The NC Corner Collection of Articles Vault

2010-06-03T12:24:00.001+08:00

Vocal group performs Saturday at Wild Adventures

In reality, the vocal group was never really gone, and they will prove that Saturday night when they take the stage at Wild Adventures.

The group has sold over 130 million albums worldwide and is one of the best-selling vocal groups of all time. Their sophomore U.S. release, “Millennium,” which featured the singles “I Want It That Way” and “Larger Than Life,” is one of the top 10 best-selling albums of all time.

While they may not be the boy band that they were in the late 1990’s, the group has matured — not only in age but in sound.

The group’s “This Is Us” tour, named after their latest album, which takes the guys back to their original rhythm and blues-influenced pop music style, has already hit many places around the world — Europe, Russia, Japan, India, Korea, Australia, China and even a show in the United Arab Emirates.

The United States/Canadian leg of the tour, according to Backstreet’s Howie Dorough, will be the same.

“We put together a great tour that we’re really proud of and we’re (taking)

it all around the world with us,” Howie told The Valdosta Daily Times. “It’s a very entertaining show for our fans, to come out and hear some of our greatest hits, as well as the new album, and hopefully take them on a trip down memory lane. Hopefully, (we can) give them a chance to get them away from whatever is happening at home for a good experience.”

The tour, while simple, features the four members of the group — Howie Dorough, along with Nick Carter, Brian Littrell and A.J. McLean — a DJ and four back-up dancers. There is a lot of dancing and theatrics. The show is a mix of new songs and old songs, including their very first single, “We’ve Got It Goin’ On,” which they haven’t performed live in years.

The first single off the album, “Straight Through My Heart (Soldier Down),” while catchy with a dark, vampire-themed video, didn’t top the radio charts, but the group has no doubts when it comes to their new music.

“I think we would have liked to have our song played a little more on Top 40 radio,” Howie said. “As an artist, you put your heart and soul in creating a body of work. You want people to hear it. Thank God we have our fans out there who will find our music wherever it is. It would be nice to once again have the masses out there hear our music. We believe in our music and we believe in our product and we have loyal fans that are there for us, and whether it’s radio played or not radio played, we’re fortunate to provide music that way.”

Howie, the oldest member of the group, also has a connection to South Georgia.

His father, the late Hoke Dorough, who passed away two years ago this month, is originally from Cordele. Howie also owns the new Country Inn & Suites in Cordele as a part of his expanding real estate ventures.

“I have family not far from you guys up in Cordele. We drive up from Florida, all the way up to Valdosta. We always get off at that exit every so often and eat at the Japanese steakhouse,” he said.

He expects his family to come down to the concert since it’s the first time the group has performed in South Georgia.

“They would always have to drive to Atlanta to see me. I don’t know what they’re going to do. All the woodwork is going to open up and it’ll be all Doroughs,” he laughed.
For Howie, family has become much more important to him since the arrival of his son, James Hoke Dorough, last May.

Touring has also been a drastic change for him.

“My wife (Leigh) and son come out with me every so often,” he said. “They were on the tour with me over in Europe. We shared a bus together with Brian and his family. It was during the time when ... (my son) was a little bit younger and he would wake up during the night. My sleep has definitely lessened a little since he’s been around ... but it’s great. I’m enjoying the tour in a different light now. It’s almost like we have an extra body with us. Now, it’s not just about me and my wife, enjoying our days off. Now, we have a child and we think about things that we can do with him.”

In April and May, the Backstreet Boys performed two live and up-close acoustic shows in California and New York while in the area doing promotion for the new tour.

“This was just a little thing for the fans to see us more than just on TV,” Howie said. “We all had so much fun with them ... We love doing the private, intimate concerts that give the chance for the fans to get close to us.”

Since “This Is Us” was released last fall, the group has already started talking about their next album.

While their main focus right now is the tour, they have discussed writing songs and coming up with concepts and directions for the new albums.

“We haven’t gotten into the studio yet, so it’s all prep work right now,” Howie said. “We haven’t really reached out to any producers in particular right now. Everybody’s enjoying the break right now, but when we get back out on tour, the ideas will start flowing.”

Unfortunately, that album will not be with their longtime label, Jive.
In an announcement that was posted on their official site, www.backstreetboys.com, on May 27, the band announced that the split was “amicable” and the group was very excited for what the future holds for the Backstreet Boys.

Source: Valdosta Daily Times

THIS IS US TOUR: Backstreet Boys Host After Party In Ultra 88 At Mohegan Sun

2010-06-03T12:22:00.001+08:00

Official after party hosted by some of the members of the Backstreet Boys following their performance on June 15th at Mohegan Sun

The Backstreet Boys keep the party going with their official after party in Ultra 88 Night Club following their performance on Tuesday, June 15th in Mohegan Sun Arena. The party starts at 9:00pm, and appearances by some members of the Backstreet Boys will take place after their show in Mohegan Sun Arena.

Tickets are $25.00 and go on sale Tuesday, June 8th at noon at the Mohegan Sun Box Office. Tickets can be purchased over the phone through the Mohegan Sun Box Office at 860.862.8499 or in-person at a ticket window. Tickets purchased after Monday, June 14th at 8:00pm must be purchased through Ultra 88 directly. To purchase tickets after June 14th at 8:00pm or for VIP Table reservations with bottle service, please call 860.862.7042. Ticket purchasers and attendees of the event must be 21 or older.

Mohegan Sun, owned by the Mohegan Tribe, is one of the largest, most distinctive and spectacular entertainment, gaming, shopping and meeting destinations in the United States. Situated on 240 acres along the Thames River in scenic southeastern Connecticut, Mohegan Sun is within easy access of New York, Boston, Hartford and Providence and located 15 minutes from the museums, antique shops and waterfront of Mystic Country. More information is available by calling 1.888.226.7711 or visiting mohegansun.com.

Source: Mohegan Sun.Com

THE BACKSTREETBOYS: Forming The Backstreet Band

2010-06-03T12:18:00.001+08:00

The Backstreet Boys started out as an idea from Orlando businessman and entrepreneur, Lou Pearlman who had an interest in the music business. After seeing the huge success of New Kids, a group of five boys taken from the streets of Boston to form a band, Pearlman knew he could achieve the same feat here in Orlando. Advertisements for 'male teen singers that move well between 16-19' were soon appearing at local high schools, drama schools in the Sentinel and the Florida Blue Sheet.

With hundreds of applications, auditions for the band were soon underway. The Backstreet Boys, as we know them today, were not the first group that was selected. Originally the first five were AJ McLean, Howie Dorough, Nick Carter, Charles Edwards and Sam Licata. Artistic differences lead to a breakup with Charles and Sam in 1993, leaving The Backstreet Boys 2 short. This short-lived group's first job was performing at the Fashion Square Mall.

In desperation to re-form the The Backstreet Boys, auditions were immediately restarted. Through mutual friends, Kentucky native, Kevin Richardson, who was working for Disney at the time, was recruited into the band. Pearlman tried to stay with his original plan of having a group of Orlando teens, but after several unsuccessful weeks of scouring Orlando for a fifth member, Kevin called Brian Littrell, his cousin in Kentucky, to come to Orlando for an audition. He was immediately taken into the group, that contrived it's name from the Backstreet Market, a teen hangout off of International Drive.

The current members of the Backstreet Boys had their first big concert at SeaWorld Grad Night, just 2 weeks after Brian joined the group. For exposure the group continued working at local malls, Pleasure Island, area nightclubs and restaurants. Within 6 months of forming, they were considered to be one of Florida's hottest acts.

The 1995, release of their single "We've Got It going On" was an instant hit in England and throughout Europe. By the end of 1996, the group had won multiple awards in Europe and Canada, achieved fame throughout Asia and Australia and sold nearly 10 million CDs worldwide. They returned to Orlando to work on new tracks for their U.S. album, BACKSTREET BOYS, which took the US by storm, and brought along a string of live TV appearances. But this fame was nothing compared to what their Millennium album brought, a record breaking 1,133,505 in sales, setting a record for the most albums sold in one week, ever!

AJ
Alexander James McLean
Born January 9, 1978
West Palm Beach, Florida

Local Schools - Denn John Middle, Osceola High School

First job as a model at the age of 7 at a local Boca Raton shopping mall, after that he began acting at local civic theaters. Moved to Kissimmee at the age of 12 - receiving several breaks with parts on Nickelodeon and the Disney Channel.

Howie
Howard Dwaine Dorough
Born August 22, 1973
Orlando, Florida

Local schools - Fern Creek Elementary, Winter Park Junior High, Edgewater High School
Attended UCF & Valencia Community College
First time on the stage was at the age of 6, when his older sister brought him to a community theatre where she was rehearsing for a production of The Wizard of Oz with the hopes of him getting a part as on of the munchkins. Ended up with a singing part, and four years later appeared in a different production of The Wizard of Oz, this time playing the tin man.

Nick
Nickolas Gene Carter
Born January 28, 1980
Jamestown, NY
Local Schools - Miles Elementary, Orange Grove & Young Junior Highs, Private tutors for high school

His family moved to Tampa when Nick was 4 years old. He was offered a job with the Mickey Mouse Club at the same as the Backstreet Boys. (He made the right choice, since the Mickey Mouse Club disbanded a couple of months later.) Nick is the youngest member of the group, having auditioned when he was only 12 years old. His first stage performance was in a small production of Phantom of the Opera at the age of 7. By 10 he was singing in front of 55,000 at pre-match and half-time shows for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Kevin
Kevin Scott Richardson
Born October 3, 1972
Lexington, KY

At the age of 18, Kevin moved to Florida in 1990 working first as a tour guide at Walt Disney, then moving into the entertainment section working as one of the Ninja Turtles as well as Aladdin in the street parades. Kevin also worked at local dinner theaters and as a model before joining the Backstreet Boys.

Brian
Brian Thomas Littrell
Born February 20, 1975
Lexington, KY
Living in Kentucky when he received word from his cousin Kevin that he needed to fly to Orlando as soon as possible to audition for the fifth member of The Backstreet Boys.

Source: Article at orlando.com

THIS IS US TOUR: Backstreet Boys Turn Back The Clock For Faithful @ Hard Rock Live

2010-06-03T12:06:00.000+08:00

For anyone around for the boy-band hysteria in Orlando in the 1990s, there’s something a little sad about a Backstreet Boys homecoming that fits into the relatively cozy confines of Hard Rock Live.

It’s hard to shake that mental image that the aging “boys” are only a couple tweaks away from becoming Elvis in Vegas or launching a dinner show in Branson, Mo.

Maybe it’s just the circle of life in pop music.

But if being downsized is a bummer for the remaining group members – Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, AJ McLean and Brian Littrell – it wasn’t apparent in a visually splashy sold-out show on Tuesday at Hard Rock. If anything, the guys delivered an arena-sized spectacle at point-blank range, a 95-minute production that was consistently fun to watch even if you don’t want to admit it later.

Hakuna Matata!

Yeah, a fair amount of the choreography is still laughable, especially all those semaphore-style hand signals. And most of the two dozen makeup artists listed in the closing credits on the big video screens must have been assigned solely to slathering on AJ’s mascara.

And songs such as the monotonous “PDA” are mind-numbing reminders that not all of the Backstreet Boys catalog comes equipped with big, lovable choruses. Inexplicably, the group decided to extend that clunker on Tuesday, inciting one of those tired competitions to see which side of the room was louder.

They really needn’t have bothered. Although it was a smaller crowd than in the old days, the screaming was formidable from a mostly female audience that looked to be twentysomething and beyond.

Some of the songs were worth the excitement: The medley of “Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)” and “As Long As You Love Me” was a blend of voices, dance moves and infectious hooks descendant from the Motown tradition.

And the elaborately produced video spoofs that put the Backstreet Boys into films such as Fight Club and The Matrix turned a costume-change time-killer into a nice showcase for the group’s sense of comedy.

A little more of that personality in the actual performance would have been nice, especially in place of a few of the sappy ballads that made the singers (especially Nick) go all goofy with melodrama.

Maybe he was just caught up in the moment.

“This is where it all began,” Brian said, waxing nostalgic. “It’s been 17 long years, but it’s gone by so fast.”

If the glory days are gone, the Backstreet Boys can still turn back the clock at least for a night.

Source: Orlando Sentinel

THE BACKSTREETBOYS: Warn Lady Gaga To Watch Her Finances On 'The Bonnie Hunt Show'

2010-04-16T00:05:00.001+08:00

It seems like these days everyone is worried about Lady Gaga. Janet Jackson and Ryan Tedder have both warned Gaga that she may need to slow down a little before she burns herself out. And, when the MTV Newsroom's favorite boy band Backstreet Boys stopped by "The Bonnie Hunt Show" on TWednesday (April 14) to hang out and have a little fun (which they did), they wanted to share some of their music industry wisdom with the superstar.

"I think we were actually in New Zealand where Lady Gaga was," Brian Littrell recalled. "The reason I mention Lady Gaga because our production manager was talking to her production manager. I wanted to tell her when you over budget yourself [for a tour], you come home broke."

Nick and the guys joked that the man in the group who is the money honey is Howie "Trump Jr." Dorough. Nick added that the guys had to learn all on their own how to handle their finances. "We had to learn ourselves. Who needs a two million dollar video anymore?" he joked about the band's high-tech "Larger Than Life" clip. "We learned along the way and the only people we could trust was ourselves. We can't tell people out there what to do."

With that more serious topic out of the way, the guys shared photos of their kids (Howie and Brian have babies — adorable ones!) and even shared what they do when they hit the road, joking that most of the time all that they can do is hang out with each other, even on days when that doesn't seem like the best idea. Brian laughed, "We don’t always wake up on the right side of the bed."

Lucky for us BSB fans that guys did perform their track, "Bigger," off their album This Is Us. Was it amazing? Why yes. Yes it was.

Source: MTV News Room

Nick Interview: April 2010 In Rock Japan

2010-04-07T00:12:00.001+08:00

April 2010 - In Rock Issue - Japan
Translated by Tony of LD

Nick was doing some exercises, when I called him. While using earphone to chat with me, Nick still continue his exercises. From the other side of the phone, every now or then I can hear the gasps of breath causing by exercises like “ha…ha….”.What kind of exercises this guy is doing? With this kind of doubt, I started my interview with him.

–How’s going recently?
Nick: Awesome!

–You’re indeed very energetic. What are you doing recently?
Nick: I am keep doing some physical exercises. For the upcoming tour, itfs very important to store for the future..

–Yeah. You are coming to Japan again, aren’t you? Before that I want to ask you something about the set of show this time.
Nick: No problem.
–You have used many clips of movies. AJ said he played “Fight Club” like Brad Pitt. What about you?
Nick: This…We actually…Did AJ really talk about the movies with you?

–Yes.
Nick: I played “the Matrix “

–Wow, Matrix! What’s in it?
Nick: It contains many differences compare to the original one. It satisfied my craving for action movies.

–Why you chose this movie?
Nick: Because this kind of movie is very exciting. I love action movies very much. This time I played the role “Neo” that once played by Keanu Reeves. And this gave me a chance to show what I have learned. This makes me really exciting.

–Oh, that’s it. Keanu Reeves once said that this movie is a “body” movie. So before you start filming it you have to work out very good body. Had you done any special training?
Nick: No, no need. I just acted for about one and a half minute, it’s not that hard. So it didn’t give many burdens towards my body.

–Oh so that’s the way it is. Why you found out so many movies to perform it, this time? What’s the connection between those movies with your music and performance?
Nick: We are just doing our best to make our fans happy. After all, this is just a entertainment. This is a very special idea, isn’t it? We just wanna do something that nobody has done before. To put some short movies into the show isn’t it exciting? Nobody has done this before. We just wanna make fans feels like they are watching a movie.

–Did this idea come from you?
Nick: eh, this idea did come from me. But it also owe to every Backstreet Boys. As a group, we need to do one thing together so it will go on smoothly. Only in this way, the inspirations will keep coming.

–Last time you came to Japan, I went to see your shows in Kawasaki, it’s really a great show. Really energetic show. Especially when you were in the center of the show, you poured more energy into the show. Is that what you did on purpose? Is that your responsibility of the group to bring more energy into the show?
Nick: Energy is very important. Indeed, recently I paid most of my attention to how to control my work rate and my energy. Eh, it’s really important to control it.

–Everyone has their part of work on the stage, isn’t it?
Nick: In fact, we are keeping thinking about this question. Each one of us has different characters, not everyone can have all those ability. Just like someone can sing the highest pitch, not everyone can do that.

–Last year, Brian got the Swine Flu; you have to cancel some shows. And there’s a time that AJ lost his voice. Have you face this kind of problems?
Nick: I always try to keep fit by doing exercises, and I drink some vitamin drinks. But sometimes it happens even you are very careful, because we need to move from one place to another, it really drain us out, sometime we will break down. Even though, some shows still need to go on.

–Do you do exercises everyday?
Nick: After every show, I’ll let myself rest for some times. It will do no good to keep working without resting. But, right now I’m going back to work out everyday, I do it for our tour.

–Is it fun to do exercises? Or you just have to do it?
Nick: I love exercises very much. But if you ask do I just have to do it? My answer is yes. Yes, it’s something you just have to do. For keep youth, for a clear mind, for concentrating more, for not to get sick frequently, this is something we have to do. This is also a challenge towards me. I used to be bothered with the problems of figure.

–eh, eh, I know that. Ha-ha, By the way, you birthday is next week (Jan.1th 2010)?
Nick: Yeah, right.

–How will you celebrate it?
Nick: I haven’t decided it. Now I am thinking about it, too. Actually, I’m personally not that that kind of person that wants huge party. But this is my 30th birthday; I may invite many friends to come. Although I’m 30 right now, but I still feels like I’m still 20.

–Ah? You’re 30, too? It’s so unbelievable. The first time I interviewed you, you were like 15 or 16, that time you are just a boy band. Counting time, you’ve been on this stage for 17 years.
Nick: Yeah!

–Keep been successful for more than 15 years it’s not an easy thing.
Nick: It is. Thanks.

–Though you say you don’t feel like 30 years old, you still can’t deny it that with years are getting old, you fans are growing with you. Would your fans ask for you to change?
Nick: Our fans are just waiting for us to do things I like. They can’t foresee what will come from us next. But you do need to do something new to feed fans’ needs, and that’s what we do now.

–You definitely will continue to do good music, that’s also what fans want.–Yeah!

–Your new album last year “This Is Us”, it become the best foreign seller in Japan.
Nick: Cool.

–You have said you will be nervous before the show. Do you still have this problem?
Nick: No, not nervous at all. It’s kind like exciting; those hearts striking moments feel very good. Sometime I will get a little bit nervous, but it’s not the kind of nervous that make you forget what you should do. It just brings you excitement.

–In order to let everyone have a light heart onstage, you all have your own dress room.
Nick: No, we are share the same room.

–You love towards music is well know. You say you often go to studio to make music. Right now what kind of music will make you feel excited?
Nick: Right now, I’ve been listening to some old music. Especially blues music. I’m listening to some very old music right now, in order to seek the source of music. Knowing the basic of music can help you to master the core and style of your music. So I’m listening to that old music.

–I’ve heard that you were preparing for your second solo album. But you gave up half way? Why? Do you still wanna do a second solo album?
Nick: Actually I’m working on it right now.

–Who are you working with?
Nick: Right now I’m still doing it all by myself. In a word, I’m still writing songs right now.

–Alone?
Nick: Yeah, for now. I’m still searching. Searching for the style of the music. But, the basic style Pop and Rock will not change.

–when will you got time to record when will we hear this new album?
Nick: I’m still writing songs, i haven’t gone into the studio. During the time in Japan, I will continue writing some music. I may go to the studio after this.

–You’ll have a break in April and May, won’t you? AJ says he will have his solo tour during that time. Will you do something for your own solo album?
Nick: Yes, that’s how I plan it.

–Okay, can you spare me sometime to take some pictures for you then?
Nick: You can tell that I always put InRock in the first place.(Laugh)

–Thanks, I have saved many pages for you. I love your first album “Now or Never” very much. It’s a very outstanding pop and rock album. I especially love that song called “Miss America”. I’m waiting for the next album.
Nick: I will definitely release a second album. I’m quite confident.

–Besides music, you are into many different areas, aren’t you? Many people have invited you, right?
Nick: Yes, the cooperation with Jennifer Page turns out to be really successful.

–Jennifer Page? The one who sing duet with you?
Nick: Yeah, that’s her.

–Can you introduce her to me?
Nick: She’s a singer who has some hits in the late 90s. So, when she sent me invitation for cooperation, I thought there’s no reason to refuse her. So, I worked with her and we wrote song together.

–You wrote it?
Nick: I wrote it with her.

–What’s the name of that song?
Nick: It’s called “Beautiful Lies”.

–Is it the first duet that you have made?
Nick: Well, yeah.

–How can we hear this song? Will it be in your new album?
Nick: No, it’s just released as single. It’s her single. But you can buy it at iTunes. All you have to do is searching “Beautiful Lies” on iTunes.

–Then I’ll go to searching for it. I have told you that you new album have sold very well in Japan. How about the other country? Brian said you last album had been received by radio station in US. How about this time?
Nick: it’s a pity. But compare to US, we have done a not so bad job in other countries. But it’s not a bad things, on the contrary, it give us more opportunities to perform in other countries.

