Miley wasn’t on the bill to play and shocked not only the audience but Steele himself when she walked out on the stage to perform. The duo sang Simple Song, which was originally recorded by Cyrus, and was the only song written by Steele that appeared on his son Alex’s MP3 player when he died. After a second duet Steele told the crowd, ”Miley might live in Hollywood, but in her heart, she’ll always be our Tennessee girl.”

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If you or your younger sis collect the American Girl dolls or have read the novels, you’ll be familiar with the Kit character. For those who are clueless about the popular franchise, Kit is the very bright and curious daughter of the owner of a car dealership in 1934. She wants to be a reporter and, in the film story, starts investigating several robberies in her town. She also has to adjust to the upheaval caused when her beloved dad’s ( cute Chris O’Donnell) business goes under and he must search for out-of-town work. She and mom (Julia Ormand) have to stay behind and take in boarders to keep the family home.

We sat down with Abby in Beverly Hills recently and are continually amazed at how “real” and non-snooty she is. She hasn’t let “stardom” effect her at all or so it would seem. Looking prim and trendy in white blouse, black studded belt, skinny jeans and gladiator sandals, Abigail did everything from demonstrating how double-jointed she is to talking about losing her iPod! Abby entered our interview room carrying an adorable, fluffy Pomeranian puppy. It wasn’t hers but she introduced it to us anyway….

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Nick, from left, Joe and Kevin Jonas attend the premiere of “Camp Rock” last week in New York.

You can’t hide from the Jonas Brothers.

The latest teen sensations — brothers Kevin, 20, Joe, 18, and Nick, 15 — have risen quickly, particularly since appearing on Miley Cyrus’ “Hannah Montana” extravaganza tour this year.

Now the summer will belong to them.

The Jonas Brothers have starring roles in the Disney Channel movie “Camp Rock,” airing at 8 p.m. ET Friday. In July, they begin their “Burning Up” tour. And there’s a new TV series, too.

So who’s behind that tousled hair? CNN’s Doug Ganley talked to the trio about shooting “Camp Rock,” golf and walking the straight and narrow. The following is an edited version of the interview:

CNN: So guys, did you have a lot of fun making “Camp Rock”? Was it a good movie to make?

Joe Jonas: We had a great time actually. We shot it in Canada, and it was really cool for us. It was our first time there. …

It was awesome. You got up every morning, but you were happy because you were going to this beautiful lake. It was the best time ever.

CNN: Were you guys up there the entire time?

Kevin Jonas: Yeah, we spent the entire trip up there. It was amazing to be able to be on set, and then when we got weekends [off] or something, we would go play some golf.

CNN: Are you guys good golfers?

Joe Jonas: Love to play golf.

Kevin Jonas: Love it. Enjoy it. It’s our free time. It’s our get out on the green and enjoy being out there by ourselves.

CNN: You play a character in this movie — the disaffected rock star.

Joe Jonas: Right.

CNN: How do you keep that from happening to yourself? You guys are all very successful.

Joe Jonas: I think it’s cool because we do this with each other and we are able to watch each other’s back[s], and when somebody says something stupid … we’re like, “Psh, whatever.” It’s funny to play that role because it’s not how we are in real life. I’m more the funny one in real life and for me to be kind of serious, and — you know — all suave, is kind of funny. It was a fun challenge.

CNN: I mean, you are the oldest right? You’ve got to watch out for the other kids? Your brothers here …

Nick Jonas: Actually, I’m the youngest.

CNN: Oh, are you? I’m looking the wrong way.

Joe Jonas: [laughs]

Kevin Jonas: Yeah.

Nick Jonas: Yeah, I’m the youngest of the group.

CNN: So you’ve got to follow in their example; they’ve got to watch out for you.

Nick Jonas: You know, I think we each kind of have our leadership roles in the band, and we treat each other with respect, which is really important. And we’re just having fun, so it’s all good.

CNN: You guys obviously try to [be] a role model for other kids your age. How difficult is it to hold yourself up to that high standard and know that everyone is watching you and that some people are probably expecting you to fail?

Nick Jonas: We’re just doing what we love to do, and we’re trying to be the best guys we can be and make our mom proud.

CNN: If you are out to do something, do you say, “What would my parents think? What would my mom think if they knew we were doing this?”

Kevin Jonas: They’ve raised us really well, and you know, they’re the best, and we love them with all our hearts.

