So tonight, we had what was clearly the “Joe-Centric” episode in the thematic arc of JONAS.  It would also seem that this episode must have been filmed early on, and not just because we had a training session on the Stellavator.

Find out why after the jump!

“Fashion Victim” struck me as an episode which was filmed early on because in general, the energy in this episode is a little more intense and frenetic than in later episodes.  Everyone is trying a little bit harder to hit those funny moments than they will in later episodes.  This group of actors hasn’t relaxed with each other yet, hasn’t jelled into the ensemble that they will become in later episodes.  While still very fun, this episode didn’t feel as sure of itself and cohesive as later episodes.

But for all that, there were many delightful moments in tonight’s show.  My personal favorite Joe-ment was when Joe did his monologue about Stella standing him up.   This was a very nicely done, complex piece of acting that included a telephone conversation (not easy to do) and several tempo and mood changes.  That Joe pulled it off so early in the season is impressive and just underscores what we already knew about him:  he has loads of natural acting talent.

Another moment I loved was when the monologue segued seamlessly into the very cool song “Tell Me Why.”   It was a perfect example of Musical Theatre, wherein a character’s emotional truth cannot be contained in the spoken word and must transcend into song.  And any time we get to see Nick and Kevin dressed up as adorable movie ushers is cause for celebration!

Kevin and Nick were both wonderful in their supporting parts, with Big Rob and Dad adding some nice bits.  And Chelsea Staub was very good, as always.

So Revelers, what did you all think?

[Via: Just Jared Jr. (Photos)]

OK Revelers, Pop Quiz Time!

Q:  How many types of comic actors do I think there are?

Q:  What type of comic actor have I not yet discussed in a post?

Answers and more, after the jump!

If you answered three and comic actors that are in and of themselves funny, give yourself an A!

Joe Jonas is funny.  He is inherently funny; he simply has that spark that makes him hilarious, whether what he’s doing is funny or not.  We long-time JB fans are no strangers to the eclectic, rapid-firing wit of Joe Jonas.  We have logged much giggling time in front of grainy YouTube videos.  So naturally, I was certain that we would be awash in Joe-zaniness once JONAS premiered.  However, I was wrong about the amounts of zaniness, at least in the four episodes we’ve seen thus far.  Joe is a laugh-riot, don’t get me wrong.  However, what impresses me most about Joe’s unique contribution to JONAS is how versatile he is proving to be.  The writers and directors of JONAS are using Joe in many different ways, and no matter what need they want Joe to fill, he is coming through aces.

It should be noted that the episode “Keeping It Real” – while likely the first episode filmed – is the fourth episode to be aired.  This is interesting because, in my opinion, “Keeping it Real” shows the most instances of the Joe that I had assumed we would see:  crazy, silly, using his expressive face often, just this side of over the top.  Had I seen “Keeping it Real” first, I would have noted Joe’s acting through the subsequent episodes, but I might not have been as impressed with the differences.  Seeing where he came from (“Keeping it Real”), after seeing where he went (“Wrong Song,” “Groovy Movies,” and “Slice of Life,”) gave me a unique opportunity to  witness the progression of Joe’s acting skill.  Joe went into JONAS a comedian; he has been a comedian all of his life.  However, he is growing into a fine comic actor – one with skills that may be utilized in whatever capacity the JONAS ensemble needs him to fulfill.

“The Wrong Song” gives us a comparatively laid-back Joe.  Many of his reactions are underplayed, for instance when he finds Nick getting ready to see Penny perform in the club:

Joe:  Are you still trying to find an outfit to wear to your girlfriend’s show tonight?

Nick:  She’s not my girlfriend.

Kevin:  You’re obviously crazy about this girl.

Joe:  And a little bit nervous about whether she likes you, too.

Nick:  I’m not nervous.

Joe:  Oh, really?  (Gestures at Nick’s mismatching shoes)

Joe’s interpretation of “Oh, really?” and accompanying gesture is the epitome of underplayed.  Just the right amount of skepticism in the voice, a hint of a raised eyebrow, and then he points with perfect timing – it’s nothing short of beautifully done.

