As they were getting ready to embark on their first major US tour, Backstreet Boys invited TEEN PEOPLE to hang with them at their home base in Orlando and on the LA set of their newest video, "I'll Never Break your Heart." We learned that, as tight as this group may be, the Boys are still total individuals.

Nick Carter
At 18, Nickolas Gene Carter is the group's youngest member. He's also the tallest (six-feet-one) *he's 6'2 tall*, the blondest and the most popular. Which is why he's having a hard time convincing a record company rep to let him wear his hair in a multitude of funky braids for the band's new video."It'll look phat, " Nick insists, intent on modeling his look on Cloud, a character in PlayStation's Final Fantasy VII game. Finally, a compromise is reached: no braids, but a defenitetly edgier-than-usual 'do that complements Nick's furturistic get-up and plastic bubble gun.
With his cherubic face and his obsession with toys and comic books (he plans on drawing an official Backstreet Boys series) *which is, btw, seen in the new video*, Nick is every inch the baby Boy. But he's not as innocent as he seems. A five-year music industry veteran, he's more business-minded and more wordly than his other band mates were when they were 18.
"I can't imagine having to deal what we have to deal with now at his age, " says Nick's best pal Brian Littrell, 23. "When I was eighteen, we weren't a hot commodity. I got to ease into it."
Nick, on the other hand, has a hard time remembering what it was like not to be in high demand. Only 13 when he joined up with the Boys, Nick worked with a full-time tutor from junior high on; this past spring, he recieved his highschool diploma in a hotel room while the group was on the road.Missing out on highschool doesn't bother Nick, but missing out on everyday things--like shooting hoops--does. "I love basketball. Just to play, period, " says Nick, who once dreamed of playing college ball. " I could be so much better, but I don't have the time."
He laments not having the time for a girlfriend either. "Takes devotion," he says of a relationship, adding, "A few other guys have had girlfriends in the past, and it just didn't work."
Nevertheless, the Carter home near Tampa, Fla., remains a magnet for girls who sit--sometimes all day long--with their faces pressed against the eight-foot-high fence. Nick takes advantage of nearby Tampa Bay for his escape from all the attention, spending time with his family--sisters Bobbi Jean, 16; Lesley, 12; and Angel, 10 (whose twin brother, Aaron, is the clan's newest singing sensation); dad Bob, his career advisor; and mom Jane, who manages Aaron. But often, he sets sail alone. "The ocean does something to me that is unexplainable, " Nick says. "Just being out there and realizing I'm alive."

Brian Littrell
Brian Littrell is lucky to be alive. When he was 5 years old, his heart suddenly stopped beating for about 30 seconds. "I remember them taking me out of bed and putting me in a tub of ice water to cool my body off, " the Lexington, KY., native says of the nightmarish hospital stay that doctors said should have been his last. "Then they out me back in bed with only a sheet to cover me. Ten minutes later, they put me back in ice. This kept up for an hour. Then I blacked out."
His mom, Jackie, watched as her son's eyes rolled back in his head. Warned that Brian, his heart was weakened and infected, probably wasn't going to make it, she did only one thing she could do: pray. "I just had a faith inside that this wasn't the end for Brian," says Jackie. "God just reached down and touched that child, and he started his way up."Eighteen years later, the Littrells, Jackie and Harold, found themselves once again worrying about the health of their younger son (Brian's brother, Harold Jr., is 26). Last November, doctors discovered that the congenital hole in Brian's heart had caused the organ to enlarge considerably: If it wasn't operated on soon, his life could be in danger."My initial thought was, 'Great timing!'" Brian says, sighing. The Boys were finally successful in the US, thanks to their first chart-topping single, "Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)." Two months without a lead singer would seriously impact the group. So, for the benefit of his band--Brian put off the procedure for six months. (He finally underwent surgery in May and is now fully recovered.) Brian's mom resigned herself to his decision: "He's always been a team player." And a fighter. Jackie recalls Brian's annual attempts to join his high school basketball team: "He never made it, because of his size." Finally, after getting cut yet again his junior year, the church choirboy made an announcement. "I learned something today," he said. "I can play just as good as any of those guys, but none of them can sing like me."
And now he's got the fans to prove it.

