Times Square

Times Square is a major commercial intersection in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue and stretching from West 42nd to West 47th Streets. The extended Times Square area, also called the Theatre District, consists of the blocks between Sixth and Eighth Avenues from east to west, and West 40th and West 53rd Streets from south to north, making up the western part of the commercial area of Midtown Manhattan.
Formerly named Longacre Square, Times Square was renamed in April 1904 after The New York Times moved its headquarters to the newly erected Times Building, which is now called One Times Square and is the site of the annual ball drop on New Year's Eve. Times Square, nicknamed "The Crossroads of the World" and "The Great White Way," has achieved the status of an iconic world landmark and is a symbol of New York City and the United States.^[1]

Contents [hide] 1 History 2 Times Square today 2.1 2010 car bombing attempt 3 New Year's Eve 4 Notable landmarks 4.1 Major buildings on or near Times Square 4.2 Corporate presence 5 In popular culture 6 See also 7 References 8 External links

[edit] History

Broadway at 42nd St in 1880.

Before and after the American Revolution, the area belonged to John Morin Scott, a general of the New York militia where he served under George Washington. Scott's manor house was at what is now 43rd Street, surrounded by countryside used for farming and breeding horses. In the first half of the 19th century it became one of the prized possessions of John Jacob Astor, who made a second fortune selling off lots to hotels and other real estate concerns as the city rapidly spread uptown.^[2]
In 1904, New York Times publisher Adolph S. Ochs moved the newspaper's operations to a new skyscraper on 42nd Street at Longacre Square. Ochs persuaded Mayor George B. McClellan, Jr. to construct a subway station there, and the area was renamed "Times Square" on April 8, 1904. Just three weeks later, the first electrified advertisement appeared on the side of a bank at the corner of 46th Street and Broadway.^[3]
The New York Times, according to Nolan, moved to more spacious offices across Broadway in 1913. The old Times Building was later named the Allied Chemical Building. Now known simply as One Times Square, it is famed for the Times Square Ball drop on its roof every New Year's Eve.

A crowd outside The New York Times to follow the progress of the Jack Dempsey-Georges Carpentier fight in 1921.

Also in 1913, the Lincoln Highway Association, headed by entrepreneur Carl G. Fisher, chose the intersection of 42nd Street and Broadway, at the southeast corner of Times Square, to be the Eastern Terminus of the Lincoln Highway, the first road across the United States, which originally spanned 3,389 miles (5,454 km) coast-to-coast through 13 states to its Western Terminus in Lincoln Park in San Francisco, California.^[4][5]
As the growth in New York City continued, Times Square quickly became a cultural hub full of theaters, music halls, and upscale hotels.

Times Square quickly became New York's agora, a place to gather to await great tidings and to celebrate them, whether a World Series or a presidential election

—James Traub, The Devil's Playground: A Century of Pleasure and Profit in Times Square

Celebrities such as Irving Berlin, Fred Astaire, and Charlie Chaplin were closely associated with Times Square in the 1910s and 1920s. During this period, the area was nicknamed The Tenderloin^[6] because it was supposedly the most desirable location in Manhattan. However, it was during this period that the area was besieged by crime and corruption, in the form of gambling and prostitution; one case that garnered huge attention was the arrest and subsequent execution of police officer Charles Becker.^[7]

The Hotel Astor c.1900–1910

The general atmosphere changed with the onset of the Great Depression in the 1930s. Times Square acquired a reputation as a dangerous neighborhood in the following decades. From the 1960s to the early 1990s, the seediness of the area, especially due its go-go bars, sex shops, and adult theaters, became an infamous symbol of the city's decline.^[8]
In the 1980s, a commercial building boom began in the western parts of the Midtown as part of a long-term development plan developed under Mayor Ed Koch and David Dinkins. In the mid-1990s, Mayor Rudolph Giuliani (1994–2002) led an effort to "clean up" the area, increasing security, closing pornographic theaters, pressuring drug dealers and "squeegee men" to relocate, and opening more tourist-friendly attractions and upscale establishments. Advocates of the remodeling claim that the neighborhood is safer and cleaner. Detractors have countered that the changes have homogenized or "Disneyfied" the character of Times Square and have unfairly targeted lower-income New Yorkers from nearby neighborhoods such as Hell's Kitchen.^{[citation needed]}
In 1990, the state of New York took possession of six of the nine historic theatres on 42nd Street, and the New 42nd Street non-profit organization was appointed to oversee their restoration and maintenance. The theatres underwent renovation for Broadway shows, conversion for commercial purposes, or demolition.

[edit] Times Square today

Madame Tussauds Wax Museum and Ripley's Believe It or Not! Odditorium are two of the newer attractions on the redeveloped 42nd Street.

Lights and advertising at the southern end of Times Square

Times Square pedestrianized

The "Naked Cowboy" — who is not actually naked — is a fixture in Times Square.

