Wednesday, July 31, 2013

NKOTB News for July 31

Donnie told a story at Atlantic City 2013 after party about how the guys ended up touring with Boyz II Men. Here is a video clip:

Video courtesy of Angela Rivera

Here are some video clip of the Broomball game with the Jonas Brothers at the Mixtape Festival.



Videos courtesy of Trina Minnich

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Watch preview clip of "The Whisper"

Here is the preview clip of "The Whisper" video that was shown on E! News this evening.

Update: Original preview video has been deleted, but here's the completed video!
 

Catch a sneak peek of "The Whisper" Live tonight

E! News will be airing an exclusive sneak peek of "The Whisper" Live, tonight at 7PM & 11:30PM EST! You will be able to watch the full video premiere on Live Nation on Thursday, August 1st!

Monday, July 29, 2013

Jordan Knight's interview with radio.com

Jordan talked to radio.com about hearing New Kids on the Block songs on the radio. Here is the article:

NKOTB’s Jordan Knight Likes Hearing His Music In Mundane Places

This weekend, New Kids on the Block will wrap up The Package Tour with 98 Degrees and Boyz II Men, a nostalgia-fueled “love fest” in the words of NKOTB’s Jordan Knight.

With the summer tour coming to a close, Radio.com sat down with Knight, who, among other things, recalled the very first time he heard himself on the radio. He was 16, in his native Boston.

“I was in my living room, [in] the house I grew up in. The song was ‘Be My Girl’ and it came on an AM station,” he said. “There’s something about your song being on the radio. It just makes it real. It makes it legit. I was like, ‘That’s a legit song!’”

Knight said it’s a very different feeling hearing the song on the radio vs. in the studio.

“When you hear it over and over in the studio or on your cassette player, it just sounds like a studio tape,” Knight said. “But then when you hear it on the radio you’re like, ‘We can be famous!’ It made me really excited.”

And famous NKOTB got. Their first single, “Be My Girl” was released in 1986 and served as the lead track off their debut album New Kids on the Block. They would go on to record three No. 1 hits and amass a legion of fans who continue to follow the band 25+ years later.

“It’s definitely a thrill [hearing my song on the radio],” Knight continued. “A lot of people will call me, ‘I’m in Foot Locker right now and your video is playing.’ Or, ‘I’m walking through the mall and they have that corny dentist music playing ‘I’ll Be Loving You (Forever).’ That’s really cool. I’ve actually walked through hotel lobbies and I would hear a pianist playing one of our ballads. That’s always really cool just to hear your music out in the world.”

Saturday, July 27, 2013

NKOTB broomball game at Mixtape Festival

NKOTB played broomball with the Jonas Brothers and Hanson today as a part of the Mixtape Festival. The New Kids on the Block won the game 2-1 and Jordan was named MVP!

Photo from @MixtapeFestival

Check out some more photos from NKOTB's Instagram and some video clips and photos from these fans:
LSully9
sherryp0124
aimeero
DeenasDays

Friday, July 26, 2013

Donnie Wahlberg to direct an episode of Blue Bloods

Entertainment Weekly reports that Donnie will be directing an episode of Blue Bloods this season.
Sandra, any Blue Bloods scoop? — Janice
If your definition of scoop is awesome news, then yes! I can EXCLUSIVELY report that Donnie Wahlberg is set to pull double duty later this season when he directs his very first episode of Blue Bloods! Details on the episode are pending, but I hear it will shoot in December and air in 2014. Send him congrats (and requests for shameless shirtlessness) here.

Saturday, July 20, 2013

Vanilla Ice makes surprise appearance at NKOTB concert

From @mjambriz

From @vanillaice

Vanilla Ice made a surprise appearance at the New Kids on the Block show last night in Chicago. Here is a video clip!


Video courtesy of Julia Harris

Thursday, July 18, 2013

More NKOTB after party tickets on sale today

After party tickets for Minneapolis, Manchester, Albany, Buffalo, and Indianapolis go on sale at 1PM EST (Noon Central) today.



Saturday, July 13, 2013

NKOTB in Rip It Up magazine

New Kids on the Block is featured in June/July Issue of Rip It Up magazine (New Zealand). Here is a preview of the article from @KoolKiwis.