Joe also shows impressive restraint during the scene when Nick finally confesses that he fell hard and fast for Penny.

Kevin:  Nick, what’s going on?

Nick:  Nothing.

Joe:  C’mon, it’s us.

Nick:  You’re just gonna make fun of me.

Kevin:  We’re your brothers.

Joe:   We’re gonna make fun of you no matter what it is.

Joe’s delivery of his punch line couldn’t be more perfect.  He is simply stating fact.  The humor is left for the audience to discover, not indicated by Joe.  He shows the confidence of a professional:  to wait for the audience to catch on to the joke rather than hit them over the head with it.

However, lest we worry that Joe is being denied his turn at the slapstick, he has some funny physical comedy in the club scene.

Joe:  Uh oh.  I think I put the Stell-Cro jeans on inside out.

Kevin:  How do you know?

Joe:  Just a feeling.

His take on that last line is classic Joe, and classically funny.  In addition, his whacking of Jimmy with the chair is a hoot.

The second episode to air, “Groovy Movies,” is practically a tour de force for Joe – he has so many varied and wonderful moments.  There is the stellar crying bit when they are watching the home movies:

Nick:  Are you crying?

Joe:  What?  No.  I’m…a bug flew in my eye.

That line is an absolutely wonderful moment of less is more.  Overplayed, that bit would not have been funny.  Underplayed, it would have been missed.  But this is Joe, fine actor that he is becoming, playing it so well that we’re laughing.

Another delightful bit is during the filming of the Christmas morning reenactment:

Kevin:  Cut!  Cut, cut!  It’s just, something doesn’t feel right.  You’re playing too good, and you need to dance like you need to go to the bathroom.

Joe:  But I don’t have to go to the bathroom.

Joe:  OK, I really gotta go now, do this!

Just watch Joe’s facial expressions during the dance on his knees and try not to laugh, I dare you.  But for all that, what Joe is doing is a study in economy of movement and moment.  Nothing is wasted or overdone.  He is, you should excuse the expression, fluid in his playing of this scene.

Joe is also stellar during the reenactment of Stella’s spilling the eggnog.  Here we have Joe as movie director, calling the shots:

Joe:  All right, let’s do this people.  Lights!  Snow!  Stella!

Joe is in mad creative genius mode here, even going so far as to command one of his flunkies (namely Nick) to make a pitch and try to guilt-trip Stella into complying.

But here again, Joe never steps over the line of overplaying.  His energy is in keeping with the other actors, and he never steals focus.  For someone like Joe, who has the kind of presence and charisma that make him a powerful, watchable front man, blending into an ensemble is not easy.  That Joe is managing to do so with such panache and genuinely decent acting chops is impressive, exciting, and bodes very well for Joe’s future sideline career choice.

What is probably my favorite instance of Joe-ness in “Groovy Movies” comes during the frenetic search for the missing video camera.  Shots of people frantically searching are cut with shots of Joe mugging for the Polaroid.

This is a great example of how Joe is funny, even when doing nothing.

Third in the episode line-up is “Slice of Life.”  Herein the writers made use of Joe to enliven some of the “old chestnut” jokes that the scrip contained.

Such as when Kevin reads what the guys think is the Jonas Book of Law, but is not:

Kevin:  It was a dark and stormy night.  Fireball the pony was lost inside of Box Canyon…This is the wrong book.

Joe:  What happens to the pony?

Or when Nick interrogates Joe about why he is all dressed up:

Nick:  Pizza coupons.  Care to explain these?

Joe:  Certainly.  You present these when you pay for your pizza and you get a discount.  It’s actually really cool…

Nick: I know what they are!

And again, when the guys agree that they all should date Maria:

Nick:  And may the best man impress her the best.

Kevin:  Absolutely.

Joe:  You’re right.  Well I’m gonna run to the door now.

We see these bits coming from a mile away, but because Joe manages to breathe life into them, we laugh.

Finally, we come to “Keeping it Real” which is the fourth episode.  Watching this show what I noticed was how frenetic Joe’s energy was and how broad many of his facial expressions were when compared to the earlier (or rather later) episodes.

