Hi, NKOTB fans.
Look, maybe we got off on the wrong foot. We really feel like we need to repair this relationship with you. First, we totally respect your love of NKOTB and, sure, we went for the easy punchline. Boy did we learn our lesson (well, except James). We are overwhelmed by your love of NKOTB and, well, your disdain of us.
But one thing I think it's important to note: MTV may no longer be the same as it was back in the day, but with the exception of McDonald's (mmm...McDonald's) and, say, a Bush in the White House, what is? That said, we have a very large and diverse company, and it's not just five dudes sitting in a room saying, "No more videos!" like the villain on Inspector Gadget. Some of us like NKOTB, too! Just like you.
Such as one of our superstar interns, Rya Backer, who braved the rain and made it to the "Today" show to check out NKOTB in all their back-together glory. I mean, just look at how happy she is in that photo above! THAT WAS THIS MORNING! SHE IS STILL BEAMING!
That's right, we embedded an MTV News reporter into the Blockhead fray to see NKOTB make the announcement that they're back together, officially official.
Rya writes with her report, after the jump.
Rya writes:
While I wouldn’t color myself a “Blockhead,” I spent the most formidable of my single-digit years totally enamored by five Kids from Boston. I owned the dolls, covered my room in their posters, and risked a lifetime of chiropractic glitches from a 10-inch diameter Danny Wood pin that I just had to wear all…the…time. As the years progressed, my musical interests shifted dramatically (more Sonic Youth than “Step By Step”) but, you never forget your first love.
So, imagine my elation when on an otherwise ordinary (uhm…I mean, euphoric!) Monday in the office, I happened upon a press release that they would be on “The Today Show” on Friday – Hannukah came very early this year.
I got to Rockefeller Center at around 6:30 this morning. I weaseled my way to the front row, situated right by tent covered in red, velvet curtains. Then, in what was surely the longest two hours of my life, I waited in the freezing rain.
While I remained steadfast in my quest to see the Kids, others fans, couldn’t handle the elements; they sought shelter with their soaked, glitter-flecked signs in tow. Truth be told, other than the fans to my left who belted the chorus to “The Right Stuff” periodically, nobody was in a good mood – seriously, not to talk about the weather, but it was beyond gross outside, and it affected everyone’s level of joy (you hear that, Perez? We were totally excited, but too frozen to express it!).
With that said, there was definite fan babble, with one girl exclaiming that her future encounter would be “a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, ‘cause by the time I got to like them when I was little, they broke up,” to young, professional women gloating over how they still own their NKOTB bedsheets. I heard a grown man not far away from me yell, “this is the greatest moment of my life!” Oh, then there was that girl who kept screaming “you’re our Beatles!” Whatever you say...
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I could tell that the Kids men were about to come out when burly production men placed finishing touches on the red curtains, cameramen were setting up their shots, and a thirty-something woman who flew up yesterday from Florida with her ten-year-old daughter sidled up next to me. “I’m gonna ask Jordan to be her stepmom!” she screamed; the young girl, completely unfazed by her mother’s maniacal demeanor calmly declared, “She made me watch all their videos last night.”
Then, they came outside. Time stood still, my barricade almost fell over, and the Kids very quickly huddled in the curtained tent. The show came back from commercial, the curtain dropped and… OHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGOD!!!!!!!!!!!!! There they were, in all their suited glory. Their look was a little too reminiscent of the newest press picture, but that was kind of endearing, you know? Like, they’re pushing 40, but they’re still being groomed by others? They chatted with Natalie and Meredith for a minute, but that’s irrelevant.
It was like a gigantic bubblegum bubble burst when the cameras shut off, and as freezing and soaking wet as everybody was, it’s like their company warmed our hearts. They couldn’t have been any more tolerable and sweet to such loud fans who had zero regard for their personal space – dare I say it, I think they enjoyed it. Here’s a quick rundown of what I made of the old, New Kids:
Joey: Still dreamy, boyish.
Jon: Still dreamy, bookish. Oh! And I made eye contact and screamed “OH MY GOD, IT’S YOU, JONATHAN!” and he just laughed at me and shook my hand.
Jordan: Still dreamy, decided against being the stepfather to that young girl, but had the courtesy to sign her shirt.
Donnie: So….How ‘bout those Mets!?
Danny: Still dreamy, chiseled, with a complexion reminiscent of a catcher’s mitt.
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