Recording Industry's Last Hope: Fake Singers?

Only one music act has moved more units than Justin Timberlake over the past two months. Hannah Montana is a tween sensation whose sales have left everything from Jay-Z's new album to the new Beatles remix in the dust. Last week she outsold even Timberlake by a 2-to-1 margin.

The best thing about Hannah Montana?

She doesn't exist.

Hannah Montana is a fictional character owned by the Disney Channel. She is embodied on TV by 14-year-old Miley Cyrus. Where the fictional pop star's voice comes from is anyone's guess. (But that goes for real pop stars too, so no beef there.)

Unlike Britney, she is presumably a virgin.

When it comes to protecting a profitable pop star from her own sexuality, nothing makes a music conglomerate's job easier than simply making the star fake.

Yet Hannah Montana recently played a concert before an adoring crowd. Well, kind of. Neither the star nor her backing group played any instruments, and the youngster "fans" were only allowed into the venue by promising to applaud on cue.

Which will, it must be said, prepare all of them for the spectacle of the next State of the Union speech.