Former Backstreet Boy Kevin Richardson now has a little boy of his own: He and wife Kristin welcomed their first child, a son, on Tuesday, according to a message on his MySpace blog.

“We are officially parents,” Richardson, 35, wrote on his online page Wednesday. “At 4:56 a.m. Tuesday morning (7/3/07), our son Mason made his entrance into the world.”

The proud papa continues: “He is a healthy 8 lbs. 2 ounces/20.5 inches long and has a full head of dark hair. He and Kristin are perfect and I am a new man. Thank you for your positive vibes and prayers.”

Richardson and the former Kristin Willetts [sic], 36, wed on June 17, 2000, outside Richardson’s hometown of Lexington, Ky.

They met in 1993 in the employee cafeteria of Orlando’s Disney-MGM Studios theme park, where he worked as a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle and she was a dancer with the park’s Beauty and the Beast show.

Richardson left the Backstreet Boys in 1996 [sic] after 13 years with the group.

Source: People.com

Peace and love,
Kevin

Peace and love,
Kevin

Yes the Wildcats got X’ed from the NCAA tourney. It’s all good though cause I’m a FOOTBALL fan FIRST! At least they got knocked out by my girl’s team. A loss to the Jayhawks is acceptable. Only two of the most successful basketball programs in the country. We struggled this year. What I am excited about is the conversion of UK to a FOOTBALL school! It won’t happen overnight but we are on the RIZE. Look out for Andre Woodson and the FOOTBALL cats this year and please send them lots of POSITIVE VIBES.

OH, by the way. Is it time to elect another president yet? I’m diggin PINK’S “dear MR. President.” Now why didn’t I think of that? Keep your eyes, ears, and hearts open.

PEACE & LOVE,
Kevin

Coming soon! Ronin Music Group Myspace page. Ronin Music Group is a production co./independent label that I started with some industry friends of mine. You will be able to listen to and purchase music from our catalogue as well as check out new albums and artists we are working on. Our first project was the soundtrack to the film “RIZE” and it’s only the beginning. Check it out on HBO and Showtime.

I am so glad I got the opportunity to share this part of me with you. I look forward to my return.

Peace and Love,
Kevin

You can buy the DVD or you may be able to find it in it’s full form on the web. Either way it is a must see. Here is a link. http://myspace.com/911pressfortruth

Broadway has been thrilling audiences for generations, and the arrival in Japan this month of two of its biggest shows, “Chicago” and “BKLYN,” gives Tokyoites the opportunity to embrace some all-American musical classics.

The multi-award-winning “Chicago” is one of Broadway’s longest-running shows — it celebrated its 10th anniversary last autumn. Entwined within the raunchy costume design and provocative Bob Fosse choreography lies a satirical plot line which looks at the nature of celebrity and the American justice system. “With such a solid script, the show doesn’t get old and the audiences don’t tire of it. It could go on forever,” said Carol Woods, who plays Matron “Mama” Morton, at the recent Tokyo press call for “Chicago.”

Heading the cast is Backstreet Boy member Kevin Richardson, who has been treading the boards since his theater debut as Billy Flynn in “Chicago” in 2003. Richardson said he was hoping “to bring a new, younger audience to the theater” by taking on the role.

“Chicago” runs through March 4 at the Nissay Theater, Yurakucho, Tokyo. Performance times vary. Tickets are 9,000 yen, 11,000 yen and 13,000 yen. Visit www.chicago2007.jp/schedule.html for more information.

Source: The Japan Times Online

Road from boy band to musical is well-travelled

What is it about boy bands and Broadway musicals? Former boy-banders have been trying to make good in the legitimate thee-ay-ter for a long time now: Erstwhile li’lest New Kid Joey MacIntyre did a stint in Wicked two years ago, ex-Monkee Mickey Dolenz is currently appearing in Pippin here in Toronto at the Royal Alex and, this week, hordes of screaming teenyboppers will swarm the Princess of Wales Theatre to let former Backstreet Boy Kevin Richardson razzle dazzle ‘em in the touring production of Chicago, opening Tuesday.

(In the 10 years since its Broadway opening, Chicago has been particularly notorious for its unlikely cast members, who have included Trading Spaces’ Paige Davis; Patrick Swayze; and, most recently in London’s West End, Ashlee Simpson.)

Chicago has been a favourite with Toronto audiences for a long time, and not just because the 2002 film version was filmed here.

The touring company first graced the stage of the Princess of Wales Theatre in 1998, and has returned several times since then. (With its minimal set and technical requirements, it’s also a favourite with producers.)

Set in 1920s Chicago, where you’re only worth as much as your headline in the newspaper, it tells the story of two murderously fame-hungry divas, and the media-savvy lawyer who gets them off.

Richardson reprises his role as slick attorney Billy Flynn, who he played for two months on Broadway in 2002, and then again in London the following year.

Though this gig is certainly a departure from the bubblegum boy-band groove Richardson is known for, he is no stranger to musical theatre: He has loved it since his high school drama teacher cast him in the school production of Bye Bye Birdie (appropriately enough, he played Conrad Birdie, the pop star whose very name makes girls swoon).

The soft-spoken singer is delighted to be back in the theatre. “It’s a totally different kind of fulfillment, playing a character,” he says earnestly in his gentle Kentucky drawl. “It’s a lot of fun.”

t’s certainly a change of pace from his days as a Backstreet Boy, but Richardson is hoping to bring his BSB fan base along for the ride. “It’s good for people to see me do something different,” he says. “Any opportunity I get to grow and learn as an artist and a performer, I welcome that with open arms. And if I can turn a few kids on to theatre along the way, that’s great too.”

Source: National Post

In the late 1990s, The Backstreet Boys were the undisputed kings of the pop music market.

They regularly performed to stadiums full of screaming fans at destinations around the world, produced record-smashing albums and were staples of Top 40 radio.

After a hiatus between 2002 and 2004, the group released their platinum-selling comeback album last year entitled Never Gone, a success that was generally warmly received by fans and critics.

But the eldest of the group Kevin Richardson, the black-haired former model and Disney World tour guide who sought a career in music before finally striking gold with the band, announced in June this year that he would be leaving BSB to embark on a new phase of his career.

One element of that new phase will be a return to the stage, a move that will soon see him reprise the role of Billy Flynn in the Toronto production of Chicago, a part he first played on Broadway and in London’s West End.

Having exposure to fame and performance on two very different stages puts Richardson in a unique position as an artist, but he says there are definite advantages to working in both arenas.

“Performing in front of a huge crowd can be intimidating, but at the same time it can be comforting because there are so many people there and so much is going on you feel like you can maybe hide,” he says.

“When you’re performing in front of a small, intimate crowd you feel very naked, very exposed, because it’s so much more intimate.”

Richardson says he’s addicted to the theatre and the Flynn part but for no other reason than the fact that he can actually hear himself sing in the theatre, a nearly impossible feat when performing in front of 50,000 screaming fans.

While he admits theatre performance can be intimidating in its own way, the 35-year-old native of Lexington, Ky., recalls a more arduous time in 2002, prior to the release of the film version of Chicago, when he was preparing to act in the production on Broadway.

“With all the renewed interest when the film came out, here I am doing it on Broadway and I hadn’t done musical theatre for 10 years. There were moments when I thought what have I done? I’m in over my head. Then there were days in rehearsal when I thought, ‘I’ve got this, I was totally in my element.’ ”

The natural tenor decided to simply dive into the part, the result being a successful run in New York, later London, and eventually on to Toronto. “With theatre, it is a nice change,” Richardson says. “It is a totally different type of gratification and satisfaction that I get with that.”

Source: Metro