Marianne Paskowski

inappropriate....period .

Dear Marianne,

Yes, she absolutely owes her fans and their parents an apology. Miley Cyrus is a brand now, and as a brand she comes inherent with implied promises.

One of those promises is that she is wholesome.

Before these pictures came out, Gary Marsh, president of Entertainment for The Disney Channel, said in the current issue of Portfolio magazine that, “For Miley Cyrus to be a ‘good girl’ is now a business decision for her. Parents have invested in her a godliness. If she violates that trust, she won’t get it back.”

With her Vanity Fair pictures she and her handlers violated that trust. Her apology is recognition of that. To apologise is to recognize she broke a brand promise. To apologise is a good business decision.

Cory

Dave,

Give me a break. Remember what you and your friends were doing at 15.

Have the feeling I'm gonna get a lot of heat up here, bring it on.

Thanks for the post,
Marianne

Cory,

Here we go. You know what really bugs me about American television? Violence and shoot-em ups are AOK. Anything hinting at sexuality, or the stirs or budding up of it are taboo.

I thought it was a beautiful photo of a young girl growing up. Think about this: her hormones are running amuck, and she's going through this in the glaring but profitable spotlight of Hollywood.Good for her. Hope she doesn't wind up on a psychiatrist's couch from this overblown story.

Frankly, I can't believe Disney was so blindsided here, not even knowing about the Vanity Fair interview until Entertainment Tonight got the scoop. You worked there. What happened?

Thanks for your always, well thought out posts.

Marianne

I think the photos of Miley are very seductive --
a pedophile's dream snapshots. Her "bare back, with the rest of her body gracefully wrapped in a sheet" as art?

Hardly! Fifteen year old girls -- at least the ones in my house -- likely roll out of the sack wearing a tee-shirt.

The only semblences of art in these pix: "artfully" tousled hair, artfully applied makeup -- including oh-so-very-red lipstick to accentuate her youthful full lips (the kind for which older women pay handsomely) -- artful over-the-shoulder 'come hither' look.

One commentator I heard last night made a thoughful point about the photos. To paraphrase: Miley may be looking to move past her tween age fans -- the kids who made her famous -- and into the 'older teen' market in order to advance her career.

The question is -- does a young woman need to shed a wholesome image and play the seduction card in order to do it?

Gee - I thought the picture looked like a typical American teenage girl moaning getting up in the morning and going to school. I could almost hear, "do have to go to school today? There is nothing important happening."

Also, she might be ready to make the move to another higher paying tv series like Christina Applegate's character in Married with Children.

I doubt this will hurt her and it sure got her a lot of attention. There is lemonade in these lemons.

Wordsmith,

Maybe you don't really know what your teenage girls are doing after they leave the house.

Fifteen year old girls struggle with so many issues. I remember.

Now about this stuff about Miley trying to attract an older audience. If that's true, probably smart. She is a year older than her target audience, 6-14.

OK, the rest of you, weigh in, thanks Wordsmith.

Marianne

Cliff,

Thanks for a moment of lucidity. Thanks for a male point of view.

Marianne

Au contraire, Blondie --

Looks like Smiley Miley is auditioning for the next Lolita movie, and Vanity Fair is trying to cash in on her virginal fame. What's next? Hustler centerfold?

Let's present this as a model for pre-teens of both sexes, and mess up kids further with even more confusion over sexuality.

What's most clear is that Miley's parents treat her like their retirement piggy bank ripe for exploitation. But with this gambit, they've killed the golden goose of those few years left when Miley can cash in on her good-girl teen image.

Cruisin not Bruisin

Cruiser,

You are obviously a man. Try to remember, unless you suffer from dementia.

I actually think the Vanity Fair shoot addressed a problem, teenagers growing into adults.

Think about this.

Thanks for the post,
Marianne

I'm not prude, so I have no issue with her doing the photo on a personal basis. But she's a public figure. Professionally, I don't think it was the smartest move. She has a responsibility to Miley Cyrus the brand. For that she was irresponsible.

