Backstreet Boys -- All Five Of Them -- Reunite Onstage In L.A.

Kevin Richardson joins former bandmates for scream-filled 'Shape of My Heart.'
By Jocelyn Vena

For the first time since leaving the group in 2006, former Backstreet Boy Kevin Richardson joined the rest of the group onstage in Los Angeles Sunday night, on the last stop of their Unbreakable tour at the Palladium in Hollywood.

In a fan-made video that's surfaced online, the audience erupts into deafening screams when Richardson emerges onstage to join the group for "Shape of My Heart," from the group's Black and Blue album. He's seen goofing around with his former bandmates, and at one point even lifts Nick Carter's shirt. The five are very chummy in the clip and seem to be feeding off of the audience's energy; the screams render the first minute of the song completely inaudible in the clip.

A comment by the person who posted the video says: "There was not a dry eye on the audience. We all bawled our eyes out. I couldn't believe right in front of my very eyes I was seeing this."

The group appeared without Richardson during the "TRL" finale earlier this month.

The reunited Boys — Carter, Howie Dorough, Brian Littrell and AJ McLean — told MTV News in October they were skeptical that Richardson would ever come back to the group since he left it to pursue "new goals," but insisted that the door was always open for Richardson to make his return. Dorough added that Richardson is in "such a good place right now," raising a family and pursuing an acting career.

"In the beginning of the tour, we left a gap onstage where Kevin would be, and then it started closing up," Carter said. "We love him to death. We have to move on. We have new goals and dreams."

On Sunday night, Richardson filled the gap himself.

SOURCE: MTV

Backstreet looks to change its sound, Carter says

Backstreet looks to change its sound, Carter says
by Larry Rodgers
November 18, 2008
The Arizona Republic

Nick Carter is the most visible face of the Backstreet Boys, the vocal group that sold more than 75 million albums in its chart-topping '90s heyday.

Carter, Brian Littrell, Howie Dorough and AJ McLean reunited a second time in 2007 to release their fifth studio album, Unbreakable. The group, which no longer includes Kevin Richardson, has toured extensively since and stops Friday in Phoenix.

Carter, 28, checked in from a tour stop in Canada.
Question: Where's home base for you these days?

Answer: I've made three spots my home base. I moved to Nashville and set up my studio there for writing, and I have a cool house there. I also have a place in LA and still have a place in Florida (where his parents live).

Q: Are you an eligible bachelor?

A: Of course, of course.

Q: Is it still hard to go out and grab a bite or a drink without being bothered?

A: People still come up to me and say things, but it's such a part of my life it's not like I pay attention to it too much.

Q: Phoenix will host the NBA All-Star Game in February. Are you a basketball fan?

A: Oh yeah. I'm loving the Suns this year. They've got my boy Shaq (O'Neal). I play basketball, so I never really fell in love with one particular team, just because I love good basketball and watching good teams.

Q: Are you working on a follow-up to your first solo album (2002's Now or Never)?

A: We all are in the group. We like to be able to spread our wings, step out a little bit and show our individuality. But as a group, that's the main priority now. It's been a learning process for me, getting back with the guys, learning more about myself. So when I put out the next solo record, it will be . . . much better than the last one.

Q: You guys have toured awhile now behind your latest CD. Have you adjusted the show as you go?

A: We've been tweaking things and tightening up our choreography and our vocals.

Q: Now that you've now had more time without Kevin, are you totally comfortable as a quartet?

A: Yes, it's going to be the four of us. We're comfortable with it, and he's comfortable with the move. We definitely felt that we could uphold what we do best, which is put on amazing shows.

Q: You've said Backstreet's next album will be a surprise. Any details?

A: We've been about to change the sound completely, go in a whole new direction. It's something that we're familiar with in connection with the past, as far as R&B and soulful influences. We're . . . trying to put a new face on this group that everybody can relate to, especially on Top 40 radio.

Q: JC Chasez of 'NSync did some co-writing and producing on your group's last album. Are you friends with the former members of 'NSync?

A: AJ is good friends with JC, and I'm really good friends with Chris (Kirkpatrick). There used to be what people would call a competition. We just called it living in the moment and having fun.

Q: What do you think of the New Kids on the Block reunion?

A: I'm really excited for what they've done. It inspires us to be better and want to continue.

Q: Are there any artists you would like to collaborate with?

A: Kanye West. Aside from all the controversial stuff that surrounds him . . . I think he's talented beyond anything. I respect his honesty and his work.

Q: You appeared in the film The Hollow in 2004. Are you considering other roles?

A: I'm still pursuing it. I'm going to take a different route. I'm starting to write my own short films that I would act in and direct. I want to take the Sylvester Stallone approach.

Q: House of Carters on the E! channel got good reviews. Any more reality TV on the horizon?

A: That was an experience, something that taught me a lot and was fun. But as far as reality (TV) goes, I'd like to do things that are a little more credible and not put myself out there as much anymore. . . . (House of Carters) did what I wanted it to do, which was show people a different side of me.

AN EARDRUM BLOWOUT

An eardrum blowout
By Melissa Martin
November 12, 2008
Winnipeg Free Press

Must... resist... the urge.

Can't resist. Too weak. Here we go. Backstreet's ba...

All right.

Now that that's over -- hey! Guess what? Multi-platinum (and famously manufactured) pop outfit The Backstreet Boys came back to the MTS Centre last night for, like, the first time since 2005.

This time, they're down a Boy ("quiet one" Kevin Richardson bowed out in 2006) and confronting the harsh truth that nobody cares about their new music. Their latest, 2007's Unbreakable, slid off the charts after two weeks.

