Posted by Emily Exton on 06/17/2011 at 3:27 PM Videos

The Popdust Files: backstreet boys, big time rush

It’s been a big week for boy band fans and lovers of ’90s/early ’00s music. Paying tribute to the past has become a definite trope in pop, but we’re not going to pretend to be opposed to nostalgia-inducing visits to the past. (Particularly when synchronized choreography is involved. Bring. It. On.) Nickelodeon’s Big Time Rush, who built up some serious credibility after teaming with Snoop Dogg on their last single “Boyfriend,” are borrowing heavily from the late ’90s boy band aesthetic in their new video. Set to premiere during next week’s “Big Time Break Up” episode, “Worldwide” is almost a shot-by-shot recreation of the Backstreet Boys’ infamous “I Want It That Way,” only replacing a fifth member with the presence of Kendall Schmidt’s onscreen girlfriend Jo. (Remember, there’s a televised narrative to follow.) Hardly the first group to tap into the female love for airport romance this year (we suppose Love Actually deserves partial credit, too) but BTR’s white-on-white outfits and “dance moves” (if you can call them that) are spot on with the 1999 classic BSB clip. We don’t really think it’s fair for boy bands to parody each other (let alone a made-for-TV ensemble spoofing a multi-platinum group that’s still touring), so an homage is probably the better term here, save for “blatant rip-off.” Count the similarities below:

For all those who supported BSB for the very beginning, congratulations! You know how to spot true innovators. Watch the original, influential video, below. Doesn’t it make you want to stand outside 1515 Broadway screaming for Nick Carter?!