Backstreet Boys News
12/20/99 Backstreet Boys...On Top! (Where They Belong!!)
Backstreet Boys, Cher, Britney, TLC Top Year-End Charts
With the door just about to close on 1999, the
folks at "Billboard" have tallied up a year's worth
of chart action and Cher and the Backstreet Boys
have come out on top.
Cher's previously ubiquitous dance track "Believe"
tops the "Billboard" year-end singles chart,
earning the honor of the number one song of
1999. TLC's summer smash "No Scrubs" lands at
number two for the year, while Monica's "Angel Of
Mine," Whitney Houston's "Heartbreak Hotel,"
and Britney Spears' "Baby One More Time" round
out the top five of '99. Sixpence None The Richer,
Christina Aguilera, Sugar Ray, Deborah Cox, and
Ricky Martin also made the year-end singles
chart.
Meanwhile, it was all about the
Backstreet Boys on the
"Billboard" year-end album
chart. The group's "Millennium"
proved to be the biggest selling
album of the year, scoring the
number one spot on the '99
chart. One of Backstreet's teen
pop colleagues comes close
behind as Britney Spears' "Baby
One More Time" album was '99's number two
seller. Country crossover star Shania Twain, teen
dreams "NSYNC, and the aforementioned Ricky
Martin round out '99's top five, while Garth
Brooks, the Offspring, the Dixie Chicks, Limp
Bizkit, and TLC make up the back end of the top
ten.
With an eye on both charts, the folks at
"Billboard" also compiled their list of the top five
pop artists of 1999, with the Backstreet Boys
again coming out on top. TLC is at number two,
while Britney, Shania and Ricky round out the
list.
In the rock world, it proved to be a big year for Lit
as the California outfit scored the year's number
one modern rock track with "My Own Worst
Enemy." Everlast's seemingly inescapable "What
It's Like" is the year's runner-up, while the Red
Hot Chili Peppers, Blink-182, and Sugar Ray all
reached the top five. Creed, Cake, Orgy, Smash
Mouth, and Fatboy Slim see their familiar tracks
cap off the year's modern rock top ten.
12/17/99 Others Agree.
Pearl Jam Joins Backstreet In Promoter Boycott
Pearl Jam has joined the Backstreet Boys in
condemning the Denver concert promoter
accused of channeling premium concert tickets
into the hands of scalpers. Pearl Jam manager
Kelly Curtis told the Denver Post that the band's
tour next year will be promoted by SFX and not
The House Of Blues, the company formerly
known as Universal Concerts.
"The recourse we're taking is not to work with
House of Blues,'' Curtis said. "It's all we can do.''
The December 16 issue of the Post also reports
that Korn, who shares management with the
Backstreet Boys, is also looking to sidestep
HOB controlled venues when the group tours next
year. Speaking for the House of Blues corporate
office in Los Angeles, spokesperson Larry Solters
tells MTV News that the company is conducting
an investigation into the allegations involving the
Denver office and will be taking appropriate action
based upon the findings.
The Backstreet Boys first sounded the alarm after
a Halloween performance in Denver when they
discovered that many of the fans in the first 20
rows of the sold-out show had bought their tickets
from brokers. They band has since pointedly told
media sources that they would only be using
"reputable" concert promoters "like SFX" for its
2000 tour dates.
Media giant SFX has been on
a buying spree of the country's
major regional promoters and
venues for several years and
now owns the famed Bill
Graham Presents and Michael
Cohl's The Next Adventure
(which recently promoted
world tours by the Rolling
Stones and U2), among
others. HOB, a club chain backed by celebrity
shareholders like Dan Aykroyd and Aerosmith,
bought Universal Concerts for $191 million in July.
Those two companies control a vast amount of
the national concert market.
Ticket brokering is not necessarily illegal, but it is
frowned upon in the industry, overtly because the
bands and their handlers say their fans aren't
getting a chance for the good seats at an
affordable rate. Music industry sources contacted
by MTV News, however, single out Curtis and
Pearl Jam as genuinely concerned, but contend
that 'gold' and 'dress circle' seats are routinely put
on sale for higher rates at various events, and that
the real complaint is over lost revenues.
A major touring band will work on a percentage of
the gate and can command 90% of the declared
net ticket revenue. Unlike the promoter, the act
would not see additional monies from the
brokered tickets.
12/13/99 Can You Hold In The Excitement?
Backstreet Boys Shoot New Video As Tickets Go On Sale
As tickets for the next leg of the group's
"Millennium" tour went on sale over the weekend,
the Backstreet Boys wrapped up filming a new
video.
The Boys recently shot a clip for "Show Me The
Meaning Of Being Lonely," the third single from
their "Millennium" album. The track is expected
to hit radio over Christmas, while the video will
arrive early next year.
