The Naked Gun is a series of crime comedy films written and produced by the comedy filmmaking trio Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker and distributed by Paramount Pictures. All three films were based on their short-lived 1982 ABC television series Police Squad!, which was cancelled after six episodes. The first two films were directed by David Zucker, and the third film was directed by Peter Segal.

Films[link]

[edit] From the Files of Police Squad! (1988)

Detective Frank Drebin (Leslie Nielsen) tries to uncover a plan to assassinate Queen Elizabeth II, who is on a state visit to the USA. The main suspect is Vincent Ludwig, a rich businessman (played by Ricardo Montalbán), (who works with Papshmir, a recurring villain) who has a way of turning anyone into an unknowing assassin at the press of a remote control. It appears that the victims are responding to a post-hypnotic suggestion, but the film makes no effort to clarify the point. As with previous ZAZ spoof comedies, the ostensible "plot" was mostly culled from another—more serious—movie. In this case, it was Telefon wherein people were triggered into assassins via hypnotic phone calls (indeed, dialogue in the post-hypnotic suggestion demonstration scene is copied word-for-word from Telefon).

On the case, Drebin falls in love with Ludwig's assistant Jane Spencer (played by Priscilla Presley). She knows nothing about Ludwig's plot, and after the pair spend the night together, Jane helps with Frank's investigation.

[edit] The Smell of Fear (1991)

Frank discovers that Jane's new boyfriend, Quentin Hapsburg (played by Robert Goulet), is involved in an evil plan to kidnap Dr. Albert S. Meinheimer (portrayed by Richard Griffiths), a scientist whom President George H. W. Bush (portrayed by John Roarke) has chosen to determine a new national energy policy. Hapsburg plans to kidnap the real Dr. Meinheimer and replace him with a look-a-like named Earl Hacker (also portrayed by Griffiths) who will endorse an energy policy according to the dictates of the energy lobby.

[edit] The Final Insult (1994)

In the third film of the saga Frank is married to Jane, and he has retired from Police Squad. The film introduces the criminal Rocco Dillon (played by Fred Ward), who is stuck in prison. He's contacted by Papshmir to be given a target for a bombing. Frank is pulled out of retirement. He goes undercover pretending to be a prisoner named "Nick 'The Slasher' McGuirk Jr., III" at the jail where Dillon is being held, and they break out of jail. Outside they are escorted by Dillon's gangster mother (Kathleen Freeman) to his country retreat, where Frank also meets Rocco's voluptuous moll (Anna Nicole Smith). The gang plots to blow up the Academy Awards. When Jane arrives looking for Frank, she is taken hostage.

Release[link]

Reception[link]

• The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! – 89% at Rotten Tomatoes^[1]
• The Naked Gun 2¹⁄₂: The Smell of Fear – 55% at Rotten Tomatoes^[2]
• The Naked Gun 33¹⁄₃: The Final Insult – 52% at Rotten Tomatoes^[3]

Box office[link]

• The first film grossed around $78,756,177^[4]
• The second film grossed around $86,930,411^[5]
• The third film grossed around $51,132,598^[6]

Cast and characters[link]

Main characters[link]

