The Ultimate 90s Boy Band War: Backstreet Boys vs. Nsync

Come on, everyone has a favorite. I used to share a room with my sister, and it was like a war zone! Her walls were plastered with Backstreet Boys (BSB) posters while mine were covered in Nsync.

Backstreet Boys

Nsync

I know I have a bias when it comes to this battle, but I have spent time looking over both bands. I have come up with three ways to judge them. Now we all know the members of both bands are good-looking (at least according to 90s standards), so I can’t really judge them on that aspect. The three categories will be Singing Ability, Dancing Ability, and Commercial Success.

Singing Ability

Now, obviously both groups can sing, otherwise they wouldn’t be in a boy band. They both have their strengths and weaknesses when it comes to different songs. They each have their own unique sound when their voices come together. While each group has five members, they both have lead singers who do most of the solos. In Backstreet Boys, Brian Littrell, Nick Carter and A.J. McLean are the lead vocals. In Nsync, Justin Timberlake and JC Chasez are the lead vocals. After watching many music videos, I have noticed that the Backstreet Boys tend to distribute more of the vocals than Nsync. While you only hear Justin and JC’s voices in most of their songs, the Backstreet Boys do a better job letting everyone get heard. You can really see this in their music video of “I Want it That Way.”

While this is very interesting, I think the sound of the vocals is more important. Both bands have great voices, but Nsync has a more memorable sound. I can easily distinguish between all of their voices, but I can not do the same for Backstreet Boys. Even though they may not get a chance to showcase them enough, Joey Fatone, Chris Kirkpatrick and Lance Bass of Nsync all have really distinct and special twists to their voices. I know this has nothing to do with being in a boy band, but in 2001, Lance and Joey debuted their acting skills in the movie On the Line. While not a huge success, I was incredibly blown away by Joey’s performance of the song “Ready to Fall.” He has a great sound to his voice, and I wish he got the chance to showcase it more often. If you want to check out the video of his performance, click here. Because the members of Nsync have such distinct voices, they sound really well together when they harmonize. They know how to do it, and they do it well. Check out the way they sing the song “I Thought She Knew” a capella.

Their voices flow together so smoothly that you barely notice when each soloist begins to break apart from the group. So the winner of the Singing Ability category is: Nsync!

Dancing Ability

You can’t be in a boy band without having sick dancing skills. It was just part of the package in the 90s. Each group brings their own talent to the table; however, Nsync’s moves are far more intricate, technical and impressive than the Backstreet Boys’ moves.

I’m not saying that the Backstreet Boys are bad dancers, they are absolutely great dancers. Their moves are just as coordinated and put together as Nsync’s moves, but BSB’s moves are usually slower and less complicated than those of Nsync. Even from the very beginning, Nsync dominated the dance floor. Check out their awesome moves in their second single, “Tearin’ Up My Heart.”

Oh, just watching this video brings me back to my JC crush days. Yes ladies, I was more of a JC fan than a Justin fan. Although, who could resist that curly mop of blonde on Justin’s head?

While  ”Bye Bye Bye” isn’t the greatest representation of their dance moves, it definitely proves the power that they held over the teen pop market. This music video set off a dance craze. Everyone I know knew those dance moves to the chorus of this song. Every time this song came on during a party, it was almost as if the dance floor turned into a synchronized event.

“Pop” is also another great example of Nsync’s dance skills. Check out their amazing dance break around 2:15. I wish I had half the skills these guys have. The obvious winner of the Dancing Ability category is: Nsync!

Commercial Success

It is hard to measure exactly how successful each boy band really is, so the only way to do that would be to focus on awards. Nsync is the third highest selling boy band, behind New Kids on the Block and…the Backstreet Boys. While Nsync has received around 20 awards, including Record Industry Association of America (RIAA) awards and MTV Video Music Awards, the Backstreet Boys have received well over 20, not only from the U.S. but internationally. They have sold over 100 million albums worldwide. In the U.S., Nsync sold 28 million albums while the Backstreet Boys sold 37 million. Their 1999 album Millennium sold 40 million copies, and their 2000 album Black & Blue sold 24 million copies. The obvious winner of this category is: Backstreet Boys!

