BONUS: 20 Years of Hannah Montana!

In this special bonus episode, Candace and Ali take a walk down memory lane and discuss all the ways that Hannah Montana launched Miley Cyrus into stardom and eventual icon status. 

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Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:00

Hey everyone, Candace here. Just wanted to pop in before the episode starts. I have to assume that if you are hearing this, then you are exclusively listening to the podcast. And that's how it's been up until now. Starting with this episode and continuing on into season two, you can now watch Zillenial Rewatch on YouTube. Unfortunately, season one is still audio only for now. But we will let you know if they ever become available to watch. So whether you're a listener only or you decide to watch our conversation in real time, we hope you enjoyed this bonus episode and season two. That's the most viewed episode of Hannah Montana.

SPEAKER_00 0:48

Duh. I I probably could have told you that. It's because we watch it on repeat. Hey, welcome back to the Zillenio Rewatch Podcast.

SPEAKER_02 1:04

Thanks for watching in season two. I don't know how. This is just a fun little in-between.

SPEAKER_00 1:09

Tell the people what's going on today.

SPEAKER_02 1:12

Today, 20 years ago, the pop star of my heart hit the scene.

SPEAKER_00 1:18

Mother.

SPEAKER_02 1:18

Ms. Hannah Montana. And yes. First episode on Disney Channel premiered today, 20 years ago.

SPEAKER_00 1:26

And we wouldn't let this just slide by without mentioning it. It's legendary, right? She's our girl. Like that is, as you said, mother. Mother.

SPEAKER_02 1:38

Mother Miley.

SPEAKER_00 1:39

So this is not season two just yet. This is a bonus episode because we couldn't help ourselves. In fact.

SPEAKER_02 1:48

You got that right.

SPEAKER_00 1:50

Our whole second season is really just like paying tribute to 2006. I won't spoil everything that we're gonna do, but there's a lot of big things that happened media-wise in 2006, and this is just the beginning.

SPEAKER_02 2:03

Truly just the beginning. And I can't wait to get into the rest of season two, but that's not what we're here for today. This is just literally revolt today.

SPEAKER_00 2:12

Yes! Literally just a celebration of Miley Cyrus. That's that's what's happening here on this podcast.

SPEAKER_02 2:20

That's all it is. I'm in my well, not in my best. I tried to give Lily Trescott. Oh, cute. Don't know if it worked, but here we are.

SPEAKER_00 2:31

Slay. I love the um the boots in the background.

SPEAKER_02 2:38

Thank you. That's my my Easter egg shelf. Look out for it every episode.

SPEAKER_00 2:42

You've heard of Boots on the Ground, but have you heard so have you heard of Boots in the Background? Just today. I think we should just dive right in. We have so much to talk about and we're so excited. Like, let's just get on with it, eh? Let's get into it. You want to take it away? Gladly. I thought you'd never ask. Okay, so there's so many different things that we could talk about in regards to Hannah Montana. We could talk about the movie, we could talk about the music, we could talk about Miley's legendary icon status. And we sort of are gonna talk about that. But Candace and I sat down and we were like, okay, what is the message that we want people to walk away with after this episode? Like, what is this episode going to be about? And we decided to talk about how Hannah Montana was the perfect springboard to launch Miley Cyrus from just a talented kid into a full-blown icon, legend, diva queen, extraordinaire. And we're gonna get into like what about the show made it that perfect springboard. Took the words right out of my mouth. Because it for real was. Like, can we just talk about that for a second?

SPEAKER_02 3:47

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 3:48

It set her up to be that girl, and she hasn't spent a single moment of her life since doing anything other than being that girl.

SPEAKER_02 3:57

Like, I didn't know anything about Miley Stars before Hannah Montana, because I really don't think there was much out there with her in it for real. Like, no, I think she had a little part on a show that her dad was doing. Yep. Like years before, and obviously they were going through like audition processes and whatnot, but she wasn't center stage, and she sure wasn't going by Miley Cyrus.

SPEAKER_00 4:23

No, destiny hope.

SPEAKER_02 4:26

Destiny Hope. Because it was her destiny to have hope.

SPEAKER_00 4:30

No, have you heard her talk about that?

SPEAKER_02 4:32

Amen.

SPEAKER_00 4:33

Uh yeah. Isn't that crazy? Like, Billy Ray Cyrus really was like, I'm gonna name her Destiny Hope because it is her destiny to bring hope to the world. What? What kind of pressure is that to put on an individual? Is it pressure or is it clairvoyant? Okay, alright. I'll leave. I I am not a Billy Ray Cyrus apologist. I am actually a Billy Ray Cyrus hater, and the words coming out of your mouth were giving a little bit of uh fan, Billy Ray Cyrus fan. Me? I'm just saying. Pish posh.

SPEAKER_02 5:08

That was a joke. That man don't want anything to do with him.

SPEAKER_00 5:13

And we might not get into all that today. That might be for a whole nother episode.

SPEAKER_02 5:17

Mm-hmm. That might be a different bonus episode of the rise and fall of the Cyrus family.

SPEAKER_00 5:24

Dude, the Cyrus family has the cr like just the craziest lore, honestly. We'll talk about a tiny bit of it today, but I mean the tip tippity top of the iceberg when it comes to them.

SPEAKER_02 5:34

I mean the Genesis was this show. But hey, let's get into the actual show, shall we? Talk about it. So as I said before, Hannah Montana aired 20 years ago today, March 24th, as a lead-in to a viewing of a rerun of High School Musical, which, as we know, premiered like less than two months before this. So it was like, here's this new show, and then here's something that we know you already like. I just thought that was perfect. So true. Um I did watch the very first episode of Hannah Montana when it aired.

SPEAKER_00 6:04

So you're bringing up a really good point, is that I think our whole generation associates Hannah Montana with high school musical because we all remember that back-to-back viewing. Like, if you ask most people, like, do you remember where you were? Do you remember watching the first episode of Hannah Montana? They'll always say, Yes, because I was watching high school musical. You know, that's the one they mentioned. But Hannah Montana actually premiered after Cowbells sandwiched in between cowbells and a rerun of high school musical. So it was the premiere of Cowbells and the premiere of Hannah Montana. And then High School Musical is just what played afterwards. But nobody associates Hannah Montana with Cowbells. Personally, I think, just because HSM was maybe bigger and more successful.

SPEAKER_02 6:51

I didn't even realize that.

SPEAKER_00 6:53

Which is honestly T because Allie and AJ were originally they were offered the roles of what is now Miley and Lily. They had different names back then. So that would have been so crazy if Cowbells premiered and then right after was another Allie and AJ premiere. Yeah, that's a little much. Disney loved them. Disney wanted them to do their big one.

SPEAKER_02 7:13

I do know that, like you said, they were up for those roles. But one of them, I think it was Allie, was like, I want to focus on my music. So she didn't take the role because I think she was gonna be Miley. Hannah. Yeah. Or Hannah, yeah. I mean it it this this always happens. It's like, can you see someone else in that role after someone else has already filled it? And the answer is always no, because in cases like this, Miley was just perfect for the role of Hannah Montana. And we'll get into that. Do you remember where you were when you first saw this, by the way?

SPEAKER_00 7:43

Just at home. Just like Yeah. Just at home sitting and watching. Probably in my bedroom. And I do remember, I really did like the movie Cowbells. Like I I remember that one fondly. Um because it featured the Mashakas, and I was an Alien AJ girl back then. So I feel like this probably was like a peak night of television in my home with a viewing party of one. Maybe my family watched. I don't remember.

SPEAKER_02 8:10

I don't think I watched Cowbells. Like, I don't remember that at all. So you saying that, I'm like, huh?

SPEAKER_00 8:19

That's what I'm saying.

unknown 8:21

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 8:21

People don't remember it. Me. I was in Texas. I was at my aunt and uncle's house. I'm pretty sure I was on spring break. Me and my cousin, shout out Sarah. We were sitting up in the game room, like media room, just watching Disney Channel. And that was big because up until probably right about this point, I hadn't been much of a Disney kid. Ooh, tease. This was like my I'm gonna stick with Disney now. Like I had the channel, I will say that, but I was always on Nickelodeon. And then, you know, I wanted to feel cool, be cool, because all the cool girls were watching Disney Channel. So I started watching like That's a Raven. And that was the only thing I watched. And then High School Musical came out and I was like, hmm, I like Disney Channel. And then Hannah Montana came out and I was like, I really like Disney Channel. You said I'm a Disney girl. I'm a Disney girl now. Still kind of SpongeBob on the side with a couple other Nickelodeon shows. But Hannah Montana was like my introduction into the Disney world. And after that sew Raven.

