Is Joe Jonas emerging as first among the Jonas Brothers? That was a question being bandied about following the first showing of the white-hot pop trio's "Camp Rock" Disney Channel movie the other night — with middle brother Joe and the prodigiously talented Demi Lovato as the romantic pair at the center of the musical TV movie that will debut June 20. Brothers Nick and Kevin put in cameos and musical performances in the story of a wayward rock star meeting up with a working-class beauty at a summer camp for aspiring musicians.

What would they say to fans who find not enough Nick and Kevin in "Camp Rock"?

"I wanted to see more of my brothers in the movie, too, because they were so good in it," says Joe. Nick points out that doing their first movie "was an extreme opportunity" they were excited to have. And all three brothers concur that, as Nick says, "The one thing that drew us toward it was the music." The "Camp Rock" soundtrack debuts June 17.

The brothers Jonas also assure us that their upcoming TV series, "J.O.N.A.S," will "involve each of us equally," as Joe puts it.

But it'll be a while before we see it. Plans called for "J.O.N.A.S" — in which the boys play music stars who moonlight as super spies — to begin filming in January, but the writers' strike put the kibosh on that. Then the series had to be delayed because the brothers have a summer of tour commitments ahead. Now they report that a September start is planned.

The Jonases say they had a blast competing in the 2008 Disney Channel Games that took place last week, for airing this summer, in Orlando, Fla. At the weekend's post-competition concert taping, embattled pal Miley Cyrus did her three-song set first, and the Jonas boys were the night's final attraction. Ear-blistering screams broke out when Joe appeared at the end of Lovato's set to sing their "Camp Rock" duet, joined by Kevin and Nick.

WHAT A CARD: Lily Tomlin's rip-snorting Ernestine character is on the loose again, and making trouble apparently. Lily chose to make some fun online Mother's Day cards that computer users could send for free, via the wowOwow.com site, in character as phone operator Ernestine. She shot them at a local Rite Aid store in Studio City, and they feature such antics as Ernestine shoplifting — but they're not the original versions.

Changes had to be made at the insistence of lawyers for the site, concerned that some of Ernestine's latest shots could be taken way too seriously. She's still heard exclaiming, "I'm going to protest and get you mothers what you deserve!" And, in a message to grandmothers, she notes, "Grandmas are mothers. In fact, they may be the biggest mothers of all." Lily's among the founders of the site that stands for Women on Web — along with such names as Candice Bergen, Lesley Stahl, Marlo Thomas, Mary Wells and Whoopi Goldberg, the latter of whom also put up a Mom's Day card.

HOOP, THERE IT IS: Tom Cavanaugh, hoop star? Why not? The former "Ed" star says, "I wrote myself a basketball part in this movie I'm editing called 'Basketball Hustler.' It's about a female playground basketball hustler. We shot all the basketball scenes in and around Harlem on all the playgrounds. I did a lot of swearing and cussing. It was enjoyable." Lest you think Cavanaugh is a mere wannabe baller, he informs, "I played in college (Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario), and I still play in leagues here in New York with a lot of the guys." And for the film he says, "I had a lot of high level-talent, guys who spent time in the NBA. The lead female was a big star at Northwestern, Maureen Holohan (cq). She was a real revelation." Cavanaugh says his off-court team in the film is just as impressive. "It's got Richard Kind, Judy Greer, Chris Collins and a bunch of people who owed me favors, and they all shined in it. As long as I don't muck it up in the editing room it should be great."

Cavanaugh — who's co-starring with Eric McCormack in TNT's upcoming "Truth in Advertising" series — says "Basketball Hustler" is the first chance he's had to direct and produce "without the umbrella of a network around me. It's fun to be in full independent mode. You don't have to answer to anyone. It's very liberating in many ways — but it's also very stressful because you have no money."

HOT STEPS: MTV recently began holding auditions for the second season of "America's Best Dance Crew," and judge Shane Sparks tells us he hopes to showcase his own choreography on the show as he did on "So You Think You Can Dance." "I'd love to do one of the group numbers where everybody comes out and dances together. Hopefully we can put something together like that so I can do my thing." As far as competitors, he says, If we get anything like we got this past season, this next season is going to be incredible."

With reports by Stephanie DuBois and Emily Feimster.

To find out more about Marilyn Beck and Stacy Jenel Smith and read their past columns, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

COPYRIGHT 2008 MARILYN BECK AND STACY JENEL SMITH

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