"Miley's at the very top of our celebrity list," said Joanna Saltz, executive editor of Seventeen magazine, whose average reader is between 16 and 17. While Spears never appears in Seventeen, readers love Cyrus, Saltz said, because she seems genuine, unproduced, comfortable in her own skin.

"And she's just exploded," said Saltz said. "A year ago she was the queen of tweens, and now she's a favorite of our readers. She's crossed all age groups."

Just how big is this young lady, whose 70-date concert tour in 2007 sold out within minutes, who had desperate parents filing lawsuits and entering wacky endurance contests (like hanging onto a pole for six days) to get tickets, who herself took home $1 million a week and something close to $20 million from the tour?

"Honestly, it's astounding," said Rolling Stone editor Andy Greene. "She was selling 20,000-seat houses. She could have sold 80,000 a night. I spoke to one dad who said the atmosphere in there was like nothing since the early Beatles concerts. It's hard to think of anything quite like this."

"Hannah Montana" is the No. 1 cable series for kids aged 6-14, and if you include the networks, second only to "American Idol." And even Cyrus' consolation prize to fans who couldn't get concert tickets, the "Best of Both Worlds Concert" 3D movie, grossed more than $60 million, a rare hit for a concert film.

Her two soundtrack albums have sold 3.5 million and 3 million copies respectively in this country, according to Nielsen SoundScan. And according to People, "Hannah Montana" merchandise — from bedding to handbags to toys to shoes — is expected to rake in $1 billion this fiscal year.

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Contributing: Jens Dana, Deseret News