SPEAKER_00 9:26

I was gonna say the way you brought up that Sew Raven is kind of the perfect segue because what we started talking about was like, like, okay, what about this show made it that perfect springboard, that perfect launching board? And just the show concept, period, is part of it. The double life and everything with that, we can talk about that in a second. But in an interview recently, Raven Simone said that TV stars feel more intimately related to the public than movie stars. Because exactly what you're saying, and exactly what I just said, I watched in my bedroom. You watched in your familial, you know, media room with your family. Like we didn't have to buy a ticket, we didn't have to go anywhere. These people came into our homes every week. And so we felt like like we felt like we knew them, and like, I don't know, before parasocial was really like a term that people were throwing around. Like we felt like we knew Miley Stewart slash Cyrus slash Hannah Montana because she was kicking it in the media room with us. She was in our bedroom, you know.

SPEAKER_02 10:23

She was, as she put in her last Hannah Montana album, just an ordinary girl.

SPEAKER_01 10:31

Quit.

SPEAKER_00 10:32

I want to break out into songs so bad, but I'm so nasally that it's it's um I'm it's just just know that ordinary girl is playing in my head lyric for lyric right now.

SPEAKER_02 10:43

I'm just an ordinary girl. Sometimes I'm crazy. I get bored, I get scared, I feel in ignored. She's just like us, and I think like I'll probably say this over and over again, but being able to live that double life was something that we all probably wanted. We wanted to be the pop star, we wanted to be the famous, you know, person that everyone liked, but without the fame, you know? And now that I'm saying that out loud, I'm like, I don't know if I would want that anymore. So true person. Because I immediately think about like influencers.

SPEAKER_00 11:24

Oh my god, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 11:24

It's like they have the popularity, but are are we famous or are we just I don't know. It's a weird line. It's like at what cost?

SPEAKER_00 11:32

You know what I'm saying?

SPEAKER_02 11:33

Yes, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 11:34

But that's exactly what the show did so well is that like her being famous didn't fix her problems, it didn't solve anything for her, it only made her life more complicated, which I think is good, you know?

SPEAKER_02 11:45

Yeah. The writer, I don't know how to say his last name, but Poiez. Por Yes. Michael Porries said that his goal wasn't to focus on the gimmick of living this double life, but it was to write about characters and relationships exploring real issues and how they would be affected by her celebrity lifestyle. Which I think that's awesome because again, it just shows how real she is, like on the inside of this famous and well-known person.

SPEAKER_00 12:14

Well, that's the Disney of it all, right? Is like it's not gimmicky. I mean, I guess some things on Disney are, but their whole thing is like they had heart, you know? And so even even though this concept is like larger than life and she's a celebrity and Dolly Parton's there, and blah blah blah, like at the end of the day, most of the show was about her interpersonal relationships with her close friends and her family.

SPEAKER_02 12:38

Yeah, it was almost as if Hannah Montana was like the side story of Miley Stewart. Yeah. Because again, no one knew except for her and her family and a couple close friends.

SPEAKER_00 12:49

Just another quick note on like the concept slash like creation of the show. So around the time that they started like pre-production of the show, uh the Cheetah Girls had been massively successful. Brittany Spears was in her, I don't want to call like downfall era. That's not really what it is.

SPEAKER_02 13:07

But she had like She was going through a transformation.

SPEAKER_00 13:10

Yes, yeah. She had gotten married twice in one year. She she was in the paparazzi in a negative light. American Idol was really popular. Like all of these things were kind of pointing the Disney execs to be like, okay, we need a pop star that kids can actually look up to, because in real life, that's not happening. Let's create a fictional one. And thus, kind of this concept was born. There's also like a lot of BTST about like who came up with the concept and multiple people suing Disney, saying that it was their concept, um, which is not what we're talking about today, but I just think it's very interesting. So we're not talking about it today, but they had to admit that they kind of stole the idea from a few people anyway.

SPEAKER_02 13:54

Yeah, totally.

SPEAKER_00 13:55

All that to say, like, it was really genius of them to create a fictional pop star because this show not only was number one for kid audiences, it was also number one for tween audiences. Showing that like we were craving a pop star to look up to, and they gave us one.

SPEAKER_02 14:12

Yeah, I was 10 when this came out. It was the perfect person to be like, okay, she's relatable. We're close enough in age where it's not weird if we were actually friends.

SPEAKER_00 14:22

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_02 14:23

And she's just cool, you know?

SPEAKER_00 14:25

So because it starts out set in a middle school, doesn't it?

SPEAKER_02 14:28

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 14:29

And then we follow her to high school.

SPEAKER_02 14:30

Yeah. We basically follow her from middle school to her senior year of high school, and the last episode is college.

SPEAKER_00 14:38

Spoiler! If you haven't seen it. Sorry. Should we talk about why Miley was the perfect the perfect person for this role? Absolutely. Let's get into it. One thing that is really interesting to read about in my Bible, Disney High, which I reference endlessly on this podcast, is that she actually wasn't that great at acting when she first started. And they did not Which is crazy to me. I know. They didn't choose her because of her acting chops, they chose her because of her singing talents and her stage presence and her voice and that. They basically were like, she rushed her lines, she didn't pause, she didn't listen to the other lines, like she just was kind of like bulldozing through the scenes at her audition, but she had so much energy that they the casting people were like really drawn to her. I can't. Which is so interesting now that she has all this experience on the show. Like, she is funny, she does wait for laughs, like in later seasons, you know.

SPEAKER_02 15:37

It didn't give that she wasn't, I'm gonna say seasoned or trained because that first episode, why was I laughing out loud? Same as 13-year-old just it was cracking my shit up. I know. I thought it was hilarious. I really thought it was so funny.

SPEAKER_00 16:00

I forgot that like everyone in the show, and by everyone I mean everybody in the Stuart family had a Southern twang. I don't know why I forgot about that. I just associate that with like Tish Cyrus in real life now. Like I don't associate Miley Cyrus today having a southern twang, but gosh darn it, she sure did back then.

SPEAKER_02 16:21

Dang flabby.

SPEAKER_00 16:22

And so did Jackson Rod Stewart. And like I don't think I don't think he's from the South, is he?

SPEAKER_02 16:28

I'm gonna assume no, but yeah, he's from San Diego.

SPEAKER_00 16:32

I totally forgot until I went back and rewatched that he also spoke with some Southern Twang, and I was like, oh, this is really believable. He even has a southern look to him.

SPEAKER_02 16:42

Like he looks like he could have grown up in the south.

SPEAKER_00 16:46

It's the like light hair, tan skin. He looks like he's not always on his arm.

SPEAKER_02 16:52

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 16:53

He's working with the shape and the cows. But yeah, back to Miley, like she made the show, and the show made her, and that's what's so I think what made it so successful for her to go on in her career afterwards, is like it was just her, you know? The show was constructed around her.

SPEAKER_02 17:11

I know we'll get into this, but it was very art imitates life. Oh my god, in so many ways. In a lot of ways. We'll put that on the back burner to get to it. So you said she wasn't cast for her acting chops so much. It was her voice. Yeah. And the way that she performed. So let's talk about that. What I noticed in watching a couple of episodes was most of, if not every episode, starts out with her singing at that like mock concert or that free concert that she had at the Glendale Mall. Period. Talk about it because I think that is so fun.

SPEAKER_00 17:48

Well, that's really when I feel like the production team was like, oh, like we've got something here. Because, like we said, she, you know, wasn't a natural at comedy at first. She just had all this energy, and and they they banked on her being able to figure it out. But when they put on that free concert at the Glendale Mall to capture some footage of her being Hannah, they were like, Holy crap, like, she can command an audience, she's not afraid of the stage or the lights. Like, she just was like a natural up there, and they were like, We've got something special.

SPEAKER_02 18:21

The first song was This Is the Life, and I was like, Oh my god, love this song.

SPEAKER_00 18:28

And again, the lyrics flooding through my brain. I literally know them all.

SPEAKER_02 18:33

That those first two seasons of songs were elite, unmatched. Exactly. Karaoke bangers, if you ask me. No, literally. You know what I think about now? And less again, listening to some of these songs, I can easily hear her singing them today. Yeah. Like Miley Siren. But in her style and in her her own production. Mm-hmm. Which I could say so many things about being a legend and how it's timeless, but there's there's a time and moment for that, which I know we'll get to. But speaking of the soundtrack, did you have any like CDs?

SPEAKER_00 19:08

Did I?

SPEAKER_02 19:10

Do I?