NEWS: New Kids on the Block talk about "surviving that initial success"
Monday , 01 Jul 2013

It’s been 21 years since Jordan Knight visited our shores on a whirlwind trip amid the height of New Kids On The Block mania, and 20 years later he’s leaped back into the wild world of NKOTB as they prepare to release their new album 10, their second since reuniting for 2008’s The Block, which marked the end of a 14-year hiatus.

While Jonathan made headlines for walking off stage mid set due to him suffering anxiety and panic attacks, the group all had to weather personal battles following the sudden comedown from their huge success in the late 80s/early 90s. Rip It Up spoke with the group in the June/July issue, and learned Donnie struggled with adjusting to life after the band’s plunge from fame, but eventually following in brother Mark Wahlberg’s footsteps and taking up acting. He says “the challenging part is surviving that initial success… Being faced with the prospect of that ride being over and not knowing what to do for the next 70 years… it’s a scary, scary time.”

Youngest member Joey also took up acting, after spending five years partying to make up for lost youth. Danny worked on solo material and immersed himself in fatherhood, but was rocked by the loss of his mother to breast cancer in 1999. For Jordan, the end of an era lead him to solo ventures, settling down with wife of eight years Evelyn and starting a family, but at 30 his struggle to transition to adulthood manifested in a battle with alcoholism – now seven years sober.

While being sober means he’s no longer partying on the road, he says he has more fun on the road now and that the group still joke around as much as they used to , although they have outgrown pranks. “Pranks will break up a group! We used to prank our bodyguards…those guys wont come near us anymore!”
Read the full story about New Kids on the Block and 10 fun facts about them in the June/July Issue of Rip It Up. Purchase online here or at your local magazine retailer.

Friday, July 12, 2013

NKOTB interview with CTV News


The New Kids on the Block were interviewed by CTV News. They talk about the new album, their kids attending their shows, their connection with their fans and more!

Update: Interview has been deleted, does anyone have it saved?

Thursday, July 11, 2013

Part 2 of Donnie Wahlberg's interview with Allen and Gerritsen

Here is part 2 of Donnie's interview with Allen and Gerritsen. He opens up about his relationship with his fans, how he "got the band back together," and his respect for "Boston's Finest" first responders in the aftermath of the Marathon bombing. (You can watch part 1 here.)

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Sir Mix-A-Lot makes surprise appearance at NKOTB show

The New Kids on the Block invited a special guest on stage last night - Seattle native Sir Mix-A-Lot. Here is a video clip of him on stage.


Video couresty of Missy73Jo

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Monday, July 8, 2013

NKOTB's interview with Saturday Night Online

NKOTB was interviewed on Saturday Night Online. They talk about their new album, the Billboard ad, if there were any left over songs from "The Block" that made it on "10", making the video for "Remix", what exactly is "The Right Stuff" and more!

Update: Video has been deleted, does anyone have it saved? 

Here is a partial clip: 

Sunday, July 7, 2013

Photos from NKOTB's Las Vegas after party

Check out some photos of the New Kids on the Block at their after party at Pure Nightclub at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.








See more photos here.

Saturday, July 6, 2013

Parade Magazine article

The New Kids on the Block are featured in this weekend's Parade magazine. Here is the article.

There are loyal fans, and then there are Blockheads, acolytes who would do anything for a little face time with Donnie Wahlberg, Joey McIntyre, Danny Wood, and brothers Jonathan and Jordan Knight—otherwise known as New Kids on the Block.

More than two decades have passed since the quintet from Boston ignited hearts and hormones with hits like “You Got It (The Right Stuff)” and “Step by Step.” The guys have grown up, and so have their original fans, but that hasn’t diminished the screaming on the Package Tour, headlined by the New Kids and featuring Boyz II Men and 98 Degrees. “I was driving my kids home last night, and I heard my 6-year-old in the back going, ‘Jooordan!’ ” coos Jordan Knight, imitating his son imitating any number of excited women. “I get that, too, from my 5-year-old—‘Joooeey!’ ” says McIntyre, who at 40 is the youngest of the group. He shakes his head and laughs. “Nothing keeps you in check like your kids.”

