Hannah Montana by Original Soundtrack/Hannah Montana

Hannah Montana is an American children's television series which debuted on Friday, March 24, 2006. Miley Cyrus stars as Miley Stewart/Hannah Montana, who lives a double life as a normal 14-year-old girl at school during the day and a famous pop star (Hannah Montana) at night, hiding her real identity from the public. When she performs, she wears a long blond wig so no one will recognize her.

I have been a super fan of the comedy series for a long time now (I believe I have seen every episode, probably at least 3 times each), but I never imagined she would break out into such an exciting pop singer too.

Miley was named Destiny Hope Cyrus because her parents thought that she would accomplish great things. And that she has!!

This CD/DVD television soundtrack was released on October 24, 2006 by Walt Disney Records and debuted at #1 on Billboard 200. The soundtrack has since been certified Platinum. It includes many of the songs featured in the series. Breaking a record on the Hot 100, the album debuted six singles on the chart - the most by an artist in one week. I know this CD/DVD was #1 for at least 2 weeks and I just checked and it is presently #5 after 5 weeks, so it is still going strong.

You get a music DVD of 5 performances by Hannah Montana along with the CD. My favorite songs on the DVD (in order of my favorites first) are: 1) Best of Both Worlds (the theme song to the show), 2) Who Said (which was also sung on the TV show at the end of the Dolly Parton guest starring episode), 3) Pumpin' Up the Party (where it looks like Hannah is performing in dotted pajamas and pillow fights occur), 4) Just Like You, and 5) The Other Side of Me.

Her songs all have positive messages, such as in "Who Said:"

"Who Said, Who Said I Can't Be Superman
I Say, I Say, That I Know I Can
Who Said, Who Said I Won't Be President
I Say, I Say, You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet"

On the music CD you get 8 songs by Hannah Montana, 4 songs by other artists, and one duet by Miley Cyrus and her dad Billy Ray Cyrus (yes, he's the singer that sung "Achy Breaky Heart"). The songs are (in the order of my favorites first) (the first 8 are by Hannah Montana):

The Best of Both Worlds
Who Said
Just Like You
Pumpin' Up the Party
The Other Side of Me
I Got Nerve
This is the Life
If We Were a Movie
I Learned From You - Miley and Billy Ray Cyrus
Find Yourself in You - Everlife
She's No You - Jesse McCartney
Pop Princess - The Click Five
Shining Star - B5

The Hannah Montana songs are very catchy. She has many fans as was evidenced when she sang on Good Morning America on 10/23/06. She sang "Best of Both Worlds" and "I Got Nerve" to an enthusiastic crowd. The next day she appeared on Regis & Kelly Show and sang "I Got Nerve." Regis butchered her name calling her Hiley Cypress and eventually Miley Cypress. It was rather humorous, because Kelly would say it correctly and then Regis messed it up.

I'd like to say a little about the TV series Hannah Montana. The series premiere scored record ratings for Disney Channel: 5.4 million viewers, a response "beyond our wildest expectations," according to the president of Disney Channel Entertainment.

In case you are wondering if this is just a United States hit, let me inform you that the show is shown in Asia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Sweden, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom. This is a popular show worldwide.

The series is set in modern day Malibu, California. It centers on Miley Stewart's (Miley Cyrus) life as a student at an average middle school. Nobody except her dad, brother, and two best friends knows that she is the famous pop superstar, Hannah Montana. She lives in a house by the beach with her father Robby (Billy Ray Cyrus) and 16-year-old brother Jackson (Jason Earles). The Stewarts are Nashville, Tennessee transplants. Jackson and Miley's mother died four years ago according to the show's plot, leaving singer-songwriter Robby a widower and the sole caretaker of their children, giving up his previous career as a famous country singer. He is also the disguised manager of Hannah Montana. Miley's two best friends Lilly Truscott (Emily Osment) and Oliver Oken (Mitchel Musso) also live nearby and attend school with her.

That's a little overview of the cast. I will list a few of my favorite episodes, in no real order:

1) When Lilly sneaks backstage into Hannah Montana's dressing room after a concert and discovers that Hannah is really her best friend Miley.