SPEAKER_00 19:10

They're still in the back of my closet. No way!

SPEAKER_02 19:14

Yeah. I love I love that. All my CDs are either in my car or at my parents' house. But I did have the Hannah Montana 2 soundtrack, which was released in tandem with Meet Miley Cyrus.

SPEAKER_00 19:31

It was like a double thing.

SPEAKER_02 19:33

And I thought that was so cool. I really felt like I had two different people's CDs.

SPEAKER_00 19:38

Do you want to know some lore behind that?

unknown 19:40

Please.

SPEAKER_00 19:41

Okay. I I can fact-check myself here in a second. I don't want to butcher this. So Hollywood Records and Walt Disney Records are sister record labels. Walt Disney Records is home of like the Disney movie soundtracks. So think like Aladdin, like stuff like that, right? And so they always made more money than Hollywood Records. Hollywood Records was like low-key constantly losing money around this time. So on that CD that you're talking about, Meet Miley Cyrus, where it was the two sides, I believe that Walt Disney Records did the Hannah side and Hollywood Records did the Miley side so that they both profited off of the same talent. That's T. And that contributes to why she became the legend that she did, is because they were pushing her to us as consumers from all ends, right? From music to TV to clothing in stores and wigs at Halloween and like all of that.

SPEAKER_02 20:42

The merch went crazy.

SPEAKER_00 20:44

No, so crazy.

SPEAKER_02 20:45

And I'm pretty sure, if I remember correctly, like Hannah Montana was a billion-dollar franchise, pretty much. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 20:52

So the it makes the Cyrus family also legally changed Miley's name to Miley instead of Destiny Hope so that they could profit off of her name and likeness. And they they had a Miley Cyrus line of clothing at Walmart. And let's be so for real, I possibly owned something from that line. I don't remember, but I was yeah, yeah. I was not above shopping at Walmart. My family, we had some Walmart aesthetics. I definitely did. Yeah. Yeah. I know. I'm probably gonna have to like Google like what the clothing line looks like. I I know that at that age I wouldn't have wanted like Hannah Montana on my shirt, like a picture of her. But if it was just like a cute top that happened to be made by her, I probably would have wanted that. Well, since we're talking about it, let's talk about her music. Because for real, for real, the show Hannah Montana, even though it's a TV show, like it kind of was a music factory.

SPEAKER_02 21:46

Oh, 100%. I mean, not even like just the show, but Miley, period. Cause what I found out going into this was she released three studio albums. At the same time that she was doing the show, doing concerts, and also making music for Hannah Montana. Now you might be asking yourself, if she's under 18, how can she do all of this? And I know you have the answer.

SPEAKER_00 22:14

Well, I it it just kind of was a loophole. So, like recording music and touring, I think technically did not count towards her like child actor hours. In in this Disney High book, Jason Earl's is quoted us talking about it. That supposedly there was like a master schedule that Disney kept and it was all legal and it was all, you know, you know, they weren't overworking her, quote unquote. But at the end of the day, like no teenage girl who's, you know, after hours in a recording studio with, you know, record producers is gonna be like, no stop, like I've hit my hours for the day. Right. Like that just wasn't going to happen. So there, I mean, you could say a lot of different things about this. At the end of the day, what we're saying here is that her music is what launched her into that super stardom, is what launched her into that icon pop star status. Because not only did we see her on our TVs, oh, Hello Spot, not only did we see her on the TV, like we bought her CDs, we went to her concert tour, which, you know, was choreographed by King Kenny Ortega. Really? You didn't know that? Oh my god. Okay, hold on. Quick aside, there's a there's a really funny video of Miley, all of her backup dancers, and Tish and Kenny Ortega. They're like, they're doing like basically what looks like a pickup rehearsal, like on the morning of a tour. And Miley's like, I'm scared they're gonna drop me. They dropped me last night. And Kenny's like, you have to do the lift, like, come on. And she's like, no, Kenny, they're gonna drop me. Like, I'm just so scared. And Tish Cyrus, from like what seems like left field, she kind of is like down off the stage. She's like, Molly, look, it's like cheerleading. Get back up there, they are not gonna drop you. It's just like cheerleading girl. Come on, get get up there and do that lift. Get up there, and like she does, she does do the lift. Anyway, it it's just a funny moment, but all all of that to say, like, it's because she did the tour and she did the CD, and the tour was filmed and put in 3D movie form, and you could buy tickets to the movie theater, and like it just was a machine. Miley Cyrus slash Hannah Montana was way more than a TV show.

SPEAKER_02 24:31

You just unlocked something for me. I feel like I saw like the concert in 3D.

SPEAKER_00 24:37

Probably, because that was the thing.

SPEAKER_02 24:39

I know I saw the Hannah Montana with my one of my older cousins because she said that she wanted to take me to go see it.

SPEAKER_01 24:48

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_02 24:49

I think she wanted to see it for herself and was like, Do you want me to take you to go see the Hannah Montana movie? And you know what? Either way, I would have said yes. Right. And did and watched the Hannah Montana movie with my cousin.

SPEAKER_00 25:03

Hey girl. Well, that's exactly the point.

SPEAKER_02 25:05

Concert movie. I'm like, hmm.

SPEAKER_00 25:07

Is like she was big, not just for us, but for people a little bit older than us, people a little bit younger than us, like the family viewing experience, which I think we'll get into that in a little bit. Um, 100%. But that's like that's exactly the point. Sorry, I had to reference my Bible because I remembered since we're talking about all the big things that happened in 2006 and we're talking about her music, the Hannah Montana soundtrack, which was the first one, not the second one with Meet Miley Cyrus, that was released in October of 2006. It became the first TV soundtrack to debut debut to debut at number one on the Billboard 200 album chart. It beat new releases from My Chemical Romance, John Legend, and yes, ladies and gentlemen, Taylor Swift's debut album, which arrived the same day at number 19. Swifties are rolling in their graves, Swifties are mad. But these are the facts. These are the cold hard facts. These are cold hard facts. This is Oh, Boots on the Ground.

SPEAKER_02 26:11

Boots on the Ground.

SPEAKER_00 26:13

Boots on the ground, Boots in the Background, and Miley beat Taylor in 2006 on the Billboard 200. Come on. Boots. She slayed the house down boots all the way back in 2006. Okay, that's what we're trying to say here. I'm pretty sure Taylor Swift was on an episode in Anne Montana. So like I'm pretty sure. Ooh, I'm gonna have to look at that.

SPEAKER_02 26:35

I feel like she was either in an episode or she was like, she did her performance in the movie. She did, she was in the movie. That is so right. I forgot about that. And so it's just really interesting to see these two stars really make their debut at the same time and come up simultaneously.

SPEAKER_01 26:56

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_02 26:57

And they both have such big fan bases, but to me, they're so different. So different. Even though it seems like they kind of they could have had a very similar trajectory.

SPEAKER_00 27:08

Well, what you're saying kind of takes us into our next point is that like fans didn't have to quote unquote discover Miley when she started making music on her own. The way that like Taylor Swift, quote unquote, had to be discovered. You know what I'm saying? Yeah. She had to, you know, play small venues, she had to sell CDs out of her, you know, backpack. Like she she did kind of like the traditional rise to fame and music of like grinding and putting in the time. By the time that Miley released music that was her own, we were already fans. She didn't need to convince us. She, you know, like we were already there, we were already on board for it.

SPEAKER_02 27:47

Like I said, whenever I had the Hannah Montana to meet Miley Cyrus' uh double album, like in my head, I knew that this was the same person, but to me it really felt like two distinct styles and genres at times, and it was I don't know, it was just really cool to see. And thinking back on it now, I'm like, what a genius, you know, idea to have this double life TV show, and now you're making double life music, kinda, because it's not Miley Stewart who's making music, it's Miley Cyrus. And to that point about being like discovered versus already knowing Miley. I have had this conversation before where I have said, and I'm eating my words now, but I've said like I just don't understand how some Disney people can go from Disney music to doing their own thing, and I don't know what that was seated in. I don't know if it was some insecurity or who knows what it was. But I was just very against people going from Disney to trying to do their own music, which is crazy to say is a creative, and I don't mean it now. There would be that one person, and I feel like when we first had this conversation, it was you. You were like, but what about Miley Cyrus? And I said, hmm, you got a point there. Because I already know like I'd already known her voice and her mannerisms and her, you know, work ethic as Hannah Montana.

SPEAKER_00 29:15

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 29:16

And here I was sitting with Meet Miley Cyrus, being like, Yeah, girl.

SPEAKER_00 29:20

The seven things I hate about you.

