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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