Hilary Duff performs for sold-out crowd at Dodge Arena

03/04/2005

Wearing a homemade pink shirt with the words, "Hilary Duff," scrawled on the front and "Star," on the back, nine-year-old Isis Conner will attend her first concert tonight.
"She sings really good," said Conner, an Edinburg resident. "I can’t wait to see her."
Most concerts aren’t exactly kid-friendly but Hilary Duff’s, "Most Wanted" tour is the exception.
Conner’s friend, Cecilia Sepulveda, who is nine years old as well, is also a big fan of Duff’s but said she wasn’t able to get tickets for the sold-out show. According to Dodge Arena personnel, the concert sold out in just minutes. Plans to add a second performance fell by the wayside.
Sepulveda said her father is trying to win tickets through a radio promotion.
"He’s been calling and calling," she said.
Sepulveda hopes that by the time Duff takes the stage, her father’s luck will turn around.
"I hope I get to go," she said. "I love the way she sings and the way she dresses. She looks nice all the time and dresses really cool."
Shari Lozano, a four-year old from Donna, dances and sings along with Duff’s videos on the Disney Channel, the network that served as a springboard for the teen queen’s career.
"She has a pretty voice," Lozano said.
Duff’s impact on little girls, tweens and teens can’t be overstated.

On Feb. 22, Duff appeared on Oprah, on an episode titled, "Stars Surprise Their Biggest Fans." A once-obese teenage girl said Duff inspired her to lose 85 pounds.
Duff first reeled in fans as the star of Lizzie McGuire, a television series on the Disney Channel. Like the title of her first single, Lizzie McGuire is, "So Yesterday." Duff moved on and brought her fans with her.
The 17-year-old Duff has nabbed roles on the big screen, starring in movies such as A Cinderella Story, Agent Cody Banks, The Lizzie McGuire Movie and Cheaper by the Dozen.
She later glided into the music business, releasing her first album, Metamorphosis in 2003. The album sold more than three million copies to date and yielded hits such as the aforementioned, "So Yesterday," "Come Clean," and "Why Not."
Her wholesome image and lyrics laced with positive messages, Duff not only gets two thumbs up from young girls but also their parents.
"She’s a breath of fresh air," said Lita Blaylock of McAllen, who has two daughters, ages 8 and 11. "She’s one female singer that I’m not ashamed to show my daughters. She’s a decent young lady. Too bad there aren’t more singers like her."
Duff’s down-to-earth persona is also very appealing to young girls.
"On her show (Lizzie McGuire), she falls a lot," Conner said. "She’s not perfect or popular. She’s normal."
Alyssa Perez, a nine-year old from Pharr, said she enjoys watching Duff’s interviews with the media.
"She’s a dog person," Perez said. "She takes her dog everywhere. I think she’s very cool."
For some tabloid media, trying to bring Duff down is a daily objective. They all want to be the first to tarnish her squeaky-clean image.

Duff makes it difficult.
During the Feb. 22 interview, Oprah Winfrey commented that Duff isn’t spotted at nightclubs very often and that she doesn’t run in the same social circles as other teen celebrities, most of which are into heavy partying.
"I think it’s kind of like a conscious choice," Duff said. "I go out with my sister (Haylie, 20) sometimes and we like to go out and dance and have a good time with our friends."
When Duff forgets to mind her p’s and q’s, her mom is there to keep her in line.

Susan Duff said that despite her daughter’s celebrity, she still gets grounded when she breaks the house rules.
"She gets her cell phone taken away," Susan Duff said. "She gets grounded, but it’s really general things, like for coming in late."
Duff also responded to a tabloid hot button issue: her alleged feud with fellow teen queen Lindsay Lohan.
"It’s been all over the magazines forever," Duff said. "And it’s definitely not true. I don’t know her. People take shots at you and want to make you look bad and it’s very negative and very petty and it hurts your feelings. Unfortunately, that’s what people want to hear. They want to hear the gossip and the drama and stuff instead of the charity work. You know what I mean? It’s negative. I hate it."
Television, video games, toys, books, movies, music, a successful concert tour, a product line at Target called Stuff by Hilary Duff, this teen queen isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
Although new episodes of Lizzie McGuire haven’t been recorded in years, the re-runs air daily and boys and girls alike are still tuning in.
As Duff nears adulthood, her 18th birthday is in September, the question of what she will be doing then arises.
Only time will tell, but for now, Duff is content being a kid.

"I have a really normal life outside of the work," Duff said in an interview with the Associated Press. "At home, I have to do chores and I hang out with my friends."

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