Backstreet Boys

Backstreet Boy Howie D. is having cell phone trouble. Actually, the group has been having trouble all day. First, they had bad reception as the band buses drove through the Green Mountains of Vermont, and now that the Boys have arrived at Essex Junction, Vt., for a show at the Champion Valley Expo, their phones are full of static."

If you're looking to get on Nick Carter's good side, address him as Lord Balgrott, his "World of Warcraft" character. The former teen heartthrob is such a fan of the online role-playing game that he changed his Twitter avatar to an illustration of the white-bearded guild leader. It's not the type of career move - yes, social media management is a part of the game in 2012 - many would expect from the handsome, blue-eyed member of the Backstreet Boys. But compared to his pop peers, Carter, 31, has had one of the strangest career arcs, full of chart-topping hits and embarrassing personal lows.

If you're looking to get on Nick Carter's good side, address him as Lord Balgrott, his "World of Warcraft" character. The former teen heartthrob is such a fan of the online role-playing game that he changed his Twitter avatar to an illustration of the white-bearded guild leader. It's not the type of career move - yes, social media management is a part of the game in 2012 - many would expect from the handsome, blue-eyed member of the Backstreet Boys. But compared to his pop peers, Carter, 31, has had one of the strangest career arcs, full of chart-topping hits and embarrassing personal lows.

Hard as it is to believe , it's been a whopping 26 years since the New Kids on the Block released their first single. For the Backstreet Boys, it's been 16. New Kid Donnie Wahlberg was a spry 17 back then; so was the Backstreet Boys' AJ McLean. A lot has happened since then. They've grown up, for one. "Some of the New Kids have kids of their own," McLean said. Wahlberg and McLean are even members of the same country club in California. Along the way, McLean checked in and out of rehab, and Jonathan Knight came out of the closet.

Because Paul was my favorite Beatle and because Mickey Dolenz was my favorite Monkee, I stood in line at the cable company to rent the magic black box that would bring the Backstreet Boys to my daughter's feet.She is, like, 13 years old, and, omigod, the Backstreet Boys are her favorite boy group (" 'N Sync," she says, "is so wannabe!"). And Nick Carter is her favorite Backstreet Boy. "He is so-o-o-o hot!" she says, and I don't want to know where the heat is coming from.His picture is plastered all over the pink-and-white, hearts-and-flowers wallpaper in her little-girl bedroom, including a spot on the wall that is the first thing she sees when her eyes open in the morning.

This week, the long wait finally ends. After months of well-planned teases and carefully edited excerpts, the final release is at hand -- and the fans couldn't be happier. After all, what we're looking at is a genuine pop culture phenomenon, something that transcends mere entertainment to define the lives of millions of American teens.And I don't mean "Stars Wars."No, the phenomenon I have in mind is the Backstreet Boys, who have just released their second album, "Millennium" (Jive 41672, arriving in stores today)

You heard it here first: Backstreet Boys will break up in November! Brian and Nick will pursue successful solo careers. Howie will do stand-up comedy and Kevin will hit the lecture circuit. And A.J.'s shot at going solo might make him wish that the group was back together. That noise you just heard? It's the sound of countless young girls fainting at the mere thought of a world without Backstreet Boys. Before panic grips an unsuspecting nation, it's time to confess that this news has not been confirmed by any official sources.

They sell records faster than a speeding bullet! They're able to leap over other boy bands in a single bound! So why shouldn't the superstar Backstreet Boys become superheroes, too? Yesterday, the official B-Boys Web site (www.backstreetboys. com) began featuring the fab five as "The Cyber Crusaders," the first online animated series created for a pop group. Twenty-two biweekly "webisodes" make up the series, which was created by comic book giant Stan Lee. You'll be hearing a lot about the Crusaders.

WASHINGTON - You've gotta pity the Backstreet Boys - at least that's what some people would have you believe. The world of teen pop has changed somewhat since the five Backstreet boy wonders last toured in 1999. Since the Boys' last concert tour, industry experts have begun predicting the death of the teeny-poppers, estimating that boy bands have a shelf life of a year left at most. The pre-fab nature of the boy-pop genre (if you can call it that) has been mocked in an MTV comedy series and exposed in the ABC reality-TV show "Making the Band."

WASHINGTON - This is what it felt like on the floor of the 9:30 Club in the moments before the Backstreet Boys made their triumphant return: A deep rumbling noise shook the walls. Blue lights swept the crowd. Cymbals clashed. The smoke machines went into overdrive. And then it happened: Nick, Kevin, Howie, Brian and A.J. raced onstage in white jackets, white hats and white sneakers. A thousand voices shrieked and a thousand digital cameras were lifted into the air. The Backstreet Boys were back.

