 "Photo: Mark ashman/PHOTO COURTESY")
It’s a guilty pleasure. With the growing number of reality shows that debuted last year, along with several that began fairly recently, it’s difficult to tell what is quality and what is trash. The boys from ABC’s “Making the Band” do not fall into either of these categories. Instead, its characters are among the lucky few that have managed to star in a show you simply love to hate. “Making the Band” is complete with endless opportunities to constantly rag on eight pretty boys who have their songs written for them and their lives taped, with a stream of hilarious melodrama that can turn any boy band-hater into a reality TV junkie.
“O-Town: Making the Band,” written by O-Town with K.M. Squires, is an amusing companion to the show that gave screaming pre-pubescent girls a reason to go on living during the unbearable waiting period between Backstreet Boy albums.
The book does not mask the attempt to serve as little more than something to “provide the real skinny on TV and pop music’s latest heartthrobs,” being filled with an abundant amount of glossy pictures, brightly colored pages and quotes taken from each individual involved in O-Town. It immediately delves into a subject most people spend years fine-tuning before they come up with a solution. How exactly does one make a boy band?
Lou Perlman, record executive and key developer of the Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC, answers this puzzling question in Part One of O-Town’s story. “Ken Mok of MTV asked me if I wanted to participate in a program about the genesis of making a boy band and it was such a great idea that we thought we should pitch it to a major network instead of putting it on MTV to reach a broader audience. It turned out that all the networks wanted it,” he said.
Additionally, several other crucial strategists were hired to ensure O-Town’s imminent fame, including vocal coach Mark Goff, choreographers Raymond Del Barrio and Tyjuan Jones and full-time publicist Jay Marose.
And so it began.
As “O-Town: Making the Band” explains, boy band boot camp began with placing ads on MTV and the Internet and recruiting thousands of hopefuls to audition in eight major cities. Twenty-five of the best boys, who all showed clear skill in singing, dancing and looking damn fine, were chosen to come to Orlando and compete for eight spots. The chosen eight would be the “cast” of “Making the Band” and would eventually be whittled down to the final five O-Town members.
The weeks leading to the cut were riddled with several hours of rehearsals per day as the hired help did all they could to whip the boys into an entity with the ability to make young girls shriek. Of course, the process would not have been complete without a healthy dose of controversy, complaints and upheaval. During this time, Paul Martin left the show, before the five were chosen.
Road manager Marc Piacenza commented, “There wasn’t a dry eye in the house during the night of the cut.”
Unfortunately, Ikaika Kahoano quit the band not long after he made it, returning home to his controlling brother and clingy girlfriend. Dan Miller, one of the original 25 to be sent home unceremoniously replaced Kahoano.
Michael Miller and Bryan Chan were the two sent home following the cut, leaving Erik, Jacob, Trevour, Ashley and Dan as the conclusive members. The book devotes a page to each of the two considered “gone but not forgotten.”
In his, Chan admitted, “I think that I was probably too mature for O-Town.”
Seeing that he is in his late 20s, few would beg to differ. Personal details of each of the five boys comprise Part Two of the book. Each member includes their take on experiences the book divides into sections such as “Making the Cut,” “Living in a Fishbowl” and “Girls, Girls, Girls.”
“O-Town: Making the Band” is, simply put, a picture book. It offers nothing of interest to people with more on their minds than five posing boys whose faces are easy on the eyes. The show was addictive enough. However, if you suddenly develop an unquenchable need to learn more about O-Town, save your money and read their website.
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