But nostalgia is a thriving industry. Women of the Backstreet era (now in their mid-20s) still gladly open their wallets to see the Boys dance and croon their chest-thumpingly earnest ballads live.

And they still open their mouths to scream, too.

The eardrum blowout started at 8:30 p.m., when the lights rose on a centre-stage boxing ring. One by one, the Boys -- Brian Littrell, Nick Carter, Howie Dorough and A.J. McLean -- emerged Rocky-style in white satin dressing gowns and pugilist gloves.

That imagery was none too subtle -- this is a boy band that takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin' -- but opener Larger Than Life was still a knockout, with jump-and-jab choreography to match the theme.

Then the gloves came off, and the next outfit in a series came on. Motorcycle jackets and tattered Black Sabbath tees for Everyone, business casual for Incomplete.

The Boys' fancy footwork and clean-cut appeal hasn't changed a step since their 1998 apogee. Their voices are still good. But it was the audience that set this show on fire.

The zeal and loyalty in the seats last night was incredible. On You Can Let Go, virtually every arm in the arena waved in perfect unison. During I Want It That Way (and Quit Playing Games With My Heart, for that matter), the sing-along was so loud it drowned out the stars.

And every time Nick Carter -- once the Backstreet baby, now a man with a checkered past -- sang a lick, the decibels rocketed.

The Boys fed off of this fervor, and into it. "Winnipeg has the sexiest girls alive!" they exclaimed, sitting around a poker table for a kitschy performance of Show Me The Meaning of Being Lonely. I bet they say that to all the arenas, but the responding roar of approval blew the air out of the room.

Every Boy delivered a solo tune, which was received warmly but less familiarly. Littrell's Welcome Home, which he strummed on an acoustic, was the best of these.

To close the regular set, the Boys whipped out Everybody (Backstreet's Back), which had Dorough spinning so hard it was almost a mosh... and the entire bouncing audience followed suit.

Honestly? Their music is saccharine, their career flagging. But last night, in every enthusiastic step and grind, the Backstreet Boys showed a heartwarming respect for their audience. And that respect was returned in spades. Loud, loud, loud spades.

Toronto's Divine Brown opened with a super-short collection of retro R&B from her latest, The Love Chronicles. Too bad the set was so brief -- Brown's classic soul voice is superb and her music is shakin'. She was as confident on the big stage as any pop diva... and she sings better than most of them, too.

Older and wiser, Backstreet’s back

By Mikelle Sasakamoose - Kamloops This Week

Published: November 04, 2008 5:00 PM
Updated: November 05, 2008 1:52 PM

Although he’s been sober for six years, A.J. McLean still likes to get high.

Known as the baddest Backstreet boy, McLean struggled with his addictions to drugs and alcohol throughout his longtime career with the Grammy-nominated pop group, but decided to clean up his act to be able to fill his insatiable need to perform.

“My life was kind of going downhill real fast. I was losing everything,” he said.

But getting clean and getting back to work was the best medicine he could have taken.

“It’s been so nice and positive to get out on stage and do the songs and see the faces of the fans — that right there is the best drug I could ever take, ever in my life.”

McLean and fellow Backstreet Boys Brian Littrell, Nick Carter and Howie Dorough are getting their fix on tour promoting their sixth album, Unbreakable, sans original member Kevin Richardson.

After the last album, Never Gone in 2006, and 13 years performing with the Backstreet Boys, Richardson quit the band to start a family.

Although supported by his “brothers,” McLean said it’s been awkward adjusting to life on stage without a fifth body, but he expects Richards to return.

“The door’s always open for him and I really do believe that he is going to come back,” McLean said.

“We’re going to wait until we start recording again, which will be very soon, and let him hear some of the music and see if he’s on the same page. And, if he is, then hop in and let’s do this.”

Dealing with that loss, however, isn’t the only thing the Backstreet Boys have been busy sorting out, which is reflected in their new, more mature sound.

“We’re not going to talk about the same old stuff. We’re going to talk about a real relationship or we’re going to talk about losing someone, touching on issues that are more realistic to guys our age,” McLean said, noting Carter is the only member of the group still in his 20s.

So why not just move on and leave the boy band behind?

“It’s one of those things where you don’t want to bite the hand that fed you for so long and you kind of have a certain loyalty,” McLean said, noting although all four remaining members of the band have pursued solo careers, the Backstreet Boys have no plans to break up.

“Can we do it?” he asked.

“Absolutely, but I don’t think any of us ever really want to do that.”

Ironically, McLean is currently working on his debut solo album and did some shows on his own while the band was on tour in Europe earlier this year.

More “funk, rock, soul,” he said his solo stuff is very different from his work with the Backstreet Boys, as well as incredibly personal.

More of a realistic record, he said his yet-untitled debut will reveal a lot about his personal life, struggles and achievements.

“It’s definitely a different sound. A little edgier,” he said, comparing it to the pop sound he’s known for around the world.

Back with the boys, however, McLean is on the road now in Canada, where the group has been receiving rave reviews for its fun, energetic and entertaining live show.

The tour stops in Kamloops at Interior Savings Centre on Nov. 17.

Tickets are available through Ticketmaster at all outlets, or by phone at 250-374-9200.

SOURCE: KamLoops

Backstreet Boys 'embrace the challenge'

Backstreet Boys 'embrace the challenge'
By Graham Rockingham
November 06, 2008
The Spec

According to Backstreet Boy Nick Carter, the proof is in the pudding. Or lack thereof.

Carter told The Spectator that he's shed 45 pounds in the past three years, and the loss of the fat has put new energy into his performance.