Wow, seriously??? It is apparant that you all are well past your 30s, either that or you live in a box. Seriously, folks, it is miley's B A C K that is exposed here...this could just as easily be a dress worn to the oscars that no one would have said 'boo' about...but listen, seen through innocent eyes this is innocent (AND art, but to the unartistic, the interpretation of this photo would be amiss), but seen through eyes looking for perverseness, well, there you have the comments above. Give this girl a break, she is not showing cleavage, she is not showing her pubic area, she is not showing her butt cheeks...this is tasteful. I have a feeling most of this condemnation is coming from parents who are oblivious to what their teenage daughters are going through, and who are also alowing their sons to play violent video games.

Kathy,

A 15 year old should not be a brand.She should be allowed to go through all the challenges that growing up means. Her parents, handlers & Disney are at fault here.

Thanks for your thoughtful response,
Marianne

Amen, Sarah,

I'm in your camp.

Thanks for the post,
Marianne

The latest according to SFGate.com:

**************************
"Hannah Montana" star Miley Cyrus thinks her hit Disney kids show should be more like "Sex and the City," because it's her favorite program.

***************************
C'mon, parents - get a clue here. She struts like a little slut on stage, she poses in her underwear, and then laying in her boyfriend's lap, and then semi-nude. Now this.

This is NOT a role model for your kids!!

Tony,

I totally disagree. But I guess you are a concerned father, and I get that.

But Miley is a healthy young woman, and if Sex and the City is her favorite show, go girl.

It would have been mine, if it aired when I was 15. Again, Americans are such prudes about sex.

What about violence? I care more about that, and the frigging war mongers in this country.

Thanks for the post,
Marianne

Just remember that we're not talking about only 15 year old girls here. Hannah Montana is an idol for six and seven year old girls. They're the ones to be concerned about. They're the ones that need to be protected from Miley's 'new image'.

If Miley wants to move her show to MTV, then you can argue that this "blossoming young woman" image might be more suitable. But as long as her audience is mainly pre-teen (and pre-ten), then you and she are both wrong.

Marianne --

I'm afraid that in capitalizing on Miley's "squaky clean" Hannah Montana image they way they have, her handlers cynically exploit a societal penchant, or sickness, to sexualize young girls, particularly the "good girls." Who, among adults, had even heard of Britney Spears's sister--until she became the object of sexually tainted coverage about her good-girl teen pregnancy?

If, as you suggest, Miley is ready to make the transition to a young adult public personna, a new series or a naturally enough growing up of the Hannah Montana character on screen could have presented the story line tastefully, and just the way we'd want it presented to our pre-teen daughters. To use not-so-veiled titilation in an adult magazine desperate for audience buzz to accomplish the transition--or just peddle tripe--is the height of cynicism and disrespect for the impressionable audience that has sustained the Hannah character.

Jeff

Tony,

I hear you and the many thoughtful comments on this post It's a hard one: kids growing up. When I was 15, thankfully, I was never a role model for 6 year olds. I was already necking on the back swing on the porch.

But she is a role model. I'm starting to wonder, now, what this is really all about. Maybe, heaven forbid, at the age of 15, she's too old for her demo.

Thanks again,
Marianne

Hi Jeff,

Thanks for the post. Hard to believe a 15 year old going through mid life crisis.

But maybe she is. Remember she's older than her demo.

I'm glad I'm old.

Marianne

In our media-juiced and sexually self-conscious culture, Miley's message is clear: "I'm a slut." What a kick in the teeth to parents who had thought that, for once, a good TV role model was available for their kids. Add another channel lockout to the V-chip settings.

Joe,

Apparently you were raised in a "Leave it to Beaver" household. Get real.

