
Show business is about idolization. As an idol to tweens the world over, singer-actress Miley Cyrus, 15, is riding a huge tidal wave at the pinnacle of her career; this is as it should be. I hope she enjoys it. I guarantee there will be many bumps in the road ahead. One of them, especially for somebody who acts and sings on her own TV show, is that your image becomes cryogenically frozen into a specific stereotype.
Within three to five years, Miley will have to face adulthood. Fans grow up, and their youthful interests quickly dissolve. Her challenge will be overcoming the Hannah Montana stereotype. Miley's fans are not thinking about the fact that she will grow up too. As she does, she'll want to change her image, and that change will be met with adversity. It's next to impossible to fight, embrace, use or love your image. Trust me. I've seen this all play out before; it's the same ball game, just different players in a different time.
But Miley has an amazing support team. She seems to have good Christian values, with parents (including dad Billy Ray) teaching her important life lessons. She has management that has seen this phenomenon through beforeJim Morey's companyJim managed me during my Puppy Love days. I hope Miley enjoys every minute of this brief experience before her inevitable reinvention takes place. It's going to make a fascinating book someday. I'll read it.
Osmond can be seen next as co-host, with Marie, of NBC's America's Favorite Mom
From McCain to the Guitar Hero guys, our correspondent asks TIME's most influential people the most meaningless questions
It's your turn. Tell us if you agree or disagree with our TIME 100 picks and who we should have left off the list
Results of the Time 100 poll are in and despite the intense rivalry, there's a surprise winner
TIME hired some of the world's best graphic designers to submit covers for our annual list of the most influential people in the world. Here are the five finalists
Noted statistician Joel Stein creates a mathematical formula to rank the influence of everyone from Vladimir Putin to Bruce Springsteen
Pictures of the Week
'Jesus' vs. Ahmadinejad
Santa Vs. Interpol
Hitting a Nuclear Roadblock
DNC Chair Howard Dean
Speed Racer: The Future of Movies