The theaters of Broadway and the huge number of animated neon and LED signs have long made them one of New York's iconic images, and a symbol of the intensely urban aspects of Manhattan. Times Square is the only neighborhood with zoning ordinances requiring building owners to display illuminated signs.^[9] The density of illuminated signs in Times Square now rivals that of Las Vegas. Officially, signs in Times Square are called "spectaculars", and the largest of them are called "jumbotrons."
Notable signage includes the Toshiba billboard directly under the NYE ball drop and the curved seven-story NASDAQ sign at the NASDAQ MarketSite at 4 Times Square on 43rd Street and the curved Coca-Cola sign located underneath another large LED display owned and operated by Samsung. Both the Coca-Cola sign and Samsung LED displays were built by LED display manufacturer Daktronics. Times Square's first environmentally friendly billboard powered by wind and solar energy was first lit on December 4, 2008.^[10]
In 1992, the Times Square Alliance (formerly the Times Square Business Improvement District, or "BID" for short), a coalition of city government and local businesses dedicated to improving the quality of commerce and cleanliness in the district, started operations in the area.^[11] Times Square now boasts attractions such as ABC's Times Square Studios, where Good Morning America is broadcast live, an elaborate Toys "Я" Us store, and competing Hershey's and M&M's stores across the street from each other, as well as restaurants such as Ruby Foo's (Chinese food), the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company (seafood), Planet Hollywood Restaurant and Bar (theme restaurant) and Carmine's (Italian) along with a number of multiplex movie theaters. It has also attracted a number of large financial, publishing, and media firms to set up headquarters in the area. A larger presence of police has improved the safety of the area.
In 2002, New York City's mayor, Rudy Giuliani, gave the oath of office to the city's next mayor, Michael Bloomberg, at Times Square after midnight on January 1 as part of the 2001–2002 New Year's celebration. Approximately 500,000 revelers attended. Security was high following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, with more than 7,000 New York City police officers on duty in the Square, twice the number for an ordinary year.^[12]
From August 14, 2003 to August 15, 2003, the lights of Times Square went dark as a result of the 2003 Northeast blackout, which paralyzed most of the region and parts of Canada for over 24 hours. Power was finally restored to the area on the evening of Friday, August 15.
On the morning of March 6, 2008 a small bomb caused minor damage but no reported injuries.^[13]
On February 26, 2009, Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced that traffic lanes along Broadway from 42nd Street to 47th Street would be de-mapped starting Memorial Day 2009 and transformed into pedestrian plazas until at least the end of the year as a trial. The same was done from 33rd to 35th Street. The goal is to ease traffic congestion throughout the Midtown grid. The results will be closely monitored to determine if the project works and should be extended."^[14] Bloomberg also stated " he believes the street shutdown will make New York more livable by reducing pollution, cutting down on pedestrian accidents and helping traffic flow more smoothly."^[15]
The original seats put out for pedestrians were inexpensive multicolored plastic lawn chairs, a source of amusement to many New Yorkers. They lasted from the onset of the plaza transformation until August 14, 2009, when they were ceremoniously bundled together in an installation christened "Now You See It, Now You Don't" by the artist Jason Peters.^[16] They were shortly replaced by sturdier metal furniture, and on February 11, 2010, Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced that the pedestrian plazas would remain permanent.^[17]

[edit] 2010 car bombing attempt

Main Article: 2010 Times Square car bombing attempt
On May 1, 2010, Times Square was evacuated from 43rd to 46th Street following the discovery of a car bomb. A dark-colored Nissan Pathfinder with smoke coming out from it was parked at 45th and Seventh Avenue. Bomb squads were shown, but Homeland Security did not consider it a terrorist threat. A flash was seen coming from the car, and between 6 and 6:30pm, a small explosion went off. It was found to have explosive materials including three propane tanks, consumer grade fireworks, and containers full of gasoline, burnt wires, two clocks with batteries, and other materials. Bomb squads extinguished a small fire. No one was killed or injured in the incident. It was found to be a failed bombing.^[18] Several days later, on May 7, streets in the area were closed briefly while police examined an abandoned cooler found near the Marriott Marquis Hotel.^[19][20]

[edit] New Year's Eve

A sea of people await the ball drop in Times Square, New Year's Eve, December 31, 2007.

The Times Square Ball in 2007

Times Square is the site of the annual New Year's Eve ball drop. On December 31, 1907, a ball signifying New Year's Day was first dropped at Times Square,^[21] and the Square has held the main New Year's celebration in New York City ever since. On that night, hundreds of thousands of people congregate to watch the Waterford Crystal ball being lowered on a pole atop the building (though not to the street, as is a common misconception), marking the new year. It replaced a lavish fireworks display from the top of the building that was held from 1904 to 1906, only to be outlawed by city officials.^[21] Beginning in 1908, and for more than eighty years thereafter, Times Square sign maker Artkraft Strauss was responsible for the ball-lowering. During World War II, a minute of silence, followed by a recording of church bells pealing, replaced the ball drop because of wartime blackout restrictions. Today, Countdown Entertainment and One Times Square handle the New Year's Eve event in conjunction with the Times Square Alliance.
A new energy-efficient LED ball, celebrating the centennial of the ball drop, debuted for the arrival of 2008. The 2008/2009-ball, which was dropped on New Year's Eve (Wednesday, December 31, 2008)^[21] for the arrival of 2009, is larger and has become a permanent installation as a year-round attraction, being used for celebrations such as Valentine's Day and Halloween. On average, about 1 million revelers crowd Times Square for the New Year's Eve celebrations.^[22] However, for the millennium celebration on December 31, 1999, published reports stated approximately two million people overflowed Times Square, flowing from 6th Avenue to 8th Avenue and all the way back on Broadway and Seventh Avenues to 59th Street, making it the largest gathering in Times Square since August 1945 during celebrations marking the end of World War II.^[23]
In 1972, Dick Clark began hosting a live half-hour NBC special (two years later, it moved to ABC where it has aired ever since) detailing the event entitled Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve,^[24] which not only aired the descent of the ball, but also performances from popular bands and commentary from various hosts in other cities, notably Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Orlando. During the millennium celebrations in 1999, Peter Jennings based ABC's operations in Times Square, hosting ABC 2000 Today.

The Paramount Building at 1501 Broadway once housed the Paramount Theatre, where Frank Sinatra had bobby-soxers fainting in the aisles.

One Astor Plaza (1515 Broadway) is the headquarters of Viacom. It replaced the Astor Hotel in 1972, when Times Square "redevelopment" plans allowed oversized office towers if they included new theatres.^[25]

[edit] Notable landmarks

Times Square is a busy intersection of art and commerce, where scores of advertisements – electric, neon and illuminated signs and "zipper" news crawls – vie for viewers' attention.^[26] A few famous examples:

• TKTS booth
• Coca-Cola sign
• Budweiser
• Times Square Studios (home of ABC's Good Morning America)
• One Astor Plaza (home of MTV's New York studios)
• Chevrolet clock (an analog clock displayed on a digital screen)
• Forever 21 (formerly Virgin Megastores)
• The Hard Rock Cafe New York
• Planet Hollywood