Thanks for whatever,
Marianne

I'm going to put a 16 year olds perspective into this whole ordeal. When I first saw Miley's pictures I was like "Oh crap, shes going to get some bad publicity on this one." I was right about that too. I do think though that people are taking this way out of proportion. I think parents with kids who look up to her need to be happy that this is all that Miley is doing. I'm 16 and I know what kids are doing these days and its definitely not something parents would approve of. Kids my age are out drinking, going to countless parties, smoking, and having sex. I don't participate in these activities and I'm glad I don't. Miley is still very wholesome in my book and I'll continue to respect her unless if she messes up big and starts drinking or doing drugs. I don't see how she does this show show business thing. I've seen what people have said about Miley and its not pretty at all. People are wishing that she would die and they call her a "slut" and a "whore". It's really sad to see that. Miley knows people are calling her this but she continues on living her life with a smile on her face. Shes extremely nice to the people that she meets.
Tony- I happen to think Sex and the City is a pretty good show. I started watching it when it was shown on network television and I think it was more tamed down then when it aired on its previous network, but I think its a good show. If you continue to read the article Miley says that she watches Sex and the City and she likes how the characters have their own style and uniqueness about them and that Hannah Montana is sort of modeled after it just not the scenarios. I do see how your upset by this saying that she has little girls looking up to her but I don't really believe in role models all that much. I think its too much pressure for one 15 year old girl to handle. She's here to entertain your children not be their parents. I don't think parents should blame Miley for their kids troubles but blame themselves for allowing their child to do whatever they did.
Also i would like to add on the Vanity Fair photos that I see why Miley did the photos. If many adults were telling me that they have an idea for an "artsy" looking photo and that it will look great, I'd probably be like "Alright lets do it." Apparently none of the adults there at the photo shoot thought the photos were "skanky" unless if Vanity Fair knew the pictures would cause a scandal like it did and deliberately told Miley that it looked great to earn more money for themselves. I think Miley is a innocent victim in this whole scandal and she would have never done the photo shoot if she knew it would cause this much damage to her image. Nobody's really thinking about how Miley feels about this. The adults on here need to think about what it felt like when they were 15. Now just imagine if you were being hated on by parents all over America and those rude comments from teenagers were being directed towards you. Personally, if I had to go through what Miley is going through I probably wouldn't be writing this post right now. I'd be in the looney bin by now. Alright I'm done now, and thanks for your time.
-Colleen

Colleen,

Thanks for your post from the eyes of a 16 year old. I trust, you are, but whatever, I totally agree with you.

Spread the link to your friends, please, I would really like to hear what they have to say about all of this.

I, as you know, don't have a problem with this. Apparently a lot of other folks do.

Best to you,
Marianne

As a 21 year old male who just went through high school a few years ago, I can tell you right now that this is nothing. So what if she had a provocative pose? She could've been naked or got pregnant or be a complete and udder alcoholic before she's even allowed to legally drink. I think that there are a lot worse things in this world to worry about than Miley Cyrus reminding us that she has a beautiful figure. Its a parents responsibility to let their kids know that art is art and to simply explain to the kid that just going out and exposing ones self is a different matter. Plus, big dad Billy Ray, who controls every aspect of her life, is right there to watch to make sure it doesn't go too far. This family IS an example for us to follow in this crime-filled television universe.

Wow, to say I am surprised at the outrage over these photos is an understatement. Colleen nailed it, this all about perspective. Few 12-15 year old kids find anything "racy" with the photos. This week we had a conversation with our 9 year daughter about the pictures and showed them to her. First, she couldn't understand what the entire hubbub was about and we had to explain why parents were upset. We said it was largely because Miley was being made to look older than she was in the photos and was being portrayed in more of an adult way. This was not BS, this is what we believe. To hear another poster say the pictures were a pedophiles dream is odd to say the least...look anyone who knows much about fashion knows that it would be tough to pick up a Vogue and not find pictures of a young teenage girl, sure she may not be billed as a teenager, but the pictures are seductive...nothing seductive about the Miley pictures, heck she is showing less skin than a teenage swimsuit model in a Target ad. The picture without a doubt is art, look at her face, to me that really captures what was intended...its innocence. Our daughter didn't even know it was Miley. BTW, she still watches Zoey 101 and Jamie Lynn Spears little mistake is a parent’s worst nightmare as pointed out so succinctly in Juno. In the end Disney needs Miley more than she needs Disney...with an established music career she could stop doing the show and just be a music artist. It was harder to get tickets to her concert than any show I have ever seen, they sold out in Indy in about 10 minutes! I get the impression she likes to do the show and enjoys acting with her father. For the outraged parents, don't worry your kids will likely never see the picture unless you have an undying urge to pick up Vanity Fair and leave lying around in a drunken haze. Vanity Fair could easily have made a picture of Miley the cover to sell magazines, but didn't so they deserve a little credit. Liebowitz always takes interesting photos and she almost always captures some vulnerability in her subjects...she did it again...in 5 years remember these shots, there likely will not be a Hannah Montana, but there will be a Miley Cyrus.

