Perhaps against my better judgment, I like Demi Lovato quite a bit. I’m not particularly fond of her crazy hats and apparent 1980s Madonna style fetish, but she’s a pretty good egg for a Disney kid and a girl who seemingly can’t help but constantly fall back into Wilmer Valderrama’s arms. Talk about a potentially fatal flaw, right?

Still, Demi has a very decent set of wits about her and has admitted when she’s been out of line in the past. She’s also in the very precarious process of recovering from an eating disorder, which she talked about at great length and for which she suffers horrible comments after gaining back some much needed weight. So it comes as great news to learn that Demi stook up against the House of Mouse and called out a very tasteless eating-disorder joke made by a character on the “Shake It Up” show — a revolting program filled with brats that deserves to be called out for a lot more:

Demi Lovato’s health has improved since seeking treatment for “emotional and physical issues” a year ago, but the topic of food is still a sensitive one.

After watching a recent episode of the Disney Channel’s “Shake It Up,” the actress, 19, took to Twitter to express her anger and disapproval after a character made the comment, “I could just eat you up, well, if I ate,” in jest.

“What are we promoting here? #notfunnyATALL,” she Tweeted on Friday. “I find it really funny how a company can lose one of their actress’ from the pressures of an EATING DISORDER and yet still make [a] joke about [it].”

And the network took notice.

Later that day, Lovato got a response from a Disney Channel rep, who said they were pulling the episode she originally referred to, along with an episode of So Random! that also pokes fun at food issues.

“It’s NEVER our intention to make light of eating disorders!” @DisneyChanelPR wrote shortly after Lovato’s comments.

The “Skyscraper” singer thanked the network, but added that she misses the days when actresses like Raven-Symoné and Hilary Duff were on the channel because now everyone on it seems to be “getting THINNER AND THINNER.”

[From People]

Don’t you love how Disney Channel’s PR immediately responded when Demi brought the issue to light? They should know what’s on their programs and catch this crap before the script even makes it into the hands of its actors. But of course it takes one of their former sitcom stars calling them out to take even the slightest notice of a problem that could (and does) influence far too many young girls. Shame on Disney Channel and good for Demi.

Photos courtesy of Fame

A rare Disney hand-drawn, 2D animated feature grabbed the top spot this weekend at the box office, surpassing both “The Blind Side” and the Matt Damon film “Invictus.” But what is more surprising: that Disney can still open a film, even without a little help from the animation wizards at Pixar, or that the movie is actually getting very positive reviews? The film has been getting a lot of attention for the fact that it’s the first Disney film to feature an African-American female protagonist. It also is one of the few animated features to use old-school techniques instead of the more modern computer-generated graphics.

In what was neither a blast-off nor a crash, The Princess and the Frog marked Disney’s return to 2D animation with $25 million in its debut weekend in wide-release. Mid-December releases are notorious for insanely long legs. The last traditional 2D Disney cartoon to open in this slot, The Emperor’s New Groove (the funniest toon of the decade and Eartha Kitt’s finest hour) in 2000, made 9.1x its $9.3 million opening weekend ($89.3 million). So it’s tough to ascertain long-term prospects for this one. So let’s just concentrate on the opening we

ekend. First of all this movie is pretty terrific. It’s funny, emotional, scary, and genuinely romantic; so everyone who has kids or likes animation should really make a point to check it out before the end of the year. Second of all, the cold truth is that this opening was actually pretty weak. When you consider the publicity that this film received for its ‘groundbreaking’ African American characters and the buzz over the return to traditional 2D cell animation, I’m pretty sure Disney was hoping for at least a bigger opening than Bolt or Meet the Robinsons. Heck, it barely beats out the October 03 $19 million opening of Brother Bear when adjusted for inflation ($23 million at 2009 prices). And it certainly sold fewer tickets than the various $20-$22 million openings of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Hercules, Mulan, and Atlantis: The Lost Empire back when Disney was in an alleged post-Lion King ‘slump.’

