Trashy Celebs

Looks like the Today show’s got the right stuff: All five original New Kids on the Block members – Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg, Danny Wood and brothers Jordan and Jonathan Knight – will appear together in the morning show’s courtyard on April 4, a source tells PEOPLE.

After months of speculation, PEOPLE confirmed in January that the band is reuniting – just in time to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the release of their mega-hit album Hangin’ Tough. The group also recently updated its Web site, nkotb.com.

The boy band, which made legions of tweens swoon in the early ’90s, selling more than 50 million albums, became a worldwide phenomenon before calling it quits in 1994. Since then, the oldest “Kid,” Jonathan Knight, 39, retreated back to Boston to become a real estate developer. Former members Wahlberg, 38, and McIntyre, 35, have seen acting success, while Wood, 38, has worked as a music producer and Jordan Knight, 37, has continued to record.

Lori: Hey, the New Kids on the Block are reuniting!

Amy: Oh good lord.

And that’s all the really needs to be said about that one, except of course, I will say more. And I will start with a question? Whose brilliant idea was this one? I mean, come on! The world does not need a freaking New Kids on the Block reunion tour. In fact, we already had that, back when boy bands like N’Sync and Backstreet Boys got popular — it was essentially a reunion, right? I mean pretty boys who sang in harmony and danced. It’s all the same, and even Justin “I hang with Timbaland” Timberlake likes to pretend it never happened.

I will admit, I also don’t like to think about this because I don’t like to think about the NKOTB album Hangin’ Tough being 20 years old because that just reminds me how old I am. But really, what is sadder than watching a bunch of aging pretty boys pushing 40 and trying to dance like they are still in their teens? Do we really want to see a bunch of guys who should be on the golf course or taking their kids to soccer practice doing this?

And another thing: when the New Kids were first popular, they were 15, 16, 18 or so and their audience was 12 to 14 year old girls (and I’m sure, boys). Granted, I listened to them in college, but I probably did so ironically. Anyway, who is the audience this time around? It can’t see today’s 12-14 year old girls because 1) they won’t care and 2) that is just creepy? This there really enough nostalgia amongst today’s thirtysomethings to sustain a Ne Kids Reunion? Personally, I don’t think so. No matter what, Trashy Celebs will be following this story with great interest, and maybe even getting out our old mix tapes with New Kids songs, so listen to secretly in the car.

New Kids on the Block