"I'm at 170 pounds now," Carter said. "On the Never Gone tour (2005) I was 215 pounds, so physically, onstage, the energy is beyond belief. It's from staying on top.

"When you look good, you're going to feel good; and if you feel good you're going to perform better. You sing better, your diaphragm is going to be stronger. You're going to have more wind. I just feel great, and that's kind of like how all of us feel in this group now. And it shows. Because people can feel that energy, and the energy that we give to them is what it's all about."

Carter had just finished a weightlifting workout with his personal trainer when The Spec caught up to him by phone in Los Angeles. "I work out five days a week," he says. "I box, I do plyometrics. I play basketball and I lift."

Carter is talking about his conditioning in response to a question about whether the Backstreet Boys still had the same onstage energy they exhibited back in the '90s when they were one of the most popular acts in the world, selling more than 100 million records.

Back then, they truly were a boy band. Carter and three of his bandmates were in their teens. He's still only 28, but it's tougher staying on top of the game.

In the record industry, the Backstreet "Men" don't seem to have the same money-making prowess the Backstreet Boys did.

The group's latest CD, Unbreakable, hit the charts at No. 7 when it was released 13 months ago, selling 81,000 copies. After another week, however, it had dropped completely out of the Billboard top 100. Unbreakable had the buoyancy of one of those weights Carter was lifting.

They are not the same group of guys they were when they were discovered in Orlando, Fla., by Lou Pearlman, the convicted fraud artist and embezzler who also put together 'N Sync.

The most noticeable difference is that the Boys are no longer a quintet. Kevin Richardson departed in June 2006, to pursue an acting career and start a family.

"I don't think he was happy," Carter says about Richardson. "He wasn't enjoying the business side of the music ... the stuff that goes on around us, and the sort of give and take that you have to deal with the record label."

The problem for Carter and his band has been bridging the gap musically between boys and men, and, fanwise, teenage girls and hockey moms. It's the struggle between pop-dance beats and adult-contemporary harmonies.

"It's definitely a growing process and a learning process," Carter says. "I know that we are in that stage at the moment where we are kind of experimenting and finding ourselves again. Coming from the success we've had in the past, it's more difficult to stick around and reinvent yourself. But that challenge is something that we're embracing."
Posted on 06 Nov 2008

Still fight in the boys

Still fight in the boys
When all the other boy bands they helped spawn have come and gone, the Backstreet Boys have reinvented themselves -- again.
November 06, 2008
London Free Press

On this tour, the Backstreet Boys give new meaning to hitting the stage.

A boxing ring is rolled forward onto the stage as a hammed-up fight announcement is issued from the speakers, introducing the band: Nick Carter. Howie Dorough, Brian Littrell and A.J. McLean.

Clad in boxing robes, the band bounces around the ring and kicks into Larger Than Life, a hit off its 1999 Millennium album. Within seconds, the Boys return in leather jackets and black T-shirts and launch into Everyone off their Black and Blue record.

Sometimes, Dorough wears a Black Sabbath T. Well, it is a different look for the still-influential Boys.

You could argue that if it weren't for the Backstreet Boys, there would not be an 'N Sync -- or a Justin Timberlake. Well, you could argue that.

More safely, you could say if it weren't for the Backstreet Boys there might not have been Boyzone, 98 Degrees, React, b4-4, Westlife, Plus One, Dreamstreet, Wave, 5ive, O-Town, a1, the Moffatts, Savage Garden, LFO, Marshall Dyllon, I.D., 2Gether, mytown, soulDecision, BBMak, 911, Take 5 or McMaster & James. (Fans who recall that the last Moffatts concert ever took place at Centennial Hall on Aug. 25, 2001, can take a bow here.)

Other fans will already know the Backstreet Boys return to the John Labatt Centre on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

It's never been dull around the Boys. Initially managed by Lou Pearlman (who helped spawn 'N Sync but later faced 25 years in a U.S. prison for financial crimes) and Johnny Wright, the group first met phenomenal success overseas.

Its 1996 self-titled debut sold more than 7.5 million copies internationally, and the 1997 follow-up, Backstreet's Back, shifted 10.2 million units worldwide.

For the next few years, the Backstreet Boys were unstoppable. Millennium (1999) sold a then-record-breaking 1.1 million copies in its first week of U.S. sales (a record later shattered by 'N Sync's No Strings Attached, which sold 2.4 million). It hit No. 1 in 25 countries, leading to worldwide sales of 21.6 million.

There was a problem. The Boys churned out albums even when they thought they needed time off.

"When it's no fun anymore, that's the big thing. I think across the board, none of us were having fun," Littrell says.

The fun stopped completely when McLean's entry into rehab in 2001 forced the band to postpone their Black & Blue tour. Soon after that, the band decided it was time to take a longer break to reassess their future.

The Backstreet Boys scattered, and pursued their individual goals for the first time in years. Carter released a solo album that fared poorly; Littrell and his wife had a baby; Kevin Richardson appeared on Broadway in Chicago; McLean concentrated on his sobriety, while Dorough focused on producing and writing songs for other acts.

Oprah Winfrey deserves some credit for getting the group back together. On a show focusing on McLean's battles with substance abuse, she coaxed the remaining Backstreet Boys to surprise him on air. After the emotional reunion, the group holed up in a hotel room and started talking about a comeback.

"There was probably even some doubt among us when we first started talking about it," says Dorough. "But I think no matter what we did individually . . . we all realized our strength was among the five of us together."

Original member Richardson left the band in 2006. "There's some things I need to do first, for me," McLean recalled Richardson saying after a 2005 concert.

