Nick Jonas' mom talks about his diabetes
Denise Jonas, mom to Jonas Brothers Kevin, 21, Joe, 19, and Nick, 16, has more than the usual worries when her sons — the hottest boy band in the country — are on the road, as they are now promoting their new 3-D movie. Nick, the one "everyone counts on to be the adult," was diagnosed at 13 with Type 1 diabetes (previously known as juvenile diabetes) and he wears an insulin pump to regulate his blood sugar.
Our Reyhaneh Fathieh talked to Denise Jonas about Nick's diagnosis for a piece in the magazine this weekend. “I noticed he wasn’t himself at all," she says."He was listless and irritable. I chalked it up to puberty. But I was really alarmed at his weight loss. I remember him buying this pair of acid-washed girl jeans, and they were falling off him. He lost 15 pounds in two weeks.”
They soon learned that Nick’s blood sugar was close to 800 (normal range is 70 to 140.) Nick asked,"Am I going to die?" His mom says, "He broke down in tears, which is unlike Nick." But they got things under control fast. Kevin and Joe had to be trained to do things like give Nick insulin shots, or test his blood sugar, because they, not mom, would travel with him. Now, Nick has learned how to manage his diabetes. "He always has apple juice next to him on stage and backstage he has fruit snacks,” she says.
Hear the new radio PSA that the Jonas Brothers and mom will unveil nationally Monday by clicking on the audio below.
Watch for 'Watchmen Week'
Hardcore comic book fans have been waiting for a big-screen adaptation of the graphic novel Watchmen for two decades. They finally will have the chance to see it a week from today, as will we all, because that's when the movie version opens nationwide. Because the movie is expected to draw huge audiences, Watchmen is our cover story this weekend. Plus, inside the issue we have a poster of the movie's super heroes drawn exclusively for us by original Watchmen artist, Dave Gibbons. I knew little about the popular graphic novel until our Brian Truitt, a Watchmen fan since he read the comic at age 11, told me about the huge buzz it created last July at Comic-Con.
Yet, it has been getting serious accolades since first appearing in June 1986 — Time named it as one of the best novels since 1923. Watchmen is still the only graphic novel to win a Hugo Award, science fiction's most prestigious honor, and some consider it the Citizen Kane of comic books. Watchmen has been a cultural touchstone since the 80s, and that's the decade in which the story is set, in an alternate-reality New York City where super heroes have been part of society since the 1940s, President Richard Nixon is serving a fifth term and the world is on the brink of nuclear annihilation amid the Cold War. (Check out the MTV-esque viral video below to get a taste of its '80s time frame.) Watchmen deconstructed what society thought of Superman, Batman and other heroes, and began a period where comic books took a gritty and more realistic turn.
Hollywood took notice. Richard Gere and Robin Williams had been "attached" to a Watchmen movie at times but it took more than 20 years and a lot of only-in-show business twists and turns to get the movie made. Will it be Dark Knight huge? We think it will make a serious dent in the box office. So we are declaring it Watchmen Week on the blog and will bring you Brian's interviews with director Zack Snyder, artist Gibbons, cast members Patrick Wilson, Malin Akerman and Jackie Earle Haley, all in advance of the movie release. Come back to see us then.
Birthdays: Taylor, Clinton, Bolton and Nader
I've always found it interesting that Elizabeth Taylor and Chelsea Clinton share a birthday. Taylor, the first actor to make a million dollars for a movie, celebrates 77 today and Chelsea Clinton, Bill and Hillary's one and only, is now 29. Also, singer Michael Bolton (at left) turns 56 and Ralph Nader turns 75.
Photo courtesy of USA TODAY
February 26, 2009
Rosie O'Donnell on her new TV movie, 'America'
Rosie O'Donnell has a new TV movie airing Saturday at 9 p.m. ET on Lifetime about a cause that's dear to her — foster care. It's called America, and our Gayle Jo Carter talked with O'Donnell about it recently — after O'Donnell's delayed flight from Montreal, where she was putting the finishing touches on it. O'Donnell (pictured in movie left) is both executive producer and star of the movie about a troubled teenage boy who spent years in the foster care system. As you might imagine, O'Donnell had more views than we could fit into print. She is nothing if not passionate. Click on read more for the conversation. You don't want to miss it.
Our exclusive 'Watchmen' poster
Watchmen is shaping up to be the first blockbuster movie of 2009, and we have something truly special for fans and USA WEEKEND readers in this weekend's issue: an exclusive collectible poster of the film's stars drawn by Dave Gibbons, the original artist of the acclaimed graphic novel on which the movie's based. (Check out one of Gibbons' original frames from the 1986 comic on the right.) Those who know the book well will be very interested to see Gibbons' take on his iconic superheroes as they'll be seen in the movie: All six characters are in the poster, from The Comedian (played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan), Dr. Manhattan (Billy Crudup) and Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley) to Silk Spectre (Malin Akerman), Ozymandias (Matthew Goode) and Nite Owl (Patrick Wilson). Click here to find out what newspaper near you will have the special Watchmen issue and poster, and stay tuned to the blog for much more about Watchmen before the movie is released next Friday, March 6.
Art courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
Birthdays: Erykah Badu, Fats Domino
Soul singer Erykah Badu, who is set to release part two of her New Amerykah album series in early 2009, turns 38 today. Classic crooner Fats Domino, who mastered the R&B sound before Badu was even born, is 81. Domino, a New Orleans native, has both his birthday and Mardi Gras to celebrate today!
February 25, 2009
Birthdays: Tea Leoni, Sean Astin
Tea Leoni, who will star opposite Billy Bob Thornton in the upcoming comedy Manure, celebrates her 43rd birthday. In October, Leoni announced that she separated from husband David Duchovny, who recently checked out of rehab for sex addiction. Actor Sean Astin, best known for his role as Samwise Gamgee in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, turns 38.
February 24, 2009
Eric McCormack talks about 'Trust Me'
There's a lot to like about Eric McCormack's new TNT series Trust Me. There's Eric, formerly of Will & Grace, (at right in photo) and his co-star Tom Cavanagh, formerly of Ed. There's also the concept of best friends dealing with how to relate to one another after one becomes the other's boss. Unfortunately, Trust Me is not yet wowing viewers or bringing in the big ratings that TNT is used to getting with the launch of a new series. But that's due more to the writing, I think, than to the actors. Recently our Nancy Mills sat down with McCormack in L.A. to talk about leaving his Will & Grace character behind and taking on a new show. Click on read more for her report on the conversation.
Birthdays: Zane and Zahn
Titanic actor Billy Zane is 43 today; former CBS and CNN anchor Paula Zahn turns 53. Barry Bostwick, of Rocky Horror Picture Show and Spin CIty fame, is 64 and Edward James Olmos is 62.