Overall Winner: Nsync!

In my opinion, so what if BSB sold more albums, Nsync has the better goods. Their singing and dancing abilities are much better, and that’s what really counts. Now I know this can be a hot issue for many people (coughMYSISTERcough), so please feel free to leave comments. Tell me, Backstreet Boys or Nsync??

Oh Those Mighty Morphin Power Rangers…

Go Go Power Rangers! The show first came on the air on August 28, 1993 during the Fox Kids programming block. The original series focuses on a group of five teenagers who are called upon by the wise Zordon and his robot Alpha 5 to help defend Earth from the evil sorceress, Rita Repulsa, and her putty people (yes, they are made out of putty). They are given powers when they “morph,” or change, from an ordinary person into a superhero. Each of their powers are connected to qualities of specific dinosuars. They then become the Power Rangers: Jason Lee Scott, the red ranger; Kimberly Hart, the pink ranger; Zack Taylor, the black ranger; Trini Kwan, the yellow ranger; and Billy Cranston, the blue ranger. Mid-way through the first season, Rita gives dark powers to another teenager, Tommy Oliver, to combat the Power Rangers. He becomes the Green Ranger. Of course his attempts ultimately fail, he loses his powers and ends up trying to help the Power Rangers. In season 2, Zordon rewards him by making him the white ranger, the sixth addition and new leader of the superhero group. They go on to fight evil, and like every 90s kid television show, save the world.

Growing up, I did not know a single kid who was not completely obsessed with this show. Me and my friend would “play” Power Rangers during recess, where the girls would most likely fight over who got to be the pink ranger (I always loved Amy Jo Johnson). The show became a pop culture marketing phenomenon. There were movies, action figures, costumes, sunglasses, videogames, apparel, backpacks and more. When I was about 5 or 6, I went to the hospital for a minor surgery. To my excitement, when I woke up my family had given me my very own treasure box full of Power Ranger merchandise. I was the happiest kid ever. One of my favorite toys was an action figure where you could flip the head.

One minute she’s the pink ranger and the next, she’s Kimberly. I know these toys are less than impressive when compared to the ipods and interactive Barbie robots of today, but I loved them. The Power Rangers became more than a television show. The characters were highly marketable and appealed to kids across the country. Their personality traits were linked to their costume colors. Jason, the red ranger, was the karate-kicking heartthrob. Billy, the blue ranger, was the expert in technology. Zach, the black ranger, was the smooth dancer. Kimberly, the pink ranger, was the beautiful gymnast. Trini, the yellow ranger, was the smart, powerful and conscientious woman. Tommy, the green and white ranger, was the tough guy. This idea of assigning colors to the characters was a very smart marketing move. It made the brand recognizable. It was easy for kids to attach to the show, as many kids would root for the character who wore their favorite color. Of course you can’t ignore the controversy surrounding the color assignments. Ironically, the African American actor is the black ranger and the Asian American actress is the yellow ranger. While this may have stirred up some anti-Power Ranger sentiment from parents, as a kid, I was completely unaware of this fact. The only reason I liked the pink ranger over the yellow ranger was because my favorite color was and will always be pink.

The show is based on the Japanese Super Sentai franchise and integrates footage and elements from the series. As a kid, I did not realize this, but after re-watching the first part of the very first episode, Japanese elements are easy to recognize. Besides the karate aspect, you rarely see Rita’s lips move when she talks. It’s almost as if her dialogue does not coincide with her facial movements.

The Power Rangers went on for another 16 seasons, ending in December of 2009. After the first 2 seasons, I began to lose interest as characters and themes began to change. There was a Power Rangers in Space, Power Rangers: Lost Galaxy, Power Rangers: Time Force and more. The show became unrecognizable to me. I didn’t enjoy it anymore because there was something about the new seasons that took the innocence and simplicity away. However, the show definitely made its impact in my life. What are your thoughts on the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers!?