–Then next time when you come to Japan, do you have some personal activities?
Nick: Hee-hee, you may come across at some place in the mall. And maybe on the street of Harajuku. Maybe on the top of some building, shouting: Backstreet’s back!

THIS IS TOUR: The Beijing News Interview with Howie

2010-03-16T00:13:00.003+08:00

The Beijing News reported March 10as the youngest member of Nick on January 28 this year, enter the 30-year-oldthreshold, once accompanied by a number of "80 after" Backstreet Boysspent during adolescence has now become the "Backstreet man. "

This month17, the Backstreet Boys in the Capital Gymnasium Kai Chang, Howie D team onbehalf of the whole regiment accepted the newspaper interview，Howie DFace of the "breathing" in question, Howie D is still enoughconfidence in themselves.

Nick has always been envious impression about China Chinese Snacks

The Beijing News: Last come to China toperform how they feel? Chinese fans on-site response to what kind of impression?
>Howie D: We come to Chinamany times, and also very looking forward to this performance. Prior to a concert when the audience feels theperformance of China'sslow heat, but as the show progresses, slowly rising up the atmosphere.

The Beijing News: Last time there did not go to Beijing's attractions orenjoy snacks?
>Howie D:Having successfully hosted the 2008 Olympic Games, Beijing has been more and more people arewell known.

Beijingis its most attractive of our building, it is both a very modern high-risebuildings, there are a traditional Chinese residential areas, such as thecourtyard, which is very impact of a feeling. Nick has always been veryenvious of China'ssnacks, but that she has no chance to taste this we must find the opportunityto taste.

The Beijing News: Do youthink the new album is said that inside the "Bigger" and
"TheAnalects of Confucius" inside "Sanshierli" very fit?
>Howie D:there are now countries in the world "Chinese fever", this phenomenonhas affected us. Theconcert will be one we will be singing two songs in Chinese, but it really ishard to learn Chinese.

"Bigger"This song is written, people reached a certain age, stage of life began tothink more in-depth, relying on their own ability to bear the responsibilityalone, but can not always ignorant, and capricious. For us, this age group phaseshould be is 30 years old.

Totalk about players feeling there is love there is hate to spend the every day
The Beijing News: Kevinimpact of the withdrawal of the band of his life?

Howie D:Kevin's exit first of all, we can no longer get along with day and night, butwe are well aware of his thoughts at that time. His age and physical conditionis difficult to bear such a high-intensity tour, and he would also like to makegood management of his family, which is human. We never thought to dissolvethe combination.

The Beijing News: You havebeen together for seventeen years, and as time goes by, the feelings betweenyou, whether it has been conserved?

Howie D:We are a few people together every day is different, most of the time very easyto get along. However,several of our people, after all, their lifestyle is still not the same, surethere will be friction. I think several of our people is more like a family,there is love there is hate, but after all, spend the every day.

The Beijing News: Lookingback at your popular young years, there is no particular emotion or regret thatplace?

Howie D:Orchestra gone through a lot of ups and downs. But I think every moment onstage when the main line is the life of the other time is at rest. After a break we can do anoutright Backstreet Boys. Over the years there are many moments worth treasuring.After the planning isvery simple: we will continue to sing, to always love our fans.

Talkabout style of music
We focus on the Asian fans feeling

The Beijing News: Some people say you are the United States Teenpop (Teen pop)music of the most important promoter of how your own perception of the statusof the Backstreet Boys?
>Howie D:indeed, after our debut, there has been a lot of Teenpop singers and orchestra,only those who say that we are beginning. Of course, Teenpop as a typeof music, has also been too much criticism. Music itself is a variety offorms, and it is this multi-form giving the fans a lot of choices. Music is no good or bad, onlythe listener the feeling --- feeling nicely or not.

The Beijing News: how do you treat the "breathing"was, now the U.S.music scene, after all, is Beyonce, JAY-Z, and Lady Gaga the world.
>Howie D:those people in the hip-hop or R & B field, and our popular music iscompletely different disciplines. Yes, hip-hop in the United States is very fire, and popmusic by its extrusion particularly drastic. However, in Japan and China, we are still very popular.

The Beijing News: Do you focus on the future performances willmove it to Asia?
>Howie D:Our influence is the longest in Asia, whileAsian markets, we have always been valued. Just formed a delegation, we regardthe arranger and concert fans feel very focused in Asia, each of the tour isbasically also have Asian station, so far from center of gravity shift.

OnConcert
Willincrease the co-ordination of electronic and rock

The Beijing News: Do you goto this concert will be mature line, and many fans are holding nostalgic lookat the mentality, and are not afraid they will not meet?
>Howie D:This concert program arrangements for both "This Is Us" this album'ssongs, but also we are very familiar with some of the songs, so neither willlet the fans down to listen to songs, will not let holding of nostalgia to seethe mentality of fans disappointed. Of course, and fans can grow along with that we reallyhonor.

The Beijing News: previoushits such as "I'll Never Break Your Heart" "As Long As You loveMe" and "Get Down" if they would perform at the concert? Will change over the pastconcerts way?
>Howie D:of course, singing many of the previous tracks. The way the concert willincrease the number of electronic music and rock combination.

The Beijing News: You are nowthe album and the concert's primary audience is still the old fans. But you have songs in lateryears will take care of the new young people?
>Howie D:We know of many loyal fans of old will now bring their children to ourconcerts, they adopted such a way that the next generation of its own into theBackstreet Boys of the family. In fact, our music attracts all ages and differenttastes of the fans, as long as you are a people who love rhythm.

Source: Ent.Oeeee.Com

THIS IS US TOUR: Backstreetboys in Auckland

2010-03-12T00:24:00.003+08:00

When:Thursday 11th March, 7:00pm
Where:Vector Arena, Auckland CBD
Ticket Information: For tickets contact Ticketmaster – 0800 111 999
Website:www.ampresents.com

With worldwide record sales in excess of 100 million and 14 Top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, the Backstreet Boys are among the most successful pop groups in music history.

According to US Billboard 200 the group is the first artist since Sade to have their first seven albums reach top 10 on the chart.

In 2009 their latest album titled This Is Us was released and they are currently on the European leg of a successful World tour of the same name.

Today the quartet - Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, Brian Littrell and AJ McLean - have announced they will be extending the tour to include Australia and New Zealand.

"We are so excited to bring the This Is Us tour to New Zealand and we can't wait to see you in March 2010 dancing in the audience” said the band.

The tour showcases the latest album and of course all their greatest hits, including I Want It That Way, Everybody (Backstreet’s Back), I’ll Never Break Your Heart, As Long As You Love Me, The Shape of My Heart and Incomplete.

The Backstreet Boys are back – alright!

Source: Events@MSN.Com

Backstreet Boys - better, if not bigger, than ever

2010-03-11T12:35:00.002+08:00

The Backstreet Boys arrived in the country this afternoon ahead of their concert at Auckland's Vector Arena on Thursday.

Nightline's Ali Ikram - who is a very, very big fan of the Backstreet Boys, it has to be said - is still wondering why he was the only journalist there.

In the late '90s, when boy bands were king, the Backstreet Boys sold over 100 million albums. No one could walk in slow motion like them, and no other boy band understood fully that being in love looks frightfully similar to constipation.

But their arrival at Auckland Airport could not have been more low key, the boys confronted by just two fans seeking photos.

The Backstreet Boys have been to New Zealand before, but only to do promotion - this will be their first concert.

The hardcore posse of local fans saw all four of the group's Australian concerts.

"Last night in Brisbane one of the members, Brian, acknowledged me on stage," says Jenny Zindell. "He was like, 'Is this four or five shows you're going to?' So he was adorable."

But having Backstreet in New Zealand is the culmination of a decade's lobbying by fans and a petition with thousands of signatures.

While the ladies at the airport have seen as many as 14 concerts, Thursday night at Vector will special.

"It's extremely overwhelming," says Kirsten Mander. "We got pretty emotional on the plane coming over, it's great to have them here finally."

They've survived the departure of Kevin Richardson, rehab and legal wrangles, but their fans believe after 17 years the boys are better than ever.

Source: 3news.Co.Nz

Backstreet Boys are back

2010-03-11T12:33:00.001+08:00

Seventeen years after the chart-topping Backstreet Boys formed, they're about to play their first New Zealand show.

When the Backstreet Boys formed in 1993, no one anticipated the group would have the success or longevity they would achieve - least of all whomever named the group.

After newspaper advertisements and auditions in 1992 and 1993 and the departure of three early members, the five who would go on to stardom - with pop ballads such as I'll Never Break Your Heart, As Long As You Love Me and I Want It That Way - were found.

Now aged in their 30s, the Backstreet Boys have been through one rumoured stint in rehab for drug addiction, an open-heart surgery and a lawsuit against former manager - and the group's creator - Lou Pearlman, who the group sued for cheating them out of earnings.

Their lineup has also changed again (their fifth member, Kevin Richardson, left in 2006) but despite all the changes that came with growing older, their name will stay the same, member Brian Littrell says.

"One of the very first questions we ever got when we first started the group was 'when you guys get older are you going to change your name to the Backstreet Men or the Backstreet Guys or whatever' and the answer was no then, and today, 17 years later, it's still no. We'll always be the brand known as the Backstreet Boys."

With bandmates Nick Carter, AJ McLean and Howie Dorough, the group is about to perform in New Zealand for the first time, as part of their worldwide This Is Us tour.

"I think we stopped in there - this sounds really bad - I think we came there one time like 11 years ago and we popped in so fast, we were probably there for 20 minutes," Littrell says.

"We've never performed live there with the band and the show so we're really, really excited to come and see what the fans' response is gonna be."

The group is "doing just fine" and "moving fullsteam ahead" as a four-piece, Littrell says.

"The door is always open for Kevin if he wants to come back but at the end of the day the Backstreet Boys, from now till whenever he does decide to come back, we're a four-member group now and we're just continuing on."

A naive 18-year-old when he joined the Backstreet Boys, Littrell is now 35, with a wife and son, and calls the southern state of Georgia home.

Back then, he'd planned to go to Bible School on a vocal scholarship, make Christian music, and maybe become a teacher.

"I thought I had my life planned out. I was going to go off to college and live a normal life and not really pursue entertainment, but still be involved somehow with music because music was going to pay my way through school. That would have been my path."

He says the industry has changed greatly since the group first rose to fame, largely because of the internet and music downloading, and the creation of shows such as American Idol.

"With the internet, with downloading, I don't think that the Backstreet Boys will ever sell a million records the first day. It's probably impossible for anybody other than, say, a Michael Jackson or somebody like it.

"Things change all the time, it's inevitable that we're gonna get older, our fans get older, the industry changes, it gets faster and faster...

"Our rise to fame wasn't easy and we've really worked hard for the things that we have."

Littrell laughs when told of a plan by gossip blogger Perez Hilton and music manager extraordinaire Simon Fuller, who created the Idol franchise, to find "the next generation Boy Band".

"Are you kidding me? Really? Wow. My advice is good luck. It's a lot tougher than people think it is.

"It doesn't matter if you have Perez Hilton or Simon Fuller [although] I'm sure that in a way having someone like that behind you, they will be very very successful. But my advice to them is good luck and be prepared to work, and work hard, because it takes a lot, it takes a whole lot."

As for the Backstreet Boys - they plan to continue on as long as there are still fans buying their records and coming to their shows.

"It's fun doing what we do, travelling the world, putting on shows, singing a lot of the old hits but also introducing a lot of new music, and that's important to us.

"If it ever got to the point where I hated it, then I wouldn't do it anymore but right now I don't see why we couldn't have a consistent balance of homelife and pop stardom for the next 10, 15 more years."

The Backstreet Boys perform at Vector Arena in Auckland on March 11.

SOURCE: Stuff.Co.Nz

Backstreet Boys arrive in Manila

2010-03-07T17:05:00.000+08:00

MANILA, Philippines - Popular American vocal group “Backstreet Boys " arrived here Friday (February 26) for a one-night concert at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City on Saturday.

The band consists of A. J. McLean, Howie Dorough, Brian Littrell and Nick Carter.

In an interview with ABS-CBN News, the band expressed their happiness in performing again for their Filipino fans.

"Thanks for welcoming us back. Hoping to have a great show tomorrow and hope you guys come out," Dorough said upon the group's arrival at Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Pasay at around 12:30 p.m..

Formed in Orlando, Florida in 1993, Backstreet Boys is considered one of the biggest selling groups of all time. The band has released a total of seven albums and has sold over 130 million records worldwide.

Backstreet Boys is expected to entertain their Filipino fans and supporters with their hits -- "Get Down (You're the One for Me)," "I'll Never Break Your Heart," "Quit Playing Games With My Heart," and "If You Stay."

Source: ABS-CBN News

Boys no more: Backstreet's a grownup-man band

2010-03-07T16:58:00.001+08:00

I'll admit two things: I was one of the millennium teenage generation for whom oxygen came in the form and sounds of bubblegum pop cohorts. And secondly, I was frankly awestruck when I met two members of one of the most successful and enduring groups Brian Littrell and Nick Carter of the Backstreet Boys (BSB) yesterday.

Yes, I was there when BSB's tunes like 'I'll Never Break Your Heart' and 'I Want It That Way' were my sentimental anthems. I was also there when the group went through its trials and tribulations. How Nick and A.J. McLean battled their alcoholism and drug abuse; when Nick tried to set off a solo career and dated Paris Hilton; when eldest member Kevin Richardson quit the group; and whenever closest rival boyband N'Sync scored a one-up over BSB

Looking back, I hope I didn't sound too much like a gushing groupie in front of them.

The band put up a 100-minute concert at the Suntec Convention Centre last night as part of their This Is Us world tour. Two of the boys, Brian and Nick, met reporters right after flying in from the Philippines, their previous destination.

As expected, questions thrown at one of the world's most successful pop acts of the 1990s and 2000s, who just released their seventh studio album This Is Us last September, revolved around their evolution. Most evidently, the use of the 'boyband' title on a bunch of men whose youngest member, Nick, is now 30.

Brian explained, "The term 'boyband' really depends on the fans, if that's what they want to see us as. We're never a boyband, we're a singing-harmony group."

Nick shot, "I never liked bubblegum! We're singers first. And we're special because such harmony groups don't exist."

"At a time when everything needed a label, 'boyband' was assigned to us. There were a gazillion such groups out there. But we proved we can sing," Brian added. The devout Christian, whose latest tweet was a call for a prayer for earthquake-hit Chile, also joked that it's probably more appropriate to call them a "grownup-man band" now.

The 35-year-old is happily married, so is bandmate Howie Dorough, while A.J. is recently engaged. Is girls' favourite Nick feeling the itch, then?

"Me and my girlfriend are happy now but no," when asked if we can expect wedding bells anytime soon. "I'm not a marriage kind of guy."

Backstreet Boys started out 17 years ago in Florida and helped pave the way for a generation of boybands and girl groups, known for their young age, good looks, spiffy dance moves, and sex appeal, like N'Sync, Spice Girls and Westlife. Boasting global sales in excess of 100 million, many critics and watchers have been waiting for the day the bunch of Orlando natives split like their peers have, but the worst we've seen so far were a three-year hiatus and the consensual departure of Kevin, Brian's cousin, which reduced BSB to a four-piece.

The bestselling group still refuses to rule out a return for ex-member Kevin, "You never know. The doors are always open for him. He knows where to find us."

Brian, now assuming more responsibility in leading the group, reassured fans, "If we wake up one day and find it no longer fun, we won't do it anymore. But we're enjoying it and we also do it for our fans, who have a sense of loyalty to us. You can safely say we'll still be together."

Nick had a different take on things. "Someone in the group won't allow us to split," he sniggered. "Only death will stop him," revealing Brian to be the man holding the team together.

Is there any particular artiste that the band, which has experimented with R&B, pop rock and Eurodance over the years and worked with RedOne, Max Martin, Ryan Tedder and T-Pain in This Is Us, hopes to collaborate with?

Noting the recent trend of collaborating with a new, rising star, Brian and Nick expressed a desire to "go back to the classics." They picked soul legend Lionel Richie and Grammy monster Stevie Wonder.

Including last night's showcase, BSB has visited Singapore four times, and the island still holds surprises for them.

"A floating soccer field, seriously?", exclaimed Brian. Their hotel suite here overlooks Marina Bay and the world's largest floating platform, currently displaying a lush, green football field.

BSB will leave today for Perth, Australia, before heading to China. After that, they will return home to tour the US, before immediately starting work on a confirmed eighth studio album.

Source: Yahoo! Singapore News

The boys are back – again

2010-03-07T16:46:00.000+08:00

Remember the Backstreet Boys? The baggy trousers, the Kangol hats and those upbeat pop anthems that reverberated throughout the 1990s: I Want It That Way, As Long As You Love Me and Everybody (Backstreet’s Back), among myriad other lyrical gems.

Well, steady yourselves, people, because Backstreet’s back, part two. The quintet is down to a quartet (Kevin Richardson, the oldest member, left on friendly terms in 2006), but the boys are surging through the European leg of their new tour like a musical Hadrian’s army and before arriving for their first-ever Middle East gig in Dubai on December 17.

The tour is called This Is Us, appropriately named after their latest and seventh studio album, which was released last month. You will no doubt have heard the catchy first single, Straight Through My Heart, on radios across the land.
“We made it a point to go back to our roots,” explains AJ McLean (he’s the one with the goatee). “We were kind of adamant about making a lot of up-tempo tracks so we could bring it to our live shows. We’re dancing 85 per cent of it.”

Last week, the boys played two of these high-energy gigs in London and appeared on The X-Factor after-show, The Xtra Factor, where the controversial contestants John and Edward Grimes, or “Jedward”, said that the Backstreet Boys were their inspiration when they were growing up. “They may not be the best vocalists in the world,” McLean says, “but they’re having a lot of fun.”

McLean, 31, is familiar with matters of meteoric success. The Backstreet Boys formed 16 years ago and subsequently notched up sales of more than 100 million albums worldwide. They signed multimillion-dollar record deals, were besieged by hysterical teenage girls in cities across the world and littered their path with number-one hits.

But at the same time, the boys grew up. Brian Littrell (the blonde who isn’t Nick Carter) got married and had a baby, Howie Dorough followed suit, and Richardson left to pursue “the next chapter” of his life. The band’s next two albums, Never Gone (2005) and Unbreakable (2007), didn’t reach the dizzy levels of success that previous efforts did, and there were struggles with their record label, Jive. All that glittered was definitely not gold.

“We actually never stopped, though,” McLean says of the hiatus. “All that stuff about how we broke up, that was never the case.”

But 16 years on, is the name Backstreet Boys still appropriate? “It’s funny,” McLean says. “Look at other groups – The Beach Boys, the Pet Shop Boys, the Beastie Boys, they’re all still boys. It’s a brand. It will never change.”

So why the push now, with the worldwide tour and the new album? “We just love making music and it felt the right time to make a new record,” McLean says.

A good number of the fans, he adds, are grown up but still coming to gigs and bringing new faces with them. “Lots of them are married now and they’re bringing their sons and daughters with them. It’s starting a whole new fan base.”

The Backstreet Boys are in good company on this eternal boy-band merry-go-round. Take That’s summer tour this year was the fastest-selling tour ever in the UK. Westlife are toiling over a new album and there are whispers that ’N Sync (Justin Timberlake’s old band) might pull it back together. Does that worry the Backstreet Boys?

“We’re all friends,” McLean says wearily. “Obviously the press always want to make out a fight, but it’s not even close to that. We’ve all been friends for years.”

The recent death of Boyzone’s Stephen Gately was “definitely a shock”, he adds. “Hearing things like this about peers of mine, it really changes things. I don’t want to wind up dead in my hotel room.” Having previously spent time in rehab for drugs and alcohol, McLean is back on good behaviour, but calls it “a daily struggle”.

There’s plenty for him to focus on, though. In addition to the current tour, McLean is working on his solo career and releasing a debut album next year. He has a girlfriend, though admits to harbouring a “huge” crush on Lady Gaga. “I’m dying to meet her and do a song together,” he laughs.

And 20 to 30 years from now, will the boys still be churning out music? “Absolutely,” he says. “We might not be dancing as much. We might need our walkers on stage, but we’re doing this as long as our fans want us to and as long as we’re having fun. That’s the biggest thing.”

Source: The National.AE

Backstreet Boys – This Is Us Tour

2010-03-07T16:45:00.000+08:00

You haven’t lived until you’ve seen a gaggle of women in their late 30’s sing I Want It That Way outside the 02, complete with M&S knicker flashing. In fact, the whole place was teeming with oestrogen, waiting impatiently for four grown men to grace the stage and make them swoon. After much anticipation (and a booing session when Jedward arrived and took their seats), the Backstreet Boys finally emerged, belting out Everybody (Backstreet’s Back) to thunderous cheers. So far, so good. Then, rather unfortunately, the cracks appear and the show ends up becoming a rather tedious affair.

Perhaps the ‘boys’ feel that if Take That can come back strong after their wilderness years, then why not them? Sadly, I couldn’t help but think I was watching the cast of Dad’s Army. They’re very much men now, and the leaping about and (much) younger female dancers only added to the fact that their glory days are long behind them. The music itself is great, holding up surprisingly well after nearly 10 years. But why on earth do they throw away a bunch of memorable hits and sing about a third of them? The One, Quit Playing Games, The Call, Shape Of My Heart, all granted a verse, chorus, and then tossed aside. There was no real chance to enjoy some of their past successes in such a swift fashion.
But, of course, the main point of the tour is to showcase their new material, which went down like a lead balloon. Frantic pleading for audience participation only served to make it all the more cringe-worthy, with AJ running to the sides of the stage asking us all to chant “PDA” (Public Display of Affection apparently, one of the weaker new tracks). Seriously, I’d rather just pop to the bar if it’s all the same with you.