SPEAKER_02 29:25

Iconic. And it's like, what was I talking about? You know, because now not only do we have Miley Cyrus, we have Sabrina Carpenter, we have Olivia Rodrigo, Selena Gomez, Selena Gomez. She doesn't really sing, but I would put Zendaya in the same category of went from Disney and now is a very, very successful actress.

SPEAKER_00 29:50

What do you mean she doesn't sing? Shake it up meant nothing to you? Or replay? Do you remember replay?

SPEAKER_02 29:58

No, okay, replay was my shit. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 30:01

Alright, is it replay or repeat? No, it's replay. Replay. Gonna put this on replay.

SPEAKER_02 30:09

And you know what? Would listen to it again.

SPEAKER_00 30:12

I do listen to it from time to time. What we're getting at here is like the way that this show, this TV show, set Miley Cyrus, the pop star, up is just, it was, I think it's so legendary because it was the first time it happened. And then once Disney did it successfully, they're like, oh, copy, paste, copy, paste, copy, paste. We give you Olivia Rodrigo, we give you Sabrina Carpenter, like, copy, copy, copy. Um, but this was the first time Hilary Duff kind of sort of did it, and we will get to that later this season, maybe, you know. Um, but Miley Cyrus was actually quoted as saying that is that Hillary Duff was her icon, was her idol, and she wanted to do what Hillary did. She wanted to be on TV and make music. And arguably Miley did it way better than Hillary, like just tenfold of what Hillary did. Um But yeah, like this this show and like the Disney multi-company. I mean, I don't want to say actually I'll say it, they're Monopoly. Let's call Spade a Spade, you know? Like Dis Disney had the power to create a superstar and they did with Miley Cyrus.

SPEAKER_02 31:26

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 31:27

Should we talk about some of the other cast? Oh, sorry, go ahead.

SPEAKER_02 31:30

No, yeah, I was gonna say that exact thing. It's like we're I mean, we're obviously focused on Miley Cyrus being Hannah Montana. There were so many other characters that made Hannah Montana Hannah Montana. Starting off with best friend Lily Trescott, played by Emily Osmond. Queen. Queen.

SPEAKER_00 31:48

Love Did you know that her dad is an acting coach? Emily Osmond? Yeah, so I always knew that her brother was That makes so much sense now. Haley Joel Osmond. What's what's his famous line that he said as a kid? I see dead people. We know him, right? But apparently their father was an acting coach. Which totally makes sense.

SPEAKER_01 32:11

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 32:12

Because that's like what she brought to the set, according to first hand sources, is that she she was an experienced child actor. She had been on spy kids, and she was very professional and very grounded. And there's a bunch of interviews of Emily Osmott being like, I'm so different than Lily, like I'm not, you know, kooky or crazy, like that's a pretty big stretch for me. Like, apparently in real life, she's like quite serious. Which I actually think speaks to her acting chops because as a kid, I totally believed that she was kooky and crazy. And I I guess when you're a kid, you can't really separate the character from the actor, but she did it so well, she was so funny on that show.

SPEAKER_02 32:52

I loved Lily. Speaking of Lily, I always wanted to look like her in the fashion sense. That should have been, you know, another clue. No, I'm so for real. I wanted to be that little tomboy, I wanted to look sporty, but still like be cute. I don't know what episode it was, but there was an episode and I really, really liked her outfit. And I was like, I need this outfit. I told my parents and I said, I I want this outfit. I want to make this outfit. And I low-key kind of formulated a Lily Triscar outfit.

SPEAKER_00 33:28

Period.

SPEAKER_02 33:28

It was so cute. But while we're talking about it, I have something here. Popstar magazine. Oh my god. I find funny is down here, it says get Emily's look. And you're talking about separating like the character from like the real person. They definitely didn't do that in this because it's giving how to be Emily Osman punk light.

SPEAKER_00 33:56

Wow. Yeah, no way. She all of her like red carpet and like inner like TV interviews that I've seen of that time, she's not dressed in a little tie. No, or a vest. This side is crazy. What I'm picturing is you taking this magazine to your mom and dad and being like, look, I don't know if you guys know fashion, but I know fashion. And this is this is it. Take me to Walmart, and I'm buying the Miley Cyrus collection.

SPEAKER_02 34:30

This honestly is just giving mask lesbian at this point.

SPEAKER_00 34:34

No, for real.

SPEAKER_02 34:35

Like today?

SPEAKER_00 34:36

And like what length of pant is that? That is like they call it a slim leg capri.

SPEAKER_02 34:42

Get it down to the ground. Like I said, there's tons of mask lesbians wearing that outfit these days. Love it. Jason Earls. Let's talk about this 30-year-old man. Get into it. He's always 30. He'll never not be 30 to me. Because I think that was the craziest thing that I found out, you know, 15 years ago. Jason Earl is playing a teenager at the age of what, probably 25 at the time.

SPEAKER_00 35:09

He was 25 during casting. Or sorry, no, he was he was 27 during casting. Like when they started filming the first season, he was 27. Not like he got the part by saying this, but apparently he told casting folks, he's like, I'm over 18, wink wink, which just means like I don't have to work kid hours, you know, I can work longer hours. But I think it's like against the law for them to ask your direct age because they could discriminate. They didn't know his real age until like the third or fourth episode that was filmed, and they realized that he was that old. But I think it it was an asset to the cast because he was so committed to the bit. Yeah, like his physical comedy, he just was so funny, and I feel like the younger kids probably could look to him and learn, you know.

SPEAKER_02 35:59

Yeah, they he probably felt like a cool older cousin that they wanted to hang out with and be around and be like. I had those cousins in my life. I was like, I wanna be like you, I wanna follow you and do everything that you do, and I'm sure he was like that to them. So I think that's really, really cute and really sweet.

SPEAKER_00 36:20

This is a little bit off topic, but until this rewatch, I kind of forgot that like the character Jackson, his whole thing was that he wanted to make money.

SPEAKER_02 36:29

I didn't get that at all until, like you said, we re-watched it and I clung on to the last episode.

SPEAKER_00 36:38

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 36:39

Like the season or the series finale. I was like, what's been his character this whole time? It's making money. Yeah, which is crazy. Yeah, which is crazy because you have a famous dad and a really famous sister.

SPEAKER_00 36:55

And a beautiful mansion in Malibu. What do you mean you need money? The pride is up here.

SPEAKER_02 37:01

And that was the other thing, is he was always asking for money, and his dad was like, no.

SPEAKER_00 37:05

Yeah. What do you mean? I'm uh reflecting on season one where every time they showed Troy Bolton's house, we're like, why does this guy need a summer job? Like, we know he's got money. Like, that is like the same thing that flew into my brain. I was like, why is Jackson always asking for money? He's got money.

SPEAKER_02 37:24

He's got money. Unless that was his whole thing, is like, my dad's rich, my sister's rich. I have to make something for myself.

SPEAKER_00 37:32

Of myself, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 37:34

So I could see that, but I do want to point out that he worked for a really, really rich little kid.

SPEAKER_00 37:41

Yes. We can't talk about Jackson without talking about Rico. Rico!

SPEAKER_02 37:48

Love Rico.

SPEAKER_00 37:49

Dude, it's such a good character.

SPEAKER_02 37:51

Yeah. And I think that's where their like dichotomy comes in. It's like you have this teenager who's trying to make money, and then you have this kid who has all the money in the world who's treating this guy like shit. But again, spoiler, you get to the last episode and he's like, I'm gonna do you a solid and get you a really good job.

SPEAKER_00 38:13

Yeah, I um crazy. I was re-watching episodes, and both Andrew and I were laughing out loud. And I didn't expect to do that when I re-watched. Like, but some of their some of their bits are so funny. Like, Mois Cesarius is a really good actor. He's he's very comedic, just like Jason Earl's, like they both have that like physical comedy, like kooky vibe, and it works so well. It was it was just really fun to watch.

SPEAKER_02 38:39

I just can't believe how much I was laughing at these fools. No, literally outlandish shit. So silly. So good. But last but not least, well, you know what? Let's let's pause. Let's pause really quick. Mitchell Musso. We can't forget about Mitchell Musso as Oliver Oaken. There's really not much to say about Oliver Oaken, really. He was, you know. He was the Eddie of the Raven Chelsea and Eddie.

SPEAKER_00 39:07

He was the Gordo of the Lizzie Miranda and Gordo.

SPEAKER_02 39:10

You got it right.

SPEAKER_00 39:12

In a Disney best friend circle of three, there's gotta be one guy who has a crush on one of the girls.

