Cyrus "Embarrassed" By Photo Spread

Images Some Deem Racy In Upcoming Vanity Fair; Pop Star Says She Thought They'd Be "Artistic"

(CBS/AP)  Miley Cyrus is taking issue with a photo of herself that's going around, and it's not another amateur, truth-or-dare Internet snapshot - it's the handiwork of Annie Leibovitz.

"I took part in a photo shoot that was supposed to be 'artistic' and now, seeing the photographs and reading the story, I feel so embarrassed," Cyrus said Sunday in a statement through her publicist. "I never intended for any of this to happen and I apologize to my fans who I care so deeply about."

The photos, appearing in the upcoming issue of Vanity Fair, were taken by Leibovitz, a renowned celebrity photographer whose edgy, silver-toned portraits have included subjects such as Angelina Jolie, Scarlett Johansson and a naked, pregnant Demi Moore.

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Photos: A Look At Miley Cyrus

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The Cyrus pictures accompany an interview with the 15-year-old pop star and her father, singer Billy Ray Cyrus. They include shots of the teen wrapped in what appears to be a satin bed sheet, looking over her shoulder with her back exposed.

The Disney Channel, which airs Cyrus' TV show "Hannah Montana," was also critical of Vanity Fair.

"Unfortunately, as the article suggests, a situation was created to deliberately manipulate a 15-year-old in order to sell magazines," a network statement said.

A phone message left for a Vanity Fair representative was not immediately returned Sunday night. But in a statement to the TV show "Entertainment Tonight," Vanity Fair defended its position.

"Miley's parents and/or minders were on the set all day," the magazine said. "Since the photo was taken digitally, they saw it on the shoot and everyone thought it was a beautiful and natural portrait of Miley."

In a caption released by Vanity Fair with the photo last week, Cyrus expressed her comfort with how the apparently topless picture turned out.

"I think it's really artsy," she told the magazine at the time. "It wasn't in a skanky way. Annie took, like, a beautiful shot, and I thought that was really cool. That's what she wanted me to do, and you can't say no to Annie."

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Photos: Miley Cyrus' "Best Of Both Worlds"

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"Teenagers are putting far worse pictures on their MySpace and Facebook accounts every day," People magazine Senior Editor Julie Dam told Early Show co-anchor Harry Smith Monday. "These pictures are relatively tame."

"Her name is out there again," Dam added. "And honestly, she's apologized. She said she feels bad. Her fans are everything to her. She's kind of gotten ahead of this. And it's part of her image that she is clean. And she's innocent. And she's sweet."

A handful of borderline racy snapshots of a girl who appeared to be Cyrus have appeared on the Internet in recent months, including images of a girl posing in her underwear and bikini last week.

Cyrus is one of the biggest - and most G-rated - acts in the country and is often considered a role model for young girls. Her "Best of Both Worlds" tour sold out arenas, and her successful 3-D concert film collected $31.3 million in its opening weekend in February.

[mister163]

hey here we go again another young actress takin the wrong type of fotos...what the big deal can''t she wait untill she is grown... my thing is she has so many young kids looking up to her.. including people like me and my friends kids its just crazy moviestars dont use there brains...so rich and so not...smart!!!!!!

[tomanyt]

There is absolutely nothing wrong with the photos. She looks better in the Annie Leibovitz photos then she has ever looked. Most of the time she looks like a tart. And besides all that, Miley wouldn''t know artistic if it came up and slapped her in the face.

[peacedreamer-2009]

This is why is a bad idea to let little girls idolize celebrities. Eventually, they are going to do something, intentionally or unintentionally, that makes them poor role models. I feel bad for Ms. Cyrus. Her parents should have been watching out for her.

[mygramma]

Hey!! It''s not a big deal. It''s a nice photo. The role model stuff is nonsense. She''s not a role model, doesn''t want to be and has said so. The dumb part is she can''t keep her mouth shut - saying she''s embarrassed.

[jen773]

I think it is ridiculous this magazine decided to put a 15 year old girl in a bedsheet. Her fan base is way to young for ***, so why turn her into a *** symbol to sell your magazine? I would rather see her in a swimsuit on the beach, at least that has a reasonable explanation to give your young daughter, all this photo screams is *** underage girl. Not responsible on her parents part or the photographers. Who are young girls to look up if not even the kids on Disney?