Having said all of that, in terms of pure dollars, it still had the biggest 2D opening since Lilo and Stitch, which opened with $35 million back in June, 2002 ($43 million adjusted for inflation). Besides, this film was very much a ‘girl movie’, and there has always been a certain hesitancy for boys when it comes to seeing female-centric entertainment. Girls will flock to The Lion King or Tarzan, but guys have to be dragged to Mulan.

I won’t go so far as to say that women (and men) should flock to movies like this in order to convince the studios to make more, as that’s not my business. But I will say that Princess and the Frog is a worthwhile antidote to the discomforting gender politics in New Moon (down a reasonable 48%, new total – $267 million). And the $105 million budget is actually quite a bit less than the $175 million-ish budgets of the recent Pixar or Disney 3D works and/or the Dreamworks features. So it doesn’t have to do Pixar business to make a tidy profit.

And, as noted above, it’s a very good movie, so I imagine there’s a decent chance of real legs as it becomes the family movie of choice for the rest of the year. Yes, Alvin and the Chipmunks: the Squeakuel will open big on Christmas Day, but it won’t have the staying power of the first film as there will actually be demo competition this time. If you’re a parent, which film would you rather take your kids to? And Disney seems to be playing a long game with their prized animation library. No one should have expected Disney to hit Lion King numbers ($41m/$70m adjusted) the first time out anymore than they should have expected Michael Jordon to score 55 points in his first post-retirement comeback game.

The traditional 2D animated film started dying out right around the time that opening weekend numbers exploded (summer 2001), so there’s only so much fair comparison to be made between this 2009 film and the films from the lower opening but leggier 1990s. Point being, I sincerely hope that this frog’s legs are strong during the brutal one-two punch of Avatar and Sherlock Holmes over the holidays.

[From Huffington Post]

Even “Entertainment Weekly” film critic Lisa Schwarzbaum, who hates everything, gave the movie an “A.” As for the question, “Which movie would you rather bring your kids to: Princess and the Frog or Alvin and the Chipmunks? sequel?” I’m going with “none of the above,” and choosing the new Sherlock Holmes movie! One of the perks have having kids who are a little older is that I don’t have to sit through cartoons all the time.

One promotional image from ‘The Princess and the Frog’. Anika Noni Rose at the premiere of ‘The Princess and the Frog’ in California on October 15, 2009. Credit for all: WENN.

I’m just going to start this off by saying there are some perverts at Disney. Not everyone – probably. But enough of them. Remember that penis castle on the “Little Mermaid” cover art? That is not Photoshop ladies and gentlemen, it’s legit. I’ve got the same cover on the original VHS clamshell tape case for my second grade copy. Now Snopes says this is just urban legend, but the drawing is in fact legit. The urban legend is just that a disgruntled illustrator did it on purpose. Apparently it was accidental or whatever. Then there’s the whole thing with the word “sex” appearing in a cloud of dust in “The Lion King” – which seems to be legit. And the picture of a topless woman in “The Rescuers” – which even Snopes admits is true. So I’m just saying, there are some perverts at Disney. And some of them are clearly still employed there, though displaying their predilections in a much more subtle fashion.

A few months ago I wrote a story about how Disney is trying to stick their brand all over healthy food like fruits and vegetables and eggs instead of Chicken McNuggets (yums) and McDonald’s legendary flat hamburgers. My favorite are the High School Musical avocados. I bought a bag the other day, and I swear the taste of a nice creamy avocado combined with the face of Zac Efron was positvely delightful. Slap some Laughing Cow on a cracker and you’ve got one heck of a snack.

So Disney said they were planning on rolling out a bunch of other healthy items to lure in the kiddies. The Washington Post suggested a Hannah Montana banana. Genius, right? Unfortunately Disney discarded that perfectly clever – and super marketable – idea, in favor of Hannah Montana cherries. Red, ripe cherries from the 16-year-old who just did a pole dance on an ice cream cart the other day.

And I bet you didn’t know she had more than one! Seriously, Disney is the wrongest wrong of all the wrongs. Chris Hansen needs them to put down that iced tea and have a seat….

In future news, Hannah Montana’s red cherries have sold out! The entire stock was bought by a man named Mark McLeod-Cyrus [Miley’s stalker].

