VH1 to Premiere a 90-Minute Live Special 'New Kids on the Block: A Behind The Music Special Event' Premiering Sunday, September 28 at 8pm*

VH1 to Premiere a 90-Minute Live Special 'New Kids on the Block: A Behind The Music Special Event' Premiering Sunday, September 28 at 8pm*

Special "Behind The Music" Event Will Feature A Live Three Song Cut-In From The Group's Sold Out Concert At The TD Banknorth Garden in Boston, Massachusetts

NEW YORK, Sept. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- VH1 will celebrate the return of the 90's pop supergroup New Kids On The Block with a first-of-its-kind Behind the Music live event.

"New Kids on the Block: A Behind The Music Special Event" will premiere on September 28 at 8PM* and will celebrate the history of the pop phenomenon while also documenting their inspired 2008 reunion in their own words through new interviews with the band, rare archival images and modern day verite footage shot by the band members themselves. Featured throughout the 90-minute special will be live reports from Boston, as NBC and Access Hollywood's Maria Menounos counts down to the live broadcast of the first three songs from NKOTB's sold out concert at the TD Banknorth Garden in their hometown of Boston, Massachusetts. VH1 will be the only place fans can see live televised performances from NKOTB's current tour. Additionally, the three performances will be available online at Music.VH1.com ( VH1.com NKOTB.VH1.com) beginning the next day, Monday, September 29.

"The New Kids On The Block generated tremendous passion and loyalty around the world the minute that their first song and video debuted. That excitement has quickly rekindled as the band embarks on a giant reunion tour in support of a highly anticipated new album," said Jeff Olde, Executive Vice President, Original Programming & Production, VH1. "This special Behind The Music event allows us to re-imagine a beloved, award-winning franchise in an entirely new way. We not only bring the storytelling full circle (via an academy award winning producer) but we pay it off with a live music event featuring a group our audience loves."

Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg, Danny Wood and Jordan and Jonathan Knight get candid with VH1's classic series as they move into the next phase of the group's musical evolution with their new album The Block (Interscope Records) and upcoming tour. This Behind the Music Special Event tells the story of how a group of boys from Boston sold millions of albums while sparking a worldwide phenomenon and then, after experiencing the changing climate of the music industry, split in 1994 only to reunite as men 14 years later. Interviews featured include, former manager Maurice Starr, former tour manager Johnny Wright, N'Sync member Lance Bass, R&B group Boyz II Men, and record execs Jimmy Iovine and Donnie Ienner.

Their new album, "The Block" (Interscope Records) hit stores on September 2. Featuring the first single, the hit mellow jam "Summertime," the album also features collaborations with some of the biggest names in pop music. R&B superstar Ne-Yo appears on "Single," the follow-up to "Summertime." Other collaborations include "Grown Man" (with The Pussycat Dolls and uber-producer Teddy Riley), "Put It on My Tab" (with the ubiquitous Akon), "Big Girl Now" (with NY dance-pop diva Lady GaGa) and the much-buzzed about "Full Service" (with fellow supergroup New Edition). The group kicks off their sold-out tour on September 18 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

VH1.com is now accepting submissions in the "New Kids on the Block Ultimate Fan Contest," where four winners will be chosen to attend a New Kids on the Block concert and meet with the band in one of four cities -- Boston, Las Vegas, New York, Seattle -- this fall. To enter, users can visit the VH1 Blog at NKOTB.VH1.com (http://nkotb.vh1.com/) and submit a photo of themselves or a group photo and 50 words or less that describes the craziest thing they ever did as a NKOTB fan.

Winners will be chosen by VH1.com in four rounds between September - November and will be based on the most unique ultimate fan stories/photos received. Submissions will be accepted through November 12, 2008.

"New Kids on the Block: A Behind The Music Special Event" is produced by VH1 and Allentown productions. Patty DiMaria serves as supervising producer and Brad Abramson, Stephen Mintz, Shelly Tatro, Leah Horwitz, Rick Krim, Jeff Olde and Lee Rolontz serve as executive producers for VH1.

VH1 connects viewers to the music, artists and pop culture that matter to them most with TV series, specials, live events, exclusive online content and public affairs initiatives. VH1 is available in 90 million households in the U.S. VH1 also has an array of digital channels and services including VH1Classic, VH1 Soul, VH1 Mobile, VH1 Games and extensive broadband video on VH1.com. Connect with VH1 at VH1.com (http://vh1.com/).

   *All Times ET/PT    Contacts:  Lori Bogin     Nyle Washington     Nicole Frand   212-846-7131        212-846-5576     310-752-8316  

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: VH1

CONTACT: Lori Bogin, +1-212-846-7131, or Nyle Washington,
+1-212-846-5576, or Nicole Frand, +1-310-752-8316 all of VH1

Web Site: http://www.vh1.com/music
NKOTB.VH1.com
VH1.com

---

Profile: International Entertainment