[jetlizhan]

i blame her parents - billy ray, wake up! you never were that famous, so here''s your daughter bigger than life these days and you''re having a ball riding on her coat-tail. shame on you. this is disgusting.

[talkingham]

Oh right, Disney doesn''t exploit young peope for financial gain. H Montana Show is completely contrived exploitation and a complete bore as well.

Disney would never exploit teens or tweens.

[tomanyt]

jen773...There is nothing s.e.x.u.a.l. about any of the Leibovitz photos. Why are Americans so prudish??????????????????

[cpaide]

it''s her dad, the achy-breaky heart has-been, who will exploit anyone so that he can get his ugly mug in the limelight again. psycho thinks he''s a better singer/performer than elvis (really) and needs to get a real job instead of using his daughter to try and resurrect attention to himself that he really never had.

[pattisaid]

What else is new? They did this to Brooke Shields when she was this age. I do not understand why people want to use a child as a *** object. Victoria''s secret does this too. She is a child and this is ART. The magazines, TV, whatever type of media there is love to distort images. Obviously, this child makes so much money for Disney, see how fast they stand behind this Child. The minute she stops bringing the cash in they will toss her out. But for now I guess putting 15 year olds in bedsheets is okay. Thats art.

[tehkummah-2009]

The "racey" pictures are sad enough (though not unexpected)...most disturbing to me is the photo of her and her Dad....now that''s sick!

[mygramma]

Blame her parents?? What''s to blame?? It''s a nice photo. There is nothing wrong with it. Is she out making videos of herself violently beating another girl? Is she making videos of herself fornicating like thousands of girls her age and younger?

The only things offensive here is Miley shooting off her big mouth about being embarrassed and people here whining about her wrecking her image as a "role model." She is not a role model, doesn''t want to be and has said so. Get over it.

[Michael Arnold]

White trash child porn.

[centexgirl]

Come on now.. Its not that bad. She''s wearing more than what a bathing suit covers. Doesn''t taint my image of her..

[williamfold]

finally, some real news.

[jen773]

tomanyt- America might be a better place if our daughters and young women had more self respect and realized they could do things fully clothed just as well as half naked and maybe be taken more seriously. Call it what you want, I think we are making a nation full of tramps and exploiting women as good for nothing but s.e.x. My daughter is almost 12 and loves Hannah Montana. I don''t want my daughter thinking that being *** is what''s important and what matters. America needs to look at its values and morals and maybe once we realize we have none we can start to dig ourselves out of this trash instead of instilling it in our younger generations. We are raising a generation now of self-serving half dressed spoiled pigs. What a thing to be proud of. Dirty old men don''t have to go far anymore to get an eyeful, just walk outside.

[pollroller1]

I have to watch her when my 9 year old granddaughter comes over to visit. She is a pretty good actor, but I don''t really care much for her singing. For one thing,
she sings off key. I guess if I were a kid, I would think she was really cool. I know my granddaughter does.

[puzzler125]

Yes, it''s a beautiful photo...but she''s only 15!

[jjarden]

They''re ALL Teenage WH0RES who Wh0re themselves for money and fame.

They''re Disgusting, and this Mentally ill celebrity-worshipping society is disgusting.

America is going down the gutter rapidly.

[jboxton]

Give her a break. She doesn''t even have that nice of a body. If she had a big chest I could see people being upset. She has nothing so it is just a nice picture.

[sgtrds]

So her dad''s career is as dead as his one note voice so now he makes money selling his underage daughter. He''s a classic hillbilly.

[cbsblogger]

The entertainment industry thrives on the millions of really stupid Americans that are enthralled with celebrity of any kind. Frankly Scarlet who really gives a *** what she does. This is more of the same ole same ole to gain her attention and gain her handlers $$$$$.

[holdenlitgo]

This poor little girl is being spoon fed a bunch of nonsense by her adult "handlers" now about how ashamed and sorry she should be for offending "someone" or "something". Where were these believers when the photos were being taken? They''ve got to serve somebody but they can''t figure out who it is. I''m sorry she''s the one who has to suffer through their failures in faith and understanding.

[pete_in_az]

Give her a break. She doesn''''t even have that nice of a body. If she had a big chest I could see people being upset. She has nothing so it is just a nice picture.
Posted by jboxton at 01:11 PM : Apr 28, 2008
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Your a sick pos. That''s a 15 year old girl you are talking about.

