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AJC.com > Metro > View from the cop > Archives > 2007 > November > 28 > Entry
It’s Hannah Eeeeeeeee Montana!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
What in the heck is wrong with you people? It’s a 15-year old daughter of a guy with the most perfect mullet in the history of man.
Did you pay $1,200 for tickets to see Hannah Montana? Well if you did, why don’t you take time out of your busy day and let someone smack the %#@& out of you!
I know, I know, the pressure is there. You don’t want your kid to be the only one who didn’t get to see Hannah Montana and her amazing voice which none of these pre-teens have heard because they’re screaming too loud! Look, if you are backed into a corner on shelling out big bucks on this, here’s a suggestion. Offer $500 straight up—cash on the spot. You save well over half of what you would spend and chances are they’ll take the money and run. Granted, you might feel stupid afterwards but hey, feeling $500 stupid is better than feeling $1,200 stupid.
Besides, you will have insulated your guilt when your daughter comes up with those big sad eyes and gives you that song and dance about how everyone else got to go to the concert and she didn’t, leading into that “deprived” spin, “Oh pitiful me.”
Stand your ground! “Forget it sister! I paid good hard cash to you and I don’t feel the slightest bit guilty! Now put down that gun.”
I too was a parental victim of a pre-teen-mediocre-talented-obsessive-frenzied event. Five words: New Kids on the Block. The first time wasn’t so bad because we were at Bobby Dodd Stadium and the screaming was somewhat absorbed into the ozone, which I believe now has some effect on global warming.
But I actually took my daughter a second time, this time to the Omni, which, if you remember, had the acoustical clarity of a wash tub. Two hours of screaming equated to about six-inches of scar tissue on each eardrum. All of the daughters were screaming. All of the parents were passing the flask in what could only be described as a mass act of comfort. We were as one. I don’t remember how much I paid for the tickets but the fact that we went twice, and given how poor we were in those days, either meant the tickets were affordable or I had way too much guilt.
Here’s another problem. When the price of entertainment or alleged entertainment spikes to these heights, it automatically attracts counterfeiters who, with the aid of some really good ticket software, can print off and sell thousands and thousands of dollars of completely worthless paper that can only be verified at the night and time of said entertainment event.
This scenario, as a parent, is total Armageddon because now you’ve compounded the emotional impact of the excitement of seeing the alleged talent with the now devastating blow of realizing that said pre-teen cannot see the event thus spinning the already unexplainable hormone-driven behavior into the Netherworld of devil child for the next six months. I’m talking spinning heads and pea soup shooting out. On your end, your despondency will further sink into depths that only Dr. Jack Daniels will understand due to the fact that you just got ripped off for a couple of grand.
It isn’t a pretty picture.
Ride it out, parents, and remember that these events have checks and balances and soon we will return to a base line of musical talent and not just hype. When the craziness and frenzied hormone festival settles back down, people will once again return to their senses and welcome the music that we all know to be timeless.
Slim Whitman. Zamfir, Master of the Pan Flute. Mott the Hoople. The classics. You can’t put a price tag on that.
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Comments
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By bubba
November 28, 2007 8:05 AM | Link to this
Oh, bring back the days of Sharon, Lois & Bram’s Elephant Show. No screaming nor hollering, just laughter and good entertainment. Am I dated??
By disgusting
November 28, 2007 8:54 AM | Link to this
Idiots throwing hard-earned cash at Billy Ray Cyrus - that’s where it’s going. Are you at work right now busting your butt to earn money to hand over to him? That’s what you’re doing! Congratulations. You must be proud.
Oh my…..she’s so redneck. Put a blonde wig on my dog, and he’ll be halfway attractive. Without it……..ew! And isn’t her real name something red like “Destiny Hope?” Nobody my daughter will EVER encounter! I moved to the city to ensure it.
You all….why do you let your preteen daughters run your life? Why are you teaching them that instead of liking themselves, they should be loving someone named Destiny Hope of all things, and should be throwing the family savings at the mullet family?
They won’t be getting our savings. And my daughter will be liking herself, and not someone w/ electronically assisted vocal chords.
