Happy 20th Anniversary, Backstreet Boys!

It's kind of hard to believe that the Backstreet Boys are 20 years old today. Over the past 15+ years I've liked them, I've often thought about how quickly they shot to fame. Many stars spend years and years sloughing away before they "make it," but the Backstreet Boys found international success (maybe not here in the United States, but in Europe, Asia and Canada) within two years' time. That's amazing. Maybe Lou Pearlman really knew what he was doing all along.

I'm not going to make light of the work that the guys have undoubtedly put into their success today. They've been through a lot of ups and many downs, and a lot of us fans have been there with them along the way. And who really knew, back in their heyday, that the Backstreet Boys would still be chugging along all these years later? I'm proud that they've never stopped, and that they're doing this for reasons that have little to do with being commercially viable. And they're going to get a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in two days -- what a fantastic way to celebrate the past 20 years and set the tone for the future.

I don't know when the Backstreet train is going to stop, but it's been a long and crazy ride so far ... and I hope it continues for years to come. And maybe, just maybe, someday I'll actually be able to speak intelligibly to them when I officially meet them. (I've encountered Nick Carter a couple times and been too dumbfounded to speak ... at least any words that don't translate to a bunch of crazy symbols, and I've seen them all from afar, in concert and on the streets of New York.)

Now that I've paid the Backstreet Boys their due respect, it's time for a little harmless slagging. Nick Carter posted this photo on Instagram over a week ago. Tell me something doesn't look a little off to you.

source: Nick Carter's Instagram

Does his smile look extra beautiful to you?

IT'S BECAUSE THOSE AREN'T HIS REAL TEETH. They can't be.

Are you with me on this one? I've been a fan for long enough to know what Nickolas Gene Carter's teeth look like. I mean, I know I haven't been particularly faithful these last 5 years or so, but still. A man's teeth aren't gonna change on their own at 28 ... or at 33, for that matter.

source: AP, from WashingtonPost.com
Nick at age 30 (2010)

source: EW.com
Nick at age 22 (2002)

And I've always liked Nick's teeth ... jealous, even, that his top set of teeth was so straight without orthodontic help. They've always been nice and short, but straight teeth. Well, they are short no longer!

I guess a new set of chompers is another way to celebrate a 20th anniversary ... and an engagement.