• Leslie Nielsen as Sergeant Frank Drebin, Detective Sergeant Lieutenant Police Squad. He is the main character of all three films and the former TV series Police Squad!. In the first movie he meets Jane Spencer and they fall in love; in the second film they resume their romance; in the third film they are married, and Frank is retired from the force. He is known for being a bumbling fool, oblivious to the disasters he constantly triggers. Some of the other characters are occasionally annoyed with his behavior, but no one ever seems to notice what a complete idiot he is. In fact, his boss always congratulates him on successfully wrapping up a case, no matter how much chaos Frank caused in the process. He, Ted Olsen, and Al (who only appeared in the first film) are the only characters who appeared in both Police Squad! and the Naked Gun films that were portrayed by the same actors.^[7] Archive footage of Frank Drebin was used in various other films, documentaries and TV series.
• Priscilla Presley as Jane Spencer (Jane Drebin in the third film). In the first film she is Vincent Ludwig's assistant, but knows nothing about his world domination plans. After she spends the night together with Frank, she helps him with his investigation. In the second film, her relationship with Frank is revealed to be over. She has a new boyfriend, Quentin Hapsburg. This is the second time she falls for a man with evil plans. She and Frank make up during the end of the second film. In the third film (in which she is married to Frank, who is retired from the force) the audience learns that she is now a lawyer.
• O. J. Simpson as Officer Nordberg, one of Frank's colleagues. He and Frank are partners for about five years, and he is Frank's best friend as stated in the first film. Nordberg always gets himself in very painful situations in all of the films. (In the TV series, Nordberg was portrayed by Peter Lupus.)
• George Kennedy as Captain Ed Hocken, Frank's boss. Ed encourages Frank to talk to Jane in the second movie. It is revealed in the first film that he is married to a woman named Ethel, although in the second film he is married to a woman named Edna (and it is stated that he has been for 30 years). In the TV series Police Squad!, he was portrayed by Alan North.
• Ed Williams as Ted Olson, a scientist who works at the lab. In Police Squad!, Ted was always giving a highly suspect or dangerous lesson to a kid, in a parody of Watch Mr. Wizard. This joke was not recycled for the films. Ted does create a couple of new inventions, which include: the Swiss-army shoe, the anti-graffiti wall, and the cufflink dart. He, Frank Drebin, and Al are the only characters who each appeared in both Police Squad! and the Naked Gun films portrayed by the same actor.^[7]
• Jamie "Tiny Jam" Pursall as Al a very tall colleague of Frank, whose head is always out of frame. Al was recurring character on Police Squad! but only made a cameo in the first movie.

Main villains[link]

Notable cameos[link]

Recurring cameos[link]

Other notable appearances[link]

In the original film, veteran sports broadcasters Mel Allen, Curt Gowdy, Dick Enberg, Dick Vitale, Tim McCarver and Jim Palmer are among those in a crowded booth. The baseball game features former Major League players like Jay Johnstone and, as an unexpected assassin, Reggie Jackson.

In the second film, Zsa Zsa Gabor has a cameo as herself, slapping the police car siren featured in the intro. Singer Mel Torme dances with Jane. And veteran character actors Lloyd Bochner, Tim O'Connor and Peter Mark Richman attend the climactic banquet, Bochner spoofing a classic Twilight Zone episode of his called "To Serve Man".

In the third film, at the Academy Awards, a musical number is performed by Pia Zadora and an award presented by Raquel Welch. Others seen at the ceremony include Vanna White, Mary Lou Retton, Florence Henderson, Morgan Fairchild, Shannen Doherty and Elliott Gould.

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: The Naked Gun

• The Naked Gun series at AllRovi
• The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! at the Internet Movie Database
• The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! at AllRovi
• The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear at the Internet Movie Database
• The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear at AllRovi
• Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult at the Internet Movie Database
• Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult at AllRovi

The Naked Brothers Band is an American musical comedy series created by Polly Draper. The show depicts the daily lives of Draper's sons, who lead a faux rock band from New York City. As a mockumentary, the storyline is a hyperbole of their real lives, and the fictional presence of a camera is often acknowledged. Lead vocals and instrumentation are provided by the siblings; they composed the songs themselves. The show stars Nat Wolff and Alex Wolff, who encounter conflicts with each other that are later omitted. Nat's fictional female admirer and real-life preschool friends feature as the band members, with their genuine father and Draper's husband Michael Wolff appearing as their inept accordion-playing dad.

The series is a spin-off of Draper's film pilot of the same name that was picked up by Nickelodeon, premiering in January 2007. Draper, star of Thirtysomething and her writing The Tic Code, is the executive producer of the series, and often writer and director. Albie Hecht, affiliated with Nickelodeon, is the executive producer, under his Worldwide Biggies tag. The adult Wolff, of The Arsenio Hall Show fame, serves as the music supervisor and co-executive producer.

