Billy Ray & Miley Take ‘Hannah Montana’ Back to Tennessee
'Hannah Montana: The Movie' premiered Thursday night in the state where it was filmed, Tennessee. Billy Ray, Miley and the whole Cyrus clan walked the red carpet at Nashville's Green Hills Cinema, along with many of their country music friends.
Clint Black attended the festivities with wife Lisa Hartman-Black and 8-year-old daughter, Lily. Black told The Boot that Lily made him a 'Hannah Montana' fan.
"We get plenty of 'Hannah Montana' in our household. I'm exposed to things through Lily that I would never have found on my own," Black told us. "It really drives it home when people want me to do something for their child, because now I'm on the other end of that. It's a major, major thing for Lily. I had to remember to watch her face, because that's where you can see the real magic."
Sara Evans, who attended the premiere with hubby Jay Barker, said their combined family of kids thought she was a "cool mom" for getting 'Hannah Montana' tickets. Evans told us she's a big fan of the movie's 16-year-old star.
"Miley is awesome," Evans gushed. "She's got a great personality, she's funny and she's got great voice. Everything they've done so far, they've been very careful to do a great job with it. I'm sure this movie will be no different."
Martina McBride echoed buddy Sara's sentiments. She admitted that her entire family watches the 'Hannah Montana' TV show. "It's great writing, the acting is really cute and she's a great little comedian," McBride told us. "It's something we can all watch together."
Cyrus Clan
Trace Cyrus, Miley Cyrus and Billy Ray Cyrus.
Gregg DeGuire/WireImage
Miley Cyrus performs at 102.7 KIIS-FM's Wango Tango concert in Irvine, Calif. in May, 2008.
Gus Ruelas, AP
Trace Cyrus of Metro Station performs at Bamboozle Left - Day 2 at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater on April 6, 2008 in Irvine, California.
Noel Vasquez, Getty Images
Singer Miley Cyrus makes an appearance at MTV Studio's in Times Square for a taping of MTV's "Total Request Live" show on Friday, July 18, 2008, in New York. The show will air on Wednesday, July 23, 2008.
Peter Kramer, AP
Miley Cyrus and her father, Billy Ray Cyrus, sing a duet "Ready, Set, Don't Go", during the CMT Music Awards, Monday, April 14, 2008, in Nashville, Tenn.
Jeff Christensen, AP
Metro Station Visits MuchOnDemand at the MuchMusic HQ on August 13, 2008 in Toronto, ON. Canada.
George Pimentel, WireImage
Singer Billy Ray Cyrus, left, and his daughter Miley Cyrus, pose together at the premiere of Disney Channel's "High School Musical 2" in Anaheim, Calif., in this Aug. 14, 2007.
Chris Pizzello, AP
Actress Miley Cyrus arrives at the Us Weekly Hot Hollywood party in Los Angeles in this, Sept, 26 , 2007, photo.
Kevork Djansezian, AP
Trace Cyrus of Metro Station performs at Bamboozle Left - Day 2 at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater on April 6, 2008 in Irvine, California.
Noel Vasquez, Getty Images
Miley Cyrus, right, jokes to her co-host father, Billy Ray Cyrus, during the CMT Music Awards, Monday, April 14, 2008, in Nashville, Tenn.
Jeff Christensen, AP
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Songwriter Jeffrey Steele, who has known Cyrus and his family since the early 1990's, had nothing but compliments for Miley and her success. "It's great. She's really talented beyond her years. I think in the years to come she will be a great singer, a great songwriter, a great artist and a great movie star. She already is but I just think it's going to get better for her. She' a really amazing talent for 16 years old. Unbelievable."
The premiere of the film in Nashville was a major success story for Billy Ray Cyrus, who lobbied long and hard for the movie to be filmed in Tennessee. "This is the culmination of a lot of hard work and a lot of belief from everybody within the film community, the government and the entire film community," Cyrus explained. "I believed in them a long time and I knew had the ability, manpower and know-how to make major films. I tried to bring first my TV series, 'Doc,' here, but at the time they couldn't quite compete with Canada. Tennessee got a leg up on them, so now they can compete.
"There's a chance for more projects to come here, which will put more people to work. I think the state of Tennessee showcases itself very well in the film. People are talking about it all over the world. They want to come and see if it's as beautiful in person as it is on film. I'm here to testify that all you got to do is come here first time and you'll fall in love with it. It's a great state, the people who live here have lots of heart and soul and skill at making movies, music and television productions. That's the best thing about being home, is seeing this thing go full circle."
Miley is just as proud as her dad that the movie was filmed in her home state. After exiting her SUV to a deafening eruption of cheers and shrieks of "I love you, Miley," the singer/actress talked to The Boot about how happy she was to be back in Nashville.
"This was so important to me, to have the premiere here," she said. "This is what the music is all about. Nashville has its own character and shines just as much as any other city. I'm thrilled to be here."
When asked if she would do a sequel to 'Hannah Montana: The Movie,' Miley replied, "I don't think so. I think it's good to do everything that one time. I think it's important to set new challenges, and I don't know if I'd want to do a sequel."
'Hannah Montana: The Movie' is in theaters nationwide today. In addition to the two Cyrus', the movie also stars Emily Osment, Vanessa Williams and Mitchel Musso, with cameo appearances by Taylor Swift and Rascal Flatts.
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