SPEAKER_02 39:19

Yeah. A by king.

SPEAKER_00 39:20

Period.

SPEAKER_02 39:21

You know, you got Lily, probably a full lesbian. And then there's Oliver. Last but not least, Billy Ray Cyrus is Robbie Ray Stewart.

SPEAKER_00 39:33

This is where we get into the art imitating life, life imitating art.

SPEAKER_02 39:39

So Robbie Ray Stewart was what a country star?

SPEAKER_00 39:44

Yeah, singer song. I'm assuming, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 39:46

Who put his life on pause to raise his family and to make sure that his daughter, Miley Ray Stewart, had a successful career. Now, where have we heard this story before?

SPEAKER_00 40:00

Oh wee! Oh wee. Here is actually the difference is that Billy Ray Cyrus' career did not get put on hold for Hannah Montana because his career was, I don't want to say dwindling, but it just was, it wasn't what it was in the 90s, period. Right. Aiky Breaky Heart had come and gone. He had done one TV show, Doc, which you mentioned earlier, that Miley, I think, like guest starred on when she was a baby or something. But he wasn't doing much, and it actually was Tish Cyrus. I'm gonna mention her as many times as I can on this podcast because we love her. It was her idea when they had cast Miley, then they went on to start casting the father, and Tish was like, Well, Billy Ray's not doing anything right now. He could, you know, he could he could come in here and read for y'all. That's a really bad Tish. I gotta work on that. Anyway, but the the producers and the casting team basically was like, as soon as they saw Miley and Billy Ray's chemistry, they were like, it's a done deal. Apparently, she was really like stiff reading with the other dads that they were interested in casting. And as soon as her own dad was in there, it was just it everything clicked. It made sense. They sang a song together, they did their special handshake, which you can find online. Of their like joint on their, I don't know if it would be like a chemistry read or whatever. But yeah, it was a done deal. But that is, I think, a pretty big difference between Billy Ray and Robbie Ray is that he was a little bit riding the coattails of his daughter, which I think he ultimately ended up resenting. But you can't deny that their chemistry and their familial bond is part of that springboard that launched Miley's career because her acting was seen as more genuine and more, you know, something to take seriously because of that chemistry with Billy Ray, you know? Yeah. But that is where the show's heart really started. Yes, there were moments about friendship and different relationships and stuff, but at the end of the day, the show was about those two. And that's something that I was surprised by on the rewatch is like I kind of forgot how much Billy Ray Cyrus is in there. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 42:06

He's like in every episode. I mean, he plays a big role in her life, as far as like how gosh, this is so confusing. How like Robbie Ray Stewart shows up for Miley. Because even in the first episode, I was like, he's her security guard, like he's her bodyguard, he's her manager, he is Mr. Hannah Montana, you know? It makes sense as to, like you said, why their chemistry was so good, why it shows on screen, and why it just worked out the way it did. Something that really stood out to me while we were watching some of these is how the writing really was to show the relatability in a normal girl's life. I shouldn't say normal because this isn't everyone's normal day-to-day, but like a girl with her father, her single father, as normal as that can be. You know. It was something that you wanted out of your own life. You know, a cute little moment with a parent or a family member, whoever you look up to. So I thought that was really cute.

SPEAKER_00 43:08

Yeah. The other thing I was gonna say about the writing for Billy Ray is I think he got more like funny bits as the seasons went on, but in that pilot episode, he gets to play the straight man against that like gay costume designer that's like, uh oh, split my pants embarrassing. Like that actor who's plays the costume designer, he's doing high kicks, he's doing like he's doing all of these things, and Billy Ray just gets to say lines like, Alright, partner, calm down, you know? And like he gets he gets the punchline, he gets to play the straight man, but get the laugh, which is really smart writing when you're writing for like basically like a celebrity cameo is kind of like how they probably started writing for him, if I had to guess. Like I said, he does he get funnier throughout the seasons and stuff like that. But when I was watching that, that really struck me. I was like, oh, they knew that they were working with like a celebo. Dad, who was really just there to be supportive of his daughter, and they they made it work for him. He eventually asked to be written out of the show, and they they wouldn't because they were like, No, no, like you are the show, like your relationship with Miley is the show. And he was like, No, no, like you've got her now. This thing's successful, like you don't need me anymore. And they were like, actually, we do. A teenage girl's. I don't know. I could look it up in my Bible because I was just uh reviewing it.

SPEAKER_02 44:30

While you're looking for that, another line of his that you made me think of was actually a couple lines. I didn't watch this episode. There's a whole episode where he's saying dad jokes to that like woman that he's dating, like a bunch of puns and weird stuff, which I think is hilarious. But in one of the episodes that we watched, I think it was the um it's called The Way We Almost Weren't, where they like flashback in time in that dream sequence, and Jackson gets makeup on his face. Or no, Miley puts the makeup on his face because she messed hers up, blah blah blah. And Robbie Ray goes, Jackson, clean up your face. We're not in LA yet. And it's like he knows he's like, You can wear it. I'm cool, but just be careful. Yeah. Which I think is like very interesting. It's it's very of the time of maybe not here, but definitely back at home.

SPEAKER_00 45:24

He has a lot of lines like that that are like that are yeah, that same like tone. Even in the first episode, when he's talking to that like gay designer guy, he has a lot of those moments which is it's just funny. Okay, I found it.

SPEAKER_02 45:39

Lay it on us.

SPEAKER_00 45:40

So, really, really quick. Are you aware that season four is technically a different show?

SPEAKER_02 45:45

Yes, it's Hannah Montana. Hannah Montana forever.

SPEAKER_00 45:48

And that just has to do with Disney being cheap at the end of the day, so that they didn't have to give people raises, basically.

SPEAKER_02 45:55

Oh wow.

SPEAKER_00 45:55

That's why Disney is known for like extending seasons instead of adding additional seasons. So, like, if you if you add more episodes to a season, you don't have to pay nobody has to do a new contract. You know what I'm saying? People can't advocate for raises, stuff like that.

SPEAKER_02 46:12

I literally woke up thinking about okay, how many episodes was Hannah Montana? And it was, hold on, I can do a really quick math. What's 86 plus 15? 111? Yeah, over a hundred. That's all Hannah Montana was was a little over a hundred episodes. I was looking at the runtime of each season the other day, and it's like one season I'm gonna say was six months, but another season was like a year and some months. What's going on? It's a classic that tells me everything that I need to know.

SPEAKER_00 46:43

It's a classic Disney move to just make a new show instead of renewing contracts and actually giving people raises. So Sweet Life on Deck purely exists because they needed to make a new show. Anyway, sorry. That's that's a little bit besides the point. But all that to say is that a lot happened in those four seasons, even though it's only four seasons, it's hundreds of episodes. Hannah Montana, the movie, her tour. Like, there's so much that happened. Um, this book says, to quote my Bible, by season four, Billy Ray was miserable. It got to the point where Billy Ray was like, She's the show, you don't need me anymore. You can write me out. And then they kind of go on to say, like, you know, he's he's a loving and devoted dad, but this thing that was, you know, just supposed to be like a fun project with his daughter turned into something else completely. You know? It was the dis it was the Disney machine that came in and elevated her to pop stardom. And I don't think that I mean, you could say a lot of things about Billy Ray Cyrus, you could say that he was jealous of his daughter, you could say all of that, but at the end of the day, he just didn't know. He didn't know that it was gonna be what it was, and I think he wanted to get off the roller coaster ride. That's nuts.

SPEAKER_02 47:52

You hear the interviews now, and like you said, he kinda poo-poos his experience. And I just wonder if they would have written him out when he wanted to be written out, would anything be different?

SPEAKER_00 48:04

Hmm, that's interesting. But again, they like that's that's what we're talking about, is like what makes the show so good is him. Like, we can we can poo-poo him today for marrying that little girl and all that, but like the his dynamic with Miley on the show made the show what it was, and without him, it wouldn't have been the same.

SPEAKER_02 48:23

So, speaking of their dynamic, do you think the success of the show would be different if they either had a mom or just a mom?

SPEAKER_00 48:31

Ooh, that's so interesting. Okay, so do you remember how we were talking about like why is there always like a dead parent? Yeah. Basically, I was in doing some episode research. I was reading about like early drafts of the script and what was in and what was it, what wasn't. And in early drafts, she did have both parents, but they killed off the mom to make her more vulnerable, you know, like we're talking about, like Disney always has heart, like it's not just gimmicky comedy, like there's you know, real, real feelings there. So apparently that was the rationale for it. I don't know if it would have been different if it was just a mom versus just a dad. I think it probably would have been the same, but at the end of the day, Tish Cyrus is not an actress, and Billy Ray, you know, he was a performer. So I think I think it had to be him. It had to be him to have that chemistry, to have them be able to play songs together and have him sit down and play the guitar and these like kind of organic moments is what made the show what it was, I think.