By Poor House
November 28, 2007 9:31 AM | Link to this
Wow. $1,200 for concert tix??? Geez. Some people just have too much money to throw around. And, if they don’t have the money, their priorities are askew. TG, I have a son. The biggest obstacle I had to overcome was side-stepping tix to the monster truck show b/c Dad was working that day.
By Mike K.
November 28, 2007 10:41 AM | Link to this
Oh my…..she’s so redneck.
You hit the nail on the head with this. My cousin was watching this one day and I thought I was listening to an old Hee Haw episode.
By kia
November 28, 2007 10:50 AM | Link to this
OUCH!! Lot of angry people commenting here!
By Mike
November 28, 2007 3:28 PM | Link to this
At least the $1,200 Cabbage Patch Dolls and Tickle Me Elmos can sit in the closet gathering dust - what do you have after a Hannah Montana concert? Gum on your shoes and a headache.
Spend that $1,200 and buy a wide-screen television and some Hannah Montana DVDs - the family will be happy, Miley Cyrus makes a few bucks, and you’ve got something you can use again and again.
By missandie
November 28, 2007 3:45 PM | Link to this
My 7 year old daughter wanted to go so we got online the morning the tickets went on sale and “POOF” the tickets were sold out. I sat her down and told her, “Too bad darling, you’re going to miss this one.” At $60 bucks a pop, I thought that was expensive. I did not even consider spending my mortgage payment twice over so she could spend a couple of hours screaming, along with the rest of the inhabitants of Gwinnett Arena, unable to hear a word sung by little Miss Cyrus. I do promise not to laugh too much when they show the devastated parents trying to console inconsolable girls because they were scammed out of $2400 for two tickets, scout’s honor.
By Damone
November 28, 2007 3:58 PM | Link to this
What kills me is that these ticket scalping and counterfeiting syndicates chose this “artist” as the most lucrative to pull out all the stops for. Its because they know that adults can say “oh well…” to themselves if their favorite concert act sells out before tickets even go on sale, but they can’t say “no” to the preteen daughters.
By why
November 28, 2007 4:55 PM | Link to this
Nobody’s writing here b/c the link from the main page (at least for Firefox) isn’t working.
By Lynette
November 28, 2007 5:00 PM | Link to this
Oh my she is never off of the T V at my house! That is enough.
By Lynette
November 28, 2007 5:06 PM | Link to this
Oh my she is never off of the T V at my house! That is enough.
By joe
November 28, 2007 11:00 PM | Link to this
Give it a break people. There’s always some people who will pay way too much for anything, like frou-frou dinners, an over-priced glass of wine, a hip ITP condo or the latest electronic toy. Most of these concert-goers probably paid face value to give their daughter a little bit of happiness. How tragic! At least Ms. Montana is a positive role model to these kids. Just relax everybody.
By Greghard
November 29, 2007 5:27 AM | Link to this
More certain proof that Disney is satan his wretched self!
By walter
November 29, 2007 7:30 AM | Link to this
From ‘disgusting’ They won’t be getting our savings. And my daughter will be liking herself, and not someone w/ electronically assisted vocal chords.
My response, At least Miley can actually sing. Unlike the “queen of pop” Britney Spears who cannot hold a note without the assistance of pitch shifters. But she debuts with a #1 album. Now THAT is sad.
I would gladly take a child to a Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana concert before pretty much anything else that’s out there for the tween set. The show is wholesome silliness and the girl can actually sing. That’s something to aspire towards, not drugged up motherhood.
By Bubba, Jr.
November 29, 2007 7:50 AM | Link to this
I remember when you could get a copy of “Zamfir’s Greatest Hits” with the purchase of every Veg-O-Matic. Of course, there were shipping and handling charges and you had to wait 6 to 8 weeks for delivery, but this was ZAMFIR!!
By Mystified
November 29, 2007 8:03 AM | Link to this
What is Hannah Montana? I hear about it all the time in the hyped-up media, but I have yet to actually see it, and from the comments here I don’t think I want to.
By CTU Director
November 29, 2007 8:31 AM | Link to this
Standing by to hear the complaints of how someone’s scalped tickets were fakes…and how much they got ripped off for.
Please, I really want to read the stories of regret tinged with sorrow and self hate.
By Happy Dad
November 29, 2007 9:45 AM | Link to this
We were fortunate enough to come into tickets last week. I will say this, the Hannah Montana show is actually extremely harmless and honestly it taught my daughter (8 years old) a valuable lesson.
