Hannah Montana, Miley Cyrus Hysteria Hits Oprah

Miley Cyrus, otherwise known as Hannah Montana, has created one of those pop culture phenomenons like the Spice Girls, New Kids On the Block, or even the Beatles. It's "Miley Mania, Hannah Hysteria," Oprah said on her March 19^th show. As Miley came onto the stage, the middle aged women in the audience even yelled like little girls, jumping up and down. Cyrus is in the middle of a North American tour, and said on the show that her sister and mother are on the tour with her. An insider's glimpse showed parts of the tour bus: Miley's sister's bunk in a dizzying array of Hannah Montana products, and Miley's bunk, with a Hello Kitty theme.

Billy Rae Cyrus, country music star and Miley's dad, made an appearance on the show as well, and they talked about Miley and boys, keeping her grounded, and how to handle all this fame. One example is when Oprah asked about Miley's income -- how much of that money she gets. Miley admitted losing a credit card in her name in only two days, and that her mother keeps track of how much she spends.

Billy Rae, when asked how he keeps Miley from going the Britney or Lindsey route, said that it's all about how life is lived, and that Miley has a big heart and he's not worried about it. He wants to be her friend, someone she can go to if she does get into trouble. It seems like a good way to keep communication open and make sure that Miley knows she has someone to turn to.

Oprah lured in 100 Miley/Hannah fans with a fake "Biggest Fan" contest. None of the girls (and one boy) were aware that Miley was actually in the same building they waited in. After several commercial breaks, Oprah finally led Miley backstage. A video montage preceded them, showing the videos that were sent in that got the winners to the Oprah Winfrey show, and then Hannah walked through a curtain, and the screaming ensued. One girl collapsed onto the floor, sobbing at the sight of the 14-year-old Miley. Miley performed a song for them, "Best of Both Worlds," and then Oprah talked to the guests once they'd calmed down a bit. Hysteria is an appropriate word for the fans of Hannah Montana that were shown.