Originally Posted by USA Today
By Lorena Blas, USA TODAY
An apologetic Annie Leibovitz says the controversy surrounding Vanity Fair photographs, which feature Disney teen sensation Miley Cyrus, is a matter of interpretation.
"I'm sorry that my portrait of Miley has been misinterpreted," the celebrity photographer said in a statement Monday. "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."
The 15-year-old actress/singer posed for Leibovitz for the magazine's June issue, on sale in New York and Los Angeles on Wednesday and nationwide May 6. One waist-up shot shows Cyrus looking provocatively over her right shoulder, her back nude and breasts covered by her arms and shimmery fabric. Behind-the-scenes pictures from the shoot are posted at VF.com.
In a caption with the image in the magazine, Disney's Hannah Montana star tells VF: "I think it's really artsy. 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. She's so cute. She gets this puppy-dog look and you're like, 'OK.' "
But by Sunday, Cyrus apparently had changed her mind. "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," she said in a statement issued by her publicist, Jill Fritzo. "I never intended for any of this to happen, and I apologize to my fans who I care so deeply about."
Disney Channel also took the offensive by issuing a statement. "Unfortunately, as the article suggests, a situation was created to deliberately manipulate a 15-year-old in order to sell magazines."
Cyrus is a popular Disney celebrity with the hit Hannah Montana series and "Best of Both Worlds" concert, which became a top-selling live show, 3-D concert film and now album. Last week, the album became available at all retailers and jumped from No. 31 to No. 3, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Disney Book Group announced last week that Cyrus would share her "inspiring" story, from her roots in Tennessee to hitting the big time, in a book due in 2009.
How did VF respond to the Cyrus camp's offensive on Sunday? "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," said a statement from spokeswoman Beth Kseniak.
Another photo in the package features Miley posing with her father, singer Billy Ray Cyrus.
In December, another set of photos circulated on the Internet showing Cyrus and a girlfriend almost kissing. "It was me," Cyrus tells VF, "on my MySpace. For me, I was like, That's two girls — it's not a big deal. … I was just like it didn't affect me."
As if the VF shots weren't enough, the teen star addressed yet another set of candid shots that circulated last week on the Internet. In the latest batch of leaked pictures, Cyrus, her midriff exposed, is shown draped over the lap of her then-boyfriend, her producer's son. Another photograph is of the star displaying a hint of a green bra.
"The pictures of me on the Internet were silly, inappropriate shots," she tells People.com. "I appreciate all the support of my fans, and hope they understand that along the way I am going to make mistakes and I am not perfect. I never intended for any of this to happen, and I am truly sorry if I have disappointed anyone."
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