OMJ – I have to squee a little bit, because I am SO exited about the 51st Annual Grammy Awards which will air tonight at 8pm EST on CBS with Live From the Red Carpet: The 2009 Grammy Awards airing on E! from 5pm EST until the beginning of the show.

I am not just excited because the Guys are nominated for Best New Artist (and I hope they win), but also for their performance, with Stevie Wonder! I am excited because they are excited. I am excited for a great night of music. Whether they go home with the award tonight or not, I think they feel pretty great about this whole Grammy Awards thing, and so do I.

Here is hoping they bring the house down!

The house is down!  Great job Guys!

This post is here for you to chat while you watch the festivities. I will update it with new pics and video as they become available.

Follow me over the jump for *UPDATES*  new pictures, video and results – SPOILER WARNING, some pre-Grammy pics, and a guide to the 360 degree Grammy Experience.

No win, but their performance with Stevie was AMAZING! I hope they are happy with with the evening.

Pre-Grammy Festivities:

What a sight! Kevin, Diddy, Joe, Nick, Katy Perry, and Barry Manilow! Pausing for a photo-op during the Clive Davis Pre-Grammy Party last night. I love how Joe is all “That’s right… Diddy’s got his arm around me. We tight like that.”

Rehearsal:

Joe rehearsing for their Grammy performance. Squee!

51st Annual Grammy Awards 360:

• You can watch live streamed footage from the pre-telecast now at Grammy.com

• Follow the musical tweets of the Grammy Twitter!

• Get exclusive video and pictures from the Grammy Award Page on Facebook

• Check our the red carpet and full coverage on E! and E!Online

Did I forget anything? Let me know!

Oh, And – FYI:

Joe did successfully defeat the word cloud Grammy and saved Stevie Wonder.
(That is what I get for making a hasty collage -LOL.)

[Via: 51st Annual Grammy Awards Facebook Page, JonasHQ.com]

It’s funny…when the Boys made their online appearance talking influences, one of the first things that sprung to mind afterward was…”But wherefore Stevie?”  Maybe it was an intentional omission, because – as we all know by now – you make a Jonas wish and it doesn’t rain, but it pours.  They’ll be performing with Mr. Wonder at the Grammy Awards ceremony this Sunday, and a network organizer (giving a report to the LA Times from rehearsals) had this to say regarding the pairing…

“The beauty of that,” said Jack Sussman, CBS’ executive VP for music specials, “is that Stevie is an icon that the Jonas Brothers look up to. He believes in them and their talent, and the audience will see that they are really good musicians, which they sometimes don’t get enough credit for. You have to give them props for walking out there with him.”

Whole story is here.

Oh, God. I hope so regarding the audience…and Stevie is a  Discerning Type!  YES – good news.  And now I’ve got nerves!!  Can’t wait.  (I’d be crossing my fingers, but as the four lovelies at top there have been reminding us lately, superstition ain’t the way.)

More end of the week snippets, after the jump…

Stevie Wonder isn’t the only music hero or teen idol of yore the Boys were brushing elbows with this week (or at least being connected to in the media).

• The Boys attended the Neil Diamond MusiCares Person of the Year tribute ceremony, and opened the night by performing his song “Forever in Blue  Jeans“. It looks like they played without their own band, no? (What do you think of the song choice?) Some of my fave shots below…

• Christopher Atkins (from Blue Lagoon!), currently promoting his role in a VH1 reality series, went to People Magazine to offer the Boys some vague/sage wisdom on navigating fame and life…very sweet, and I had actually read and agreed with this quote when I first read it in another context.  Applied to the Jonases, I am not as sure…Atkins pursued an awfully different career path and lifestyle in his day!  But he seems like a genuinely nice guy and he sure had some pretty hair and a stellar physique back in the day.

• Fresher-to-the scene artists were also talking up the Jonases this week: hip-hop’s “real pirate” Lil Wayne appeared on Letterman (in a more justly hilarious world the appropriate timestamp here would be 4:20, but you’ll find the JB mention at 1:29 here) and riffed on the mass admission that the Boys are adorable.  I think this fact has been well-established across the board, so I am hoping more people follow country performer Dierks Bentley’s lead and start to admit what good music they make – check out his Jonas musings to EW’s Popwatch blog here.  I love his emphasis on their vocal “bravado” and “moves”!!

