news archives

January 30, 2002 - Michael Musto of the Village Voice tells readers today, "I'm hearing rumors that Backstreet Boy Kevin Richardson is having marital problems." Kevin has been married to Kristin Willits since June 17, 2000.

January 29, 2002 - Top Backstreet Boys fan site Backstreet.net is again in trouble according to a posting on the LiveDaily message boards as the webmaster has revealed their advertisers have failed to pay them. The webmaster claims to be $12,000 in the hole for hosting fees and is urging fans to complain to the advertiser network Nextlevel.com. Read more.

January 29, 2002 - In Style magazine spoke with Backstreet Boys Brian Littrell and his wife Leighanne where he explained the attraction that led him to pop the question. Brian admits, "If I could make someone to be perfect, it would be Leighanne, she just knocked me off my feet." Read more.

January 27, 2002 - Nick Carter has a brief Q&A in US Weekly where he discussed his arrest in Tampa earlier this month. Nick explained, "Well, I can't get too deep into it because of, uh, legal reasons. But, I mean, it was just blown out of proportion. Really. If this would have happened to anybody who wasn't in my situation, it never would have come out. I'm not a bad guy -- I don't do bad things at all. So I guess it was like I was at the wrong place at the wrong time." Read more.

January 26, 2002 - Jacksonville.com spoke with Aaron Carter about the arrest of his brother Nick a few weeks ago. Aaron said, "That's messed up. Just because he's a celebrity they arrest him and make a big deal about it. It wasn't a big deal. He didn't do anything wrong, and it wasn't his fault. And he just got a whole bunch of crap for nothing." When quized if that was really it, he added, "That's all it was. I'm not lying to you or nothing either." Aaron also talked about how people have tried to sue him, his tour, and other famous Carters. Read more.

January 22, 2002 - MTV Asia has a huge collection of video clips from the Backstreet Boys November visit to Japan including regular and A-cappella performances, behind the scenes, and a fan conference. Check out all the clips here.

January 22, 2002 - Earlier we had reported that the Backstreet Boys had overtaken *NSYNC in internet searches on pay-per search engine FindWhat by a wide margin. Well turns out *NSYNC has retained their lead on the larger Goto.com, with *NSYNC searches at 226,491 and Backstreet Boys searches at 201,766. Why the discrepencies? Likely because Goto affiliates with AOL, which has a high percentage of US users, while Findwhat probably has a more international user base. Read more.

January 22, 2002 - Brian Litrell and his wife Leighanne will appear on Hollywod Squares for their 'Be My Valentine Week' during the week of February 4-8. Later in February, fellow Backstreet Boy A.J. McLean will appear for the final week of the College Tournament. Check your local listings for channel and time. 

January 21, 2002 - In an abstracts.net poll asking 'Do you plan to buy the Backstreet Boys Chapter 1 album?', 86.7% of you said yes, while 13.3% said no, with 723 total votes cast.

January 21, 2002 - The latest poll at popdirt.com has Backstreet.net nominated for "Which pop star's fan site is the best on the net?" Vote for it here.

January 20, 2002 - Alice Cooper and A.J. McLean of the Backstreet Boys are paired up for this weekend's Bob Hope Chrysler Classic golf tournament at Indian Wells. The elder Cooper has been giving advise about his own battle with alcoholism to AJ and the BSB singer has appreciated it telling the Desert Sun, "We had a couple of really good conversations. He’s a really big inspiration to maintain sobriety. My life today is a hell of a lot better." There's also quotes from Justin on Cooper's past comments on his girlfriend Britney Spears in the Leighton Ginn piece. Read more.

January 19, 2002 - Another fan of the Backstreet Boys and apparently a fan no longer of *NSYNC's Justin blasted Timberlake revealing, "After we watched AJ do his thing we decided to go chase Justin Timberlake down and he pissed me off so bad that I called him a di**head to his face. Justin turned around and just glared at me. I gave him a stupid look right back and said 'Yeah, that's right. I called you a di**head!" Read more.

January 19, 2002 - One of the few members of the Carter family that doesn't sing, Bobbie Jean Carter, 20, has been arrested, according to WENN. Bobbie faces drug charges after crashing a BMW car in a late-night, high-speed police chase in Marathon Key, Florida. Carter, who also is on probation, broke her ankle in the crash.

January 19, 2002 - A fan of the Backstreet Boys and apparently a huge fan of A.J. McLean posted the details of her meeting with the singer at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic on Friday. BSBgirl11984 said AJ "better stick to singing. Golfing isn't his strong point. The poor boy hit more trees then a monkey swings on in a lifetime." She added, "I still am so glad that I got to meet AJ, and truly stare at him for about seven hours straight. And he was standing right next to us... and he talked to us." Read more.