The many flaws aside however, any sort of credibility is completely unnecessary. Girls come to scream and wave banners and throw teddy bears at the boys, and gush excitedly on the train home about how ‘amazing’ it all was. For that purpose, it worked a treat. It certainly doesn’t mean that it’s the best concert you’re ever likely to see. If they claim that “This Is Us”, then maybe it’s best to pass.

Source: Pink Paper News.Com

Fans from a region arrive at the Belgrade Arena

2010-03-07T16:44:00.000+08:00

American boys band “Backstreet Boys” perform tonight at the Belgrade Arena. Fans from Bulgaria have already arrived, while fans from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Romania arrive today.

According to the concert organizers, the concert of Nick Carter and the boys has attracted great attention. Apart from Serbian fans, numerous admirers from abroad will also attend the concert at the Belgrade Arena. About a hunderd of avid fans from Bulgaria arrived in Belgrade on Monday, while about fifty girls from Zagreb will arrive today. Although the band “Backstreet Boys” has recently performed in the capital of Croatia, fans were so delighted that they decided to see the concert in Belgrade as well, but with special equipment. They plan to throw bras with their phone numbers at the band members!
To remind the readers, “Backstreet Boys” concert in Belgrade is part of their tour on which they are promoting their new album “This is Us“. Ticekts cost 2,310 dinars (grandstands), 2,410 dinars (pit), 3,010 dinars (fan pit) and 4,510 dinars (box) and can be purchased in Eventim, Bilet servis, IPS stores, Delta City and Belgrade Arena.

Source: BLIC.RS

Indian music becoming a rage in US: Backstreet Boys

2010-03-07T16:43:00.000+08:00

Bollywood and Indian music are often discussed in Hollywood and are slowly becoming a rage, say members of popular American band Backstreet Boys.

“Bollywood is constantly mentioned in Hollywood. Indian music is very influential and is slowing becoming a rage in the US. Even Indian movies are big there like ‘Slumdog Millionaire’,” Nick Carter, a band member, said.

The band is even open to an Indian association, if they like the music.

“We are always on the lookout for something new. If it makes an impact on our vision, we are open to any collaboration,” said Carter.

The artists were in India to participate in the Romanov Red Rock ‘n India music festival, which was held in the capital and Bangalore last weekend. They belted out their all-time hits at the shows.

When asked how they were feeling on Indian soil, Dorough replied: “This is our first trip here and we are so happy to be here. Hopefully, we will be back soon with our own show.”

Formed in 1993 in Orlando, Florida, Backstreet Boys originally had five members — A.J. McLean, Howie Dorough, Brian Littrell, Nick Carter and Kevin Richardson. However, in 2006 Richardson left the group to pursue other interests.
The band, which has released seven albums so far, created a place for themselves in the music industry with hit numbers like “Everybody”, “Quit playing games”, “As long as you love me” and “I want it that way”.

So how easy has it been to stay united, especially after 17 years of being together?

“We have a really good bond. We are a family. This is what we are supposed to be doing and we enjoy it. So splitting up never occurred even though we have been together for 17 years now,” said A.J.

Talking about their last album, “This Is Us”, Carter said it spelt quality.

“Our new album has some of our best works that we have done in a long time. Last few years we were in a discovery process and this album has captured all the hard work that we have been doing in the last five-six years.

“The material we have on that album is really quality material. The entire album is our sound, what we represent. It’s a kind of a get back on your feet album,” he said

Source: The Hindu.Com

Boy that was good!

2010-03-07T16:41:00.001+08:00

If you think they should be called Backstreet Men, think again. The Backstreet Boys, who took the stage at the Rock In India Festival, certainly proved that they can sing and dance as well or even better than they used to in the 1990s, when they were in their teens and early 20s.

Indian bands like Swarathma and Five Little Indians entertained the audiences first. Post which, Jayce Lewis from the UK, and Prime Circle from South Africa rocked the crowd. While Jayce played his popular songs like Icon, Prime Circle played songs like She Always Gets What She Wants and Consider Me, Consider You.

Ballad king Richard Marx greeted the audiences with a sweet Namasteji and started with When You Are Gone, and went on to perform his hit song, Hazard. “This is a sad song about a little town in the state of Nebraska called Hazard,” he explained.
Richard dedicated Through The Veins to his father. “He was a wonderful, generous man and the best musician I’ve known,” he said.

He then played a song called Here And Now, for which he had collaborated with the band Lifehouse. Richard had obviously saved the best for last — Right Here Waiting For You.
The Backstreet Boys comprising Nick, Brian, AJ and Howie, took the stage soon after. Starting with Everybody, Backstreet’s Back, the guys performed PDA, Quit Playing Games and As Long As You Love Me. “We are honoured and privileged to be performing in India. If it wasn’t for beautiful and lovely people like you, the Backstreet Boys wouldn’t exist,” said Brian.
Be it their all-time hits like Shape Of My Heart, The Call, Show Me The Meaning, or songs from the latest album This Is Us — She’s A Dream, Bigger, You Need Love and Bye Bye Love, the band mesmerised everyone.
The robotic dance movements for Larger Than Life took everyone by storm and I’ll Never Break Your Heart, their classic love song was dedicated by AJ, to “all the sexy ladies present.”

The Boys even played spoofs of Hollywood hits like The Matrix, The Fast and The Furious, Enchanted and Fight Club, in which they had starred. The band ended the show with their biggest hit I Want It That Way and current hit Straight Through My Heart.
People of all age groups were spotted thoroughly enjoying themselves.

Said singer Jerusha Verghese, “I was so excited to see Backstreet Boys. We have grown up on their music, and I knew all the songs that they sang.” Amazed at the impeccable song and dance show presented by them, she said, “I have done musicals and I know how difficult it is to sing and dance at the same time. They must have practised a lot.”
Her mother Leila, a Richard Marx fan said, “Hazard and Right Here Waiting For You were my favourite performances,” she said. “Many of the Backstreet Boys’ performances were really nice too. The only thing that made me angry was the fact, that they weren’t allowing water or eatables inside. They should make an exception, at least for the elderly.”

Source: Deccan Herald.Com

Backstreet Boys Lean on Classic Influences, Fresh Collaborations on October LP “This Is Us”

2009-09-01T08:24:00.002+08:00

8/28/09, 11:49 am EST

Photo: Ray Kay

Call them pop’s longest-running, most persistent group. Call them men, not boys. Just don’t call it a comeback. “We almost named the album that,” jokes Nick Carter, one-fourth of the Backstreet Boys, whose seventh studio effort, This Is Us, is slated for release on October 6th. “We’re the Brett Favres of the music industry.” Clearly, he and his bandmates are fed up with the public perception that they’ve taken an extended time out. They’re not ‘NSync, after all. “It does frustrate me,” says Brian Littrell. “Everybody asks, ‘Where have you been? What have you been doing?’ When we’re, like, ‘We’ve been touring the world, and working our butts off!’ ”

OK, so maybe the boy-band racket isn’t what it used to be. There are no million-plus first week sellers in today’s music business, and so many outlets vying for your attention that it’s easy to miss a respectable showing like Backstreet’s 2007 album, Unbreakable. Which is one reason why A.J. McLean, Howie Dorough, Carter and Littrell are looking back to a proven formula with This Is Us. “The idea was going back to those great R&B ballads as well as dance songs you can shake your butt to,” McLean explains. “And we were fortunate enough to work with some amazing writers and producers who got our concept and everything fit perfectly.”

Among the industry heavies to lend a hand: Ne-Yo, T-Pain, Pitbull, Ryan Tedder, Max Martin, RedOne, and beatmaker Jim Johnson. “The production on this record has been pushed a little more,” says McLean. “It’s edgy and current but also shows our love for the pop-R&B that we grew up on.” Carter interjects: “Jodeci, Boys II Men, Shai, New Edition… we had to go back and remember our influences and what taught us in the years when we were developing into a band.” And Littrell adds that if you were to take away all the bells and whistles, the basics of the song with that Backstreet sweet spot is what defines their raison d’etre. “That’s why Michael Jackson was a true artist,” he says, “because you could take away every beat and every layer and just dance to his voice. That vocal instrument is what we’ve always known, and I can honestly say without this sounding egotistical: when we sing collectively, there is a magic.”

Of course, they weren’t always in control of their instruments. Dorough likens recording sessions in the group’s early days in Florida to a “cold audition.” “We were all trying to find ourselves and our sound and working with producers that didn’t know any of our voices,” he recalls. Says Littrell: “We’d go in the studio, sing the whole song and we wouldn’t know who was singing what until we got the final mix from the label. We were kids and it was, like, ‘Wow.’ ”

Having seen their share of highs and lows over a 17-year career, the guys say that they’re now in a good place. “There’s really no conflict at all,” says Carter. “Our chemistry flows, we know what our strengths and weaknesses are, our goals are all the same and we work as a team.” Adds Dorough, “There’s no egos, no competition, we just want to make the best record we can.”

And aside from Carter’s brief stint as a TV star on E!’s House of Carters, the group hasn’t resorted to the usual promotional ploys — not that reality shows haven’t come knocking. “We had one offer to do a show about replacing Kevin [Richardson, who left the group in 2006], which we would never do,” McLean scoffs. For now, Aaron Carter will keep a foot in that world by competing on Dancing With The Stars this fall. “I’m so proud of him from coming out of such lows,” says the elder Carter, who’s lost 56 pounds in the last two years. “I’ve been there — I’ve changed my physical appearance and done things to better myself and he’s doing the same thing. I think he’s going to show a large amount of people how talented he is and that he really does deserve to have a shot in this industry.”

To that end, Carter and crew have some wisdom to impart on their presumptive successors, the Jonas Brothers. “Have a good balance and perspective on what you do,” offers Littrell. “I call it clocking in and out — I clock in to be a Backstreet Boy and at the end of the day, I wanna clock out, go home and be a husband and father. We rode a wave for, like, 10 years straight that was just go, go, go! We knew nothing different and we were sacrificing relationships with our own families because we were working all the time.” Adds Carter, “And invest your money wisely. Everybody knows you have your peaks and valleys and you need a good foundation.” Litrell couldn’t agree more. “Have a backup plan of who you are as a person,” he says. “Because once you get to the top, there’s only one way down and you have to land like a little butterfly — softly. That’s what we’ve done.”

SOURCE: Rolling Stone

Backstreet Boys will not perform in Bucharest

2009-07-07T09:45:00.000+08:00

The American band Backstreet Boys, initially scheduled to perform at the Polyvalent Hall on November 28, has canceled the show in Bucharest, the website of the band announced, following last week’s news that Bucharest would be on the list of the cities where the band plans to promote its latest recording.

According to the latest entry posted on the official blog of the band, Backstreet Boys has scheduled a show in Bamberg, Germany, on November 28.
This autumn, the band will kick of the “This Is Us” World Tour, promoting the homonymous album, due to be launched this year. The band will perform in cities such as Lisbon, Madrid, Manchester, Glasgow, London, Munich, Berlin, Dublin, Zagreb, Warsaw, Helsinki, etc.

The band Backstreet Boys was nominated to the Grammy Awards and sold over 100 million copies of their albums throughout their career, and was one of the most popular boy bands of all times.

The band was set up in 1993 and has sold over 75 million albums all over the world. Their first two albums, ‘Backstreet Boys’ and ‘Millennium’, were sold in over ten million copies in the United States alone.

Backstreet Boys rocketed to fame in the formula Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, Brian Littrell, AJ McLean and Kevin Richardson. In 2006, Richardson decided to leave his colleagues.

SOURCE

The band’s most famous songs include “Quit Playing Games (With My Heart),” “As Long As You Love Me,” “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)” and “All I Have To Give”.

Backstreet Boy Becomes Backstreet Dad

2009-05-08T07:59:00.000+08:00

7-May-2009
Written by: Kelcey Bridges

Backstreet Boy, Howie Dorough welcomes a baby boy. Backstreet Boy, Howie Dorough welcomes a baby boy. Backstreet Boy Howie Dorough welcomes a baby boy.

It’s a Backstreet Boy for Howie Dorough and wife Leigh. The couple's son, James Hoke Dorough came into the world on May 6, at 2:30 p.m. The baby was not due until June, but decided to make his grand debut a little early weighing in at 4.5 lbs. and 16 1/4” inches long. James’ middle name will honor Howie’s father who passed away from brain and lung cancer last year.

According to a statement released on the Backstreet Boys website,

“Both Mommy and baby are doing great and Howie D is an ecstatic new daddy. They’d like to thank everyone for their well wishes!!”

Baby James is number three in the tradition of little boy Backstreet babies. Fellow band mate Brian Littrell has a son Baylee, 6, and former band mate Kevin Richardson also has a son, Mason, 22 months.

Currently the Backstreet Boys are recording their seventh studio album, slated for release later this year.

Source: Celebrity Cafe

Backstreet's Howie Dorough and Wife Leigh Welcome Baby Boy

2009-05-08T07:57:00.001+08:00

HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — Howie Dorough is now a father!

The Backstreet Boy and his wife, Leigh, welcomed a baby boy Wednesday afternoon in Los Angeles, a rep for the pair confirmed to People.

The couple's first child, James Hoke Dorough, was born at 2:30 p.m. He weighed in at 4½ pounds and measured 16¼ inches, the magazine said.

Dorough met his future wife in 2000 when she was hired on to manage his band's official Web site. They were married on Dec. 8, 2007.

Dorough and his wife, both 35, announced the pregnancy in January.

"I know she's going to be a great mother," he told People when announcing the news. "If she can take care of me, the biggest baby in the entire world, I think she's going to be okay with the little one coming along."

Source: American Superstar

Backstreet Boy Howie Dorough Welcomes First Child

2009-05-08T07:55:00.000+08:00

Singer Howie Dorough and his wife Leigh, both 35, became first-time parents yesterday afternooon with the birth of their son, James Hoke Dorough, PEOPLE.com reports.

According to the article, the couple announced the pregnancy in January and said they were hoping for a boy who could carry on the family name.

James was born healthy, despite arriving about a month early. He weighed 4 1/2 pounds and measured 16 1/4 inches at birth.

Both Dorough and his fellow Backstreet Boys announced the news on Twitter.

Source: Breaking Tweets

Backstreet Boy Howie Dorough Welcomes a Son

2009-05-08T07:51:00.000+08:00

There's a new Backstreet Boy: Singer Howie Dorough and his wife Leigh, a real-estate broker, became first-time parents on Wednesday.

James Hoke Dorough was born at 2:30 p.m. on May 6 in Los Angeles, weighing 4½ lbs. and measuring 16¼ inches.

Although the couple wasn't expecting James until June, he was born healthy, a rep for the couple confirms.

The baby's middle name is a tribute to Backstreet Boy Dorough's late father Hoke, who passed away in June 2008 following a battle with brain and lung cancer.

The new parents, both 35, announced the pregnancy in January. At the time, they were not planning to find out the baby's gender but said Howie's family was hoping for a boy because there wasn't a male to carry on the family name.

"I think everybody would love a boy," Dorough told PEOPLE at the time. "We're just hoping for a healthy baby."

"I know she's going to be a great mother," the father-to-be added. "If she can take care of me, the biggest baby in the entire world, I think she's going to be okay with the little one coming along."

Added Leigh: "I think he's going to be more hands-on than anyone expects. He's someone who will get up in the night and change diapers. He's such a partner of mine."

Source: People.Com

Howie Dorough Welcomes Son James Hoke

2009-05-08T07:50:00.001+08:00

It’s a boy for Backstreet Boy Howie Dorough and wife Leigh! James Hoke Dorough wasn’t due until June, but arrived at 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 6th. Weighing in at 4.5 lbs. and 16 ¼″ inches long, James’ middle name is in honor of Howie’s father Hoke, who passed away last year after a battle with brain and lung cancer.

According to a statement on the Backstreet Boys’ site,

“Both Mommy and baby are doing great and Howie D is an ecstatic new daddy. They’d like to thank everyone for their well wishes!!”

Howie and Leigh announced the pregnancy in January. Although the couple chose a delivery surprise, Howie’s family was open about their wish for a boy, since there wasn’t a male to carry on the family name. “I think everybody would love a boy,” Howie said at the time. “We’re just hoping for a healthy baby.”

Source: Backstreet Boys

ARTICLE SOURCE

Nick Carter Opens Up About "Excessive" Drug, Alcohol Use

2009-02-20T07:25:00.002+08:00

Thursday February 19, 2009

Nick Carter opens up about his battle with drug and alcohol addiction in an episode of the Ellen DeGeneres Show that airs today.

"I would either go out at night or party [while on tour with the Backstreet Boys]," Carter says. "I didn't do a lot of morning drinking or anything of that sort. It would sort of be an occasional thing, but a lot of occasions that I would kind of make excuses to just go out to drink and party. It would be excessive."

Drugs "kind of came later in life," Carter continues. "Alcohol kind of kicked it off and then, once the alcohol kind of wasn't doing it for me, I would lean on other things."

Carter, 29, says he couldn't stop despite "rude awakenings, warning signs, DUIs.

"I got the DUI and I realized that it was wrong," he goes on. "I decided to go and sort of punish myself. I went to the classes, did the community service and did everything that I was required to do. Then I would end up in a situation where I was like, 'Ok well I'll stop for six months and then after that, I would feel like it's OK to get back into it.' And sort of fool myself in a way."

The singer credits a healthy lifestyle with helping turn his life around.

"Working out definitely helped my self esteem, and it definitely made it easier for me to kind of push it aside," he says. "I just started replacing drinking and the parties...with healthier things like sports, video games."

Carter -- who was diagnosed with a weakening of the heart muscle called cardiomyopathy -- is sober now.

"My goal in life is to be the best person that I can be and try as hard as I can," he says. "I make mistakes, but...I realize that I'm human and...I don't punish myself for those mistakes.

"[I] continuously try to be that better person," he adds.

SOURCE: USMagazine.Com

Being a celebrity doesn't just mean having your birthday cake and eating it too, you also get thousands for being there

2009-02-10T08:48:00.002+08:00

By RON CORBETT

The way I see it, the world can be divided into two groups of people. Those who know Nick Carter. And those who don't.

I am in the former group, and I take no particular pride in it. For those who don't know Nick Carter, he is the youngest member of the Backstreet Boys.

He has a younger brother named Aaron and the entire Carter family was briefly featured on a reality television series called House of Carters. It ran on E! for eight episodes.

He is widely regarded as the "heart-throb" in the Backstreet Boys. This is saying something. The boy band is comprised of five heart-throbs, all of whom have had their personal lives writ large on the pages of supermarket tabloids.

He has dated a string of aspiring actresses and debutantes, the most famous being Paris Hilton. One girlfriend, Kathy Griffin, said he was functionally illiterate and had trouble ordering from a menu. When the story broke, Nick Carter gave an interview to CosmoGirl, in which he confided his favourite book is The Celestine Prophecy.

Now, the reason I know so much about Nick Carter is because I am addicted to supermarket tabloids. Again, I take no particular pride in this.

I have blamed my wife for this addiction, but truth be told, she could disappear from the planet tomorrow and I would still be buying supermarket tabloids on the pretence I am doing it for her.

I know the names of all the Jolie-Pitt children. I know how to accurately gauge the various bumps on Nicole Richie's stomach. I think it is shameful, what Madonna is currently doing to A-Rod.

So I was excited, when the publicist for Tila Tequila nightclub in the Byward Market phoned me up last week and told me Nick Carter was coming to Ottawa. To celebrate his birthday no less.

I hung up feeling grateful for the news, but also wondering why Nick Carter was coming to Ottawa to celebrate his birthday. Which shows, despite my addiction, how sadly ignorant I am about the actual life of a celebrity.

---

"It's a three-night birthday celebration," says Abbis Mahmoud, the owner of Tila Tequila nightclub. "He's in Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa. We're pretty lucky to have him. Tickets are only $20."

Mahmoud keeps talking: Tells me he has just inked "celebrity appearance contracts" with not only Nick Carter but also the Pussycat Dolls and Lady GaGa; has staff flying out to London and Paris next week, to scout out possible nightclub sites for this new business.

Finally, when it is my turn to talk, I ask a stupid question: "So what do they do at the nightclub?"

Mahmoud seems momentarily taken aback.

"Well, they're there. You're in the same room as Nick Carter. You can tell your friends about it. Have pictures taken. That sort of thing."

I still don't get it.

"You pay money for that? There's not a performance? They don't give a show?"

Mahmoud speaks to me as if I am a child.

"Not usually. They're just there. It's an appearance."

And I swear, it was only then that Nick Carter coming to Ottawa made any sense to me. My Lord, he was getting paid. He was milking his birthday for money.

It seems for celebrities like Carter, on those days when giving a live performance may seem a terrible bother, or when you need a break from the solo album Wikipedia says you have been working on for the past six years -- it is good to know you can make a little coin by just showing up somewhere and being Nick Carter.

