVD release. The soundtrack peaked at #104 on the Billboard 200 albums chart.

Track listing

{{Track listing | total_length = 59:25 | writing_credits = yes | extra_column = Recording Artist(s) | headline = Standard Edition | style="text-align:center;"|80 |}

Singles

"When I Look at You" was released as the lead single from the soundtrack on February 16, 2010. It has peaked at #16 on the US Hot 100 and #24 on the Canadian Hot 100.

"I Hope You Find It" is a track from the album. It received a large amount of digital downloads after the album was made available for online purchase. It debuted at #8 on Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (Hot 100 – #108) chart in the week ending April 10, 2010 and peaked at #5 a week later (Hot 100 – #105) before it dropped out in the week ending April 24, 2010.

Release

while facing a screen playing a film clip of Will and Ronnie.]]

Marketing

Upon the release of the novel on September 8, Sparks began a book tour reaching around 13 cities and gave several interviews. During these events, he discussed writing both the novel and the screenplay. The first clips from the film appeared online on September 11, 2009, interspersed within one version of the "When I Look at You" music video. The film's first trailer was integrated into Cyrus' Wonder World Tour and premiered during the tour's opening night on September 14, 2009 in Portland, Oregon. Midway through each concert, the trailer was shown on large video screens surrounding the stage. After it finished, Cyrus played a white piano and sang "When I Look at You" while film clips continued to play on the screens behind her. The following day, the film's trailer premiered online. The film's premiere was held in Los Angeles on March 25, 2010. Cyrus was originally planned to go to the UK premiere of the film, but due to the April 14, 2010 eruption of the volcano Eyjafjallajökull that blanketed Europe in volcanic ash and grounded all flights to and from the continent, she was unable to attend.

Box office/ Reception

The Last Song had originally been scheduled for a January 8, 2010 release, On February 3, 2010, it was announced the release date had been pushed up by two days, and the film was released on Wednesday, March 31, 2010. for a Wednesday release, garnering $5,125,103 on approximately 3,300 screens at 2,673 theaters, for an average of $1,917 per theater, and topping the daily box office.

Critical reception

The Last Song received negative reviews from critics. Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, gives the film an average of 4/10 and a rating of 19% based on 109 reviews. Selected top critics gave the film a rating of 15% based on 23 reviews. The critical consensus is summarized: "As shamelessly manipulative as any Nicholas Sparks production, The Last Song is done no favors by its miscast and over matched star, Miley Cyrus."

Reviewers were critical of Sparks' and Van Wie's screenplay and formulaic storyline. Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle says the screenplay's faults include several "scenes that make no emotional sense" and claims, "The plot construction is weak. Incidents don't flow one into the next." When reviewing Cyrus's performance, critics acknowledged her stage presence, but were frequently critical of her acting abilities. Jay Stone of The Ottawa Citizen says Cyrus's portrayal of angry Ronnie "consist[s] of pouting and sneering [...] Cyrus doesn't have a lot of range, but she does have presence." Rob Nelson of Variety writes, "Cyrus, alas, hasn't yet learned not to act [...] But she does show off her considerable chops as a pianist and remains reasonably likable throughout." A. O. Scott of The New York Times believes that although "her Hannah Montana persona has a certain aggressive charm", in The Last Song she "play-act[s] rather than exploring the motives and feelings of her character.". Roger Ebert gave the film a mixed 2.5/4. He praised the acting and directing, but derided the plot and Sparks's writing.

Kinnear's performance has been widely praised. A. O. Scott writes, "it’s nice to see Mr. Kinnear play an entirely sympathetic character for a change [but] his slyness and subtlety seem wasted in a project that has no interest in either." Glen Whipp of the Associated Press writes, "Kinnear lends the movie a dignity it doesn't deserve". Stone advises, "I'd watch out for Liam Hemsworth". Reception for Coleman was mixed; Jeff Vice of "Deseret News" calls him a "hammy irritant" while Jon Bream of the Star Tribune writes, "The most memorable acting is by Coleman, 12 [... who] gets a lot of great lines and delivers them with aplomb". Despite the negative reviews from critics, the movie was well received from fans and audiences with a 70% fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes and with an average of a 7/10. Also being rewarded 4.5 stars out of 5 on itunes.