[jsf14]

Wouldn''t Texas authorities see this as grounds for removing her from her parents? Exposing her publicly nude seems worse than anything the FLDS folks are accused of doing to the very young kids who''ve been removed from their parents. I''m not taling about the 15-year-olds said to be married off but the infants, toddlers, and other young kids who were removed. Why is letting ur kid show her naked body to everyone in the world better parenting than telling your kids that there are spirit children waiting to be born?

[extremophil]

What does Miley Cyrus and Lindsay Lohan have in common? A lot more today than yesterday.

[patty101558]

I think all parties involved should be responible for allowing this to happen ...the Magizine is nothing but trash to allow a 15 year to be photagrah this way and should be sued and put under.....Anna L. the photographer you are very unattactive and to take advantage as you did of a 15 year old is child porn to me and I think you should never be able to do your job again

and last of all Mom and Dad you know the business all to well you should have stayed until the end and made *** sure it was on the up and up because this happen after you left

[nocore]

It is ridiculous that Miley Cyrus should have to feel embarrassed. This is the first time she''s ever looked cool in her life.

These are such tame photos. And they''re very aesthetically pleasing. In any Western European nation this would just be tame, safe innocence. Only through the warped 18th century lens of American Puritanism is there something to be upset about here.

[hedonist3]

Hey Extremophil -- If you''re going to wax witty, it will go over better if you use proper grammar. As typed, you just look stupid.

[yongamerica]

So much for the minor''s point of view, why did her Mom and Dad and Agent agree to this photo shoot?

On the other hand she isn''t being married off to a man ol enough to be her daddy in some crazy religous sect. So what''s the big deal?

[cyberdjs4]

Miss Cyrus is hot; even if she is 15. It was a matter of time before she posed suggestively for a photographer.

If she is still relevant at age 18, she WILL grace the covers of Maxim, Blender or Stuff.

[erasmus81]

"I took part in a photo shoot that was supposed to be ''artistic'' and now, seeing the photographs and reading the story, I feel so embarrassed," Cyrus said Sunday in a statement through her publicist. "I never intended for any of this to happen and I apologize to my fans who I care so deeply about."

I think you can pose in a bathing suit and have it look okay. It doesn''t necessarily have to be classified as "s-exy" But when you pose wrapped in a satin sheet, where it looks like your naked, what the heck do you think the message is going to be?? Especially when you are only 15 years old!

[smiley676]

Especially when you are only 15 years old!


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Posted by erasmus81

That''s the point, she is only 15.

Also, when you have a talented photographer telling you something is artistic, you tend to listen to that person and believe them, regardless of your age.

Her pictures are not pornographic and I don''t think that they should reflect negatively on her. Live and learn.

[dylanxxv]

LOL...The vanity affair website says pimpdaddy billy boy cyrus is a country music legend...HA! More like a one hit has been...

[culturechang]

This was no accident. Vanity knew it would be a scandalous deal that would sell magazines. CBS news (and other news agencies that are all likely owned by the same conglomerate) is capitalizing on it too. Everyone is making money off of the soft porn exploitation of a child.....and no one will be charged or arrested becuase its big corporate money doing it. If it were anyone else, the police would already be beating the streets looking for someone to blame.

[smiley676]

elicatlover

You are missing something. This was an AL photo shoot. They trusted her to be "artsy." When your photographer is someone so famous, you tend to trust them.

Besides, there is nothing pornographic or vulgar about these photos.

[beehive21-2009]

Wake up fools, this is a publicity stunt,check out Olympics,if you want to see,15 year olds.

[pghlady3]

mommy and daddy were sitting right there watching the whole entire shoot, don''t you think they would have said something????????????????

[talkingham]

it''s great to see all these people living in a dreamworld about how sweet and pure teens making a living in the great Satan Hollywood are.

And oh yeah, her daddy is a country music saint right?

Keep living in your little dreamworlds while trillions are wasted in Iraq and gas goes up to $5 gallon later this summer. I couldn''t care less or more about what the imaginary Disney virgin Hannah Montana wears or doesn''t wear. We''re all naked under our clothes made by semi-topless 10 year olds in Sumatra right? Oops, they aren''t the fakey Disney role models a-la-Britney and Hannah we are so concerned about are they?

[sycore]

Come on, she has been sucking *** of someone over at Disney for years. How do you think her crappy show and music career got started.

[rftscpks]

To young and to fast.

