25 Most Intriguing People of 2000 - PEOPLE named its 25 Most Intriguing People of 2000 and we wanted to find out who you think ranks as this year's most intriguing person. Some of you voted for those picked by PEOPLE, like George W. Bush, Eminem and Prince William. Others obviously voted for their personal favorites, even if they weren't big newsmakers for the year. Below, the Top 10 as you picked 'em.
1. Billy Ray Cyrus (singer), 88,289
2. Josh Souza (TV's Big Brother), 86,358
3. Scott Cohen (actor), 38,399
4. Backstreet Boys (band), 30,190
5. Keanu Reeves (actor), 30083
6. Michael Jackson (singer), 14,322
7. 'N Sync (band), 12,527
8. Brendan Fraser (actor), 11,685
9. Adrian Paul (actor), 10,822
10. Nick Carter (Backstreet Boys singer), 2,393
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Backstreet Boy To Play Show As Alter Ego - Backstreet Boy A.J. McLean's alter ego, Johnny No Name, will return to life on Saturday night. Taking advantage of a lull before the Backstreet Boys begin their U.S. arena tour in January, McLean plans to resurrect the Johnny No Name persona for a one-off show at the Hard Rock Café in Orlando, Florida, according to a Backstreet spokesperson. McLean's brief club tour under the Johnny No Name moniker this spring included un-Backstreet-like covers of songs by Stone Temple Pilots, Rage Against the Machine and George Thorogood, but the singer said recently that he hopes to expand the No Name repertoire. "I'm definitely looking forward to doing it again. I've been working on some original material, since most of the show is based around cover tunes, and kind of making fun of other bands as well as making fun of us, which I guess I have the right to do," McLean said. "I don't know when, but you will definitely see Johnny No Name reborn again." Johnny No Name, McLean has explained, is a law-breaking Englishman who lives in Nashville, Tennessee, and is only allowed out of jail to perform concerts. McLean said he hopes to play several shows as Johnny No Name over the next year, including possible European appearances. McLean's $15-a-ticket show will benefit the Orlando Sentinel Santa Children's Fund. The Backstreet Boys released their latest album, Black & Blue, which includes the single "Shape of My Heart", in November.
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Backstreet Boy Uses Status to Help His `Own Back Yard' - Pop star Kevin Richardson was in Lexington yesterday, using his Backstreet status to turn Kentuckians' attention to ``their own back yards.'' The Backstreet Boy and Kentucky native announced that he is forming a foundation to focus on environmental issues in the state. Richardson made the announcement at a news conference yesterday morning that drew about 20 people to Blue Grass Field. Instead of ``sitting around on my butt worrying about problems, I thought I'd use my status as a celebrity to ask more questions and maybe change things,'' said Richardson, 29, who lives in Los Angeles, but bought a farm near Lexington about six months ago. The foundation, called Just Within Reach, is in the process of being licensed and receiving non-profit status in Kentucky. It will be run by Richardson, his wife, actress Kristin Richardson, who was also at the news conference; his brother, Tim; and friends Jim and Vicki Hanna of Los Angeles. Richardson will donate money to cover initial operating expenses. Long-term funding sources have yet to be determined, but he anticipates organizing fund-raisers and soliciting public contributions. The Backstreet Boys are scheduled to be on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire with Regis Philbin. Richardson did not know the date of their appearance but said his share of any money they win will go to his new foundation. Just Within Reach's abbreviation JWR matches the initials of Richardson's father, Jerald Wayne Richardson, who died of colon cancer in 1991. His father was the manager of a summer camp at the Cathedral Domain in Lee County, where Richardson was a counselor, hike leader and life guard. Richardson said his recent marriage prompted him to think seriously about working on environmental causes. ``We want to have children,'' though not immediately, he quickly added. ``I want them to grow up healthy and have clean water to drink.'' The foundation's goals will be to: Educate people about local environmental issues, such as forestry, coal mining and hazardous wastes. Hold companies and government agencies accountable for any pollution activities. Encourage a sense of personal responsibility toward the environment. ``We need to recycle, turn lights off, maybe drive hybrid cars and heat our houses with solar energy,'' he said. Immediately after the news conference, he met with members of Kentuckians for the Commonwealth, a social justice organization that works on social, economic and environmental issues. Executive committee member Teri Blanton said Richardson would be briefed on major environmental issues in the state. A flight over several environmental problem areas in the state, including the Martin County Coal Corp. slurry spill, was canceled because of potential ice storms. Richardson hopes to either produce a TV program or a video, using songs he has written, to educate children and adults about environmental concerns.
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Backstreet Boy Goes Green - Backstreet Boys member Kevin Richardson, 29, announced this week that he is forming a group to be called Just Within Reach: An Earth Foundation. Its purpose, he said, will be to raise awareness of environmental issues and the initials of the foundation -- JWR - are the same as his late father, Jerald Wayne Richardson, who died of cancer in 1991. "I feel like our environment ties in to a lot of problems we have with our health today," Richardson said at a news conference in his native Lexington, Ky. He added that he will post information about the foundation on the Backstreet Boys' Web site. Meanwhile, the Boys are scheduled to sing the national anthem at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla., on Jan. 28 for Super Bowl XXXV. They'll follow Ray Charles, who is slated to perform "America the Beautiful."
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Backstreet Boy A.J. McLean Returns As Johnny No-Name - Backstreet Boy A.J. McLean's alter ego, Johnny No-Name, is scheduled to perform at an event billed as "Johnny No-Name's Pre-New Year's Bash 2000" at the Hard Rock Live at Universal Studios Citywalk in Orlando, Florida on Saturday (December 30). No-Name was born in Manchester, England and he moved to Nashville at an early age, according to his official bio. He also plays a two-string guitar, and he bears a striking resemblance to Backstreet Boy McLean. In 1999, No-Name took his solo act on the road for a nine-city tour. No-Name’s saxophone player Mindi Abair, who also toured with the Backstreet Boys on their Millennium tour in 1999, explained to LAUNCH what it's like being on stage with the British rock star. "We just got 20 pairs of underwear a night and 30 bras a night. [For the] Backstreet Boys, you know, we didn’t get that stuff. We got all of these condoms, and diaphragms, and all kinds of stuff thrown on the stage – it was freaky, you know. Backstreet Boys, we’d get like teddy bears and bunny rabbits and stuff, but...wow!"McLean has raised nearly $90,000 for charity as Johnny No-Name, including more than $40,000 for VH1's Save The Music Foundation, according to the official Johnny No-Name website ( johnnyno-name.com). Orlando rockers Cleanser will be opening the show, and several special guests will be performing at the event. Tickets for the 7 p.m. concert are $15 and available at Ticketmaster outlets. Proceeds from the show will benefit the Orlando Sentinel Santa fund, which assists several charities in the Central Florida area.