Fan Fare
Entertainment behind the scenes
Billy Ray Cyrus sports shades, bandana in new rock band; Miley mortified?
It’s every daughter’s nightmare. Dad’s fast approaching 50 and decides he needs to recapture his youth.
In this case, former country star Billy Ray Cyrus, better known these days as the father of Miley Cyrus, is taking a page from his daughter’s playbook and hardening his musical style. The mulleted singer of the inescapable 1992 anthem “Achy Breaky Heart” has formed a rock band called Brother Clyde, whose lineup includes former members of Hole and Snot. Its self-titled debut comes out on Tuesday through Disney, which also handles his daughter.
“I always loved rock ‘n’ roll,” said Cyrus, 48, pictured at left in center with bandana. “That was a heavy part of what I was as a young juvenile delinquent. I tried from my first album to rock like any other Southern rock band.”
That album, 1992′s “Some Gave All,” spent a record 17 consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the U.S. pop chart. The single “Achy Breaky Heart” turned Cyrus into a country hunk, an image he rightfully treasures.
Tracks on the new disc include first single “Lately,” featuring rapper King Phaze; “The Right Time,” featuring Dolly Parton; “Alive” featuring his son, Trace Cyrus; and a version of Johnny Cash’s “Walk the Line.” Early listens suggest Cyrus is still partial to the early 1990s, possibly aiming for a less-druggy Alice in Chains sound with the millennial earnestness of Daughtry.
Brother Clyde’s lineup also includes drummer Samantha Maloney (Motley Crue, Hole, Eagles of Death Metal), guitarists Jamie Miller (theSTART, Snot) and Dan Knight, and bass player Dave Henning.
Miley Cyrus has stumbled a bit with her new album, “Can’t Be Tamed,” which took the 17-year-old starlet into slightly edgier territory. After debuting at No. 3 on the U.S. pop chart, it now ranks at No. 33 in its sixth week. Her father’s career is less than red-hot, so he has nothing to lose with his middle-aged reinvention as a dad rocker.
Miley Cyrus’ CD sales slide as she ditches her wholesome image
Miley Cyrus’ young fans are rebelling against her rebellion.
As the Disney starlet approaches her 18th birthday in November, she is not unwisely downplaying her wholesome image in favor of an edgier facade. The transition shouldn’t have been too hard given all the scantily clad photos that have surfaced in the past few years, not to mention a recently released videoclip that showed 16-year-old Cyrus giving a lap dance to a 44-year-old Hollywood director. 
But her evolution into young adulthood is not getting any easier, if first-week sales of her defiantly titled new album, “Can’t Be Tamed” are anything to go by. The album, preceded by a sexy video, sold just 102,000 copies in the United States last week, landing at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 sales chart released Wednesday.
Hollywood ponders Jobs-lessness
(Writing and Reporting by Sue Zeidler)
Apple Inc’s Steve Jobs has commanded a leading role in Hollywood for years with his clout and influence in the digital entertainment arena, including Apple’s position as a leading provider of downloads for music and video at its iTunes Web site.
Jobs also sits on the board and is the largest individual shareholder of the Walt Disney Co., having sold his Pixar Animation Studios for stock in the venerable film and TV studio. Now, his exit from the limelight at Apple has left Hollywood abuzz.