Or being Nicole Richie. Or being Paris Hilton. Or being Kim Kardashian (who remains the most perplexing celebrity of all. Aside from the recent acquisition of a star-athlete-boyfriend, is there any reason I should know her?).

I don't understand the idea, but it seems a lot of other people get it. Mahmoud says the nightclub was packed when Carter arrived a little past midnight on Jan. 30. He posed for photos. Kindly consented to having drinks bought for him. Was gracious and happy throughout the evening.

"Nick loves Ottawa," says Mahmoud. "He finds the people friendly, and the girls beautiful."

Well, there you go. Call the tourism bureau.

Before ending the interview, I ask one final stupid question.

"So how old is he?"

"He doesn't want me to say," says Mahmoud, a little sheepishly this time, perhaps realizing the absurdity. "That was the one thing he was real specific about. He didn't want it on the cake. Didn't want anyone talking about it."

Seems like a strange request for a man who was born only 29 years ago, on Jan. 28, 1980, but there you have it.

Happy birthday Nick, from all your many fans in Ottawa.

SOURCE

Grammy Awards: Why Not Backstreet Boys???

2009-02-10T08:38:00.000+08:00

"The very successful boy bands Backstreet Boys and N'Sync have never been honored with a Grammy"
Why?????
Well, lemme start from the beginning, Backstreet Boys
are one of the best bands from America. They have seven studio albums up to date and they are FRIGGIN' Awesome!!!!!! But they have Never Ever been honored with a Grammy....Why????
It just doesn't make sense. Like, for example: The band, Coldplay has won three Grammies, but (Forgive me Coldplay Fans ^-^) it's not like they deserve it, maybe they do...But what happens to bands which have talent??? Why are the critics being so unfair??? Hasn't anyone heard their songs????? The voices, the music, the beats, are PURE bliss. Or has that time gone when you appreciate good music? One of my friends has said that Coldplay did not deserve the Grammies they got, because when they sing, it sounds like they are screaming. Now, I don't exactly agree, because they do have talent and potential but, it just highlights the unfairness of today's listener. just because they have never ever used swears and kept their songs clean?
Has almost everyone started judging song by their explicit content??? Not everyone, mind it...k?

But it just sucks when a band you have grown up listening to, seen how their talent is blossoming and becoming more mature and better with every single, the band which have real talent aren't being recognized. It Sucks......

Regards
Crimson

SOURCE

Hallmark Channel to Premier 'Love Takes Wing' on Saturday, April 4, 2009

2009-02-10T08:31:00.001+08:00

When a frontier town is devastated by an unknown illness, a young woman must stand up for those who need her help the most, even if it means standing alone. Academy Award, Golden Globe and seven-time Emmy winner Cloris Leachman (“Malcolm in the Middle”), Sarah Jones (“Big Love”), Haylie Duff (“Backwoods”), former Backstreet Boy Kevin Richardson and Patrick Duffy (“The Bold and the Beautiful”) star in the Hallmark Channel Original Movie “Love Takes Wing,” premiering Saturday, April 4 (9/8c). Golden Globe nominee Lou Diamond Phillips (“Stand and Deliver”) costars in and directs the seventh entry into the film series based on the hugely popular Love Comes Softly novels by Janette Oke.

Wounded by the recent death of her husband, Dr. Belinda Simpson (Jones) arrives in the tiny town of Sikeston to take up the post of town physician. Once there, she discovers that many of the town’s residents, including children at an orphanage run by Miss Hattie Clarence (Leachman), have fallen ill to or died from an unknown ailment. Soon, Belinda begins to worry that she is in over her head, despite reassurances from her best friend, Annie (Duff), and the town blacksmith, Lee (Jordan Bridges, “Turn the River”).

Unfortunately, the residents of Sikeston aren’t as trusting of Belinda’s abilities as a doctor – mainly because she’s a woman. As well, many of them don’t even want her to help the orphans, who they blame for infecting the rest of the town. Indeed, they would be happy to see the orphanage close altogether. Opposed by what seems like the entire town, Belinda must trust in her abilities, her friends and her faith to guide her.

“Love Takes Wing” is an LG Films Production in association with Larry Levinson Productions and Faith and Family Entertainment. Larry Levinson is the executive producer and the co-executive producers are Randy Pope, H. Daniel Gross and Michael Moran. Kyle Clark and Stephen Niver are the producers. Lou Diamond Phillips directed from a script by Rachel Stuhler, based on the book Love Takes Wing by Janette Oke.

SOURCE

Nick Carter: I Don't Want to Die

2009-02-06T11:11:00.001+08:00

During the decade boy-band heart-throb Nick Carter spent abusing drugs and alcohol - typically downing half a bottle of hard liquor a night, often followed by what he calls a "bump" of cocaine - there wasn't anythingh that could make him stop. Not a 2002 arrest after a Florida bar brawl or a 2005 arrest for DUI. Not his ballooning weight, which shot up to 224 lbs in 2006, or the self-loathing he felt after a May 2008 trip to Russia, when he competed with locals to see who could down the most Sambuca. "There were things happening, proving that maybe what I was doing was out of control, all sorts of crazy stuff," Carter admits. "But every time those red flags would come up, I'd appease people in my inner circle and make them think everything was alright."

Even when it became clear that everything was most definitely not all right - last spring, during the European leg of the Backstreet Boys' tour, he began experiencing a mild discomfort in his chest - Carter would not stop partying. "I was thinking, 'Something is physically wrong with me,'" says the 29-year-old singer, who in June went to Ft. Lauderdale cardiologist Richard Polakoff for two days of medical testing. But the night before his results were due back, "I went out and I just went nuts," he recalls, staring out at the Pacific Ocean through the windows of his high-rise condo in Santa Monica. "I drank so much and did a bunch of blow. I felt like I was trying to kill myself - because I didn't want to get the results."

Carter had good reason to be afraid: The years of abusing his body had left a buildup of toxins in his heart, weakening the muscle so that had difficulty pumping blood. This condition, known as cardiomyopathy (see box), is the same one that led to the death of singer Andy Gibb and killed actor Chris Penn - and Carter learned it could kill him as well if he didn't get clean and sober. "My doctor said, 'You need to change your lifestyle. I don't want you to end up like that,'" Carter says. "I was like, 'I don't want to end up like that either.'"

In the eight months since his diagnosis, Carter has indeed taken dramatic steps to turn his life around. He has lost more than 30 lbs. (see box) and - with the exception of a few slips early on - stopped drinking and doing drugs. "I don't want to die," he says. "I don't want to be that person people read about and think, 'That's sad that he couldn't stop it and killed himself.'"

Yet Carter admits that committing to a clean lifestyle remains a daily challenge, perhaps because his self-destructive behavior was a lifetime in the making. The oldest of five children born to Robert, 56, and Jane, 49, Carter says alcohol was always around when he was growing up in Jamestown, N.Y., where his family owned a bar called the Rebel Yell. "If you want me to be honest, I had my first drink when I was 2 years old," says Carter.

Easy access to alcohol was only part of the story. As revealed on the short-lived E! reality show "House of Carters," family life for Carter and his siblings - Bobbie Jean, 27, Leslie, 22, and twins Aaron and Angel, 21 - was tumultous. "There was a ton of fighting between my mother and father," he says. "The kids would be thrown into the middle, to choose sides." The dysfunction only intensified after Carter found success as "the cute one" in the Backstreet Boys, which he joined at age 12. "Fame is a lot of pressure, especially when you're responsible for your entire family," he says. "Financially, emotionally - everything."

And while he was out touring the world, his home life was falling apart. Not only his parents' marriage breaking down, but rumors - never proven - had started to surface that the Backstreet Boys' former manager Lou Pearlman was behaving inappropriately with some of his boy-band charges. (In 2007 Jane Carter told 'Vanity Fair' that "certain things happened and it almost destroyed our family" but stopped short of specifying how it affected Carter, who did not want to discuss Pearlman with PEOPLE.)

SOURCE: People Mag | Thanks to misha_bsb for the script

Carter Sober Again After Brush with Death

2009-02-05T07:55:00.000+08:00

Former pop idol NICK CARTER faces a daily struggle staying sober after doctors warned the BACKSTREET BOY a booze binge could kill him. The 29-year-old sought medical help last year (08), after suffering from chest pains.
Doctors in Florida diagnosed him with cardiomyopathy; a build up of toxins that prevents the heart from pumping blood efficiently.

The condition was blamed on the years of binge drinking and drug taking that had caused Carter's weight to balloon and his health to deteriorate - and medics warned him he'd end up dead if he didn't stop.

He tells People magazine, "My doctors said, 'You need to change your lifestyle.'

"I don't want to die. I don't want to be that person people read about and think, 'That's sad that he couldn't stop it and killed himself.'"

Eight months on, the star has dropped all the extra pounds and cut drink, drugs and fatty foods out of his diet - but he admits he finds it hard to stay clean. He confesses he has lapsed and "started to drink a couple of glasses of wine, and I couldn't control it" - but credits his doctor with helping him stay sober.

Specialist Dr. Richard Polakoff tells People, "Once you get this condition, it can get progressively worse until the heart is extremely weak. But if he abstains from alcohol and other substances, I think we can get his heart back to normal."

Source: ContactMusic.Com

Backstreet Boy Nick Carter Celebrates His 29th Birthday

2009-01-28T07:50:00.001+08:00

By Amy Keith

Originally posted Tuesday January 27, 2009 03:35 PM EST

Nick Carter turns 29 Photo by: Todd Williamson / WireImage

Tiers of tasty cupcakes. Check. Rock star blow out. Yep. All of your closest pals. Of course! Nick Carter got exactly what he wished for at his 29th birthday bash. After all, he is Mr. I-Want-It-That-Way.

Donning an AC/DC vintage t-shirt on his newly svelte body, Carter celebrated downstairs at the Key Club in Hollywood Monday night. Backstreet buds Howie Dorough and A.J. McLean – taking a break from recording their upcoming album – even came by for a mini reunion to surprise their friend.

"They shut off all the lights and did a surprise for Nick downstairs early in the night," says an onlooker. "They all yelled surprise and they had cupcakes for him."

Little bro, Aaron, hung out with the birthday boy in the VIP section where guests, including former 'N Sync singer J.C. Chasez, enjoyed a tower of Sprinkles cupcakes and jammed to a live performance by the house band, Steel Panther.

"Nick was good. He and his friends were just laughing up a storm in their VIP booth," adds the source of the group.

The high note of the evening hit when the birthday boy jumped on stage for an impromptu performance.

"He sang 'Don't Stop Believin' by Journey like everyone does. The crowd was egging A.J. on to get up on stage but he wouldn't do it," says the source adding, Carter "looked like he had a great time."

• Reporting by MARISA LAUDADIO and JESSICA HERNDON

SOURCE: People

Howie D & Sarah Geronimo Nominated For MYX Music Awards 2009

2009-01-26T17:35:00.002+08:00

SOURCE
It is MYX Music Awards time once again. Now on its fourth year, the annual event from the country’s top music channel honors hitmaking accomplishments of the past year with focus of course, on music videos. The award-giving will be held at the ABS-CBN Dolphy Theater on Feb. 26. But before that happens fans and viewers will have to work hard to make sure that their favorites go home with the trophies.

Here is how it goes. As in the previous years, fans’ votes by text will account for 60 percent of the overall tally while the remaining 40 percent will come from artists’ votes. The voting period starts today and ends on Feb. 24. You can tune in to MYX on Skycable Channel 23 or log on to MYX.TV for updates on the MYX Music Awards.

Please note that texters can only vote once per category per day. To vote for your favorites, all you have to do is text MMA (number of nominee) and then send to 2366. Cost of vote is P2.50 per text. Example: If you want to vote for Astrojuan for Favorite MYX Bandarito Performance, what you have to do is text MMA 1 to 2366.

Here now are the nominees and their respective numbers.

Favorite MYX Bandarito Performance:
(1) Astrojuan (2) Coffee Break Island (3) Delara (4) Kinky Hooters (5) Nyctinasty.

Favorite MYX Live Performance:
(6) Aiza Seguerra (7) Chicosci (8) Imago (9) Richard Poon (10) Sandwich.

Favorite International Music Video:
(11) 7 Things, Miley Cyrus (12) Crush, David Archuleta (13) Decode, Paramore (14) When You Look Me in The Eyes, Jonas Brothers (15) Womanizer, Britney Spears.

Favorite MYX Celebrity VJ:
(16) KC Concepcion (17) Kim Chiu and Gerald Anderson (18) Sam Concepcion (19) Sarah Geronimo (20) Vhong Navarro.

Favorite Media Soundtrack:
(21) Ang Sarap Dito (Coke) Project 1, (22) A Very Special Love, Sarah Geronimo (23) Ikaw ang Pangarap (Lobo), Martin Nievera, (24) Kung Fu Fighting (Kung Fu Panda), Sam Concepcion (25) This is Me (Camp Rock), Julianne and Miguel Escueta.

Favorite Remake:
(26) A Very Special Love, Sarah Geronimo (27) Macho, Parokya ni Edgar (28) Message in a Bottle, Dawn (29) Payong, Miss Ganda (30) Princesa, Itchyworms.

Favorite Collaboration:
(31) Christian Bautista and Sitti, Captured (32) Julianne and Miguel Escueta, This is Me (33) Lourd de Veyra and Raimund Marasigan, Egis Erp (34) Project 1, Ang Sarap Dito (35) Sarah Geronimo and Howie Dorough, I’ll be There.

Favorite Guest Appearance in a Music Video:
(36) Bembol Roco, Boogie Mo by Bembol Rockers (37) Billy Crawford, If You’re Not the One by Nikki Gil (38) Glaiza de Castro, Disconnection Notice by Pupil (39) Karylle, Only Hope by Gary Valenciano (40) Marian Rivera, Kung Sakali by Ogie Alcasid.

Favorite Indie Artist:
(41) Angulo (42) Drip (43) Out of Body Special (44) Paraluman (45) Reklamo.

Favorite New Artist:
(46) Charice (47) KC Concepcion (48) Nancy Jane (49) Rico Blanco (50) Taken by Cabs.

Favorite Mellow Video:
(51) A Very Special Love, Sarah Geronimo (52) Kung Sakali, Ogie Alcasid (53) Now, M.Y.M.P. (54) Tell Me That You Love Me, Regine Velasquez (55) The One Who Won My Heart, Christian Bautista.

Favorite Rock Video:
(56) Ang Pusa Mo, Pedicab (57) Disconnection Notice, Pupil (58) Procrastinator, Sandwich (59) The Fight is Over, Urbandub (60) Yugto, Rico Blanco.

Favorite Urban Video:
(61) Eargasmic, Dice & K9 Mobbstarr (62) K.I.T.T.Y., Kitty Girls (63) Make ‘em Say, Pikaso (64) Pambansang Kamao, Dcoy featuring Artstrong, E.S.P., Nathan J. (65) Shake That Thing, Dannie Boi feat. Beatmox.

Favorite Group:
(66) 6Cyclemind (67) Callalily (68) Pupil (69) Sandwich (70) Spongecola.

Favorite Male Artist:
(71) Christian Bautista (72) Erik Santos (73) Ogie Alcasid (74) Richard Poon (75) Rico Blanco.

Favorite Female Artist:
(76) Kyla (77) Rachelle Ann Go (78) Regine Velasquez (79) Sarah Geronimo (80) Yeng Constantino.

Favorite Artist:
(81) Callalily (82) Rico Blanco (83) Sandwich (84) Sarah Geronimo (85) Sponge Cola.

Favorite Song:
(86) Betamax, Sandwich (87) Kailan, Bamboo (88) Pasubali, Sponge Cola (89) Pitong Araw, Hale (90) Yugto, Rico Blanco.

Favorite Music Video:
(91) Ang Pusa Mo, Pedicab, directed by RA Rivera (92) Ang Sarap Dito, Project 1, directed by Marie Jamora (93) Disconnection Notice, Pupil, directed by Quark Henares (94) Procastinator, Sandwich, directed by Quark Henares (95) The Fight is Over, Urbandub, directed by Treb Monteras II.

Starting texting your votes now.

Nick Carter's Birthday Party

2009-01-22T08:32:00.000+08:00

NICK CARTER'S BIRTHDAY PARTY ..

Nava Bar and Restaurant / UMM Entertainment / VIBE Presents:

NICK CARTER'S BIRTHDAY PARTY!! featuring * Nick Carter (Backstreet Boys) celebrates his birtday with a VIP Bash inside Nava

Thursday, Jan 29, 2009 9:00 PM EST
- Friday, Jan 30, 2009 2:00 AM EST
at Nava Restaurant and Bar BACKSTREET BOYS** NICK CARTER **CELEBRATES HIS BIRTHDAY WITH AN EXCLUSIVE PARTY @ NAVA!!

January 29th 9PM, you are invited to this rare VIP event to celebrate the birthday of Nick Carter.

Nick will be partying up with everyone as well as DJing an exclusive set just for you.

TICKETS $15.00 IN ADVANCE - $20 AT THE DOOR

DJ'S KARIZ & APOCALYPSE
Hosted by Z103's Dave Blezard and Vibe Entertainments Steve Mills.

Brought to you by UMM Entertainment and Nava

** THIS WILL BE A SOLDOUT EVENT SO GET YOUR TICKETS EARLY **

FOR INFO CONTACT info@navarestaurantandbar.com or 9057091933

SOURCE: TicketWeb

Vip Tickets Available for South America & Mexico

2009-01-22T08:08:00.000+08:00

VIPs
2/21/09 – San Juan, PR
2/25/09 – Lima, Peru
2/27/09 – Caracas, Venezuela
3/01/09 – Santiago, Chile – SOLD OUT!
3/03/09 – Buenos Aires, Argentina – SOLD OUT!
3/05/09 – Sao Paulo, Brazil – SOLD OUT!
3/07/09 – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – SOLD OUT!
3/09/09 – Monterrey, Mexico (Available 1/19/09)
3/10/09 – Torreon, Mexico (Available 1/20/09)
3/12/09 – Mexico City, Mexico (Available 1/21/09)
3/14/09 – Puebla, Mexico (Available 1/22/09)

Tickets
2/21/09 – San Juan, PR
2/25/09 – Lima, Peru
2/27/09 – Caracas, Venezuela
3/01/09 – Santiago, Chile
3/03/09 – Buenos Aires, Argentina
3/05/09 – Sao Paulo, Brazil
3/07/09 – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
3/09/09 – Monterrey, Mexico
3/10/09 – Torreon, Mexico
3/12/09 – Mexico City, Mexico
3/14/09 – Puebla, Mexico

We’re thrilled to announce that the Backstreet Boys are offering an exclusive VIP Upgrade Experience for their upcoming tour dates. Each date has a very limited number of upgrades available so act fast!
The VIP Upgrade Experience includes:

* Chance to watch the Backstreet Boys perform at soundcheck
* Q&A
* 1 Pre-signed Photo
* Ability to bring one item to get signed
* 1 Individual photo with the Backstreet Boys

This package does not include tickets to the show. To attend the soundcheck, you must have a valid ticket.
FAQ

1. Direct any questions to support@groundctrl. com and you will be answered as soon as possible.
2. Once you have purchased a VIP or ticket, you will receive an email containing your order number.
3. Please put the name of the person using the VIP upgrade or ticket as the shipping name. Nothing will be mailed to you, all tickets and VIPs will be will-call only and will be available for pickup the day of the show.
4. All meeting times will be posted in the news section of the fan club site. The meet and greet/soundcheck events will take place before the show and are generally 90 minutes before door times.
5. VIPs can only be purchased through ground(ctrl) and are only available on this site. We do not sell to brokers and VIPs are non-transferable.
6. There is no limit to the amount of VIPs one can purchase.
7. VIP upgrades do not include a ticket to the concert. You must purchase a concert ticket as well as a VIP upgrade to attend the event.. The general concert ticket does not have to be purchased through ground(ctrl) .
8. Each person must have their own ticket to the VIP upgrade experience.

Source: http://tickets. groundctrl.com

Backstreet Boys Howie Dorough to be a Dad

2009-01-14T08:55:00.001+08:00

Backstreet Howie Dorough and his wife Leigh, a real estate broker, are expecting their first child in June, they tell PEOPLE exclusively.

"I know she's going to be a great mother," says Howie. "If she can take care of me, the biggest baby in the entire world, I think she's going to be okay with the little one coming along."

Adds Leigh: "I think he's going to be more hands-on than anyone expects. He's someone who will get up in the night and change diapers. He's such a partner of mine."

After marrying in December 2007, the Doroughs planned to travel before starting a family. "We've been together going on eight years, but we wanted to enjoy and adjust to living married life first," Howie tells PEOPLE. "So for the first eight months we traveled all over the world on an extended honeymoon."

Howie, 35, and Leigh, 34, had "an amazing time" as they hopped from Japan to Australia to Europe and back to North America on tour with his band. But tragedy struck last spring when Dorough's father Hoke was diagnosed with brain and lung cancer. He passed away just three months later in June 2008.

Focusing on Family

"That kind of put things into perspective – passing on and bringing new life into the world," says Howie. "At that point we started focusing in on having a child. The baby is due the same month that my dad passed away last year, so it's almost like realizing life is a circle.”

Leigh, whose cravings include blueberry muffins, devised a plan to break the news to Howie after discovering she was pregnant after only a month of trying.