The show premiered in the United States on the network on February 3, 2007. Viacom announced, it "delivered Nickelodeon's highest-rat[ings] in seven years" and instantly became one of the most favorable for children aged 6–11.^[1] According to an article by TV reporter Jacques Steinberg, of The New York Times, the popularity is equivalent to Hannah Montana and Cory in the House. Three seasons aired, without publicizing its conclusion on June 13, 2009. The series earned 1 BMI Cable Award, 2 Writers Guild of America Awards, and was nominated for 1 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award (both in the United States and United Kingdom).

Development[link]

The series' title is derived from an incident when the brothers were very young: they arose from the bathtub shouting, "We're 'the naked brothers band!"^[3] Although Nat revised the band's title to The Silver Boulders, Draper revived it as she felt it would be more suitable for the show.^[4]

Draper explains the events that preceded the show: "Nat kept putting signs on his door: I want to be a child actor! I said, 'No, it's too brutal.'"^[5] Early in 2007, Draper said, "Nat decided he wanted to film his own sitcom, so we did a film called Don’t Eat Off My Plate...I pretended to interview his friends and do a documentary."^[3] Nat recorded a tape in the studio with Alex and their dad. Viewing the recording, Draper had the idea of making a mockumentary film about the band; she decided to introduce them as music icons like The Beatles.^[4] By 2007, Draper said, "What originally happened was that Nat and Alex had a band, and the idea involved based on that. Spinal Tap meets The Little Rascals was my concept...I wanted it to be very Beatle-ish, have that Help! or A Hard Day's Night kind of feeling."^[6] The Naked Brothers Band: The Movie was originally independent.^[4]

In late 2005, Draper entered the film at the Hamptons International Film Festival, where it won the audience award for family feature film.^[3][7][8][9] Hecht was visible in the audience;^[3] he bought the film for the network. Nickelodeon urged the family to start a television series based on the film, and a reluctant Draper agreed. Tom Asheim, whose the general manager of Nickelodeon said, "At first, we were intrigued by the idea, but we weren't sure kids would get the vague tongue-and-cheek-of-it. Then a bunch of us took it home to our own children and they loved it."^[3] Draper recalled, "When Nickelodeon first asked us about doing a series, we said, 'How about a cartoon, so the kids could stay normal?' They said, 'No, we love your kids.'"^[10]

As head writer, Draper wrote the boys' fictional birth mother as deceased; her name is never revealed.^[11][12] However, in the show, the boys' father is infatuated with a crazed-lady named Betty.^{[citation needed]}

Although portraying fictional characters, the ensemble cast—including real-life friends David Levi, Thomas Batuello, Cooper Pillot, and the actor/musician Qaasim Middleton—keep their full names on-screen. However, Allie DiMeco plays Nat's female admirer and band member Rosalina, the siblings' cousin (Jesse Draper) portrays the group's ditzy nanny Jesse Cook, and the siblings' jazz pianist father (Michael Wolff) plays their inept accordion-playing dad Mr. Wolff.

Production[link]

Kidzhouse Entertainment,^{[citation needed]} a production company that also produces the series, is located in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.^[3][13] The giant studio is large enough that cast members played basketball with friends in a separate room when they are finished filming episodes.^[3] Draper managed to keep an eye on her two sons. For example, when the cast was filming an episode that featured the band making a video, Nat, who did not want to kiss in the scene because his crush Rosalina was watching, follows directions which he then explains to his mother.^[3] That was the first season's ninth episode, "First Kiss (On the Lips, That is)". Written by Michael Rubiner & Bob Mittenthal, it was directed by Melanie Mayron, who acted in Thirtysomething.^{[citation needed]}

Tom Asheim said, "This is our version of The Monkees. Nat Wolff wrote all the music, which I think distinguishes the show. Sometimes I think you get a sense from bands that they are [faking it] like Milli Vanilli. This really is by kids and for kids."^[5]

