New (old) kids are back on the block

@SL_body_copy_ragged:I had the commemorative cups. My sleeping bag had five giant faces on it. And yes, I had the Jordan doll.

The New Kids on the Block are, uh, new again. They aren't kids anymore, but Joey, Jordan, Jonathan, Danny and Donnie are back together and looking good.

They have posed for press photos and already appeared on the "Today Show" to officially announce their first attempt at a reunion after their demise in the mid-1990s. They have not, however, actually sung anything.

Their as-yet untitled CD will be released this summer. Before that is a New Kids single, and the only thing set in stone is that their first performance will be May 16 on the "Today Show." Then they'll head off on an international tour this fall.

Most will tell you NKOTB kicked off the boy band movement. Then came Backstreet Boys and N' Sync, among others, and a flurry of attempted solo acts by the members of the broken boy bands — boy band godfathers Joey McIntyre and Jordan Knight (of NKOTB) even released solo albums.

The group's announced return has brought long-dormant NKOTB ladies out of the woodwork like a flurry of kids on the playground just yearning to hang tough. Their official MySpace already has more than 9,000 friends.

The comments come from people like "NKOTB Holland," "Jonathan Knight's Girl Forever!!," "Susan is Pumped about NKOTB Reunion" and "Jordan's princess is Jordan's cover girl." All their fans are "ready."

It only took "Katherine" 15 minutes to post on their first official group photo taken after 14 years of absence:

"This photo is amazing. This reunion is amazing. Life at this point, could not be ANY MORE AMAZING then it is right now! Ok that's a lie! MORE AMAZING will be seeing you live together again! Life is perfect. You have made so many dreams come true with this reunion! I hope you feel ready to take over the world again! And we can't wait to see you do it!"

And reliving her teenage years, one 34-year-old woman ends her electronic equivalent of a glitter pen and poster board sign with "Smiles!"

The New Kids are not kids anymore (they're all in their mid- to late 30s) and the band is not new.

We're waiting to see if they break out the break dancing and actually sing their lyrics. Let's see if they have the right stuff this time.

The fist time was a great time. Will the second time be a blast?