[edit] Major buildings on or near Times Square One Times Square (home of the famous ball drop every New Year's Eve)       Bertelsmann Building Brill Building Thomson Reuters Building (3 Times Square)[27] Times Square Tower New York Times Tower Bank of America Tower The Orion New York Marriott Marquis AXA Center One Astor Plaza 1500 Broadway Paramount Theatre W Times Square Renaissance Hotel New York Times Square (2 Times Square) Sheraton New York One Worldwide Plaza Condé Nast Building (4 Times Square) Rockefeller Center 1585 Broadway 810 7th Avenue 5 Times Square 11 Times Square (Times Square Plaza) The Bowtie Building (1530 Broadway)

[edit] Corporate presence The following companies have corporate presences in the area: Bertelsmann Six Flags Inc. Condé Nast Publications Diamond Management & Technology Consultants Ernst & Young Instinet King & Spalding Barclays Capital (formerly Lehman Brothers) Morgan Stanley Bain & Company MTV Networks The New York Times Company Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom O'Melveny & Myers Thomson Reuters Viacom

[edit] In popular culture

The Times Square neighborhood, notably its busiest intersection, has been featured countless times in literature, on television, in films, in music videos and recently in video games. An immediately recognizable setting, Times Square has been frequently attacked and destroyed in a number of movies, including Knowing, when a solar flare destroys Times Square, Stephen King's The Stand, where the intersection is overcome by total anarchy, and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Films have also employed the opposite tactic, depicting the typically bustling area as eerily still, such as in Vanilla Sky, as well as the post-apocalyptic I Am Legend, in which Will Smith and his dog go hunting for deer in the deserted urban canyon.
In the film Basket Case, two brothers separated at young age are known as "The Times Square Freak Twins" since they checked into a Times Square motel.

View of the northern part of Times Square, with the Renaissance New York Times Square Hotel (Two Times Square) in the center.

Nick Jonas

Nicholas Jerry "Nick" Jonas (born September 16, 1992) is an American singer-songwriter, musician and actor best known as one of the Jonas Brothers, a pop-rock band he formed with his brothers Joe and Kevin. The Jonas Brothers originally started as an attempted solo singing career for Nick, but the record producer liked the sound when his brothers sang backup for him. He previously starred in the Disney Channel original series JONAS L.A. as Nick Lucas, alongside his brothers. He also starred in the Disney Channel original movie Camp Rock and Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam. He formed the band Nick Jonas & The Administration, which released its first album in 2010. He and his brothers recently concluded their tour with the cast of Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam.

Contents [hide] 1 Personal life 2 Acting 2.1 Theatre 2.2 Television 3 Singing 3.1 Solo artist 3.2 Jonas Brothers 4 Discography 4.1 Studio albums 4.2 Singles 4.3 Other charted songs 5 Awards and nominations 6 Tours 7 Filmography 8 References 9 External links

Personal life

Nick Jonas was born in Dallas, Texas,^[1] the son of Denise (née Miller), a former sign language teacher and singer, and Paul Kevin Jonas, Sr., a songwriter, musician, and former ordained minister at an Assemblies of God church.^[2][3][4][5] He was raised in Wyckoff, New Jersey and homeschooled by his mother. Nick is of Irish (from his maternal grandfather), Cherokee, Italian, and German descent.^[6][7]
He was diagnosed with Type I diabetes at the age of 13 and wears an OmniPod insulin pump to help him manage his condition.^[8] He has developed the Change for the Children Foundation. Partnering with five different charities, their goal is to raise money and awareness for diabetes.^[9] He also developed a public service announcement with the Washington Nationals to support diabetes care at Children's National Medical Center in Washington, D.C.^[10]
Since August 6, 2008, Bayer Diabetes Care has partnered with Jonas as a diabetes ambassador to promote the idea for young people to manage their diabetes.^[11] Jonas testified in the U.S. Senate to promote more research funding for the condition.^[12]
Miley Cyrus has stated that she dated Jonas from June 2006 to December 2007. Cyrus claimed they were "in love" and began dating soon after they first met.^[13][14]

Acting

Theatre

Jonas's career started when he was discovered at the age of 6 in a barber shop while his mother was getting her hair cut and was referred to a professional show business manager.^[15][16] At the age of 7, he began performing on Broadway.^[17][18] He had acted in several plays, including A Christmas Carol (in 2000 as Tiny Tim and Scrooge at eight), Annie Get Your Gun (in 2001 as Little Jake), Beauty and the Beast (in 2002 as Chip), and Les Misérables (in 2003 as Gavroche).^{[18][19][20][21]} After Les Misérables closed, he performed in The Sound of Music (as Kurt) at the Paper Mill Playhouse.^[22]
On June 21, 2010 Jonas made his West End debut performing in Les Misérables for the second time, but this time as the role of Marius Pontmercy.^[23] Jonas was originally supposed to play the role for only three weeks, but was able to extend his run until July 24, 2010 because of changes in the Jonas Brothers tour schedule.^[24] He also appeared in the 25th Anniversary Concert at The 02 Arena on October 3, 2010, again playing the role of Marius Pontmercy.^[25]

Television

On August 17, 2007, Jonas, along with his brothers, guest starred in an episode of Hannah Montana, which aired after the premiere of High School Musical 2 and the Disney Channel show Phineas and Ferb.^[26] The episode broke basic cable records with a record 10.7 million viewers and became basic cable's most watched series telecast ever.^[27]
Jonas and his brothers filmed a Disney Channel Original Movie called Camp Rock where they play a band called "Connect Three." Joe plays the lead male role and lead singer "Shane Gray"; Nick plays the role of "Nate," a guitarist; and Kevin plays the role of "Jason," also a guitarist. A soundtrack for the movie was released on June 17, 2008. The movie premiered on June 20, 2008 in the USA on Disney Channel, and Canada on Family. Production began on the sequel, Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam in September 2009 and is set to premiere during the summer of 2010.
The reality short series, Jonas Brothers: Living the Dream, premiered on Disney Channel on May 16, 2008. The show, which ran until September 5, 2008, documents the brothers' lives on the Look Me In The Eyes Tour. The name was inspired by the band's hit song "When You Look Me in the Eyes". The series was renewed for a second season, which premiered on March 21, 2010.^[28] The second season follows the band on the European leg of their World Tour 2009.
Jonas and his brothers previously starred in the Disney Channel Original Series JONAS about a pop band trying to live a normal life, which premiered May 2, 2009 and concluded on March 14, 2010. Filming for the second season began in February 2010. The second season was renamed Jonas L.A., and premiered on June 20, 2010. On November 8, 2010, it was announced that the series had been cancelled.^[29]
Jonas will appear in the 2010 series Mr. Sunshine; he will play Eli White, an up-and-coming singer who wants everything his way before he performs at the Sunshine Center.^[30]

Singing

Nick Jonas performing in July 2009.