[From Dlisted]

It’s obviously possible this is all innocent. But my point by going over Disney’s perv history is showing there’s a chance it isn’t, too. I mean think of all the other fruits and veggies out there. Why not bite into a nice Hannah Montana kiwi? Or a nice bowl of organic blueberries? I guess there could be some inherent problems with the banana idea, but they’re all still preferable to cherries. And think how many brands Disney has to promote. How did this particular combination seem like the best way to go?

Last night I made the loveliest Donald Duck mashed cauliflower. I was a little disappointed by the finished dish – it tasted like it had no duck in it whatsoever. The only flavor I could detect was some nasty cruciferous vegetable. But clearly Disney’s plan is working, because here we are talking about it – and eating it. Now if only I had some pitted fruit to munch on.

According to the Washington Post, Disney is working a new kind of marketing: health. They ended their long-running McDonalds marketing contract (no more oddly immobile cheap Cinderella or Little Mermaid dolls along with your four McNuggets) and instead decided to plug fruits. And vegetables. And eggs. Actual foods. While it could have been a risky move, Disney has seen nothing but positive results, both in terms of profitability and the pats on the back for corporate responsibility.

When the cartoon Popeye the Sailor Man emerged in the United States in the 1920s, sales of his signature food, spinach, rose by one-third. Today, Disney is hoping that Zac Efron can do the same for avocados. And Mickey Mouse for eggs. And Tinker Bell for corn on the cob.

Disney’s practice of licensing its characters for placement on children’s food products is not new, but its strategy is. Whereas cereal boxes and fast-food bags used to be prime real estate for company-to-kid marketing, alarming rates of childhood obesity caused Disney to think twice about aligning its name with sugary or fatty foods. So over the past few years, Disney has gradually distanced itself from junk food. It ended its McDonald’s Happy Meal contract in 2006 and has been expanding its association with healthier foods since then. The result: an abundance of Disney-branded healthy stuff, including fruits, vegetables and dairy products.

This explains the advent of Disney-branded eggs, which landed on store shelves in Florida and New York in late March. The outside packaging of the egg carton brandishes Mickey’s smiling mug and the message: “Good source of Protein.” Each eggshell has been stamped with the face of a different Disney character — from Tigger to Buzz Lightyear. Skeptics may doubt that any parent would pay more for branded eggs or that kids would eat them just because of a cartoon endorsement. But, however silly it may seem, if the past is any indicator, these eggs will be golden for Disney.

[From the Washington Post]

Disney started by branding apples the only way they could: the little stickers. Their best promotion is the “High School Musical” avocado. You read that right. At first I was wondering how they managed to get Zac Efron on an avocado – aside from the possibility of that teeny, tiny sticker. What they ended up doing was putting HSM promotional photos on the top packaging of avocado bags. And it worked really well for them: after the summer avocado season came the fall release of the latest “High School Musical” film. No word on if there was any product placement, like Efron casually pulling a wholesome avocado from his shirt and munching on it. Maybe playfully throwing the pit at Vanessa Hudgens.

Can you imagine if they found a way to actually put their images on the pits? There are all sorts of crazy things you can do with … farm technology. I have no idea what the word for crazy vegetable science is. But someone gave me a plant where you were supposed to write a word on the seed, plant it, and the word would bloom on it. I haven’t actually gotten around to this veggie techno marvel, but I assume it works. I’m guessing there’s a place for Disney promotional material on a variety of fruits and vegetables – and more creative places than a sticker.

Regardless of if this is about corporate social responsibility or just making a buck, I’m all for it. I say do whatever it takes to make healthy food appealing to kids. I grew up in the eighties, when Happy Meals came inside those awesome toy boats in the summer, and you could collect a variety of outfits for your McNuggets. Who in the world would want an apple compared to that? I think if someone had stuffed a plastic “101 Dalmations” dog inside that apple (I’m not pretending to know how… or that it’s safe), I would have been a lot more likely to eat towards that prize.