To wit, some of the Many Faces of Joe Jonas:

I loved Joe in “Keeping it Real.”  He is hilarious, naturally.  But clearly, the directors and Joe have been working on how much expression and energy is needed to serve the needs of the comedy in a given scene.  And just as clearly, Joe is taking this opportunity to hone his skills seriously, and is learning and growing as a comic actor.  I have so much respect for what he has already accomplished in just four episodes, that I can’t wait to see what he has to show me next.

Some more favorite Joe-ments:

“My stomach’s growlin’ for love!”

“Apparently, a colander is some kind of bowl with holes in it.”

“The phone is absolutely way, way ringing!”

[Awww.  I love me some Joe, don’t you?]

Catch the new JONAS, “Keepin’It Real”, tonight on Disney Channel’s Night of Premieres.

These episodes aren’t going to watch themselves, Revelers!

Analysis after the jump!

Hey all, Cpaig here with analysis – I was too busy researching South America to post in the first place.

Whoa. I don’t know why, but I came to this episode with lowered expectations. Maybe it was because I had the impression that it was supposed to be the first episode (as opposed to “Wrong Song”). I feared it was pulled and played out of sequence because it was just not as good as the rest of the episodes. Boy, was I wrong.

This episode was a laugh riot! It definitely seemed as if it was supposed to be the first episode and we get a ton of exposition (rock superstars, Stella is their stylist, their parents names, Big Man, Macy is a blogger, the people at school are used to them, yadda yadda yadda). We also hear lots about what they are capable of doing (Jonas Jet anyone?).

The plot is simple, superstars who can do anything they want (including eschewing green jelly beans,  critiquing the massage chair for only going “choppa choppa choppa” and getting their personal stylist to put diamonds on the soles of their shoes) who are dragged back to earth by their mom.

They try their best, but they run against obstacles such as not being able to take out the trash due to rabid fans, and fighting exhaustion after fitting all the chores they can do into work and school. Hijinks ensue (what else?).

They try their hardest to take out the trash and even result to covert operations ala J.O.N.A.S (very clever). Their problem is fans who do not understand boundaries, and this creates problems thanks to a handy camera phone. The boys are forced to come up with a crack plan in order to not let their mom down (more hijinks and a Santa fight!).

The moral of the story is that superstars can just simply not always keep it real, but the boys were going to try as hard as they could (cue pretend slow motion).

Of particular note in this episode is our first glimpse of Big Rob (Big Man), and an original song that I am going to say is either called “Life in the Fast Lane” or “Keeping It Real.” Most likely the latter. Instead of being played as scene onto itself, it is played over montages of them trying to do chores and choosing disguises. I would love to hear it in its entirety.

There are so many quotes from this episode, and the “Breakfast Meeting” scene had me rolling on the floor. It is just too chock full to describe.

I would love to know your favorite quotes from this episode.

My ONLY criticism of this episode (if this even counts) is that the transition music they play sounds an awful lot like this Ok Go song.

[Via: NickJOnline, OkGo (YouTube)]

Over the past couple of days we have been treated to two new previews of JONAS. One is from E! News Now, and the other from Disney Channel. They are very different.

The Disney Channel sneak peek follows the established pattern (antics clip, music clip, antics clip) and highlights a new song in this the fourth (and final?) preview before the premiere next week. The clip features the (infamous?) “Pizza Girl Song” culminating in an over the top goofy music video staring mini Jonai, killer pepperoni, a giant pizza girl, and the pizza oven of certain death.

The E! News Now clip is comprised of scenes from the “Wrong Song” episode, and features lots of meaty dialogue. This is the most complete picture we have of how the dialogue will flow (so far).

Did these clips make you clap? Cringe?

Follow me over the jump to watch the clips, get my take, and learn some techniques to make it all they way through JONAS (cringe pillows anyone?)

This clip is goofy, goobery, and slapstick, but I like it. Keep in mind I am a fan of They Might Be Giants, Pete and Pete, and all things a little over the top, surreal, and just plain silly. I know it is not everyone’s cup of tea. I like it because the silliness is blatant. It is not supposed to be “cool”. It is supposed to make us laugh. This song is definitely a little “Disney does Flight of the Concords“.

