Hannah Montana

A darkness has fallen on the kingdom of the preteens: "Hannah Montana" is officially gone. The Disney Channel series about ordinary girl Miley Stewart (Miley Cyrus) who has a secret life as a pop star wrapped its fourth and final season Sunday with a finale that drew 6.2 million viewers, according to the Nielsen Co. That was up 9% compared with the average this season, the show's most-watched. Among kids 2 to 11, the finale drew 2.1 million viewers. Despite the show's popularity, Cyrus has said she's relieved to be leaving.

"Miley Cyrus engaged!" That's the entertainment news of the day. But the former Disney performer who grew up before our eyes into a scantily clad young woman has barely had time to enjoy the 3.25-carat diamond ring given to her by beau Liam Hemsworth before critics have begun to ask: Is Cyrus too young to be engaged? There is no wedding date yet for Cyrus, 19, who has transitioned from her years as Disney Channel child phenom "Hannah Montana" to singer and actress, and Hemsworth, 22, who is starring in the "Hunger Games" trilogy.

Girl power and Good Friday combined to propel "Hannah Montana: The Movie" to the top of the weekend box office with $34 million in ticket sales. The better-than-expected opening, along with a number of well-performing holdovers, continued the movie industry's solid box office results in 2009. So far this year, box office revenue is up 17% and attendance is up 15%, thanks to a string of strong debuts.

Looks as if Miley Cyrus has finally been tamed: The singer and actress is engaged to marry her beau, Liam Hemsworth. The young couple, who have been together for around three years, shared their happy news Wednesday. "I'm so happy to be engaged and look forward to a life of happiness with Liam," Cyrus told People, which first reported the May 31 engagement. Hemsworth, 22, played Gale in the blockbuster film "The Hunger Games"and is younger brother to Thor himself, Chris Hemsworth.

A Los Angeles comedy writer-producer has sued Walt Disney Co., claiming it stole the idea for its hit show "Hannah Montana" from him. The lawsuit said that in late 2001, Morris Taylor Sheffield pitched an idea for a show on the Disney Channel about a boy named Roland Dillard who leads a secret life as a pop star named Rock Ryder. Disney passed. In 2006, the Disney Channel launched "Hannah Montana," about a teenage girl who leads a secret life as a pop star.

There aren't a lot of surprises in store when a film is struck from Nicholas Sparks and is called "The Last Song." There will be young love in the picturesque South, there will be a battery of contrivances keeping those crazy kids apart, and there will be tragedy and much rending of hair. "Last Song" is one of those maudlin romantic melodramas you just can't warn folks off. They're going to see it, though they know the story before they get in the car. Sullen, half-heartedly goth teen Ronnie (Miley Cyrus sans "Hannah Montana" trappings)

A sampling of Chinese-made vinyl backpacks and other children's products featuring Walt Disney Co.'s Hannah Montana character were found to contain high levels of lead, an environmental activist group said Tuesday. A study by the Oakland-based Center for Environmental Health found lead levels exceeding federal, state and industry standards. The nonprofit group has filed a notice of violation under Proposition 65, a state law dealing with toxic substances, to try to compel Disney to lower or eliminate lead content in the products.

"Hannah Montana: The Movie" is not so much a movie as it is a trial balloon to see if Miley Cyrus, with her big blue eyes, exceptionally white teeth and increasingly long limbs, can hold the big screen as effectively as she has the small screen. The answer is yes.

Hannah Montana The Movie Walt Disney, $29.99/$39.99; Blu-ray, $44.99 The Disney Channel phenomenon "Hannah Montana" follows the hectic life of a teen pop star (played by Miley Cyrus) as she strives to lead a normal life incognito. In "Hannah Montana: The Movie," the heroine's celebrity side begins to develop a swelled head, so her dad (played by Billy Ray Cyrus) returns her to their Tennessee farming roots. This story would be just about right for a half-hour kid-com but stretched out to fill a big-budget feature-length musical, "Hannah Montana" feels as pointlessly shiny and busy as Miley Cyrus' music.

Being a teen sensation can be exhausting. Just ask Miley Cyrus. It means performing your current hit, "The Climb," on "American Idol" and at the Academy of Country Music Awards, accepting a miniature orange blimp for favorite female singer at the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards, gracing the cover of the latest Glamour magazine, attending Hollywood premieres and starring in your own -- according to the teeny-bopper barometer -- wildly successful show. It's a lifestyle Cyrus has mastered.

Miley Cyrus is no stranger to criticism for her sexually charged image, but the singer and actress wants you to know she's not ashamed. In fact, she thinks sex is pretty awesome.  During a recent sit-down with Lifetime television host Amanda de Cadenet, Cyrus talked about her self-worth in the face of media scrutiny, a family rift and increasing pressure from her industry. "The girls that really base how much they're worth on the sexual favors they can do for somebody, that makes me really sad. Because sex is actually really beautiful.

