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If you're the parent of a tween, you know their likes and dislikes can change on a dime. Soon, no one may know that better than the Jonas Brothers. Today, the Daily Beast is reporting on internal research from Disney that indicates a surprising dip in the brothers' cool quotient among their core fan base. What's going on here?
Will the trio of Kevin Jonas, 22, Joe Jonas, 20, and Nick Jonas, 17, soon become nostalgic "Aw, I used to love them!" relics, and no longer remain pop-culture staples?
Disney focus groups have reportedly found that girls who once made the Jonas Brothers a force to be reckoned with in the music and kids' TV industry, are starting to be....well, so over the young heartthrobs. While the research indicated that 8- to 9-year-old girls are still down with JoBros, an increasing number of tween girls (aged 12-13) wouldn't dare be a fan anymore.
A sample response from one subject: "The Jonas Brothers aren’t ‘in’ as much anymore." Another girl spelled it out more plainly: "If you went to school with a JB backpack, other people might think you’re dorky."
What's really behind the JoBros' dip in popularity? Their first album sold 1.9 million copies while their latest effort only moved 640,000. Is it simply an inevitability that super-hot teen sensations (think Hanson and The Spice Girls) flame out suddenly?
Obviously, the lads are getting older (although Nick, who recently branched out with a solo effort, is still a teen himself). And Kevin's recent marriage presumably squashed countless teen crushes.
One thing is safe to say: Justin Bieber and Twilight have hijacked the passions of many onetime JoBros fans. While 16-year-old Bieber is moving albums and concert tickets at a staggering rate (not to mention starting riots among throngs of overzealous admirers), the JoBros could barely pack movie theaters for their 2009 concert film, Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience (which, unlike other recent 3-D hits, grossed only around $20 million at the domestic box office). And who can deny the influence of Twilight? According to Daily Beast, one girl in the Jonas Brothers research study told Disney, "I became less of a fan when Twilight came out, and now I’m more into Taylor Lautner."
Studio execs already seem to be scrambling to make the JoBros hip again: their fledgling Disney Channel series Jonas has been revamped, and renamed Jonas L.A. -- it's reportedly akin to a "tame" version of Entourage. But is it all too little, too late? Perhaps the Jonas Brothers are simply overexposed. Or maybe their squeaky-clean imagine (let's not forget, these guys sported purity rings) undermined their staying power. Are the disloyal JoBros fans the real dorks, or has the band lost their edge for good?
Do you think the Jonas Brothers are dorky? Chime in below!
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