SPEAKER_02 49:28

Yeah. I do fear that if there would have been a mom character, she would have got lost the heteronormative story of it all. Like I feel like she would have either stayed at home or she would have just worked for Miley. I mean Robbie Ray did, but he was more than just like working for her, he was her songwriter, her manager, all that stuff. So I do I do understand why they kept mom out.

SPEAKER_00 49:54

It kind of simplifies it. But we're talking so much about family. Should we talk about the classic Disney multi-generational viewing experience?

SPEAKER_02 50:05

Yes, because and we don't have to talk about it long, but there's just like so many people that showed up on this show that at the time that it came out, I didn't know who they were. No, and if I did, it was because I'd seen them in this movie or that movie, but it was only like one movie. But and I mean this happens even now in I'm gonna say children's TV, where you bring in a big name that the parents knew. You know, so Hannah Montana had a lot of celebrity cameos, some to mention are Dolly Parton as her godmother, which her real godmother is Dolly Parton. Like, wow. There you had Larry David, Ray Romano, Brooke Shields, who played her mother, The Rock, and John Cena. I don't remember them being on there, but I believe it.

SPEAKER_01 50:57

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 50:58

Joey Fatone, I remember that one. Dr. Phil, Ray Leota, and not necessarily that our parents would know this, but the Jonas brothers were on there, and that was huge.

SPEAKER_00 51:08

So huge. That's where Nick and Miley met and then started dating. And then we got The Seven Things I Hate About You, and then we got Love Bug. Like that, them meeting on the set of Hannah Montana is a cultural significant moment. It just is.

SPEAKER_02 51:26

It just is that's the most viewed episode of Hannah Montana.

SPEAKER_00 51:30

Duh. I I probably could have told you that. It's because we watch it on repeat.

SPEAKER_02 51:37

And it was so good. I didn't write it in our little outline, but I took a note and I was like, all three of the Jonas Brothers' personalities have not changed. Like they stuck to those people.

SPEAKER_01 51:50

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 51:51

Even now. Because I'm just thinking about them being on tour last year, and it just it all tracks. Yeah. It just tracks. One more little guest appearance that happened was Vicki Lawrence, who played Miley's mama, Ruthie Ray Stewart.

SPEAKER_00 52:07

Yes! And she was from the Carol Burnett show. Yeah, she's such a famous comedian.

SPEAKER_02 52:13

She's huge. And I think it's so cool that she got put in this kids' TV show, and our parents probably heard her voice or like saw her, and they were like, What's Vicky Lawrence doing on Hannah Montana? You know, no, for real. That was probably one of those moments for our parents. If they saw her, they were like, I have kids who are growing up and seeing people that I watched on TV, which I still wonder like who is showing up on kids' TV now that like our generation of parents knows.

SPEAKER_00 52:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 52:47

And I just don't know.

SPEAKER_00 52:48

You bring up an interesting point about Vicky Lawrence, and maybe it's because I have older parents. My both my parents are baby boomers, but for a lot of families, those might have been the grandparents, you know. Picture like grandparents, like babysitting the kids, and they're like, Hold on, Dolly Parton, Vicki Lawrence, like those are from my day, you know? So it's like literal multi-generation. I know for a fact that there's a lot of like adult celebrities that wanted to be in Hannah Montana's atmosphere because their kids wanted to have that experience. So in the Disney High book, they tell the story of Larry David. So he was at just a taping at a you know, at a recording of Hannah Montana with his two daughters, they were in the live studio audience, and the producers were like, Oh my god, Larry David is here, like wow. A few weeks after that taping, the the script called for a celebrity to be to be in a scene at a restaurant so that they could do this whole bit of like, don't you know who I am? I'm blank. It was supposed to be Gary Gary Marsh, big wig at Disney, playing himself. Um, but he ended up being like out of the country on business and they couldn't use him, and they were scrambling to find a celebrity to fill in. And they reached out to Larry David and they were like, Hey, like, this is the part, we would love to have you do it, but we need to film it, you know, next week. And Larry David was like, no, no, like I'm I'm not gonna do that. I don't do that. Because apparently he's like pretty like he doesn't like to be in the press type of a guy. Okay and they were like, Okay, sir, but like your daughters could be on the show with you, like your daughters could be in the scene. And he's like, No, like I I'm filming Kirby your enthusiasm that day, like, couldn't we do it another time? And they're like, actually, no, we don't have any other episodes ready to film. Like, this is the only one that we can do. This is the only time. And apparently, Larry David was like, No, I'm not doing it. But finally, the the guy on the phone, whoever was calling Larry David, was like, Well, hey, just so you know, like, you're such a great father for even considering doing this. Like, you know, your daughters are so lucky to have you that you would even consider adding this to your schedule. Like, thank you so much. You know, if if there's any other opportunities in the future, we'll let you know. And then that I think was like the kicker. And Larry David was like, Hold on, let me make some calls. 15 minutes later, he calls that guy back and is like, we moved the filming schedule for curb your enthusiasm. I'll be there. Yes. Like Larry. He literally moved his own show so that he could go be on set and film a scene with his daughters on Hannah Montana, because that is how much Hannah Montana meant to kids of that generation. That their celebrity parents were like, I'll do anything to you know, get my kid to the set of Hannah Montana.

SPEAKER_02 55:45

A bit of a segue, if you will, into this world of Hannah Montana, more specifically, like the set and what stood out to us. You mentioned the house. So this is the house, and we should post this like on our Instagram.

SPEAKER_00 56:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 56:07

Like figure out how to link it or something. But this is the house in Malibu, and this was posted 18 weeks ago.

SPEAKER_00 56:16

Oh my gosh, you can buy it. Has it sold yet?

SPEAKER_02 56:20

Allie's clicking through right now, I can tell, because her mouth is on the floor. Gaping open. I've sent Allie a link to an Instagram page called Billionaire House, and they posted back in September the Hannah Montana house on the Malibu beachfront that is going for a pocket change of 21 million dollars. Now, when we talk about Jackson not having money, it's a lie. But this was just the exterior of the house. The interior obviously doesn't look like the set that they made by any means. Isn't it a gorgeous house?

SPEAKER_00 56:59

Yeah, those exterior shots from the show don't lie. That is exactly what the house looks like, and she's magical.

SPEAKER_02 57:06

It's huge. You can lease it for $60,000 a month. Oh, just book a short stay on Airbnb. But anyway, the fantasy of this house was real because why did I want to live here? I wanted the outside of the house with the inside set, and I would rack my brain trying to figure out like where these rooms were in this house because I loved it so much.

SPEAKER_00 57:33

Oh, that's cute.

SPEAKER_02 57:34

Like I really, really loved I loved the set so much because I was like, that's a really cool house. I want that house. Maybe someday.

SPEAKER_00 57:44

In talking about like what made the show so successful, like what elements were there, like the Malibu setting I think was unmatched. Most, you know, viewers are middle Americans, right? So being able to see like Jackson walk from his house to go work on the beach, like seeing that like bright light flooding in through the windows and like the warm interior that was colorful and vibrant, but not like corny. Like, yeah, it was it was so aspirational, and us folks freezing our butts off in the Midwest, we're like, ooh, that looks so nice, you know.

SPEAKER_02 58:24

In one of the episodes that we watched, where Hannah's receiving an award, and so she has her mama and her godmother at the house at the same time. Miley and Jackson are fighting about who's gonna stay in whose room, and Jackson is trying to convince their grandma, like, stay in Miley's room, stay in Miley's room. She's got a view of the beach, and you can see dolphins in the morning, and you like wake up to the sunrise, and it's like, right, so as a 15-year-old, you have a beachfront view where you can just walk down the steps and take a walk down the beach, go get a little something at Rico's, like everyone that I know would want that at that age, right?

SPEAKER_00 59:01

You said at 15 years old. Well, how about in season four at 18 years old or 17 years old, when Lily got to move in and they lived, didn't they live like above the garage or whatever?

SPEAKER_02 59:12

It was the house, and then I think they technically lived in the stable. Oh, like in the barn.

SPEAKER_00 59:18

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 59:18

Yeah, because then Blue Jeans was in the stable.