As showrunner, Polly Draper's presence is evident. For example, during production for the fourth episode of the second season, as the boys played restlessly on a purple sofa, their mother (who was not directing the scene) admonished them by saying, "Both of you, try to smile more."^[11] Occasionally, family disputes occur on set; for example, in July 2008—after filming for a long period of time on the set—when Draper gives one of the boys' an instruction, one of the siblings' replies, "I know, Mom!"^[2]

According to Nat at a family interview in January 2008, the French bulldog E.T., who plays David Levi's dog in the show, belongs to the Draper-Wolff family in real life. He also mentioned that the family's authentic home is not as multi-colored as in the show.^[4]

Post-production[link]

Albie Hecht foreshadowed the success of the series after watching the film at the Hamptons International Film Festival.^[3] In an article, Hecht told reporter Felicia R. Lee, of The New York Times: "They're just real: real brothers, real friends; it's all the stuff kids do when they're hanging out on the playground. The idea that you're watching a documentary is so much fun. Then you put them into that fantasy of being a world-famous rock band, and that's the sauce that makes it work."^[3] In October 2006, online videos from their Nickelodeon website had been played over 11 million times. Moreover, before the show's debut, "a fan recognized Nat and Alex in a Florida hotel. She sent them a note: 'Are you the Naked Brothers?' 'They were so excited,' Draper recalled. 'The show hasn't even aired yet and now walking down the streets kids are calling out their names. They can't believe it.' "^[5]

Nat explained, "It's all based on reality. It's not like work. It's things we might say or do or want to say or do. I like the feeling of creating something that wasn't there. If we have [a second] season, I'm totally getting ideas."^[3] Nat also says that "We have actually become way better friends working together." Alex responds, "We have?"^[3]

Editing[link]

Craig Cobb was the picture editor for the series; he was also the assistant editor for Sex and the City.^[2][15] Cobb worked with Louis Bertini, the supervising sound editor of the series, who had been the editor for Sex and The City.^[2][16] Of the editing process, Bertini explains that editing the show was not much different than editing Sex and the City; they brought a similar "approach and constriction to the audio elements", although unlike Sex in the City, the show had a "larger cartoon element".^[2] However, Cobb considered the editing to be a challenge because he felt that a certain degree of unscripted "magic on set" existed that required more work. Because most of the children on the series are not actors—in addition to the music that was to be added—the editing process created a situation that was somewhat "messy". Nonetheless, Cobb believed the combination of factors created a "magic" of its own "and it's what makes this show really shine".^[2]

When an episode completed filming, Cobb edited on the Final Cut Pro application, which normally took four days to complete.^[2] Bertini—who spent the same amount of time editing—then converted unnecessary script and added sound effects.^[2] Cobb says, "The 16:9 SD workflow was the plan for the 2008 season, but that has changed. We're working in 4:3 SD with the ProRes 422 codec, so we're cutting in a broadcast-quality format that we'll later output without having to recapture all the footage."^[2]

According to Cobb, it is very difficult to coordinate the television's screen-framing:^[2]

"There are many issues to consider. If I were able to cut it 16:9, I would be able to keep an eye on the outside edges of the frame. Since I only cut it in 4:3, I don’t get to see what's going on in the entire frame. Therefore, should an HD version be required, potentially a lot of adjustments will have to be made in the final edit. Occasionally, we've had to look at the 16:9 footage to reposition a couple of shots and I’ve seen light stands and such that will have to be removed somehow in a 16:9 version of the show. However, everything has been shot in 16:9 HD, so we will never have to stretch any images to fill the 16:9 frame."