Howie Dorough
Howard Dorough, Howie D., for short, is known to the others as Sweet D. "Once, when we couldn't sign autographs because there too many fans, he was too nice and stopped, and got trampled by them, " says AJ McLean, Howie's pal of 10 years and his BSB cofounder. "He fell down like a turtle on its back, his feet kicking up."Good-natured Howie, 24 *turning 25 this month*, loves to give back to his fans. While the other Boys vacationed during Brian's recovery this past spring, Howie made appearances in South America, where his Puerto Rican heritage (on his mom's side) and his Spanish speaking skills (he's even appeared on Spanish soap operas) have made him incredibly popular.Howie has been acting and singing since he was a kid, but his first real love was dancing. "I was in an all-boy ballet group one time, " says Orlando native (and aruably the Boys' best dancer). "It was cool as heck."But then came a talent competition in Howie's senior year. "When I sang 'Unchaimed Melody,' I hit the high note and got a standing ovation," he says. "When I was done, they didn't even want to [see] any more people. They were ready to give me the award."Now the falsetto in a wildly successful singing group, Howie couldn't be happier. Well, actually, he could--if the BSB's detractors would stop criticizing them for not playing any instruments. "You don't see Boyz II Men playing instruments," he says. "We're not like Hanson--we're not a rock 'n' roll band. We're an R&B harmony vocalist group."
As one of the eldest Boys, Howie is focusing on the feature: He's started a company, Sweet D Inc., which is currently developing condominiums on Florida's east coast. And he hired some of his family (which consists of mom Paula; dad Hoke; older brother John; and older sisters Pollyana, Caroline and Angie) to run the operation.Sweet D-eal.

AJ McLean
Alexander James McLean, known as AJ, is technically an only child. But he considers the Boys his adopted brothers, and his mom, Denise, is the group's unofficial den mother. She monitors their schedule, deals with emergencies (like when Kevin Richardson had to have his appendix taken out in Germany last October) and is the liaison for the band's international fan clubs.
Denise and AJ's dad, Robert, got a divorce when AJ was four years old. Then, when he was six, AJ says, "I saw him for about two days at Christmastime. That was it. I never saw him again." Until he was 18, that is, when AJ decided to pay his dad a surprise visit. "This guy opens the door and I'm like, "Is there a Robert McLean home?" says AJ, who earlier the same morning had discovered that his father lived just minutes away from his own Orlando apartment complex. "He said, 'Alex?' I was like, 'Whoa! Dad, you recognize me?' I walked in, and there's Backstreet Boys stuff everywhere! He'd been keeping up with me since the day I started!"The most rebellious Boy, 20-year-old AJ plays up his nonconformist image with frequent hair-color changes. A variety of tattoos and a gruff, rap style singing voice. But he wasn't always so tough, it seems. Laughs Howie, "The first time I met him at a talent competition he was just a little pipsqueak, a little geek." Howie and AJ were both aspiring actors as kids, and Howie reports they were often up for the same parts because of their similar Latin looks. "He was doing this little puppet show to the Paula Abdul song, 'Opposites Attract.'"AJ's still an occasional puppeteer--and he still loves to be in control. In fact, although the Boys' record company executives and management aren't exactly thrilled with his bad-boy look, he keeps pushing the limits. Even today, with the smell of peroxide perfuming his newly bleached hair, he's pondering his next style statement: a pierced eyebrow. Why is AJ so intent on challenging the powers that be? One good reason: "The fans love it."

Kevin Richardson
He may not be the flashiest dancer. And of the five Boys, he probably has the fewest lead parts to sing. But behind the scenes, it is Kevin Richardson, the one the others sometimes call Freight, who keeps speeding Backstreet train on track. A perfectionist, Kevin approaches each task--whether its giving a pep talk to his fellow singers during the TEEN PEOPLE photo shoot or makingsure a steak is barbecued just right--with the take-charge manner of a CEO. "My dad was probably the one who instilled that in me," says Kevin, 26, taking a break between Walt Disney World's Grad Night shows underneath Cinderella Castle, the very place he used to suit up as Aladdin when he worked there in 1993. "He would always say--pardon my French--'If you're gonna half-ass it, don't do it at all.'" His father Jerald's death from colon cancer six years ago made Kevin "a lot more serious," says Brian, who's also Kevin's cousin (Brian's dad amd Kevin's mom, Ann, are siblings). A Kentucky native, Kevin joined the Backstreet Boys soon after moving to Orlando. At 21, the baby of the family (his brothers are Jerald Jr., 33, and Tim, 30) suddenly found himself a big brother to his new band mates--three of whom had yet to finish highschool. But Kevin's self-appointed role as the group's watchdog doesn't always sit well with the others.
"I think deep down inside he feels that his contribution to the group is to be the oldest and to make sure everything is straight. That's just the way he is," says Brian. "But here I am, gonna be twenty-four, and I really don't need Kevin telling me what to do."
"The fellas probably think I'm the hardest or the roughest or the meanest," admits Kevin, "but I'll cry at the drop of a hat sometimes." And in public, no less. When the group played his home state for the first time, Kevin teared up upon spotting his family in the audience. He also wept up during a show in Montreal: "There was a kid in the front row, and I knew he was blind. He couldn't see us, but he was smiling. I said to AJ, "He's blind, go and touch his hand,' and AJ did. And I just started crying, you know? I just lost it." Though the cutthroat music business can sometimes be unsettling for this family-oriented country boy (record execs have tried on occasion to break up the group by offering certain members solo contracts), Kevin says fans like that one make it all worthwhile. "We're touching people's lives and making people forget about their problems for a moment." He pauses. "That's what music is all about, I think."