Hi Jason,
My sentiment exactly. I just read somewhere that Disney is going to monitor her every move, not liking the surprise they supposedly got with the Vanity Fair photo.

Thanks for your view,
Marianne

John,

Thanks for your viewpoint being a father with a nine year old daughter.

Marianne

So, here comes another 'young person's' perspective.
Although I feel an apology was nice, I think this whole 'ordeal' is being taken way overboard. Miley Cyrus is a great girl, I don't think the picture says otherwise. I remember when I was 15, I did things I now regret, who hasn't? Miley is no different. Why? Because she's a role model? That does not mean she won't make mistakes. If ANYONE is to blame, I would say the parents. Because when you are in a room full of adults, telling you how 'beautiful' and 'artistic' the pictures look, I can imagine it being hard to say ' no.'
All in all, it's just NOT that big a deal. Especially with the things teenagers are getting into these days. I still respect Miley, and the empire she has built.

Go Jo,

Thanks for chiming in here. Miley is a role model, heck, she's not shooting people at Virginia Tech.

Girls will be girls, I remember being 15, making so many mistakes. Gratefully, I wasn't in the spotlight.

I detest how Disney treats her as a brand, she's a young woman, just growing up.

Nice to hear from you,
Marianne

Her is a 13 year olds oppinion on this whole thing:
At first when I saw the pictures, I thought she wasn't wearing anything, and I was pretty upset, thinking she was a slut. But then I saw the whole photoshoot, and the pictures where beautifil! I beleive taht's its pretty much like wearing a dress, because her back is BARELY showing. Not a big deal at all!
And about her personal pics of her with her boyfriend, I think that made me like her more, because I realized that she is just a normal teen, just trying to have fun like me.
So overall, I think she is getting way to much crap about this whole 'scandal' and I feel really sorry for her that Disney is pretty much monitering her every move now. She doesn't deserve this AT ALL.

Here comes a 12 year olds point of view. It is absolutely ridiculous how much attention this getting, she's showing her back - big deal. Yes I understand she is a role model, but please. She's 15. When I saw that picture the first going through my mind was not "I wanna do that too" as some people on here think everyone that looks up to her is doing. These photos were artistic, and beautiful, there was nothing wrong with them. Vanessa's pictures were nude, and yet people are getting more mad about mileys. As Jo said, do you honestly think in a room full of adults, going : "It looks great, very artsy" Miley would say no? Think again. If I were 15 and Anna said that to me I would of probably said yes, I would of been "She's a professional, she knows whats she's doing. That was probably what Miley thought too. As for the sex and the city thing, please! Whats next, she listens to a "dirty" song and everyone hates her. Get real. Yet miley did the responsible thing and apologized. And now disney is putting their biggest money maker out of the spotlight and trying to make selena gomez bigger, please all they want is more money - typical disney.

Hi Jen,
The first responses that came here were from protective fathers. The mothers know better. Thanks for your glance on my slant. Go Miley!

Marianne

Hu Gia,

I'm on the side of Miley, like you. She is a good role model. I just hate how Disney is treating her.

They are treating her like a brand to make money off, of. Someone else, actually a father, with a nine year old daughter had no problem with it.

He actually said Miley would do just fine on her own. Of course, she's under contract with Disney.

There's a great lesson here, about how difficult it is to grow up. I do remember.

Thanks,
Marianne

This perspective is coming from a 14-year-old male.

Like most of the young posters have said, there is nothing wrong with the photo. When I first saw the photo, I was blown away because of its beauty. It was "artistic" and "classy" - no where near "slutty." I've seen girls at my school show more than what's being showed in this photo.