Beyond the screaming and the tour’s cheeky name, it really is a virtual Boy-Band-Palooza, a potent blend of music, nostalgia, and sex appeal complete with confetti and coordinated dance moves. The idea was hatched after the New Kids toured with the Backstreet Boys in 2011, packing arenas across North America and selling more than half a million tickets. When the Boston band hit the road again this year, they tapped Boyz II Men (“We love their music,” says Wood) and the reunited 98 Degrees (whose vocalist Nick Lachey shares a manager with them) to make an evening of it for 30- and 40-something fans. “It gives people more for their money,” says Wood. “For us, this is kind of a dream scenario,” says Drew Lachey of 98 Degrees. “You get to tour with the group that basically invented the current boy-band genre.”

First assembled in the mid-1980s by New Edition mastermind and producer Maurice Starr (“I wanted to re-create the Osmonds,” he has said, with “soul and good black material”), the New Kids rode the charts for the better part of a decade before calling it quits. Though the band members went their separate ways (Jonathan Knight, for one, launched a career as a real estate developer), they stayed in touch and in 2008 delighted fans by announcing their reunion. When they played the Today show that year, “fans started lining up two days early,” recalls Today executive producer Don Nash. “Some of them even had their NKOTB sleeping bags from when they were young.”

“We’re the best-kept really big secret going right now,” says Wahlberg, wearing a Red Sox cap and stretching out on a sofa in the Celtics’ locker room at the TD Garden in Boston, a few hours before a show. “We are a successful small business. It’s us and our customers. The more satisfied our fans are, the more satisfied we are.”

There’s a lot of satisfaction going around. Advance sales for the Package Tour are running at about 80 percent (completed dates were sold out or close to it), with total earnings from ticket sales projected to be more than $43 million; that would give each New Kid an estimated $3.2 million and their fellow bands somewhat less. (Merchandise sales, for which figures aren’t yet available, will bump up revenue for each group substantially.) The New Kids have also raked in an estimated $3.5 million for each of their five NKOTB cruises. Meanwhile, the band’s album 10 debuted at No. 6 on the Billboard chart when it was released in April, making it their sixth top 10 album. “We’ve reestablished our relationship with our fans,” says Jordan, “and it’s not just nostalgia.”

Each group on the Package Tour has fans who consider them the soundtrack to their lives. “A lot of guys come up to us and say they’ve had children to our songs,” says Boyz II Men’s Wanya Morris. But the New Kids occupy a singular place in pop culture history. “It wasn’t just about the music; it was the lifestyle,” says Aimee Nadeau, a 37-year-old superfan who used to hang around with her girlfriends outside Wahlberg’s house in Braintree, Mass., and is now director of A&R at Sony (she was a freelance consultant on 10, the first album the band released independently). “They always say, ‘Five brothers and a million sisters,’ and it’s true, because New Kids fans have this bond that’s crazy. We’re so protective of these five guys. We love them so much. And the band builds real relationships with their fans; very few artists in the pop world do that.” Says the New Kids’ manager, Jared Paul, “I’ve seen them give fans the shirts off their backs, literally. Donnie has chartered buses and driven to cities with 50 fans. That has a lot to do with why they keep coming back.”

On a typical tour day, the band interacts with hundreds at various VIP concert events. For $999, you can buy the Total Package, which includes a reserved seat inside the security barricade and a meet-and-greet photo op with the guys in their dressing room. As one fan says, “The more you pay, the closer you get.” And some get really, really close.

On this evening, the guys are putting in an appearance at a bar inside the TD Garden, which is swarming with women in cocktail attire, enjoying refreshments and waiting to cozy up to their favorite Kid for the cameras. In the crowd are self-professed “Jonathan girls” and “Jordan girls” and women in T-shirts marked “Property of Donnie Wahlberg.” (Wahlberg’s mom, Alma, is also in the house.) But the truth is, many fans are here as much for each other as they are for the band. “It’s a night out with the girls,” says Angel Beyers, 35, who has become close friends with another fan she met through a New Kids blog. “You all have something in common, and you get to dance and sing and hug your favorite New Kid, which is something you never thought you’d do when you were 12.”