CNN: Your dad’s a minister, right?

Kevin Jonas: Yeah.

Nick Jonas: Was.

Joe Jonas: Was, yeah –

Nick Jonas: Full-time co-manager now.

CNN: Right.

Kevin Jonas: [laughs]

CNN: With that kind of influence, as you get older, do you still maintain your spiritual upbringing?

Nick Jonas: The faith is definitely part of everything we do and has been forever.

Kevin Jonas: Yeah.

CNN: Was the actual experience of making this movie kind of like going to camp?

Joe Jonas: We felt like it was camp because for us we are so used to being so busy, being in one place for like a month was just almost surreal. We are so used to moving around so much that it felt like you are at camp. You are at this beautiful place, you woke up, you did activities, you know, things like that. So it was — it was like camp.

Kevin Jonas: No cell reception, no Internet.

Joe Jonas: [laughs] Right.

CNN: Now you’re back in the grind, right? And you’ve got your TV series coming up. I mean, does it feel like you are back and surrounded and just overly busy?

Kevin Jonas: It’s crazy right now because we are on a European tour with Avril Lavigne … and we flew in from Paris last night and did the ["Camp Rock"] premiere. Then we’re here today and going to Milan tonight actually. And then … we start our “Burning Up” tour this summer.

You know, “Camp Rock” premieres, and then of course, we have our new album coming out in August and the TV show, 3-D movie, a book. A lot is happening, but we’re just really, really excited.

CNN: I don’t think you’ll have a lot of time to work on your golf moves.

Kevin Jonas: You know what, I think actually on the summer tour we’re working on –

Nick Jonas: Yeah –

Joe Jonas: We’re trying to get tee times set every day.

Kevin Jonas: Each city that we’re in. So if we can make it happen and it works out properly, our game will actually probably improve.

CNN: That’s good, so who’s the best?

Kevin Jonas: Nick’s the best golfer, but I’m working hard to hopefully one day be able to beat him.

CNN: You can’t let your little brother beat you all the time.

Kevin Jonas:: You know, it’s OK though. I’ve never really actually considered him “little brother,” though, ever.

David Archuleta: From American Idol to Pals With Vanessa Hudgens & Zac Efron?

Walker writes that David is “up for grabs, and Disney’s grabbing the cute-as-a-button “American Idol” finalist for “High School Musical 3: Senior Year” - if they win the behind-the-scenes battle that’s raging with Fox, which has first dibs on David and an ironclad contract for his “Idol” tour this summer, which is just when Disney needs him for “Musical.”"

Walker adds that it will be a tough fight because of Archuleta’s tour obligations, plus potential “Idol” recording negotiations with American idol judge Simon Cowell’s company, but insiders say the tricky deal just might be worked out because Disney, Fox and Cowell recognize the fantastic cross-promotion that could generate big revenues as David would bring in a slew of tween fans to the film.

Walker believes it is doable and writes, “Perfect-Disney-type David needs just a couple of weeks leeway to shoot his “Musical” role - basically, a cameo quickie - and the smart money predicts Archuleta fans will be raving for him on tour and on the silver screen.”

LOS ANGELES - The grown-up rocker triumphed over the smooth-voiced kid as David Cook claimed the “American Idol” title Wednesday, and it wasn’t as much of a surprise as it seemed.

While the judges all but crowned 17-year-old David Archuleta the night before, the voters decided otherwise — and in a huge and unexpected way. Host Ryan Seacrest said before the results that that the margin was 12 million votes, and it turns out they broke in the favor of the 25-year-old from Blue Springs, Mo.

Cook was overcome with emotion, bending toward the stage after his name was announced. When he stood up, his eyes were filled with tears, the second time in as many nights that the scruffy, grainy-voiced belter had broken down.

“This is amazing,” he said. “This is all your fault,” he added, addressing his brother, Andrew. The story goes that Cook was only tagging along with his sibling to the “Idol” auditions to lend support, and wound up getting on the show.

To close out the show’s sevent season, Cook immediately took the microphone and began to sing “Time of my Life,” a midtempo rocker by Nashville singer/songwriter Regie Hamm, winner of the annual “Idol” songwriting competition.

Cook refused to bow to the conventional during his three-song set Tuesday, with Collective Soul’s “The World I Know” as his pick for a closing performance. He also sang U2’s “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” and the power ballad “Dream Big,” his choice from the songwriting competition’s non-winning finalists.