The Washington Post talks about a Hannah Montana banana, which I believe is about the next best idea to stuffing plastic toys inside fruit. But I think they’re almost limiting themselves by being too practical with stickers and cardboard packaging. Why not a purple and silver glitter covered banana, with Miley Cyrus’ face on it? Or somehow dressing it up to look like her microphone? I may be getting carried away, but I think I have a real future in making produce cross-promotion snazzier.

Disney unveiled the cartoon image and the doll of their new black princess about a month ago. Tiana, the cartoon “princess”, works as a waitress, and then she kisses a frog and then she becomes a frog… then there’s a swamp and a voodoo curse, and maybe she becomes a princess and her frog friend becomes a prince, something like that. But all hell is breaking loose!

Amongst the issues: Tiana’s hair (straight), her original name (at first is was Maddie, but that drew “slave name” complaints) and one of the biggest issues – Disney’s first black princess doesn’t have a corresponding black prince! The prince is being voiced by a Brazilian actor, and the cartoon image (and description) of the prince as “neither white nor black, but portrayed with olive skin, dark hair and, need we state the obvious, a strong chin. The actor who plays him, Bruno Campos, hails from Brazil”.

Long ago and far away, she was an unnamed little princess in a little story called the “The Frog Prince.” She and her amphibious friend lived in a very small, mostly forgotten corner of the fairy tale universe.

Many years passed.

And then one day, through the magical powers of Disney animation and commercial marketing, the forgotten little princess was transformed into Tiana, a beautiful black princess from New Orleans. She became the star of “The Princess and the Frog,” a movie set to premiere in November. Her doll and toy set were unveiled last month, and the Disney promotional machine is already humming, for Tiana is the first Disney princess in more than a decade, and the first ever to be black.

[While] Disney has brought us nonwhite princesses before (see “Mulan,” “Pocahontas”), Tiana is a first. The implied message of Tiana, that black American girls can be as elegant as Snow White herself, is a milestone in the national imagery, according to a range of scholars and cultural historians.

Her appearance this holiday season, coming on the heels of Michelle Obama’s emergence as the nation’s first lady, the Obama girls in the White House and the first line of Barbie dolls modeled on black women (“So in Style” debuts this summer), will crown an extraordinary year of visibility for African American women.

But fairy tales and folklore are the stories that cultures tell their children about the world around them, and considering Disney’s pervasive influence with (and marketing to) young girls, Princess Tiana might well become the symbol of a culture-changing standard of feminine beauty.

On its most basic level, “The Princess and the Frog” is a vintage Disney princess fairy tale, in hand-drawn (2-D) animation, a Broadway-style musical. It draws inspiration from an 18th-century fairy tale from the British Isles, and “The Frog Princess,” a 2002 teen novel from Maryland writer E.D. Baker. Disney transferred the story to 1920s New Orleans and changed her name, race and almost everything else.

In the Disney version, Tiana is a young waitress and talented chef who dreams, like her father, of owning her own restaurant. She eventually kisses a frog and is transformed into one. She must journey into the dark bayou to get a magical cure from a good voodoo queen. She is aided by a goofy firefly and a trumpet-playing alligator. The frog turns out to be handsome Prince Naveen, from the far-off and fictional land of Maldonia.

The stills released by the studio show Tiana in full princess regalia: a powder-blue gown, tiara and hair in an elegant upsweep.

Tony Award winner Anika Noni Rose voices Tiana. Other parts are played by Oprah Winfrey, John Goodman, Terrence Howard and Keith David. The music is by Oscar winner (and New Orleans veteran) Randy Newman. It is directed by Ron Clements and John Musker, the same team behind “Aladdin” and “The Little Mermaid.”

[Disney stresses] Tiana will be one of the “strongest” Disney heroines yet. The criticisms the film got over the character’s name in early drafts (“Maddy,” short for Madeline, was perceived by some to sound like a “slave name”) were only hiccups on the way to a finished product, he says, noting that one of his most popular creations, Buzz Lightyear in “Toy Story,” was named “Tempest” at one point.

The message that Tiana learns in the film — Disney characters always learn something by movie’s end — is that balance is important in life. Jazz Age woman that she is, Tiana needs both love and a career to find happiness.