Blu-ray and DVD

The Last Song was released on DVD and Blu-ray on August 17, 2010, and on 6 September 2010 in the UK. It was released in Australia on August 4. As of January 9, 2011, The Last Song DVD has sold 1,557,111 copies in the US, making $28,508,750. More than the 20 million budget.

Awards

{| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Year ! Award ! Category ! Recipient ! Result |- |rowspan="9"|2010 |rowspan="8"|Teen Choice Awards | Choice Movie: Drama | The Cast | |- | Choice Movie Actress: Drama | Miley Cyrus | |- | Choice Movie Breakout Star: Male | Liam Hemsworth | |- | Choice Movie: Liplock | Miley Cyrus & Liam Hemsworth | |- | Choice Movie: Chemistry | Miley Cyrus & Liam Hemsworth | |- | Choice Movie: Dance Scene | Miley Cyrus & Liam Hemsworth | |- | Choice Movie: Hissy Fit | Miley Cyrus | |- | Choice Music: Love Song | When I Look At You | |- | Nickelodeon Australian Kids' Choice Awards 2010 | Choice Movie: Fave kiss | Miley Cyrus & Liam Hemsworth | |}

References

External links

Category:2010 films Category:American films Category:Coming-of-age films Category:American drama films Category:2010s drama films Category:American romantic drama films Category:2010s romantic drama films Category:English-language films Category:Films based on romance novels Category:Films set in Georgia (U.S. state) Category:Touchstone Pictures films Category:Teen romance films

Name	Miley Cyrus
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Destiny Hope Cyrus
Born	November 23, 1992
Origin	Nashville, Tennessee,United States pop rock, teen pop, country pop, electropop, dance pop
Occupation	Actress, author, entrepreneur, fashion designer, singer, songwriter, musician, dancer
Years active	2001–present
Label	Hollywood, Fascination (UK), Avex (Japan)
Associated acts	Jonas Brothers, Billy Ray Cyrus
Url

Miley Ray Cyrus (born Destiny Hope Cyrus; November 23, 1992) is an American actress and pop singer. She achieved wide fame for her role as Miley Stewart/Hannah Montana on the Disney Channel sitcom Hannah Montana. Cyrus recorded music for the soundtracks, Hannah Montana (2006) and Hannah Montana 2/Meet Miley Cyrus (2007), released by Walt Disney Records. With the success of the Hannah Montana franchise she established herself as a teen idol. In 2007, Cyrus signed to Hollywood Records to pursue a solo career. She went on the Best of Both Worlds Tour the same year, in which she performed as both herself and in character as Hannah Montana. The tour was eventually turned into a high-grossing concert film entitled (2008). In July 2008, Cyrus released her first solo album, Breakout (2008), which was commercially successful.

She began her foray into film by providing the voice of "Penny" in the animated film Bolt (2008). Cyrus earned a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song for her performance of Bolts theme song, "I Thought I Lost You". She also reprised her role as Miley Stewart/Hannah Montana in (2009). The introduced her to new audiences within country and adult contemporary markets.

She began to cultivate an adult image in 2009 with the release of The Time of Our Lives (2009), an extended play which presented a more mainstream pop sound, and by filming The Last Song (2010), a coming-of-age drama film. The former included Cyrus's best-selling single, "Party in the U.S.A." (2009). A studio album titled Can't Be Tamed was released in 2010 and presents a new dance-pop sound. The music video and lyrics of the album's lead single, "Can't Be Tamed", portrays a more sexualized image for the entertainer. Cyrus ranked number thirteen on Forbes 2010 Celebrity 100.

Early life

Cyrus was born on November 23, 1992 in Nashville, Tennessee to Leticia "Tish" (née Finley) and country singer Billy Ray Cyrus. Her parents named her Destiny Hope because they believed that she would accomplish great things with her life. They gave her the nickname "Smiley", which was later shortened to "Miley", because she smiled so often as a baby. Cyrus suffers from a mild heart condition causing tachycardia which, though not dangerous, is often bothersome.

