Just like old times...

I'm watching Miss Congeniality on Bravo for the second time in a row right now. It's time to do something more productive. [For the oh-so-curious: right now is the scene where Sandra Bullock dives into the crowd to thwart a potential shooter... COMEDIC GENIUS!]

Anyway, I'm writing this blog to address the fact that, at the age of 20, I'm starting to feel old.

Not old in the sense that my knees are failing or I notice that kids these days don't remember an honest day's work. But old in the idea that pop culture trends are starting right under my nose, and I didn't detect the slightest whiff until they became full-blown phenoms.

I'm talking, of course, about the Jonas Brothers - or the JoBros, for the super hip. Being a frequent peruser of trashtastic gossip blog Oh No They Didn't!, I was made well aware of their hair - er, presence - a long time ago, but like so many things on said blog (Shauna Sand, anyone?), I thought they were just an internet elitist type deal.

But lo and behold, the three musically-inclined sibs have topped the charts and have caused oodles of tweenybopper tears to be shed. And yet, just a few weeks ago was the first time I heard their music - and at my own efforts, mind you.


Not Pictured: fourth member Flatiron Jonas.

I see the Jonas Brothers' appeal: attractive young dudes with good hair and guitars. But the JB wave didn't hit me until a younger generation pushed them to the top, with no help from me whatsoever. This is the first moment I have felt "left out" - as if I'm not part of the up-and-coming anymore. No longer is there a seat saved for me at the kids' table of pop culture. It sucks. I finally know what all those big kids were feeling when I, a mere 13-year-old novice to pop culture, helped Ms. Britney Spears become the ~*~living legend~*~ she is today: confusion, depression, and gut-wrenching sorrow. So, as a snob who prides himself on pretending to know more about pop culture than the average citizen but it still way to cool to admit it (oops, just blew that cred), I'm having a hard time coping with this feeling. Especially when it's being prompted by today's preteens.

Maybe I'm just jealous that these kids can enjoy sugar pop-tarts without ridicule. I mean, come on, just because I have a few Miley Cyrus songs in my iTunes library, right below the MGMT album, doesn't make me a hypocrite, right? Right? I take pride in my guilty pleasures, thank you very much, so I will no longer have shame in the disproportionate play count listed next to "See You Again."

So, this post is dedicated to all of us who have prematurely felt like an old fogie at the hands of kids who don't even know the Pythagorean theorem yet. And, oddly enough, the JoBros are barely out of that age bracket.

-Jake.