Tarshia Stanley, a professor of English at Spelman College in Atlanta who often writes and teaches about portrayals of black women in film, says that the character’s hair — straight and pulled back in early images released by the studio — seems to be the appropriate, middle-of-the-road bet, too.

“They might as well make it straight so little girls can comb it when the doll comes out,” she notes, wryly. “We as African American women haven’t fully dealt with how sensitive the subject of our hair can be, so I certainly wouldn’t expect Disney to know what to do with [that issue].”

(Prince Naveen, for the record, is neither white nor black, but portrayed with olive skin, dark hair and, need we state the obvious, a strong chin. The actor who plays him, Bruno Campos, hails from Brazil.)

[From The Washington Post]

I don’t really mind that Disney’s first black princess doesn’t have a corresponding black prince, but I do wonder why Disney did that. Would it have been so weird or strange to have a frog turn into a black prince? Voiced by an African-American actor? Why didn’t it occur to anyone at Disney to change the story? Originally, the rumor was that the prince would be totally white, not even a whiff of “olive skin”, so obviously changes were made at some point.

You know what’s weird? No one is raising a ruckus about the voodoo. That really surprises me. The conservative Christian community might raise a stink about that, considering they had issues with the magic in Harry Potter movies and books. Or is voodoo acceptable? Doubt it.

Disney has decided to create their own version of the oft-mocked 1985 song “We are the World,” which was written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Ritchie. The original was performed by a “supergroup” of singers and musicians including Stevie Wonder, Willie Nelson, Diana Ross, Daryl Hall, Smokey Robinson, and many others. The Disney version will star Miley Cyrus and the Jonas Brothers and will be called “Pass It On.”

E! News has learned that Miley Cyrus is set to reteam with her ex-flame (and Mouse House coworker) Nick Jonas as part of an all-star recording session for a song called “Pass It On”—a track an inside source calls “Disney’s version of ‘We Are the World.’ It’s about kindness and passing it on.”

Fellow Jonases Joe and Kevin are also among those on board for the track, which is being recorded later this week. The tune was penned by Adam Anders and Nikki Hassman, who wrote Cyrus’ Hannah Montana hit “Hoedown Throwdown.”

Cyrus, the JoBros and other Disney musicmakers will shoot the “Pass It On” video on Saturday.

[From E!]

The article says that the song will feature Miley, the Jonas Bros. and “other Disney musicmakers,” so one can assume the video will also include stars like Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato (who Disney is trying to mold into the next Miley).

The announcement of the song once again brought up the history between Miley and Nick Jonas. Miley denies the rumors that there is any kind of bad blood between them, but come on – it’s drama queen Miley Cyrus we’re talking about. She recently said that Jennifer Aniston is “so classy” because she handled her divorce with Brad so well. Um, Miley? We are still getting soundbytes from Jen about Brad four years after their divorce. Don’t tell me we’ll still be fed the “Nick and I are good friends” line in half a decade.

Header photo of Miley Cyrus whispering something into Nick Jonas’s ear as they arrive at the 2009 Kids Choice Awards in L.A. on Saturday. It certainly doesn’t look like there’s any bad blood between them. Image thanks to Pacific Coast News.

There has been a ton of gossip over the last year that Miley Cyrus doesn’t want to do her Hannah Montana shtick anymore. There were rumors that she and her dad Billy Ray were acting like divas on the set of the TV show in an attempt to get fired. But the dynamic Cyrus team clearly realized the bad publicity wouldn’t help them towards their ultimate goal (global tween domination) and changed their attitudes, putting on a full court PR press. It’s all about how much Miley loves the role, loves the show, loves Disney, etc. Though she did slip in that she obviously can’t be Hannah Montana forever.

Miley Cyrus hopes Hannah Montana: The Movie (out April 10) won’t be the last time people get to see her beloved Disney character.

“This movie was never meant to be the end of Hannah Montana,” she tells April’s Billboard magazine. “The thing is, a lot of people put where the show’s future lays in my hands — and it’s not up to me. It’s up to Disney and whether they want more episodes, and we hope that they do.” (A Disney Channel rep says the network is still considering the option to renew the show for a fourth season.)