Solo artist

In 2002 while performing in Beauty and the Beast, Nick had written a song with his father called "Joy to the World (A Christmas Prayer)." With background vocals from the Beauty and the Beast cast, Nick performed the song on the 2002 annual Broadway "Equity Fights AIDS" album, Broadway's Greatest Gifts: Carols for a Cure, Vol. 4.^[31][32] In November 2003, INO Records received a demo copy of "Joy To The World (A Christmas Prayer)."^[33] The label released the song to Christian radio, where it quickly became popular on Record & Radio's Christian Adult Contemporary Chart.^[32] While Nick was working on his solo project, Joe followed in his footsteps to Broadway, appearing in Baz Luhrmann's production of La Boheme.
By September 2004, an executive at Columbia Records found out about Nick's song.^[31][32] Nick was soon jointly signed to INO Records and Columbia Records and released the single "Dear God".^[34][35] A second single, "Joy to the World (A Christmas Prayer)" (a new solo recording), was released on November 16.^[36] It was supposed to be followed by a December release of a self-titled solo album Nicholas Jonas, but the album was pushed back.^[37] It did, however, get a limited release.^[38] Nick, along with Kevin and Joe, had written several other songs for the album.^[31]
In early 2005, Columbia Records' new president, Steve Greenberg, listened to Nick's record. While Greenberg did not like the album, he did like Nick's voice.^[39]
Nick Jonas is currently working on a side project from the Jonas Brothers called "Nick Jonas and the Administration". Their debut album Who I Am was released February 2, 2010. The band members consist of Tommy Barbarella on keyboard, Michael Bland on drums, John Fields on bass, and David Ryan Harris on guitar.^[40] Although David Ryan Harris recorded guitar in the studio for Who I Am he was unable to go on tour with the rest of band and was ultimately replaced by Sonny Thompson.
In January 2010 Jonas embarked on the Who I Am Tour with the Administration. This was Jonas' first tour without his brothers. The tour consisted of 22 dates that began on January 2, 2010 in Dallas, Texas and concluded on January 30, 2010 in Berkeley, California.

Jonas Brothers

Main article: Jonas Brothers

After meeting with Jonas and hearing the song, "Please Be Mine", written and performed by the brothers, Daylight/Columbia Records decided to sign the three as a group act.^[31][41][42] After being signed to Columbia, the brothers considered naming their group "Sons of Jonas" before settling on the name "Jonas Brothers."^[43]
It's About Time, the brothers first album was released on August 8, 2006.^[44] According to the band's manager, it was only a "limited release" of a little over 50,000 copies. Because Sony was not interested in further promoting the band, the Jonas Brothers considered switching labels. The band was ultimately dropped by Columbia Records in early 2007.
After shortly being without a label, the Jonas Brothers signed with Hollywood Records in February 2007.^[45][46] Around the same time, brothers began appearing in commercials for Baby Bottle Pops, singing the jingle.^[46] Their self-titled second album, Jonas Brothers, was released on August 7, 2007.^[47] It reached number five on the Billboard 200 chart in its first week. It has since sold over three million copies worldwide.
The Jonas Brothers' third studio album, A Little Bit Longer, was released in the United States on August 12, 2008. It sold over 2 million copies worldwide. The Jonas Brothers were listed number 9 on the richest pop acts of 2008 with Coldplay and AC/DC making over 62 million.

Discography

Main articles: Jonas Brothers discography and Nick Jonas and the Administration#Discography

Studio albums

Year	Album details
2004	Nicholas Jonas First studio album Release date: December 16, 2004 Label: INO/Daylight (USA) Columbia Records (Europe)

Singles

Year	Single	Album
2004	"Dear God"	Nicholas Jonas
	"Joy to the World (A Christmas Prayer)"

Other charted songs

Year	Song	Chart positions [48][49]								Album
		US	US Pop	CAN	UK	BEL	AUT	GER	IRE
2008	"We Rock" (with Cast Of Camp Rock)	30	—	41	97	—	70	—	—	Camp Rock Soundtrack
	"Play My Music"	18	20	22	60	—	—	—	—
	"A Little Bit Longer"	10	20	10	—	—	—	—	—	A Little Bit Longer
2009	"Send It On" (with Demi Lovato, Miley Cyrus & Selena Gomez)	20	—	94	—	—	—	—	—	Non Album Song
2010	"We Are the World: 25 for Haiti" (with Artists for Haiti)	2	—	7	50	1	—	—	9
	"Introducing Me" [50][51][52]	92	—	53	51	44	68	73	32	Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam: Soundtrack
"—" denotes the single failed to chart or not released

Awards and nominations

Year	Title	Award	Nominated work	Result
2009	Los Premios MTV Latinoamérica	"Best Fashionista (Most Fashionable)"	Himself	Won
2010	Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards	"Favorite TV Actor"	Himself	Nominated
	Teen Choice Awards 2010	Choice Music: Love Song	"Stay"	Nominated
	Teen Choice Awards 2010	Choice Breakout Artist: Male	Nick Jonas & The Administration	Nominated

Tours

Main article: Jonas Brothers tours

Main article: Who I Am Tour

In January 2010, Nick Jonas & The Administration began touring in support of their debut album, Who I Am.^[53] Apart from guest appearances at specific events, it marks the first time Nick has toured without his brothers, Kevin and Joe.