“If I had to choose between playing a song that not a whole lot of people know that I could get behind, or the opposite, I’ll choose the lesser-known every time,” Cook told The Associated Press backstage Tuesday.

Judge Simon Cowell declared at the time that the song choices had sunk him, and told Archuleta that he’d scored a “knockout” in the boxing-themed performance finale.

But just before the winner was announced, Cowell uncharacteristically backtracked. He offered Cook an apology and said that the competition “wasn’t quite so clear cut as we called it” — even letting on that, for the first time, he felt either finalist would have been a worthy winner.

While “Idol” ratings were down all season, the final contest turned that tide, with with viewership for Tuesday’s show up 3 percent over last year’s performance finale, the network said Wednesday. That provoked a frenzy with a record 97.5 million audience votes cast by phone and text. Last year’s total vote count was 74 million.

Early in the show, host Ryan Seacrest played it coy, announcing that the split between the two contestants was 56 percent for one David, 44 percent for the other. Of course he left in question who got the lion’s share; that detail wouldn’t come until the closing moments of season seven.

While Archuleta was showered with praise by the judges all season, online bookies and observers kept the faith with Cook. One Web site, which tracks busy signals on the separate phone lines dedicated to each contestant, projected him the winner correctly Wednesday morning.

By strict “Idol” standards, being rebellious turned out to be worth the gamble for Cook, whose hip and scruffy style and ability to work the camera with a soulful gaze also proved to have overwhelming appeal.

Archuleta, of Murray, Utah, was the prodigy who consistently dazzled the show’s judges and thrilled screaming young fans. He would have been the youngest-”Idol” ever if he’d won, beating last year’s winner Jordin Sparks by mere days.

The teenager seemed to find the attention the show brought him overwhelming, often appearing to be speechless in the face of praise, but he was consistently professional onstage, with dulcet tones and poise that belied his shyness and tender age. He also became the focus of controversy when his father, Jeff, was reportedly getting too heavily involved in his son’s rehearsals and asked by the show’s producers to back off.

Archuleta made the most of his smooth voice Tuesday with Elton John’s “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me,” the inspirational ballad “In This Moment” and a reprise from earlier in the season of John Lennon’s “Imagine.”

Judge Randy Jackson exclaimed to Archuleta, “Dude, you are so good tonight. You are exactly what this show is about.” And Cowell told the teenager: “You came out here tonight to win, and what we have witnessed is a knockout.”

“I felt I had a disadvantage getting so much attention in the beginning. But winning isn’t the big concern. It’s always doing your best. … That’s what’s important,” he told The Associated Press backstage Tuesday.

During the show, viewers got songs from runners-up including Syesha Mercado, who dueted with Seal on his song “Waiting for You,” and a solo on “Hallelujah” by dreadlocked Jason Castro.

Other “Idol” contestant and name-brand pairings: Cook with ZZ Top, Archuleta with OneRepublic, Bryan Adams with the top six male singers and Brooke White with Graham Nash.

“Brooke looks so much better than Crosby,” Nash quipped backstage, referring to bandmate David Crosby.

The Jonas Brothers got the stage to themselves for a performance.

“American Idol” also celebrated the awfulness that is part of the show, usually confined to the early auditions, with a performance by failed contestant Reynaldo Lapuz that threw in University of Southern California cheerleaders and marching band members.

In Utah, Archuleta fans gathered to watch the finale took the loss like a collective kick. Mouths dropped, eyes widened and several teenage girls hugged and cried at a live viewing party at EnergySolutions arena in Salt Lake City.

“Did you feel that?” said Skippy Jessop, 30, his homemade sign now headed for the trash bin. “It felt like a punch in the gut. We all just stood there with our mouths hanging open.”

But fans say this won’t be the last note from Utah’s newest favorite son.

“He’s still a winner for sure,” said Cecily Estrada, 19, who attended Murray High School with Archuleta. “He’s gonna be big no matter what.”

He’s already scored one big endorsement: Toward the end of the live, two-hour broadcast, Archuleta was featured in a “Guitar Hero” commercial in which he reprised Tom Cruise’s lip-sync routine from the movie “Risky Business.” Instead of an air guitar, Archuleta played the small, plastic replica instrument from the popular video game.

But on Wednesday, it was the real guitarist who struck the biggest power chord.

