I realize this is supposed to be the point where I ask a question about one of the Boys, or of the band, but I don't have a question for you. Actually, I have something to say, and I hope that you will take the time to read this for me. I went to the show on October 4th - the Columbus, Ohio - on Monday. All I have to say was that it was amazing. The Boys sounded awsome, their dancing was magnificent, and most importantly, the band kicked ass. If it wasn't for the band, we'd have nothing to groove to! Not only did ALL of you sound great, but everyone looked good. Whether it be the band, the dancers, or the guys themselves. Even Nick. After the show was over, I noticed something that really upset me. These "fans" were saying stuff about Nick. More specifically, about Nick's weight. I realize that they have their own opinion, and I respect that, but I feel that it has gone too far when our radio station, WNCI, who has played Backstreet Boys music since "We've Got It Goin' On" came out, begins to not just make fun of him, but to bash him. I have been raised that a person should be judged on their personality rahter than their appearance, and that is something that is important to me. I am not perfect, my friends and family are not perfect, and neither is Nick. Everyone at the show was commenting on how great his arms looked, but then turning around and laughing about his weight. GUESS WHAT ~ Nick isn't perfect. Neither is AJ, Brian, Kevin, or Howie. We may say they are, and even I have said it jokingly (they are compared to the guys I know around here!), but no one in this world is perfect. Yes, he's "pudgy," or whatever you want to call it, but thats what I love about him. He doesn't have to have a rock-hard body to look cute, sexy, or gorgeous. He doesn't have to try to please someone else, of whom he doesn't even know, when he isn't happy with himself. His personality, his looks, his voice.....Its what makes him "Nick." I'm so sick and tired of people saying stuff about his weight when the same people who are saying these things have so many flaws themselves. Fred Durst is "pudgy" but no one says anything about him. John Travolta is heavy to, but he's acknowledged as one of the best actors of his time. There is just a stereotype going around that ALL "boy-bands" MUST look a certain way, dress a certain way, and sing a certain way. The Backstreet Boys have broken through those boundaries, and have succeeded in every way possible. They're far from perfect, just as everyone else, and they know it.....And thats why I love them so much! My point that I am trying to get across is this. I want Nick to know, as with the band, the rest of the Boys, their friends and family, that there ARE fans out here who repsect the Boys for who they are and the music they make and not just how good they look. Each of us, whether we be famous, a nobody, or anyone in between, is special, and beautiful inside and out. Granted some people "fit the mold" better, but does it really matter if there is nothing on the inside? No, I didn't think so. Why doesn't everyone just enjoy what they have to offer to others, like Kevin, Brian, AJ, Howie, and Nick do, and not harp on what they COULD be, what they COULD look like, or what they COULD do. No one is perfect, and it's just a fact of life. Everyone could be better in some way or another, but everyone could be a lot more worse too. I just wish I could give Nick a huge hug, and tell him that everything is okay, and that there are some poeple out there who don't care what they look like as long as they keep the music coming. I've been through the joking and bashing before, and still am, and I almost took my own life because of it, but I didn't. And that is because of a song entitled "As Long As You Love Me" - a song that my friend called and dedicated to me on the same radio station that bashed Nick after the concert. That song literally saved my life. I say I am the "number one" Backstreet Boys fan, but my room isn't plastered with their pictures. Nor do I listen to their music ALL the time (I actually like hard rock...), but the Boys, the music, and the musicians and writers behind everything brought me from darkness to light, death to life. And I DO mean that in a literal sense. I want to thank everyone: the band behind the Boys, and the Boys personally, for all that you have done for my life. If it wasn't for that smash hit, who knows where I'd be. Thank you: the band, old and new, and the Boys - especially Nick for "all the time spent, keepin' me alive." With All My Heart, Virginia Townsend Columbus, Ohio

*Back to ET with Nick*