This E! clip is another story. We get a real good sampling that shows how the characters relate to each other and the caliber of the writing. It is sweet, and funny.

For me, it is a little hard for me to reconcile these two clips. The Disney Channel clips are pretty consistently silly, but we see something new (and reassuring) in the E! clip – their characters actually have depth! What is the deal with this difference? Could it be as simple as DC playing to their audience? Who is E! trying to grab? Can there really be this much of a swing from sweet to goofy in every episode? Will you be able to watch for the sweet clips if the goofy ones set your teeth on edge?

So many questions.

To help you work through your Jonas issues we proudly present…dun..dun…duuuun…

Coolmom’s Cringe-O-Meter (Patent Pending)

Because we all love JB so much, we want to be present for each and every second of each and every episode of JONAS – whether Cringe Inducing Moment (CIM) or no. Therefore, in the interest of preparedness, I respectfully submit the following: Cringe-o-Meter Ratings and Action Guide for Cringe Pillow

or

Know Your CIM(s)

NOTE: This scale is intended for information purposes only, and does not account for an individual’s Personal Cringe Threshold (PCT)

10+ – Characterized by an inability to remain in the same vicinity as CIM. Tip: If you’re forced to vacate the premises, it’s a 10+.

8-9 – Characterized by uncontrollable urge to remove the CIM from television screen. Tip: If you’re compelled to change the channel, it’s an 8-9.

6-7 – Characterized by urge to immerse head and ears into the Cringe Pillow, so that no part of CIM is accessible. Tip: If you can’t stand to hear and see it, but are still willing to sit through the show, it’s a 6-7.

4-5 – Characterized by urge to immerse ears or eyes only in Cringe Pillow. Tip: If either the sight or sound is a CIM but not both, it’s an (aural or visual) 4-5.

2-3 – Characterized by mild discomfort and embarrassment. Tip: If you feel better just from clutching the Cringe Pillow to your chest, it’s a 2-3.

1 or less – Characterized by low level of embarrassment. Tip: Level of embarrassment encountered frequently during all Disney Channel shows.

We may just have to design a cringe pillow or two ourselves.  Here’s Mememoi’s rough draft of one. We want to see your cringe pillows or design ideas!

Post a link or send us a pic of yours if you have one, and we will post a gallery here!

[via: E!, FanFamilyExperience (YouTube), Disney Channel, Coolmom]

Another JONAS sneak peek! Yahooo!

We get to see more acting, and a bit of how the show will flow. We learn that their favorite back-up singer likes to swim in swamps (for some reason), the name Malcolm Meckle causes more than just a bit of stress, and all three Guys have a knack for physical humor.

I like it. I like it a lot.

Check it after the jump!

I am really impressed with Nick in this clip (all of them, really). Nick has been so preemptively hard on himself in regards to his acting he had me expecting less from him (you trickster, you). I think he is just being too hard on himself.  I also just love the way Kevin talks, and how well both he and Joe do with the physical part of this scene.

The clip also has some scary moments like the one below:

That..that right there is nearly an “Oh, My Nose” moment.  DUCK, JOE, DUCK!

Look on the bright side, Marsha, at least you didn’t have to get a frogectomy. P.S. Your shirt rocks.

Also released (or unlocked in this case) this weekend is the Stellavator Stylin’ game on the JONAS website. You get to dress the Guys up for different events. You have to get everything just right and the clock is ticking! DO NOT send Joe out in that wrinkly shirt, that just won’t do. The game is fun, and surprisingly challenging. Have fun!

[Via: FanFamilyExperience (YouTube), Bradyfan027 (YouTube), Official JONAS Website]

One Calendar Month, Revelers.
As of 8:00pm tonight, 30 days exactly remain until the World Premiere of the guys’ new television series, JONAS. I don’t know how you all feel about it, but as May 2, 2009, draws near I find that I am BESIDE MYSELF WITH EXCITEMENT!

