A new Cyrus hits the stage

Watch out Miley, your sister Brandi is moving in on your turf. Miley Cyrus' sister Brandy Cyrus recently opened for her father Billy Ray. Brandy opened for her father with her band Frank and Derol at the House of Blues in Los Angeles. Her band is made up of Codi Caraco and Secret Life of the American Teenager star Megan Park. The 22-year-old was no stranger to the stage however, having toured with Miley as one of her guitarists.

"I was really excited because the House of Blues is such a cool venue and we have been working so hard, rehearsing every day," Park said. "Honestly, I just couldn't wait to get up and do it again!"

Megan and Codi formed the band about a year ago and then added Brandi to help write songs. The pop trio plans to continue performing while pursuing a record deal.

Billy Ray Cyrus: " I didn't know they were going too Strip her down!"

The Miley Cyrus photo controversy, which was a result of the actress’ Vanity Fair photo shoot, was once again the subject of debate on Tuesday’s Today show.

Miley’s dad, Billy Ray Cyrus, spoke publicly about the photos for the first time since the negative reaction to the June issue of the magazine.

“I didn’t know they were going to strip her down and wrap her in a blanket,” Cyrus, appearing to promote his NBC show Nashville Star, told Meredith Vieira.

He added, “I was surprised when I saw it, but hey, that’s life. Stuff happens. You gotta deal with it.”

Cyrus says he couldn’t prevent the photos due to other obligations. “I didn’t have any choice,” he said. “I had a show to do, and an obligation, to go to Washington state ... playing for the troops just back from Iraq.”

Viera asked Cyrus why he didn’t speak to someone about it after the fact, and he responded, “cause my dad always said, ‘The more you stomp in poop, the more it stinks.’”

At the time, Miley Cyrus apologized for the photos, which were taken by Annie Leibovitz.
As for the picture of Miley and her dad, striking a pose that, to some, appeared more suitable between a boyfriend and girlfriend rather than a father and daughter, Billy Ray laughed.
“That’s just a daddy who loves his daughter a whole lot,” he said.

“I am her dad, she’s my daughter. If a daddy hasn’t hugged his daughter recently, I recommend he does.”

Billy Ray and Miley are currently filming in Tennessee the Hannah Montana movie, set to be released in May 2009.

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Billy Ray on Miley's Vanity Fair shoot, again

Billy Ray Cyrus was on The Today Show this morning, and again he spoke up about daughter Miley's controversial Vanity Fair cover shoot. Just last week the country singer likened famed photographer Annie Liebovitz, who snapped the pictures for the magazine, to a paparazzo.

Cyrus made his first televised comments about the photo shoot, although the purpose of his Today Show appearance was to promote NBC's Nashville Star. Cyrus told show anchor Meredith Vieira that was not on the set at the time.

"I didn't know they were going to strip her down and wrap her in a blanket," Cyrus said. "I was surprised when I saw [the photo] ... but, hey, that's life. Stuff happens."

Cyrus said he could not prevent the shoot and did not think to complain.

"I didn't have any choice," he said. "I had a show to do, and an obligation, to go to Washington state ... playing for the troops just back from Iraq."

Miley Cyrus later apologized for the photo, where she appeared draped in a sheet on the cover of the magazine. But some people were also disturbed by a picture inside the magazine, showing Miley and her dad in a perhaps amorous pose.

"That's just a daddy who loves his daughter a whole lot," he said.

Cyrus family says Leibovitz is a paparazzo

According to Billy Ray Cyrus, he and his family consider famed photographer Annie Leibovitz a paparazzo. Leibovitz took the photos for the now-infamous Vanity Fair shoot where 15-year-old Miley Cyrus appeared semi-nude.

Cyrus told Ryan Seacrest's KIIS-FM radio show that he was fishing in rural Tennessee with his eight-year-old daughter, Noah, recently. "I was catching these crawdads and all the sudden this paprazzi lady jumps out ... and starts snapping away," he said.

Noah turned to ask him, "Is that Annie Leibovitz?"

Miley Cyrus and her family were reportedly pleased with the photo shoot at the time and prior to the issue's publication. They have since backtracked on their praise and expressed displeasure with the pictures and how they portray the Disney star.

Billy Ray Cyrus brings ‘Hannah Montana’ home

Thanks to Billy Ray Cyrus, “Hannah Montana” is headed home. He and the real star of the Disney show, his 15-year-old daughter Miley, are busy filming the upcoming “Hannah Montana” flick in their home state of Tennessee, but, as he told OK! magazine, that wasn’t the original plan.

“When I read the initial script, it was all about me bringing Miley home to Tennessee, and we were going to go film it in Louisiana,” Billy Ray said. “To me, that was a red flag.”

That’s when “Hannah’s” dad contacted the studio suits to point out the obvious. “I called a few different people, and I said, ‘Wait a second, I really feel that Tennessee is the right place to make a movie about coming back to Tennessee,’” he told the magazine.

In an effort to seal the deal, Billy Ray, whose upcoming album just happens to be titled “Back to Tennessee,” sent photos of his hometown to Disney honchos.