The news of the video comes just in time, as the
Boys saw the second video from "Millennium,"
"Larger Than Life," retired by MTV's "Total
Request Live" on Monday after a lengthy run at
number one.
The Boys will also return to the road early next
year, resuming their tour on February 11 in
University Park, Pennsylvania. Tickets for select
dates went on sale over the weekend and are
moving as briskly as you might expect for one of
1999's top concert draws.
12/9/99 Billboard Knows Its Stuff!
Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys, Ricky Martin Hold Court At Billboard Awards
Teen femme phenom Britney Spears and
multi-platinum boy band the Backstreet Boys led
all winners at last night's "Billboard" Music
Awards at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas,
as both Spears and the Boys both took home
four awards each.
Spears was honored as "Billboard" magazine's
Female Artist Of The Year, New Artist Of The
Year, Female Albums Artist of The Year, and
Female Hot 100 Singles Artist Of The Year. The
Backstreet Boys received awards for Artist Of
The Year, Albums Artist Of The Year, and
Albums Artist Duo/Group Of The Year. The
band's most recent record, "Millennium," was
recognized as the Album Of The Year.
Other multiple award winners included Latino
superstar Ricky Martin and country trio the Dixie
Chicks, both of whom won three "Billboard"
Music Awards. And on differing ends of the rock
spectrum, both Metallica and Creed were honored
with two "Billboard" awards each.
R&B diva Mariah Carey was
selected as the "Billboard" Artist
Of The Decade, an award that
recognized the singer for her
continued dominance of the pop
charts in the '90s. Carey has
scored 14 number one singles in
her career, trailing only Elvis
Presley and the Beatles.
Another notable winner was Jay-Z, who was
named the Rap Artist Of The Year less than a
week after being arrested for an attack on a
record executive at a nightclub in New York City.The full list of winners from the
"Billboard" Music Awards:
1999 Billboard Century Award: Emmylou Harris
Artist Achievement Award: Aerosmith
Artist Of The Decade: Mariah Carey
Artist Of The Year: Backstreet Boys
Album Of The Year: "Millennium" - Backstreet Boys
Male Artist Of The Year: Ricky Martin
Female Artist Of The Year: Britney Spears
New Artist Of The Year: Britney Spears
Albums Artist Of The Year: Backstreet Boys
Albums Artist Duo/Group Of The Year: Backstreet Boys
Female Albums Artist Of The Year: Britney Spears
Male Hot 100 Singles Artist Of The Year: Ricky Martin
Female Hot 100 Singles Artist Of The Year: Britney Spears
R&B/Hip-Hop Artist Of The Year: R. Kelly
R&B Albums Artist Of The Year: DMX
R&B Album Of The Year: "400 Degreez" - Juvenile
R&B Single Of The Year: "Fortunate" - Maxwell
Rap Artist Of The Year: Jay-Z
Rap Single Of The Year: "Who Dat" - JT Money/Sole
Country Artist Of The Year: Dixie Chicks
Country Albums Artist Of The Year: Dixie Chicks
Country Albums Artist Duo/Group Of The Year: Dixie Chicks
Modern Rock Artist Of The Year: The Offspring
Modern Rock Track Of The Year: "My Own Worst Enemy" - Lit
Rock Artist Of The Year: Creed
Rock Track Of The Year: Creed's "One"
Adult Contemporary Track Of The Year: "Angel" - Sarah McLachlan
Catalog Artist Of The Year: Metallica
Catalog Album Of The Year: "Metallica" - Metallica
12/6/99 Get Ready..They're Coming Back!
Backstreet Boys Announce Winter Tour Dates
The Backstreet Boys will finish their fall tour
Monday night in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, but fans
of the boy band shouldn't fret, as the group has
already announced another run of live dates
beginning in February 2000.
BSB will kick off the next leg of its tour on
February 11 at the Bryce-Jordan Center in
University Park, Pennsylvania. The winter run is
currently scheduled for a month's worth of shows,
concluding on March 10 in Indianapolis.
"Millennium," the Backstreet Boys' third album,
has already been certified for sales in excess of
nine million, according to the Recording Industry
Association of America.