Dawson’s Creek: One of the Best 90s Teen Dramas

Oh, Dawson’s Creek. I don’t know about you, but I simply cannot get enough of it. I own all six seasons on DVD and rewatch them every so often. I’m actually in the middle of the third season right now. Growing up, this show was the only thing that existed Wednesday night at 8′oclock. I could not miss any episode, and there had to be total silence while it was on. Who didn’t automatically start singing along when those credits started rolling, and Paula Cole’s familiar voice came on screen…

The show appeared on the WB network (now the CW) in 1998. I remember sitting in the den at home with my sister watching these two so-called 15-year-olds ramble on with their extensive, unrealistic vocabulary. Mostly filmed in North Carolina and based on the childhood of the creator Kevin Williamson, Dawson’s Creek takes place in the fictional small seaside town of Capeside, Massachusetts. It begins focusing on four characters: Dawson Leery, Joey Potter, Pacey Witter and Jen Lindley. Other important characters are also introduced in later seasons: Jack McPhee, Andie McPhee and Audrey Liddell. The show follows their lives from sophomore year of high school through college and beyond as they experience the trials and tribulations of growing up.

Dawson Leery

Dawson, a film geek with his head in the clouds, is at first the show’s main protagonist. Played by James Van Der Beek, he is your typical over-dramatic, analytical good guy. He thinks every problem in life can be solved by watching the right Spielberg film. A big shocker, but he eventually figures out that life is not a movie, and you don’t always get the happy ending.

Joey Potter

Josephine Potter, played by the one and only Katie Holmes (now married to Tom Cruise with the most adorable baby girl Suri, might I add), is the angry girl next door. She is the epitome of teen angst. Although, who could blame her? Her mother dies from cancer while her father is too busy getting locked up by the police for drug trafficking, leaving her slightly older big sister Bessie to raise her and not to mention her own son Alexander. But it’s okay, because she always has her best friend Dawson to look out for her. Every show has a love story, well this show has the ultimate triangle. At first Dawson and Joey are best friends, but it takes the audience about 2.5 seconds into the first episode to notice Joey’s mega-crush on him. One of my favorite episodes ever is when Joey sings “On My Own” from the famous musical Les Miserables.

(Sorry for the subtitles. This was the best version I could find.) Ok so she’s not a singer, but this is the moment when Dawson really looks at Joey for the first time and sees her as someone more than just a best friend. Joey eventually becomes the show’s main protagonist, as she is the only one who appears in all 128 episodes.

Pacey Witter

Aah Pacey Witter, the last piece to the love triangle. Played by Joshua Jackson, Pacey is known as the town screw-up, the loser who will never amount to anything. It seems as if he doesn’t care about anything, least of all his grades. And he definitely proves this stereotype right when he has an affair with his sophomore year english teacher. However, the audience eventually gets to know a different, more sensitive and romantic Pacey during his relationships. After Dawson and Joey get together, break up, get back together and then break up again, Pacey and Joey start their own love affair. Growing up, I was a steadfast Dawson fan. I could not believe that Joey would pick Pacey Witter over her soulmate. However now as I re-watch the seasons, I definitely root for Pacey.

Jen Lindley

Jen Lindley (played by Michelle Williams), the experienced, wild bad girl from New York City sent away from mommy and daddy to live with her grandmother as punishment. Of course the minute she steps foot out of that cab she rocks the creek. One of the main story lines with Jen is her disbelief in god, as it clashes with the highly religious beliefs of her grandmother. As Dawson’s first girlfriend, she and Joey get off to a rocky start, but yes, they eventually become good friends. Sadly, just as Jen rocks the creek when she arrives, she rocks the creek when she leaves. In the very last episode, the show jumps ten years into the future, and Jen is a single mom. Unfortunately, the Capeside crew eventually finds out that she has an abnormal heart condition (cheesy, I know), and she dies. But before she dies, Dawson films her last goodbyes to her daughter. Her speech is so emotional and real, and one of my most favorite moments of the whole series that I had to share it with you all (This is the best version I could find. The speech ends around 3:40.).

