Hannah Montana

Upon arriving for work Tuesday I found out that I was one of four news photographers, three writers and one teenage guest reviewer who would be working on stories about the Hannah Montana mania at the 1st Mariner Arena. My assignment was to be at the arena an hour before it opened to capture the excitement of kids and their parents arriving for the sold-out concert and catch Miley Cyrus in action later during "The Best of Both Worlds" tour's Baltimore stop. After an agonizing 30-minute drive from the office to the arena, a trip that would usually take about five minutes, I arrived and found at least 300 kids, teenagers and parents lined up behind barricades at the VIP/Press entrance of the arena hoping to catch a glimpse of the teenage sensation.

This was no ordinary Tuesday afternoon. Indoor soccer games were skipped and piano lessons forsaken. Megan Foard of Forest Hill apologized in advance to her pony, A.J., for bowing out of their regular after-school ride. "He was cool with it, though," the 13-year-old said. And why wouldn't he be? Megan and her friends had to-die-for concert tickets - for Hannah Montana, who played at the 1st Mariner Arena last night before a sold-out crowd of screaming tweens. Thousands of lucky girls, and not a few boys, scampered home from school to prepare for the arrival of the 15-year-old singer-cum-actress, whose real name is Miley Cyrus, and who holds the youthful audience in the palm of her pretty hand.

We've soured on Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan. Ashlee Simpson never recovered from lip-synching on Saturday Night Live. And then there's Hilary Duff, who dated a pierced, tattooed punk-rocker and changed her squeaky-clean image. Miley Cyrus arrived at the right time. With her Hannah Montana series on the Disney Channel, the 14-year-old singer-actress quickly became a role model for girls ages 6 to 14. The shows on her current tour instantly sold out. Miley has become the best tween queen since Tiffany was seducing mall rats in the late 1980s.

As many frustrated and tired Hannah Montana fans can attest, camping out at the box office is no longer a sure way to get coveted concert tickets anymore. But then, neither is ordering online. Or joining a fan club. Or even hoping and praying for a decent auction on eBay. "It's a whole different medium out there," said Frank Remesch, general manager of the 1st Mariner Arena, where a Jan. 8 Hannah Montana concert that instantaneously sold out has left parents angry - and vocal. With all the options available for purchasing tickets - in person, online, phone, fan club, auction - the sad truth is that there's no longer any guarantee of getting an affordable ticket for in-demand shows.

First, Karen McVearry spent $30 to join the Hannah Montana fan club and buy presale concert tickets for her 9-year-old daughter Maddie. Too late - they had sold out. The 36-year-old Catonsville mom tried again the day the tickets went on sale to the public. As Maddie played soccer, McVearry stood on the sidelines, a cell phone in each hand, calling Ticketmaster, while a friend also called and tried ordering online. Still too late. The Jan. 8 Hannah Montana show at 1st Mariner Arena sold out in minutes.

Just announced Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus -- Verizon Center in Washington on Jan. 7 and 1st Mariner Arena on Jan. 8. Tickets on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday. 410-547-SEAT or ticketmaster.com. Chimes' Hall of Fame concert starring Liza Minnelli -- Meyerhoff Symphony Hall on Oct. 27. 410-783-8000. Mr. Greengenes -- Rams Head Live on Nov. 10. 410-244-1131 or ramsheadlive.com. The Tragically Hip -- 9:30 Club in Washington on Oct. 26. 800-955-5566 or tickets.com. Ween -- Sonar on Nov. 23. 410-327-8333 or ticket master.

Downloaded singles 1.S.O.S., Jonas Brothers 2.Stronger, Kanye West 3.Beautiful Girls, Sean Kingston 4.You are the Music in Me, Gabriella & Troy 5.Crank That, Soulja Boy Tell Em[ITUNES (AUG. 20)] Downloaded albums 1.High School Musical 2 soundtrack, Various artists 2.Live at Radio City (bonus track version), Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds 3.In the Ghetto, Elvis Presley and Lisa Marie Presley 4.Hairspray soundtrack, Various artists 5.Riot!, Paramore[ITUNES (AUG. 20)] Downloaded TV episodes 1.Me and Mr. Jonas and Mr. Jonas, Hannah Montana 2.Friday Night Frights, Greek 3.Meat is Murder ... But Murder is Also Murder, Psych 4.When You Wish You Were the Star, Hannah Montana 5.The Comedy Central Roast of Flavor Flav, Comedy Central Roasts[ITUNES (AUG.

Miley Cyrus doesn't look like a mouse. Or a befuddled bear. Or even a princess. But make no mistake, like Mickey, Winnie the Pooh and Snow White before her, she is a Disney franchise. Miley is the star of Hannah Montana, a half-hour Disney Channel sitcom following the travails of Miley Stewart, a young girl living in Malibu, Calif., who also happens to be pop star Hannah Montana. Costarring real-life dad Billy Ray Cyrus and consistently featuring a wish list of co-stars including Dolly Parton and Larry David, Hannah Montana is one of the top-rated kids' shows of all time (in 2006, it was second only to American Idol among kids 6 to 14)