She didn’t tell any of her friends at school that she had tickets. She mentioned that all of her friends who had tickets were bragging about it. Well it turns out one of her best friends couldn’t make the show because she had a ballet recital. When I asked her why she didn’t tell anyone she said “Well I didn’t want to spoil her big night at the ballet recital and plus it’s not nice to brag. Look at Hannah Montana on the show, she doesn’t go around telling everyone she is this big superstar so why should I brag about my tickets?”
By El Bubba
November 29, 2007 10:06 AM | Link to this
Something is terribly wrong with the way tickets are sold these days. We should go back to the good old days when you had to camp out in front of the stadium for concert tix. That pretty much assured that real fans got the tickets (other than just a few really motivated scalpers who could only get four tickets apiece).
By Fred
November 29, 2007 11:04 AM | Link to this
Disgusting, you are, well, disgusting. I guess it’s ok for you to slam southerners and feel proud about it. My 5 year old loves Hannah Montana and after watching a few of the shows with her, I have to admit it’s a pretty nice little show for kids. Your type is not content in your wannabe snobbiness and your “cultured” likes and dislikes (mold is a culture BTW). You are so insecure in yourself you have to slam others to feel good about yourself. Our family feels good about itself without having to denigrate others. While I wish YOU and YOUR kids were someone my daughter would never have to encounter, it is a vain hope, your moving to the city lessened my odds.
But please by all means, have a great day. Maybe you can spit on a bum or laugh at your the person at Starbuck’s who gives you coffee to uplift your spirits if you are feeling low.
BTW there ain’t a snowballs chance in hell of me EVER paying 1500 bucks for any entertainer. Heck, I wouldn’t pay that much to witness the second coming of Christ……….. and my daughter is being taught that same fiscal responsibility.
By Jean
November 29, 2007 12:11 PM | Link to this
The Gwinnett Arena had evidence that the 4 people had tried and was conned out of their money, so why in the spirit of the season could they not have placed them somewhere in the building where they could have viewed the show. It might not be the seats they actually paid for but just look what joy it would have brought to those kids.
By poor things
November 29, 2007 2:06 PM | Link to this
Walter, poor thing, her vocals ARE assisted. Actually, you could even try reading Sonia Murray’s review.
Fred, I don’t think Hannah will go out w/ you. You’re a little too old. Either get back to work or hit on her mom instead!
By a 5-year old???
November 29, 2007 2:21 PM | Link to this
You and your 5-year-old watch Hannah? My gosh, that must mean that YOU want to watch it. I’m sorry, but as an educator, I have to speak up.
I had never heard of her until 3 days ago - and I have a 5-year-old. I had seen these shirts at Target and were wondering what the heck it was. Maybe it’s a suburban, public school thing.
5-year-olds should be watching shows (IF anything) like ‘Between the Lions,’ ‘Peep & the Big Wide World,’ & anything on Animal Planet, Discovery Channel, etc.
Hannah is “brain fluff” and should not come in contact w/ a 5-year-old’s developing brain. Yours, maybe. You’re filling your child’s brain w/ empty space. My child will NOT come into contact w/ Billy Ray Cyrus’ mullet mug - even through the tv. No brain fluff in our house! And you’re touting Billy Ray Cyrus as ‘wholesome????’ How is a mullet wholesome??? Please elaborate. No, no mullets - even wholesome mullets - in our house.
By Lt. Steve
November 29, 2007 3:39 PM | Link to this
Bubba Jr. gets it man. It in general. 6-8 weeks is nothing. My Veg-O-Matic blew up while I was mistakenly trying it out on a Margarita. The ice punctured the Bamboo Steamer.
By Tony
November 29, 2007 8:26 PM | Link to this
You gotta love Steve. He is the coolest cop I know.
By El Bubba
November 29, 2007 8:32 PM | Link to this
It gets ugly around here at times. Who would of thought… I guess Lt. Steve would like to think of this as comedy. I try to use this space as a voice for the people, against such things as Tasers. Who would have thought there would be such animosity against a poor child rock star…
By El Bubba
November 29, 2007 9:41 PM | Link to this
How about some real fugitive news? http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,313981,00.html I wish I could post his pic, it’s either a big wart or a bad piercing… Who would hire this idiot to watch over $7,000,000?