The hugs are very important, a fact not lost on the New Kids, who are never far from an assortment of hand sanitizers. Over the course of an hour, they give countless embraces, back pats, shoulder rubs, and pecks on (often tear-stained) cheeks. Wahlberg, who is divorced, used to be known for kissing girls onstage, and tonight he pulls an attractive brunette he has met before in for a lip-lock; she then grabs his rear end and squeezes, as Jordan captures the scene on a camera phone. “I was gonna put that on Vine,” he tells the woman, referring to Twitter’s mobile video-sharing app. “Do you mind if I do that?” She approves and walks away, finding a group of friends at the other end of the room. “Check Jordan’s Vine! Right now!” she says, flushed. (The evidence lives on in his June 3 post—marked “Ultimate!!”—at twitter.com/jordanknight.)

Considering the New Kids were popular long before today’s social media existed, they maintain an impressive presence there now, with more than 1.3 million followers on their Twitter profiles, where they communicate directly with fans. “They’re here on my phone 24 hours a day,” says Jonathan, who adds that he appreciates the adult-to-adult interaction: “When our fans were younger, our relationship was driven by lust and hormones.” (“So were we, by the way,” says Wahlberg.)

Lust and hormones still play an important role, but so does mutual respect. As the New Kids have gotten older and dealt with events both onstage and off (Jonathan, who confirmed he was gay in 2011, made headlines in April for walking off a New York City stage mid-show and has talked about his anxiety attacks; Jordan has spoken about struggling with alcoholism in the past), they have been humbled by the extent of their fans’ support. After Wood started an organization called Remember Betty on behalf of his mother, who died of breast cancer in 1999, his supporters helped raise more than $1 million for Susan G. Komen for the Cure. “It’s a beautiful thing,” says Wood, clearly moved.

There’s newfound respect from the musical elite as well. At the Boston Strong concert on May 30, benefiting victims of the marathon bombings—organized by New Kids manager Paul after hearing the band’s reaction to the tragedy (which hit close to home for many reasons, including the fact that McIntyre crossed the finish line safely just minutes before the explosions)—they shared a bill with Aerosmith and James Taylor. “I looked over, and there was my brother singing with [Aerosmith’s] Steven Tyler,” says Jonathan. “Really cool.”

But it’s always the fans and their support that they return to. “It’s weird calling them ‘fans.’ I know that sounds corny—it’s just that they’re more than fans now,” McIntyre says. “I mean, we love to rock the house, and they love to play their role in that as well. But offstage, it really is a family. There’s just a ton of love.”

Thursday, July 4, 2013

NKOTB News for July 4

Donnie recently did an "ultimate" meet and greet with the other members of NKOTB. Check out the photos here.













Bonquiqui?


Sound check....Milwaukee!! 


Sound check pt 2 Milwaukee!!


Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy talk about working with Joey in the movie "The Heat".


Here are some recent articles and concert reviews:

STLtoday.com: New Kids on the Block's big show is a mixed bag at Scottrade
OnMilwaukee.com: New Kids on the Block still hangin' tough
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: New Kids deliver the right stuff for fans


Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Watch Joey McIntyre on Fox 2

Joey was featured on Fox 2 in Detroit when he was there to for The Heat premiere. Here is the video clip:


Video courtesy of JennJ536

Watch Joey McIntyre's interview with GoFobo

GoFobo interviewed Joey at the NY premiere of The Heat. He is asked about his Boston accent working with Paul Feig, and improvising on the set.

Watch NKOTB interview with E! Online


New Kids On The Block were asked to give advice to Justin Bieber and were asked about the Boston Marathon bombing in this video clip from E! Online.

Click here to watch!

Watch Joey McIntyre's interview with Detroit Free Press

Joey was interviewed by Detroit Free Press. He asked him about what his favorite Detroit music stars are.

Update: Video has been deleted, does anyone have it saved?

Joey McIntyre's interview with Cambio

Joey was interviewed by Cambio.com. He talks about filming the movie "The Heat" in Boston, what was the most fun scene to film, what cast members make him last the most, and he is asked what celebrity he would like to be arrested by.