Against the wishes of her father's record company, Cyrus's parents secretly married a month after Cyrus's birth on December 28, 1992. She has a half-brother, Christopher Cody, Billy Ray's son from a brief relationship, born the same year as Miley; he grew up with his mother in South Carolina. Tish and Billy Ray had two more children, Braison and Noah. Cyrus's godmother is entertainer Dolly Parton. Cyrus was very close to her paternal grandfather, Democratic politician Ronald Ray Cyrus. Cyrus has paid her grandfather several tributes since his death in 2006, including eventually changing her middle name to "Ray". According to Cyrus's father, "A lot of people say Miley changed her name to Miley Ray because of Billy Ray, but that's not true. She did that in honor of my dad, because the two of them just loved each other to pieces." and attended Heritage Elementary School. She was raised Christian and was baptized in a Southern Baptist church prior to moving to Hollywood in 2005. She attended church regularly while growing up and wore a purity ring. Cyrus would not seriously consider acting until she was eight. Several of Cyrus's siblings also eventually entered the entertainment business: Trace became a vocalist and guitarist for the electronic pop band Metro Station, Noah became an actress, and Brandi became a guitarist.

Career

2001–05: Early work

In 2001, when Cyrus was eight, she and her family moved to Toronto, Canada while her father filmed the television series Doc. Cyrus said watching her father film the show inspired her to pursue acting. After Billy Ray took her to see a 2001 Mirvish production of Mamma Mia! at the Royal Alexandra Theatre, Cyrus grabbed his arm and told him, "This is what I want to do, daddy. I want to be an actress." She began taking singing and acting classes at the Armstrong Acting Studio in Toronto. In her first role, Cyrus played a girl named Kylie on Doc. After sending in a new tape and flying to Hollywood for further auditions, However, her persistence and ability to sing in addition to act led the show's producers to invite her back for further auditions. Cyrus eventually received the lead, renamed "Miley Stewart" after herself, at the age of twelve.

As Cyrus's career took off, Tish Cyrus made several critical decisions regarding her daughter's representation. She signed Cyrus with Mitchell Gossett, director of the youth division at Cunningham Escott Slevin Doherty. Gossett, who specializes in creating child stars, had arranged for Cyrus's auditions for Hannah Montana and is credited with "discovering" her. For Cyrus's music career, Tish followed the advice of Dolly Parton, Cyrus's godmother and a singer herself, and signed Cyrus with Jason Morey of Morey Management Group. "Dolly said the Moreys are people you can trust around your daughter," Tish Cyrus recalls, "and she said they have good morals, which is not always the case in this business." Tish also recruited Billy Ray's business manager to manage her daughter's finances. Tish herself continues to co-manage or produce many of Cyrus's career decisions. and studied with a private tutor on the set of her television show.

2006–07: Hannah Montana and Meet Miley Cyrus

.]] Hannah Montana became an instant hit and propelled Cyrus to teen idol status, according to The Daily Telegraph. The series premiered on March 26, 2006 to the largest audience ever for a Disney Channel show and soon became one of the highest-rated series on basic cable, elevating Cyrus's wealth and fame along with it. Time magazine reports that Cyrus's "phenom[enal]" success is due partially to her talent and partially to "Disney learning to use its vast, multimedia holdings" and market Cyrus and Hannah Montana appropriately. Cyrus eventually became the first artist to have deals in television, film, consumer products, and music within The Walt Disney Company. "The Best of Both Worlds" is credited to "Hannah Montana", the pop star Cyrus portrays on the series by the same name. As with other songs credited to Montana, Cyrus typically dressed as the character when performing the song live. Cyrus's first release under her own name was a cover of James Baskett's "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah", released on April 4, 2006 on the fourth edition of DisneyMania. Dressed as Hannah Montana, Cyrus opened for The Cheetah Girls on twenty dates of their The Party's Just Begun Tour, beginning on September 15, 2006. On October 24 of same year, Walt Disney Records released the first Hannah Montana soundtrack. Of the nine tracks on the soundtrack performed by Cyrus, eight were credited to "Hannah Montana" and one, a duet with her father titled "I Learned from You", was credited to Cyrus as herself. The album peaked at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart.