By NT
November 30, 2007 9:00 AM | Link to this
These are the same parents that buy Porche’s and boob jobs for their daughter’s graduation presents. What’s next, a helicopter to go to the junior prom?
By RUChinaDoll
November 30, 2007 9:12 AM | Link to this
When I was a preteen girl, my dad took me to see Def Leppard. I still screamed my head off until he was convinced he had hearing damage, but it was way cooler than this crap!!!
By Cassie
November 30, 2007 10:00 AM | Link to this
You know, I didn’t go to a concert until I was seventeen, and quite properly had to sneak out to do it!
I really feel that today’s parents are giving their little darlings such a sense of entitlement. What gives? Out at dinner recently, heard a table full of fourteen year olds out having an unsupervised, mixed sex dinner talking about dropping $400 on an iphone and $300 on Rocking Republic jeans. I don’t understand what the hell these parents are doing (or where they are getting all this money, to be honest).
Enough already! turn off the tv and read a book.
By Tony
November 30, 2007 12:41 PM | Link to this
Some people have more money than brains.
By Happy Dad
November 30, 2007 12:57 PM | Link to this
“These are the same parents that buy Porche’s and boob jobs for their daughter’s graduation presents”
Wow. Talk about stereotyping. How much did we ditch out for tickets? Not a single dollar. Fortunately I have the greatest friends who knew that my daughter was a big fan. She even got to meet her before the show. This has nothing to do with Porche’s or boob jobs. My daughter is a great little person so I chaulk it up as karma. She deserved to go.
And to the “Educator” that was so outraged, my daughter happens to be an honor role student and aspiring writer who LOVES school so come off your high horse.
Bottom line is that we all should think twice about spouting off about how horrible these people are or how stupid those people are. Not everyone fits into your stereotypes.
By BexB
November 30, 2007 1:55 PM | Link to this
Call me crazy - I like Hannah Montana. I’m 26 and married, and sometimes I like wholesome shows as opposed to some of the trash on TV. I’m just glad there are shows like this and Ned’s Declassified for kids to watch. Even if they are too young, nobody is having sex, cussing, smoking, drinking, anything. It’s the (younger) Saved By the Bell for the new generation. No way would I spend more than $100 for any ticket to anything, but you people need to stop hating! Just grow up!
By Lee
November 30, 2007 2:38 PM | Link to this
I wish the youth of today would stop this childish behavior. You would think that this Hannah Montana was the Beatles appearing on the Ed Sullivan Show.
Uhhhh, bad example. Nevermind.
Maybe, with her father already in the entertainment business, this Miley Cyrus / Hannah Montana wont become a train wreck like one of the other Disney kids (Britney Spears).
By lola
November 30, 2007 5:01 PM | Link to this
I LOVE HANNAH MONTANA !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
By TACO BELL
November 30, 2007 5:12 PM | Link to this
THEY DO SELL THE TICKETS A LITTLE PRICEY.IF YOU GO TO MILEYWORLD.COM AND BECOME A MEMBER , YOU GET TO BUY TICKETS BEFORE THEY GO ON SALE!YOU ALSO GET A CARD THAT YOU TAKE TO THE CONCERTS AND IT IS A BACK STAGE PASS! I AM EVEN SINGING ONE OF HER SONGS AT THE STUDENT COUNCIL AT MY SCHOOL!
By Fred
November 30, 2007 9:25 PM | Link to this
Thank god dear “educator” that you don’t teach at Woodward where my child goes. You are a perfect example of a public school “educator”. The fact that you have never heard of Hannah Montana proves that. Your affectations of “education” are just that, affectations. Between the Lions? I don’t need a TV to educate my child about God, I’ll handle that myself thank you very much you Baptist prick. And yes, I DO like Hannah Montana’s show. It’s cute and has some nice object lessons. How can you condemn it if you have never seen it (oh wait, I already figured out you are a Baptist)? Or can we add liar to the list of labels you can TRUTHFULLY wear? Let’s see, Liar, Snob, Baptist, Elitist, should I continue? Thank GOD you are not “educating” my child with your narrow minded, judgmental, (although how you can judge a childs’ show you have never seen I don’t know), inbred, insipid, little views. You certainly lack any meaningful qualification to tell me or my child how to live our lives. It’s a shame that others attend public schools and are subject to your idiocy.
