Girls Rule

Let there be no doubt:

The tweens have inherited the earth. Their dominion was sealed early this month, when the 3-D "Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert" debuted as the No. 1 film in the country.

...Meanwhile, the "Hannah Montana 2" album that debuted at the apex of the Billboard chart last summer still maintains a vise-like grip on the top 10, a few slots down from the new "Hannah Montana 2 Non-Stop Dance Party." ...American pop culture as we know it belongs to my 8-year-old daughter, Lucy, and her preteen posse.

Girls have always been a formidable niche, the force that made a superstar of Barbie and propelled generations of cute boy bands to fame far beyond their talents. But on Jan. 20, 2006, their coup began in earnest. That's the night "High School Musical" premiered on the Disney Channel. More than 7.5 million viewers tuned in to watch it, a ratings record for the network. So Disney aired it again, and again, and again -- to escalating ratings. The soundtrack became the top-selling album of 2006. The revolution was televised, and the little girls won it.

In the ensuing two years, the tween machine has only grown bigger. Last summer's "HSM" sequel became the highest-rated cable broadcast in history, begetting a tour, an ice show, another forthcoming sequel and an unholy amount of Zac Efron-festooned merchandise. In the wake of its success, kid-centric music acts like the Jonas Brothers, the Cheetah Girls, and Aly & AJ have enjoyed massive album sales. The American Girl and Bratz dolls have spawned movies. But out of the smoldering, grape lip gloss-scented crater that "High School Musical" created, something even bigger emerged.

...Semi-dorky high schooler Miley Stewart leads a double life as the eponymous platinum-tressed, platinum-selling pop idol. Her secret identity known to a sitcom-stock few (including her dad, played by her dad), young Miley has, as she sings in the show's earwormy theme song and tour of the same name, the best of both worlds.

...In Hannah Montana, Disney has created a girl-next-door icon and a heroine of moxie and talent. The shticky writing on the show may never rise to "30 Rock"-level cleverness, nor will the music ever make me forget Sleater-Kinney, but I'm not the audience. I can nevertheless recognize that the star herself has undeniable chops. Cyrus has a natural charisma, effortless comic timing, and the pipes to carry off her girl-power lyrics. She is, as Lucy attests, awesome, which is more than I can say for a whole lot of what the entertainment industry is dropping on adults lately.

Say what you will about the overcalculated, quasi-creepy way the Disney machine burrows into our kids' psyches, it's effective. Kids, to the delight of advertisers, are both tremendously receptive to persuasion and astonishingly persistent at nagging. And every day, inundated parents have to pick the hills they're going to die on. The tweens have taken over on an invasion financed by their moms and dads. If a half-hour of Miley karaoke buys some peace in which to cook dinner, or a Hannah purse is the go-to gift for a birthday party, I can begin to understand how Disney saw our collective exposed throat and leapt for it.