The second season of Hannah Montana premiered on April 23, 2007, and ran until October 12, 2008. Cyrus signed a four-album deal with Disney-owned Hollywood Records and, on June 26, 2007, released a double-disc album. The first disc was the soundtrack to the second season of Hannah Montana, while the second, titled Meet Miley Cyrus, was Cyrus's debut album credited to her own name. The double-disc album peaked at number one on the Billboard 200 and was later certified three times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Meet Miley Cyrus generated "See You Again", Cyrus's first single to be released under her own name and her first top ten hit on the Billboard Hot 100. In Fall 2007, Cyrus launched her first tour, the Best of Both Worlds Tour, to promote Meet Miley Cyrus and the Hannah Montana soundtracks. With the Jonas Brothers, Aly & AJ, and Everlife as her opening acts, Cyrus toured from October 17, 2007 to January 31, 2008 with stops in the U.S. and Canada. Tickets sold out in minutes and were scalped for up to $2,500 and an average of $214, well above their $26–$65 face value. A Ticketmaster official commented, "Hell hath no fury like the parent of a child throwing a tantrum. People who have been in this business for a long time are watching what's happening, and they say there hasn't been a demand of this level or intensity since The Beatles or Elvis."

2008–09: Breakout, transitions and film career launch

After the end of the Best of Both Worlds Tour in January 2008, Walt Disney Pictures released , a 3D concert film of the tour, on February 1, 2008 for what was expected to be a one-week run. The film earned $29 million at the box-office and an average of $42,000 per theater, twice the expected total, convincing Disney executives to extend the release for an indefinite run. "We don't want to turn away kids from the theaters who couldn't get into the concerts," said Chuck Viane, Disney's chief of distribution. The was released by Walt Disney Records/Hollywood Records on March 11, 2008 and peaked at number three on the Billboard 200.

On July 22, 2008, Cyrus released her second studio album under her own name, entitled Breakout. Cyrus said Breakout was inspired by "what's been going on in my life in the past year." Cyrus co-wrote eight out of twelve songs on the album. The album debuted at #1 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart and its lead single, "7 Things", peaked at number 9 on the Billboard Hot 100. She hosted the 2008 CMT Music Awards with her father in April and the 2008 Teen Choice Awards by herself in August. Cyrus provided the voice of Penny in the 2008 computer-animated film Bolt, which was released on November 21, 2008 to critical acclaim. Cyrus also co-wrote and recorded the song "I Thought I Lost You" as a duet with John Travolta for the film, for which she received a Golden Globe nomination. In September 2009, she participated in the charity single "Just Stand Up!" in support of the anti-cancer campaign Stand Up to Cancer and in the City of Hope Benefit Concert in support of cancer research and training programs. She also became involved in Disney's Friends for Change, an environmentalist group, for which she recorded the charity single "Send It On" along with several other Disney Channel stars.

Cyrus had already begun transitioning to a more grown-up image in late 2008, when her representatives negotiated a deal for novelist Nicholas Sparks to write the screenplay and novel basis for a film that would serve as a star vehicle for Cyrus by introducing her to audiences older than the young fans she had gained through Hannah Montana. Sparks and co-writer Jeff Van Wie developed The Last Song. In March 2009, Cyrus published Miles To Go, a memoir co-written by Hilary Liftin chronicling her life through age sixteen. Cyrus starred as Miley Stewart/Hannah Montana in , released April 10, 2009. Both the film and its soundtrack, which contained twelve songs performed by Cyrus, achieved commercial success. The soundtrack's lead single, "The Climb", became a Top 40 hit in twelve countries and introduced Cyrus to listeners outside her typical teen pop audience. Cyrus had considered ending Hannah Montana after its third season, which finished production on June 5, 2009, but Disney retained and exercised its option for a fourth season.