“Disney came here last week, and they pulled me aside and said, ‘Thank you for bringing this film to Tennessee,’” Billy Ray explained. But, for the record, he doesn’t want credit for the relocation, as he added, “The bottom line is Tennessee sold itself. I brought it to the table and said, ‘I think it’s the right thing to do.’ It’s a great state. I’m really proud of it.”

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Billy Ray concerned for Miley's safety

Billy Ray Cyrus told Access Hollywood's Billy Bush that he was concerned about his 15-year-old daughter's safety.

"You can't go and do something really great or become something really big without there being an opposite side to that," the elder Cyrus said.

The Disney star's photo value has shot up from just a few hundred dollars per paparazzi picture to in the thousands. There are reports that the first photos of Miley kissing are worth $150 thousand.

"If I'm gonna have people following my little girl, trust me, I want to know who they are, I want to know their names," he added. "... I go up and talk to them and just try to let them know that certain things are cool and certain things are uncool. She's my little girl, you know, so they've got to kind of treat that with respect."

In other Miley Cyrus news, one popular Internet blogger has reported that the 'Hannah Montana' actress is dating her back-up dancer Marshall, who is seven years older than Cyrus. And another controversial set of photos have appeared online, this time of the teen embracing her new boyfriend.

More racy Miley Cyrus pics

Disney star Miley Cyrus has not been able to keep her nose clean for long. More racy pictures of the 15-year-old teen icon have been making the rounds online. This time Miley is seen holding up her t-shirt and showing her bra, and also revealing lacy, red underwear.

Reports have stated that Cyrus sent the photos to former boyfriend Nick Jonas, who she was dating at the time.

The 'Hannah Montana' actress' father and co-star, Billy Ray, said his daughter will bounce back from the photo scandals despite the outrage because she is a positive person and is "too upbeat to stay down for long."

"The thing you got to look at in life, whether you're an entertainer or whether you're a farmer... whatever you do in life, there's going to be peaks and valleys. I think one of the things my dad taught me and hopefully I instilled in Miley, is that when you get knocked down, you got to get back up because it's not going to do any good to lie on the ground and cry about it," Billy Ray Cyrus said. I think she has a lot to be proud of. I think the positive far outweighs the negative."

But that isn't all the controversy for the teen queen. The Los Angeles-based rock band Lustra has accused Cyrus of plagiarizing and invited her to an onstage showdown.

Lustra claims Cyrus's "Rock Star" is an exact copy of their song "Scotty Doesn't Know," which was on the soundtrack for the 2004 film Europtrip.

But the band decided to deal with the situation outside of the courtroom. They invited Cyrus to perform her song at L.A.'s Viper Room on Thursday to let fans decide if the songs are the same.

"Lustra would play their song 'Scotty Doesn't Know,' followed by Ms. Cyrus' 'Rockstar,' and then let their fans decide," the group's spokesman was quoted on Contactmusic.com.

But the band also has another idea for repayment.

"Another way to rectify this is to have Lustra appear on 'Hannah Montana' as themselves," the spokesman added. "Lustra could appear on the show as Hannah's musical influence."

"We could share even more of our songs with Ms. Cyrus, just as long as we get credit for it, which is what we have wanted all along," said Lustra guitarist Nick Cloutman.

Miley Cyrus Says Goodbye to Destiny and Hope

Miley Cyrus petitioned the Los Angeles Superior Court to officially change her name from Destiny Hope Cyrus to Miley Ray Cyrus.

As a baby, the fifteen-year-old Hannah Montana star was given the nickname “Smiley Miley” by her father, country singer Billy Ray Cyrus, and has been called Miley ever since.

Miley’s parents filed the papers last Friday requesting “to make her commonly used name the same as her legal name.”

Miley and Billy Ray are hosting the CMT music award ceremony together on April 14th.

Miley and Dad apologize for not buckling up

Teen star Miley Cyrus, 15, and her father Billy Ray apologized for not buckling up their seat belts during filming for their new "Hannah Montana" movie.

"We got caught up in the moment of filming, and we made a mistake and forgot to buckle our seat belts," Billy Ray Cyrus told People. "Seat belt safety is extremely important."

Consumer Reports Magazine noted the Disney father-daughter duo failed to buckle up when they rode in the back of a Range Rover during their hit 3-D "Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert."

"The reality is that movies and television shows do influence how kids, and adults, act in everyday life," a blog post by Consumer Reports mentioned. "It seems to us that Miley, her father, and Disney had a perfect opportunity to help influence teens and counteract – rather than encourage – this trend. Then again, as Hannah herself sings, 'Everybody makes mistakes.'"

"We applaud the Cyrus family for recognizing that wearing seat belts in rear seats is essential," Don Mays, the director of product safety at Consumers Union, which publishes Yonkers-based Consumer Reports, said Wednesday.

According to the magazine, 65 percent of 13-to-15-year-olds involved in fatal car accidents in 2006 were not wearing seat belts.