Filmography

Film
Year	Film	Role	Notes
2007	Johnny Kapahala: Back on Board	Writer[54]	TV Movie
2008	Best of Both Worlds Concert	Himself	3D Concert film
	Camp Rock	Nate	Made for television
2009	Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience	Himself	3D Concert film
	Band in a Bus	Himself	Reality DVD
	Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian	Cherub	Film
2010	Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam	Nate	Made for television; Completed
TV Series
Year	Title	Role	Notes
2007	Hannah Montana	Himself	"Me and Mr. Jonas and Mr. Jonas and Mr. Jonas" (Season 2, Episode 16)
2008, 2010	Jonas Brothers: Living the Dream	Himself	Reality series
2009–2010	JONAS L.A.	Nick Lucas	Disney Channel Original Series
2010/2011	Mr. Sunshine (2010 TV series)	Eli White [30]
Guest appearances
Year	Title	Role	Notes
2008	Disney Channel Games 2008	Himself	Third annual
	Studio DC: Almost Live	Himself	Second show
	Extreme Makeover: Home Edition	Himself	"The Akers Family" (Season 6, Episode 2)
	Disney Channel's Totally New Year 2008	Himself	Disney Channel special New Years event
2009	Saturday Night Live	Himself	February 14, 2009 episode
	The Grammy Nominations Concert Live!	Himself	December 2, 2009 episode
2010	Live with Regis and Kelly	Himself (Co-Host)	January 8, 2010 episode
	Minute to Win It	Himself	May 12, 2010 episode
	I Get That a Lot	Himself	May 19, 2010 episode
	Extreme Makeover: Home Edition	Himself	"The Heathcock Family" (Season 7, Episode 17)
Musicals
Year	Title	Role	Notes
2000	A Christmas Carol	Tiny Tim, eight year old Scrooge
2001	Annie Get Your Gun	Little Jake
2002	Beauty and the Beast	Chip
2003	Les Misérables	Gavroche
	The Sound of Music	Kurt
2010	Les Misérables	Marius [23]

Jonas Brothers

The Jonas Brothers are an American pop boy band.^[6][7][8][9] The band gained its popularity from the Disney Channel children's television network. From the shore region of New Jersey, the band consists of three brothers: Paul Kevin Jonas II (Kevin Jonas), Joseph Adam Jonas (Joe Jonas), and Nicholas Jerry Jonas (Nick Jonas). In the summer of 2008, they starred in the Disney Channel Original Movies Camp Rock and its sequel, Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam. The band has released four albums: It's About Time, Jonas Brothers, A Little Bit Longer, and Lines, Vines and Trying Times. In 2008, the group was nominated for the Best New Artist award at the 51st Grammy Awards and won the award for Breakthrough Artist at the American Music Awards. As of May 2009, before the release of Lines, Vines and Trying Times, they have sold over eight million albums worldwide.^[10]

Contents [hide] 1 History 1.1 Nick Jonas: Discovery and solo album (1999–2005) 1.2 It's About Time (2005–2006) 1.3 Jonas Brothers (2007–2008) 1.4 A Little Bit Longer (2008–2009) 1.5 Lines, Vines and Trying Times (2009) 1.6 Side projects and Camp Rock 2 (2010–present) 2 Acting 2.1 Early work 2.2 2008–present 3 Personal lives 3.1 Philanthropy 4 Members 4.1 Current 4.1.1 Backup band 4.2 Former 5 Discography 6 Filmography 7 Publications 8 Awards and nominations 9 References 10 External links

History

Nick Jonas: Discovery and solo album (1999–2005)

Main articles: Nick Jonas and Nicholas Jonas (album)

The band started as a solo project for Nick Jonas.^[11][12][13] At the age of 7, Nicholas began performing on Broadway.^[14][15] He has acted in several plays, including A Christmas Carol (in 2000 as Tiny Tim and as Scrooge at eight), Annie Get Your Gun (in 2001 as Little Jake), Beauty and the Beast (in 2002 as Chip), and Les Misérables (in 2003 as Gavroche).^{[15][16][17][18]} After Les Misérables closed, he performed in The Sound of Music (as Kurt) at the Paper Mill Playhouse.^[19]
In 2002 while performing in Beauty and the Beast, Nick had written a song with his father called "Joy to the World (A Christmas Prayer)". With background vocals from the Beauty and the Beast cast, Nick performed the song on the 2002 annual Broadway "Equity Fights AIDS" album, Broadway's Greatest Gifts: Carols for a Cure, Vol. 4.^[20][21] In November 2003, INO Records received a demo copy of "Joy to the World (A Christmas Prayer)".^[22] The label released the song to Christian radio, where it quickly became popular on Record & Radio's Christian Adult Contemporary Chart.^[21] While Nick was working on his solo project, Joe followed in his footsteps to Broadway, appearing in Baz Lurhmann's production of La bohème. According to Nick, this was also the first year the brothers started writing songs together.^[23]
By September 2004, an executive at Columbia Records found out about Nick's song.^[20][21] Nick was soon jointly signed to INO Records and Columbia Records and released the single "Dear God".^[24] A second single, a new solo recording of "Joy to the World (A Christmas Prayer)", was released on November 16.^[25] It was supposed to be followed by a December release of a self-titled solo album Nicholas Jonas, but the album had been pushed back;^[26] it did, however, get a limited release.^[27] Nick, along with his brothers, Kevin and Joe, had written several other songs for the album.^[20] In early 2005, Columbia Records' new president, Steve Greenberg, listened to Nick's record. Greenberg liked Nick's voice.^[28] After meeting with Nick and hearing the song "Please Be Mine", written and performed by the brothers, Daylight/Columbia Records decided to sign the three as a group act.^[20][29][30]

It's About Time (2005–2006)