Production on The Last Song lasted from June 15, 2009 to August 18, 2009. In between, Cyrus launched the third Hannah Montana soundtrack, recorded the extended play The Time of Our Lives, and released the EP's lead single, "Party in the U.S.A." Cyrus said The Time of Our Lives "is a transitioning album. [...] really to introduce people to what I want my next record to sound like and with time I will be able to do that a little more." "Party in the U.S.A." debuted at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 for her best-ever ranking on the chart. The Time of Our Lives was released in conjunction with a clothing line co-designed by Cyrus and Max Azria for Walmart.

From September 14, 2009 to December 29, 2010, Cyrus toured on her Wonder World Tour to promote Breakout and The Time of Our Lives. On December 7, 2009, Cyrus performed for Queen Elizabeth II and numerous other members of the British Royal Family at the Royal Variety Performance in Blackpool, North West England.

2010–present: Can't Be Tamed and focus on film career

Production on the fourth and final season of Hannah Montana began on January 18, 2010. In the aftermath of the 2010 Haiti earthquake, Cyrus appeared on the charity singles "" and "Everybody Hurts". Her third studio album, Can't Be Tamed, was released on June 21, 2010. The album's first single is the title track, "Can't Be Tamed". The single was released for sale on May 18, 2010 and entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number eight. Cyrus's costumes and dances while promoting Can't Be Tamed were also considerably more provocative than previous performances, arousing media criticism. After releasing the album, Cyrus intends to take a break from the music industry in order to focus on her film career. She commented, "I've not taken, like, acting lessons or anything, but it doesn't mean I don't need to because I'm sure I do [...] I'm probably going to go book an acting coach." Cyrus has also decided to opt out of college for the same reason, saying "I'm a firm believer that you can go back at any age you want, because my Grandma went back to college at 62 [...] For right now, I really want to focus on my career. I've worked hard to get to where I am now, and I want to enjoy it while it lasts."

Cyrus starred in The Last Song, which was released on March 31, 2010, and received generally poor reviews, as did Cyrus's performance. Nonetheless, the film was commercially successful, grossing more than $88 million at the worldwide box office. According to box-office analyst Exhibitor Relations, the film marked "a successful transition to adult roles for Miley Cyrus."

The fourth and final season of Hannah Montana began airing on Disney Channel on July 11, 2010 and is scheduled to end in 2011.

As of December 2010, Cyrus is set to star in two more films, and So Undercover. In LOL, a remake of a 2008 French teen comedy, Cyrus plays "a daughter who is involved with all the wrong kids, doing drugs, failing school, but [...whose] mother has her on this perfect pedestal" and says "[She] just fell in love with the story." Miley's character loses her virginity, smokes cannabis, gets wasted and kisses two girlfriends on the lips. She will also star in So Undercover, an action comedy film. Cyrus will play the part of "a tough, street-smart private eye hired by the FBI to go undercover in a college sorority." She will learn street fighting for the role. Parade magazine reported she was the richest teenage celebrity and that her franchise would be worth approximately $1 billion by the end of the year. With Cyrus's increased success came increased media attention. In a May 2008 interview with The Los Angeles Times, Francois Navarre, the proprietor of the X17 photo agency, said Cyrus's market value had picked up considerably after the Vanity Fair photo controversy: "She's started to sell more. [...] It used to be $300, and now it's $2,000 for a picture." Estimates for a picture of the then-15 year old's first kiss ranged from $30,000 to $150,000.

Cyrus celebrated her 16th birthday at Disneyland with a charity fundraiser for Youth Service America, a youth volunteer service organization.

At the end of 2009, Billboard magazine ranked Cyrus the fourth best-selling female artist and the fifth best-selling singer overall. Forbes ranked her #29 on the Celebrity 100 and reported she had earned a total of $25 million.