The group had been discussing "when we wanted to start recording again," McLean says. "Everyone was ready, but that was the first time Kevin put it out in the atmosphere that he wasn't."

In June 2006, Richardson made the official statement he was moving on to "pursue other interests."

Although all were supportive of Richardson's decision, McLean says replacing him was never even an option. They turned down an offer to star in a reality show to find a new member, and opted against changing the group name to Backstreet.

"This is a new band, but this is a brand, and it's the Backstreet Boys," McLean says.

The latest transition began for the Backstreet Boys with the 2005 album Never Gone, released five years on from their chart-dominating pop glory days.

By that time, their boy band contemporaries had faded from the limelight, and their second acts were meeting with mixed results. Timberlake found great solo success outside of 'N Sync, but 98 Degrees fizzled as group member Nick Lachey hawked his solo album on an MTV reality show and became tabloid fodder for his brief marriage to Jessica Simpson.

Despite all that, thanks a bunch, Backstreet Boys.

You were the originators of the new wave of teen pop, the first commando forces in the boy band invasion of the late 1990s.

---

BACKSTREET BOYS STORY

1992: Orlando, the happiest place on Earth: pop impresario Lou Pearlman getS a stirring in his loins when he realizes the world needs a new boy group and he's just the guy who can make all the money. An ad is placed: "Producer seeks male teen singers that move well." The seed is planted. There would be more.

1993: After numerous rounds of auditions, the final lineup is chosen: Brian Littrell, Kevin Richardson, Howie Dorough, A.J. McLean and Nick Carter. The Boys perform their first concert at Sea World. Girls scream. The American music press does not.

1994: The Boys release their first single, We've Got It Going On. It tanks.

1995: But the Europeans love it, being frightfully ahead of the curve on such things. The Boys tour and conquer Europe.

1996: The Boys tour Canada.

1997: Armed with glowing press from the UK (and Canada), the Boys release Quit Playing Games With My Heart, an instant hit in America. The self-titled second album, which would eventually sell 10 million copies, is the No. 3 record of the year. The era of boy bands begins.

1998: Legal battle with Pearlman. Demise of group is predicted, even though the Boys are nominated for best new artist at the Grammys. They don't win. Rival boy band 'N Sync appears.

1999: Demise is predicted. Boys release third album, Millennium, which sets a record for the highest first-week sales ever, with 1.1 million.

2000: Demise is predicted. Boys appear on the cover of Rolling Stone without pants, are nominated for five Grammy awards. The merchandising juggernaut hits high gear with everything from comic books to action dolls. 'N Sync snatches the boy band crown with first- week sales of 2.4 million for No Strings Attached. The Boys' fourth album, Black & Blue, is released, .

2001: The Boys announce a world tour, but trouble strikes when the band announces A.J. will enter rehab for alcohol abuse and depression. Dates are postponed, A.J. is released and the tour continues. Demise of group is predicted, but not as confidently. There is speculation that the group disbanded entirely at some point. McLean insists that was never the case. "We kind of took a small break," he says of the time off. "We needed a break, mind you -- we were touring for pretty much nine years straight."

2003: Backstreet's members find their way back together, when they surprise McLean on the set of The Oprah Winfrey Show, where he'd come to discuss his drug problem. "I cried like a little girl," McLean says.

2005: The Boys play London's John Labatt Centre in September with 8,000 screaming fans welcoming them.

2006: Kevin Richardson leaves, Boys continue as a quartet.

2008: The Boys are back at the JLC.

---

IF YOU GO

What: Concert by U.S. pop group the Backstreet Boys. Canadian R&B star Divine Brown is also on the bill.

When: Saturday, 7:30 p.m.

Where: John Labatt Centre

Details: $49.50, $65.50 plus applicable charges and fees. Call 1-866-455-2849 or visit johnlabattcentre.com

Boys to Men

Boys to Men
Backstreet's back -- older, wiser & finally living in harmony
By David Schmeichel
November 06, 2008
Winnipeg Sun

Their days of sold-out stadium tours and multi-platinum record sales may be behind them.

But former teen-pop sensations the Backstreet Boys had no trouble drawing a crowd to one of their most recent performances -- singing the national anthem at the World Series opener in Tampa.

And despite what a few crabby Internet critics had to say, the Boys delivered a totally decent rendition, eschewing the typical over-the-top high notes for subdued streetcorner crooning.

The scaled-down arrangement played to the Boys' strengths, while serving as a reminder that -- beneath all the goofy choreography and calculated sex appeal -- most boy banders possess the ability to hit a harmony right out of the park.

"I do think sometimes that true talent is overlooked," says BSB member Brian Littrell, now 33, from his home in Atlanta, Ga. "When it comes to boy bands and things of yesteryear ... people like to remember only certain things. And the things they choose to remember are the hype and the blown-out-of-proportion success that the Backstreet Boys had been able to achieve in the past. But sometimes people overlook the raw talent of just being able to sing."

Certainly the Backstreet Boys -- Littrell, Howie Dorough, Nick Carter and A.J. McLean (Littrell's cousin Kevin Richardson bowed out in 2006) -- know how it feels to be overlooked.

Even while reaping the rewards of their mid- to late-'90s fame -- a period when they ruled the teeny-bopper roost on the strength of singles Quit Playing Games (With My Heart), Larger Than Life and I Want It That Way -- they were also regular targets of those who dismissed pre-fab pop as just another passing fad.

Some 15 years after their debut, that fad is still going strong (these days, commandeered by Disney commodities Miley Cyrus and the Jonas Brothers), though Littrell says he and his Boys aren't as concerned with currying favour.

