Miley Cyrus Cut Bret Michaels Song from AMAs

USMagazine, Monday, November 22, 2010, 6:32am (PST)

Miley Cyrus wore her heart on her sleeve at Sunday's American Music Awards at the NOKIA Theater in Los Angeles.

The star -- who turns 18 on Tuesday -- seemed to allude to the bitter end of parents Billy Ray and Tish Cyrus' 17-year marriage in a somber, stripped down performance of the song "Forgiveness and Love."

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Wearing a Marchesa gown, Miley brooded: "The only thing that are hearts are made of/Are the acts of forgiveness and love."

A source tells UsMagazine.com of the song choice: "The lyrics seem really appropriate to what’s going on in her life."

But "Forgiveness and Love" wasn't the Hannah Montana star's first song choice. "For a while she’d been planning to do 'Every Rose Has Its Thorn,' but then a few days ago she switched it," the source explains.

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Good call: "Every Rose Has Its Thorn," which Cyrus covered on a recent album, is a classic rock ballad by Poison -- the hair metal band fronted by Bret Michaels.

Sources recently told Us Weekly that Miley's dad Billy Ray, 49, decided to file for divorce after learning of Tish's affair with Michaels. (Both Tish's and Michaels' reps deny the report.)

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Not that Miley was all doom and gloom at Sunday's AMAs: She reportedly celebrated her birthday with pals after show.

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