[erasmus81]

"Come on, she has been sucking *** of someone over at Disney for years. How do you think her crappy show and music career got started."Posted by sycore at 05:08 PM : Apr 28, 2008

PIG.

[stn_sage]

Hey, her parents aren''t niave! They knew that Vanity Fair was going to put a little ''*** twist'' on the pics to increase sales. And I bet Billy Ray and wife were fine with it!

I believe their thinking was: do the photo spread, get the MONEY, feign lack of knowledge about what Vanity Fair did, apologize to Disney & the public,
continue on with contracted employment, and hope no one cancels on them! If they do, adjust.

Personally, I don''t see how Disney or any ''family values'' type entity can continue employing Miley Cyrus after this photo shoot! If they do, they show that they AREN''T family values entities at all!

[buddybuddy6]

As an art teacher I feel the images are artistically rendered. By peoples reactions, you would have thought she had ran naked through Times Square with her butt cheeks flopping around. Her back is exposed people! I don''t know how this calls for an apology.

[buddybuddy6]

As an art teacher I feel the images are artistically rendered. By peoples reactions, you would have thought she had ran naked through Times Square with her butt cheeks flopping around. Her back is exposed people! I don''t know how this calls for an apology.

[fabsam300]

Im not trying to take sides but,everyone does stupid things in their life time.Everyone makes mastacks.Yes those photos were not great for all the teens to see.Yes shes my romodel and she always will be.But i dont think that, thats a very good image for her.I do think that all mothers should give miley a second chance.I know they would if it was their child...The whole my parents were there thing sounds to me like a lie.If they were there they would of said some thing like every other parent would.They would of took charge.I can say if she continues this image then i can tell u shes so not going to be my romodel anymore.Thanks

[fabsam300]

OK to me this is not rele a big deal.I mean u see all those other romodels having babys at the age of 16.In comparision i think the baby one is worse.Just think of the pictures as a teenage girl wanting more fans.She was talked into this.I blame all of her friends and family for not watching out for her.I mean look at jamie lynn spears she was a big thing back in the day and now shes having at baby at the age of 16 to me the celeberity world needs to chill.STOP making people do things just to get more fans.I think we need better celebs that we know wont do any of this foolish actions we see happening.PLZ look out the window theres in about a million people that i know that would mever do something so stupid even if it was under pressure.Pick better ppl plz.thanks for reading.

[RodgerMiles]

"Wouldn''''t Texas authorities see this as grounds for removing her from her parents?..." Posted by jsf14

It''s interesting that most networks are referring to this as a Miley mistake and then commenting how clever Disney, Vanitly Fair and Leibovitz are. I have always thought that child pornography was illegal as well as improper.

In the meantime, the network with the number one show that promotes lying and cheating puts the pictures on primetime display.

[dylanxxv]

Im not trying to take sides but,everyone does stupid things in their life time.Everyone makes mastacks.Yes those photos were not great for all the teens to see.Yes shes my romodel and she always will be.But i dont think that, thats a very good image for her.I do think that all mothers should give miley a second chance.I know they would if it was their child...The whole my parents were there thing sounds to me like a lie.If they were there they would of said some thing like every other parent would.They would of took charge.I can say if she continues this image then i can tell u shes so not going to be my romodel anymore.Thanks

Posted by FabSam300 at 07:20 PM : Apr 28, 2008

She''s your "romodel"? Perhaps you should seek out a teacher as a role model...BTW...If you looked at the pictures you would know that her parents were both there...

[victoriak68]

I find it nauseating that the kids on here can spell the word "comparison" but fail to see the spelling error in "romodel" even after being corrected. The correct spelling is "ROLE MODEL". It''s two words, not one, ARRGGGHHH!!!!
As for Miley. I don''t think it''s yet time to remove her from her home. You have an over-ambitious photographer who''s capable of fast-talking most adults, a teenager is a piece of cake. Sure the parents were onset, but given the world in which these people live I can see it as being quite easy in convincing them that this isn''t porn, but instead very creative material. It''s "artsy" as Miley had been told and at first believed until the whole country went all spaztic over this. Face it people, she may be "innocent" for now, but she doesn''t live in a innocent world and she is growing up. Just like Britney, just like Hilary. The bed sheet shot IS too mature for her age and for what she promotes through her work, but face it, it could have been worse. We could be seeing another Britney and Miley is definitely NOT another Britney.