More of this sort of props (instead of that usual backhanded kind), please!

[Via: JonasHQ Images; LA Times' Pop & Hiss music blog]

For any of us with our heads deep in the clouds as regards “our” chances at the Grammys, here is a bit of a letdown piece from Todd Martens of the LA Times music blog Pop & Hiss.

He assesses the crop of Best New Artist nominees, and while he sees some sort of merit in our Boys, he surely doesn’t call the award chances in their favor at all, as Rolling Stone did recently.

I am simultaneously thankful for the reality check and typically annoyed by the hurdles that seem to forever be set between the Jonases and formal industry respect.

Read how Martens tamps down our high expectations, after the jump…

Says Todd…

That all sounds nice, but we may as well give the award to the Jonas Brothers, no?

Not quite, but JoBros should not be taken lightly, either. Despite their Disney-connections and participation in “Camp Rock” shenanigans, Disney has done a good of job of positioning the boys as the real deal. Additionally, the JoBros have managed to keep one foot in the teen pop world — check the upcoming Disney Channel series “J.O.N.A.S.” — while still getting big boy gigs such as performing on the MTV Video Music Awards, not to mention the Grammys.

Finally, the kids surely scored some goodwill amidst Recording Academy voters when they gifted about $75,000 to the recently-opened Grammy Museum. While that won’t buy the band the award, it further illustrates that they mean business when it comes to scoring a Grammy.*

If anything hurts them, it’s the fact that they were also superstars in 2007, and should have been nominated for this award last year. Additionally, Grammy voters may opt to bestow the prize upon an artist that the world takes just a little more seriously. As big as the JoBros are, there’s a question of career staying power from anyone coming from the teen pop world, and Adele, Duffy and Sullivan are all safer long-term bets.

Read the rest, here.

* [Let it be noted that on top of that donation, the Boys are also going on two events which benefit the Grammy/NARAS foundation Musicares: the Ryman show and an upcoming Neil Diamond "Person of the Year" recognition event. Never underestimate a savvy team's ability to campaign!!!]

Sigh. Well, fine. I know it was a coup just to get nominated.

I also know it is no secret that NARAS is not known for its daring choices, hence the ridicule the Grammys often receive from some pop culture watchers.  In this category, the Academy will likely get some dissing whichever direction it takes – in picking the Boys or one of the several retro-flavored (debatable in some cases), female, R&B, other choices they seem more likely to go with (mainly “other” because this is a JB blog, as they are all obviously excellent artists!).  Especially if they go with a British one, since that will feel all too familiar.

For me – as someone who has been bored with the music industry for almost a decade, was always pretty nonplussed by pop music to begin with, and of course is a Jonas superfan – I logically think the Boys deserve a lot more credit than they are getting, here. To wit, I repeat..

Disney has done a good of job of positioning the boys as the real deal…

Which is Martens’ nice way of tiptoeing around having to say the band might actually be “the real deal” in reality.  Grrrr.  Perhaps unjust disregard is common in the pop world, and I’ve just never noticed it because I don’t usually pay close attention to pop artists (or find very many to be as worthwhile as the brothers), but it seems pretty unfair.  I certainly think they measure up.  They may have room to grow and develop…but isn’t that the whole point and potential of a “Best New Artist”?

Anyway. Whatever, Critics: Keep bringing it on – your reluctance can be nothing but good exercise for the Jonas funk muscle.

But come on, Academy:

Can’t you take a chance on the Jonases?!?!

So…what do you say, Revelers?  How do you really think the Boys stack up to the supposed Grammy “requirements” and potential for career longevity?

The requirements are described (on Wikipedia, grain of salt) as follows: For a new artist who releases, during the Eligibility Year, the first recording which establishes the public identity of that artist. Note that this is not necessarily the first album released by an artist.

And – What would be a bigger upset…a Jonas win or a Jonas loss at the Grammys?

[Via: LA Times' Pop & Hiss Music Blog]

It looks like we have some of what we really look forward to coming up – live performances!  Nothing Everything seems terribly set in stone as news reports flow in with varying levels of confirmation, but there are clearly big doings afoot, to be sure: ]

• There are loud murmurs that the Jonases will be doing some performing at one of the many upcoming Presidential Inauguration events, to entertain the younger skewing crowds, one presumes.  And some have even indicated that Disney intends to broadcast the performances, live. [People has confirmed this! OMJ, Jill Biden - call me!]

