At first glance, Abigail Breslin may seem like another "more of the same" deal when it comes to contemporary child stars, but when you see a child her age in four movies in one year alone, it's hard not to take notice. From the summer of 2007 to...
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At first glance, Abigail Breslin may seem like another "more of the same" deal when it comes to contemporary child stars, but when you see a child her age in four movies in one year alone, it's hard not to take notice. From the summer of 2007 to the summer of 2008, Abigail played multiple "older child" roles and was very rarely away from the theatrical film lineup. After seeing her co-star with former child sensation Jodie Foster in "Nim's Island," there was only one thing I could think of, and that's that Breslin is well on her way to achieving the same renown as Ms. Foster herself.

The thing about Breslin is that for being so young, she is incredibly gifted and experienced in front of the camera, but she is still able to step away from it and look/sound/act like a real kid (unlike the shockingly beyond-her-years Dakota Fanning, whom I also love). She's one of those child starlets who has had many movie roles and, as a result, has had a lot of opportunities to showcase what she can do. Her success in "Little Miss Sunshine" has only increased her marketability in the film world, and I have a feeling that her upcoming role in "My Sister's Keeper" is really going to push her over the top as a competent, growing actress.

She's cute, she's charming, and she is capable of carrying a plot. She can work through a crying scene like nobody's business, and if you've never seen this kid start bawling on-screen, then I recommend you rent one of her movies (any one of them will work, since she cries at some point in pretty much all of them). Ultimately, however, one of Breslin's greatest advantages is that she seems to be growing up with more potential than any child star in the past, thanks to her seemingly normal home life and personal interests that extend beyond being an Oscar-nominated actress at the tender age of 10. I absolutely love watching her and can't wait to see what she does next. I'm not kidding--I truly, truly envision Abigail Breslin having a similar career as actresses like Jodie Foster and Meryl Streep. For her to have as much talent as she does right now, before even turning 13, that says a lot for what she can become in the next ten years, and I think it's a pretty safe bet that she isn't going anywhere. Watch for Ms. Abigail Breslin to be in the limelight throughout her adulthood, because she has everything going for her and has the ability to achieve anything she wants.

It's hard to know exactly what to say about someone like Miley Cyrus. On one end, it seems nearly impossible not to like her bubbly personality, the good morals behind her music, and the fact that she is generally sweet and charming. On the other...
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It's hard to know exactly what to say about someone like Miley Cyrus. On one end, it seems nearly impossible not to like her bubbly personality, the good morals behind her music, and the fact that she is generally sweet and charming. On the other hand, she's a 15-year-old getting paid literally millions of dollars, and the "Hannah Montana" merchandise that bears her name and face is making billions as we speak. I have to say that I don't think any actor or actress in the world is worth quite that much, no matter how good or talented they are, but that's a completely different subject you can argue for days. For the moment, I'll try to stay on topic and stick to talking about Miley.

As an early childhood teacher, it's tough not to walk into a school and see a bunch of pint-sized "Hannah Montana" wannabes walking down the halls with their trendy Hannah Montana hairdos, T-shirts, notebooks, and more. To Miley's credit, she has built an absolutely phenomenal empire with her television show, concert tickets, and the merchandise being sold as a promoting device. She truly is a "one in a million" success story, but then again, with the world we live in, you can bet that in the future, they'll probably be taking hundreds of young girls like Miley and molding them into overnight superstars like never before. It's the kind of thing that little girls love to eat right up, and agents and producers know that if they start Miley out with a squeaky clean image and "girl power, be whatever you want to be if you keep trying" song lyrics, they can get away with it and maybe even start winning over many of the moms, too.

One thing is for sure: Miley is growing up in an extremely adult world, and as a result, she's going to have her work cut out for her if she wants to keep what she's got. We've seen former talents like Britney and Lindsay essentially throw it all away by making foolish mistakes, and I genuinely hope that doesn't happen to Miley. She's very young, and she has a fighting chance, but she's gonna have to work to maintain that chance. It's too bad that her father Billy Ray is turning out to be less than the "ultimate dad" that he was originally perceived as, but I guess you can't believe everything you hear. In either case, I hope he straightens out too and helps his daughter keep going strong. Sure, the "Hannah Montana" phenom will wear thin, and this current American obsession will come and go like many others in the past. Look at how Hilary Duff's "Lizzie McGuire" run burst onto the scene, ran its relatively short course, and came to be replaced by new teenager Miley Cyrus and her similarly plotted show. It's just the way it is. Fortunately, Hilary seems to have turned out fairly well (much better than most of her contemporaries), and if Miley continues working to keep her head screwed on tight, she too can be respected for years down the road, and a good example like that would REALLY be something that our world could use right now.