"Leigh surprised me with breakfast in bed. [I knew] something was up," Howie recalls. "I looked down and saw the pregnancy test strip [on the tray]. The look on my face was like something from America's Funniest Home Videos. I thought, 'Oh my god! Here we go! This is it!' "

Says Leigh of conceiving so quickly: "We were really blessed and lucky."

Designing a Nursery

The couple, who doesn't want to find out the baby's sex before the birth, is planning a gender-neutral nursery. "We have a home in L.A. that's modern, a lot of wood," says Howie. "We want to do earth tones [for the nursery]. We've been talking about a jungle or safari theme."

The Doroughs say that many on Howie's side of the family are thinking blue – although Howie's siblings have children, and Leigh's sister had twins last year, there isn't a male to carry on the Dorough family surname. "So I think everybody would love a boy," he says. "We're just hoping for a healthy baby."

Howie is the third Backstreet Boy to expand his family – bandmate Brian Littrell and wife Leighanne have a 6-year-old son, Baylee, who was diagnosed with atypical Kawasaki Disease last month. Kevin Richardson, who left the group in 2006, has an 18-month-old son named Mason with wife Kristin.

The Backstreet Boys – who Howie says were "surprised but very, very enthusiastic" upon hearing his baby news – are currently recording a new album in L.A. before they head to South America in February to complete their world tour.

SOURCE

Transcript from Larry King

2009-01-06T07:54:00.000+08:00

And one of the Backstreet Boys is here, too. His son has Kawasaki Syndrome. We'll talk to Brian Littrell and his family right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: The tragedy of the death of John Travolta's son.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta remains with us in Atlanta.
Also, in Atlanta now is Brian and Leighanne Littrell, along with their son, Baylee. Brian is one of the Backstreet Boys. And they recently found out that 6-year-old Baylee has Kawasaki disease.
How did you find it out, Brian?
BRIAN LITTRELL, MEMBER BACKSTREET BOYS, SON HAS KAWASAKI SYNDROME: Well, we — we started with swollen lymph nodes. We went to the doctor. It was strep throat. And then we started some antibiotics. And as the doctor was referring to earlier, everything escalated. And we found out a week before Christmas that he was diagnosed with atypical Kawasaki's disease.
So they were about to let us go. The scary thing, they were about to let us go from the hospital. And the infectious disease doctor came in and said everything looks great. They thought it was a disease called Erythema multiformae, which is a Herpes virus. They were about to let us go from the hospital.
And we asked for an echocardiogram. And they found his coronary artery was a 3.3 on the scale for his size. And that's extremely large.
KING: Yes…
B. LITTRELL: At a one, it's the biggest so.
KING: So, what, Leighanne, is the treatment?
LEIGHANNE LITTRELL, SON HAS KAWASAKI SYNDROME: They do an IVIG through the I.V. And it takes 12 hours. So you can have a reaction to it during (INAUDIBLE). You can have a reaction to it during, but Baylee, again, didn't have a reaction during. He had it after.
So everything he did was atypical.
And what — I want to just stress to every mom and every parent and to everybody, that trust your instincts because, like Brian said, they were going to send us home twice. And our symptoms didn't follow any of the symptoms that you read anywhere.
KING: Does this tragedy today, Brian, give you some pause?
B. LITTRELL: It does. I mean our thoughts and our prayers go out to the Travolta family. It's a tragedy. I mean any parent all over the world that watches, you know, the entertainment shows and finds out the news that's happening, it is tragic. And our thoughts and prayers go out to them.
But we're also, you know, a miracle in the making right here, with being able to find what it was and to be able to address the situation. We went to the cardiologist the day after Christmas and his coronary artery is starting to shrink down back to size. And we're very fortunate. And thanks for all the prayers and all the fans out there that support us.
KING: Dr. Sanjay, he doesn't appear any the worse for it, young Baylee.
GUPTA: Yes. He looks pretty good. He's making a lot of cute faces at the camera there, I see, as well.
You know, that's pretty typical. Once you — once you sort of suppress the immune system — the immune system's sort of in overdrive, Larry. And that's what's causing all the problems. It's causing the inflammation in the blood vessels. Brian was describing that coronary artery, which is the artery on top of the heart that supplies the heart.
That starts to get big. And it's just the inflammation. You the medication to suppress the inflammation and the artery starts to come back down to size.
He's going to need to be monitored to make sure this doesn't come back again. But as you point out, he looks pretty good right now.
B. LITTRELL: He does.
KING: Would it be doubtful, Sanjay, if Jett — if John Travolta's son died of this disease at age 16?
GUPTA: I think so, Larry. It's one of those things where, you know, you can only go by the data. And I certainly have never met Jett and never examined him.
But it's very unusual for someone to have these symptoms after the age of eight or so. And also, the — you know, the heart problems. If there's a problem that causes death, there's a lethal issue, it's usually related to the heart, not so much to the brain, as we're hearing from John Travolta's lawyers and some of the other reporters down there.
So it doesn't all seem to fit together as being related to Kawasaki disease.
KING: Leighanne, is Baylee always this up?
L. LITTRELL: Always. Always. Even more so. You hit him at a calm moment.
KING: Baylee, how are you feeling?
BAYLEE LITTRELL: Good.
KING: Good?
How old are you Baylee?
B. LITTRELL: Six.
KING: So you're in first grade?
Are you in first grade?
L. LITTRELL: Not yet. Say I'm pre — I'm still preschool.
B. LITTRELL: I'm still…
L. LITTRELL: He had a late birthday.
B. LITTRELL: Kindergarten.
B. LITTRELL: Yes, kindergarten.
L. LITTRELL: I'm sorry. Kindergarten.
KING: Yes, kindergarten.
He shows no ill effects, Brian.
B. LITTRELL: No, he doesn't. He doesn't. He's been a little tired. But again, we're — we're dealing with this about 10 days to two weeks later. We got a great report from the cardiologist. But if you saw him two weeks ago, you would not recognize him. I have pictures on my cell phone that I've showed the family and — and it's pretty scary. It's pretty scary.
KING: Oh, really?
L. LITTRELL: It was six days in the hospital.
KING: Well, I know all of our wishes go out to the Travoltas. And thank you for joining us. Brian and Leighanne Littrell and young Baylee.
L. LITTRELL: Thanks.
B. LITTRELL: Thank you.
KING: And thank you, Dr. Gupta, as always.
GUPTA: Thanks, Larry.
KING: I don't think anybody does it better.
GUPTA: Thank you.

Source: CNN.com

24 seconds with The Backstreet Boys

2008-12-14T23:53:00.000+08:00

By Joe Leary
24 Hours Vancouver

The progenitors of the entire boy band craze of the 1990s, the Backstreet Boys amassed sales of nearly 200 million albums worldwide while scoring 13 Top 40 hits, making them the No. 1 act in both concert and album sales between 1997 and 2005.

Joe Leary spent 24 seconds with Nick Carter and AJ McLean.

24: Do you ever try to put a number on how many times you've faced the cameras and microphones in interviews?

NC: We lost count a long time ago. We could guess, but I really don't even know where to start.

AJ: It's a lot ... I mean whether it's between print interviews or TV, photo shoots, radio interviews ... thousands!

NC: I try to think of how many planes we've been on before and how many miles we've flown. It's crazy, really - we've been blessed.

24: How savvy have you gotten in interviews over the years? Do you ever look back and think, "Why the hell did I say that?"

NC: Oh yeah ... why the hell did I wear that? I mean, that happens ... that goes through our minds all the time, but that's the evolution and I think if you pay attention to yourself and watch yourself, you can learn something from yourself from the past and make it better in the future.

24: Canada was one of the early believers in the Backstreet Boys. Why do you think Canada got onboard before other nations did?

AJ: I think at the very beginning of our career - where music was - I think just the way of life here in Canada and the people's mentality of music and the fans here were just a lot more open-minded to it. The U.S. is a little bit more fickle; they may love you one day and they may hate you the next day. There's so much music now on radio of every different type of genre on one radio station at any given moment: You could hear T Pain and then you'll hear Carrie Underwood. I think now, especially, everybody around the world is a lot more open-minded to really good music, but Canada definitely embraced us. You guys rock - period!

24: Let's go back a dozen years or so when BSB first hit and launched as phenomenally. Did you have any idea that it might go the extent that it did?

NC: No. We just kind of rode the wave to see what would happen and we're still in that same mind frame. We enjoy what we're doing in the moment and I think when you enjoy it and you're competitive and you're happy, great things happen. I think our chemistry is amazing and has been for years, back then with each other and our bond, but you really don't know. I think that's what's great about it because I feel like it's a not a time to look back and say, "Oh, look at all of the things that we've done." It's a time to look forward and say, "What are we going to do next?" And that's where we're all at now.

24: Over the years you've obviously not only grown as human beings, but as artists. How are the 2008 Backstreet Boys different from the earlier incarnations?

AJ: The overall sound, the feeling of the group, the chemistry of the group, where we are, how we kind of exist together now, I mean, just the whole morality is just really, really positive and really good. We're all hyped and we're all ready to go back in the studio and make a brand new record. We're all older now, so I think there's a newfound respect between us all - we can almost finish each others statements now.

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

2008-11-25T07:39:00.001+08:00

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

2008-11-22T01:54:00.001+08:00

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

2008-11-13T21:04:00.000+08:00

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

2008-11-10T08:12:00.002+08:00

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'

2008-11-06T22:29:00.001+08:00

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

2008-11-06T22:26:00.000+08:00

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

2008-11-06T22:24:00.000+08:00

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

2008-11-05T08:16:00.001+08:00

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

2008-11-04T21:39:00.000+08:00

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

2008-11-04T21:33:00.000+08:00

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

2008-11-04T21:32:00.001+08:00

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

2008-11-04T21:28:00.000+08:00

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

2008-11-04T21:26:00.000+08:00

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

2008-11-04T21:23:00.000+08:00

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?

2008-11-04T21:18:00.000+08:00

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

Backstreet Boys Sing National Anthem: Game 1

2008-10-27T07:43:00.001+08:00

This is what happens when you have a small market team in the World Series.

Generally you have your pick of bigtime artists to come in and sing the National Anthem. So who does Tampa Bay get to sing the first night of the Series at Tropicana Field? The Backstreet Boys.

Sure it featured hometown hero Nick Carter along with three of the other guys (one has permanently left the group). But their a cappella version of the “Stars Spangled Banner” in a style that crashed doo-wop into Barbershop Quartet lacked that certain something that said this is a bigtime sporting event.

Despite the home team connection, they didn’t wear Rays gear. Instead, they all wore jumpuits with a generic World Series logo on it. Lest people get mad (or they fail to sell the desired number of tickets in Philly during their impending tour). After all, both John McCain and Barack Obama lent their voices to the “everybody loves baseball’ segment that opened the show. So the Backstreet Boys must be neutral as well.

Well who’s next to serenade the Series crowd? N’Sync? 98 Degrees? We can’t wait.

Philly’s got its own wealth of talent. But who will they pick? I say Patti LaBelle to be sure for starters.

Source: Courant.Com

Backstreet Boys sighting before Game 1

2008-10-27T07:34:00.002+08:00

By KYLE KENDRICK
phillyBurbs.com

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — After we won Game 1 of the World Series, I texted some of my buddies, guys I grew up with back in Seattle.

“You won't believe this, the Backstreet Boys were here,” I told 'em.

I was standing on the third-base line at Tropicana Field with my teammates when they sang the national anthem. It was pretty exciting for me.

I'm only 24, and as a kid growing up near Seattle, boy bands were popular. I always thought the Backstreet Boys were the best out there, better than 'NSYNC. I was a freshman in high school when they came out with their big CD, and my buddies and I used to listen. The girls always thought they were cute and I liked their music. They were just good.

Years later, my musical tastes have expanded. I like some classic rock and a lot of country. I'm a big George Strait fan and I really like Carrie Underwood.

If I could meet any celebrity of my choice, it would be Carrie. I like her music and she's a very attractive girl. I'd love to meet her. My girlfriend would be OK with it. She likes Derek Jeter, which is fine, and I like Carrie.

If I ever do meet her, I'd ask her for an autograph.

I only have a few autographs — Mike Schmidt, Jim Palmer, Tim Hudson. My favorite pitcher now is Brandon Webb. I'd like to get his.

I still remember the first time someone asked me to sign something. When I was drafted by the Phillies during my senior year in high school in 2003, my science teacher, Mr. Sullivan, said “I want to get you now before anybody else does.” I signed a baseball for him.

Since then, my autograph has changed. I used to write my whole name, then last year someone suggested I should just shorten it to two Ks for my initials. I tried it and like it that way. Now I sign everything with two Ks.

I enjoy signing for fans. Last year, when first coming up to the Phillies from the minors, I noticed my teammate Jamie Moyer doing autographs all the time. I asked him why. He said, “I'm doing it now because someday they're not going to want it.” Ever since, I've tried to make an effort to sign more often.

Phillies pitcher Kyle Kendrick, an 11-game winner this season, is doing a World Series diary for Calkins Media as told to baseball writer Randy Miller.

SOURCE: phillyBurbs.com

The Bee Gee's 'Stayin' Alive' Could Save Your Life

2008-10-21T08:28:00.001+08:00

By Eliot Van Buskirk

The Bee Gee's 1977 hit song "Stayin' Alive" has just about the perfect tempo for performing chest compressions during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), according to the American Heart Association.

The song has 103 beats per minute, and doctors recommend compressing the chest 100 times per minute in order to perform CPR, a resuscitation technique that can increase a patient's chances for survival by up to 300 percent -- but only if the chest compressions are done at the proper rate.

Reuters asked Dr. David Matlock of the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria to explain why he settled on that song, since many others have a similar tempo. Unsurprisingly, he said that the name of the song was a factor, as was the fact that so many people already have it pretty much memorized. "The theme 'Stayin' Alive' is very appropriate for the situation," said Matlock. "Everybody's heard it at some point in their life. People know the song and can keep it in their head."

His small study involved playing "Stayin' Alive" while CPR students practiced CPR on dummies. Five weeks later, participants were still able to perform chest compressions at the proper rate by playing the music in their heads.

A BPM Database search revealed that other candidates for accompanying 100 BPM CPR include the Backstreet Boys' "Quit Playin' Games (With My Heart)," Mariah Carey's "Heartbreaker," Everclear's "When It All Goes Wrong," Patty Loveless's "Strong Heart" and Fun Factory's "Don't Go Away."

SOURCE: Wired

Howie D. helps Sarah promote 'Just Me'

2008-10-04T08:51:00.001+08:00

BACKSTREET Boys' Howie Dorough is in the country to help Pop Princess Sarah Geronimo in promoting her latest album "Just Me."

Howie arrived in the country last week to shoot a music video with Sarah for the song entitled "I'll Be There." They recorded the said song a few months ago in Los Angeles, California.

According to Sarah, she felt excited when she heard that Howie agreed to visit the country to help her promote her new album. She said she is a big fan of Howie and "it was a dream come true for her to work with the pop icon."

Sarah disclosed that it was her first time to meet Howie since they recorded their song "I'll Be There" separately.

Howie said he was in the middle of the Backstreet Boys concert tour at that time that's why he failed to record it with Sarah.

Howie meanwhile said it was an honor for him to work with Sarah who he described as a humble lovely lady. He is also looking forward to have more projects and to work with other talented local artists here in the country.

As the first stop for their album promotion, Sarah and Howie had an autograph signing last Sunday at SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City. They will also guest in several ABS-CBN shows.

Aside from promoting Sarah's album, Howie will also help the singer-actress in promoting her concert to be held on November 8.

Sarah will have her next big concert at the Araneta Coliseum dubbed "The Next One." It will be directed by Johnny Manahan alongside Louie Ocampo as the musical director.

SOURCE: Sunstar

Backstreet's back

2008-10-04T08:48:00.000+08:00

Backstreet Boys' resident falsetto, Howie Dorough, has more on his mind than 'want[ing] it that way' or 'playing games with [your] heart.'

Dorough is now teaming up with Rock Your Religion to make 'The Howie Pendant by Rock Your Religion.' The necklace features a silver pendant with Rock Your Religion's Chi Rho symbol — representing the Greek phrase En Touto Nika ('In this sign you will conquer') — and Dorough frequently wears it at concerts.

But not only is the necklace pretty, it can help those fighting Lupus, an autoimmune disease. After his sister died of Lupus in 1998, Dorough formed the Dorough Lupus Foundation, which seeks to aid and support families of people with Lupus. Sales of the necklace will benefit the foundation.

The necklace is $35 and available through June 2009 on www.rock yourreligion.com

SOURCE: Tuscaloo

The Backstreet Boys Line Up Concert Dates And Eye Next Project

2008-10-04T08:46:00.000+08:00

The Backstreet Boys will kick off their second North American concert leg on October 30th in Reading, Pennsylvania. Dates are scheduled through the fall, winding down November 17th in Kamloops, British Columbia. The guys will be out behind their most recent album, 2007's Unbreakable.

Meanwhile, the group is already looking forward to the next project. Howie Dorough tells LiveDaily.com, "We're just going to go out there and really explore. There's a lot of new writers who have come to the table since the last album. We're going to do what we can to make it once again the best record. We're going to do a lot of writing ourselves but as well reach out to great producers to help us."

Backstreet Boys tour dates (subject to change):
October 30 - Reading, PA - Sovereign Center
October 31 - Montclair, NJ - Wellmont Theatre
November 1 - Wilkes-Barre, PA - Wachovia Arena at Casey Plaza
November 2 - Wallingford, CT - Chevrolet Theatre
November 4 - Quebec City, Quebec - Pavillon de la Jeunesse
November 5 - Chicoutimi, Quebec - Centre Georges-Vezina
November 6 - Sherbrooke, Quebec - Palais Des Sports
November 8 - London, Ontario - John Labatt Centre
November 9 - Hamilton, Ontario - Copps Coliseum
November 12 - Winnipeg, Manitoba - MTS Centre
November 13 - Saskatoon, Saskatchewan - Credit Union Centre
November 15 - Grande Prairie, Alberta - Canada Games Arena
November 16 - Prince George, British Columbia - CN Centre
November 17 - Kamloops, British Columbia - Interior Savings Centre

SOURCE: KBSRadio

BACKSTREET BOYS: ...Kenny Rogers returning to Saskatoon in separate concerts

2008-10-03T16:12:00.000+08:00

TheStarPhoenix.com
Published: Monday, September 29, 2008

In an announcement sure to make hundreds of inner 14-year-old girls squeal with delight, former pop superstars the Backstreet Boys are coming to Saskatoon.

The Boys, down one member since the departure of Kevin Richardson, are scheduled to perform with yet-to-be-named special guests on Nov. 13. With a catalogue of pop hits that includes As Long As You Love Me, Quit Playing Games (With My Heart) and Everybody (Backstreet's Back), the BSB are reuniting 15 years after making their first mark on the world of music.

Brian Littrell, Nick Carter, Howie Dorough and AJ McLean will revisit their synchronized dance moves, sugary sweet harmonies and infectious pop songs at Credit Union Centre. Tickets for the show go on sale Saturday at 10 a.m. and can be purchased at www.ticketmaster.ca or by calling 938-7800

SOURCE: Canada.Com

Sarah, performed a duet with Howie

2008-10-03T16:10:00.000+08:00

Andrea Aurelio
Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Boy bands were all the rage during the ‘90s and the Backstreet Boys can be considered one of the most memorable groups to have made a mark in the music industry. Last Sunday, September 28, ABS-CBN stars paid tribute to the group by performing the hit songs of the group.

Billy Crawford, Sam Milby, Vhong Navarro, Mark Bautista, and John Lloyd Cruz grooved to the beat of the hits "All I Have to Give" and "Quit Playing Games with my Heart." After the performance of the five Filipino celebrities, Backstreet Boys member Howie Dorough showed up on the ASAP stage to sing with Sarah Geromino for their duet titled "I'll Be There."

Howie Dorough, also known as Howie D, is a member of the sensational boy band who became famous here in the Philippines and worldwide. This marks Howie's third time to visit the Philippines and it seems that he is enjoying himself.

When asked to describe his experience in the Philippines, he said, "The reception from all the Filipinos here have been unbelievable." Howie visited the Philippines when he had a concert with the Backstreet Boys way back in October 1996 and January 2006.

The native of Florida pointed out that his godmother is a Filipina, which is why he knows about the country and the Filipino culture.

Howie Dorough and Sarah Geronimo's duet "I'll Be There" is the carrier single of the pop princess' latest album Just Me. This album from Viva Records contains 16 tracks and is produced by Christian De Walden, a Hollywood record producer and songwriter.

Sarah Geronimo also mentioned that she will be having a concert on November 8 (Saturday) at the Araneta Coliseum. Her concert titled The Next One will be directed by Mr. Johnny Manahan and with musical direction by Mr. Louie Ocampo. For ticket inquiries, please call 9115555 or Viva Concerts and Events at 6876181 loc 620 or 745.

SOURCE: Philippine Entertainment Portal

Fans charmed by Sarah and Howie D’s "I’ll Be There"

2008-10-03T16:08:00.000+08:00

By Lorelie Dino
October 01, 2008

A huge crowd gathered at the Music Entertainment Hall at the Mall of Asia last September 28, 2008. Devoted fans of Sarah Geronimo, Popsters, lined up to buy her latest album entitled "Just Me." The promo tour was well-attended also by Howie Dorough’s fans from the BSBFCP (Backstreet Boys Fan Club of the Philippines). He flew in all the way from Los Angeles to personally promote their duet, "I’ll Be There," the carrier track of Sarah’s CD. Howie came in with his lovely and sweet wife, Leigh. The producer of Sarah’s album, Christian de Walden, illustrated his complete support by being there himself.

