I care about this because I have an embarrassing addiction to The Disney Channel. It’s like visual valium to me and a healthy helping of Lizzie McGuire, Hannah Montana, or Wizards of Waverly Place is my equivalent of mainlining wholesome, feelgood, tween happiness. They make me feel calm and happy and like a giant pile of family-friendly mush.

But it’s the end of an era, folks. In an interview with Access Hollywood, Billy Ray Cyrus confirmed that Hannah Montana’s next season will be its last.

“Quite frankly, I give a lot of credit to Miley for taking it to another year,” Cyrus said. “She didn’t want it to just end with whatever was the last episode we did. She wanted it to build to where there’s a moral to the story, to where it doesn’t just end and go away and that’s it. She wanted there to be an official ending to ‘Hannah Montana.’”

Cyrus said they will film the final 11 half-hour long episodes and a one-hour long season finale, all expected to screen in 2010.

In response, The Disney Channel has announced plans to rename itself The Suite Channel of Zack & Cody and air Zack & Cody shows 23 hours a day instead of the previous 22.5 hours.

Meanwhile, I’d like to see some suggestions on what you think this “official ending to Hannah Montana” is going to entail. My guess is someone will turn a wheel in a subterranean cave and the recording studio will vanish just as Miley jumps a shark on a motorcycle.

Can’t go wrong with jumping a shark on a motorcycle.

Miley Cyrus squeezes into yet another wildly age-appropriate outfit for the UK premiere of Hannah Montana, which she attended with her boyfriend father.

Hey, remember on Sunday, when Jamie Foxx went off all batshit crazy about Miley Cyrus, the one who “gotta get a gum transplant” and “do some heroin” and “put some crack your pipe”? As of Tuesday afternoon, he had yet to issue an apology, and word on the street was that Papa Cyrus was PISSED. “He thinks Jamie was out of line and didn’t find any humor in it,” said a source. “He doesn’t understand why he would do that to Miley especially since he has teenage daughter himself … Billy Ray isn’t going to say anything publicly because he doesn’t want to this to escalate.”

The actor and comedian has been taking a lot of heat lately for his comments about the 16-year-old, which began when a random caller phoned into his radio show to say that he thought Miley was a bitch.

But when Foxx went on Jay Leno’s show Tuesday night, Leno pushed the issue, and Foxx finally apologized.

“Did you say something inappropriate?” Jay Leno innocently queried of the Oscar winner on Tuesday’s Tonight Show.

“Yeah,” Foxx admitted, taking a few breaths before launching into a full-blown apology.

“I so apologize to [Cyrus], and this is sincere,” he began. “I am a comedian, and you guys know that whatever I say, I don’t mean any of it. [Big laugh from the audience]. And sometimes, as comedians, as we do, we go a little bit too far.

“I have a radio show…We’re really the black Howard Stern. We go at everybody. There was a situation with Miley Cyrus, and I just want to say, I apologize for what I said. I didn’t mean it maliciously. You know I’m a comedian. You know my heart,” he added, turning to Leno.

Then, looking at the camera, “Miley, I apologize, so I’ll call you. I got a daughter too, so I completely understand.”

What do we think, guys? Apology accepted or no?

What is even better than a new puppy?

NOTHING.

But a close second is a guest spot on Hannah Montana, which Sasha and Malia Obama have been offered.

“They probably will. The invitation is there,” Billy Ray Cyrus told Access Hollywood, although he refused to give further details.

What a BRILLIANT ratings grab. I have never watched a second of this show in my life, but, if the First Kids were on it, I would totally tune in!

Meanwhile, the celeb magazines who chose to put Barack Obama on their cover rather than a celebrity following the election? Made the right choice. Those mags are far outselling their competitors. Suri Cruise may be cute, but it turns out she’s no President-elect.

Okay I really need to stop getting so excited about these.

But this one’s actually not so bad because she’s interviewing her little sister, who is adorable. Billy Ray sings, too.