A darkness has fallen on the kingdom of the preteens: "Hannah Montana" is officially gone. The Disney Channel series about ordinary girl Miley Stewart (Miley Cyrus) who has a secret life as a pop star wrapped its fourth and final season Sunday with a finale that drew 6.2 million viewers, according to the Nielsen Co. That was up 9% compared with the average this season, the show's most-watched. Among kids 2 to 11, the finale drew 2.1 million viewers. Despite the show's popularity, Cyrus has said she's relieved to be leaving.

Rich Ross, the television executive who helped revive the moribund Disney Channel, now has to prove he can work movie magic at Walt Disney Studios. The 47-year-old former talent department head has been, as expected, tapped by Disney Chief Executive Robert A. Iger to fill much of the studio post formerly held by Dick Cook, who was ousted last month after clashing with his boss and failing to deliver enough hits over the last year. Iger will look to Ross to reinvigorate Disney's flagging box-office fortunes and develop film franchises that can be sold across the entertainment giant's lines of businesses -- including theme parks, consumer products and television -- as well as grapple with a host of technological issues that are quickly reshaping Hollywood.

The odds against them were daunting for the motley team of Mexican schoolkids who somehow won the 1957 Little League World Series. They were almost as steep for the filmmakers behind "The Perfect Game," which opened Friday and relates the tale of the scrappy, undersized team's improbable triumph. Initially, the movie's shooting was plagued by fits and starts. At one point production closed down entirely and had to be relaunched. Then Lionsgate, after slating the film for release way back in July 2008, held the movie from theaters because its original backers reportedly had run short of cash.

There aren't a lot of surprises in store when a film is struck from Nicholas Sparks and is called "The Last Song." There will be young love in the picturesque South, there will be a battery of contrivances keeping those crazy kids apart, and there will be tragedy and much rending of hair. "Last Song" is one of those maudlin romantic melodramas you just can't warn folks off. They're going to see it, though they know the story before they get in the car. Sullen, half-heartedly goth teen Ronnie (Miley Cyrus sans "Hannah Montana" trappings)

Disney Channel has ordered a second season of the Jonas Brothers comedy "Jonas." The show, a "Monkees"-style comedy centered on real-life brothers Kevin, Joe and Nick Jonas, averages a respectable (but not "Hannah Montana" or "Wizards of Waverly Place" big) 3.4 million viewers on Sundays, topping the demographics of ages 6 to 11 and 9 to 14 in its 8:30 p.m. time slot. "Jonas" was originally meant to create a Saturday-night destination for Disney Channel, premiering to 4 million viewers in May, but ratings tumbled in its second week and the show was quickly moved to Sundays, where it has become a modest hit for the network.

Nickelodeon's "iCarly" is not so much a show as a concept. You can almost hear the pitch: Let's wrangle those future YouTubers and make them Nick kids. How? By creating a show about a girl who starts her own website devoted to the "talents" of everyday kids. With, of course, a website through which they can interact with the show, even apparently providing content for the broadcast. All this synergy is couched in a fairly standard "kids rule" sitcom, freshened up with modern accessories.

Are the Jonas Brothers poised to take the place of the Disney Channel's "Hannah Montana"? It's too soon to tell. A solid 4 million viewers watched the 8 p.m. premiere of the network's new series, "Jonas," which topped kids and tween rankings Saturday, but didn't come close to delivering the audience watching new episodes of "Hannah Montana."

Today: Television for the week that ended Sunday Top network shows Viewers 18 to 49 1 Sunday Night Football NBC, 9.5 million viewers 2 House Fox, 6.8 million 3 Grey's Anatomy ABC, 6.6 million 4 The Big Bang Theory CBS, 6.6 million 5 Two and a Half Men CBS, 6.3 million Top cable shows All viewers 1 Monday Night Football ESPN, 13.1 million viewers 2 Phillies-Dodgers (Thursday) TBS, 6.8 million 3 Hannah Montana Disney, 5.7 million 4 Phillies-Rockies (Monday)

A year ago, Marc Shmuger and David Linde were riding high as the heads of Universal Pictures, in the middle of what was to become the most profitable year in the studio's history, presiding over a two-year string of hits that included "Mamma Mia!," "The Bourne Ultimatum," "Wanted" and "Knocked Up." Today they're licking their wounds, having been ousted after months of bad buzz about studio infighting and weak, inconsistent leadership. Even though they had a lot of early success, the duo never built a loyal following, either inside or outside the company.