On October 8, 2009, Cyrus deleted her account on the social networking site Twitter, citing a desire for more privacy. She also told Parade magazine, "I deleted my Twitter account because I said on there that I believed in gay marriage because everyone should have the right to love each other, and I got such hate mail about my being a bad person." Cyrus was very popular on the site: her account was watched by approximately 2 million Twitter users in addition to the general public at the time of deletion.

On October 26, 2010, less than a month before Cyrus's eighteenth birthday, her father Billy Ray Cyrus filed for divorce from her mother in Tennessee, citing irreconcilable differences. In a statement made to People the next day announcing the split, the couple said, "As you can imagine, this is a very difficult time for our family... We are trying to work through some personal matters. We appreciate your thoughts and prayers."

Controversies

In December 2007, a brief controversy emerged when photos Cyrus had posted on her private MySpace account, depicting her and a female friend sharing a piece of licorice, were spread across the internet. "For me, I was like, That's two girls—it's not a big deal. But they got spread around. Like someone copied and pasted and said, Omigod, look at this, and blah blah blah," said Cyrus.

In April 2008, several provocative images of Cyrus in her underwear and swimsuit were leaked onto the web by a teenager who hacked Cyrus's Gmail account. Cyrus described the images as "silly, inappropriate shots" and stated, "I am going to make mistakes and I am not perfect. I never intended for any of this to happen and I am truly sorry if I have disappointed anyone." On April 25, 2008, the televised entertainment program Entertainment Tonight reported that Cyrus, then 15, had posed topless for a photoshoot taken by photographer Annie Leibovitz for Vanity Fair. On April 29, 2008, The New York Times clarified that though the pictures left an impression that she was bare-breasted, Cyrus was wrapped in a bedsheet and was actually not topless. Some parents expressed outrage at the nature of the photograph, which a Disney spokesperson described as "a situation [that] was created to deliberately manipulate a 15-year-old in order to sell magazines." Gary Marsh, president of entertainment for Disney Channel Worldwide, was quoted by Portfolio magazine to have said, “For Miley Cyrus to be a 'good girl' is now a business decision for her. Parents have invested in her a godliness. If she violates that trust, she won't get it back."

In May 2008, Gossett, Cyrus's longtime acting agent, left Cunningham Escott Slevin Doherty for United Talent Agency, partially with the hope of "giving Cyrus the major-agency backing that would support a widening career", according to The Hollywood Reporter. About a year later in June 2009, Cyrus left both Gossett and UTA, which had recently negotiated her deals for The Last Song and the fourth season of Hannah Montana, and joined the Creative Artists Agency, which had already represented her for music. Nikki Finke, who broke the news, reported, "Is this fair to UTA? Of course not. But I hear the decision was made by Miley's mother Trish Cyrus".

Cyrus's performance of "Party in the U.S.A." at the 2009 Teen Choice Awards incited a media uproar, with some viewers criticizing Cyrus's provocative outfit and inclusion of a brief pole dance as inappropriate for her age, then sixteen, and for her young fans. Conversely, Newsday reported that her sexualization "has been coming for some time." Cyrus was also criticized that year for dating Gaston, five years her senior, and for a photo displaying Cyrus and friends making "slant-eyed" expressions, which the Organization of Chinese Americans claimed was offensive to the Asian community. Cyrus apologized for the photo on her website, defending her actions and saying, "In NO way was I making fun of any ethnicity! I was simply making a goofy face."

Later in 2010, TMZ released a video of Cyrus, then 16, giving Adam Shankman, producer of The Last Song, a lap dance at the film's wrap party. Cyrus's father defended her actions, saying Miley was just "having fun" and that "it's what people her age do". Later that year in December, TMZ released a video of Cyrus, which took place five days after her 18th birthday at her Los Angeles home, in which she is seen smoking from a bong. She claimed she was smoking the psychoactive plant salvia divinorum, although this has not been confirmed by anybody but Cyrus herself. Salvia is legal in the state of California, and Cyrus was of legal age at the time the video was shot. Cyrus's father expressed his sadness regarding the matter on Twitter, saying, "Sorry guys. I had no idea. Just saw this stuff for the first time myself. Im so sad. There is much beyond my control right now".