If you, like me, are counting the days, hours and minutes until the show begins, I have something that may help with the waiting. I refer to the JONAS page on the Disney Channel website. The PR team at Disney is really ramping up the content in these final days until the show begins. There is lots to see there.
I’ll hit some highlights after the jump!

There’s the JONAS Weekly Pick, which is basically a teaser/game/video etc. for each week remaining until the premiere. Right now, there is a game called Horace Mantis Hallway Hijinks, in which you have to navigate the guys through the hallways of the school in order for them to make it to their concert on time. I played it, and my driving skills apparently stink. You will almost certainly do better than I. Other weeks will reveal a JONAS VIP Party Kit, a game called Stellavater Stylin’ and other surprises.

There is the Episode Gallery which will have videos later, but which already has many fun photos from three different episodes. The photo above came from there, in the episode entitled “Keeping it Real”. These pictures are very intriguing, and offer tantalizing glimpses of the hilarity in store for us when the show airs!

JONAS on Set allows you to take a virtual tour of each of the guys’ bedrooms and the school, and includes fun character bios. Herein we learn that we should never dangle shiny objects in front of Kevin when talking to him (lol!), that Joe’s philosophy is “why walk down a staircase when you can slide down a ramp through flaming hoops?” and that Nick is the serious minded leader of the group. Wait a minute; I thought JB has already done their reality series last year! Also included are bios the Lucas Brothers’ Mom and Dad (Sandy and Tom), little brother Frankie, and their bodyguard, Big Man (I kid you not!)  I’ll give you three guesses as to who is portraying Big Man.

There’s even a Quiz so that we can find out which cast member we are most like. I took it three times, and ended up being like each of the brothers, go figure!

Sure, we still have many days to go before we get to meet the Lucas Brothers, but this cool site should help the time pass more quickly.

Check it out and let us know what you think!

Wow, I had forgotten (well, sort of) how very much I love to hear them do some straight talk about producing and performing music (and all of their other hard work)…it feels oddly like it has been a while!!

The LA Times’ Pop & Hiss blog can be a bit of a pisher towards the Boys, but I have to suck it up and thank them heartily for this one – it really made my evening!

Peep those in-the-round stage renderings (!!!) – and enjoy the video (and some goodies) after the jump…

What do you think of their cover ideas?

The Jacksons: “I Want You Back”

The Osmonds: “One Bad Apple”

Any preference? Both? Neither?

Via: LA Times Pop & Hiss Blog; UKNOWTHEIROUTTHEIR (YouTube); dougilmourfan (YouTube)]

This week’s news cycle has brought in an interesting story with a peripheral link to the Jonai, and a less retold bit of their storied past.

The New York (freakin’!) Times decided to do a story on the front page of their Arts section about the plight of the Clique Girlz, a super-young girl pop act which has been struggling to get a foothold in the consciousness of its tween demographic (and may be in the midst of breaking up, anyway, making the NYT story shockingly ill-timed).

Apparently, former Disney-king and current Topps-candy-csar Michael Eisner has proposed these Girlz build some momentum behind their brand with a sweet endorsement deal, one which ought to be familiar to us all: Baby Bottle Pop!

In essence, the original campaign was successful enough that the bigwigs assume that a band’s revision of the Baby Bottle Pop jingle and packaging tie-in -  just as the Jonas Brothers did while in the low transition period from SONY/Columbia to Hollywood Records – is a surefire way to have as strong an impact on both the candy-brand and band’s pop-career as it did in the last go round. A likely story?

A couple of excerpts of the article, and a chance to relive the glorious campaign, after the jump!

The idea behind the endeavor is simple enough…

Topps, the candy and collectibles company that Mr. Eisner bought in 2007, has signed the Clique Girlz as commercial spokeswomen for Baby Bottle Pop, one of the Top 10 nonchocolate candy brands. The candy has two parts, a nipple-shaped lollipop top and a bottle-shaped container filled with fruit-flavored powder. Consumers are meant to lick the top and dip it into the powder. The performers will have their photo on Topps packaging, appear in television ads on Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network and Toon Disney, and in a print campaign set for teeny-bopper must-reads like Twist magazine.