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

NKOTB in Parade Magazine


The New Kids on the Block will be featured the the July 7th issue of "Parade" magazine! (The magazine is usually found in Sunday newspapers in the US.)

Here is a behind the scenes clip of the photo shot with NKOTB!


Here are some highlights featured on their web version of the magazine (see full articles here and here):
On the lucrative business of boy bands:
“We’re the best-kept really big secret going right now. We are a successful small business. It’s us and our customers. The more satisfied our fans are, the more satisfied we are.” —Donnie Wahlberg (New Kids on the Block) 
On today’s boy bands and young stars like Justin Bieber:
“Thinking back to other boy bands and Justin Bieber—people go through a natural life evolution. Everyone knows when you’re 18 you get restless and you want to move away from home and start experimenting. It’s fascinating that we don’t apply [that knowledge] to famous people.” —Donnie Wahlberg (New Kids on the Block) 
On their early fame:
“It’s just a peculiar position to be in. A large percentage of the population treats you like you can walk on water, and others treat you like you’re not worth [anything.] The truth is somewhere in the middle, and to find that truth is the real struggle. If we believed the adoration of all the girls, we could easily have lost our way; if we believed the spite of the naysayers, we could have lost our way in the opposite direction. Fortunately, we had each other. We didn’t allow anyone to get too carried away.” —Donnie Wahlberg (New Kids on the Block) 
“It’s weird calling them ‘fans.’ I mean, we love to rock the house and they love to play their role in that as well. But offstage, it really is a family. There’s just a ton of love.” —Joey McIntyre (New Kids on the Block) 
On today’s boy bands and young stars like Justin Bieber.
Jordan Knight: “A lot of people say we’re the forefathers of the modern-day boy band. But also I think you’ve never really seen a boy band come back like we have; [that’s] part of our legacy [too]. Hopefully we’re showing younger boy bands that there’s life after your first surge as long as you keep at your craft, establish a relationship with your fans, and keep your head on straight.” 
Danny Wood: “Our situation is different than other groups, even the Backstreet Boys. We grew up together, so we have that to fall back on. I have these four guys with me and a lifetime of experiences together…. That’s the big difference between us and someone like Justin Bieber. He’s on his own.” 
Donnie Wahlberg: “Thinking back to other boy bands and Justin Bieber—people go through a natural life evolution. Everyone knows when you’re 18 you get restless and you want to move away from home and start experimenting. It’s fascinating that we don’t apply [that knowledge] to famous people.” 
Jordan Knight: “It’s also human nature that when somebody has a whole lot and they’re really young, people want to bring them down.” 
Donnie Wahlberg: “He [Justin Bieber] has been in a fishbowl for four years. He’s behind. We were behind. When I was 24 and stopped touring with the New Kids, I thought I could meet with businessmen—that I could walk into any office in in the world and feel totally at ease and talk my way into some kind of deal and walk out with a check. I had total confidence. But I couldn’t book a trip for a weekend getaway. In some ways I was the exact same 18-year-old boy I was before I left for the tour five years earlier. I was looking in the mirror like, ‘Who am I?’ ” 
On meeting their fans’ children.
Jordan Knight: “They name their kids Jordan. It’s the newest craze.”
Joey McIntyre: “Jordan’s a great name. I mean, the rest of us have nice names, but they’re pretty…”
Jonathan Knight: “…common.”
Joey McIntyre: “You can’t lose with Jordan. And it can be [for] girls and boys.” 
On not taking their fans for granted.
Donnie Wahlberg: “We’re playing a sold-out arena on a Monday night. I imagine those 15,000 people that are going have a lot of other options, but they’re choosing to spend [time] with us. We don’t take that for granted. I think we had a good relationship with our fans when we were kids, but we didn’t understand how significant it is for someone to max out their credit card to come see us. We take that really seriously, and we try our best to never let anyone go home disappointed.” 
On what they’re excited to perform on the Package Tour.
Joey McIntyre: “We enjoy playing the hits. We don’t sit around and listen to the Hangin’ Tough album, but when we’re performing it for 20,000 people it’s the greatest [thing] in the world.”