The show started off with Jimmy Marquez, 2nd runner-up in Search for a Star in a Million Season 2. He showcased his awesome talent, with added humor and performed Usher’s "Caught Up," followed by his memorable performance of "Gulong ng Palad" in the reality singing contest, and a song for the broken-hearted, "By My Side."

Sarah strutted off her stuff in a lovely blue green top, black leggings, and high-heeled gold shoes. She’s a nice, courteous, young lady. It is no wonder that she has so many adoring fans. Her full voice is evident from the songs she performed. She kicked it off with "Played."

She then introduced her next single from the album, "Dahil Minahal Mo Ako." She showcased her trademark sundance from the movie "A Very Special Love" while singing merrily to it. She approached the crowd, reaching out to her fans. The finale was her duet with Howie D. "I’ll Be There". It was such a lively and endearing song that you can’t help but sing along with the duo. It was indeed a pleasing delight to join the amazing talents of both Sarah , the Philippines’ Pop Star Princess and Howie, from the worldwide phenomenon Backstreet Boys.

The mall show ended with much enthusiasm in an autograph session from Sarah and Howie. The long wait in the lines was worth it. The stars gamely signed CDs and souvenirs for the fans, clearly showing their commitment.

SOURCE: Titik Pilipino

Backstreet Boys add new leg to 'Unbreakable' tour

2008-10-03T16:05:00.000+08:00

Published September 30, 2008 09:09 AM

By Tjames Madison / LiveDaily Contributor

The Backstreet Boys [ tickets ] have announced dates for a second North American leg as they continue to support their most recent album, last fall's "Unbreakable. "

The fully-grown Boys--now a quartet following the 2006 departure of co-founding member Kevin Richardson-- will kick off the tour's new stretch Oct. 30 in Reading, PA. After the initial four US dates, the outing heads to Canada for the remainder of the 14-city trek, concluding Nov. 17 in Kamloops, British Columbia.

Information on pre-sale tickets for individual shows can be found at the Backstreet Boys' fanclub website. The group's full schedule is included below.

"Unbreakable" hit stores last fall. The Boys enlisted an all-star roster of producing talent--including Billy Mann (Sting, Celine Dion) and 'N Sync's JC Chasez--to complete the album, which is the follow-up to 2005's "Never Gone." The set peaked at No. 7 on The Billboard 200 album chart.

The quartet has started searching for songwriting talent to help provide material for a follow-up to "Unbreakable, " according to the group's Howie Dorough.

"We're just going to go out there and really explore," Dorough recently told LiveDaily. "There's a lot of new writers who have come to the table since the last album. We're going to do what we can to make it once again the best record. We're going to do a lot of writing ourselves but as well reach out to great producers to help us."

[Note: The following tour dates have been provided by artist and/or tour sources, who verify its accuracy as of the publication time of this story. Changes may occur before tickets go on sale. Check with official artist websites, ticketing sources and venues for late updates.]

October 2008
30 - Reading, PA - Sovereign Center
31 - Montclair, NJ - Wellmont Theatre

November 2008
1 - Wilkes-Barre, PA - Wachovia Arena at Casey Plaza
2 - Wallingford, CT - Chevrolet Theatre
4 - Quebec City, Wuebec - Pavillon de la Jeunesse
5 - Chicoutimi, Quebec - Centre Georges-Vezina
6 - Sherbrooke, Quebec - Palais Des Sports
8 - London, Ontario - John Labatt Centre
9 - Hamilton, Ontario - Copps Coliseum
12 - Winnipeg, Manitoba - MTS Centre
13 - Saskatoon, Saskatchewan - Credit Union Centre
15 - Grande Prairie, Alberta - Canada Games Arena
16 - Prince George, British Columbia - CN Centre
17 - Kamloops, British Columbia - Interior Savings Centre

Source: LiveDaily

Backstreet Boys tour continues this fall with more North American dates

2008-10-03T16:01:00.001+08:00

Wed, Oct 1st 2008 9:21 am EST

By Allison Reitz

The Backstreet Boys (BSB) are bringing their 2008 Unbreakable Tour back to North America for a new round of late fall performances. The 14-city leg kicks off October 30 at Sovereign Center in Reading, PA, and wraps November 17 at Interior Savings Center in Kamloops, BC.

The boy band will hit four East Coast markets in the U.S., including the opening night performance, before completing the remaining dates in Canada. The other U.S. concerts are set for Halloween at the newly renovated Wellmont Theatre in Montclair, NJ, November 1 at Wachovia Arena in Wilkes-Barre, PA, and November 2 at the Chevrolet Theatre in Wallingford, CT.

Canadian highlights include a November 4 gig at Pavillion de la Jeunesse in Quebec City, QC, and a November 8 show at John Labatte Centre in London, ON. Access to presales, exclusive soundcheck events and VIP packages is available through the official fan club Web site.

The Boys, now a quartet following the 2006 departure of co-founder Kevin Richardson, are continuing their support of the group's sixth studio record "Unbreakable." The 2007 release peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard 200 and topped the album charts in Japan, Turkey and Brazil.

The singers hit the road in February with a tour of Asia and the Pacific before continuing on to Mexico in March, and Europe in April and May. The first leg of the North American trek started with a July 29-30 run in St. John's, Newfoundland, and wrapped September 6 in Seattle, WA. The tour comprised 14 shows in Canada, as well as 14 U.S. dates focused primarily in the Midwest and along the East Coast.

Formed in 1993 by Lou Pearlman, BSB is one the few remaining "boy band" acts that rose to popularity in the booming pop scene of the late '90s. "To still be around feels amazing. So many artists, boy bands and rappers that started when we did have disbanded," singer Howie Dorough said in a statement on the BSB Web site. "We look at artists like Eagles, the Rolling Stones or Aerosmith, where everyone has done individual things, but they are still able to come back together. I admire that kind of staying power."

Backstreet Boys itinerary:
(Dates subject to change.)

October 30	Reading, PA	Sovereign Center
October 31	Montclair, NJ	Wellmont Theatre
November 1	Wilkes-Barre, PA	Wachovia Arena at Casey Plaza
November 2	Wallingford, CT	Chevrolet Theatre
November 4	Quebec City, QC	Pavillion de la Jeunesse
November 5	Chicoutimi, QC	Centre Georges-Vezina
November 6	Sherbrooke, QC	Palais Des Sports
November 8	London, ON	John Labatt Centre
November 9	Hamilton, ON	Copps Coliseum
November 12	Winnipeg, MB	MTS Centre
November 13	Saskatoon, SK	Credit Union Centre
November 15	Grande Prairie, AB	Canada Games Arena
November 16	Prince George, BC	CN Centre
November 17	Kamloops, BC	Interior Savings Centre

SOURCE: Ticket News

Howie D. for Sarah CD launch

2008-09-30T13:10:00.001+08:00

Howie Dorough of the Backstreet Boys was in Manila recently to join Sarah Geronimo in promoting “I’ll Be There,” the first single from her latest album Just Me which was produced by Christian de Walden of Hollywood.

Howie recorded a duet with the local Pop Princess for the CD. The song, a new original, is titled “I’ll Be There.” It is a composition by Al Taweel and Pamela Philips-Oland, the same team that did one of the most successful duets in pop music history, “Too Much, Too Little, Too Late” by Johnny Mathis and Denice Williams.

Sarah was very excited about Howie’s visit. “I feel so honored that he agreed to come here for the launch of my CD,” says Sarah. “Sikat na sikat kasi sya. He is one of the Backstreet Boys. I used to just listen to them or watch them but now ay ka-duet ko na sya.”

Sarah and Howie are scheduled to shoot the music video of “I’ll Be There.” He joined Sarah in Asap 08. This was followed by a performance at the Music Hall of Mall of Asia where they greeted fans and signed autographs. Howie also appeared in MYX with Sarah as the music channel’s celebrity VJs for October.

Howie D reached worldwide fame as a member of the BSB along with AJ Mclean, Brian Littrell, Kevin Richardson and Nick Carter. They have sold 75 million records worldwide and won multiple awards from Billboard, MTV VMA, American Music and People’s Choice Awards, while also consistently selling out concert venues all over the world.

He is the youngest in a family of five who started performing as a kid in Orlando, Florida. He was 19 years old when he auditioned for a musical group that became the Backstreet Boys.

Howie is best known for his falsetto singing which is easily recognizable in hits like “I Want It That Way,” “Drowning,” “The Answer to Our Life,” “The Perfect Fan” and “Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely.” He is the lead singer in the songs “Spanish Eyes,” “What Makes You Different Makes You Beautiful,” and “How Did I Fall in Love with You.”

Howie is also an actor who has appeared in commercials, TV series, Sabrina The Teenage Witch and Roswell, and feature films like Parenthood, Cop and a Half and others. He also served as music supervisor in one of the latter, the acclaimed independent film Constellation. He has also lent his voice to animated shows like Arthur and Dora the Explorer.

While writing and producing Backstreet Boys projects, Dorough manages other artists. Along with his sister Pollyanna whose debut effort is the Christian crossover album Wings of Hope, his clients include George Nozuka, a Canadian artist with the CD Believe and American Idol Juniors finalist Katelyn Tarver.

Howie has also teamed with his brother John in Sweet D Inc., a real estate development venture whose properties, from six condominiums to their first hotel, the Country Inn & Suites in Cape Canaveral, focus on waterfront property along the east coast of Florida.

He serves as a board member of the Grammy Association’s Florida chapter, where he devotes much time and energy to the Dorough Lupus Foundation, created in memory of his sister Caroline who died of the disease in 1998.

Meanwhile, the release of Just Me is another feather in the cap of popular singing champion, Sarah Geronimo. The CD comes on the heels of the success of the movie A Very Special Love starring Sarah and John Lloyd Cruz, which is one of the year’s biggest box-office hits.

SOURCE: Manila Standard

BACKSTREET BOYS: Backstreet’s back

2008-09-30T08:48:00.000+08:00

Former teen-pop group to play MTS Centre

You want it that way? You got it that way.

Former teen-pop sensations the Backstreet Boys are back, and they're bringing their Unbreakable tour to Winnipeg this winter.
The Florida foursome (now comprised of Brian Littrell, Nick Carter, Howie Dorough and A.J. McLean; former fifth member Kevin Richardson dropped out two years ago) play MTS Centre on Nov. 12, as part of a Canadian tour that'll likely be jam-packed with hits like Larger Than Life, I Want It That Way and Quit Playing Games (With My Heart).

Tickets go on sale this Saturday at 10 a.m., for $39.50, $55.50 and $75 through Ticketmaster (call 780-3333).

SOURCE: Winnipeg Sun

BACKSTREETBOYS:... Coming

2008-09-30T08:45:00.000+08:00

Come on everybody, can't you see, can't you see, one of the biggest boy-bands in history is coming to P.G.

The Backstreet Boys have reformed and they bring their tight vocals and dazzling choreography to CN Centre on Nov. 16.
Backstreet Boys arrived just when pop radio and television was in between boy bands. New Kids On The Block had faded, Boys II Men were also fading and weren't really the same kind of group in the first place, and 'N Sync hadn't come along yet. The time was ripe for Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, Brian Littrell, A. J. McLean and Kevin Richardson to break out, and no group of their ilk has ever done it more powerfully.

Backstreet Boys have sold more than 100 million albums and according to some industry charts are the best selling boy group of all time. They were launched in 1993 and did not cease dominating the airwaves until 2002, when they took a hiatus. Carter released a solo album in that time. The group's quiet was broken in 2005 when they came out with the album Never Gone which did not excite the critics but shot up to platinum at the cash registers.

At the same time Littrell released his solo all-Christian album which, like Carters, also did well on its own merits.

The group shrank to four when, in 2006, Richardson left the band on friendly terms to focus on his new family life. The band responded by sticking together as a quartet and releasing their most recent album Unbreakable which has yielded the singles Helpless When She Smiles and Inconsolable. They go along with past massive hits Shape Of My Heart, I Want It That Way, Larger Than Life, Everybody (Backstreet's Back) and many more.

It is the Unbreakable tour that brings them to Prince George. Ticket sales go public on Saturday at 10 a.m. available at the CN Centre box office and Studio 2880.

Music fans are also reminded that tickets to see country music icon Kenny Rogers in Prince George on Nov. 19 go on sale Friday.

SOURCE: Prince George Citizen

Howie D in town for Sarah CD launch

2008-09-26T08:03:00.001+08:00

SOUNDS FAMILIAR By Baby A. Gil
Friday, September 26, 2008

Howie Dorough planed in from Los Angeles very early in the morning of Sept. 23. “There was nobody at the airport,” he recalls. It turns out the PAL flight arrived one hour ahead of schedule. “But it was OK,” he counters, “I didn’t mind. I already liked the place. It reminds me so much of Puerto Rico and we had this great snack on the plane of chicken in rice porridge. It was delicious.”

This is Howie’s third time to visit the Philippines and all those previous ones were with his group, the biggest selling boy band of recent times, The Backstreet Boys (BSB). The first one was during the Asian promo tour for the launch of their first album right before they exploded as a worldwide phenomenon. The others were for concerts, with the most recent one only three years ago.

Howie or Howie D, though is on his own this time around. He is on one of his occasional sabbaticals from the BSB. “I will literally start climbing walls if I do not have anything to do back home.” In Howie’s case, something to do means performing or recording or anything that concerns being a singer or an actor. So in between his stints with the group, he indulges his passion for music with solo efforts or duets with other artists. “This is something I love to do. It is not just a job. I cannot think of doing anything else.”

Howie was born in Florida of an Irish/Scottish/American, father, Hoke Dorough and a Puerto Rican mother, Paula Flores. The Irish and the Scott only come out when he does not shave his beard or when he drinks beer. The Puerto Rican is there all the time and that must be why he is considered the Latin heartthrob of the BSB. He sings most of the ballads and has a gorgeous falsetto which you can hear in Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely and I Want It That Way.

He was already into performing even as a child, most notably in an Orlando production of The Wizard of Oz and as the Little Drummer Boy in the Christmas Belen at Disneyworld in Florida where he grew up. He was a teenager when he and some friends auditioned for a “manufactured” boy group. They say “manufactured” when a band is not like The Beatles, who started together as a band, but are like the Monkees wherein the members were sourced from auditions and then told they were a group.

Howie though had two friends who also made the BSB, AJ McLean and Nick Carter. There were two other guys, but things were not working out well for them as a group. They were replaced by Kevin Richardson, who was discovered through the auditions and then it was Kevin who brought in his cousin, Brian Littrell. That happened way back in 1992 and they have been the Backstreet Boys ever since, with over a hundred million albums sold and with some solo efforts on the side.

And that is why Howie is in town. The Backstreet Boy graciously agreed to do a duet with Sarah Geronimo for her new album Just Me titled I’ll Be There. Produced by Christian de Walden of Hollywood, the new original is a composition by Al Taveel and Pamela Philips-Oland, the same team that did one of the most successful duets in pop music history, Too Much, Too Little, Too Late by Johnny Mathis and Denice Williams.

“I do something like this whenever I have the time,” continues Howie. “I also recorded with the Gospels. So when I was asked to sing with Sarah I said yes.” Howie met Sarah for the first time last Tuesday. They recorded I’ll Be There separately. De Walden did Sarah’s vocals in LA, then he hopped a plane to Florida where Howie did his. The result is now the first single out of Sarah’s album.

“I liked Sarah instantly,” says Howie. “She seems to be very sweet and humble and she did a good job with the song. I am looking forward to working with her.” Work with Sarah means meeting the local media and doing interviews, shooting a music video for I’ll Be There, taping some spots for MYX, performing the song on A.S.A.P. ‘08 on Sunday and then following this up with an appearance at the SM Mall of Asia’s Music Hall.

It seems like a lot of work but not for Howie who just adores performing and helping newer artists like Sarah. Besides, this trip also allows him to give vent to his other passion, traveling. “I didn’t get to see much of the Philippines the times I was here,” says Howie who has always been curious about this country. His mother’s best friend and his godmother is Filipino. “So I might be able to do that this time.”

It is also a honeymoon of sorts for Howie and his bride, the lovely Leigh Boniello. They were married last December but Howie had to tour with the BSB for seven months. They also suffered through the death of his father last June. So Manila, despite some work to do is an overdue vacation. “We are looking forward to enjoying ourselves here,” he says. The prospect that they will looks good.

SOURCE: Philippine Star

Sarah Geronimo meets Backstreet Boys' Howie Dorough

2008-09-25T17:14:00.000+08:00

abs-cbnNEWS.com | 09/25/2008 2:55 PM

Popular young singer Sarah Geronimo met one of her idols Howie Dorough of the US boy band Backstreet Boys who arrived in Manila, Tuesday, September 23rd. He is in town to record a music video with her and promote her newest album entitled "Just Me."

In an interview with the two, Geronimo and Dorough revealed that it was their first time to meet since they recorded their song “I'll Be There” separately.

"Actually this is the first time I got to meet Howie. We didn't record together," Geronimo said.

"Unfortunately that time I was in between Backstreet Boys tours and I had a very short time to do it. So, Christian de Walden actually came to me in Orlando where I was back home with my family for a couple days off and I recorded my vocals there. I already heard her sing on it and I was already singing with her on the demo," Dorough said.

Dorough said that he is very happy to do a project with Geronimo.

"She's a lovely lady. When I was asked about doing a project with her about four or five months ago by Christian de Walden I was very honored. I went online and I checked out on the internet and realized that she's a huge superstar here and around the world," he said.

"I was in Canada for Backstreet Boys on tour just a month ago in two different areas. I was at a different place where I bumped into some people from the Philippines and I said I was going to the Philippines they said 'ah for vacation' and I said 'I'm actually working with a girl name Sarah Geronimno' and they said 'Oh Sarah Geronimo!'. She's very popular, very, very famous around the world," said Dorough.

The male singer said that he finds Geronimo to be a very humble and sweet girl, while Geronimo confirmed her admiration for the Backstreet Boy.

"I'm a big, big fan super. Very happy. Isn't it obvious that I'm very happy. Happy and honored to work with you Howie Dorough," said Geronimo.

She said that it's actually another dream come true for her to be working with Dorough.

"I can't believe before I'm just listening to my walkman.... 'I want it that way'. Another dream comes true. I've only daydreamed about this and I never thought this would happen," Geronimo said.

Geronimo asked Dorough to try and eat the best Filipino dishes like chicken adobo, pork adobo, sinigang and kare-kare.

Dorough who just got married said that he will take time to try the dishes with his lovely wife. He said he hopes that he could go back to the country for another project.

"You have beautiful islands and people. We're here last time for our tour two or three years ago. I would love to come here and do more projects in the future," he said.

Before the interview ended Geronimo and Dorough invited the people to grab a copy of "Just Me."

"I think this album is a great album. It has original songs and I'm hoping everybody will get a copy of 'Just me,'" Geronimo said.

Geronimo and Dorough will have a music video of their song "I'll Be There."

On Sunday they will be together for autograph signing and a show at the Mall of Asia in Pasay City.

Geronimo, who started her career by joining a singing contest on television, has her next concert dubbed as "The Next One" set on November 8.

"The Next One" is directed by Johnny Manahan with Louie Ocampo as the musical director.

Aside from her weekly performances on the entertainment show, ASAP ’08, viewers can also watch Geronimo in her out-of-town shows.

as of 09/25/2008 3:55 PM

SOURCE: ABS-CBN

Howie D Comes To Manila for Sarah

2008-09-25T09:38:00.002+08:00

HOWIE D, the Backstreet Boys member who did a duet of “I’ll BeThere” with Sarah Geronimo, was born in Orlando, Florida on August 22, 1973. Standing 5’7", his full name is Howard Dwaine Dorough and is the fifth and youngest child of Hoke (Irish) and Paula (Puerto Rican) Dorough. His older siblings include Pollyanna who is also a singer, and Caroline Dorough-Cochran, who unfortunately passed away at the age of 38 in 1998. He’s known for his humanitarian efforts with the Dorough Lupus Foundation, created in honor of his late sister.

In 1992, at the age of 19, as Howie was struggling to find work as an actor, he kept running into two younger men on the audition circuit: Alexander James “A.J.” Mclean, and Nickolas Gene “Nick” Carter. The three young men came up with the idea to form a singing group, but decided that they needed at least one more member. It was through auditions that the boys found Kevin Scott Richardson, who would become the oldest member of the Backstreet Boys. Kevin made the suggestion of adding his cousin Brian Littrell to the group, as Brian himself was a phenomenal singer, and in 1993, the group known as the Backstreet Boys was born.

Howie is in town to shoot the music video of “I’ll Be There” with Sarah and promote the song in “ASAP” and the SM Mall of Asia this Sunday. He was presented by Viva Records to the press last Tuesday after he just came in from California.

He came with his wife, Leigh Boniello, a webmaster from N.J. She did their website in 2000, they became friends and went steady for six years before getting married last December. While here, they’ll visit Boracay. Howie has also tried acting and appeared in films like “Parenthood” and “Constellation”. On TV, he acted in “Roswell” and “Sabrina, The Teenage Witch”.

