The Jonas Brothers, as a musical entity, are no more. A few weeks after shuttering an upcoming tour because of "creative differences on the music," the trio have called it quits, a rep confirmed to the Los Angeles Times.
The brothers — Nick, 21, Joe, 24, and Kevin, 25 — didn't issue a statement, but they told People magazine that the decision was mutual. Growing tension among the brothers was first reported by People, which reported a "deep rift within the band" as the catalyst for canceling a 19-date tour two days before it was to have begun.
The trio had been working on their fifth album, "V" — the tour was to have previewed tracks from the record — but they were unable to mutually agree on their musical direction, the rep said. The three had each explored solo paths as they transitioned into adulthood after 2009's "Lines, Vines and Trying Times," their last album under Hollywood Records, the label that launched them into teen pop superstardom with a Disney series and films.
Kevin got married and launched a reality show with his wife, Joe and Nick went solo to different results, and they've racked up their fair share of more adult-friendly headlines along the way. Last week, Joe and Nick took to Twitter to ask fans to bear with them. But fans were likely bracing for the end, as the official Jonas Brothers Twitter handle had been deleted a few days prior.
75 years later, 'War of Worlds' resonates
The eve before Halloween is known as Mischief Night. And on Oct. 30, 1938, a 23-year-old Orson Welles caused more than a bit of mischief with his landmark radio broadcast of "War of the Worlds."
Most of the 6 million who tuned into Welles' "Mercury Theater on the Air" adaptation of H.G. Wells' sci-fi classic about a Martian invasion realized it was drama. But because of its realistic news bulletin format, some believed aliens from the Red Planet had landed and overrun Grover's Mill, N.J.
Even in this pre-Twitter era, the reaction was instantaneous. Listeners called into Chicago newspapers in a panic, while in San Francisco people fretted that the Martians were heading West. And in New Jersey, National Guardsmen were calling their armories to find out if they needed to report. A new "American Experience" documentary, "War of the Worlds" which aired Tuesday on PBS in conjunction with the show's 75th anniversary, examines the factors that turned the radio broadcast into such an extraordinary event. With "War of the Worlds," Welles tapped into the anxiety felt by a nation that had been in the grips of the Great Depression for nearly a decade. Plus Hitler and Mussolini were coming into power, noted Cathleen O'Connell, the documentary's director-producer.
Listen to the rebroadcast today The Orson Welles classic will air as part of a documentary at noon Wednesday on Minnesota Public Radio.
