Official Spokeswoman: Boys Not Breaking Up

Back - Index - Submissions - - What is RSS? Date: Dec 06, 2001 Source: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Submitted By: jmw Backstreet Boys breaking up? Not yet, anyway By CRAIG SEYMOUR The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Say it isn't so. Reports surfaced Tuesday that the Backstreet Boys, who helped set off the teen pop wave, were on the verge of breaking up. Credit the report to gossip columnist Jeannette Walls, who dished about it on MSNBC's Web site. Listeners of Atlanta radio station 99X heard about it Wednesday during their morning dose of "Celebrity Sleaze." So is it true? Not according Marcee Rondan, the band's official spokeswoman, who says the fab five are doing fine. The Boys just returned from touring Japan and plan to take the holidays off as they do every year. None of the Backstreet Boys could be reached for comment. The breakup rumors do come at the end of a tumultuous 12 months. In July, the band put its U.S. tour on hold so that member A.J. McLean, 23, could enter a rehabilitation facility for what co-member Kevin Richardson called, "depression, anxiety and his excessive consumption of alcohol." The band's CBS-TV special "Larger Than Life" finished 60th the week it aired in May. And its singles collection, optimistically titled "The Hits -- Chapter One," entered the album charts at No. 4 a month ago and already has fallen to No. 19. (The Boys' previous two albums debuted at No. 1 and hung out in the Top 10 for months.) Even though the act's chart positions have dipped, however, members have appeared publicly united. They eventually finished the U.S. tour and made two high-profile appearances at Sept. 11 benefits in New York and Washington. Usually, a band on the brink of a breakup cuts down on its public outings. "The struggles that they went through with A.J. could potentially make them closer," says Laura Morgan, entertainment editor at Seventeen magazine, "because they really stuck by him." The act is still big with its target teen audience. Although the single "Drowning" is at a lackluster No. 50 on Billboard's Hot 100 (it peaked at No. 28), the video is No. 1 on MTV's request show "TRL." "The interest is still there, maybe not as strong as it was at one point," says Janet Giovanelli, editor of J-14, a teen magazine. The breakup rumors may stem less from strife in the band than the public perception that it is on its last commercial legs. Another possibility: Many over-16 fans are ready to celebrate the demise of teen pop. This view was reinforced at Tuesday's 2001 Billboard Music Awards. "The Backstreet Boys, where they at?" asked host Bernie Mac. "They're back on the street." Sad, but not yet true. Comment on this item. Recent Comments Submitted by: markus http://imrdsoacha.gov.co/silvitra-120mg-qrms Comment on this item. Next Item: Billboard's Year In Review 2001 Prev Item: Backstreet on Rainier