9-16-92

Today is a very special day. Some of you may not know why. I mean, it's just another day right? Not to me. For seven years, this day has meant more to me than other days. Here's why.

On this day (September 16th) eighteen years ago, a boy was born in Texas. He was just like any other child. His mother and father named him Nicholas. He had two older brothers to look after him, and a family that loved him. His father was a preacher and musician, so Nicholas was raised in good faith and music. By the time he was two, Nicholas was standing on a table outside his apartment and singing his heart out. Maybe he was born to be a performer. Music was just part of him.

In 2000, Nicholas was on Broadway. He was performing in show after show and he loved it. In 2003 he was in "Les Miserables" as Gavroche, and he said he would be back one day to play Marius. He started a singing career and formed a very successful band with his brothers. It seemed that everything was perfect, but it wasn't. Nicholas started to get very sick. He was losing weight, drinking way to much water, and he was really irritable. His parents took him to the doctor to find out what was wrong with him.

Nick Jonas was diagnosed with Type 1 Juvenile Diabetes in November of 2005. He was 13 years old. He was scared; he wondered if he would die. He was kept in the hospital for a few days to make sure he was okay and so he could learn how to manage his blood sugar. The day he got out of the hospital, he played a show. That night he decided he wasn't going to let this disease slow him down.

Since being diagnosed, Nick has had multiple platinum albums and tours with his brothers, a solo project resulting in an album and his own tour, several movies, a T.V. show, and was Marius in the 2010 production of "Les Miserables" in London. He started a charity with his brothers and teamed up with Bayer to help kids. He hasn't let diabetes slow him down, and more importantly, he's encouraged kids all over the world to live their dreams. He has inspired more people than he knows. Earlier this month, Nick met a girl with Cerebral Palsy who underwent physical therapy to learn to walk. Her motivation for walking was simply to hug Nick. She wanted to be able to walk up to her hero.

I love this day because 18 years ago, a hero was born. An extremely talented, sweet boy who has changed millions of lives. I'm proud to call myself a fan of his. I'm proud to say I've been to 3 Jonas Brothers concerts and 1 Nick Jonas and the Administration show. I'm not gonna lie, I probably have 100 posters of him from those teen magazines, and a really old poster from "It's About Time" over my piano along with a very recent poster from Camp Rock 2. When things get frustrating or difficult, I think about everything Nick has overcome, and I push on.

What I really want to say is, Happy birthday Nick. You are truly amazing, and I'm so proud of you. Keep changing lives and making music. I love you.

-MMN

Are The Jonas Brothers Finally Fading?

Where are all my Fan-Girls suffering from OJD? (Obsessive Jonas Disorder) Yes, you know who you are. You are currently the minority of fan girls. Could it be that this "Jonas Obsession" is finally dying out? Can it be true that girls are taking down their hundreds of Jonas posters? Yes. It can be true. And what do you suppose these girls are replacing the Jonas Brothers with? None other then Usher's kid-off-the-Canadian-streets Justin Bieber.

Back in 2007, when the Jonas boys were putting out their second CD and becoming the most popular thing on the planet since NSYNC, no one thought they would last long. Just another boy band, they get their 15 minutes and then they go back to the obscurity they came from. When their 15 minutes were up and they were still the most popular thing on the planet, people began to worry. Many parents began asking questions like "Why are they still here?" and "Do we really have to go to a third concert?", and although they were complaining, we all knew that they were really thinking things like "Thank God it's not Eminem" and "I remember these days. I wonder where my record player is."

I remember standing in my kitchen one evening while my mom was reading me an article on the computer about how long the Jonas Brothers were supposed to have left in the spotlight. I believe the guess was until spring of 2008. Well he was...uhm...close? The fact of the matter is, The Jonas Brothers have been on borrowed time for the last two and a half years. It's sad that they must go. I really do have quite the attachment to them. (Not that I plan on getting rid of my posters or the several large tour books I have displayed around my room.)

In the last 5 years The Jonas Brothers have managed 4 albums, 2 TV movies, a Disney mini series, 2 concert movies, a spot in the second "Night at the Museum", their own TV series, several guest appearances on talk shows, (not to mention Nick pursuing his own solo career) and countless celebrity girlfriends. (They're only countless because so many of them were denied...Nick) And after all of that, all the fan loyalty, all the fights with the boys at school about whether they were gay or not, (admitting to a girlfriend could have helped you there Nick.) It's all over. Teenage girls everywhere are finally getting sick of them. Shocking I know, but to quote a Death Cab for Cutie song "Oh darling understand, That everything, everything ends."

Their recent TV series "JONAS" crashed and burned. At the end of it's first season the numbers were dismal. And what does Disney do when something is dismal? Put a smile on it so they can make more money. They created a spin-off series called "JONAS LA" and after the first episode premiere, Disney is still smelling smoke. Justin Bieber may be stealing all their viewers. I'm sure they are trying to come up with a way to get him his own Disney show.

So in the end, Justin Bieber trumps Jonas every time. Are you okay with it? Or are you beginning to long for the days when you couldn't walk out side your door with out seeing the face of Nick, Kevin or Joe?

You hear what I'm saying, but do you understand it?

Okay, so. If you're really smart and really famous and your brother is getting married and your other brother never really did much but look pretty, is it time to go out on your own? Nick Jonas seemed to think so. His new solo CD "Who I Am" is really good. It's very different then the poppy, energetic music that we're so used to hearing from him. My worry about this all-grown-up sound is that not only is the music different, the lyrics and themes of the songs are very serious. The first song "Rose Garden" starts "She was brought into this world by a beautiful mistake, when her mom was just a girl and her daddy didn't stay". The CD is full of songs with pretty powerful messages, but are his fans picking up on them? He is after all, only 17 years old. His target audience seems to be much older then the pre-teen, boy band obsessed fans he picked up with The Jonas Brothers. They may know all the words, but do they understand? And more importantly, does he care?