Montana
Lainey Wilson Performs 'Best of Both Worlds' from 'Hannah Montana' to Honor Miley Cyrus Becoming a Disney Legend
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(599x0:601x2)/lainey-wilson-miley-cyrus-d23-3-f5d05b24dee74706afeb2f8004c8f68a.jpg?ssl=1 "Lainey Wilson Performs 'Best of Both Worlds' from 'Hannah Montana' to Honor Miley Cyrus Becoming a Disney Legend")
- Lainey Wilson paid tribute to Miley Cyrus at the Disney Legends Awards Ceremony on Aug. 11 with a cover of “Best of Both Worlds” from Hannah Montana
- The country star’s “very first job” was impersonating the fictional pop star at various events
- Wilson gave a speech in honor of Cyrus becoming the youngest-ever Disney Legend
Lainey Wilson had a full-circle moment while honoring Miley Cyrus’s new status as a Disney Legend.
On Sunday, Aug. 11, Cyrus, 31, made history by becoming the youngest-ever recipient of the honor, bestowed on individuals who’ve significantly influenced the company, and Wilson, 32, introduced the star with a special message — and rendition of the Hannah Montana theme song, “Best of Both Worlds.”
Before belting the iconic track, however, the “Watermelon Moonshine” singer revealed her own reverence for Cyrus, who had a huge influence on her early career.
“You might not know this, but I am truly one of your biggest fans,” Wilson told the crowd at the Disney Legends Awards Ceremony in Anaheim, California, per footage shared by Entertainment Tonight.
Her “very first job,” Wilson went on, “was taking my portable sound system, a wig and 15 tracks” to impersonate Hannah Montana at various events — a tidbit she further confirmed by posting a throwback photo of herself performing in a Montana-inspired getup.
“I’m talking about at birthday parties, fairs, festivals, you name it — it was me, Lainey Wilson, opening up for me as Hannah Montana,” she continued. “You talk about the best of both worlds. You inspired me to believe in myself that I too could be an ordinary girl living in an extraordinary world.”
“So on behalf of Hannah Montana fans everywhere, I’d like to dedicate this song to you,” she told the audience. And, as the track’s memorable intro began, she yelled, “Y’all better get up!”
The Walt Disney Company
Wilson’s rendition of the theme song featured not only her distinctive country twang and a sparkly, Montana-inspired outfit, but also some updated references. “Is that Orlando Bloom?” for example, was swapped for, “Is that Glen Powell?”
After wrapping the cover — with the lyric, “’Cause you know you got the best of both worlds” — Cyrus joined Wilson on stage. The duo embraced, and the Bell Bottom Country musician stood behind Cyrus as she delivered her emotional acceptance speech.
Reflecting on the moment on Monday, Aug. 12, Wilson revealed that she is “still pinching herself.”
“I got the best of both worlds that’s for sure🌎,” she wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “From performing as Hannah Montana on flat bed trailers at birthday parties to honoring the legend herself…now that right there is what ya call a full circle moment.”
“@MileyCyrus you’re such an inspiration,” she added. “Thank you for letting me honor you. Still pinching myself about last night. 🕺 🪩.”
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Cyrus portrayed the titular pop star of Disney’s hit sitcom Hannah Montana from 2006 to 2011, plus 2009’s Hannah Montana: The Movie and the Best of Both Worlds tour. She also played the typical (brunette) teenager behind the blonde wig: Miley Stewart.
The Walt Disney Company
Wilson previously spoke about her past impersonating the blonde Disney pop star, telling PEOPLE that in the early days of her career, “One day I would be playing a 3-year-old’s birthday party and later that day, I would be playing a nursing home, so I really had to figure out how to adjust to my crowd.”
“There’s times now where I feel like that really comes in handy,” Wilson continued, and noted that through these experiences, she also learned that the career she sought “was not gonna be easy,” she told PEOPLE.