January 19, 2002 - The US Weekly report on ABCNews.com features Nick Carter of the Backstreet Boys talking about his recent arrest. Check it out here.

January 18, 2002 - Michael Musto of the Village Voice spoke with Aaron Carter over the phone where he talked about the arrest of his older brother and Backstreet Boy Nick Carter. Aaron said, "Nick did what he did," answered Aaron, unfazed. "He's a grown-up. He can do whatever he wants. But if you're gonna drink, don't do it in front of anybody, because then it won't get on the news!" Read more.

Yahoo! has photos of Backstreet Boys Kevin Richardson running with the Olympic torch on Tuesday as well as bandmate A.J. McLean at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic in Indian Wells on Wednesday. Check them out here. 

January 17, 2002 - Backstreet Boy Kevin Richardson and *NSYNC's Lance Bass were among approximately 100 celebrities and everyday heroes that carried the Salt Lake 2002 Olympic torch as it made its way through downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday. Read more.

January 16, 2002 - Splash has photos of Brian Littrell of the Backstreet Boys leaving a house in Beverly Hills with his actress wife, Leighanne Wallace. Check out the photos here.

January 16, 2002 - MTV.com reports Kevin Richardson of the Backstreet Boys will run the Olympic Torch Relay on Tuesday (January 15) to promote his Just Within Reach environmental foundation. Kevin will be the 142nd person to carry the torch in the relay, travelling 3 blocks with it.

January 14, 2002 - AFP reports Kevin Richardson and Howie Dorough of the Backstreet Boys were spotted in Havana, Cuba at downtown hotel Hotel Nacional. They were travelling incognito with an entourage of 10 producers and agents, but sharp eyed fans spotted them anyways. Read more.

January 14, 2002 - Backstreet Boys A.J. McLean's drug and sexual habits are on full display as one of his ex-girlfriends at the height of his binging has told all to Hustler magazine. Casey recounted the time when AJ was supposed to be seeing his dying grandmother as she revealed, "He'd fly into Florida from the tour to go see her. I'm not saying that he didn't love his grandmother-he really did love her. They were very close, but I don't think he knew how to deal with her illness, or maybe he didn't want to deal with it. When I'd come over, he would only be interested in going out to strip clubs, getting @#%$ up and doing blow. He'd see his grandmother on the last day before going back on tour for maybe an hour, and I'd think to myself, What the hell am I doing with this person? When we first started dating he was really fun, but as I learned what a liar he was, I lost interest." Read more.

January 13, 2002 - Rapsheet.com's Alan C. Page talked with Mystikal on his feelings about being on the hip-hop turned pop label, Jive Records. Mystikal says their influence is great for his publicity appearances, "I definitely don’t have a problem going to the radio station. Britney Spears gon’ stop that. Backstreet and *NSYNC. We have some of their power, which is kind of cool." Read more.

January 13, 2002 - The big three tabloids Star, Globe, and National Enquirer all have stories on the arrest of Nick Carter in their current issues. Globe's story is titled, 'Backstreet Boy Lets It All Hang Out' (reference to his reported exposing of his privates), Star's headline is 'Backstreet Boy told: Get into rehab', while the Enquirer leads with 'Backstreet Boy Spinning Out Of Control'. Check out all the articles scanned in here.

January 13, 2002 - Conan O'Brien joked during his monologue earlier in the week, "Nick Carter released a statement after his arrest saying he was in the wrong place at the wrong time... kinda how you feel after a Backstreet Boys concert."

January 13, 2002 - AP Music writer Nekesa Mumbi Moody profiled the excessive self promotion by musicians at the American Music Awards and last year's MTV Video Music Awards. Moody pointed at Backstreet and Britney saying, "Backstreet Boy members Nick Carter and Kevin Richardson began their presenting duties by showcasing their new protege, the virtually unknown Krystal, who inexplicably burst into song before announcing the next award. And Spears' performance of her latest single, 'I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman,' was prefaced by a clip from her upcoming movie, "'Crossroads.' " Read more.

January 12, 2002 - For the first time since February of 2000, the Backstreet Boys over overtaken *NSYNC in search queries on seach engine Findwhat.com, and by a wide margin at that. While pay-per-search king Overture.com's results are not yet available, based on trends from November 2001, it isn't difficult to project they also will reflect this change. For the month of December 2001, queries for *NSYNC, NSYNC, 'NSYNC, etc. totaled approximately 32,000 searches while Backstreet Boys, BSB, and Backstreetboys totaled around 49,000. Look for an even wider margin in January with controversy surrounding Nick Carter and his Florida arrest. Read more for a full list of search queries.

January 12, 2002 - Star magazine reports Backstreet Boys A.J. McLean and fiancee Sarah Martin were spotted splitting an order of french fries at Jerry's Deli in Westwood. Fans flocked around the Backstreet Boy star but Sarah didn't seem to mind.

