POP PRINCESS

Miley Cyrus, who plays the popular Hannah Montana, is the latest in a long line of teen queens

Miley Cyrus
She has a hit television show, a pair of platinum albums and a concert tour in which shows sell out in minutes and scalpers sell 60 tickets for more than 1,000 on eBay. Miley Cyrus has arrived. At 15, she is beyond popular. She8217;s a pop phenomenon with tween girls, catapulted to fame courtesy of Hannah Montana, the Disney Channel sitcom on which she plays Miley Stewart, an ordinary teenager with a long, blond wig and a secret identity8230; as a pop superstar named Hannah Montana.
Her real-life dad, actor and country singer Billy Ray Cyrus of Achy Breaky Heart fame, nicknamed her Smiley, which was shortened to Miley; her real name is Destiny Hope Cyrus.
But she8217;s not the first pop princess to turn the world on with her smile. Not by a long shot. Remember 1950s pop singer Brenda Lee or 1960s pop royalty Lesley Gore? How about Mouseketeer-turned-beach-bunny Annette Funicello? Or 8217;70s TV teen Marie Osmond, 8217;80s singer Debbie Gibson or 8217;90s Disney diva Hilary Duff? Here8217;s a timeline of pop princesses past to present.

MUSIC
BRENDA LEE
A star at: 16, when her single Sweet Nothin8217;s became a Top 10 pop hit in 1960.
Career high: Her single I8217;m Sorry topped the US pop charts in the summer of 1960.
What Miley gets from her: Energy. Known as Little Miss Dynamite, Lee is a dynamo who, at 63, is still touring.

TIFFANY
A star at: 17, when her self-titled debut album hit No. 1 in 1988, selling more than 4 million copies.
Career high: Performing at shopping malls helped propel the success of her album, which spawned two No. 1 hits, Could8217;ve Been and a cover of I Think We8217;re Alone Now. A cover of The Beatles8217; I Saw Her Standing There also made the charts.
What Miley gets: Her tenacity. Tiffany still hasn8217;t given up on pop stardom; in June 2007, she released her latest album, Just Me, on 10 Spot Records.

CHRISTINA AGUILERA
A star at: 19, when her self-titled debut album went platinum and the record8217;s first single, Genie In A Bottle, hit the top of the pop charts.
Career high: Her debut album, released in 1999, spawned three No. 1 pop singles: Genie, What A Girl Wants and Come On Over Baby. She won the first of her four Grammy Awards in 2000, as best new artist.
What Miley gets: Her glamour, for use as Hannah Montana.

BRITNEY SPEARS
A star at: 17, when her debut single, 8230;Baby One More Time topped the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1999 and went multi-platinum.
Career high: Another former Mouseketeer, Spears was a pop phenomenon by the time her second album, Oops 8230; I Did It Again, was released in 2000. The record debuted at No. 1.
What Miley gets:Nothing, hopefully.

TV 038; films
SANDRA DEE
A star at: 17, when she landed the title role in 19598217;s Gidget.
Career high: Roles in Gidget and 19598217;s A Summer Place made her a teen heartthrob and a star.
What Miley gets: Her perkiness. Dee was a fun-loving tomboy who learned the joys of boys and surfing without losing her innocence. JEM!
A star at: Birth. Jem! an MTV-influenced animated series, was a smash after its 1985 debut. Jem is the glamorous, pink-coiffed, secret pop singer identity of ordinary girl Jerrica Benton.
What Miley gets: Her secret identity.

HILARY DUFF
A star at: 14, when she landed the starring role in the popular Disney Channel tween sitcom Lizzie McGuire.
Career high: Duff released her first studio album, Metamorphosis, in 2003; the record ped the Billboard album charts and had a hit single, So Yesterday. She also starred in Agent Cody Banks and Cheaper by the Dozen.
What Miley gets: Her long blond hair. It was long, straight and very blond, just like the wig Miley wears when she8217;s Hannah Montana.
-MICHAEL LISI LAT-WP