After being signed to Columbia, the brothers considered naming their group "Sons of Jonas" before settling on the name "Jonas Brothers."^[31] Throughout 2005, the Jonas Brothers had gone on several tours, opening for various artists including, Jump5, Kelly Clarkson, Jesse McCartney, the Backstreet Boys, and The Click Five.^[11][32] They spent the latter portion of the year on an anti-drug tour with Aly & AJ and The Cheetah Girls.^[32][33] Additionally, they opened for The Veronicas in early 2006.^[20] For the album, titled It's About Time, the band collaborated with several writers, including Adam Schlesinger (Fountains of Wayne), Michael Mangini (Joss Stone), Desmond Child (Aerosmith, Bon Jovi), Billy Mann (Destiny's Child, Jessica Simpson) and Steve Greenberg.^[33] The album was initially supposed to be released in February 2006, but was pushed back several times.^{[20][29][32][33]} The delay was due to executive changes at Sony (the parent company of Columbia) and the executives' desire to have "another lead single" on the album. For the album, the Jonas Brothers covered two hit songs by UK band Busted – "Year 3000" and "What I Go to School For".^[28]
The Jonas Brothers' first single, "Mandy", was released on December 27, 2005.^[34] Its music video was shown on MTV's Total Request Live on February 22, 2006^[13] and reached number four. Another song, "Time for Me to Fly," was released on the Aquamarine soundtrack, also in February.^[35] In March, "Mandy" was featured in the Nickelodeon television film Zoey 101: Spring Break-Up and the Zoey 101: Music Mix soundtrack album, with Nicholas Jonas listed as the artist name.^[35] The group's music was also featured on Cartoon Network's Cartoon Cartoon Fridays.^[11][35] The band covered "Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life for Me)" from Pirates of the Caribbean for the DisneyMania 4 album, released on April 4, 2006.^[36] Over the summer of 2006, the Jonas Brothers went on tour with Aly & AJ.^[37] The Jonas Brothers also created the theme song for the second season of American Dragon Jake Long, airing from June 2006 to September 2007 on the Disney Channel.^[35][38]
It's About Time was finally released on August 8, 2006.^[39] According to the band's manager, it was only a "limited release" of 50,000 copies, so the album can be bid on auction sites like eBay for up to $200–$300 USD. Because Sony was not interested in further promoting the band, the Jonas Brothers then considered switching labels. On October 3, 2006, Nick's 2004 solo single, "Joy to the World (A Christmas Prayer)," was re-released on Joy to the World: The Ultimate Christmas Collection.^[40] Also in October, the Jonas Brothers covered "Poor Unfortunate Souls" from The Little Mermaid. Along with a music video, the song was released on a two-disc special-edition release of The Little Mermaid soundtrack.^[41] The second single from It's About Time was "Year 3000." The song became popular on Radio Disney, and the music video debuted on Disney Channel in January 2007. The band was ultimately dropped by Columbia Records in early 2007.

Jonas Brothers (2007–2008)

After briefly being without a label, the Jonas Brothers signed with Hollywood Records in February 2007.^[42] Around the same time, brothers began appearing in commercials for Baby Bottle Pops, singing the jingle.^[43] On March 24, two additional songs on two different albums were released: "Kids of the Future" from the Meet the Robinsons soundtrack^[44] (Based on Kim Wilde's "Kids in America"), and "I Wanna Be Like You" from DisneyMania 5.^[45]
The Jonas Brothers made their first appearance at the White House on Monday, April 9, 2007, during the annual White House Easter Egg Roll where they sang the National Anthem.^[46] They returned on Wednesday June 27, 2007, during a Celebrating Women in Sports Tee Ball game on the South Lawn. They sang the National Anthem and after the game, the Jonas Brothers entertained at the picnic-reception with a selection of their hits.^[47] Their self-titled second album was released on August 7, 2007.^[48] It reached number five on the Billboard Hot 200 chart in its first week. Two singles with music videos were also released around this time — "Hold On" two weeks before, and "S.O.S." 4 days before the release of the album.
In August, the Jonas Brothers made several appearances on television. On August 17, they guest-starred in an episode of the Disney Channel show Hannah Montana titled "Me and Mr. Jonas and Mr. Jonas and Mr. Jonas." They also performed "We Got the Party" with Miley Cyrus in the episode, which premiered after High School Musical 2 and was viewed by 10.7 million people that night.^[49] On August 24, the Jonas Brothers performed two songs at the Miss Teen USA contest.^[50] The following day, the closing ceremonies of the Disney Channel Games aired, featuring a performance from the Jonas Brothers. The games were taped on April 27, 2007 in Orlando, Florida.^[51] On August 26, the Jonas Brothers co-presented an award with Miley Cyrus at the Teen Choice Awards. On November 18, 2007, they performed at the American Music Awards, performing the song "S.O.S." On November 22, the brothers appeared in the 81st annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. For their final performance of 2007, the three brothers performed their singles "Hold On" and "S.O.S." at Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve. The Jonas Brothers kicked off their Look Me In The Eyes Tour on January 31, 2008 in Tucson, Arizona. They performed several new songs on the tour that were slated to be on their third studio album, A Little Bit Longer.

A Little Bit Longer (2008–2009)