"There was a time in our career, in the late 1990s and early 2000s, when we felt like it was our job to force people to respect us," he says. "It's not that way anymore. The older we get, the less worried we are about what people think of us. As long as we're comfortable doing what we do, that goes a lot farther than trying to be something we're not."

For a while there, the Boys' career arc was marred by some decidedly uncomfortable growing pains: Littrell was nearly sidelined by heart complications in 1998, Dorough lost his sister to lupus the same year, McLean went public with drug and alcohol addictions in 2003, and Carter racked up a trifecta of public embarrassments (dating Paris Hilton, being charged with drunk driving and appearing in a short-lived reality show with his constantly squabbling siblings).

And of course, there was the controversy surrounding former manager Lou Pearlman, the boy band mogul who first brought the Boys together, and who was later sued by the group (along with labelmates 'N Sync) on charges he'd swindled them out of millions.

Pearlman is now serving prison time on a series of unrelated fraud convictions, and while the Boys aren't keen to revisit the subject, they have been known to sing snippets of Justin Timberlake's hit What Goes Around ... Comes Around when pressed for comment.

As for Littrell, he'd rather discuss the Boys' 2007 album Unbreakable, which marks a return to their dance-pop roots, following the pop-rock terrain explored on 2005's Never Gone.

"The Backstreet Boys wanted to get back to doing what we feel we're pretty good at," he says. "If you see our show, you'll notice the Backstreet Boys haven't changed a lot. We've grown up, but our sound is still very signature to who we are."

Having earned the begrudging respect of those who'd dissed them in the past, the Boys now find it easier to live in public -- something that wasn't possible when their images were still plastered on the cover of Teen Beat.

"We've grown up in the public eye, but I think there's a different sense of who (we) are today," says the singer, a devout Christian who released a faith-based album in 2006. "When I go out in public to eat with my family, and people recognize me or look at me funny ... I think they have a little more respect for who I am as a person, rather than just being a flashy pop star."

That sense of respect also exists among the Boys themselves, whose history hasn't always been harmonious, despite outward appearances.

"The Backstreet Boys of today are more together than we ever have been in the past," says Littrell. "When I was with the guys in Tampa doing the World Series game, we all got up together and had breakfast at the hotel. The Backstreet Boys of 10 years ago -- we never did that. Our lives were too crazy and too far apart, and we all had our own agendas going on because our success level was at such a crazy high. But today, you'll find we have one of those bonds ... that will stand the test of time -- the good times and the bad. We need each other and we know that, so we're happy to be doing what we do."

TRL Finale Live airs November 16 at 8pm ET/PT

Imagine a television show that draws biggest and hottest recording artists, actors and celebrities on most weekday afternoons. That's what Total Request Live, a.k.a. TRL, has delivered for 10 delicious years on MTV. Hosted by Damien Fahey and Lyndsey Rodrigues in recent times and originally by Carson Daly, the show was the place to be if you wanted to get a glimpse of superstars greeting screaming fans inside MTV's Times Square studios and out.

But all good things must come to and end and on November 16, MTV is going to throw ridiculous celebration, Total Finale Live! A parade of celebrities and performers like no other will take a last stroll through the TRL studio set and past the squealing audience as we look back at a decade of incredible shows, guests, music videos and more.

Beginning October 21, TRL will count down to the big finale with flashback shows on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Each one will celebrate the TRL legacy by looking back at memorable guests, the hottest performances, the funniest moments and so many more highlights from 10 years of TRL.

And as November 16's Total Finale Live draws near, MTV will be calling on the biggest celebrities to join in our celebration of one of the defining shows in popular culture. Already, enormous stars that are synonymous with TRL -- Beyonce, Fall Out Boy, 50 Cent and the Backstreet Boys -- have told us that they'd be honored to perform during the final TRL party.

Also confirmed to take part in the show are TRL superstar mainstays Diddy, Mariah Carey, Ludacris, Snoop Dogg, Nelly, Taylor Swift, Hilary Duff, Good Charlotte's Benji and Joel Madden, Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst, and Korn's Jonathan Davis, all of whom will be there to talk about TRL's place in pop culture and in their hearts.

And who will they be talking to? Well, Carson Daly and Damien Fahey will co-host Total Finale Live, and they'll be joined by a cast of MTV VJs that will include Lyndsey Rodrigues, Vanessa Minnillo, Dave Holmes, Jesse Camp, Hilarie Burton, La La Vasquez and Quddus! And the party is still coming together, so keep checking in here for the latest developments.

So whether you're a fan of TRL today or were one of the very first fans who called 800-DIAL MTV to register a vote for your favorite music video of the day, be sure to watch Total Finale Live on November 16! It's an event you won't want to miss!

SOURCE: MTV TRL

Backstreet Boys dazzle devoted fans at the Arena

Backstreet Boys dazzle devoted fans at the Arena
Heartthrob group performs a mix of favorites and new stuff for a mostly teen crowd.
By Brad Patton
November 03, 2008
The Times Leader

The biggest-selling boy band in history entertained a small but spirited crowd at the Wachovia Arena at Casey Plaza on Saturday night.

Backstreet Boys, with their trademark harmonies and dazzling choreography, performed their greatest hits and songs from their latest album while the audience made up of mostly teenage girls shrieked in delight.

The foursome of Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, Brian Littrell and A.J. McLean, who burst onto the scene in 1997 with a self-titled record full of hits, were introduced like prizefighters and performed their opening number in a boxing ring. (The other Backstreet Boy, Kevin Richardson, left the group in 2006.)

“We are going to take you on a trip down memory lane and sing some songs from our new album,” Dorough said after the third number.

“Thanks to you, Backstreet Boys have been a band for over 15 years,” chimed in McLean. “We love each and every one of you.”

