Latingirl magazine.
He's the Backstreet Boy who
seldom takes center stage. A seemingly shy guy with good
looks, a great sense of humor, and a contagious laugh.
Doesn't he remind you of Andy Garcia? But, don't be
fooled by his sweet good-boy face or his goofy ways, he's
a Leo, un leon del Caribe, and he knows it...so watch
out!
What could possibly be better than meeting Howie D. in
person? Nothing!
Okay, well, maybe watching him walk around shirtless. He
does have great arms. Or, sitting down and having a
conversation with him about..oh, I don't know...anything.
That is, if his smile doesn't distract you, or those baby
browns of his.
Don't worry, as long as you sit there and smile - and you
can't help but smile - he'll just keep right on talking.
He's just too humble to realize you're in awe of him!
THE LATIN LOVER
That's the beauty of talking with Howie. He'll tell you
whatever you want to know. But, if you're not listening
carefully and don't know how to read between the lines,
you'll miss a lot. He's very discreet about his lion
tendencies. But, he is a "party animal". And,
he's available.
"I'm as single as can be right now, " says the
27-year-old singer. "I tried the relationship thing
twice but it didnt work out. It was hard when I went on
tour. She sees me on the road, and all the fans. The
distance didn't help either. She has to be secure about
herself and secure enough to know I am with her."
Howie adds, "Don't get the wsrong idea. I love the
ladies and I am dating." When he isn't busy touring,
raising money for his lupus foundation, working with his
Latin band, spending time with his family or fighting off
the fans, he's dating. How does he find the time?
And, it's not just any girl that Howie is looking for
either. A side from being attractive, she must have a
good head on her shoulders. He goes for a girl who has
her own goals in life and full, kissable lips!
"Because I'm the Latin in the group," explains
Howie, "I have the fullest lips. So, I like a girl
with full lips."
But, when it comes to a serious relationships, Howie
wants someone who has similiar qualities to his mother:
smart, a little traditional, catolica, and who takes
pride in her appearance. "It would be nice if she
was Latina, but it's not necessary." says BSB's
Latin Lover.
You gotta wonder how this genuinely nice guy earned such
a nichname.
The typical "Latin Lover" is a manipulative
macho with so many girlfriends he can't remember all
their names. Could it be his metallic purple Corvette? My
guess is it's just a play on the fact that he's Hispanic.
According to Howie, its really not his style. "I
don't believe in being a macho. That doesn't work for
me." Good answer!
There is one crucial thing to remember if you want to
stay on his good side, don't call him papi chulo or
papito. He doesn't like it. But, if you're nice, you
might get away with calling him nene. Maybe.
QUE BONITA BANDERA
The youngest of six, Howard Dwaine Dorough was born and
raised in Orlando, Fla. Though he did not grow up
speaking Spanish, Howie takes great pride in being half
Puerto Rican. His mother, Paula Flores, born in Fajardo,
Puerto Rico, inspired her son with a love for his culture
and the Spanish heritage. He travels to Puerto Rico
whenever he has time.
Says Howei, who is half-Irish, "I'm very proud of
being Puerto Rican, but I feel ashamed because I don't
know alot of Spanish. I can get by in a conversation, but
I speak broken Spanish. I had the opportunity to learn
Spanish when I was younger. But, my mom didn't have the
patience to teach us Spanish and she was learning
English, so she told us to speak English."
When he travels to South America and the Caribbean, he
always speaks Spanish. Howie also tries to get his fellow
BSB members to learn Spanish.
It's important to him that he makes the effort. It is
because he has stayed true to his roots that BSB fans in
Puerto Rico and all over South America love Howie D most
of all.
ON HIS OWN
He may be humble and a little shy, but Howie D. has a
good sense of himself and where he wants to go. As the
owner of his own production company, a night club n
Florida called Tabu, a Latin band known as Wepa, and
the Dorough Lupus Foundation that raises awareness and
money for Lupus research, he may just be this
millennium's Desi Arnaz. Next on his to-do list: acting.
From a soap operain Spain to a cameo on Roswell, Howie D.
has already begun to make the transition from stage to
screen. In fact, Howie was offered a recurring role on
Roswell, as well as the lead in a VH1 movie, neither of
which he could take at the time. "The VH1 movie was
kind of like a salsa version of Save the Last Dance. But,
they needed a 4 week committment and I'm only on vacation
for 3 weeks, so I couldn't take it. Backstreet boys is my
first priority. But, I know there will be time for it in
the future."
When he is ready to commit more of his time to acting,
Howie D plans to use his real name. "It's like Marky
Mark. He's using Mark Walberg now. When the time comes, I
want to be taken as a serious actor."
WHERE MY BOYS AT
He loves the perks of being part of BSB. Not only do
thousands of adoring fans shout his name, but he gets to
mingle with the likes of elton John, Santana, and Marc
Anthony. Who wouldn't love it?
But being a member of the Backstreet boys is serious
business too. "We all do our own thing, but I'm
going to stay with them until the end."
And forget about the rumors that Howie isn't a leading
BSB. "I'm a Leo, and you know what they say about
Leos...I don't have to prove I'm the leader. I can just
sit back and be a leader in my own way.
|