Relationships

Cyrus told Seventeen magazine that she and Nick Jonas had dated for two years and "were in love", but were "fighting a lot" by the end. In February 2008, Cyrus and her friend opened a YouTube account and began posting videos of what they called The Miley and Mandy Show. The show, described as a "YouTube hit," is said to be filmed for fun by Cyrus and Jiroux and to be entirely their work, with Cyrus and Jiroux editing the footage together.

In June 2009, Cyrus ended her nine month relationship with model Justin Gaston shortly before flying to Georgia to film The Last Song. While filming later that month, Cyrus began dating her co-star in The Last Song, Australian actor Liam Hemsworth. She later called him her "first serious boyfriend". In August 2010, it was confirmed that her relationship with Hemsworth had ended. Cyrus and Hemsworth were seen together a month later, and were reportedly back together. It was announced in early November that the couple had split again.

Filmography

{| class="wikitable sortable" |+ Films ! Year ! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |- | 2003 | Big Fish | Young Ruthie | |- | 2007 | High School Musical 2 | Girl at pool | Disney Channel Original Movie |- | 2008 | | Herself | 3D Concert film |- | 2008 | Bolt | Penny (voice) | |- | 2009 | | Miley Stewart / Hannah Montana | |- | 2010 | | Veronica "Ronnie" Miller | |- | 2010 | Sex and the City 2 | Herself | Cameo |- | 2011 | | Lola | Remake of French film |- | 2011 | Justin Bieber: Never Say Never | Herself | Cameo |- | 2011 | So Undercover | Molly | Filming |}

{| class="wikitable sortable" |+ Television ! Year ! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |- | 2001–2003 | Doc | Kylie | Recurring role |- | 2006– 2011 | Hannah Montana | Miley Stewart / Hannah Montana | Lead role |- | 2006 | The Suite Life of Zack & Cody | Miley Stewart / Hannah Montana | "That's So Suite Life of Hannah Montana" (Season 2, Episode 20) |- | 2007 | | Celebrity Star (voice) | "Frog Prince" (Season 2, Episode 5) |- | 2007–2008 | | Yata (voice) | Recurring role |- | 2009 | | Miley Stewart / Hannah Montana | "Double-Crossed" (Season 1, Episode 21) |}

Discography

Albums

Meet Miley Cyrus (2007)

Breakout (2008)

Can't Be Tamed (2010)

EP's

The Time Of Our Lives (2009)

Live Albums

Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert (2008)

iTunes live from London (2009)

Hannah Montana Albums

Hannah Montana (2006)

Hannah Montana 2 (2007)

(2009)

Hannah Montana 3 (2009)

Hannah Montana Forever (2010)

Tours

Best of Both Worlds Tour (2007–08)

Wonder World Tour (2009)

Awards and nominations

List of awards and nominations received by Miley Cyrus

References

Further reading

External links

}} |- |- |- |- |- |- Category:1992 births Category:2000s singers Category:2010s singers Category:Actors from Tennessee Category:American child actors Category:American child singers Category:American Christians Category:American female singers Category:American film actors Category:American pop singers Category:American singer-songwriters Category:American television actors Category:American voice actors Category:Bubblegum pop Category:Fascination Records artists Category:Hollywood Records artists Category:Living people Category:Miley Cyrus

Category:Musicians from Tennessee Category:People from Franklin, Tennessee Category:People from Nashville, Tennessee Category:Southern Baptists

Caption	Hemsworth on June 5, 2009, while on break from filming The Last Song
Name	Liam Hemsworth
Birth date	January 13, 1990
Birth place	Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Occupation	Actor
Yearsactive	2007–present
Url	www.LiamHemsworth.com