I hope I don't offend anyone, but I'm kind of glad, in a way, that this scandal occurred. It shows to the fans, the parents, and anyone who likes her, that she's not perfect, and that she will make mistakes. Unfortunately, because of Miley's fame, this photo was blown-out-of-proportion.

This is coming from a 12 year old - props to the English Teacher for good computer typing. Haha. I agree. I'm a huge Miley fan and parents are taking this worse then the whole Vanessa thing. Seriously.. they're saying "oh because Miley's a role-model" ... um, hello?! Vanessa was nude and only like 4 years older. She was a role-model. Her fame was huge. I accept Miley's apology, like the post was, she didn't have to apologize. She did nothing wrong. She's famous, thats why this situation is getting so big. Everybody makes mistakes, listen to Nobody's Perfect. :] And about the whole Selena Gomez being the 'next' Miley - I completely disagree. Selena's show has already aired and it hasn't got the success Hannah Montana got. Miley's voice is pure, and Selena's is just regular. So what, people hate her for Nick Jonas?

I love Miley, and the only way I'll stop is if she starts doing drugs, or drinks. I used to adore Lindsay Lohan, but she was very mean to fans and so was Ali, I should know, she used to go to my school. She just left for a reality show. Miley.. something different. My bestfriend Sammy has many connections and says Miley is the sweetest thing. I predict she won't turn out bad.

Pattrik,
Thanks for the perspective, agree, way overblown, and she's cancelling some Disney events.

Too bad,
Marianne

Hi Lex,

Miley is a nice kid and I don't think she did anything wrong at all.

Thanks for your post,
Marianne

Annie Leibovitz and Vanity Fair take the fall for this along with the girl's parents.

All three have benefited from millions upon millions of dollars of free media over this.

Annie should have had better taste and sense than to shoot it, (but she is into self perpetuation, no matter the price), as is Vanity Fair who could have nixed it from their pages, and the parents, who reportedly left early from the shoot, should not have.

Perhaps the one, small silver lining is all the parent-daughter discussions that are/have occured this week over it.
Peter Bright

Marianne.
Smart.
No sarcasm intended.

If this was another girl who WASN'T famous, it wouldn't be a big deal. The photos aren't bad- there are tons of teens taking nude photos, and I know this because I go to school with those kids. Miley didn't know that the media would portray her photographs the way that they did. Anyways, I see more skin when I go to the beach from 11 year olds. They need to give her a break and not be so judgmental.

Xo. Bee.

Peter,
Good point, wonder talking point for parents and kids.

Best,
Marianne

Beel,

I'm on your side. Thanks for writing. Frankly, I wonder why Disney treats her like a theme park character, rather than the budding, young woman she is and has done nothing wrong.

Marianne

Dear Marianne,

Miley Cyrus has become America's Rorschach Test. How each of us reacts to her Vanity Fair spread is determined by the values each of us brings individually to our interpretation. Observing the comments in this thread you can see the range in reactions. Miley is either a slut or a beautifully rendered young woman coming of age. Depends on your point of you.

Marianne, I really don't understand your snarkiness to the more conservative posters in here who are angry. Also, I don't understand why you're villainizing The Disney Channel for protecting its brand...a brand that might be more trustworthy and socially responsible than any other cable TV brand today.

Earlier in the thread you said that Miley's fans are as young as six years old. This is where you lose me. Programming for six-year old children is an enormous responsibility if you have a conscience. That said, how do you find so much fault with a company for positioning itself to parents as a company they can trust with their children?

I'd really like you to answer that, Marianne.

Many American parents want child-friendly programs and celebrities who share their values. As parents, they're not whack jobs, as you portray them here. Instead, they are conservative, maybe church-going, and turned off by the ever growing amount of, as Tom Freston put it, "bottom of the barrel" programming coming out of cable.

The Disney Channel is the only network on cable TV that comes close to being child-friendly while trying to give parents some peace of mind. Nickelodeon? They sold out to advertisers twenty years ago, and you will never convince me that team Redstone/Laybourne/Sweeney had the best interests of parents and children in mind when they did.

Never.