January 12, 2002 - US Weekly reports a police spokesperson said Backstreet Boys Nick Carter had a blood-alcohol level of .10 (they said 1.0, but he would be dead in that case), which is above the .08 level for the state of Florida. They add contrary to reports, Nick never exposed himself in the club. The mag also has a photo of Nick flashing a peace sign just before his arrest.

January 11, 2002 - Nick Carter was asked on Access Hollywood to comment on his arrest last week for resisting and opposing a law enforcement officer without violence. The Backstreet Boys star said, "It was all blown out of proportion. Everything's fine. I'm not a bad person, far from it. And everything's fine." When asked if he had learned anything from the experience, Nick replied, "Everybody goes through certain things in life. And you just gotta learn to deal with it, and that's what I'm doing."

January 11, 2002 - Access Hollywood's Tony Potts talked with Backstreet Boys Kevin Richardson about the controversy going on with Michael Jackson and his appearances on the American Music Awards and it's effect on a Grammy Award appearance. Kevin said, "I think it's unfortunate. It's frustrating as an artist. We've been faced with that controversy as well."

January 10, 2002 - The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Gemma Tarlach put out a guide Wednesday with odds on whether the Backstreet Boys will show this year whether they've still got it or doomed to be forgotten. Tarlach puts BSB's odds for success at 6 to 1 saying, "Many of the once-golden Boys' fans have outgrown their brand of gooey love and cheesy pop - and 'tweens entering their midriff years consider the group as something their older sisters used to listen to." Read more.

January 10, 2002 - WireImage.com has photos of Nick Carter and Kevin Richardson at the 29th Annual American Music Awards in Los Angeles on Wednesday. Check them out here.

January 10, 2002 - The Backstreet Boys Nick Carter and Kevin Richardson presented the Favorite Country Album award at Wednesday's American Music Awards where they shamelessly plugged the first person on their new label, Krytal Harris. In a somewhat 'cheesy' moment, she wailed, "A sweet, sweet spirit in this place... and I know that his spirit my lord is..." And with that, they presented the award.

January 9, 2002 - Anonymous writes "The station that broke the story, is the first station with an interview. Yes, WFLZ, Tampa is back in the spotlight after Nick Carter called into the "MJ Morning Show" with a 12 minute interview highlighting his arrest and the future of the Backstreet Boys. Click here for the webpage. Note: Actually a station in Philadelphia was first as we reported earlier."

January 9, 2002 - Also included in last week's arrest coverage of Backstreet Boys Nick Carter on The Smoking Gun were comments from Jennifer Guggino, 21, who was a witness to the event. She revealed, "Nick wasn't belligerent, but he started bawling. He said, 'You just want to arrest a Backstreet Boy. I've never been arrested. I don't know what to do!' He was crying hard. Tears were streaming down his face. People were laughing at him. The cops were chuckling." When Jennifer later asked him why he was crying, Nick said, "It's OK to cry."

January 9, 2002 - Backstreet Boys Nick Carter phoned in to MTV's Total Request Live on Tuesday to explain to Carson Daly what happened the night of his arrest. Nick said, "Basically, I did not do anything wrong, and I know that for a fact. Sometimes things get blown out of proportion as everybody knows, but if I disrespected a cop in any way, I apologize. ... People who know me know I'm not a bad person. I know better." read more.

January 7, 2002 - Q102 in Philadelphia spoke with Backstreet Boys Nick Carter following his arrest on Wednesday morning and Nick told DJ 'Stick', "Yeah, everythings really good, I mean of course, besides this. But everything's really good." He also addressed rumors that he exposed himself saying, "Don't believe everything that you hear." Check out a transcript here. There's also word that the DJ will replay the interview on Monday night after 7 PM at Q102Philly.com.

January 7, 2002 - Apparently local television broadcast Nick singing the National Anthem but fans elsewhere hoping to see it on ESPN were left unhappy as they just showed pregame coverage. Reports on message boards suggest the Backstreet Boys singer arrested earlier this week got a great reception from the fans and sounded great. If someone uploads the performance to the web, I'll try to post an update.

January 6, 2002 - aaronnews.com reports Backstreet Boys Nick Carter will be singing the "National Anthem" for the Bucs vs Eagles NFL game on Sunday night at Tampa Stadium - game starts at 8:30pm ET and is being broadcast on ESPN. While he may cancel the event because of the arrest, there's a good chance it won't be televised (it could be on local radio, streams at NFL.com) unless they believe the post-arrest performance makes it newsworthy to show.

January 5, 2002 - Backstreet Boys were nominated for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocal ('Shape of My Heart') in the February 27th Grammy Awards to be held in Los Angeles and broadcast on CBS. Check out more of the nominations here.

