Cyrus hits bum note

(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-10-30 09:51

Cyrus hits bum note

Miley Cyrus (pictured), one of Disney's hottest stars of the past three years, has been voted "worst celebrity influence" of 2009 by the people who made her a star, tweens and teens, according to an online poll on Wednesday.

Cyrus, 16, took 42 percent of votes in the poll for AOL's JSYK.com (Just So You Know) website aimed at 9-15 year-olds, pushing Britney Spears and rapper Kanye West into second and third places, respectively, in a section on worst celebrity influences of the year.

No reasons were given for the poor showing of the singer-actress and the popular star of Disney Channel's Hannah Montana television series.

But the ranking follows a year which has seen Cyrus controversially dating a 20 year-old model, making "slant eyes" in an informal snapshot, criticized as mocking Asians, and being accused of pole-dancing on a teen awards show.

Cyrus also came in fourth in the category of favorite female artist, behind 19-year-old country sensation Taylor Swift, I Kissed a Girl singer Katy Perry and Beyonce. The poll attracted almost 50,000 votes.

"I think Miley is in an interesting space where she is trying to graduate from being Hannah Montana and a Disney channel celebrity and coming into her own and having a career beyond Disney," said Stephanie Cohen, editor of JSYK.com.

"I think her fans still want her to be the sweet Hannah Montana and she is trying to age up ... Parents are definitely resisting it," Cohen said.