2) Vicki Lawrence guest starring in an episode where Hannah has to perform before the Queen at the same time her brother has a big championship volleyball match and Vicki has to choose.

3) Any episode with Hannah and her "maybe/sometimes/never" boyfriend/student Jake Ryan - handsome movie star.

4) The episode where Miley is so fed up with the star treatment Jake gets at school that she tells a reporter that she's a star also - the famous Hannah Montana. Then her dad and brother devise a little plot to dissuade the reporter when she comes to their house. Hilarious episode!

5) When her boyfriend at the time (Josh) told Miley first that he hates Hannah Montana, then decides to give Hannah a chance to change his mind by asking Miley to be his date at the Hannah Montana concert he bought 2 tickets for. She "reluctantly" accepts and her dual identity is really tested here. A very funny episode!

Oftentimes the Disney Channel runs Hannah Montana marathons. Try to catch them or else just tune in on weekend nights usually around 7 or 8 p.m. I guarantee you will become a fan of the show (it is more addictive than potato chips - you just can't stop at one).

One more thing I almost forgot to mention, in this new season there will be a new character for Miley, that of Lou Anne, her country cousin. Now Miley will be busy with three roles on "Hannah Montana."

I know it might sound strange that someone my age enjoys this show, but sometimes I feel like the world's oldest teenager - as my favorite deejay growing up in Philadelphia Jerry Blavat would probably call me "a yon teenager." As Jerry always said, "Keep On Rockin', Because You only Rock Once."


Now I'd like to try something different, a feature called:

"Random Thoughts of a Computer Illiterate":

1) If Penny Pen makes a mistake, does Ira Inkblotter get all over her (see my comment on williampinn's 100th review if you have no idea what I am talking about).

2) On the same note, if Peter Pencil makes a mistake, does Eric Eraser get all over him (eeww).

3) Was Faith Hill's reaction on the 2006 Country Music Awards the funniest thing you ever saw (when she didn't win that award which went to Carrie Underwood)? Faith, don't count your chickens... Also, who presented that award - Miley and Billy Ray Cyrus, who also were presenters on the American Music Awards.

4) Question: If Hannah Montana married Joe Montana, would she still be Hannah Montana or Miley Montana? I sometimes ponder over such important issues. Inquiring minds need to know.

5) Was there anything more beautiful than Christina Aguilera singing her song "Hurt" with Sasha Cohen skating to it on the recent Christmas at Rockefeller Center show? I think not.

6) I just want to give a "shout out" to my favorite people on Epinions - I'll only list 5, so if you are not mentioned, you are most probably #6:

a) williampinn - William is a great writer. I enjoy reading his reviews and commenting on them. He has encouraged me to put some of my ideas on my own reviews instead of only on the comments to his reviews, so I'm trying it out here.

b) drdevience - Lori was the first person to trust me on the WOT and has written some nice things about me. She writes whatever is on her mind (in her own unique way) and I'm trying to do the same. Her reviews are always cool to read.

c) iffl1938 - Barbara seems to have a lot in common with me, living in Miami, going through hurricane experiences, etc. Maybe I'll bump into her some day at Mo's Restaurant or Katz's Deli in Aventura.

d) beckish - Becky always writes from the heart, and has done so for many years (sometimes mentioning good experiences as well as bad). I enjoy reading her reviews, but I wonder why she never seems to respond to comments (as opposed to William, who always does).

e) Don Krider - a genuinely nice guy who, everytime I seem to comment on a review, he's already been there and commented. We seem to like some of the same rock groups of the past. Kudos to him.

7) I'm baffled: When I wrote a recent review on AC/DC, I received a comment saying that I give too much history of the artist on my reviews, but many months earlier when I wrote a review on Cynthia, someone wrote "Who the hell is Cynthia?" What gives?

8) I recently went into a well-known record store and was asked by the manager if he could help me. I asked if he had anything on my favorite singer, Marion Raven. He said he never heard of her. My question: Are record stores behind the times? How long can they continue to push Guns 'n Roses and Ozzy Osbourne. Come on people - this is almost 2007.

