Lifestyle FRIDAY, JANUARY 23, 2015

New Kids On The Block and TLC members, from left, Rozonda ‘Chilli’ Thomas, Joey McIntyre, Tionne members, from left, Joey McIntyre, , , ‘T-Boz’ Watkins, Danny Wood, Donnie Wahlberg, and announce Jonathan Knight and Jordan Knight. their ‘The Main Event’ tour at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday. — AP photos New Kids on the Block: New boy bands can learn from us ew Kids on the Block are ready to take new boy bands on go on sale Jan 31. In the last few years, boy bands have resurged, more than 30 years ago. They said they’re excited to share a stage the block to school. The -based veteran group, with One Direction leading the pack, followed by 5 Seconds of with one of the top-selling female groups of all-time and the mul- Nwhich announced a summer tour with TLC and Nelly this Summer. Others, from The Wanted to Mindless Behavior, have tiplatinum Nelly. week, said contemporary boy bands should check out their live had some success. Donnie Wahlberg, 45, said the decades-long “It’s always nice to go out onstage and know there might be concerts to learn from the experts. “As far as boy bands, you bond between New Kids on the Block and their fans makes it some people out there that haven’t seen what you do, so you’re know, we dance, we perform. I mean, I hate to sound like an old worthwhile. engaging with them. It keeps it fresh for you,” McIntyre said. “It fogey, but these kids don’t know what they’re missing nowadays “I would rather have the credibility of thousands of fans and just adds to the juice of the night, and we’re ready to do that.” because we got to sing and dance for our supper, you know what have them be happy. That’s what we’ve learned and that’s why The 42-date tour wraps July 2 in Buffalo, New York. — AP I mean, and we love to do that,” Joey McIntyre, 42, said in an inter- we’re still here,” Wahlberg said. “We keep it alive because it stays view Tuesday at Madison Square Garden in New York City. alive between us and our fans. It’s a real relationship now.” “So maybe a few kids could come to the show and see how it’s Wahlberg and McIntyre, along with bandmates Danny Wood and done.” The Main Event tour kicks off May 1 in . Tickets brothers Jordan and Jonathan Knight, began playing together Pharrell, Smith, Legend to perform at Grammys ne sings about being “Happy,” the other croons about being sad: Pharrell and Sam Smith will perform at the OGrammys next month. The Recording Academy announced Wednesday that Usher and Miranda Lambert also will take the stage at the Feb 8 show in Los Angeles. Common and John Legend will perform their Golden Globe-winning, Oscar-nominated song, “Glory,” from the movie “Selma.” Smith, Pharrell and Beyonce are the Grammy leaders with six nominations apiece. They will battle Beck and Ed Sheeran for the top prize, album of the year. Previously announced performers include , AC/DC, Ariana Grande, Eric Church and Sheeran. LL Cool J will host the 57th annual Grammy Awards, which will air live on CBS from the Staples Center. — AP Blur frontman writes Alice in Wonderland musical lur frontman has written the score for a musical Caterpillar were the most threatening characters of my childhood. I version of “Alice in Wonderland” which re-imagines the classic was genuinely very frightened of them as a kid,” he said of the origi- Btale of a girl’s fantasy world in the Internet era. The nal characters. “wonder.land” musical will premiere at the Manchester International Albarn previously experimented with virtual reality by creating Festival in July before heading to ’s National Theatre later in the band , whose members were imaginary even if the music the year and the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris in 2016. The National was real. Albarn, 46, became one of the most identifiable faces of Theatre, announcing “wonder.land” as it revealed its upcoming sea- Britpop as the frontman of Blur in the 1990s but has since experi- son, said the musical would offer a modern, high-tech twist to Lewis mented widely in format and has written two , “Dr Dee” and Carroll’s 1865 novel “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” in which the Chinese-inspired “Monkey: Journey to the West.”Stage produc- young Alice falls into a rabbit hole and discovers a strange new uni- tions can often be unforgiving to musicians used to strong album verse. In “wonder.land,” written by Moira Buffini, the girl Aly is bullied sales. Sting’s Broadway musical, “Last Ship,” is closing Saturday after at school but goes online as Alice and finds self-confidence in a just three months, even though the singer stepped in to try to revive world of virtual reality and struggles to discern what is real. sales. — AFP Sam Smith performs on stage at the 42nd annual “I’m fascinated by the idea of going down a rabbit hole, the other- American Music Awards at Nokia Theatre LA Live in Los worldliness and what that might mean,” Albarn said in a statement. Angeles. — AP “Alice aside, the Queen of Hearts, the Duchess, White Rabbit (and)