So how’s married life? “It’s been great,” says Howie. “We’re on an extended honeymoon.”

We asked Leigh what Howie’s most endearing traits are? “He’s such a sweet, kind person and a good husband,” she says. “He’s so family-oriented and has a very big heart. He has teamed up with his brother, John, to put up six condos and their first hotel, Country Inn Suites in Cape Canaveral on the waterfront of the east coast of Florida.”

We asked Howie how is it working with Sarah? “She’s great. It’s my first time to meet her as I recorded my part of our song in Orlando while she recorded hers here. I heard so much about her from Christian de Walden, producer of our song, and he’s right, she’s very talented. This is my first time to collaborate with a Filipino singer and I’m excited to sing with her in our show at the Mall of Asia this Sunday.”

And how does Sarah feel singing with Howie? “I’m honored and flattered that I’m the one chosen to sing with him kasi fan talaga ako ng Backstreet Boys, (because I'm really a fan of the Backstreet Boys)” she says. “Nagulat nga siya kasi (He was surprised because) I sang all their hit songs to him. They’ve sold 75 million records but despite their success, he’s very down to earth pa rin.”

Source: Journal Online

Info about the New Album

2008-09-12T08:10:00.002+08:00

Emilia/Matt/LtnUltiHaxer/MissAugust gathered a very interesting list of Producers/Songs for the upcoming Backstreet boys album. The boys have said that this album be more Pop and RnB. The list below is not 100% confirmed.

Songs
Undone
Ryan Tedder/Josh Hoge song - You can checkout the demo at Youtube
Contradiction
Howie/Ryan Tedder song
Shadows
AJ/Ryan Tedder song - Matt has heard a little demo of this and thinks this is a step in the right direction
Stay Like This
Emanuel Kiriakou (Inconsolable)/ Thom Leonard (Safest Place to Hide), Lindy Robbins (Part of Dan Muckala's trio)
Scream
Nick/Josh Hoge song could be either BSB or Nick song
Show Me How To Love Again
Nick/Desmond Child song could either be a BSB song or Nick

Producers
Max Martin
Rami Yacoub - Matt has had "close" contact with him and lets just say the sound is going to be very interesting
Jeffrey Steele - Writing for both BSB and Nick, best known for writing What Hurts The Most for Rascall Flats/Cascada
Desmond Child - Writing both for BSB and Nick
Akon - Nick and AJ have both mentioned working with him in 2 different interviews
Polow da Don - Brian mentioned him during the Star Shine Magazine Interview, behind Chris Brown's Forever and Usher's Love In This Club
Ryan Tedder - Hit in 2007 with Apologize, hit with Bleeding Love, hopefully 2009 they release one of his songs for the guys
Josh Hoge - Co-wrote and produced Undone, Scream
Rodney Jerkins "Darkchild" - AJ mentioned working with him in NYC to fans, also produced Shining Star
Rihanna - AJ mentioned to fans they were working with her but maybe its the producers she has worked with like Stargate
Jazze Pha - Nick mentioned working with him in his myspace video.

Miss August @ LD asked one of the admins of the official fan club and got this piece of info.
When asked about Max, the reply was "it's a possibility"
When asked I asked about Rami, Dr Luke, T-Pain, Akon. The answer she got back was "all people we are hoping to make work".
Also:
One of the admin's over at the fanclub said she is getting ready to schedule all their recording sessions, meeting with producers and there will be behind the scenes footage.

Rocky review

2008-09-09T08:13:00.000+08:00

Calgary Herald

Published: Sunday, September 07, 2008

Re: "Boys thrill fans with walk down Backstreet; Pop band works hard for screaming fans," Sept. 3.

I was disappointed with the review you gave the Backstreet Boys concert. I felt it was biased and unfair. If the reviewer doesn't like that genre of music, then the Calgary Herald should have sent another reporter instead of some 40-something who believes boy bands should just go into a hole and disappear. What is the Herald going to do next? Send a bluegrass-loving grandpa to the Alice Cooper concert? Or a punk-rock lover to review Elton John?

I thought reporters were supposed to have an open mind not a closed one.

Amanda Miller, Strathmore, AB.

© The Calgary Herald 2008

Reviewer no fan of Backstreet Boys

2008-09-09T08:10:00.000+08:00

Posted 2 days ago

Aug. 27. I read the review by Angela Scappatura on the Backstreet Boys concert. What type of concert did she expect to be reviewing? It's not a Michael Buble concert.

The Backstreet Boys are a boy band that will appeal to the fans that were at the concert. She should have interviewed the fans and quoted them accordingly. I really don't care what she thought of the concert because her opinion is not what matters.

I am a 48-year-old fan and I expected to be entertained by this awesome group -- and boy did they entertain! These guys have been selling out at every venue on their worldwide tour and that's what counts -- they are giving THEIR fans what THEIR fans are expecting.

It's apparent that Scappatura is not a fan.

Laura Ritchie Sudbury

comment:

Laura, Thank you for your comments on the review of the Backstreet concert done on Angela Scappatura. I also thought she was very unfair. I am 46, a mom of two and married to 25 years and have loved the boys and supported them for the last 10 years. I have been able to go to every tour except this one and yes the boys are always putting on a great show. The only reason I'm unable to go to this show is I live in AZ and they are not even coming close to here though I did try to get to the WA concert. Angela needs to be a more opened minded and if you see the crowd into it and singing to every song really enjoying themselves then that is what it should be about. I've have seen ALL the You Tube videos and as usual it looks like EVERYONE in the crowds are have a great time. BOO to Angela. Thanks to Laura (I welcome comments)

Post #1 By karen booboo,

SOURCE

Review: Backstreet Boys at Marymoor (really)

2008-09-09T08:07:00.000+08:00

Posted today at 12:00 am by Erika Hobart

Photo credit: Denille Gatchalian

A couple of overpriced glasses of wine into the night, I turned to my girlfriend. “I have something embarrassing to tell you,” I whispered. “I’m like, kind of nervous.” She gasped. “Oh my god! Me too. I have butterflies in my stomach!” We both giggled. But in a weird, jittery sort of way. Sort of like the meth addict that hangs out outside my apartment complex every evening.

It’s bizarre what happens when two 23-year-old women go to a Backstreet Boys concert. You automatically return to your awkward 12-year-old self. We spent the entire afternoon before the show listening to BSB songs and making signs that read “I heart Nick” and “I heart Brian.” For good measure, we also threw a liter of orange juice and Andre’s champagne into the backseat of my girlfriend’s car. Then, at the very last minute, we ditched the signs. “What if we’re the only people with signs?” I asked anxiously. “I don’t want to be lame.” (As if I wasn’t already.)

As expected, Saturday night’s audience consisted almost entirely of women. There were also some fairly disgruntled looking men who, because they have sex with these women, were succumbed to spending an evening with BSB. “My girlfriend’s somewhere over there,” one such heroic guy told me, waving toward the stage. “I’m just gonna chill here and drink beer until she’s done.”

Add another couple glasses of overpriced wine to the ones we’d already had, and we began to seriously reconsider our decision to ditch our signs. How the hell were Nick and Brian going to spot us if we didn’t have them?! Shit. But, it turns out, it’d been a good move on our part. An entire two people at Marymoor had signs. The second they put them up, women turned into rabid animals foaming at the mouth. “PUT THAT SHIT DOWN!” “YOU BITCH! LOSE THE FUCKING SIGN!” “YOU SUCK!” (Last one—courtesy of me.)

Here’s the thing about seeing BSB in concert in the year 2008—it’s a lot more about the nostalgia than it is about the music. Yes, they were good. But not that good. They were older, sweatier, and reduced to a quartet. Howie is like, four feet tall in real life. Between BSB songs, each member of the band would take the stage individually to promote their solo projects—which we squealed about in the moment, but instantly forgot post-show. Sorry, but I just can’t get that riled up about a Brian Littrell debut album.

BUT I’m saying all of this in retrospect. That’s because I’m 23 again. Bu that night I digressed 10 years. Hence, at the time, BSB were gods that could do no wrong. They opened with “Larger than Life” and then launched into their no. 1 hit “I Want It That Way.” We screamed for two hours straight. Then—this is pretty fucking embarrassing and I don’t remember doing it—I CRIED. Then my girlfriend cried. We hugged and declared that this could very well be the best night of our lives. Then we went home and passed out in prepubescent drunken bliss.

Lest I forget—let me mention the merchandise. A goddamn BSB shirt for $40?!? Yikes. Even more ridiculous was the WWND shirt on sale. “What Would Nick Do?” it read with a photo of the BSB’s prime hottie posed in a Jesus-like manner. I didn’t buy one because I wanted Nick to see me as a potential date, not a crazed fan. Sadly he never glanced at me once and I felt a slight sting. I don't know what he would do, but I certainly know what he didn't: Me.

SIGH.

SOURCE

Backstreet's bond with fans unbreakable

2008-09-06T12:32:00.000+08:00

By Tom Harrison, The Province

Published: Friday, September 05, 2008

BACKSTREET BOYS

When and where: Thursday night at GM Place

Grade: B

- - - - - -

The Backstreet Boys at GM Place Thursday: Choreography is so integral to their music, a live album is a virtual impossibility.

Ric Ernst - The Province

Is a statement being made here?

Backstreet Boys have called their last two albums Never Gone and Unbreakable. This implies longevity.

They've enjoyed huge success and taken a few risks. They've seen a dip in record sales but they have endured.

Despite a hiatus, Backstreet Boys have never gone. Despite some inner upheavals, they remain unbreakable.

Thus, they returned to GM Place Thursday night not as victors but as survivors.

After an excited but impatient audience of about 10,000 chanted "Backstreet Boys," Howie Dorough, A.J. McLean, Brian Litrell and Nick Carter appeared, preceded by a child who sang their introduction and then ran off.

The Boys entered wearing silk boxing robes and jumped into a boxing ring for their first song, "Larger Than Life." Did anyone miss the message?

They were backed by a tight and efficient quartet, while a video screen was about as elaborate as the staging got.

Howie, A.J., Brian and Nick concentrated on their dance moves and the hits, saving individual moments for solo spots -- such as Dorough's in which he displayed his Latin roots and flashed a little Jackie Wilson.

The thought occurred that the choreography is so intrinsic to a Backstreet Boys show that they couldn't successfully make a live album. DVDs were made for them.

The Backstreet Boys of today seem an honest presentation of who they are and what they've become. They're not as obsessed with image or being a contrived package.

A song such as "Incomplete" packs an emotional wallop -- not too hard but not calculating either.

When the audience sings "I Want it That Way" with them, it's confirmation that there is a lasting bond there -- never gone and unbreakable.

The concert started shrilly with Girlicious -- wirrr -- who have made an album --weeee -- of danceable but shallow pop -- bang.

In concert they are no more than choreographed lap dancers -- wirrr. The four women are just meat -- zing -- neatly arranged on a conveyer belt -- zip -- in which the wheels are louder than the music -- zing.

tharrison@theprovince.com

© The Vancouver Province 2008

The legacy of the Backstreet Boys--yes, they have one

2008-09-06T12:31:00.000+08:00

By: Amy Shaunette, Arts Editor

Media Credit: www.thebackstreetboys.com

The Backstreet Boys, now in their 30s, are still lookin' fly.

In the grand scheme of things, one might argue that '90s boy-band the Backstreet Boys matter little to the history of music. Their preteen fans are now adults, or trying to be, and you'd be hard pressed to name even three bands that were heavily influenced by Backstreet. But the faux-tan, baby-faced men of the Backstreet Boys are still the reigning kings of bubblegum pop, or at least they were for two solid hours at the Minnesota State Fair on August 23.

It's tempting to feel sorry for the Backstreet Boys, to label them as washed-up pop stars with shattered dreams and sex lives that revolve around underage groupies, or worse yet, their nostalgic mothers. But when the boys hit the stage at the fair, it was clear that even ten years after their peak, there was nothing humiliating to A.J., Brian, Nick and Howie about being a Backstreet Boy.

What stood out most were the similarities and differences between a BSB show then and a BSB show now. Things had changed for the better. The audience remained mostly female, but the pimply sixth graders were gone. Instead, the fans were loud college girls with beer in plastic cups and big breasts. The mothers were still there, but, recognizing the absurdity of the situation, weren't afraid to shake it. And best of all, the show was way more sexual than it was in 1999. The boys executed electrifying pelvic thrusts, and large screens flanking the stage showed close-up crotch shots. The ladies shrieked and screamed. We puffed up our cleavage and hollered out the names of our favorite boys, breaking a sweat each time the camera zoomed in on their pants region.

Of course, there were startling changes. Kevin, the tall, dark, silent one with the sexiest voice, had quit the band to raise a family. After years of drug use, A.J. looked older, and bright-eyed, blonde-haired Nick was trying to look tough with his new tattoos. Most of the boys sang songs from upcoming solo albums, sadly unaware that only seriously deranged fans cared, and a third of the set was from their newest album-yes, the Backstreet Boys have a new album. And perhaps most startling was the boys' new rap fixation. Nick performed his own rendition of the Kanye West-Daft Punk mash-up "Stronger," and the boys even sang a bit of Aerosmith and Run DMC's "Walk this Way."

But when it mattered, the boys delivered exactly what we'd all paid our $27 for. There were costume changes, elaborate sets, props and, of course, all the promises they'd made us. I believed them as much as I'd believed them when I was ten when they crooned "I'll Never Break Your Heart," and I knew that when Nick Carter sang "The One," he really meant it-after all these years, I was still the one for him. He'd find me.

The Backstreet Boys' current tour is in support of their 2007 release, "Unbreakable." It's an appropriately named album. The boys just won't quit. The secret of the Backstreet Boys is their irresistibility. I would like to think that since elementary school I have matured a bit in my musical taste, that my position as Arts Editor perhaps says something about my cultural choices. But there I was, shrieking the words to nearly every BSB song, almost forgetting that I'd ever heard anything better. For a minute I believed maybe I hadn't - after all, they are one of the best selling boy bands of all time for a reason.

SOURCE

Backstreet Boys woo the Garage girls

2008-09-06T12:29:00.000+08:00

By HOSEA CHEUNG, 24 HOURS

The buzz: Backstreet was back alright, albeit one man short. The four-singer "boy" group revived the late '90s at GM Place Thursday night with a set list meant to show Vancouver why the Backstreet Boys were on top of the music world at one point in time.

Cute beginnings: When you start off the show with Brian Littrell's five-year-old son Baylee coming on stage to aww the female contingent with a cute rendition of "Are you ready for the Backstreet Boys?", you know you're off to a great start - in terms of making hearts melt.

Tatted up with wrong: The songs coming out of A.J. McLean definitely did not match his appearance to start off with, as the rocker-like outfit along with his full arm tattoos mirrored characters out of West Coast Choppers as opposed to a heart-throbbing boy band member. Oh, there were also "Queen Tour '75" and "Black Sabbath" T-shirts amongst the other singers to go with the leather jackets. Wrong genre.

Ear drums shattering: I've heard loud. Heck, I've heard Chinese-restaurant loud. But the shrilling cacophony of high-pitched girls made the Hansons seem manly. My head hurts.

Night of estrogen: On the same note, about 80 per cent of concert attendees were women, but it wasn't difficult to find men amongst the throng of female fans. They were either attached to their girlfriends/wives, with their daughters/nieces, or terribly lost. Oh, and of course, there was a lone 24 hours journalist somewhere amongst the gender minority of the night.

Target audience: The much older Backstreet Boys did not fail to disappoint when it came to wooing fans, since entering the crowd to give kisses and hugs to adoring fans sure helped their cause.

Loudest sing-along: It had to be a tie between "I Want It That Way" and "Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely". Seven women miraculously got pregnant the moment those first notes played. It was that good.

Self promo: Of course, all members had previously spent time exploring their own solo careers, so each had a turn at singing their own song. Howie Dorough bombed, I don't even remember A.J.'s, and Nick Carter looked out of sorts. It was probably Littrell who actually showed some talent.

Man amongst boys: Speaking of Littrell - who happened to draw a close resemblance to Canadian comedian Gerry Dee - he was the only one amongst the four who actually looked grown up. His maturity definitely showed, as did his musical talent through his solo single "Welcome Home (You)". Throughout the night, the family man and devout Christian seemed more real, for a lack of a better word; he stood out.

Synthesizing solo: Seriously, still? When Carter's voice sounds like a raspy male version of Britney Spears, then it's pretty obvious as to who went with synthesizer help. I guess he needs all the false boost he can get. Now if only they could do something about his dancing.

Stage and props: With the most creative display during the opening where the singers "fought" in a boxing ring, props were prominent throughout the show. From chairs to cellphones to a poker table, the stage presence was utilized somewhat effectively. Don't forget the improvisation prop known as a run-away bra which Carter used to put on his face. What's with Vancouver fans and throwing bras? Not that I'm complaining.

Lights: Honestly, if it weren't part of my job to pay attention to lighting, I wouldn't have even realized any change from the plain blue/purple hue they had on for most of the night. It was nothing spectacular.

Encore: BSB started strong and ended strong, and with a pretty upbeat version of "Shape of my Heart" to close out the night, plenty of fans definitely went home happy. Also, gotta love the confetti.

Grade: C+ - Although I'm not the biggest supporter of boy bands, the overwhelming roar of approval all concert long definitely revived the popularity of BSB in Vancouver, even if it's just for one night only. However, the four singers have their past to thank for the outcome because if a group of unknowns did the exact same act, it would have been just another Thursday night.

SOURCE

Backstreet Boys perform a manly magic

2008-09-06T12:24:00.000+08:00

Amy O'Brian, Vancouver Sun

Published: Friday, September 05, 2008

VANCOUVER - Never underestimate the power of the boy band.

They can take punch after punch from critics and nay sayers. They can wrinkle and grow bellies and lose some hair. But the girls who loved them at their peak are a loyal bunch, and will evidently hold onto that love as if it was their first.

Thousands of such fans descended - wearing spiky heels and tiny skirts - on GM Place Thursday night to witness the Backstreet Boys in all their carefully choreographed and well-groomed glory.

They didn't care that their beloved boy band is no longer made up of boys, or that there are now just four, rather than five Backstreet Boys. The screams during the pre-show sound check were piercing proof that this boy band will be able to get girls screaming into their 40s and 50s - or as long as the boys can still dance.

The show kicked off with the group - Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, Brian Litrell and tattooed bad boy A.J. McLean - draped in hooded boxing robes, throwing warm-up punches as their vital stats, including their astrological signs, which were flashed up on the jumbotrons. The introductions were unnecessary considering the level of adoration among the fans, but they served to quickly identify the best-loved member of the band when the screams for Nick Carter outdid those for the others. (Carter's the one who developed a bit of a belly a few years ago, but he was looking tremendously fit Thursday as he pounded through the physically demanding dance sequences.)

The boys worked through a choreographed boxing round as they belted out an unbelievably loud version of Larger than Life, one of the mega-hits off their 1999 album, Millennium.

It was a combative, but appropriate opener for a band that's always been on the defensive regarding their authenticity and ability, but has continuously managed to land on top.

The 10,000 or so fans in the nearly sold-out crowd waved their arms in unison and sang along to any song they could. (And that was most of them. The Backstreet Boys have had 13 top 40 hits and have sold more than 100 million albums.)

SOUCE: aobrian@vancouversun.com

Backstreet Boys review was too nasty in column

2008-09-05T08:30:00.000+08:00

Posted 2 days ago

Aug. 27

I very much enjoyed the Backstreet Boys concert and appreciated their visit to Sudbury.

I find it insulting to be referred to as a "boy band fanatic" and a "squealing teenager bounding around the arena." What's wrong with being excited and cheering for a band that has been together for 15 years? It almost sounded like I was being criticized. But the criticism I received, along with much of Sudbury's teenage population which also attended the concert, was nothing compared to the insults and put-downs that were written about the Backstreet Boys themselves.

Yes, it is true that their dance moves were a bit nostalgic at times, but it wooed the audience and showed everyone a good time. Their dances were far from overly sexual. It was for our entertainment. Would it have been better if the audience stood there silently throughout the entire show, waiting for it to end? I think not. If BSB's style is not your taste, then simply don't attend their concert, much less ridicule them in the newspaper.

Sudbury is yet to become a very well-known major city, and it amazes me that an ultra famous pop band such as BSB would ever come here to perform. Therefore, after watching such an energetic and unforgettable performance, I find it bewildering to read such a mocking article. Sudbury should be honoured, instead of practically shooing them away. If I were a member of the Backstreet Boys, I would never return to Sudbury after being so belittled in an article.

I am very disappointed to see that one person's negative opinion represented the entire city of Sudbury. Being a member of the audience at the concert, I saw with my own eyes how entertaining BSB was, and I think 99 per cent of the crowd would agree with me that it was sensational. The band was well deserving of the 10-minute long standing ovation.

Everyone has the right to their opinion, but I believe that a respectable newspaper such as The Sudbury Star should have more regard for the entertainment interests of its people. It should be more supportive of such a superior pop band, and keep in mind its ethics when judging one.