• The Grammys are coming up on February 8th, and a source has informed the (pretty reliable) E! News that the Boys will be performing live (as if they – and we – weren’t nervous enough already!) but no word yet on what they will be playing. [Totes confirmed, everywhere.]

We’ll update, after the jump, with any additional news on these events!

Looks like we are indeed in for a treat, according to the LA Times, with “a concert honoring military families that will be held Monday night…The event will be televised at 8 p.m. on the Disney Channel and then streamed on Disney.com.” It will be aired on Radio Disney after the fact, as well. Yay!

[Via: Molly J Online (Flickr) Tiffany & coolmom, thanks for the links!]

The Boys have given us an epic 2008 retrospective blog post!

What a year this has been. There are probably not enough words to describe what an amazing year we have lived in 2008. It feels like we were just sitting here writing a blog for the end of 2007. Time has really moved faster than we could have imagined.

See what all they are thankful for in 2008 and what they are looking forward to in 2009 (conveniently augmented with loads of pics, vids,  and links to our prior coverage) after the jump…

As we end the year we wanted to list some of the things we are thankful for in 2008 (and a few things we are excited about for 2009)

In 2008 we are thankful for:

• The opportunity to be on the Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus tour and the HM 3D movie (which opened at Number 1)
• The When You Look Me in the Eyes Tour which started in February.

• Our first ever Kids Choice Award for Best Group

• Our first ever Teen Choice Awards. You made it possible for us to get 5 awards.

• Our first opportunity to tour outside the US. WE opened for Avril Livigne in Europe. It was a great opportunity to meet people from all over Europe. [More]

• The launch of Camp Rock in the US and around the world.

• Radio playing our songs – This year they played When You Look Me in the Eyes, Burnin’ Up, and LoveBug. [Ed-And they did many sweet radio interviews!]
  
• Our videos were well received – WYLMITEs, Burnin’ Up and LoveBug and you guys made them successful on TV and especially online.

“When You Look Me In The Eyes”

“Burnin’ Up”

“Lovebug”

• We did a short reality series for the Disney Channel called Jonas Brothers – Living the Dream. They followed us on our WYLMITEs tour.

• We had a wonderful summer tour with The Burning Up Tour. We started in Canada and toured all over the US. It was amazing from beginning to end. Some of the highlights included, 3 Madison Square Gardens, release week for our ALBL CD, playing at Woodstock, Toronto, etc. During the tour we filmed our 3D movie. A lot of you might find yourself in the movie because we filmed it on most of the Burning Up Tour. [More]

• We visited MuchMusic in Canada following the European premiere of Camp Rock. It was a total surprise to see that many people in Canada that knew about our music. We can’t wait to visit more of Canada on our next tour.

• We released on new CD, A Little Bit Longer, around the world. It debuted Number 1 on the US Billboard Chart.

• We released our 2 CDs and Camp Rock around the world.

• Jonas Brothers and A Little Bit Longer have gone Gold or Platinum in 27 nations outside the US (not inlcuding Camp Rock). All 3 CDs went Platinum in the US.
  

• We started filming our new TV show for the Disney Channel called JONAS. We can’t wait for you to see it. We have been working hard on this since September.

• We won our first American Music Award (AMA) for Breakthrough Artist. It was your votes that allowed us to win.

• We release our first book of photos from the last couple years that made it to Number 1 on the New York Times Bestsellers List for its category.

• We won an award for Best English act in Mexico. Then we went back for our first stadium show.

• At the end of the year we were nominated for a Best New Artist Grammy. We don’t even know what to say about this honor. It is a complete shock and thrill all at the same time.

This has been one of the best years of our lives. None of this would have been possible without you. You have made our dreams come true.

Thank you Disney, Hollywood Records, TV, radio, film, etc. But most of all THANK YOU!!!!

Looking ahead to 2009…

• In February you can see our new 3D movie

• Later in the year we will debut our Disney Channel how, JONAS

• AND…we will launch our first ever JB WORLD TOUR

Thank you, thank you, thank you

You are the best fans in the world. Thanks for allowing us to live our dreams.

JB
Kevin, Joe and Nick

They forgot this!

But, we felt that it was worth a mention. .

[Via: Jonas Brothers Official MySpace, Jonas Brothers Official Flickr, JBF, Just Jared, Disney, Laura?! (Flickr)]