November 19, 2008

Miley Cyrus Wants 'Hannah Montana' TV Show To Continue 'As Long As It Can'

By Shawn Adler (MTV.com)

Recent reports about the death of Miley Cyrus might not be true, but what's the status of her alter ego, Hannah Montana? Cyrus insists that she's eager for the popular Disney Channel show to continue into the indefinite future.

Maybe.

"I can't really tell exactly what the future will be like, because I didn't think that at the beginning [the show would be the phenomenon] that it was. I like letting life do its own thing," the 15-year-old performer said. "[But] I definitely want the TV show to continue as long as it can."

"As long as it can" reads like the beginning of a sentence in need of a conclusion. As long as it can ... remain profitable? Stay fun? Not get in the way of other projects? For her part, Cyrus doesn't say, or doesn't know, confessing she adopts a roll-with-the-punches mentality to her own career.

"I think I've matured a lot [over the last year], and I'm really happy. I haven't really let my career be super planned out. I never really thought too much into it. I just kinda let life take its toll, and it's done pretty well so far," said the star, who lends her voice to the upcoming animated film Bolt. "I think the more you think about it too much, it just becomes so rehearsed. I just like how [my whole career] has been very spontaneous."

In late September, reports surfaced on TMZ.com that Cyrus was angling to get fired from her contractual commitment to the program, which is currently in the middle of its third season. Persistent rumors of the show's demise have plagued the starlet since.

Before she can think about future seasons for the TV show, of course, Cyrus is concentrating on the upcoming release of her Hannah Montana movie, set to hit theaters April 10. But is the film the end of the beginning or the beginning of the end?

Who knows, Cyrus said - adamant that, unlike other Disney Channel alumni, she doesn't view the movie as necessarily the culmination or last step on the Hannah Montana train. "Hopefully it's successful and everyone's happy with it," she said of the movie. "We don't really know what'll happen after that."

In the meantime, Cyrus has several projects in development, she said. Although coy on details, she stressed that one of those projects was not Further Adventures in Babysitting, the long-rumored update of the '80s comedy starring Elisabeth Shue.