The Disney Channel was positioned as a safe haven for parents and their children, not advertisers. This is a business decision, and it is a responsible one. Disney not only has every right, it has a fiduciary obligation to defend its wholesome brand with the full force of its magical kingdom. Maybe you don't like this, Marianne, but Disney customers won't have it any other way. That's why they are so outraged right now. For many of them, The Disney Channel is the only television network they trust with their children. The Vanity Fair photos of Miley... regardless how beautiful, artisitc, or tasteful...are an outrageous violation of the unspoken pact between Disney and its fans.

These fans have every right to be angry, and you're seeing that now.

To be sure: Miley's parents have every right to hand her over to Vanity Fair, and The Disney Channel and The Disney Channel's viewers have every right to say, "No thanks. No thank you very much. This is not what we are looking for."

I Cory,

Thanks for your email, and I do appreciate your views. I reread the thread here, and most people found the photograph to be tasteful.

I do apologize if I sounded snarky, I guess I was just surprised at some of the knee-jerk comments that were posted here.

I'm not saying your comment is knee jerk at all, it was thoughtfully composed and I respect your opinion.

However, in this case I guess we have to agree that we disagree.

Happy Weekend,
Marianne

Dear Marianne,

I guess you're just a Nick Chick and I'm just a Disney Dweeb so we're going to disagree.

Thankfully we agree about the things that really matter.

Lucy and Kirby

Hi Cory,
I'm neither, my favorite TV show is CNBC's "Fast Money," hosted by Dylan Ratigan!

Guess I'm showing my demo, huh?

And yes we agree about the things that really matter, mercifully.

Take care,
Marianne

IMO this is a live and die by the sword. What is Miley's target audience? Teens Who supports teen spending habits? Parents

Personally I believe too many parents look at the previous bubble gum teen before Miley (known as Britney) and parents are upset because they feel betrayed and are already riding the "Here we go again train".

Britney's sister was the bridge that fell between Britney and Miley and that is bubble gum "bubble" popped already.

Should Miley care? No... Financially she is set for life so it doesn't matter. She could fade immediately into and appear on VH1's where are they now 20 years from now, and she can laugh all the way to the bank at the TV.

Then again is what she did really that bad...? No

It's a heck of a lot better than Britney, her sister, or Lindsay Lohan. Plus it's publicity no matter how you spin it.

Is there really going to be a true wholesome bubble teen again.? Unless there's one hiding in the Osmond's closet, I don't think so.

Gum Anyone?

Chi,

I caught Geraldo Rivera on Fox last night in a wonderful interview about how two-faced Disney is, given the problems it has had with young talent.

He showed a segment of suggestive, teenage lingerie, all sporting Disney character, licensed logos. Disney is making money off the very possible exploitation of young budding stars.

Pox on the house of mouse, I say.

Good to hear from you,
M

Back when Miley was but a gleam in her old man's eye, Billy Ray Cyrus was upbraided for his singing abilities, re: "Achy Breaky Heart." He got, to put it mildly, belligerent. At an awards show, IIRC, where he picked up a statue after getting chided by a peer in the media, he slammed a quarter down on the lectern and bellowed, "Here's a quarter...call someone who cares!"

Anyway, I agree, it's much ado about nothing. But a little flash of skin and one would think it was little Brooke Shields in "Pretty Baby" all over again. The now all-grown-up Shields has said Miley should move on...as we all should.

Dear Nick Chick,

Game on.

If Disney exploits children then I support you 100% in your quest to make them stop.

Disney by definition does not exploit children.

If Disney is exploiting children, then by definition that isn't Disney.

That by definition is Nickelodeon.

I love Disney.

You know that.

If Disney is exploiting children then they must stop.

I unequivocally support you.

That's not negotiable.

But let's not be casting your nasty little spells...poxes and all...upon the entire Magic Kingdom when the exploitation pill was swallowed and dispensed by only a few.

Send me the pictures and the story.

I support you 100%, Marianne.

Let's stop child exploitation.

Let's stop it now.

Love,
Disney Dweeb

PS: Look. Here's something else we agree on. Stop child exploitation at Disney. Stop it now.