Music[link]

Nat and Alex compose and play all of the show's songs; their father also co-produces the music with Michael A. Levine.^[4] The series' music editor, John Davis coordinates the songs' musical numbers.^[2] Amy Cervini and Russ Spiegel are the music instructors.^[17][18]

On October 9, 2007, the debut of the first season's self-titled soundtrack album released into stores. It was produced by Wolff and Levine and distributed by Nick Music and Columbia Records. All of the music on the album includes tracks composed by Nat, apart from "Alien Clones" and "I Could Be", which were composed by Alex.^[19] The day before, on October 8, the band had an autograph signing at Virgin Megastore in Times Square, New York City.^[19] Additionally, the group's first MTV music video released for their song "If That's Not Love".^[19]

On April 15, 2008, the second season's soundtrack album, I Don't Want to Go to School was released into stores, and on March 18 it was released in Walmarts across the country.^[20] Tracks from the album includes songs all written by Nat, including "I Don't Want to Go to School", with the exception of "Why" and "Three is Enough" which was composed by Alex.^[20] Other songs on the album include bonus tracks such as "Tall Girls, Short Girls...You", by Nat and "Changing" by Alex. The producers of the album were also Wolff and Levine and was distributed by Nick Music and Columbia Records.^[20] To praise the release of their new album, they performed their song, "I Don't Want to Go to School" live on NBC's Today Show.^[20]

The soundtrack for season three has never been released, due to the unannounced cancellation of the series in June 2009.

Season synopses[link]

Season 1: 2007[link]

Nielsen Media Research calculates that approximately 1.3 million people have watched the first 10 episodes of season 1. It debuted in February 2007 and concluded in June; however, one additional episode and television movie aired in October 2007.^[11]

The first season's plot introduces 11-year-old Nat Wolff and younger brother, 8-year-old Alex Wolff, members of the world-famous rock band, The Naked Brothers Band. The band features the lead singer-songwriter and keyboardist Nat Wolff; drummer Alex Wolff; 11-year-old guitarist Qaasim Middleton; 11-year-old keyboardist David Levi; 11-year-old cellist Thomas Batuello; 13-year-old Rosalina (Allie DiMeco) who is Nat's crush and the bassist; and, 11-year-old band manager Cooper Pillot. The first season featured guest appearances by rapper Snoop Dogg, actor/comedian George Lopez, and actor-musician Keli Price. The first season aired 13 episodes, and the TV movie Battle of the Bands aired on October 6, 2007.

Season 2: 2008[link]

In the second season, Nat is 12 and Alex is 9. Rosalina is 14, whereas Qaasim, Thomas, David, and Cooper are 12. The second season started off with the TV movie Sidekicks. During the second half of the season, the band went on tour. The second season ended on June 6, 2008 with the TV movie Polar Bears, which was about Alex's concern for Polar Bears because they are dying as a result of global warming. On the other hand, Nat and Rosalina become a couple in the TV movie. Guest stars include musician Joel Madden, skateboarder Tony Hawk, actor/comedian George Lopez, and drummer/composer Phil Collins. The second season aired 15 episodes.

Season 3: 2008-09[link]

For the third season, Polly Draper directed five out of the thirteen episodes that aired.^[2]

This season, Nat is 13 and Alex is 10. Rosalina is 15, while Qaasim, Thomas, David, and Cooper are 13. The third season began with the fifth TV movie Mystery Girl, which premiered on October 18, 2008. It featured cameos by an array of celebrities, including actress Miranda Cosgrove, whose credits include iCarly and Drake and Josh; actress Whoopi Goldberg, of The View fame; singer Natasha Bedingfield; Simple Plan's David Desrosiers; and Bad Company's Simon Kirke. Other celebrity appearances include Tobin Esperance (Papa Roach); actor/musician Leon Thomas III, of August Rush fame; actress Victoria Justice, whose credits include Zoey 101; and talk show host Dave Attell.

The new season depicts the band shooting their initial theatrical film, and Rosalina temporarily leaves the band to travel on a worldwide cruise. During her trip, the band members read the newspaper and the front cover depicts Rosalina kissing a French man. When Rosalina returns to visit, she and Nat have an internal dispute and Rosalina subsequently quits. Because of this, the group must find a new bass player. Cooper calls for a "Naked Idol" contest and the outfit selects Kristina Reyes as their new bassist; however, Nat later makes up with Rosalina and she rejoins the band, as well as retaining Kristina.