Jack McPhee

Played by Kerr Smith, Jack McPhee moves to Capeside from Rhode Island with his twin sister Andie at the beginning of the second season. Originally cast as a love interest for Joey, he eventually comes out of the closet as Capeside’s one and only teenage homosexual. Throughout the series, Jack learns how to be comfortable in his own skin despite the close-minded views of some of his classmates. He forms a very close friendship with Jen along the way, as they bond over playing the outcast role and take each other in when they have no one else to rely on.

Andie McPhee

Andrea McPhee, played by Meredith Monroe, is Jack’s twin sister. She is your average uptight, obsessive-compulsive honor student. Of course she would fall for bad boy Pacey Witter. They have an intense, romantic relationship, and she helps turn Pacey around from a class clown to a decent student…until she has her breakdown. As it turns out, the perfectionist doesn’t have it all together. She tries so hard to portray the perfect family image, but in reality, her family is falling apart. After a car accident leaves her older brother dead, her father splits and leaves Jack and Andie to take care of their mentally ill mother. Andie has problems of her own. After she cheats on Pacey during her stay in a mental institution, Andie and Pacey are no more. I have to say though, as much as I love Joey and Pacey as a couple, Andie and Pacey’s relationship is well beyond their years. The way he stands by her when everything around her is falling apart is enough to make anybody melt.

Audrey Liddell

Played by Busy Philipps (Freaks and Geeks), Audrey enters the scene in season 5 as Joey’s college roommate. A pseudo-Jen character, Audrey is party girl living it up spending daddy’s money. She eventually forms a relationship with Joey and dates Pacey.

Dawson’s Creek generated a lot of publicity because critics were concerned about its “racy” (not so racy now) plots, concerning partying, drugs, alcohol, cheating and sex. Even though it was never a huge ratings success among the general public, Dawson’s Creek had a huge following with the younger demographic. It is known for the unrealistic yet intelligent complex dialogue of its characters, yet also it’s realistic portrayal of teenage emotions as they go through the experiences of growing up, such as love, heartbreak and divorce.

I watch this series over and over again because every time I watch it, I learn or see something new. Now that I am older, I find that I can relate a lot more to the story lines and the decisions that the characters make. Even though it is a 90s teen drama, the problems and experiences these characters face will forever remain relevant. Come on Dawson’s fans, what were your favorite episodes and experiences watching this series?

Hit Me Britney One More Time

In deciding where I should start my 90s journey, I could only think of one person. The outrageous one and only pop princess of the 90s, Miss Britney Jean Spears.

I know she is an acquired taste and would not signify a defining moment in some people’s lives, but in mine, she does. When I think about the 90s, I think about Britney Spears. Even ask my family and friends. One of the first things they would say, besides her favorite color is pink, is that she LOVES Britney. I own all of her albums, even her greatest hits, and I have been to three of her concerts. I have some paraphernalia, including posters, a teddy bear, and yes, even a Britney Spears crew jacket that I wore one halloween. And I can’t believe I’m gonna say this, but I do own two Britney documentaries, her debut movie Crossroads and A Mother’s Gift, the novel written by Britney and her mother, Lynne. I have to admit, there was a time in my life when I was a closeted Britney fan, but now I will proudly shout it from the rooftops. You either love her or hate her, and I love her. I even remember the first time I heard “…Baby One More Time” playing on the radio. I was just coming home from some appointment with my mother, and kiss108 started playing a song by a fresh new young artist. I wasn’t really paying attention until I heard that chorus, “give me a sign, hit me baby one more time.” True, I was 11 and had no idea what she was talking about, but that was all it took for my obsession to start. I bought her album, listened to it all the way through and memorized every word to every song.