9) When will Marionmania hit the U.S.? She was great singing with Meat Loaf a few weeks ago on the Today Show and on the Megan Mullally Show. And wasn't Megan Mullally super cool in singing "Paradise By the Dashboard Light" with Meat Loaf? That was a surprise.

10) A late addition to my "Epinions World" parade is Timmy "Ten Dollar" Epinions Bill. He is almost invisible - not many people have ever seen him.

11) Is Borat today's funniest comedian? His movie was great and his recent appearance on the Jay Leno show was hilarious (the one with Martha Stewart). When Martha Stewart was showing Borat the right way to make a bed and Borat got under the covers and removed his underpants, Martha & Jay couldn't stop laughing. He is hilarious.

12) Who are your favorite comedians of today? Mine are Jackie Mason, Lisa Lampanelli, and Lewis Black --and, of course, Borat.

13) Who are some of your favorite comedians of all time? Two that come to mind are Jackie Gleason in the Honeymooners (with Art Carney) and Mr. Bean. Borat reminds me of Mr. Bean a bit - entertaining & crazy. I also used to love the Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts - they were great and very funny (and don't forget Archie Bunker (Carol O'Connor) in All in the Family and Fred Sanford (Redd Foxx) in Sanford and Son.

14) Since I am computer illiterate and have no idea how to post my picture on any of the computers that I use, I will describe myself. In college at the U. of Miami, some people thought that I looked like Manny Fernandez of the Miami Dolphins in the early 70s. I think that I look a lot like Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul, and Mary (you know, the short one). I also see similarities with Ben E. Carlos, the drummer with Cheap Trick. I know you probably thought I was a cross between Brad Pitt and George Clooney - sorry to disappoint you (and I've never adopted a foreign child or stayed up all night drinking limoncellos either).

15) If anyone wonders where the "24" comes from in davidp24, it is not my age. Growing up in Philadelphia, my favorite basketball player was Wally Jones, #24, who played at Overbrook High School, went to college at Villanova University, and was the missing link that the '66-'67 NBA Philadelphia '76ers obtained which helped that team beat the "hated" Boston Celtics that year to win the NBA Championship and be named as one of the greatest teams of all time. Wally was a ballhandler extraordinaire, who could break any press, and his shots were so long-range and off-balance sometimes that the public address announcer (the great Dave Zinkoff) would shout "Wally, by Golly" when one of his wild shots went in. He was my favorite athlete growing up, hence the #24.

16) If Justin Timberlake is bringing sexy back, where was it before?

17) 62 year old Joe Frazier recently got back into the ring. He looked bad, but it was for charity. Kudos to Smokin' Joe.

18) I hear that they are making a new movie called "Happy Feet 2," starring Emmitt Smith and Mario Lopez.

19) This was a true story I heard recently. One night a weatherman (presumably in the midwest) predicted a major blizzard about to hit their city that same night. Well, the front (or blizzard) stalled. The weatherman the next night had to explain the situation, and the female anchorwoman blurted out "What about the 9 inches you promised me last night?" (Folks, I don't make this stuff up.)

20) I just learned that the modern day "Santa" with his rosy cheeks came from a 1931 Coca Cola ad. Didn't know that.

21) Is there any "hotter" singer on this planet than Paulina Rubio, who was on the Jay Leno show a few days ago? I think not.

22) Is Daniel Craig, perhaps, the best James Bond ever? Casino Royale was fantastic, and so was the new Bond.

23) In January, I begin my 34th year on the job with the same company (after graduating from the U. of Miami). How did I last so long? Easy! When I began the job on 1/3/74, I was told "you'll be here as long as it takes until you do your job right." Well, I'm getting closer.

24) Life is one big comedy show. Don't forget to laugh, be jolly, and have a lot of fun. And, of course, don't forget to tip the bartenders (actually, I don't even drink).

25) Tis a lot of fun writing these random thoughts. Yes, I did say "Tis." Yes, the dreaded "T" word. I think it means "This is," but who really knows (raised eyebrow). Anyway, the holiday season is the only time we are allowed to use this word. Believe it. It's the law!!

Well, I hope that you like these Random Thoughts. In the words of the great philosopher Eric Burdon: "Please Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" and "It's My Life and I'll Do What I Want."

Wishing all of you Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and Happy Holidays!!!!