To promote their next single, "The Call," from Black and Blue, the Backstreet Boys have vowed to woo their legion of fans this Valentine's Day by phone.

The BSB faithful can now surf over to the band's official online store (www.backstreetboysdirect.com) and sign up to send or receive a Valentine's Day message from the Boy of their choice. For $4.95, any fan residing in the United States can order a phone call to be made anytime before February 14th. Each call will be billed to the sender's Visa, American Express or Mastercard. The BSB site promises that they will only charge buyers for the connections that they're able to make. Though the messages are pre-recorded, one can still personalize them. According to the BSB's instructions, personalization is not only encouraged, but strongly recommended, to ensure that the phone call is delivered to the correct person.

The promotion follows their offering of a pewter heart charm for sale in conjunction with the release of their single "Shape of My Heart."

JAAN UHELSZKI
(February 3, 2001)