Sarah Kaelas Grade 10 student Sudbury

SOURCE

Rash of changes turn Boys to men

2008-09-05T08:22:00.000+08:00

Backstreet has come through 15 years together 'stronger than ever'

Tom Harrison, The Province

Published: Thursday, September 04, 2008

IN CONCERT

Backstreet Boys

Where: GM Place

They aren't called the Backstreet Men, but the Backstreet Boys have grown up. They've weathered lawsuits, dodgy management, personal troubles, a self-imposed hiatus, shed a member and likely the growing pains aren't over. But the group of Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, A.J. McLean and Brian Litrell from Florida carry on.

"I feel that we're stronger than ever," Dorough says. "We're stronger and tighter. We've taken control of our writing and production."

They haven't been in a cocoon, protected from the outside world though it might seem that way. The Backstreet Boys were a pre-fabricated group assembled by disgraced manager Lou Pearlman and appeared to be an instant international success. Pearlman subsequently went to jail while Backstreet went on to sell 100-million records. They took a chance by going on hiatus in 2002 but bounced back with the album Never Gone in 2005. Inevitably, personalities started to emerge. There were solo albums as Carter came first and Litrell made a Christian-pop record. Dorough established his foundation for lupus research after his sister died of the disease, and McLean made headlines when his drug and alcohol addiction went public. Fifth member Kevin Richardson quit the group in 2006, significantly to start a family. Indeed, the boys had grown up.

"It's definitely been an adjustment," Dorough reflects. "We'd been together 15 years.

"Bringing in another guy would have been weird. It wouldn't sit well with us."

The Backstreet Boys have come a long way since releasing its first album in 1996 and appearing in Vancouver shortly thereafter with a show that was generously padded to give each member a short time in the spotlight whether they were ready for it or not.

"We've given each other space to do more," notes Dorough. "In the early years we kind of held each other back. Now, we embrace each other's individuality. We're adults now. We're more seasoned."

As proof, Dorough and McLean are working on solo albums. Dorough has been encouraged to write more since he had a couple of songs on Backstreet's Black and Blue. As each member has grown more secure they simultaneously have branched out -- Litrell's gospel career is an example -- while understanding the group better. The last album, 2007's Incomplete, taught them what they do best. Incomplete was different for Backstreet Boys but didn't sell as well.

"Looking at it in hindsight, we made a great record," says Dorough. "But we wanted to go back to our roots. The next record will be more pop whereas our last album was more pop-rock."

tharrison@png.canwest.com

Boys thrill fans with walk down Backstreet

2008-09-05T08:20:00.000+08:00

Pop band works hard for screaming fans

Heath McCoy, Calgary Herald

Published: Wednesday, September 03, 2008

Backstreet Boys, Tuesday at Pengrowth Saddledome. Attendance 9,000.

- - -

A boxing ring!

To the strains of the hit Larger Than Life, the Backstreet Boys threw choreographed punches, their fists taped up for combat, Tuesday night during their Pengrowth Saddledome show.

I'm not kidding here. That's what the Backstreet Boys kicked off their show in on Tuesday night at the Saddledome. Nick, Brian, Howie and A.J. (minus Kevin who split a couple of years back) doing a kind of tough guy dance while decked out in fancy boxing robes.

To the strains of the hit Larger Than Life the lads threw choreographed punches, their fists taped up for combat as they sang that gushing pop jingle in perfect harmony.

It was a move as bold as it was embarrassing.

It was bold because, as ridiculous as the spectacle was, it immediately sent a message. It was a well-planted uppercut to the collective jaw of all the skeptics out there -- and I'm one of them -- who have been writing the group off from day one.

Backstreet's not supposed to be back! Not a decade after their heyday. Their audience of little girls was supposed to grow out of their music and forget about them. They were supposed to go away like David and Shaun Cassidy went away in decades past.

But they didn't. They're still here, and even though they're not selling CDs by the multi-millions the way they used to, there was still enough buzz to attract 9,000 people to the 'Dome on Tuesday night, most of them screaming, giddy females. There were those who screamed for the Boys 10 years ago, and a new generation who screamed every bit as loud as their big sisters.

And the hard-working Backstreeters earned every one of those screams, from the sugar pop explosion of Everybody and the synthetic funk of Any Other Way to a massive version of I Want It That Way.

Ever the showmen, the Boys even walked out into the front rows to plant a few kisses on their hysterical fans.

Even if you didn't dig their music -- and there was a few eye-rolling dudes out there who were certainly dragged to the 'Dome by their dates -- you had to admit, it was the sort of world-class display of kiddy pop that the American Idol types would kill to match.

But back to the boxing ring and the embarrassing bit.

For one, anybody who saw this spectacle not moved to screams of excitement had to have been moved instead to a fit of the snickers.

With their sappy sweet love ballads and the slick, soulless R&B of their bubblegum pop, not to mention their pouty pinup boy posing, the Backstreet Boys are the complete opposite of rugged.

And while they may fuel romantic fantasies for females all around the world, you'd be hard pressed to describe the Backstreeters as sexy. They're more like cuddly, non-threatening Ken dolls.

But the thought of them duking it out in the ring is about as absurd as Michael Jackson playing the part of a gang member, as he did in the Beat It and Bad videos.

Then again, Michael left a crater-sized imprint on the pop culture landscape with those videos, and maybe, just maybe, the Backstreet Boys have left a lasting mark too.

Tuesday night at the 'Dome suggested as much.

Oh, the horror.

Opening for the Backstreet Boys was Girlicious, a four-piece outfit that seemed like a bargain basement Pussycat Dolls, which is exactly what they are.

The group was created on a reality TV series, (The Pussycat Dolls Present: Girlicious), by the same fellow that manufactured the Pussycats.

And if you thought that guy's vision had its limitations the first time around, steer clear of Girlicious at all costs because their bubble-headed pop and unimpressive cheerleader-cum-stripper dance moves make the Pussycats look and sound like The Supremes.

That didn't matter a bit though. All the ladies in the house were there for one thing only -- a thrilling walk down Backstreet, and that's exactly what the Boys gave 'em.

hmccoy@theherald.canwest.com

Backstreet Boys back, for good

2008-09-05T08:17:00.000+08:00

By Deena Cox

The conundrum of boy bands is that they grow up. No matter how many number one hits they’ve had and millions of records they’ve sold, boy banders and their handlers cannot stop bankable, childish good looks from fading into facial hair and midsection flab.

That doesn’t stop the music industry from trotting out a new boy-band model every 10 years or so. From the Monkees to the Bay City Rollers to New Kids on the Block to the Backstreet Boys, it’s been proven time and time again that nothing sells to teens and tweens like squeaky-clean, prefab pop.

Now, with the 10-year music-industry itch upon us yet again, another crop of chest-hair-less, odourless, hypoallergenic dorks is singing and dancing its way into the bedrooms of poster-worshipping pubescents everywhere. Even as this most recent resurrection of boy-band mania reaches its height with the Jonas Brothers owning multiple spots at the top of the charts, the best-selling boy band of all time remains the Backstreet Boys.

The four remaining BSB members—Nick Carter, A. J. McLean, Brian Littrell, and Howie Dorough—have dusted off the cobwebs, cleaned the skeletons out of their closets, and re-emerged as a fully fledged man band, bearing the battle scars of a lifetime spent climbing the charts and then fending for themselves when suddenly no one gave a shit.

“We’ve had our ups and downs,” says McLean, on the phone from a tour stop in St. John’s, Newfoundland. “I’ve gone to rehab, Nick’s been arrested, we’ve lost people in our families, Brian has had open-heart surgery, we lost a member. There’s been so much that we’ve been through, and we’re still here because we’re fighters and because we believe in the Backstreet Boys.”

Love them or loathe them, the men of the Boys understand the music business like few others. “Every 10 years, there seems to be a big cycle that comes full circle and it’s all about pop music again,” McLean explains. “I think it’s about getting good music back on the radio that’s not talking about how many cars you drive or what kind of necklace you wear or how many girls you’ve slept with. It’s feel-good music.”

Unbreakable, the band’s latest release, is just that: formula-perfect tunes that are just superficial enough to appeal to Hannah Montana disciples, and just catchy enough to grab some airtime from those nostalgia-seeking late-20-somethings who feel like pervs for having a favourite Jonas brother and think the guys in Good Charlotte are just a bit too punky. According to McLean, the vibe of the record and the industry in general is a response to an increasingly agitated Joe Public.

“It’s like music is such an outlet for everybody, no matter what,” he surmises. “It’s good to be able to say, you know, ‘I just spent $90 filling up my tank, so I’m going to turn this song up and I’m going to forget about it, and I’m going to rock out to “Incomplete” or I’m going to rock out to “The Right Stuff”, ’ or whatever you’re going to listen to. You’re going to get completely lost in that song.”

Getting lost in the music is a step in the right direction for McLean, whose public struggle with drugs and alcohol nearly destroyed the biggest boy band in history. “I went through the phase of having my tour manager go into my room before I’d check in to take all the alcohol out of my minibar,” says McLean, who has been clean for six years.

Keeping the band together after his meltdown wasn’t as easy as minding the minibar. Between 2000’s Black & Blue and 2005’s Never Gone, the boys took a much-needed break from the band—and from each other.

“We were fried and we were not having fun,” admits McLean. “I had just got out of rehab and there were fights all the time and, like, arguing and bickering. If we had continued right after that, all of us think we probably would have self-destructed.”

The Backstreet Boys play GM Place tonight (September 4).

SOURCE: Straight.Com

Boy band "can't give them enough"

2008-09-05T08:07:00.000+08:00

The Backstreet Boys continue to draw positive reviews

Mike Devlin, Canwest News Service

Published: Thursday, September 04, 2008

BACKSTREET BOYS

GM PLACE Tonight

SAVE-ON MEMORIAL CENTRE

Backstreet Boys perform at Montreal's Bell Center on Tuesday.

The Backstreet Boys were the fresh-scrubbed face of music nine years ago, jostling for pop supremacy with Britney Spears and *NSYNC and becoming trivia question footnotes along the way (Q: What is the only group in history to have three consecutive albums certified for sales of over one million units in Canada? A: Backstreet Boys.)

Aside from ex-*NSYNC heartthrob Justin Timberlake, Backstreet Boys -- now men, some with boys of their own -- are the only ones working with any consistency. The band's current tour featured 13 Canadian stops (Vancouver tonight and Victoria on Friday are the last two Canadian dates), and while the dates haven't caused traffic jams or heart attacks, as they once did, Backstreet's back and drawing some positive notices for its live show.

"I don't think we can ever give them enough,'' said singer Howie Dorough, the day following the first of two concerts in St. John's, N.L. "The energy on stage, the energy in the audience -- everything was 10-plus. The fans walked away, hopefully, feeling they got a truly entertaining show that was worth waiting for.''

The group took a five-year break from the studio following 2000's Black & Blue and toured only once between 2001 and 2005. The momentum of Backstreetmania was dislodged. In terms of sales, the group has never recovered.

Its legacy of a decade ago remains intact. At the turn of the millennium, its members graced the cover of Rolling Stone magazine three times during an 18-month span, helping the group sell upwards of 100 million CDs worldwide, while its videos for I Want it That Way, Shape of My Heart and Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely were blazed upon MuchMusic and MTV at a clip rarely seen before or since.

The group, and its grip on all forms of media, is less omnipresent nowadays. But the lower profile is met with relief by its four members, one of whom has children and two of whom are married.

When we informed Dorough that his outfit's 1999 blockbuster, Millennium, recently ascended to No. 13 position on the list of the best-selling albums of all-time, with 35 million copies sold, he seemed genuinely surprised. No matter how many times he relives his group's more fantastic moments, the former theme park performer from Orlando, Fla., appears unable to fully comprehend his legacy.

"We just celebrated 15 years together, and to hear of accomplishments like that is unbelievable,'' said Dorough, 34. "Whether it was a bit of fate, whether it was a bit of luck, or hopefully, a lot of talent, we're blessed to be where we are. It goes back to our upbringings, having good wholesome families. We've helped each other out, making sure that nobody got too big for their britches. We've made sure that everybody kept their feet on the ground. We've always been about what's best for the group, and not what's best for the individual.''

Two years ago, prior to the recording of the group's 2007 album, Unbreakable, group member Kevin Richardson split amicably from the band, which not only depleted Backstreet's ranks but robbed the group of its eldest member and steadiest presence.

He was an integral part of the group, Dorough said, but no one begrudged him for wanting to start a family and pursue other musical projects. Richardson may one day return to the lineup, but for the time being Backstreet Boys are a quartet, Dorough said.

"In the early days, none of us had any ties to anything. It was go, go, go -- let's get this roller-coaster rolling and ride it. But now that we're older, I think we're more in control. It's more about a healthy balance between our career and having time for ourselves. We try to make everyone happy, and for those who want to have time off to spend with their family they can do that. We have the space to do whatever makes everyone happy.''

Time away has produced plenty of new music, not all of which falls under the Backstreet Boys banner.

Dorough, whose mother is Puerto Rican, is working on a Latin-tinged solo album, while A.J. McLean is pursuing material of the funk-rock variety. Brian Littrell and Nick Carter have already issued solo efforts, something which Dorough feels is healthy for the group. "We have individual fans that we've been able to bring in to the Backstreet Boys because of [their solo work]. Each of us came from solo backgrounds, and each of us have always had aspirations of a solo career. Now, more than ever, our fans are ready for that.''

The four friends, who range in age from 28 to 34, are spending more and more time apart these days. No more 18-month world tours for Backstreet Boys, Dorough said. The band's recent tour of Europe lasted eight weeks; its current trek through North America will be capped off at six. Time away or at home pursuing other interests is more valuable than ever for the band, whose members all own houses in California, with secondary residences in Florida (McLean and Dorough), Nashville (Carter) and Atlanta (Littrell).

Work is well underway on the band's sixth album. Dorough figures the current tour of Canada will affect the direction, primarily because the group is back to doing what it does best for the Unbreakable Tour: singing and dancing.

Backstreet's tour for 2005's Never Gone -- Richardson's last studio recording with the group -- was harder edged, and less reliant on the dance moves of early singles Quit Playing Games (With My Heart) and Everybody (Backstreet's Back) -- monster hits which made the group a household name and poster-boy idols.

"We made a conscious effort with Unbreakable to get back to that,'' Dorough said. "The music scene has changed, and we couldn't come out with the same sound, but when we put the album into a stage show, it didn't really lend itself to choreography, and that's who we really are. When we made this last record, we wanted to make songs that could really translate well to the stage.''

From boys to men

2008-09-02T08:12:00.003+08:00

The punchy Backstreet Boys come out swinging for screaming fans at Rexall Place last night. (Jordan Verlage, Sun Media)

I was recently threatened by a grown woman, "You'd better not bash my Backstreet Boys!"

You shouldn't take this sort of thing lightly. One veteran Sun photographer told me that he has never feared for his life more than when he shot the Backstreet Boys. Not fires, not murder scenes, not gangsta rap concerts, but a boy band whose average fan weighed 80 pounds soaking wet. Wow.

All these years later, can these Backstreet Fully Grown Men still generate such feminine hysteria?

Which one is missing? Is it the one who had a successful solo career pretending to be black or the one who turned out to be gay? Or was that the other boy band? Have they aged to the point that they've changed their hit song to Everybody (Backstreet's ... Ow, My Back)? Will cheap jokes like this get me ripped to shreds by a mob of enraged 23-year-old women? (Well, a man can dream.)

These were just some of the questions I had coming into last night's show at Rexall Place.

Hysteria? Check. More than 9,000 little girls who grew up in the most delightful ways screamed their lungs out, just at a slightly lower pitch than one might have heard a decade ago.

They screamed when the boys made their entrance in boxing attire - group members Brian Littrell, Howie Dorough, A.J. McLean and Nick Carter introduced as fighters (Kevin Richardson left the group two years ago) - with snips from Eye of the Tiger turning into the big opener Larger Than Life.

They screamed when the leather jackets came off for the first gooey love ballad, and for all the gooey love ballads that followed, including a new one, Inconsolable (which went No. 1 in Japan, if that means anything).

They screamed to the familiar strains of I Want It That Way. (What way? That way.) They screamed when Howie did a hip-swivelling tango in his Latin-flavoured solo tune, and when A.J. did his solo rocking out thing.

They screamed when the Backstreet Boys sang Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely while they sat around a table playing cards. And the women especially screamed when told they each would get a "big juicy kiss" if time permitted it. So, yes, they still got "it."

There was nothing to find fault with in this theatrical show. The choreography was flawless without looking forced. The pacing was perfect: dance song, rocker, ballad, another ballad, a bit of witty patter, repeat.

They performed as if they meant every sweet romantic nothing sung thousands of times before to millions of other screaming women. They went for it until they dripped with sweat.

They were gracious and charismatic, each showing their strengths and drawing screams in their own way.

They sang their own vocals - the odd bad note infinitely preferable to canned perfection - and had a real band back them up, one that tried its best to rock.

Of course, for all their talent and showmanship, they were still doing Backstreet Boys songs. Let's try to keep things in perspective here.

Opening acts are supposed to make the headliner look good - and Girlicious sure did the trick.

A karaoke set from this quartet of reality show winners was so obnoxious and contrived that they made the Backstreet Boys look like the Travelling Wilburys.

But sexy? You bet! Tight choreography designed to showcase tight booties was the order of the day, even if the music was horrible. The single is called Stupid S***. I think that says it all.

One thing: who exactly were they being sexy for in an arena full of women? Are they lesbians or just dumb? It's terribly confusing.

I never got to see the Backstreet Boys at the height of their popularity, when they played Commonwealth Stadium in 1998.

Some numbskull rear-ended me on the way to the show and I had a very relaxing ride in the ambulance thinking how lucky I was not to be at the Backstreet Boys concert.

And yet, a small part of me regretted missing such a momentous occasion that long decade ago. I hope last night's experience made up for it.

Happy now, world's biggest Backstreet Boys fan?

SOUNDCHECK

MAIN EVENT

Backstreet Boys

IN THE SEATS

9,400 in Rexall

NOTE PERFECT

Boy band turns to man band with pleasing results for thousands of screaming girls ... sorry, women.

RATING

4 out of 5

SOURCE: Edmontonsun.Com

Backstreet still supreme in boy-bandom

2008-09-02T08:09:00.000+08:00

Francois Marchand, Special to The Journal

Published: 2:02 am

CONCERT REVIEW

Backstreet Boys

With: Girlicious

When: Sunday

Where: Rexall Place

To say that the world is a better place now that Backstreet's back -- again -- might be pushing it a bit.

However, for the throngs of screaming (and mostly female) fans who sang along to every word the boy-band delivered Sunday night at Rexall Place, the experience was still a huge, long weekend party.

Granted, the Boys aren't so much "boys" anymore. Nick Carter, Brian Litrell, A.J. McLean and Howie Dorough -- fifth member Kevin Richardson called it quits in 2006 -- are older, but they still have the energy and gusto that defined their rise to pop superstardom in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

And there was plenty of memorabilia to absorb as soon as they hit the stage.

From opener Larger Than Life, complete with choreographed dance moves involving boxing gloves and matching outfits, to mega-hit I Want It That Way, which really kicked things into high gear, fans responded with ear-piercing squeals of delight.

There was a bit of the prerequisite "new album" (2006's Unbreakable) business to attend to. However, the Backstreet bunch quickly dispensed with the easily forgotten stuff to focus on the numbers that made them a pop tour-de-force.

"You guys are awesome. We missed you guys," Howie told the enthusiastic crowd, which responded with a thunderous roar.

He then introduced a string of "solo" performances from each of the members' prospective new albums to be released in the near future.

Fortunately, the solo performances were not to overshadow the group's most famous numbers, and fans young and old went absolutely nuts when the Boys broke into the likes of Everybody (Backstreet's Back).

Surprisingly, it was the group's subdued presentation that really did the trick -- no flashy gimmicks (except for the opening number), each of the guys sporting leather jackets and rock T-shirts for most of the first part of the show, using only furniture (chairs, stools, a poker table) as their major props throughout.

Maturity is serving these Boys well, and they still boast the kind of inventive and impeccably timed dance moves you could set your watch to while making the most of their live backing band.

Opening act Girlicious, on the other hand, were all fleshy costumes and big hair swings set to bright lights and bumping pre-recorded tracks.

As for the Backstreet Boys, they might be married with children, and sitting a little lower in the charts than they were once used to, but they still reign supreme when it comes to boy-bandom.

Backstreet’s back

2008-09-02T08:06:00.000+08:00

Published: August 31, 2008 6:00 PM
Updated: August 31, 2008 6:09 PM

They were once one of the biggest groups in the world.

At the height of popularity for boy bands in the late 1990s, the Backstreet Boys waged a constant battle with ‘N Sync in terms of record sales and popularity.

The Florida-based group, a quartet since the departure of Kevin Richardson in June 2006, plays the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre in Victoria Sept. 5.

Having enjoyed five multi-platinum albums between 1996 and 2000, the band went on hiatus for five years before releasing Never Gone in the summer of 2005. They would follow that up in 2007 with Unbreakable, which has struggled after a fast start fueled by the single “Inconsolable.”

All four of the remaining members have ventured into solo careers. The most successful being Nick Carter, who released his debut CD Now or Never, in 2002, however it sold poorly and only garnered gold status.

In total, the group has sold more than 100 million albums, making them the best-selling boy band of all time. They have had 13 Top 40 hits. They started up in Orlando, Florida.

Creating a perfect contrast for the sold-out Friday night concert, the opening act for the Boys are girl-group protégés Girlicious.

patrickb@vicnews.com

SOURCE: VicNews