Hangin’ Tough with the New Kids on the Block – at Fox!

by ashleydvorkin

Step By Step I’ll break it down (and promise to control my NKOTB song references), but the greatest hits do rush back when you sit-down with this group!

Jordan, Jonathan, Joey, Donnie and Danny all joined me in the studio just as the release of their new DVD “Coming Home” hits the shelves. The DVD documents their reunion and gives a behind the scenes look as the guys get back in the studio and hit the road with their fans. Donnie says folks will see they all do a share of playing the prankster and being the team leader, “anyone can be a practical joker, anyone can … run a situation, an interview, a rehearsal, a strategy session… we all sort of trade roles at different times.”

Meanwhile Jonathan adds they have the fans to thank for giving them momentum to keep this gig going, “I figured that we’d do the reunion and it would be this big build up and we go out and do our thing and then it would kind of die off. And it hasn’t, it hasn’t done that yet.”

It’s safe to say the actual “reuniting” days are done. They’re just back in business. And they’re looking ahead to much more in 2010 with show dates and even a second NKOTB cruise, which according to Donnie, is quite an amazing time “We’re basically five guys in the middle of the ocean with 2500 female fans, mostly female fans, and whether they’re with us or around us all 24 hours a day it doesn’t matter, they dive into the cruise atmosphere, they have a completely good time.”

As for reaching out to their fans, from the high seas or not, you can rest assured it’s them behind the texting. Joey says it’s actually pretty obvious, “It’s all us and we have a lot of fun with it, and the fans know that too and I think you can tell by the nature of our tweets.”

These days the group is putting their celebrity to good use, joining fellow artists for Planetohaiti.org to help victims of the Haiti earthquake. Donnie says the goal is to get supplies on the ground asap, “We directly donated money to send a plane to Haiti full of medical supplies and doctors and we’ve asked the fans, a group of artists have gone out to their fans to ask them, to help raise money to send the plane back. It’s a direct way to get people on the ground and doing something immediately to help.”

And for a quick trip down memory lane, I had to bring up all that merchandise – the posters, the lunch boxes, the list goes on. So I asked if they have any New Kids gear… it seems their new kids do! Danny’s 10 year old daughter got hold of one prized possession, “She found these stuffed animal dolls that, they came out, but it never really was sold to the public. The few people got them, and then they got pulled off the shelves because they’re pretty hideous. She still plays with it though.”

Also, we’re here at Fox and it’s American Idol season, so I asked the guys if they’re eyeing Simon’s soon to be open seat. It sounds like Joey may be willing to throw his hat in the ring, “I love it, I find myself talking to the camera sometimes… Some of the artists that go on there are great and they say exactly what you would want to say and some of them aren’t as engaged but just to be involved and see these kids and sometimes maybe give them just that word of advice…”

For now find him along with his fellow supergroup members out to show they’ve still got the Right Stuff (I had to) for this gig with plenty of shows coming up and a take-home with the new “Coming Home” DVD.