Still, the 16-year-old — who recently released the memoir Miles to Go — says she has come to terms that her Hannah Montana days are winding down.

“It’s just an honor for people to be able to relate to me and my music — and not so much the character anymore,” she says. “I can’t be Hannah Montana forever. I have to have something after this. I can’t do this when I’m 30.”

[From Us Weekly]

I would love to see Hannah Montana at 30 and find out if she turns into the major skank I suspect she really is. Seriously though, is there any chance Disney wouldn’t renew the show for another season? I like how they’re playing all coy about it, and Miley’s acting like she’s so eager to please. When in fact they’re probably mailing her golden dollar bills (much better than gold or money alone – gold shaped into the form of money) and sending president/CEO Robert Iger over with a basket of mini muffins and tears streaming down his face. Please.

If Miley and Disney are smart, they’ll both bleed this thing dry. I really doubt she’s going to be able to transition into the adult market successfully. And Disney’s got a cash cow. Save your money honey – unless you really do want to play Hannah Montana: Senior Center Reunion.

Here’s Miley Cyrus visiting Borelli/B2V Salon in Hollywood last Wednesday. Images thanks to WENN .

Would you strip for a Johnny Depp lookalike?

Disneyland park in Anaheim, California is retiring the live actors that play Captain Jack Sparrow of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. While officials say they’re no longer actively promoting the films, which won’t come out in a fourth installment featuring Johnny Depp until 2012, rumor has it that the park had another reason to get rid of the dashing Depp lookalikes. Women were lifting their tops to pose with the dirty pirates, compromising the family-friendly image of Disneyland. A former employee says it’s true and claims that’s why the actors lost their job right before the holidays:

Disneyland management has fired the four actors who played pirate Jack Sparrow because officials were worried about young female park-goers flashing the swashbuckling actors late at night, according to one former cast member.

“They lost control when they saw Jack Sparrow,” said former pirate Brandon Pinto, who left the role after a dispute with management a year ago. “This is a sexy, rock-star pirate.”

The pirate actors said they were told they were no longer needed at about the same time that
additional fairies were added to the park’s cast, presumably to promote Disney’s new movie “Tinkerbell.”
Disneyland officials confirmed that the pirate was indeed fired (due to declining relevance and diminishing visitor requests), but flatly denied published reports that the dismissal had anything to do with female fans flashing their breasts at the swashbuckling actors who portray Jack Sparrow at the Anaheim theme park.

Disneyland spokeswoman Suzi Brown called the breast-flashing rumors “absolutely false” and “simply not true.”

The animatronic characters on the Pirates of the Caribbean water-wide will remain, according to Disneyland officials.

The fired Jack Sparrow actors greeted visitors and posed for photos on Tom Sawyer Island and occasionally wandered around New Orleans Square near the POTC ride. Disneyland promises the bad boy buccaneer, made famous by Johhny Depp in the trilogy of movies, will eventually return — “some day.”

[From KTLA.com]

Would you show your boobs to Jack Sparrow? You would hope there are plenty of cocktails involved for the ladies in question. While you can’t drink at Disneyland there are margaritas to be had at nearby Downtown Disney and California Adventure. It wouldn’t take much to get me to take my top off for Johnny Depp, but I would like to think that an imposters wouldn’t inspire as much foolishness.

Images by photographer salady found on Flickr.

Disney returned the favor Miley Cyrus has given them in the form of Hannah Montana by throwing her a huge sweet sixteen birthday party complete with fireworks set to the the dual-personality star’s hit “The Best of Both Worlds.”  Rolling a PR, advertising, and tween-fan stunt all into one, Disney took the opportunity to plug their “What Will You Celebrate?” tourist campaign and give a hefty donation to Youth Service of America organization.

In one of the evening’s big highlights, Disney CEO Bob Iger will present a special gift of $1 million to Youth Service America on behalf of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. Disney has worked with YSA since 2004, providing “Disney Minnie Grants” to support youth-led community service projects that engage young people between the ages of five to 14 from around the world.