If you follow Jeremy Guthrie on Twitter, it probably took only a few Tweets from the Orioles pitcher for you to realize that he is a huge fan of the Backstreet Boys, New Kids on the Block and boy bands in general. This week, Guthrie joined Jimmy Traina on the Hot Clicks podcast on SI.com to discuss his guilty pleasure. Traina introduced Guthrie on the podcast by telling his online audience that he was only having Guthrie on the podcast because he is a major-league pitcher who is also a boy band fanatic.

You have probably read my intro post for Baltimore Sports Blitz by now, and learned who I am and what I plan do to in this space. But this morning, I shot an impromptu introductory video with Baltimore Sun video guru Kevin Richardson (no, not the guy from the Backstreet Boys). Thanks to some slick editing from Kevin, the video turned out pretty well if you overlook me swaying back and forth for two-plus minutes. Thanks, Kevin, for masking my awkwardness. Look for more videos from me in the future.

Train's career seemed all but stalled when, seemingly out of the blue, the band rebounded with the monster hit "Hey, Soul Sister. " Pop radio carpet-bombed the country with the upbeat acoustic single, and suddenly Train was back in the limelight. "Hey, Soul Sister" became the San Francisco band's highest-charting hit to date, making it all the way to the No. 3 spot on the Billboard Hot 100. On Sunday, Train headlines Mixfest at Pier Six Pavilion, along with the Backstreet Boys and Hanson.

WASHINGTON - This is what it felt like on the floor of the 9:30 Club in the moments before the Backstreet Boys made their triumphant return: A deep rumbling noise shook the walls. Blue lights swept the crowd. Cymbals clashed. The smoke machines went into overdrive. And then it happened: Nick, Kevin, Howie, Brian and A.J. raced onstage in white jackets, white hats and white sneakers. A thousand voices shrieked and a thousand digital cameras were lifted into the air. The Backstreet Boys were back.

Jennings wins another $75,000 on 'Jeopardy' Will Ken Jennings ever lose? Not anytime soon. The Jeopardy! quiz master won his 38th straight game yesterday, shattering a one-day record by earning $75,000. Now his fans - and foes - have to wait while the show goes on hiatus until September. Jennings, the 30-year-old Utah software engineer, has earned $1,321,660 during his nearly two-month stint. Jeopardy! goes into reruns starting next Monday. But new shows will resume on Sept. 6, and Jennings will be there to defend his championship.

Britney Spears, the pop star who brought sizzle to the schoolyard with glitter T-shirts and short shorts, strode onto a Milan runway last Tuesday evening in a $23,000 rainbow-spangled gown by Donatella Versace. Spears, who turns 21 on Dec. 2, was flaunting her inner grown-up, turning to the makeover queen of couture for a quick fix. "She wanted something sophisticated and glamorous," Versace said. It was the culmination of Spears' two-month intermission from work, ostensibly to relax but in reality to begin the process of refashioning herself for a new career.

When Carlos Santana released his first album, way back in 1969, neither Ricky Martin, Backstreet Boys nor the members of TLC had even been born. So how must the veteran rocker feel to be competing against those young sprats for the Record of the Year Grammy? Probably about the same as Cher. When the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences announced its nominations for the 42nd annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles yesterday, the slate for the top three awards -- Record, Song, and Album of the Year -- shaped up as a battle of the ages.

Deciding whether Hanson still counts as teen pop depends in large part on how you define the genre. If you think "teen pop" is simply pop music made by teen-agers, then the brothers Hanson clearly qualify. Even though three years have passed since "Mmm-bop" put these young Okies on the map, the members of Hanson remain in their teens. (Isaac is 19, Taylor 17, and Zac is 14, in case you're keeping score at home.) If, on the other hand, you believe that the phrase "teen pop" connotes a style more than a demographic, you may want to find a different pigeonhole for Hanson.

Like millions of American teen-agers, Sasha Eckstein has figured out that she doesn't need to spend $20 on a band's CD just to hear its one hit song. "Generally, if I like a song I hear on the radio," said Eckstein, a high school sophomore, "I'll wait and see if it shows up on one of the compilations." Chances are that it will, usually on the Now collection. Four weeks ago, the best-selling album in the United States was Now 9, a compilation of 20 recent Top 10 hip-hop, rock and pop hits by different artists.

You heard it here first: Backstreet Boys will break up in November! Brian and Nick will pursue successful solo careers. Howie will do stand-up comedy and Kevin will hit the lecture circuit. And A.J.'s shot at going solo might make him wish that the group was back together. That noise you just heard? It's the sound of countless young girls fainting at the mere thought of a world without Backstreet Boys. Before panic grips an unsuspecting nation, it's time to confess that this news has not been confirmed by any official sources.