The Jonas Brothers ... another Hanson ?

Lemme ask you something ... has anyone NOT heard of The Jonas Brothers ?


You might not know their music … never seen ‘em before … don’t know ‘em from Adam but you probably would’ve heard of ‘em. The 3 brothers are a cultural phenomenon. Never seen anything like ‘em before … or have we ?

Over the decades … there have been musical groups comprising of nothing but (or mostly of) family members … from The Beach Boys to Bee Gees to The Osmonds and The Jacksons and more recently Hanson, The Moffats and now (of course) … The Jonas Brothers.

Do they last ?

History has shown that they do NOT.

More often than not … the band/group either disappears into oblivion or one of the members become more famous than the others … which makes family home a little uncomfortable. Ask Donny and Marie Osmond, Michael Jackson and now probably Nick Jonas who is branching out on his own to do his solo thing. Their management has confirmed that the band The Jonas Brothers are NOT breaking up but we all know where this is going.

One hopes that he makes it big and not slip into obscurity.

Just in case you’ve forgotten the ones who also disappeared … lemme refresh your memory.

Anyone remember BROS from the 80s ? One of the brothers has branched out into acting in movies like Blade and also Hellboy. Not bad … rather respectable.


What about the group Nelson comprising of the twin sons of Rick Nelson. They only had one major song … “(I Can’t Live Without Your) Love & Affection”.


The only group that I can think of that stayed true to the cause is probably the Bee Gees albeit without one brother who recently passed away.


What about bands comprising maybe just 2 brothers (or more) ?

Oasis is currently having a tumultuous time (did they ever have a peaceful time?).


Nickleback are doing good with the Kroeger brothers respecting each other’s fame and talent.


30 Seconds To Mars … with the elder Leto brother on drums and Jarod on lead. Just wanna mention that Jarod Leto’s probably one of the few actors who can actually rock out. There have been many pretenders.


Kings Of Leon … they’re just coming out so let’s hope success don’t go to their heads.


Van Halen … Alex and Eddie are cool with each other. Can’t say the same for their relationship with their formers bassists and lead singers.


The DeLeo brothers of Stone Temple Pilots had a respectable grunge career.


Credence Clearwater Revival’s Fogerty brothers ruled the 70s.


Pantera’s brotherly alliance was cut short when Dimebag Darrell was murdered by a fan.


… and who can forget the Greenwood brothers of Radiohead … they’re doing good.


But back to the topic at hand … what do you think’s gonna happen to The Jonas Brothers ?
Do you think they’ll disappear like The Moffats or Hanson ?


I think so … nuff said I guess.

VANDALISM STILL HAPPENING

What’s the deal ?

Here I am … walking around Pavillion and head into an elevator. A very classy elevator I might add cos Pavillion is a classy place. No muzak … even better. It’s fast … it’s efficient … but then … what do I see at the back of the elevator (where tenants advertise their goods).

The advertising board (which shows a woman enjoying a drink) has been vandalized ! Someone drew glasses, a moustache and fangs on the poor woman ! WHY !? WHY ?! WHY !?

It pisses me off everytime I see some public facility messed up.

It makes me wonder … what’s the appeal of vandalizing something beautiful ?
What’s the vandal’s motivation ?

So what did I do ? I decided to drive around at night and spy on some would be vandals. I figure their MO is to hit bus stops, public phones, public toilets, malls, etc. I hit the nail on the head apparently cos after just a couple of minutes of driving around KL city at night … I happen upon a group. Dressed casually … they hang out (at midnight mind you) at a bus stop near SoGo … talk loudly … laugh … and what happens next … they start kicking the rubbish bin that’s attached to the hand rails. Happy with what they’ve done … they move on to the public phone booth nearby (which wasn’t in good shape to start with) and they yanked out the receiver.

What the heck !

I’m traumatized at this point … so I decide to drive on and get a closer look (and do a drive-by) and what do I see ? … it wasn’t just guys vandalizing the stuff … there were some teenaged girls, some men (probably in their late 30s) and some really young boys (in primary school probably).

First and foremost … what the heck are kids doing out at midnight (weekend or not).
What are the parents doing ? Where are the parents ?

I just hate the fact that these things still happen.

Who do we report these hooligans to ? The cops ? The public works department ? Dawg The Bounty Hunter ? Can someone please tell me cos I’m furious !!!

REALITY SHOW FAMILIES

It’s no secret that I enjoy watching TV.

Some of my all-time favorite shows are all reality based … I like the element that anything could happen. You’ve got burly fishermen in Deadliest Catch who literally go up against nature.


You’ve got Bear Grylls teaching us the techniques to survive in different wild environments.

You’ve got Mike Rowe figuring out first-hand how dirty some jobs can get in Dirty Jobs (and there’s even a European version featuring former Man United goalkeeper Peter Schmeicel)

Shows like these open your eyes to things you can only imagine and then thru the magic of TV … you’re sort of experiencing it yourself but then there are other reality based shows.

You’ve got American Chopper which could very well be my all-time favorite show on TV right now.


If you’ve never watched the show which is shown on Discovery Turbo … lemme give you a quick rundown.

It’s about a family-run custom chopper (bike) business where they design some of the coolest bikes on the planet. From humble beginnings, Paul (Sr.) Teutel built OCC (Orange County Choppers) in New York state with his son Paul (Junior) and is later joined by youngest son (Mike). They’ve got great people around them which makes OCC a great company but what makes the show so great to watch is the tense moments between Senior and Junior. In the past … they worked it out and OCC grew to be this monster of a company but recently … arguments between ‘em have gotten so bad that Junior has now left the company. WOW !!! Serious stuff right ?

Another amazing watch these days is Jon and Kate Plus 8. There’s a lotta controversy and dirt on the Gosselins these days but back then … they were just another very interesting American family.


How did it all start ?

Jon and Kate meet. They get married. They have twins. 2 years later … Kate is pregnant again. No biggie right ? WRONG !!!

Kate is pregnant with sextuplets i.e. 6 kids. From then on … it was a rollercoaster of a ride for the family of 10. And it was all for us to see with a camera crew stationed at their home almost 24/7. From massive diaper changes, kids growing up, kids throwing tantrums, mom disciplining the kids, mom disciplining the dad (a lot) and it all seemed like it was working out.

Then the unexpected (although many expected it) happened. Jon and Kate go thru separation and divorce cos of his infidelity. The case is still going on but they’ve been super parents still (despite their circumstances) … making sure the kids were not adversely affected by this development.

What am I trying to get at here ?

I’m thinking … what started out as a great idea to make money and gain publicity (and celebrity) for these folks (the Teutels and Gosselins) has now taken a turn for the worse with (basically) their dirty linens for all to see. Is the money (and fame) really worth it ?

I know (at this point in my life) that I wouldn’t consider having my life invaded by camera crews and television viewers the world over. But then again … there’s still a steady stream of folks who would love to have their lives on camera.

My advice to them is to make the Teutels and Gosselins as your example. What you do after that is up to you but realize that EVERYTHING is for public consumption.

What’s your favorite reality show ? Drop in your comments and suggestions. Would love to hear from you.