Cast[link]

Main cast[link]

• Nat Wolff starred as himself, and was the lead singer-songwriter and keyboardist for the band. Nicknamed "The Girl Magnet", he switched to guitar for songs such as "Taxi Cab" and "Curious". His crush on the band's bassist Rosalina, inspired his love songs. In the second season, Nat and Rosalina went to the prom together, then on a double date, and in the finale television movie of the season called Polar Bears, Nat and Rosalina finally became a couple. However, in season three their relationship becomes strained when Rosalina goes on a six month around-the-world boat cruise.
• Alex Wolff starred as himself, and was the drummer for the band. He switched to keyboards for songs, "Changing" and "Why", which he sang and composed. He also wrote and sang other songs, such as "I Could Be", "Alien Clones", and "Three is Enough". In the show, he "loves" Jesse and considers her to be his girlfriend, but Jesse calls him, "my little boyfriend" and Alex always disapproves of her dating other men including The Timmerman Brothers.
• Thomas Batuello starred as himself, and was the cellist for the band. In the show, Thomas is a prankster along with David. In the first season, he and David claimed not to like girls, but in the second season's episode of Cleveland, he became jealous of how Nat attracts all the girls. In the first season, he would often tease Nat and Rosalina about their crush. After Rosalina left for her six month cruise around the world in the third season, Thomas became the band's temporary bassist.
• Allie DiMeco starred as Rosalina, and was the former bassist for the band, and then played guitar with Qaasim. She is Nat's love interest and the inspiration for many of Nat's songs such as "Girl of My Dreams" and "Beautiful Eyes". In the "Sidekicks" TV movie, Nat and Rosalina go to the prom together, and in the episode "Three is Enough", they go on a double date with Cooper and Miss "Patty" Scoggins. Rosalina and Nat finally get together as a couple in the TV movie "Polar Bears". In the third season, Rosalina wins a violin competition and subsequently leaves for a sixth month cruise around the world which sometimes creates problems in her relationship with Nat. In fact, when she returns from her cruise, she breaks up with Nat and quits the band after an argument. The band then conducted a national competition to replace Rosalina, and they choose a new bass player, Kristina. Just as the reconstructed band begins to get along, Rosalina asks to rejoin the band, so she is kept in the band as the second guitarist.
• David Levi starred as himself, and was the keyboardist for the band and often joins in on Thomas's pranks. He also has a dog named E.T.
• Qaasim Middleton starred as himself, and was the guitarist for the band. In the show, he is known for being highly intelligent and a good flirter with girls.
• Cooper Pillot starred as himself, and was the band's manager. In the show, Cooper has a crush on a girl named Ms. Patty Scoggins. He is known for wearing a suit and glasses.
• Jesse Draper starred as Jesse Cook, and was the band's tutor and babysitter. In the show, Jesse is not very intelligent, so Rosalina and Qaasim help her grade the band members' assignments. She calls Alex her "little boyfriend" and wears several kinds of tattoos. Much to Alex's dismay, Jesse is dating the Timmerman Brothers—Donnie, Johnny, and Billy. In real life, Jesse is Nat and Alex's cousin and Polly Draper's niece.
• Michael Wolff starred as Dad (also known as "Mr. Wolff" or "Sonny"). Mr. Wolff is Nat and Alex's inept accordion player dad, who always embarrasses his sons; for example, he sometimes tries to appear in the band's music videos. He has performed at the Hoboken Rathskeller restaurant, and dated a woman named Betty, but she later dumps him for his twin brother Miles (played by Wolff).

Recurring stars[link]

