'Music is So Contrived and Political Right Now': A Preview of What to Expect From Idol Mentor Miley Cyrus

Fox revealed today that this week's celebrity mentor on American Idol will be Miley Cyrus, offering a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Crystal Bowersox to engage in a meaningful, chick-to-chick discussion on "finding the hurt" in lyrics like "and a Britney song was on." As if that weren't reason enough to tune in, Wednesday's results show features a performance from two other stars from the Disney Channel stable: real-life couple Joe Jonas and Demi Lovato, singing their duet, "Make a Wave." Yes, it's shaping up to be the best Teen Idols-themed week at American Idol ever. Except the theme has just been changed to "Billboard No. 1 Hits." Who's the theme-nixing culprit for whom "teen" is a dirty word?

A good guess would be Cyrus, who's made no secret of her desire to break free of Disney's steel-rodent grip on her image and graduate to more "grownup" roles. At a recent press event for The Last Song, she spoke of wanting to burn her Hannah Montana wigs when the show tapes its final episodes. She also had strong words for the music industry herself, which we can only imagine she'll impart unto a dewy-eyed Lee Dewyze.

"I just feel like the music industry is so contrived and so political right now," she told reporters. "I feel like if people stepped away and said we aren't going to work like this -- that it's more about our art than the politics -- then I think that maybe it would go back to being respected again. But right now I feel like it's lost a lot of respect and I'd rather be in this industry, where I can feel like I'm doing something different and things that inspire me."

Well, if anyone can return the apolitical artistry to the music industry, it's American Idol. Now c'mon America: Get votin'!