“On behalf of everyone at Disney, I’m happy to wish Miley a very happy birthday and celebrate this special occasion with a donation to Youth Service America,” Iger said. “We’re delighted to have Miley join in Disney’s great legacy of giving back through volunteerism while encouraging kids everywhere to do the same.”

[From Breitbart]

Miley arrived at the big birthday party walking a carpet of her favorite color, purple, with other Disney Channel stars to celebrate with more than 5,000 people at the Happiest Place on Earth.  She performed a short concert, including a duet with her dad, Billy Ray, of course, and then took 10 lucky Youth Service of America volunteers on the Disneyland rides.  If you’ve ever been to any “special” event at anything Disney, you know the Mouse loves pyrotechnics, so a “spectacular farewell in front of Sleeping Beauty’s castle” commenced with a Happy Birthday sing-along and a sky lit like a birthday cake as Miley blew out the candles on the real one in front of her.

But it wasn’t fun and games and Splash Mountain for everyone.  Miley’s party date landed on the last day of Disneyland’s annual Gay Days which brings upward of 30,000 people to Disneyland for the unofficially designated three days each year. Disney bowed to their Tween Queen’s request to close the park early, cutting time off the the 3-day event.  Gay Days attendees were tolerant, though, and said it was their day to go across the concrete to California Adventure anyway, which is staying open late to be accommodating.

The Gay Days organization seems to be taking the shift in stride. “Yes, Miley Cyrus is having her birthday at Disneyland on Sunday, October 5, and Disneyland will be closing at 5 p.m. that day,” reads a note on its Web site. “That’s our scheduled day at Disney’s California Adventure, so we don’t foresee any changes to Gay Days Anaheim. Although we would love her to come sing for us!”

[From MTV Newsroom]

Like no other sixteen-year old I know, Miley declared the birthday party at Disneyland “really awesome” and swore she’d never forget it.  At least not until the drunken, hot tub party she has planned for later.

Miley Cyrus is shown below out shopping with friends in LA on 10/4/08. Credit: WENN

Over the last few months, barely a day goes by without new, inappropriate candid photos of teen star Miley Cyrus leaking on the Internet. Miley making out with a boy. Miley in the shower posing in a wet T-shirt. Miley and a friend making a video making fun of two other Disney proteges. The big question is, why in the world would Disney’s darling act out so inappropriately when her entire career as America’s Sweetheart is at stake? Well, a recent story at E! Online may hold the answer. Miley herself told E! News’ Marc Malkin that she thought this was the final season of the top-rated Hannah Montana TV show. When Malkin reported this, Disney was quick to respond, saying that not only is Cyrus shooting a Hannah Montana movie at present, she’s also shooting the third season of the TV show and has signed on for a fourth.

Miley Cyrus may be getting ready to say goodbye to Hannah Montana. Or at least she’s thinking about it.

The 15-year-old superstar feels the time may be right for her hit Disney Channel series to come to an end.

“We’re thinking this is our last season,” Cyrus tells me.

Update: Just heard back from a Disney rep regarding Miley Cyrus and talk about the end of Hannah Montana.

“Miley said it best when she said she’s delighted to be part of the Disney family,” the rep wrote in an email. “We start production on the third season of Hannah Montana on August 4 and have an option for a fourth season beyond that. We look forward to the Hannah Montana feature film coming to a theatre near you in Spring 2009.”

[From E! Online]

Could it be that Miley wants out of her Disney contract, just like Hillary Duff before her? Of course, when Hillary Duff wanted out of her contract for the hit show Lizzie McGuire, she just smiled and played along, waiting patiently for it to run out, and then didn’t renew. Miley, 15, doesn’t seem to want to wait that long. Perhaps all these antics have a purpose- to piss off Disney enough that they’ll fire her. We’ll have to wait and see.

Miley Cyrus is shown with her mom on 7/26/08 in Beverly Hills after spending six hours at the salon getting new extensions put in. Credit: Fame. She is also shown on 7/27/08 getting frozen yogurt. Credit: Splash News