Confidential Memo

To: Patti McTeague, head of PR for "Disney Channel"

Topic: Miley Cyrus And Female Role Models

Dear Patti:

Damn.

You've had one hell of a week, haven't you?

I'm lucky I don't have your job, because last night your job got a lot more complicated.

Marianne Paskowski has just accused Disney of child exploitation and has put a, "Pox on the house of mouse, I say."

Given who Marianne Paskowski is I can tell you that if she backs up her spell with more of the same you've got some rough sailing ahead.

Allow me formally to introduce myself.

Once upon a time I had your job.

From 1990-1996 I was head of media relations for what was then called "The Disney Channel." I was lucky. I never had a PR situation like this on my hands, although I did have my challenges, such as Jeffrey Katzenberg continually harping, "Why can't you get publicity like Nickelodeon?"

The answer was always the same.

"We don't want it."

Still, Jeffrey was relentless, God bless him. This harping happened so frequently that we gave our response, which was always the same, a brand name:

"The Fart and Booger Defense."

That's how we at what was then "The Disney Channel" thought of Nickelodeon, although we never said that publicly, of course.

In fact, on Gerry Laybourne's first meeting with all of the employees of "The Disney Channel"...which she and Anne Sweeney took over after they built Nickelodeon...she told us that she had to promise Michael Eisner she wouldn't bring farts and boogers to "The Disney Channel" before he would give her the job.

Anyway, Patti, I digressed.

Sorry.

Let's have coffee sometime.

If you have influence in the cable television industry, then for two decades Marianne Paskowski has been required reading. Back in my day, when she was editor of MultiChannel News, we all read her every week. We respected her and we feared her. She is powerful, although she denies it. She and her publisher Joel Berger. They were so influential. They gave the cable television industry its news. They made quite a pair. Marianne knows who and what there is to know about cable television.

She just put a pox on you.

That's a lousy turn of events for a PR executive.

The voice of your industry has just put a hex on you.

If you're The Magic Kingdom you lose a lot of your Magic when other powerful magicians jinx you.

Especially when the powerful magician is Marianne Paskowski.

Patti, an accusation of child exploitation against Disney coming from the esteemed and influential Marianne Paskowski is lousy for you.

It's really lousy for your bossv Anne Sweeney.

She has been named The Most Powerful Woman in Hollywood three out of the last four years.

A role model for women.

Over the weekend I did a Lexis-Nexis search for Anne Sweeney.

Nothing popped up from recently.

It appears she hasn't said a word publicly about the Miley incident.

On the other hand, here she is pictured with Miley in the current issue of Portfolio magazine. The topic of the article is whether Anne Sweeney should become CEO of Disney.

I have some thoughts about that for you, Patti.

In service to Anne Sweeney you should be prepared to answer the following questions:

1.) Anne: you're one of the most powerful women in the world. You run the media arm of the greatest family company of all time. Your biggest star just found herself in the middle of one of the biggest scandals in your network's history. The topic is the role of young women in media and society. You didn't say a peep. On the other hand, here you are promoting your candidacy for Disney CEO with the child star in question. Exploitation?

According to Nikke Finke, Gary Marsh found her.

Question for Anne Sweeney: Where were you this week when your greatest child star of all time...a little girl...was under siege?

2.) Patti: Marianne Paskwoski is pissed. She's accusing you guys of child exploitation. What are you going to do about it?

3.) Patti: Eventually you're going to have to come to terms with Anne's "Angelica" problem. It's that twelve year patch at the beginning of her career at Nickelodeon at Gerry Laybourne's side where she unleashed Angelica, farts, boogers, and other rotten role models unto the world.

4.) Patti: Inquiring minds...Disney fans...want to know. Would Anne Sweeney allow her Rosemary to pose for those pictures in Vanity Fair? Disney fans are entitled to an on-the-record answer to that question. She's gunning for CEO, after all.

Don't get me wrong.

Anne Sweeney is 100% CEO material.

Perfectly qualified.

For Viacom.

Not Disney.

Sincerely,
Cory O'Connor
Assistant Professor of Advertising and Public Relations
Chapman University

Jeff,
Shields grew up, and that's what this is all about, the struggles of young women in the public eye.

