Good Morning America

There really hasn't been much news in the cruise world but I did get a chance to see the boys not too long ago.

This was really a last minute adventure as the TV appearance was probably only announced a week or so beforehand. I was going back and forth on whether or not it was worth the trip up, but just less than 2 days before the big event I shockingly got an email through the fanclub that I had won tickets. Eek! Well now I had to go.... So I frantically informed work I wouldn't be there on Wednesday and made my travel plans.

The major downside of these shows are that they tape so freakin early in the morning. My friend, Anne Marie, headed into the city super early and got in line. We got there probably an hour earlier than we were told, already to find 100 people or so in line. These Backstreet fans never cease to amaze me; supposedly some girls got there the night before.

Anyway, the line eventually starts moving and I'm getting super excited. I had been to the Good Morning America concert series last August to see them, but this event was indoors so I really had no idea what to expect. We inched closer and closer to the front of the line and we finally made it to the front to be checked in. Quite literally as they were checking my ID I noticed out of the corner of my eye a big security officer come outside and announce, "We're full. No more." Oh my gosh, my heart sank! I had a million thoughts running through my head. But the bottom line- they HAD to let me in. After what seemed like an eternity of waiting, they did eventually let my friend and I in. And probably two girls behind us. Meanwhile there were still so many fans waiting outside. I think what had happened is that a lot of people who worked at ABC seemed to get in before the fanclub winners, which just broke my heart for those people who couldn't get in. Just one more unfair thing in the BSB world.

We made it!

Once inside, I got really excited once I saw the set. There were probably 80 fans or so inside; it was really quite a small studio. While we were waiting the guys would pop in and out, just enough to tease us. But we all know Backstreet time...so we waited a little while before they all finally came out and sang Permanent Stain, a capella. Followed by a full version of Permanent Stain and Everybody.

The boys belting out Permanent Stain

The performances were great, but I was not so secretly hoping for more songs. I'll certainly take what I can get, and I thought it was really special to hear the full version of Permanent Stain live. Not too much exciting to comment on about the main event; I'm sure most of you were able to see it on TV. I just find it neat to be there live and see the behind the scenes things- how they get the crowd going, the guys getting their last minute makeup touches, the producers scurrying around, etc.

AJ singing to the camera

After the show we weren't sure what the deal was. But fortunately my friend spotted Kevin mouthing to the other guys, "Hey are we doing autographs/pictures?" Yess! I knew I missed Kevin for a reason! So after the cameras stopped rolling all 5 of the guys stayed in the studio for a good 20 minutes or so taking pictures and signing autographs with the fans. I thought it was so nice that they did this and I also thought the fans behaved pretty well, which is probably why they were able to stay for as long as they did. I managed to get a picture with 4 of the 5 guys- didn't get one with Nick. He always has the most fans around him so he's usually the toughest. The pictures went so quick but I thanked each of them and wished them a happy 20th anniversary.

After Good Morning America it felt like it was 3 in the afternoon but really it was around 9:30 in the morning. The rest of the day wasn't nearly as exciting as the morning. We knew that the Backstreet Boys were still in the city to do press and radio interviews, so there was always a small chance of running into them. But Anne Marie and I decided to grab some lunch and try to see if we could get into a taping of Jimmy Fallon or David Letterman. Unfortunately both of those didn't pan out, but we did see Ben Stiller and Kristen Wiig filming a new movie, which was really neat.

Ben Stiller filming The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

Before the day ended, I did have one last bit of excitement. My friend and I were walking down the street to head to NBC Studios and we noticed a familiar looking woman walking towards us. At the same time we both said under our breath, "Is that Lauren?" And it most certainly was! If I couldn't run into a Backstreet Boy, running into Lauren was sadly probably the next best thing. I wasn't brave enough to stop her, but fortunately for me Anne Marie was a bit braver and said hi. So we stopped and chatted with her for about 5 minutes or so. I congratulated her on their engagement and saw the huge rock on her finger. We also chatted about Kitt Fit, shopping, and the fact that she didn't go to the show that morning because it was too early. And I almost don't even blame her. I have to say she was very nice and friendly to us, I don't understand why she gets so much hate.

So there you have it, my Good Morning America adventure.