Free Republic

The Backstreet Boys are saying goodbye to the oldest member of their band, according to a statement posted on the group's Web site Saturday. Kevin Richardson, 33, said he was leaving to purse other interests. "It was a very tough decision for me but one that was necessary in order to move on with the next chapter of my life," Richardson said in the statement. The Orlando-based pop band ushered in a new teen-music craze in the late 90's, buoyed by their soulful harmonies, synchronized dance steps, clean-cut good looks and charm. Their three albums sold a total of more...

How to make Confucian communists squirm Easy when you know how HUANG YIXIN and Wei Wei, two students at the Guangzhou College of Fine Arts, were hanging around their dormitory last summer and decided—as one does—to turn on their webcam, put on their Houston-Rockets jerseys and lip-synch a few of their favourite songs by the Backstreet Boys. They uploaded the clips to Google Video, a free website full of such stuff. Their grimaces are over the top, self-consciously ludicrous. And they became famous almost instantly. Astonishingly famous. Almost every Chinese internet user under a certain age has seen the “Back...

"I am sorry that anyone was offended by the wardrobe malfunction during the halftime performance of the Super Bowl," Timberlake said in a statement. "It was not intentional and is regrettable." Developing...

Amanda Latona has a voice, but she needs a sound. It is January, and she is standing in a small, closetlike recording booth in Midtown Manhattan, where she is recording part of her first album for J Records. Her handlers are still trying to decide what kind of platinum-selling pop sensation she should be. Originally, the idea was that Latona, who is 23, should be Britney Spears. Latona admires Spears, and they almost performed together in Innosense, a girl group from the home of teen pop, Orlando, Fla. Innosense was designed to be an American version of the Spice Girls,...