• Tim Draper played the role of [Joe] Schmoke, the principal of Amigos School. In real life, he is Polly Draper's brother and Jesse Draper's father.
• Daniel Raymont played the role of the director in the first season, Wing in the second season, and Abdul in the third season episode titled "Valentine Dream Date". Abdul is mentioned several times throughout the series.
• Catherine Curtain played the role of Betty. Although being hired as a maid for the house by Cooper, she made excuses by saying she was a "cleaning specialist", and therefore, does not clean but guide "others on how they should clean". She plays the ukulele in Sonny Wolff's two-member band The Hunnie Bunnies; however, the other characters have a strong distaste for their music. In the second season episode, Uncle Miles, Betty left Sonny for his twin brother jazz musician Miles Wolff (played by Michael Wolff.) She returned in the third season episode, "Valentine Dream Date".
• Emily Richardson played the role of Patty Scoggins, Cooper's crush.
• Teala Dunn played the role of Juanita, Alex's friend and crush.
• Billy Draper played the role of Billy Timmerman, one of the members of the dorky and unsuccessful band, The Timmerman Brothers. He also played the role of Jesse's clueless boyfriend. In real life, he is Jesse Draper's brother and Tim Draper's son.
• Adam Draper played the role of Donnie Timmerman, one of the members of the dorky and unsuccessful band, The Timmerman Brothers. He also played the role of Jesse's clueless boyfriend. In real life, he is Billy Draper's brother and Jesse Draper's brother.
• Coulter Mulligan played the role of Johnny Timmerman, one of the members of dorky and unsuccessful band, The Timmerman Brothers. He also played the role of Jesse's clueless boyfriend. In real life, he is Jesse, Billy and Adam Draper's cousin.
• Eleanor Draper played the role of Tessy, Jesse's sister and a dancing girl in the music videos. In real life, she is Jesse, Billy, and Adam Draper's sister.
• Lisa Mulligan played the role of Bessy, Jesse's sister and a dancing girl in the music videos. In real life, she is Jesse Draper's cousin and Coulter Mulligan's sister.
• George Lopez starred as himself.
• Victoria Justice starred as herself.
• Kristina Reyes starred as herself, who first appeared in the third season TV movie special, "Naked Idol". She was chosen to be the new bassist after Nat's girlfriend Rosalina quit the band. After first, Nat acted disrespectful to Kristina because he was upset about the departure and break up of Rosalina. However, Nat and Kristina have a talk and a friendship is formed between them. During that chat, Kristina told Nat she had always dreamed of playing in the band, as well as looking up to him as a role model, after hearing his song "Rosalina" broadcast on the radio when she was ten years old. In TV movie "The Premiere", Rosalina hopes to return to the band and they must decide whether to keep Kristina or to have Rosalina back. The band decides to keep both Kristina as the group's bassist, and Rosalina as the group's second guitarist.

Special appearances[link]

The series featured numerous celebrity cameo appearances,^{[3][1][21][22][23]} most of whom played themselves.

Crew[link]

• Polly Draper: creator, executive producer, writer, and director
• Albie Hecht: executive producer, affiliated with Nickelodeon television and founder and CEO of production company Worldwide Biggies; developer (uncredited)
• Michael Wolff: co-executive producer, music supervisor, and music producer
• Bob Mittenthal: co-executive producer (season 3); co-writer
• Tim Draper: consulting producer
• Ken H. Keller: produced by, director of photography, camera operator (season 2-3), and post-production supervisor
• Caron Rudner-Keller: produced by and line producer
• Kari Kim: coordinating producer (season 1), produced by (1 episode, season 3); vice president of production and development for Worldwide Biggies
• Magda Liolis: writer
• Michael Rubiner: co-writer
• Will McRobb and Chris Viscardi: writer (two-part episode/TV movie, season 1)
• Melanie Mayron: director (season 1-2)
• Jonathan Judge: director (season 2-3)
• Mark Salisbury: director (1 episode, season 3)
• Rosario Roveto: director (1 TV special, season 1; 1 episode, season 3)
• Chris LaVasseur: camera operator (season 1)
• Craig Cobb: editor; art department
• Michael A. Levine: music producer
• John M. Davis: music editor
• Louis Bertini: supervising sound editor
• Bronwen O'Keefe: executive in charge of production (season 1-2)
• Shirley Abraham: executive in charge of production (season 2-3)

Episodes[link]

Media[link]

Soundtrack[link]

Video games[link]

• The Naked Brothers Band: The Video Game was released October 20, 2008.