Dates for the Backstreet Boys' winter tour:
2/11 - University Park, PA @ Bryce-Jordan Center
2/12 - University Park, PA @ Bryce-Jordan Center
2/14 - Albany, NY @ Pepsi Arena
2/15 - Albany, NY @ Pepsi Arena
2/17 - Charlotte, NC @ Charlotte Coliseum
2/18 - Raleigh, NC @ Sports & Entertainment Arena
2/19 - Atlanta, GA @ Georgia Dome
2/22 - Greenville, SC @ Bi-Lo Center
2/24 - St. Petersburg, FL @ Tropicana Field
2/26 - New Orleans, LA @ Superdome
2/28 - Houston, TX @ Compaq Center
2/29 - Houston, TX @ Compaq Center
3/1 - San Antonio, TX - Alamodome
3/3 - Dallas, TX @ Reunion Arena
3/4 - Dallas, TX @ Reunion Arena
3/5 - Oklahoma City, OK @ Myriad Convention Center
3/7 - St. Louis, MO @ Transworld Dome
3/9 - Cleveland, OH @ Gund Arena
3/10 - Indianapolis, IN @ Conseco Fieldhouse
12/6/99 Again..They Do Care
Backstreet Boys' Charity Donation Held Up By Fiscal Issues
Fiscal problems are temporarily interrupting the
Backstreet Boys plans to donate $75,000 to the
Columbine College Fund, which was to have
provided scholarships to student survivors of the
massacre at Columbine High School in April.
The Columbine College Fund is about to fold
because of a lack of funds, as the San
Francisco-based non-profit organization has only
received $800 in donations so far, according to
the Associated Press.
The Backstreet Boys wanted to make the
$75,000 donation after discovering that 1,200
tickets to its Halloween show at Denver's Pepsi
Center were scalped for $110 a piece, an almost
200 percent markup from the tickets' $38.50 face
value.
House Of Blues, the promoter charged by the boy
band to make the $75,000 donation, is currently
in search of another organization to fund and
wants to make sure that the money will go to
benefit students at Columbine High School.
11/29/99 "Go Fatima!"
Backstreet Boys' Choreographer Reveals Dance Secrets With New Video
Are you dance-impaired? Envious of those nubile
folks on MTV's "Global Groove?" Well, salvation
is about to hit your local video store.
On sale this week is "Go Fatima," an
instructional videotape by pop choreographer
Fatima, who has provided cool (or at least
non-embarrassing) moves for stars ranging from
Will Smith to the Backstreet Boys to singer
Aaliyah.
Now you, too, can learn to recreate the steps
from such clips as BSB's "Everybody
(Backstreet's Back)" and Aaliyah's "Are You That
Somebody." (Horror-show makeup and bird of
prey not included, of course.)
"Go Fatima" arrives in stores on November 30.
11/23/99 Proof They Care.
Backstreet Boys Try To Turn Ticket Scalping Incident Into Charitable Occasion
The Backstreet Boys have asked a concert
promoter to make a donation of $75,000 to the
Columbine College Fund after charging that more
than 1,000 tickets for a recent concert in Denver
wound up in the hands of scalpers.
The band has asked the House Of Blues to
donate $75,000 to the fund after some 1,200
tickets to the group's Halloween show at Denver's
Pepsi Center that had been allocated to the
promoter (in this case House Of Blues) wound up
in scalpers' pockets. Instead of fetching the
$38.50 face value, the tickets were then sold to
Backstreet fans for somewhere in the
neighborhood of $110, a development that does
not sit well with the group.
"We've done everything we can to prevent
scalping, from limiting the number of tickets
purchased to distributing wrist bands," the group
noted in a statement about the incident. "To think
scalping of this type occurred at our Denver show
infuriated us."
For their part, a spokesperson for the House Of
Blues told MTV News, "We have launched an
internal investigation into the matter and when
that investigation is complete, we will take
appropriate action."
11/19/99 Mandy Moore News...Mentions the BSB Tour
Mandy Moore Maintains Sweet Image For New LP, Backstreet Tour
As fans develop a sweet tooth for her new single,
"Candy," 15-year-old singer Mandy
Moore is counting down the days until the release
of her first album, "So Real," due out next month.
Moore will spend the next few weeks on tour with
some of her fellow Orlando residents, the
Backstreet Boys, and she actually recorded "So
Real" at the O-Town studio operated by Trans
Continental Records.
Despite her recent successes, including a
summer touring stint with 'N Sync, things haven't
always been so sweet for Moore, who told MTV
News that her label, 550 Music, originally came
up with an image for her that was a little off the
mark.
"It was like a totally different
person," Moore said. "The
way they had my hair, my
makeup and stuff, and that
wasn't me. 'Cause I'm not a
really like outlandish person
when it comes to all that."
"When I'm hanging out at
home," she added, "I'm
wearing no makeup, and just like jeans and
a white t-shirt, and I still think that can be
considered just beautiful. I think that's the
whole image we went for, just totally natural
and fun."
Mandy Moore will be on the road with the
Backstreet Boys until December 6, while "So
Real" is due to drop in stores the next day.
After the album's release, Moore has lined up
appearances at several radio shows, beginning on
December 10 in Syracuse, New York at Hot
107.9's Holiday Jam, also featuring Joey McIntyre
and LFO.
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