Topps will also emphasize the group on the Baby Bottle Pop Web site (babybottlepop.com), offering webisodes, ring tones, games and a tour tracker, starting next month. The centerpiece of the deal calls for the group to “re-imagine” the Baby Bottle Pop ad jingle, well-known among 6- to 12-year-old girls. “They haven’t popped yet, but the elements are there, and we’re superexcited,” said Ari Weinstock, director of marketing for Topps.

The Jonas Brothers signed a nearly identical life-support deal with Topps in the period between getting dropped by Sony and being signed by Walt Disney Records in the summer of 2007. Mr. Weinstock credits the campaign with helping the band catch Disney’s eye. A spokeswoman for Disney Records declined to comment.

The impact the Jonases brought to Topps, with the solid cult fanbase they had already on board with them despite a rough 2006, and the one they soon grew once Disney began to promote them in early 2007, is abundantly clear, and – in my opinion – a tough bar for the new group to meet.

For Topps, signing up the Clique Girlz carries little risk. If the band doesn’t strike a chord soon, Topps moves on. But if sales are as strong as Interscope hopes, the Baby Bottle Pop brand could get a boost. The Jonas Brothers certainly gave it one: Mr. Weinstock, citing Nielsen figures, said sales of the candy increased 7 percent in 2007 over the previous year, and increased 12 percent in 2008. “Quite impressive for a mature brand,” he said.

Read the whole story here.

I can see that Topps might feel the need to refresh the old Jonas approach, which still sits online, perfectly preserved and ever-more out of date. But is this really a model that can be duplicated – can anything honestly top the last lucky break?

OK, instead of worrying over such questions for a minute, just relive the original glory…

My favorite!!  The full-length video.

This candy commercial, which I found online shortly after the “Hold On” video piqued my interest, was largely responsible for Phase II of my early Jonas besottedness…

Just before I clicked the link, I remember thinking “Baby Bottle Pop” was a clever, tongue-in-cheek song title meant to describe the kind of music they were producing (I didn’t own “It’s About Time”, yet). A few head-boppingly pleasant moments after I clicked, though, I was pretty much sold…on the Brothers, if not the pops. Apparently I am not alone.  Almost two years later, the obscure video is pushing 2 million views and still getting hits and comments daily.  LBF still requests this on the iPod regularly.  And I can more than stand it on repeat – a reworked candy jingle. I also think it is a nice way to show how they sounded like themselves before they signed on to Disney.

The broadcast commercials:

Bonus Making Of!!

I find it kind of funny that Topps really wants to think the success of this had much to do with a clever corporate & PR machinations that will work with just anyone.

And I have at this point even seen Disney PR trying to do the same, as their up-and-coming stars increasingly litter the internet with  Jonas-esque silly & personal YouTube videos and SayNow interactions and posting of old family photos and videos. Executives seek to reproduce the magic of the Jonases’ alleged “springboarding to fame from Hannah Montana platform”* as they try to pull off a similar feat with Demi Lovato (who I like, it’s just not the same). All of this rarely goes off with the same spark the Jonases managed, though.

So can you really lather, rinse and repeat all the routines the Boys accomplished in from their quiet, humbled late 2006 to the massive (and still humbled!) start of 2009?

It is a great credit to the achievements of the Boys & their team that moguls are certainly interested in trying.

*I happen to still believe that the coincidence of the guys’ rise in popularity had much more to do with the success of the Hannah/Miley tour than anyone is willing to give them credit for.

[Via: Arts@NYTimes; eleadNY (YouTube)]

Come on, America, keep moving forward
Hold your head up high
There’s no time for looking down
You will not believe where we’re going now…

We’ll save the future together!

Watch the Boys bring down the house during their performance at the Disney inaugural concert celebrating military families and – BONUS! – hear what the Guys had to say about being a part of this historic inauguration.  All after the jump.

Part 1

Part2

[Via: ET, KENiJ0E11o5o916o815 (YouTube), KevinIsChaos (YouTube)]

Oooh….I hope this movie’s as classy as the book shaped up to be.

February 27, 2009 here we come!

Thoughts on the teaser poster?

[Via: Moviefone Inside/Movies]