SPEAKER_00 59:21

This was very controversial at the time that this was being like written and the set was being built and stuff like that, because it's the first time ever that a fictional Disney teen has not lived under the same roof as her parents. And people were like, ooh, like kind of scandalous, you know. But once again, aspirational. Like, what 17-year-old wouldn't want their best friend to move in and to live in like a little like outhouse, like kind of away from your parents? Like, that's what all teenagers want. She was living the teenage dream.

SPEAKER_02 59:53

She basically lived in the guest house with Lily.

SPEAKER_00 59:56

Exactly. It's giving like fresh Prince of Bel Air. Like, yeah. Anytime, like yeah, because he lived in the pool house, didn't he? I think so. Anytime that pool house was mentioned, I was like, ooh, a pool house, like an additional dwelling unit is what we would call it now. But I I thought that was so aspirational as a kid to have like an like an extra little house.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:18

I just thought about this. Why didn't Jackson have his own outside space? It makes sense to give your oldest something first.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:29

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:30

Were they trying to make Jackson seem like this unsuccessful older brother?

SPEAKER_00 1:00:35

It could come down to a lot of things, and we'll just chalk it up to blue jeans. Blue jeans.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:41

Miley needed to be close to the horse. No, literally in the last episode, Rico fires him, and it's like, you're not gonna feel fulfilled until you have a real job. So I'm like, okay, did Jackson not go to college? Or is he going to community college?

SPEAKER_00 1:00:55

No, he's just he's just trying to make that money, honey. He's not trying to spend any money, he's trying to make it. We cannot talk about the aspirational set design and all of that, the world building without talking about her closet.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:09

We simply cannot. She said, she goes, I need to show you something. And she opens up the doors and Lily goes, Your closet? She goes, No, my closet. Yes it's so good.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:22

I forgot that that happened in episode one until we went back and rewatched. But that makes so much sense to put that in the pilot because it's hook, line, and sinker. Every little girl who like played dress up or liked princesses, like it's the step up from that for like the tween. Thank God they put that in episode one because that had us locked in.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:44

And it was a great segue to show like Miley and Lily's dynamic, and immediately showing like Miley's hang up on telling Lily that she's Hannah Montana, period, and then already having Lily in a conflict, someone has to apologize, and they've got to make up. Cause that's what got me about that scene. Is she was like, wait till we tell Amber and Ashley, and she's like, uh no bitch, the secret for a reason. And I just thought that was that was really good writing on like conflict rev resolution part because it came down to the closet. It was like, I have this big thing to show, but I can't tell anything.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:29

Quick aside, did you know that Miley Cyrus and Emily Osmond really did beef in real life on set?

SPEAKER_02 1:02:35

I believe it. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:37

Like apparently there was a time in their schoolroom because they were kids and they had to do school that it got so heated that both of their both sets of parents had to get involved and be like, girls, you cannot be doing this. I think they made up. I think they're cool because during COVID, I think they did like a Zoom reunion type thing, as all these Disney shows did. But again, I think that's a testament to what a great actress Emily Osma is. The fact that she was really beefing with Miley in real life and was hugging and being her bestie on the show. Like, she she was in there so quickly talking about world building and the closet of it all. We have to talk about the wig. Okay. Let me just give you some wig stats, alright? The wig, the wig, I say as if there was one. Ten different wigs were made throughout the course of Hannah Montana, including for concerts, for you know, the filming of the show. They all were made of virgin Russian hair. Okay. So the hair would be imported, and then the wig maker would pull like custom bundles from all these different sources and hand lace them into the lace front wig, hand dye them. Each wig cost over $6,000 to make because they were using real human hair with shine, with moisture, like, and I have to say that first wig in the first episode that is dry and busted, dusted, and crested takes away from the fantasy. But the shiny wig with the bang and the chunky lowlights gives fantasy, you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_02 1:04:16

Yeah. I will say that first one. Um I was like, how does anyone not know? You mean to tell me that this little girl has the thickest blonde hair that's and crispy.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:34

Aye, it had no movement, no shine. It didn't move. I think each wig took like over a hundred hours to make. Yeah, I can go back and and check on that. But for real, for real, though I think those wigs really made it. They made us believe the fantasy.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:49

Yeah, especially as they got better.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:52

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:52

Like you said, that first one, but it worked for her. And I really liked when it was styled. I didn't necessarily need the blunt bangs with the blunt cut. I really liked when it was in an updo, or like I said, it was styled. It gave Hannah Montana personality.

SPEAKER_00 1:05:10

And it it fed into the fantasy that it wasn't just the same every time, you know. Last comment is that that was a pretty big conversation in the wardrobe department is this realism versus aspiration. They wanted Hannah's looks to be aspirational but not unattainable to like a younger viewing audience, you know. And they wanted Miley's clothing to be more down-to-earth, but like still elevated and still cool. Like they still wanted young girls to like it and want it. Um obviously wardrobe is a huge part of every show, but when you have a character who plays a double life and they have two separate wardrobes, I feel like a lot of thought has to go into who is wearing what, when, and why. And I think they did an excellent job of distinguishing the two without making it so like. Like gaudy or like corny when she was the celebrity.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:04

Yeah. I think I would say in the first two to three seasons it definitely worked. I know towards that last season, one Miley even said it herself, she was like growing out of that character, and it was just getting old. And also you have to think this is Disney, so they're not gonna put any brand names, logos, anything on their bodies. So it's a lot of color blocking and one color over another color over another color. It's just it is cheesy.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:36

And zebra print.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:37

A little bit. Don't forget about the animals.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:40

Zebra print belt buckles and combat boots.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:45

And a sparkly scarf.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:47

She's just an ordinary girl, but there was so much fantasy in the show that made you want to keep watching.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:53

So let's jump to present day, shall we? Clearly, Miley Cyrus has had this multi-decade career and success. And I don't think we would be remiss to say that it all stemmed around, you know, Miley Cyrus. But I really do feel like the seed of the success was Hannah Montana. As it says here, Miley's evolution didn't erase Hannah, it was built on her. Which I think is important to note because again, by the end of season four, Miley felt like she'd kind of grown out of Hannah Montana and couldn't see herself as Hannah anymore. Also, at the same time, a lot of people who were watching the show were also growing out of like this Disney Channel world. I was looking at the other shows and the movies that had come out in 2011 when Hannah Montana finished. And like, I've heard of some of these, I've seen a couple episodes, I've seen some of these movies, but I wasn't invested in these storylines like I was with Hannah Montana, like I was with like The Sweet Life of Zack and Cody or That's So Raven. But just to name a couple, um Lemonade Mouth, the movie, came out in 2011, which I did like, but it isn't one of those where I can recite lines like I can from high school musical.

SPEAKER_00 1:08:15

I've never seen Lemonade Mouth.

SPEAKER_02 1:08:18

You're just missing one song, and that's it. And Hailey Kyoko.

SPEAKER_00 1:08:21

But That's the point, though, is like what exactly what you're saying, how we were starting to age out. I would tune into Disney Channel to see Hannah Montana Forever and then turn it off because I was kind of like over the other stuff. But I wanted I wanted to know how the show ended because I was invested as a viewer.

SPEAKER_02 1:08:37

As Raven put it before, TV stars are more relatable than movie stars because we have grown up with them or we've been through multiple stories with them, and so now we're wondering how is everything gonna get tied up in this perfect little bow so that we're not sad when it ends. To keep going, Lemonade Mouth, the Sweet Life movie, which I've never seen, Sharpay's Fabulous Adventure came out in 2011. Never saw it, and then other TV shows that were on Ant Farm with China Ann McLean. I only knew who she was because I was watching a different TV show with her in it on a completely different network. Only knew about that. So random with Demi Lovato. Or actually, no. No, I don't think that one.

SPEAKER_00 1:09:24

That's like the spin-off of Sonny with a chance.

SPEAKER_02 1:09:26

The spin off of Sonny with a chance, correct. And then Jesse, Austin, and Allie didn't watch any of them. Yeah. So it was this bittersweet send-off with Hannah Montana to Disney Channel.

SPEAKER_00 1:09:41

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_02 1:09:41

That's where our journey kind of ended, honestly.

SPEAKER_00 1:09:44

Yeah. Well, I think this is the time. So we kind of have spent the whole episode talking about like the ways in which Hannah Montana was the perfect springboard to launch Miley into her stardom, her icon status, her legend status. Um, so I think we could just take a moment and say just a little bit about that because we could we could make a whole other episode about what she's doing now and why she is such an icon. But I I always consider Miley Cyrus to be a fabulous example of like somebody who advocates for what they believe in, somebody who says the quiet thing out loud, like who's not afraid to change and to go through this metamorphosis and this transformation. Because a lot of people criticized her when she did it time and time again, right? Starting with, can't be tamed, bangers, like s I mean, it the list goes on. I think bangers is kind of the biggest example of it, but she stays transforming. This girl does. It seems like she's not afraid to, and that is really inspiring to me. I'm gonna say this quote that she said in her legends, except in speech where she said, I'm still so proud to have been Hannah Montana because she made Miley in so many ways. Legends get scared too. The difference is we do it anyway.