Thanks for your post,
Marianne

Cory,

Disney has a PR problem, and to your defense, you are the true keeper of the respected brand that is undergoing a challenge.

Disney has more to fear from Geraldo Rivera. I was surfing Saturday night and stumbled on his excoriating special on the Disney brand.

More people watch him than read my humble posts.

Marianne

Cory, you are either crazy, bitter or both...if in fact you had the mouse PR job and loved it so much why did you leave, fired perhaps! Your personal axe grinding on Marianne is so apparent and so far off topic that someone had to call BS. Look, I had never heard of Marianne before this article, but then again I don't normally swim in the same shark infested waters as you two, but I found her opinion informed, on target and thoughtful. I especially like that she takes time to reply to almost all who post and at the same time respect their opinion. I like Disney and respect the brand both as a fan and a parent. But the erosion of the brand has less to do with Miley and more to do with ABC and ESPN. Regardless of any effort to separate the brands they are intertwined and it was never more apparent as this spring when ESPN spent spring break at the kingdom. I'll steal your line, I digressed! No one who creates children's programming is clean, it's hard work and in effect this is child labor. I've made kid shows, I know. As a producer you take extra precautions in working with child actors and schedule a shorter day with more breaks than an adult’s day. But it is still work with a ton of pressure. Disney is dirty than most because kids are their primary product and their demo skews younger than your hated Nickelodeon. No one in the business is intentionally exploiting kids, it just happens. Take a look at former child stars and the problems they run into after their time in the sun. The list is a long one. I do credit the mouse they try to develop the kids and support them, but there is only so much that can happen. Disney has become a blueprint for a music star from Britney Spears to Christine Aguilara to Miley Cyrus to countless others and they have realized the niche exists and would be foolish to not continue to explore/exploit it. Because in the end Disney is a business and businesses make money.

Hi John,

Thanks, but I don't take any of this personally, just comes with the turf.I know bloggers who never respond because they can't take the heat. I think they're wrong.

I welcome all responses, whether they agree with my slant or not.

So here's another slant on this blog. Perhaps, predatory parents are really the ones to blame in the end. I was once acquainted with a "stage mother" and I couldn't believe the crap she put her son with. He's probably still in therapy.

Cory is an old friend and is just passionate about this topic.

Thanks for the post,
Marianne

Hi John,

I appreciate your comments. Thank you for giving me the chance to respond to them.

I am one of Marianne's biggest fans. I've known her for 18 years, although we lost touch until recently. I agree with you: her opinions are informed, on target, and thoughtful. It's wonderful that she takes time to respond to every comment. Few journalists and bloggers do.

Her blog is an orchestra. She is the conductor. Each of us is one of her instruments, each with a different sound. We come together to create an opus...a conversation...rich in complexity, thorough in dimension, and reflective of many voices...including the crazy, bitter, angry, indifferent, smug, concerned, and dense.

I'm the angry one.

I'm angry at what I see being done to the company I love by the people who built the company I despise.

Thanks to Marianne I now have a place at the table to express my anger.

I am grateful to her.

Hi Cory,
As John points out, it's just business. DIS just reported a very strong quarter, minutes ago. Shareholders, of which I am not one, must be pleased.

Take care,
Marianne

I just found this post and thank you! for saying what I thought when I saw the pic. I thought it was really a beautiful picture - has almost a painted quality to it. I'm not a big Annie L. fan but I thought this one was great - in some way it reminded me of Girl with a Pearl Earring or a Waterhouse.

As far as how much she revealed, I was never a really wild dresser but I had a ton of backless dresses for the summer - we all did.

As far as those up in arms, um...someone up there said this is a Rorschach test and I would have to agree. And, obviously, someone is worried about their investment in brand Miley Cyrus but I couldn't understand why they were upset and then I heard about the OTHER pictures that she took of herself in her underwear...and I missed the whole Hudgens thing (I think that's her name...)

Hi Jill,

Well said, your comparison of the VF photo with Girl with a Pearl Earning. I never saw the photo with her father, know what seems to be talking about that much.
Oh well, what do I know? Thanks for your comment.

Marianne