Apr 29, 2008 12:05 am US/Eastern
Miley Cyrus Sorry for Semi-Nude Pic
WCBSTV.com's Daily Entertainment Wrap
By TARA LIPINSKY, WCBSTV.COM
NEW YORK (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. (Courtesy Annie Leibovitz exclusively for Vanity Fair.)
Annie Leibovitz exclusively for Vanity Fair
-
-
Vanity Fair cover photo (Courtesy Annie Leibovitz exclusively for Vanity Fair )
Annie Leibovitz exclusively for Vanity Fair
Picture Not Perfect For Miley Cyrus
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.
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 bedsheet, 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.
Leibovitz also apologized for how the photo has been portrayed, but defended her role in a statement, saying: "I'm sorry that my portrait of Miley has been misinterpreted. Miley and I looked at fashion photographs together and we discussed the picture in that context before we shot it. The photograph is a simple, classic portrait, shot with very little makeup, and I think it is very beautiful."
A spokeswoman for Vanity Fair also defended its position, and released a statement detailing the circumstances of the photo shoot.
"Miley's parents and/or minders were on the set all day. 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 fact, when Bruce Handy interviewed Miley, he asked her about the photo and she was very cheerful about it and thought it was perfectly fine."
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."
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.
"Baby Mama" Big at the Box Office
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Media By Numbers LLC. Final figures will be released Monday.
1. "Baby Mama," $18.3 million.
2. "Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay," $14.6 million.
3. "The Forbidden Kingdom," $11.2 million.
4. "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," $11 million.
5. "Nim's Island," $4.5 million.
6. "Prom Night," $4.4 million.
7. "21," $4 million.
8. "88 Minutes," $3.6 million.
9. "Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who!", $2.4 million.
10. "Deception," $2.2 million.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Celebrity Real Names Revealed
Click to enlarge
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