The Jonas Brothers performing a concert in February 2008

The Jonas Brothers' third studio album, A Little Bit Longer, was released in the United States on August 12, 2008, with CDVU+ technology, just like their second album, Jonas Brothers. On June 24, 2008, iTunes announced that it would release four songs from A Little Bit Longer, one roughly every two weeks.^[52] The purchase of each of the songs applies to the cost of the entire album, which could be purchased via iTunes' Complete the Album feature after release. Each song released also featured a podcast. The schedule: June 24, 2008 for "Burnin' Up"; July 15, 2008 for "Pushin' Me Away"; July 29, 2008 for "Tonight"; and August 5, 2008 for "A Little Bit Longer." All of them have occupied the number 1 spot on iTunes for at least 3 days.
After the Look Me In The Eyes Tour ended on March 22, 2008, the Jonas Brothers announced that they would be opening up for Avril Lavigne's Best Damn Tour along with Boys Like Girls, but only on the second leg of the tour in Europe which lasted from late May to late June 2008. While filming the film Camp Rock, the Jonas Brothers co-wrote and co-produced six songs for fellow Disney Channel star and close friend, Demi Lovato, for her upcoming album, Don't Forget.^[53] Lovato retooled some of her songs to give it the Disney Signature. "I (Lovato) tend to write songs that are, I guess, a little bit more intense and less catchy, and I needed help writing catchy songs," she said, adding that the album also features a guest spot from Rooney frontman Robert Schwartzman. "So that's where they came in. I put a lot of my musical input and lyrics into these songs, and they just helped me with hooks and stuff like that."^[54] "I'm more of a writer whose stuff wouldn't make it on a Disney album. It's too dark..."^[55] The album was released on September 23, 2008. The brothers also helped produce Lovato's album.
A soundtrack was released for the film Camp Rock on June 17, 2008. It debuted at #3 on the Billboard 200 with 188,000 copies sold in its first week.^[56] During the summer of 2008, the Jonas Brothers started their North American tour, the Burning Up Tour, promoting A Little Bit Longer and Camp Rock Soundtrack, and performing songs from previous albums as well: It's About Time and Jonas Brothers. The tour kicked off July 4, 2008, at Molson Amphitheatre in Toronto, Ontario. A Disney Digital 3D production crew filmed the two shows in Anaheim, California on July 13 and July 14^[57] with Taylor Swift,^[58] who sang a few singles from her self-titled album, Taylor Swift, for a theatrical film that was released in theatres as a 3D concert film on February 22, 2009.^[59] On July 14, Nick Jonas announced onstage that the band had already written five songs for their fourth studio album (third with Hollywood Records).^[58]
The band was featured on the July 2008 issue of Rolling Stone Magazine and became the youngest band to be on the cover of the magazine.^[60] The Jonas Brothers visited downtown Cleveland, Ohio's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame before their sold-out concert on the evening of August 22, 2008, at Blossom Music Center. The band presented the suits and pants they wore on the cover artwork of A Little Bit Longer to Jim Henke, vice president of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The suits are part of the Right Here, Right Now! exhibit, which includes some of today's most popular artists.^[61] In December 2008, the Jonas Brothers were nominated for the Best New Artist award at the 51st Grammy Awards. It was recently confirmed that the Brothers will be collaborating with R&B producer Timbaland on a song called "Dumb" for his new album Shock Value 2.^[62] In an interview Chris Brown told JustJared.com that he is collaborating with The Jonas Brothers. Brown said, "I'm possibly doing something with them. If they want me on the record, I'll stay on the record, but I just wanted to write a record for those guys." The Jonas Brothers appeared as musical guest on Saturday Night Live during the February 14th show. This was their SNL debut.^[63]

Lines, Vines and Trying Times (2009)

Jonas Brothers performing at the Kids' Choice Awards 2009

The brothers finished recording their fourth studio album, Lines, Vines and Trying Times, they began to talk about the album in the beginning of 2009. They said on several occasions that they have been working on writing and recording songs since their Burnin' Up tour in mid-2008.^[64] On March 11, 2009, the Jonas Brothers announced that their fourth studio album, Lines, Vines and Trying Times, would be released on June 15, 2009.^[65]
Nick said about the title in the interview with Rolling Stone that, "Lines are something that someone feeds you, vines are the things that get in the way, and trying times, well, that's obvious." Nick Jonas told Billboard, "We're trying to learn as much as we can, continuing to grow." Kevin added, "The overall message is its the same old Jonas Brothers, in a sense, but we're adding more and more music, including different musical instruments that are going to add and build to the sound we already have." Nick also said the songs on the album are "our journal in songs, about all things we've gone through, personal experiences we get inspiration from. We've also been working on trying to use metaphors.. to kind of mask a literal thing that happens to us."^[66]
The band also announced on March 11, 2009 that they will be embarking on a world tour in mid-2009.^[67] They were joined by the popular Korean girl band Wonder Girls, who debuted in America, as their opening act.^[68]
The boys then released Lines, Vines and Trying Times, before the release they released two singles Paranoid a month before and Fly With Me 7 days before. Lines, Vines and Trying Times became their second number 1 album.^[69] It debuted at number-one and dropped to the second position on its second week. On July 7, 2009, the Jonas Brothers announced that they have signed Honor Society to the record label they started with Hollywood Records.^[70] A month later, "Send It On" was released on Radio Disney. The radio single was performed with Selena Gomez, Miley Cyrus, and Demi Lovato for Disney's Friends for Change.^[71] Disney Channel will premiere the song's music video on August 14, 2009.^[72] On August 9, 2009, the Jonas Brothers hosted and performed on the 2009 Teen Choice Awards.^[73] Hollywood Records announced via Youtube Demi Lovato and Jonas Brothers' Wal-Mart CD-DVD Soundcheck.^[74]

Side projects and Camp Rock 2 (2010–present)

Joe was a guest judge on American Idol during the Dallas auditions. The episode aired January 27, 2010. They also reprised their roles in Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam, the sequel to Camp Rock. It aired on Disney Channel on September 3, 2010. The movie was filmed all around Ontario, Canada.^[75] Production on the film began on September 3, 2009 and wrapped on October 16, 2009.^[76][77][78]
Nick formed his own band as a side project to his work with his brothers called. Nick Jonas and the Administration. The band consists of former members of The New Power Generation.^[79]
In Late 2010, the Brothers took part in a concert at the White House honoring Paul McCartney's reception of a Gershwin Prize for Popular Music by U.S. President Barack Obama. They covered Drive My Car from The Beatles' Rubber Soul.^[80]

Acting

Early work

The Jonas Brothers made their acting debut in season 2 of the popular Disney Channel Original Series, Hannah Montana, where they guest starred on the episode, "Me and Mr. Jonas and Mr. Jonas and Mr. Jonas". Soon after, they collaborated with Miley Cyrus again on her 3D Concert Film, Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert, which takes place during the tour for which they were Cyrus' opening act. While on the Look Me in the Eyes Tour, the Jonas Brothers filmed a Disney Channel reality short series entitled, Jonas Brothers: Living the Dream, that premiered on the Disney Channel on May 16, 2008. The show, which ran until September 5, 2008, documents their lives while on tour. It features clips of the band rehearsing, traveling, performing, studying, and their personal life with their family and friends. The Jonas Brothers also did a special, half-hour variety show on the Disney Channel special entitled, Studio DC: Almost Live, that features The Muppets and other Disney Channel stars. During this time, the Jonas Brothers also appeared on the Olympics based special miniseries, Disney Channel Games, for the third annual show.

