Like them or not, the Jonas Brothers seem to be just about everywhere these days. Their latest album came out in August. Jonas Brothers singles are all over the charts. They were on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” on November 8. They performed Monday night at the 2008 American Music Awards. Then they won the T-Mobile Breakthrough Artist award.
And the Jonas Brothers were the halftime entertainment at the Seattle Seahawks and Dallas Cowboys Thanksgiving football game. And, just like the earlier Thanksgiving game between the Tennessee Titans and the Detroit Lions, one of the teams dominated, making the game barely watchable. The Dallas Cowboys were leading at halftime, and led by more at game’s end. They won, 34 – 9.
But, unlike the halftime performer at the Titans- Lions game, Jesse McCartney, this writer was fully aware of who the Jonas Brothers were. My three teenage sons cannot stand them (but that is another story). Neither can I (that, too, is another story). But they were at Texas Stadium for a good reason.
And not just because they live in the Dallas area.
The Jonas Brothers were helping kick off the Red Kettle Campaign, the yearly event where the Salvation Army, the world-renowned charity organization, begins their holiday drive for donations. With Salvation Army shields bracketing the stage and a huge Dallas star behind them, the three-boy group sang two songs for a screaming horde of what looked and sounded like nothing but young girls.
I must be missing something. (I believe it was earplugs.)
I guess they’re talented enough. They play instruments. They dance and sing (although that verb is questionable, considering their atonal pitchy performances). They write their own songs.
The Jonas Brothers latest album, “A Little Bit Longer,” debuted at No. 1 and stayed there for two weeks on the Billboard 200 albums chart. It is their third studio album and has produced four hits. “Burnin’ Up,” “Pushin’ Me Away,” “Tonight,” and “A Little Bit Longer” all occupied the No. 1 position on iTunes for 3 consecutive days, the first time that has every occurred by an artist with four consecutive songs. The Jonas Brothers are also the first artist to have three consecutive songs sell 100,000 or more digital downloads.
They were also featured on the “Camp Rock” soundtrack that peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 albums chart in June.
The Jonas Brothers will release a 3D concert movie in February 2009. They were videotaped in Monterey, California, in July with Taylor Swift, another American Music Awards winner (Favorite Country Female Artist).
Besides helping the Salvation Army with the Red Kettle Campaign, the Jonas Brothers are involved in a charity project they founded, Change for the Children Foundation. This foundation distributes funds to various organizations like the St. Jude’s Research Children’s Hospital, American Diabetes Foundation, and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. In 2007, the Jonas Brothers contributed 10% of their concert earnings ($1.2 million out of $12 million) to the Change for the Children Foundation.
Like them or not, their hearts are in the right place.
******
Sources:
Wikipedia.org
Fox Television
Billboard.com