And aren’t the rest of you fine upstanding folks proud of yourself for slamming a 15 year old girl like you have? It makes me SO happy that you Yankees have moved down south and brought your fine standards of living with you. However I must defer, I just can not find it in myself to speak as harshly to or about a 15 year old littel girl as you have. I guess my mom just brought me up wrong, manners and all that.
And “Poor Things”? You sick pedophile.
By Fred
November 30, 2007 9:32 PM | Link to this
And YOU Steve. Aren’t you proud of yourself for YOUR characterization of a 15 year old little girl. Are you not the father of some girls? Would YOU tell YOUR daughter (at 15) the same things you just wrote about Miley Cyrus? Would you tell her now? Just damn dude, you need to think sometimes.
By Fred
November 30, 2007 9:45 PM | Link to this
whoops, sorry Steve,I read so many so many entries that I falsely accused you. Sorry, my bad. you said NOTHING disparaging towards young Miss “Montana”. I am no longer disaapointed in you or your character lol. (I know you were losing sleep over it).
By Tiny Tim
December 1, 2007 8:13 AM | Link to this
The possible apostle-pool of Hannah Montana proponents have polarized. There are judas’s in their midst. I polled a large congregation of elementary school kids as they boarded busses by tricking them into believing that I knew about a Hannah Montana Marathon due on television soon. About 80% cheered heartily in a full-mettled racket.
“Who cares about Hannah Montana?” came a lone voice from the throng. I realized it was from a skinny red-haired boy: the one wearing a t-shirt showing a teddybear wearing a t-shirt that read, “Brittany”. Were there really sectarian teeny boppers? The Cult of Hannah quickly turned on the poor child, and he was quickly covered in boogers, and pushed aside. That kid is now on milk cartons, capiche?
“What channel is the marathon on?”, demanded one suspicious child.
“Uh, you know, the one it’s always on. MTV, right?”
I couldn’t have guessed more wrongly. (Hannah Montana is Mickey Mouse in drag). Walt Disney was turning over in his grave. Suddenly some vigilantes in the upheaval started shouting “get some kite string”, and I knew that this louseketeer had seconds to escape.
Speeding away in that school zone, I knew that Beatlemania wasn’t just for beatles, or frank sinatras, or singing nuns, or harmonizing chipmunks. No, it’s about how much we love to worship whatever we see and hear. Thunder itself has a beat. Lightning is a light show. There: nature’s one act broadway play. There are tribes who worship thunderstorms. I’m sure. Somewhere. You can buy a ticket to a gullywasher but expect to pay through the nose.
By Bubba, Jr.
December 1, 2007 4:24 PM | Link to this
You’re right. 6-8 weeks is nothing. I’ve been on longer shakedown cruises. Sort of like un-capping a bottle of vintage MD2020 and letting it breathe before you take a swig. Good things come to those who wait…
By Kennesaw Dave
December 2, 2007 9:57 AM | Link to this
Steve, I feel for you as far as having to endure New Kids, I had to endure them in 85 but when I saw them is was a double torture because they were opening for Tiffany. The only positive thing was it was at Six Flags and the tickets were only a few bucks extra Not to sound Clark Howardish but if I don’t have the money to buy the tickets from a legit vendor or at the venue’s box office, I’ll just go buy a live concert on DVD. Sometimes that’s better anyway since there’s no danger of 6 inches of scar tissue formation :)
By Kennesaw Dave
December 2, 2007 10:00 AM | Link to this
Steve, I feel for you as far as having to endure New Kids, I had to endure them in 85 but when I saw them is was a double torture because they were opening for Tiffany. The only positive thing was it was at Six Flags and the tickets were only a few bucks extra Not to sound Clark Howardish but if I don’t have the money to buy the tickets from a legit vendor or at the venue’s box office, I’ll just go buy a live concert on DVD. Sometimes that’s better anyway since there’s no danger of 6 inches of scar tissue formation :)
By Tiny Tim
December 2, 2007 12:28 PM | Link to this
Hannah Montanna is Mickey Mouse in Drag.