After a slew of selections from their 2007 album, “Unbreakable,” the boys led a sing-along on one of their biggest hits, “I Want It That Way,” a song from their second album, which spent 10 weeks atop the Adult Contemporary chart and reached No. 6 on the Hot 100 in 1999.

Other early highlights included a trio of songs from the new record: “Any Other Way,” “You Can Let Go” and “Unmistakable.”

Each member of BSB took a turn in the spotlight beginning with Dorough, who sang a new song called “She’s Like the Sun,” which will be featured on his upcoming solo album. Carter did “I Got You” from his 2002 record “Now or Never,” and Littrell did the title track from his 2006 album, “Welcome Home.”

The best of the bunch was McLean’s offering, “Drive By Love,” which prominently featured a wailing electric guitar and was the most radical departure from the BSB sound.

After “More Than That” from 2000’s “Black & Blue,” the four singers jumped off the stage, giving kisses to some of the screaming girls. Then McLean announced the boys will begin recording a new album in December, and the girls screamed some more.

Beginning with a medley of “Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)” and “As Long As You Love Me,” the giant screens alternated between scenes from Saturday’s show and clips from their videos of the late 1990s. Throughout the evening, with just about every song came a change in wardrobe as the boys went from silk boxing robes to black leather jackets to sleeveless T-shirts.

Other standouts included “Trouble Is” and “Incomplete” from the latest album, and “All I Have to Give” and “I’ll Never Break Your Heart” from the first one.

BSB ended with a supercharged version of “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)” and encored with “Shape Of My Heart.”

Donnie Klang, who was awarded a solo contract from Diddy following his appearance on the 2007 season of “Making The Band,” opened the show with a 25 minute set. During his final number “Easier Said Than Done,” he passed out a dozen red roses to audience members.

Backstreet Boys keep their hits out front with plenty of show

Backstreet Boys keep their hits out front with plenty of show
By Jon Fassnacht
November 01, 2008
Reading Eagle

Last week the Backstreet Boys made a very public appearance in enemy territory, opening the first game of the World Series with “The Star-Spangled Banner” in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Thursday night, 24 hours after the Philadelphia Phillies dispatched the Tampa Bay Rays to win the championship, the group visited the suburbs of Phillies country, playing a show in the Reading Eagle Theater at the Sovereign Center.

To the group’s credit, the members did congratulate the team.

The boys, who rose to the top of the popular music landscape in the late ‘90s with a string of ubiquitous hits, has shrunk to four members from five -- Kevin Richardson has left, leaving Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, Brian Littrell and A.J. McLean -- and is well past its days of peak popularity. But it was clear they still love what they’ve been doing for half their lives.

Keeping with the Philadelphia sports theme, the show’s opening resembled a boxing match, with a miniature ring pushed out to center stage and each of the four Backstreeters sporting warm-up robes, while the backing quartet played the beginning of Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger.”

The song eventually morphed into the group’s mammoth turn-of-the-millennium hit, “Larger Than Life,” with the band singing and dancing in the ring, even incorporating boxing moves into the choreography.

The crowd of a couple thousand was composed of mainly 25-and-under females who screamed, sang along with most of the songs and took thousands of pictures.

The group’s 90-minute set featured every one of the band’s hits, including “I Want it That Way,” “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)” and a mashed-up version of “As Long as You Love Me” that bobbed over a foundation of the Spinners’ “I’ll Be Around”; plenty of outfit changes; a sizable number of newer songs from the band’s last two albums, a solo performance from each member and a lot of dancing.

Oh, and quite a bit of pandering to the ladies.

“If we had the time, we would come up and give each of you a big, juicy kiss,” McLean told those in the crowd, who immediately screamed with delight.

Opening for the boys was Donnie Klang, known for his stint on Diddy’s “Making the Band” show on MTV. Now a solo artist, Klang and two female dancers performed a 20-minute set of urban dance-pop. Due to his time on TV, many in the crowd were excited to see him, and it probably didn’t hurt the situation when he pulled up his shirt and gyrated.

Backstreet Boys and shrieking girls meet at arena

Backstreet Boys and shrieking girls meet at arena
By Brad Patton
November 02, 2008
The Times Leader

The biggest-selling boy band in history entertained a small but spirited crowd at the Wachovia Arena at Casey Plaza Saturday night.

Backstreet Boys, with their trademark harmonies and dazzling choreography, sang their greatest hits and songs from their latest album while the audience made up of mostly teenage girls shrieked in delight.

The foursome of Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, Brian Littrell and A.J. McLean, who burst onto the scene in 1997 with a self-titled record full of hits, were introduced like prizefighters and performed their opening number in a boxing ring. (The other Backstreet Boy, Kevin Richardson, left the group in 2006.)

“We are going to take you on a trip down memory lane and sing some songs from our new album,” Dorough said following the third number.

“Thanks to you, Backstreet Boys have been a band for over 15 years,” chimed in McLean. “We love each and every one of you.”

After a slew of selections from their 2007 album “Unbreakable,” the boys led a sing along on one of their biggest hits, “I Want It That Way,” a song from their second album which spent 10 weeks atop the Adult Contemporary chart and reached No. 6 on the Hot 100 in 1999.

Other early highlights included a trio of songs from the new record: “Any Other Way,” “You Can Let Go” and “Unmistakable.”

Each member of BSB took a turn in the spotlight beginning with Dorough, who sang a new song called “She’s Like The Sun,” which will be featured on his upcoming solo album. Carter did “I Got You” from his 2002 record “Now or Never,” and Littrell did the title track from his 2006 album “Welcome Home.”