Television airings[link]

Region	Network(s)	Series premiere
United States	Nickelodeon, The N	February 3, 2007
United Kingdom	Nickelodeon UK	May 29, 2007
New Zealand	Nickelodeon New Zealand	February 23, 2008
Germany	Nickelodeon Germany	October 20, 2007
Spanish America	Nickelodeon Latin America	July 21, 2007
The Netherlands	Nickelodeon (Netherlands)	April 2007
Brazil	Nickelodeon Brazil	July 21, 2007
Israel	Nickelodeon Israel	2009
Pakistan	Nickelodeon (Pakistan)	August 20, 2007
Croatia	Nickelodeon (Croatia)	2007
Bulgaria	Nickelodeon (Bulgaria)	November 16, 2007

TV movie premieres and releases[link]

Debuts and releases[link]

Awards[link]

In 2005, The Naked Brothers Band: The Movie won the audience award for a family feature film at the Hamptons International Film Festival.^[3][7][8][9] Of Hecht's attendance, he said, "I could see there was an audience for this. They're real kids, real brothers, making real music."^[24]

In 2008, Draper received a nomination for the episode "Nat is a Stand-Up Guy", at the Writer's Guild of America for children's episodic and specials.^[25] The following year, Draper won the Children's Script — Long Form or Special at the 2009 WGA for the TV movie Polar Bears; it was the only one nominated in the category.^[26] In 2007, Nat was nominated for Best TV Actor at the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards in the United Kingdom.^[27] Moreover, the adult Wolff and his sons received the Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) Cable Award for their work on the show's music. In 2008, the series' cast performed at the KCAs in the United States; the following year Nat was nominated for Favorite TV Actor.^[28]

Reception[link]

When the film premiered on the network, it was seen by an average of 2.7 million viewers; it placed the top 10 spot on the Nielsen VideoScan children's non-theatrical DVD charts.^[19][29] The band's hit song "Crazy Car" sold more than 100,000 downloads online; it was placed on the top 100 Billboard Charts for seven weeks and the track was featured on the Nickelodeon's Kids' Choice, Vol 3.^[19][30]

The family had encountered an incident in the past; the family had to change their phone number because fans were calling their house relentlessly.^[10][11] Draper recalls, "Little girls would call and say, 'Helloooo, is Matt there? We just love him.' The only thing that's comforting is, they're pretty harmless at that age."^[10]

The executive vice president of development and original programming for Nickelodeon, Marjorie Cohn explains: "The Naked Brothers Band series has exploded and continues to grow in popularity as a multiplatform and international property for Nickelodeon."^[19] According to a 2007 PRNewswire article, it stated that the TV show "quickly became one of the top programs for tweens on television".^[19]

Ronnie Sheib from Variety praised the film, stating that it is: "Convincingly faithful to kids' rhythms and speech patterns, and featuring several catchy if one-chorus numbers, this bouncy, feel-good kid pic, with targeted release strategy, could rock peers and parents alike."^[31] Tami Horiuchi from Amazon.com said that the film is a "funny spoof of the Hollywood rockumentary genre [which] is so over-done that some viewers might find it distasteful, offensive, and/or inappropriate for children" and recommends an age group between the ages of 9-13.^[32] Commonsense Media suggests that the film is age appropriate for children 10+ and gave it a two out of a five star rating.^[33] Felicia R. Lee from The New York Times called, both the film and the television series, "an ebullient mock documentary."^[3]

The premiere of the series acquired the channel as favorable for children aged 6–11; Nielsen Media Research calculates—of in that age range—approximately 1.3 million people have watched the first 10 episodes of the series.^[11] It was one of the quickest starts in about three decades for the network—giving the channel the most favorable ratings in seven years.^[11][34] The series is in a popular category, along with Disney Channel's Hannah Montana and Cory in the House.^[11] By October, 2007, Nick.com's message boards had 5.3 million pages viewed, causing online madness.^[19] The show has three video games online that have been played about 24 million times.^[19] Moreover, fans have downloaded over 800 thousand podcasts.^[19]

References[link]

External links[link]

• The Naked Brothers Band television show
• The official website of Nat and Alex Wolff