Liam Hemsworth (born 13 January 1990) is an Australian actor best known for his roles as Josh Taylor in the soap opera Neighbours and as "Marcus" on the children's television series The Elephant Princess. He appeared in the American film The Last Song, released on March 31, 2010. Hemsworth's elder brothers, Chris Hemsworth and Luke Hemsworth, also became actors and provided a path for Hemsworth to emulate. He attended his first audition at the age of sixteen and began his career in 2007 with guest spots on the shows Home and Away and McLeod's Daughters. Hemsworth's character, Josh Taylor, was a recurring character from 2007 to 2008. In the show, Josh was an athletic parapalegic who supported and began a relationship with character Bridget Parker after she was paralyzed down one side of her body in a car crash. In 2008, Hemsworth began acting on the children's television show The Elephant Princess, playing "Marcus", the attractive lead guitarist of the protagonist's band. Hemsworth later had roles in the television series Satisfaction and starred in the British film Triangle. He also made a brief appearance as an MIT student in the film Knowing. Hemsworth moved to the States in March 2009 for screen tests. Though he eventually lost the part to Chris in May, Nikki Finke reported that Hemsworth had been in Los Angeles for just three weeks and had not yet found an agent when he was cast. Hemsworth next appeared in the music video for Cyrus' "When I Look at You" which was recorded on August 16, 2009.

In September 2009, Hemsworth appeared at a dinner event to promote Foxtel, an Australian pay television company. Later that month, it was announced that Hemsworth was in negotiations to star in Arabian Nights, a 3D action film that will be directed by Chuck Russell for Inferno Entertainment. It was later confirmed that he will be starring in the movie. He has also reportedly been offered the lead role in "Northern Lights" after "Twilight" star Taylor Lautner withdrew from the David Ellison-financed project. He and Miley Cyrus won the "Fave Kiss" category.

Personal life

Hemsworth was born in Melbourne, Australia as the youngest of Craig and Leonie Hemsworth's three sons. His elder brothers, Chris Hemsworth and Luke Hemsworth, also became actors and provided a path for Hemsworth to emulate. a small island. Hemsworth says he spent much of his time there surfing with his brothers.

Griffin claims Hemsworth returned to Australia to end their five year relationship during summer 2009, after filming The Last Song. Griffin believes Hemsworth did so in order to date his co-star in The Last Song, actress Miley Cyrus. Hemsworth and Cyrus denied the allegations. In March 2010, Cyrus admitted that she and Hemsworth had been in a relationship for ten months. On August 25, 2010, his rep confirmed that he and Cyrus have split." In September, 2010 after Cyrus returned to LA; the couple reunited. It was announced in early November that the couple had split again.

Philanthropy

Hemsworth is the ambassador the Australian Childhood Foundation. Hemsworth talked about becoming the ambassador to the Childhood Foundation, "I have the best parents you can have. They have worked in child protection for twenty years and have only ever given me encouragement and support. The world is a scary enough place as it is for children. It is important that home should always be a safe place for them." When asked if he believed he was a hero to children. Liam modestly responded: "I don't know if I'm a hero to children, but I'd like to be. I'd like to be a good role model."

Filmography

Awards

{| border="2" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 90%;" |- style="background:#ccc; text-align:center;" ! colspan="5" style="background: LightSteelBlue;"|Awards |- style="background:#ccc; text-align:center;" ! style="text-align:center;"| Year ! style="width:50px;"| Result ! style="width:150px;"| Award ! style="width:425px;"| Category ! style="width:200px;"| Nominated Work |- | 2010|| || Young Hollywood Awards || Young Hollywood Breakthrough of the Year || The Last Song |- | 2010|| || Teen Choice Awards ||Choice Movie: Male Breakout || The Last Song |- | 2010|| || Teen Choice Awards || Choice Movie: Liplock (Shared with Miley Cyrus || The Last Song |- | 2010|| || Teen Choice Awards ||Choice Movie: Drama|| The Last Song |- | 2010|| || Teen Choice Awards ||Choice Movie: Chemistry || The Last Song |- | 2010|| || Nickelodeon Australian Kids' Choice Awards 2010 ||Kids Choice: Fave kiss || The Last Song |}

References

External links

Category:1990 births Category:Actors from Melbourne Category:Australian expatriate actors in the United States Category:Australian television actors Category:Living people