LOS ANGELES, California??I?m sorry,? said some folks, with matching commiserating facial expression, when we told them that we were watching ?Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience? and interviewing the popular siblings.
But, with their last album earning a four-star review from Rolling Stone and the three lads coming off as sensible and well-grounded, interviewing them wasn?t such a chore. The pop-rock trio, the latest to be churned out by Disney?s star-making factory, are not brats.
Nick, 16, stated: ?We try to incorporate things about being a gentleman in our lyrics. Our mom raised us to have good manners. She always said, ?I?m raising you to eat at the White House.? We?ve done that now (they performed for First Daughters, Malia and Sasha, at the White House recently). It?s amazing. We?re young men, and we?re going to learn a lot more in our lives! We?re excited about the journey.?
Kevin, 21, added, ?It?s also about stopping and appreciating it all. When we were on the Grammy stage recently, we looked out into the crowd and realized we were playing for Paul McCartney. We couldn?t believe it! You have to learn how to enjoy it and know that this is a blessing. You?re living so many people?s dreams.? Indeed, how many bands can boast that they jammed with Stevie Wonder onstage at the Grammys? And the music legend was effusive in his praise of the three boys.
Something to smile about
Joe, 19, shared, ?We know that, right now, so many people need hope; they need something to smile about. That?s our whole deal?that we can be a positive light during the dark times.?
The boys from New Jersey have a sense of humor, as well. Asked if they ever wonder why girls?make that thousands of screaming girls?are crazy about them, Kevin quipped, ?We wonder about that every day.? He laughed and continued, ?But, we don?t mind it, either. We got lucky with the response. In this film, we poke fun at it sometimes, but we appreciate it.?
Joe volunteered an example of the tactics that girls?and, apparently, even women?employ to get close to them. ?The most memorable was when we were dining out with our mother,? he narrated. ?A lady went to the restaurant hostess and said, ?Hi, I want to surprise my boys, the Jonas Brothers. They?re inside. I?m their mother.? The hostess came to us and told our mom, ?There?s a lady outside saying that she?s you. Would you like to go and meet her???
Creative ploys
?They will try anything,? he said with a chuckle. ?It does get comical at times.? The brothers? 24-hour bodyguard, the aptly named Big Rob, told us with a smile that, yes, he?s seen it all?the creative ploys girls think up to try to sneak into the siblings? hotel rooms.
This touch of humor is present in the movie, which was filmed in Disney?s Digital 3D and includes excerpts from the boys? hugely successful 2008 ?Burning Up? concert tour (with guest performances by Joe?s ex-girlfriend, Taylor Swift, and Demi Lovato), plus behind-the-scenes footage.
Joe recalled, ?My favorite part of the experience doing the movie was being able to share with people what we see every day, from when we wake up to when we go to sleep. We get to see amazing things. Each day is different. It?s exciting that you get to see it through our eyes. It?s like a diary. The cameras are usually right behind us or with us, and you can see what we see, the fans reacting and the craziness of it all! It?s nice for us to be able to share that with people.?
Joe also shared some details about working on their own TV show, ?J.O.N.A.S.,? which debuts in May on the Disney Channel: ?It?s a little different for us, because we?re so used to performing in concerts at night. On the TV show, we have to work from 7 a.m. until 6 p.m. every day. We never see the sun. It?s weird, but you feel like a normal person.?
Relationships
He explained, ?The show is like a fictional story about us. It?s about a band of brothers who live in a firehouse. They deal with touring, going to school, relationships, and normal things teenagers our age go through.?
Kevin shared, ?We?re so used to performing live onstage, where you get immediate response.? Laughing, he issued a plea: ?We?re brand new actors, so be kind. We hope we did a good job.?
Nick has type one diabetes and has become an inspiration to kids with the illness. The former boyfriend of Miley Cyrus mused: ?To be able to share my story with people has been amazing! It?s truly an honor to be an inspiration to young people.?
E-mail the columnist at rvnepales_ 5585@yahoo.com, and read his blog, ?The Nepales Report,? on http:// blogs.inquirer.net/ nepalesreport.
