Five years ago, popular parody news website The Onion claimed that by 2013, "Miley Cyrus will be drained dry of entertainment value" and warned that "if we don't act now, the down-to-earth Miley who likes text messaging with her friends and playing guitar in her bedroom will be wiped off the planet forever":

South Park made a similar prediction, also in 2008:

Indeed, Cyrus' performance at last night's VMAs portrayed a starkly different person to the girl who once played Hannah Montana on the Disney Channel.

The Onion predicted she'd become "too wild" which would be later followed by a public meltdown, tearful interview and inevitable stint in rehab. 

So far at least, they're only half right. Meltdown or no, Cyrus is as popular as ever if this Twitter data is to be believed:

Official #VMA Twitter mentions: @MileyCyrus: 4.5 million @JTimberlake: 2.9 million Gaga: 1.9 mill Drake: 1.6 Kanye: 1

— Ken Baker (@kenbakernow) August 26, 2013

Maybe Miley should just keep on twerking.

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