2008–present

The Jonas Brothers with former Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne in 2008.

The band made their film debut in the Disney Channel Original Movie called Camp Rock where they play a band called "Connect Three". Joe Jonas plays the lead male role and lead singer "Shane Gray"; Nick Jonas plays the role of "Nate" a guitarist; and Kevin Jonas plays the role of "Jason" who is also a guitarist. The film premiered on June 20 in the USA on Disney Channel, and Canada on Family. It received mixed reviews.^[81][82] A Disney Digital 3-D production crew filmed the two shows in Anaheim, California on July 13 and July 14, 2008^[57] which was released in theatres as a 3D concert film on February 27, 2009.^[83]
In April 2009, the Jonas Brothers finished filming the first season of their Disney Channel Original Series titled JONAS.^[84] The series was created by Michael Curtis (of Phil of the Future and Friends) and Roger S.H. Schulman (Shrek) and directed by Jeremiah S. Chechik (National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, The Bronx is Burning). The show title was originally an acronym for "Junior Operative Networking as Spies".^[85] The original pilot was about a teenage rock band (Jonas Brothers) having double lives as government-hired spies. However, after the pilot was shot, the storyline changed and is now about a band of three brothers who have to cope with being rockstars while trying to live an ordinary life. The series premiered on May 2, 2009.^[86]
After the success of Camp Rock, a sequel is in development. The Jonas Brothers will return as the band, Connect Three, and their youngest brother, Frankie Jonas, is also expected to star. Disney has confirmed that they are currently writing the script,^[87] and will start filming some time in late spring or summer 2009.^[88] The Jonas Brothers made their big screen feature debut as the voices of the Cherubs in 2009's Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian. They will next appear in Walter the Farting Dog; an adaptation of the bestselling series of the same name written by William Kotzwinkle and Glenn Murray. It will be a family film starring the four brothers.^[89] On May 29, 2009, the Jonas Brothers were involved in a ABC television special called Un-broke: What You Need to Know About Money, where they talked about the importance of understanding the stock market.
Additionally, Disney Channel has renewed the trio's short-form reality series "Jonas Brothers: Living the Dream" for a second season. Filming already has finished, and premiered March 21, 2010 in America

Personal lives

The Jonases are known for their wholesome, "family-friendly" image,^[90] and the brothers are all committed Evangelical Christians. Their father is a former Assemblies of God pastor, and they were homeschooled by their mother. In addition, to signify their vow to abstain from premarital sex, on their left-hand ring finger they all wear purity rings. Joe has said that the rings symbolize "a promise to ourselves and to God that we'll stay pure till marriage," and Nick had stated that the rings are "just one of our ways of kind of like being different than everybody else out there."^[91] They reportedly started wearing the rings when their parents, Denise and Kevin Sr., asked them if they wanted to.^[92] They also reportedly abstain from alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs.^[93]
Russell Brand made fun of the purity rings during the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards.^[94] Brand held up a silver ring, claiming to have relieved one of the brothers of his virginity,^[94] and said: "Well done the Jonas Brothers. Each wear a ring to say they are not going to have sex; I'd take them more seriously if they wore it around their genitals."^[95] Brand later faced criticism and apologized for his comments. He later confirmed his apology during the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards.^[95]
The Jonas Brothers were satirized for their views in a South Park television episode called The Ring.^[96][97][98] They were also mentioned in the song "On to the Next One" by Jay-Z.^[99]
The Jonas Brothers are of Cherokee, Irish (maternal grandfather), Italian, and German descent.^[100][101]

Philanthropy

The Jonas Brothers with the then First Lady Laura Bush during a First Bloom event in Dallas, Texas, November 2, 2008

The Jonas Brothers earned an estimated $12 million in 2007, and have donated 10% of their earnings to their charity, Change for the Children Foundation.^[102][103] Change for the Children Foundation is a foundation started by the Jonas Brothers, where contributors donate to charities and places such as "Nothing But Nets", "American Diabetes Foundation", "St. Jude Children's Research Hospital", "Children's Hospital Los Angeles", and "Summer Stars: Camp for the Performing Arts". The band stated that:

We started The Change for the Children Foundation to support programs that motivate and inspire children to face adversity with confidence, determination and a will to succeed. And we think the best people to help children are their peers – kids helping other kids who are a little less fortunate.

Since August 6, 2008, Bayer Diabetes Care has partnered with Nick Jonas as a diabetes ambassador to promote the idea for young people to manage their diabetes, as Nick was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when he was 13.^[104] Nick testified in the U.S. Senate to promote more research funding for diabetes.^[105]

Members

Current

• Joe Jonas – lead vocals, percussion, guitar
• Kevin Jonas – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
• Nick Jonas – lead vocals, rhythm guitar, percussion, piano

Backup band

• John Taylor – lead guitar
• Greg Garbowsky – bass guitar
• Jack Lawless – drums, percussion
• Ryan Liestman – keyboards

Former

• Alexander Noyes – drums

Discography

Main article: Jonas Brothers discography

• 2006: It's About Time
• 2007: Jonas Brothers
• 2008: A Little Bit Longer
• 2009: Lines, Vines and Trying Times

Filmography

Year	Title	Joe	Nick	Kevin	Notes
2007	Hannah Montana	Himself	Himself	Himself	Episode: Me and Mr. Jonas and Mr. Jonas and Mr. Jonas
2008	Jonas Brothers: Living the Dream	Himself	Himself	Himself	Main role
	Camp Rock	Shane Gray	Nate	Jason	Disney Channel Original Movie
2009	Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience	Himself	Himself	Himself	Main role
	Jonas L.A.	Joe Lucas	Nick Lucas	Kevin Lucas	Main role
	Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian	Cherub	Cherub	Cherub	Voice role, singing role, 20th Century Fox
2010	Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam	Shane Gray	Nate	Jason	Disney Channel Original Movie
	Minute to Win It	Did not appear	Himself	Himself	May 12, 2010 episode; Kevin won $250,000 for his charity
	I Get That a Lot	Did not appear	Himself	Did not appear	Appeared on the third episode, which first aired on May 19