Miley Cyrus takes heat over sexy photos

By Dan Whitcomb

LOS ANGELES, April 28 (Reuters) - "Hannah Montana" star Miley Cyrus took a drubbing on Monday in the media and from some parents of her young fans who were angry over sexually provocative pictures of the 15-year-old superstar despite her apology one day earlier.

The fresh-faced Disney Channel star released a statement on Sunday saying she was "embarrassed" by the photos, some of which surfaced on the Internet over the past week and others set to be published in Vanity Fair magazine.

The Internet pictures show Cyrus tugging down her top to show off a bright green bra and draped suggestively across the lap of her then-boyfriend, her midriff bared.

The Vanity Fair photos, taken by celebrity photographer Annie Leibovitz and which hit newsstands on Wednesday, show the church-going teen apparently nude but clutching a satin sheet over her breasts, her hair tousled and a sultry look on her face.

The Vanity Fair cover picture was plastered across the front of the New York Post newspaper on Monday, along with the screaming headline: "MILEY'S SHAME."

While some posters to Cyrus' official MySpace page offered the teen superstar support, others slammed her as having crossed a line with her young fans.

"Miley I am the mother of an almost seven year old. I am wondering what choices you will make next," a woman named Amy wrote. "Up until now I haven't questioned your integrity. My daughter absolutely loves you.

"I don't agree with the photos. Please if you are a Christian then carry yourself in a more modest way."