Oh those fuzzy pink scrunchies. I can’t even tell you how many times I have seen people dress up in that famous schoolgirl outfit. Here are a couple fun little facts for you. The woman who played the teacher in that video was Felicia Culotta, Britney’s assistant at the time and longtime friend of the family. Also, the reason why one of the locations of the video is a basketball court is because Britney used to play on the girls basketball team at her school. She felt really comfortable on the basketball court. Needless to say, that music video skyrocketed Britney into superstardom. I mean, come on, who didn’t love blasting that song and singing along? She was the “it” girl and was responsible for the come-back of teen bubblegum pop. What’s not to love about her? She was beautiful, young and had a fun energetic style. She became known for her amazing dance moves, crafted through years and years of training, and her famous well-toned stomach. In the 90s, Britney was the girl to beat. Eventually other pop stars came through, including Christina Aguilera, Mandy Moore and Jessica Simpson, but Britney remained on top with hits like “Sometimes,” “(You Drive Me) Crazy,” and ” Oops I Did It Again.”

Obviously everyone knows that Britney is no stranger to scandal. It all started with her transformation from teenybopper sweetheart to sex symbol.

I have to say, I was very surprised by this performance. Not only was this a different style of song for Britney, but the snake!? I actually remember hearing that that thing weighed A TON, and Britney was afraid to hold it on stage. Now, Britney pushed our buttons before, with her red hot catsuit in her “Oops I Did It Again” music video

and the sparkly nude number she wore during her 2000 MTV VMA performance,

but I think this 2001 performance topped them all. Just listen to the lyrics, “All you people look at me like I’m a little girl, well did you ever think it would be okay for me to step into this world.” This performance shocked people, and clearly separated her from her bubblegum image. A lot of people were upset at how she was portraying herself to her younger fans. I do agree that these people have a valid point. Even if Britney did not want to be a role model, she couldn’t help it. Kids everywhere were emulating her. However, I don’t think that Britney should have to hide who she is. Let’s be realistic, she was 20 years old. She wanted to show the world that she wasn’t a little kid anymore. While it may have shocked people, it definitely got their attention.

While I would love to go over everything that happened to Britney, I think everyone pretty much knows the story. She married Kevin Federline, a dancer and wannabe rapper, and had two lovely children, Sean Preston and Jayden James. They divorced, her history of mental illness came to light and her father gained complete control of her assets. In 2008, she released the album Circus, which brought her back on top. A lot of people are very judgmental, only see her mistakes, and are quick to call her names. However, I just want to remind everyone out there that she is only human. Everyone makes mistakes and everyone has their issues, she just had to experience them in the limelight for everyone in the world to see. Mental illness is serious and not something to joke about, and I am offended when people make fun of her for that.

Love her or hate her, Britney Spears most definitely left her mark in 90s pop culture. Even though she is older and now a mom, she will always be the princess of pop.

90s Pop Culture Through My Brown Eyes

Hello blogosphere! Welcome to the very first post of my very own blog. As an assignment for my new media and public relations class, my blog is dedicated to the wonderful pop culture of the 90s. From boy bands and Snick to Furbies and Pogs, I plan to write about my experience with these fads and trends.

While I do not claim to be an expert, I have to admit that I know every word to every Britney Spears song on her first album, own all of the seasons of Dawson’s Creek on DVD and would rather watch Full House than the latest episode of Gossip Girl any day. I was born in November of 1988, so by the time I was in middle school, it was already the year 2000. Because my 90s years were limited to elementary school, some of you may be critical of my 90s experience and question if I even remember it. However to me, 90s pop culture did not just exist between the years of 1990 to 1999. My definition of 90s pop culture also includes all the trends and fads that began in the 90s but may have gained momentum in the 2000s. For example, Harry Potter, Pokemon and even Dance Dance Revolution were all 90s creations but didn’t really become popular until 2000.

One thing that I really want to stress is that I will be writing about my experience of the 90s. While I am sure that Nirvana and Pearl Jam are awesome bands, I was never into and therefore know nothing about the 90s grunge scene. I appreciate all music, but Destiny’s Child and Nsync are more my style.

While I love GLEE, Miley Cyrus and my beautiful pink Blackberry that I just cannot live without, 90s pop culture will always be close to my heart. I hope to learn a lot through this experience, and I appreciate any comments, stories, facts, news, etc. that you want to contribute. Even if you want to just pop in to say hello, please feel free.

If you still want more of a clear picture of my 90s experience, I’ll leave you with this awesome video