The best of the bunch was McLean’s offering, “Drive By Love,” which prominently featured a wailing electric guitar and was the most radical departure from the BSB sound.

Following “More Than That” from 2000’s “Black & Blue,” the four singers jumped off the stage, giving kisses to some of the screaming girls. Then McLean announced the boys will begin recording a new album in December, and the girls screamed some more.

Beginning with a medley of “Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)” and “As Long As You Love Me,” the giant screens alternated between scenes from Saturday’s show and clips from their videos of the late 1990s. Throughout the evening, with just about every song came a change in wardrobe as the boys went from silk boxing robes to black leather jackets to sleeveless T-shirts.

Other standouts included “Trouble Is” and “Incomplete” from the latest album, and “All I Have To Give” and “I’ll Never Break Your Heart” from the first one.

BSB ended with a super-charged version of “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)” and encored with “Shape Of My Heart.”

Donnie Klang, who was awarded a solo contract from Diddy following his appearance on the 2007 season of “Making The Band,” opened the show with a 25 minute set. During his final number “Easier Said Than Done,” he passed out a dozen red roses to audience members.

Backstreet Boys return to deliver the goods

Backstreet Boys return to deliver the goods
By Alexander Choman
November 02, 2008
The Times-Tribune

WILKES-BARRE TWP. — The Backstreet Boys are back, alright.

That was clearly evident Saturday night at the Wachovia Arena at Casey Plaza as the talented foursome known as the Backstreet Boys, sang, gyrated and did everything seemingly right as the audience shrieked, oooohed and aaahed as the Boys showed that they are back and stronger than ever.

The Backstreet Boys in concert present a very polished, glitzy production of talented guys that have mastered multi-part harmony in the finest tradition of street corner, a cappella doo-wop. That’s not to say that they can out-sing Boyz II Men but it is to say that they know exactly what their audience wants and they deliver the goods.

It’s not clear whether the less-than-ominous entrance in boxing robes was a spoof on “Rocky,” a challenge to fight with music critics that have panned them from day one or a statement that they will keep fighting no matter what.

Nevertheless, the Backstreet Boys reverted to their saccharin-laced, syrupy harmonies that had the mostly female audience yearning for more all night. An aside to the Boys: It was not necessary for you to keep encouraging the girls to scream. They had that covered nicely by themselves.

The lineup now includes Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, Brian Littrell and A.J. McClean. Original member Kevin Richardson split off in 2006 to pursue a solo career.

While Mr. Richardson’s loss has not been catastrophic to the Boys in concert, they do present a slightly stripped down version of their five-part harmonies that vaulted their earlier work to stardom.

Let’s also not forget Max Martin, though, without whose able-bodied production and songwriting help the Boys may have never left the launching pad.

Each song’s opening notes were greeted with a frenzy of screams as their adoring audience turned into their backing vocalists and joined in on versions of “Larger Than Life,” “Everybody,” “Any Other Way,” “You Can Let Go,” “Unmistakable” and “More Than That.”

The ballad “Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely,” showcased the Boys sitting around a table playing cards, each with a glass of brandy telling their own tale of loneliness.

By contrast, their rousing version of “I Want It That Way” had the audience all on its feet singing along to every word each seeming to want to be the girl of the Boys’ dreams, as the song suggests.

Try as it might, even the acoustic imperfections at Wachovia could not dampen the Backstreet Boys’ performance as their buttery smooth harmonies overcame the continually neglected challenges of the mortar and steel building.

The Backstreet Boys have always been and continue to be a near perfectly assembled pop product.

I called them the Benetton Boys when they played at the Kirby Center. They have matured a great deal since then. They now shop at Abercrombie and Fitch.

The quartet did a very classy thing Saturday afternoon by visiting a young lady in a local hospital who was the victim of a hit-and-run incident.

The Boys signed autographs, posed for a picture and even gave the young lady a private, a cappella concert.

Very classy indeed.

Backstreet Boys Make Surprise Visit to Injured Girl

Backstreet Boys Make Surprise Visit to Injured Girl
By Eric Deabill
November 01, 2008
PA HomePage

WILKES-BARRE, LUZERNE COUNTY- Star-power made quite the difference in life of a local hit & run victim. A driver hit Jacki Nieratko 8-weeks ago on Davis Street in Scranton. She suffered brain trauma, a shattered pelvis and was left in a coma. But Saturday she had reason to smile.

It’s Saturday afternoon at the John Heinz Institute in Wilkes-Barre and the mood is anything but normal. There's a buzz in the air…

It’s all because the backstreet boys are in the building to surprise hit and run victim Jacki Nieratko. Jacki's fiancee Tim Black said, “It’s a dream come true for her. She's a fan of the Backstreet Boys since I've met her. This will help her morale and push her in the right direction so she can fight harder."

As the pop stars went into Jacki's room, the only expression that came over her face was shock. “It’s crazy... I can't believe it," said Jacki.

After singing to Jacki, the guys signed autographs and her family shared a few jokes.

Jacki's had a tough recovery process from the accident and this visit brightened her spirits. She still has rods in her pelvis that have to come out before she can start walking again.

Radio station 98.5 KRZ helped get the Backstreet Boys on board after Jacki's life long friend Amber Pacovsky told her story.

Amanda & Jeff Walker said, “They were moved by Jackie's story and the fact that her friend since she was five wanted to do something for her."

And do something they did, lifting her spirits and helping to focus less on the pain. Pacovsky said, “That tells me that they're real people and that they care and that they care about other people. They don't have a big head / egos because they're famous. That's a fan in there and they care about everybody."