“I was doing three or four parties a weekend and fairs and festivals,” she recalled at the time. “All my friends in high school were going to the LSU football games and living it up. I never even thought twice about it. I never felt like I was missing out. I felt like I was putting some notches on my belt.”
MISSOULA, Mont. — The Clark Fork River has long been a defining feature of Missoula, shaping the city’s culture, economy and outdoor lifestyle.
The river is so closely tied to the area that it helped inspire the well-known book and film “A River Runs Through It.” But local conservation advocates say its importance goes far beyond scenery.
“Without the Clark Fork River, Missoula would just be another town,” said Lisa Ronald, Northern Rockies associate conservation director for American Rivers. “We wouldn’t be the River City. I think we’re known in Montana as Missoula the River City, and it’s really because of the Clark Fork River and its central role in business, in economics, in recreation, that really makes Missoula the town that it is.”
Carmen Murill, a field organizer with Wild Montana, said the river is deeply woven into daily life for people who live in Missoula.
“A lot of us would wonder what to do on a beautiful or a rainy summer day,” Murill said. “I mean, it’s really a lifeforce of town. And I think it’s pretty unique that Missoula, as a community is living and breathing on both sides of the river. It’s really like two downtowns but connected by the Clark Fork.”
Conservation groups say protecting the river begins with community involvement.
Advocates encourage residents and visitors to spend time outdoors, whether on a trail, in the woods or along the river, and to learn how they can become better stewards of the environment.
MISSOULA — Sam Forstag edged out Ryan Busse to secure the Democratic nomination in Montana’s 1st Congressional District.
Busse conceded the race to Forstag on Wednesday morning. Forstag had trailed behind Busse Tuesday evening, but he made up ground as the votes were counted into the early hours of Wednesday morning. The other two candidates in the race, Russl Cleveland and Matt Rains, are sitting at third and fourth, respectively.
Forstag leads in close race for Montana’s 1st Congressional District
Forstag spent eight years as a wildland firefighter, including four as a smokejumper, and he’s been vice president of the local National Federation of Federal Employees union. Last week, U.S. House of Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York, held a rally in Missoula to support Forstag’s campaign.
He told MTN on Tuesday that his campaign has been for the working class.
“We got a whole lot of people here that have been working their tail off to finally get some working-class representation in Washington,” Forstag noted. “So proud of everything we’ve done and so grateful.”
Forstag further noted he wants Montanans to be able to afford groceries, have universal free childcare and restore and expand Affordable Health Care Act subsidies.
“Hearing people’s stories and struggles and commonalities in the ways that we’re all fighting in the system that does not serve us so often, and the government serves corporations and the richest people in this country more than working people. It has been frustrating and saddening, but it has also inspired so much hope in me, like the fixes we can actually make,” he told MTN.
The 1st Congressional District covers much of western Montana, including Kalispell, Missoula, Butte and Bozeman. It is currently held by Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Montana, who chose not to seek reelection.
By securing the nomination, Forstag is slated tol face off against Libertarian candidate Nick Sheedy and Republican candidate Aaron Flint in November.
Brian Miller won the Democratic primary Tuesday for the U.S. House seat in Montana’s eastern district.
The Associated Press called the race for Miller, an attorney in Helena, who fended off a challenge from state Sen. Jonathan Windy Boy, a longtime legislator from Box Elder, and Sam Lux, a farrier from Great Falls.
In the Republican and rural eastern district, any Democrat will be an underdog, and Miller will face off against incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Troy Downing, who was unopposed Tuesday.
Libertarian Patrick McCracken is also running.
In the primary, Miller took 58% of the vote. Lux took 27% and Windy Boy took 16%, according to the Montana Secretary of State’s website.
In April, Windy Boy paused his campaign amid “serious sexual abuse” allegations raised by the Montana Democratic Party — but Windy Boy restarted his campaign and later called the allegations “political attacks.”
Miller is representing the victim of the alleged abuse and her mother, although he said he didn’t take on the role until after Windy Boy initially suspended his campaign.
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