Tuesday, April 12, 2005

Look Who's Back

Remember the late '90s? The stock market was soaring, Britney was prancing around in a schoolgirl outfit, and boy bands ruled the buzz. Britney may still bust out the pigtails for K-Fed, but we're guessing the plaid skirt has been confined to the dust bin along with the memories of the halcyon days for boy groups. Who can forget the search magnitude of 98 Degrees, O-Town, *NSYNC, and buzz's personal favorite, Dream Street? Turns out most everyone can, and their days of glory are as faded as that Lance Bass poster hanging over your bed.

But the fact that buzz left boy bands behind isn't proving to be a deterrent to the grandest of them all. Indeed, the Backstreet Boys are back, aw-right. The five-some have reunited and while they're not back in our top 20 searches, buzz on the band is taking off. Searches on the group are up 12% over the last week, and the legendary boy band cracked our top 50 music queries.

Searches on comeback single "Incomplete" are surging, up 53% in the last seven days. Those who want to quit playing games and simply sing along have sent searches on "Backstreet Boys Lyrics" up 11%.

How do the five members stack up in searches? Does Nick's infamous failed relationship with Paris Hilton boost his buzz over the other dudes in the group? Turns out Nick is twice as popular as any other guy in BSB. Here's how they line up in search...

  1. Nick Carter
  2. Brian Littrell
  3. A.J. McLean
  4. Kevin Richardson
  5. Howie Dorough

Surprisingly, it's not nostalgia bringing the buzz back on Backstreet. A whole new generation of teens is spurring searches on the prefab pop stars. Half of all searches come from the 17-and-under set -- girls who weren't even teens when the group was at its height of popularity. Sure, 30% of searches are from 18-24-year-olds who remember the glory days of BSB, but it looks as if the group might have re-tapped the rich vein of teen interest. Second acts are hard to come by for teen idols, and it'll be interesting to see if getting the band back together wasn't such a bad idea.

Shannen Doherty Flies with UPN as 'Wingwoman'

She's played a Beverly Hills brat and a beautiful witch. Now Shannen Doherty is in final negotiations to assume the title role of a matchmaker in UPN's comedy pilot "Wingwoman."

The show in development centers on a single woman (Doherty) who helps her male clients find their soulmates.

Reagan Gomez-Preston ("Love Don't Cost a Thing") would co-star as Doherty's longtime friend, co-worker and roommate.

A veteran of "Beverly Hills, 90210" and "Charmed," Doherty who most recently starred on the Fox drama series "North Shore."

In other pilot-casting news, Jeremy Howard ("Galaxy Quest," "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas") has landed the lead in NBC's comedy "The Dennis," about a young savant forced by his parents to leave homeso he can become a man.