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When Disney launches its new Prince Caspian video game for the Nintendo DS today, it will also unveil DGamer, a kid-friendly mobile social network that will allow users to create avatars, chat and share high scores with friends over a WiFi connection.

For Disney, the new social platform adds another pillar to the company’s expanding network of digital communities, which also includes Disney Xtreme Digital - a pre-teen version of MySpace - and the Club Penguin site purchased from a trio of Kelowna, B.C.-based developers for $350-million (U.S.) last August.

But DGamer also represents Disney’s attempt to bring the experience of console-based digital networks such as Microsoft Corp.’s Xbox Live and Sony Corp.’s PlayStation Network to Nintendo Co. Ltd.’s handheld DS devices.

With more than 70 million DS devices already sold, Disney is hoping to create a social community through the devices that will drive interest in its programs and movies aimed at teens and tweens, such as Hannah Montana and High School Musical.

“This is something that has never been done before so we’re really excited about it,” said Michelle Liem, a spokeswoman for Disney Interactive Studios.

Although the DS has always supported simple chat functions and allowed players to compete against each other in certain games, the DGamer network will offer more features and will work exclusively through Disney video games and disney.com.

Sony’s handheld PSP device features a similar network, but critics say it has few users and has suffered because of its complexity.

Once perceived as a company that was slow to adapt to technology trends while relying heavily on its past glory, Disney has been “fairly aggressive” in expanding onto the Internet, chief executive officer Robert Iger told analysts in March. Mr. Iger expects online content to generate $1-billion in revenue for Disney this fiscal year.

Disney has taken a number of steps in the past year to try and cement itself at the centre of the preteen social networking world as it competes with the likes of Toronto toy-maker Ganz’s WebKinz site.

“Disney has taken an increased interest in ensuring that they are meeting the needs of a very demanding audience … one that wants to grow up quickly,” Yankee Group social networking analyst Jennifer Simpson said.

“Social networks are a way for Disney to … transition to a bit of an older audience so that Disney name is still top of mind,” she said.

DGamer makes sense for Disney since the kids who are using Club Penguin - which has a user base of about 12 million - are the same ones who are growing into fans of Disney’s tween properties, said Wedbush Morgan Securities video game analyst Michael Pachter.

“It’s the same girls, so there’s definitely an opportunity there,” he said. “I’m not sure if mechanically it will work or if the kids will care, but I guess we’ll find out.”

Disney isn’t the only company actively attempting to marry social networking to mobile electronics; in just six months, Research In Motion Ltd. has seen more than one million downloads of an application that allows users to access their Facebook profile from a BlackBerry.

“All the major social networks out there are interested in data applications for mobile devices, simply because they are with you at all times,” Ms. Simpson said. “The real difficulty is the experience the consumer has is hard to translate.”

While he may have appeared calm during his three performances on Tuesday night’s “American Idol,” David Archuleta has reportedly found himself in the middle of a growing backstage war between his father and the show’s producers.

The first salvos were fired Monday, when news broke that “Idol” had banned Archuleta’s father, Jeff — who, according to some, is a domineering, career-minded stage dad — from being backstage with his son as he prepares for the show. The order came after Jeff reportedly ordered David to insert Sean Kingston lyrics into a version of Ben E. King’s “Stand by Me,” a move that cost the show additional song-clearance fees.

As that story began to gain traction, both David and “Idol” producers went into damage control. “[My dad has] given me a lot of good advice and helped me from making any dumb decisions,” Arch telling TV Guide. And “Idol” executive producer Nigel Lythgoe confirmed to Entertainment Weekly that while Jeff “has been asked not to participate in the choice of music with David,” the reports of his bad behavior have been blown out of proportion.

“[Jeff] is fine to be in the studio — nothing wrong with that. We just want David to be free like everybody else to get on and do what they want to do,” Lythgoe said. “This is more of just the fact of ‘Let’s take some pressure away here,’ you know? It’s like anybody appearing in front of their mom and dad. Let’s just open up the pressure cooker, release the pressure, and, you just get on and do what you gotta do.”

But on Tuesday night’s episode of “Idol,” Jeff was apparently not in the mood for pressure-cooker analogies, making his displeasure with Lythgoe known to anyone who was in the studio.

According to TMZ.com, the elder Archuleta “stared [Lythgoe] down” during commercial breaks, and was “enraged as he watched the executive producer visibly excited as David Cook performed.” He was reportedly also “chummy” with judges Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul, but had “no interaction at all” with Simon Cowell.

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