SPEAKER_02 1:11:04

I watched this speech the other day, and I can't say that I fully cried. I did put in here that I definitely cried, but I definitely teared up. From 10 to 15, she was in my house. She was going through real life, going through real struggles and real insecurities that you know other people did. And something that I didn't mention earlier was I watched an extra episode that we didn't talk about. And it's the episode where she sits down with Robin Roberts on Good Morning America, and she has this interview. Robin has an interview with Miley Stewart after Miley has just told the world that she's Hannah Montana. And something that Miley says is speaking of Hannah, she was real because I was real. And I think, why'd I just get chills?

SPEAKER_00 1:11:58

I know! I dad fortified my eyes.

SPEAKER_02 1:12:03

I think that is a very true statement for how Miley Cyrus went into playing Miley Stewart, who played Hannah Montana. Hannah Montana was real to us. And one of the comments under the Disney Legend video or her Disney Legend acceptance speech was this I'm 23 years old, and still to this day, nothing compares to the feeling that Hannah Montana gives me. The songs, the TV show, and the movie all comfort me through the adult struggles we all face in life. Miley Cyrus gave our generation the best childhood and nostalgia that we are still so grateful for, and I will forever hold that in my heart. Can agree.

SPEAKER_00 1:12:51

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:12:51

Because, like Miley said herself, she was real, so it was all real.

SPEAKER_00 1:12:57

Yeah. I love that. Oh my god, I love that so much. This is making me think of an alternate ending to the series. Have you heard about this? No. How they actually filmed it. They literally filmed it and then decided not to go with this ending. They had hired a child actor to play Miley, and they got Tish to film a scene. I think. I might be I might be flubbing this. Maybe they brought Brooke Shields back. But they filmed a little girl playing with a pop star doll, and it was gonna be one of those, it was all just a dream.

SPEAKER_02 1:13:30

Wait, no, I got chills because suddenly I feel like I saw this.

SPEAKER_00 1:13:35

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:13:36

I think I know what you're talking about.

SPEAKER_00 1:13:38

They decided not to go with that ending. And I'm so glad that they didn't because it's exactly what you were just saying. Like, this was real for Miley, the human. This was real for us, the viewer. And at the end of the day, like, what is a legend? What is an icon? Like, what's the definition of that? It's someone or something that is larger than life and makes people feel like they belong to something bigger than themselves. Like, to me, that's what that's what an icon is, right? It's like something to look to, to be like, ah, yes, I love this thing, and so do all of these other people, therefore we're all connected. And that is that is what this show was for us, and I'm so glad they didn't go with that ending.

SPEAKER_02 1:14:23

Me too. I think I would have been upset. I would would have felt like it was like a like a cop out. A cop out, exactly. To be like, it was all a dream.

SPEAKER_00 1:14:35

Like they didn't want to give it a real ending type thing.

SPEAKER_02 1:14:39

Right. Which even though they did tie everything up into this perfect little bow of how their lives were going to continue, I'm more okay with that.

unknown 1:14:49

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:14:52

It's like, then you wasted my time.

SPEAKER_00 1:14:55

It's almost like a disservice to the whole show to do that, you know?

SPEAKER_02 1:14:58

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:14:59

The characters and the real people who worked on it and put their heart and soul into it.

SPEAKER_02 1:15:04

The last thing I was gonna say is just like reading about Miley's life post-Hana Montana really makes her feel timeless. And I think that could also add to that icon status and how legendary this role was for her. And not just like this role, but like everything that she's done up till now. Cause I feel like it happened so fast, but I also feel like it just happened.

SPEAKER_00 1:15:35

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:15:36

Oh, that's that's really interesting. In another 20 years, she's gonna accomplish so much more than she already has. But like to be 33, already be named a legend, and have a career that spans most of your life is phenomenal.

SPEAKER_00 1:15:57

Let's get let's let's get on with it, Candace. Okay, we talked about it. Hannah Montana wasn't a phase, it was a perfectly engineered launch pad, and Miley Cyrus stuck the landing baby, okay? Talk about it. Maybe Bangers was messy. Who cares? Maybe she got in those fights with Nicki Minaj. You know what? Who didn't? Who didn't? But who still isn't? She stuck the landing, and we could we could talk about the rest of her career in 20 other episodes because that's how multi-talented she is, but this podcast is about one thing and one thing only. Is Hannah Montana worth the rewatch?

SPEAKER_02 1:16:42

I wrote yes, because I literally teared up when the first episode started, because it really brought back that feeling of being a kid. I can't say that for everything else that we've already talked about, you know? Like with high school musical, yeah, it's nostalgic, but it was a movie. So it starts and it ends. I know these characters and I know exactly who they are. With the TV show, yeah, it starts and it ends, but there's episodes of forever-changing people, and it felt like real life, and it was real life situations, you know. I'm not choosing whether or not I can do basketball or theater. In real life, I can do both, and no one's gonna stop me. In real life, I could have a little crush and really not know what to do. But I saw this girl who's close to my age do it, and while it's really dramatic when a picture is flying through your window on the wind, yeah, that's unrealistic. But it felt real. Yeah, it felt real. So, because of that, it's worth re-watching for me. Maybe not fully sitting down and looking at the TV, but I could put it on while I'm cooking dinner.

SPEAKER_00 1:17:53

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:17:53

You know, so little things like that. So I think it would be a good rewatch.

SPEAKER_00 1:17:58

My answer is a little all over the place because right off the bat, my my gut reaction is like, no, because I don't I really don't watch scripted television. I'm a firmly reality TV girly. And if I am watching scripted, I'm watching like a drama and I'm like crying my eyes out and binging the whole series. Like, I just am not a I'm not a sitcom lover, and I know a lot of people do just put a sitcom on in the background. Everybody loves New Girl, everybody loves friends. Like, I oh my god, I'm about to say something so controversial on the pod. I don't really like either of those shows.

SPEAKER_02 1:18:35

You're not upsetting me.

SPEAKER_00 1:18:37

Like, I just I'm not a sitcom girly, so at face value when I answer this question, I'm like, oh no. However, when I turned it on to re-watch and prepare for this episode, I was laughing out loud. Like, there is some genuine, like funny humor that stands up. And again, because of the multi-generational viewing appeal, like even as an adult, I find the humor funny. I f I still find the heart to be there. Um, so here's how I answered the question. Probably not, just because I'm not a sitcom watcher. However, I do still listen to her music. And by her music, I don't mean Miley Cyrus, like flowers and you know, her recent albums. No, I mean like if I'm putting together like a little playlist for a girly event, I'm putting GNO on there. I'm putting, I'm putting the seven things I hate about you. Like, I'm putting some some of those tracks that were at that era of like she was recording music as Hannah and also as Miley. Even like Miley's, sorry, not Miley's, even Hannah's first couple albums have banger after banger. We got the party with us.

SPEAKER_02 1:19:51

Featuring the Jonas Brothers, featuring the Jonas Brothers, because you can't have it any other way.

SPEAKER_00 1:19:57

Like, I'm sure we just posted content on our socials from my bachelorette trip. I'm certain that that playlist we made for Camp McLuiot had both Hannah and Miley early songs on there.

SPEAKER_02 1:20:10

I wouldn't doubt it.

SPEAKER_00 1:20:12

Because when you get when you get some zelennial girlies together and the drinks are flowing and we're kikiing, hee-hee-ha-haing, we're gonna sing GNO. We're gonna sing the best of both worlds. No shame. Unabashably behind it. Unabashedly listening to music recorded by a 13-year-old girl.

SPEAKER_02 1:20:34

I mean, even though watching it you said no, I still think taking in the media counts. It it it counts.

SPEAKER_00 1:20:42

Counts as a rewatch. Hey, this is just the beginning of a little bonus episode just for our faithful 92 listeners. And we'll see you guys in season two.

SPEAKER_02 1:20:54

There's an Easter egg of what the first episode of season two is in my screen.

SPEAKER_00 1:21:02

Oh it's a really tiny Easter egg.

SPEAKER_02 1:21:05

It's small.

SPEAKER_00 1:21:07

We'll see who can clock it. See you in season two! See you in season two.