Lanier shindig: standing-room only for Miley Cyrus

Thousands of friends of the Lanier Law Firm and their families packed a huge tent in Houston Sunday afternoon to watch teenage pop star Miley Cyrus at the firm’s annual holiday party. Cyrus, star of the Disney show "Hannah Montana," sang for 90 minutes in front of a festive crowd that included thousands of young girls. Outside the huge tent, partygoers could choose from plenty of other entertainment – a train, carnival rides and games, laser tag, rock climbing and karaoke. Bar-b-que, Tex-Mex, cotton candy and hot cider were on the menu. W. Mark Lanier (pictured) and his wife, Becky, always book big-name entertainment for the family-oriented party, but the crowd for Cyrus, who set an attendance record at the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo in March, seemed larger than ever. The concert tent was standing-room only. Some Cyrus fans couldn’t get into the concert tent until well after the show started, but those outside could watch the show on big screens in the food tent. The party this year doubled as a charitable fundraiser for schoolchildren in Guatemala as we reported here. Many partygoers brought bags of school supplies or gave money to purchase other school equipment. For those interested in Hollywood gossip: Cyrus’ boyfriend Justin Gaston, a 20-year-old country singer and model, was spotted backstage.
 -- Brenda Sapino Jeffreys