Backstreet Boys Talk New Boy-Band Titans The Jonas Brothers, Old ‘NSYNC Rivalry

Backstreet Boys Talk New Boy-Band Titans The Jonas Brothers, Old 'NSYNC Rivalry
Group also reminisces about 'TRL': 'This is something that we've been a part of since the beginning,' Nick Carter says.
By Jocelyn Vena
October 30, 2008
MTV

Remember the good old days when the Backstreet Boys and ‘NSYNC were battling it out for boy-band supremacy, yet they wanted it to look like there was no rivalry and that things were cool between the two groups? Well, all these years later, the Backstreet Boys finally admit that there was definitely some competition during the late-’90s pop explosion.

“A healthy competition creates this big ball of energy that just doesn’t stop and continues to grow,” Nick Carter said. “Obviously, with ‘NSYNC and with us — we’re allowed to say it now, it’s OK — it was a lot of fun, and it pushed us to be better as a group. I’m sure it pushed them as well. It’s just like [Michael] Jordan and [John] Starks … and the world loves it. We were happy to be a part of it. And we’re still striving to be better.”

“We all fed each other,” Howie Dorough agreed. “Everyone was trying to be on top of their game. … The media sometimes made us out to have a rivalry going on. … There was never any animosity amongst us, but it made for a lot of fun for the fans to get out there and support both sides.”
And it wasn’t just during the fun times that loyal Backstreet Boys fans stood by their sides. The guys recall the time when A.J. McLean used the “Total Request Live” stage to tell the world that he was going into rehab in 2001. He says he chose “TRL” — which ends its 10-year run November 16 — because it was the obvious place for a pop act to go when announcing big news.

“I was definitely happy with that decision,” McLean said. “We had talked about how we were going to approach it. I left it up to the four other guys, ’cause I was going through such turmoil in my head. But I think the reason why we picked ‘TRL’ was because it was our hub. That’s where everything started for us. … What better way to reach the fans? What better place for us to talk to people and be that honest with the situation?

“I still, to this day, have not watched the episode,” he added. “I’ve seen bits and pieces of it, and then when I see Kevin cry, I stop.”

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the guys recall having the power to shut down the center of the Big Apple during a “TRL.” “You used to be able to see out the windows, and then after that, they blacked out the windows and wouldn’t let us go near the windows,” Brian Littrell remembered. “We literally shut down Times Square. I remember it being calmer, then it became crazy.”

The guys will be on hand for the “TRL” finale, where they’ll be performing some fan favorites for the crowd. Nick isn’t ready to see it go. “Sad. This is something that we’ve been a part of since the beginning,” he said. “So many great memories. Why are you taking it off? What’s wrong with you guys? Things have to change.”

The guys are no stranger to change. In 2006, founding member Kevin Richardson left the group, and now the guys are pursuing “new goals.” Dorough said Richardson is in “such a good place right now,” raising a family and pursuing an acting career.

“In the beginning of the tour [this year], we left a gap onstage where Kevin would be, and then it started closing up,” Carter said. “We love him to death. We have to move on. We have new goals and dreams.”

The guys have since released new music and plan to release more next year. They also continue to tour, all with Richardson’s blessing. And despite how weird it still is to not have him around, they have no plans to slow down anytime soon. “We’re the happiest we’ve ever been. We’re all united,” McLean said, and Carter added that this is going to be the beginning of a new era — a fresh start for the guys.

And pop music today is as hot as it was nearly a decade ago, thanks to acts like the Jonas Brothers, and the Backstreet Boys are passing the boy-band torch to their former tourmates. “They opened for us on the ‘Never Gone Tour.’ They’re a talented bunch of kids. They’re growing up fast,” Littrell added. “I don’t feel reluctant to give them advice. I’ll never forget: We were doing a show in Florida with the Temptations, and one of those guys stood up and said, ‘This is show business, and as you’re doing your show, your business could be running out on you.’ I’ll never forget that.”

What MTV’s Biggest Backstreet Boys Fans Really Wanted To Ask The Band?

What MTV’s Biggest Backstreet Boys Fans Really Wanted To Ask The Band
After a decade-long crush on the Backstreet Boys, I had the pleasure of meeting them on Tuesday. I was finally in the same room as Nick (my crush of the group), AJ, Brian and Howie! (Unfortunately, not Kevin, since he left the group a while back.) If the show “Fanatic” still existed, this would have made for great TV.
When I first found out, I immediately freaked out. What would I wear? I was getting to meet Nick Carter. I had to look good.
My colleagues Christina Garibaldi and Nicole Guanlao were equally excited. We all began to wonder what we would talk to the boys about. What kinds of questions should John Norris ask them? I mean, there’s so much to cover with a group of guys who just might be the greatest boy band of our time.
Though in the end, we opted for what would be considered “real” interview questions, we came up with a few somewhat inappropriate ones in our brainstorming session.
Here what we would have asked:
1) Were you really in space for the “Larger Than Life” video? Follow-up: Do you feel Lance Bass stole your idea?
2) When you guys tour, is Johnny No Name the opening act? If not, would you consider it, and would he have to audition first?
3) Halloween’s coming up. If I wrapped you up in toilet paper to look like mummies, would you perform the dance from the “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)” video?
4) Nick, do you wish mushroom haircuts would come back in style?
5) Where do you guys get your facial hair groomed? It’s always been impeccable.
6) Finally, now that Kevin is out of the group, who does the speaking part in “I’ll Never Break Your Heart”? If you need someone, I can do it.
Although we may never know where the guys stand on these hot-button issues, I still haven’t caught my breath from meeting them. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Unless, of course, they want to do it again. Call me, Nick.

Source : MTV Newsroom