January 5, 2002 - Carson Daly was on with Conan O'Brien on Friday and they talked briefly about the arrest of Backstreet Boys Nick Carter. After joking about the rumors he exposed his penis to police, Carson admitted, "I think they made [that part] up. But you know what, good for him. You know, if he actually does hard time, I'm gonna go out and buy his records. I like him more."

January 5, 2002 - Conan O'Brien joked during his Friday night monologue, "After a disturbance in Florida nightclub, one of the Backstreet Boys was arrested. [ Cheers and applause ] Yeah, it was his first offense -- unless you count the music."

January 5, 2002 - Jay Leno joked about Backstreet Boys Nick Carter during his Friday monologue saying, "Some sad news in Tampa, Florida. The youngest member of the Backstreet Boys, Nick Carter, was arrested. [ Applause ] That's one down, four to go, basically." Read more.

January 5, 2002 - The Las Vegas Review Journal reports Jamie-Lynn Sigler, who plays Meadow Soprano on "The Sopranos," was spotted dining with a group of 8 at Red Square in Mandalay Bay where they were overheard speculating, "Who would win a fight between Backstreet Boys, 'N Sync or 98 Degrees? Nobody, is my guess. It would be stopped after the first claw mark."

January 5, 2002 - FOXnews reports Backstreet Boys singer Nick Carter has responded to news of his arrest early Wednesday for a misdemeanor count of resisting/opposing a law enforcement officer without violence. Through his publicist Courtney Barnes, Nick said, "I have done nothing wrong. I truly believe my celebrity motivated the officer to arrest me." Read more.

January 5, 2002 - The Elements Dance Club in POP City was the spot where Backstreet Boys Nick Carter was arrested early Wednesday morning. The club features a 1200 square foot dance floor and VIP lounge, not to mention a scantily clad staff of waitresses. Check out more on the club here.

January 4, 2001 - Paula Froelich of Pagesix.com reports more details on the arrest of Backstreet Boys Nick Carter on Wednesday morning. An employee at Tampa's Pop City club revealed Nick entered the club with a gang of guy friends and, "They got really drunk and one of them started to puke all over the bathroom so we sent in security. When Nick saw his friend being escorted out he grabbed the security guard by the neck and tried to punch him." Froelich also relayed some of the phone call details of WFLZ listeners about the incident. Read more.

January 4, 2001 - The Smoking Gun has the arrest report of Backstreet Boys Nick Carter on Wednesday morning. The police report said, "The def was involved in a large disturbence at Pop City club in Channelside earlier in the evening. Later that evening, a large unreleated disturbance/fight erupted, as police were trying to arrest subjects and restore peace. At this time, the def became involved in an arguement w/ an uk w/f. Police, trying to restore order, ordered the def to leave over (10) times. Finally, the def was told he had to leave by the count of (3) or he would be arrested. The def continued the arguement and would not leave, and was arrested w/o incident. The def was id w/ a FL DL. Def was recogged." View the report here.

January 4, 2001 - Associated Press reports Backstreet Boy Nick Carter was arrested for refusing to follow police officers' orders to leave a nightclub after a fight broke out. He was told to leave the nightclub more than 10 times until officers told him to leave by "the count of 3" or he would be arrested. Carter continued the argument and was arrested, the arrest affidavit said. Read more.

January 4, 2001 - The Backstreet Boys where The Sun's first webchat guests of 2002 where they answered a variety of questions and Nick Carter complimented the UK online audience saying,"I love it there in the UK! We have such a great time over there, and fans are really supportive. You look outside the hotel and they’re all waving. You get to the venue and those same fans are there already!" Check out the full chat here.

January 3, 2002 - Fans on the Backstreet Boys' busiest message board, LiveDaily, are buzzing about reports that Nick Carter was arrested in POP City Tuesday night. HB&BSB joked, "anybody got pics? That's what i REALLY need to see...Nick in handcuffs against the car....oooh leemee stop," while Kattime66 cautioned, "not again. a new year same stuff from 93.3. if this was true all media would have been all over it. i mean all over it. et, acess hollywood, etc etc with mugs shots and everything. jmo" Read more.

January 3, 2002 - Anonymous writes "Nick Carter was arrested in the Channelside district of Tampa Tuesday night for loitering. Eyewitness accounts describe Nick flashing people early in the night, and then being involved in a brawl later that evening. Audio reports from eyewitness accounts are on 93.3 FLZ."

January 2, 2002 - Godsmessenger writes "A friend of mine who lives in Los Angeles has seen Backstreet Boys A.J. McLean in a small pub last night called "Buckeyes". AJ was served with what the waiter said was rum and coke."

January 1, 2002 - The recent frequent appearances by Nick Carter of the Backstreet Boys on the group's official site chat room (using Digichat like ours) has some wondering if it is really him, or any of the other group members that appear. For the speculation on whether it's them or not, click here. To check out their chat room, click here.

Click here for December news headlines and links