1. About three quarters of the way through the video, Howie walks around without his shirt, and it looks as though he doesn't know what he's doing. He does it three times. See picture above.

1. Facial hair on Brian's face moves when he is singing (when he's on the bed) in the beginning.

2. The bed shakes when Brian jumps off of it.

3. In the beginning when Brian is singing, his coat is off his shoulders in one frame and on in the next.

4. A.J.'s gloves are too big because they're all bunchie.

5. The coat on A.J.'s tux is off on one frame and on in the next.

6. The girls dancing with A.J. are never dancing on the beat.

7. A.J. is constantly looking at Marissa.

8. In the middle when A.J. is singing and the camera is going over the table, one of the candles is blown out.

9. When the guys do the dance at the end with everybody else, Kevin can't move right. He can't shake his shoulders right.

10. A.J. isn't singing in some parts when they're doing the dance in the end.

11. The dancers in the background during the final dance aren't doing it right.

12. In one scene in the final dance, Brian is talking to Kevin. You have to look closely.

13. Two times, Brian just sits there doing nothing in the final dance.

14. Brian is late getting up just when the dance finishes.

15. You can't hear Kevin talking at the end when they're talking about their dreams because A.J. starts talking really loud.

16. When the guys are screaming at the end, Brian starts to laugh.

17. In the Extended Version, when Kevin first says 'Everybody.....' the next line he should sing is 'Yeah....' but right before the camera pans off of him you can see him but not hear him say 'Rock....'

18. In the Extended Version, when the girls leave the Boys in the final dance scene so that they can dance by themselves, this one guy rams into this poor girl and almost knocks her down. This happens right before the Boys take a bow and you have to look closely on the right of your screen.

19. In the Extended Version, when the four girls are circling A.J. near the end (when he sings 'Everybody..... rock your body..... everybody.... everybody rock your body.....') Marissa (Aundrea's note: a.k.a. 'Devil Girl') is pulling up her strapless dress up because it's falling off

Once we pulled up behind them (in front of the hotel) we jumped out of the car and waited for them to come out of their big silver bus. AJ was the first to come out (wearing goggles, sunglasses, a yellow vest and baggy jeans), and we freaked ! ANYWAY, all the other BSB came out and we got autographs. But Nick was in a hurry and went straight up to his room (maybe he had to use the pot, who knows!). Nick came back down soon and we talked to him a bit. One girl that was with us said "Nick, I like your pants." (Reffering to the khaki nike pants that had snaps down the legs...) Nick gave a devlish grin and fiddled with the straps on his baby blue Jansport backpack. I couldn't help eyeing Nicks Beavis & Butthead shirt, for some reason it struck me as funny. When he had to go he gave us all hugs, and we didn't wanna see him go!

When Nick was heading toward the elevators there were lots of girls in the lobby who were watching him. He quickly walked up to the elevator... and WHOOPS! He ran smack into the big metal door head on! Poor Nick was tryin to show off, looked a lil painful to me! Then AJ came out of a different elevator wearing a long, tan, suede jacket and black shades. Apparently him, Howie, and Kev were headed to a club to celebrate the last date of their winter US tour. We yelled "Hi" to him and he gave a funny smile and waved at us.

AJ: "My last girlfriend was forever borrowing my clothes." Kevin: "I love it when they wear my clothes-it's really sexy!" Howie: "My sister borrows my clothes all the time, so it wouldn't bother me." Nick: "I'd reckon it'd be kind a nice if I were real close to her." Brian: "If I had a girl I'd love to see her in my clothes. It's really romantic."

AJ got his shirt caught in the cymbals and knocked over the whole drum kit, during a show.

Okay...Nick Carter was on the phone with the Open House Party!! Some of you, most likely from non-US, will wonder what the heck is Open House Party? It's a radio station for the weekends. Anyhow, Nick made a special phone-call appearance there, soo....for all of you that missed it...here's the EXACT conversation...

Host: What is your schedule like, I mean, I, I can't believe what it must be like to be you guys. You wake up in the morning, it's, you gotta to catch a plane, you gotta go somewhere, you have a show, you have interviews, winners to meet, contests...

Nick: Well, I mean, basically, I can name a few words or say a few words that, y'know, rounds about everything: planes, cars, hotel, not much time off (laughs).

Host: Now most guys your age, like y'know, have girlfriends and stuff. What do you do for a lovelife? You're always on the road!

Nick: Most of the time, y'know, you don't have that much of a chance to sit back and get to know somebody, y'know cuz you're always traveling from different place to different place, so I mean, but when you do, y'know, you usually meet so many people from the industry, but really, truthfully it's good to have friends like that.

Host: Just come over and watch CNN with me on the tv in the hotel room or something.

Host: Nick Carter, Backstreet Boys, thanks for being with us at Open House Par-tay!

Just a reminder: If this is copyrighted, then please email me, and I will delete it as soon as possible. Thank you.

Another thing, if you want to learn more about the Open House Party, it's at http://www.openhouseparty.com

Hanging With The Backstreet Boys