Joey McIntyre will help usher in the city's official Christmas tree on Dec. 1.

McIntyre will perform during the pre-lighting ceremony on the Common at 7 p.m. before the tree - an annual gift from Nova Scotia - is switched on. Other performers include American Idol finalist Siobhan Magnus, the Radio City Rockettes, Rockapella, the Boston Ballet, the Boston Children's Choir and saxophonist Grace Kelly.

Donnie Wahlberg gets it started last night:

Faegirl wonders how much she'd
get for her NKOTB button.

Rarely these days does an issue reveal such a gender fault zone as the impending New Kids on the Block reunion tour.

Marisa Josephine, who reports she grew up within walking distance of Danny Wood, exclaims:

Dorchester Power! ... Can you understand how happy i am that they are getting back together? It's like FIERCE.

Then there's Miss Von Schtoop, who writes:

... The other half of the teenage years hanging out with my friend from Dot who drove the bitchinest Camaro EVAH and who taught me how to cuss with gusto and how to drive like a Masshole. She introduced me to wine coolers and to boys who wore Dakkar Noir and who wore turtlenecks, Champion sweatshirts, and Pumas - or maybe they were Adidas... And we listened to Guns n Roses, Poison, and I secretly fell in love with NKOTB.

When your favorite boy band is FROM where you live you start to figure that at some point you are going to meet one of them. In fact I was pretty sure that me and Donnie were going to be making out at Castle Island at some stage.

Heck I would STILL make out with Donnie at Castle Island. ...

Miss Von Schtoop, Joel Brown would like to have a word with you:

Caring about celebrities is debatable; caring about the NKOTB reunion seems to me a sign of desperation.

Joel? Marcy Mahoney is having none of it:

Almost 32 years old and I will FINALLY get to see NKOTB in concert!! Seriously, this kicks so much ass. My day is made!

Rebecca recalls the time she met Joey McIntyre at the Arsenal Mall and the time she danced with Jordan Knight at Axis.

Martin Lieberman, who missed the frenzy the first time around, plans to give the boys another pass:

... I can appreciate wanting a favorite group to reunite, but not if it's a teen pop group. I mean, look at those guys in the picture; I don't really want to see them try to recreate their glory days all these years later. I don't want to hear Joey Mac stretch his voice to reach the high notes in "Please Don't Go Girl." ...