Donnie Wahlberg Articles Donnie News Page

Donnie Wahlberg Articles
Donnie News Page

5/14/03 info courtesy of PäiviTaken form NOW! Magazine issue April 9, 2003...
I WAS WASHED UP AT 26 New Kids On The Block Star Donnie wahlberg was the Justin Timberlake of the early '90s, but then it all went pear-shaped. Now he's back with a new career - and this time he's determined to keep his feet firmly on the ground. Forget the Backstreet Boys and *NSync and Take That (and whle were at it, please forget One True Voice). When it comes to boy bands, one group remain supreme. In 1990 alone, New Kids On The Block generated over half a billion pounds in record sales and became the first group ever to have eight UK Top 10 hits in one year. They were the hottest property on the planet and while Jordan, Jon, Danny and Joey all and their fans, they boy everyone wanted a piece of was Donnie Wahlberg. Donnie was the boy who was never out of trouble, the Boston brawler who was as nifty with his fists as he was with his dance steps. He could have eaten Liam Gallagher for breakfast and still had room for Noel. However, 13 years is a long time in show business and today Donnie's older and wiser, not to mention considerable more mellow. The guy who released his first album at 16 and was earning millions by the age of 21 now has little or nothing to do with music. Donnie Wahlberg the grown up is now a respectable 33-year-old family man and a respected actor with a starring role in the critically acclaimed Channel Five crime drama Boomtown. But he admits the New Kid tag is hard to live down. "I was the group's bad boy" he confesses. "It wasn't that I really was a bad boy - more that I was very young. I grew up in the streets of Boston and didn't understand the politics of celebrity very well - that people will try to bait you into a fight so that they can sue you afterwards." "I was smart enough to recognize what they were doing, but not smart enough to walk away from it. Like I said, I was young and felt trapped by fame. It wasn't a comfortable time." It didn't help that, despite the band's success, they were never taken seriously by the industry they made so much money for. "We were a very big band and we enjoyed a lot of fame" he says, "but we didn't have any respect. And we deserved it because we worked really hard. These days I'm an actor and, while the amount of hard work and dedication I put into my career hasn't changed at all, the response from other people has changed incredibly. It's like a 180 degree turn." Even so, he admits that when the group's success dried up in the mid-90's it came as a shock. "I didn't know it was all going to be taken away. I was used to living in a certain way. I'd go to Gap and buy 50 T-shirts, then only wear them once because I didn't like the feel of a Gap T-shirt after it had been washed. It wasn't that extravagant - not like Michael Jackson buying million-dollar vases - but it was a quirk I allowed myself." "So when that ended, I was lost. It's like a kid graduating from high school and not going to college. You've spent 12 years doing the same thing every day and now it's over. You just think "Where do I go now". I wrestled with that for a bit." Eventually he started to pick up the pieces. "I became honest with myself and realized I really didn't want the fame and that I'd had it with music. I wanted to try something else." "I'd always had a love of acting and spent four years at a high school with a wonderful theater program in Boston, where we performed plays every two weeks. I loved it. So I decided to be an actor, just got myself an agent and hit the streets." That's when Donnie got his second shock. Despite being a household name, he had no reputation as an actor and the level of interest was minimal. "It was a very painful, difficult transition" her recalls. "The band had run its course - we were washed up and swept under the rug - and no one was looking to give me a handout role. I went about 18 months before I had any work at all." "Looking back, that was for the best. I now know you have to earn your keep in life and whatever success I've achieved has been though hard work, so I appreciate it a lot more. I'm as grateful as any actor to get a job." He hasn't had to worry about work for a while now, though. A small role in the 1996 thriller Ransom led to a cameo in the 1999 Bruce Willis film The Sixth Sense, which in turn led to the role of Lt Lipton in the award-winning TV series Band of Brothers. He's also about to be seen in the latest Stephen King chiller Dreamcatcher. With a laugh, Donnie says right now his biggest complaint is that making Boomtown takes him away from his family for too long. Kim Fey, his wife of four years, is a recording engineer and they have two sons Xavier, nine, and Elijah, 18 months. "One of the reasons I was attracted to Boomtown is that it's shot in LA, where I live." he says. "I thought I'd spend more time with them, but that isn't always the case." Does he ever miss the old days of worldwide adulation? "Not at all. At the Band of Brothers premiere I saw two guys from *NSync and they had about five bodyguards with them. I don't miss that. There are a lot of perks with being in a hot band, but there's a lot of excess, too." "I'd rather be living the life I have now than walk out of my front door in my underwear to pick up my morning paper and have 10 girls screaming at me. I had a good time then, but I'm happier now. I like where I am and I wouldn't change a thing." The article is written by Gabrielle Donnelly. There are five pictures included. One of Donnie alone, one with him and the group (caption: Donnie, far left, earned the "bad boy" tag during his days in chart-topping band New Kids On The Block), the third one with him and Mark (caption: Both Donnie and his brother Mark have put their music career behind them in favor of acting), the fourth one Donnie and Kim (caption: Donnie and his wife Kim Fey have two sons Xavier and Elijah) and the fifth one (caption: Donnie plays a cop in the hit TV series Boomtown).
5/13/03 info courtesy of johnmayer_buzzinglikeneon
CHICAGO (thefutoncritic.com) - NBC unveiled a new primetime schedule for the 2003-04 season that will bring three new comedy series and three new dramas to America's number one television network. Joining the network's current lineup, which consists of some of TV's most popular series, are such marquee stars as Alicia Silverstone, Rob Lowe, Whoopi Goldberg, Ryan O'Neal, John Larroquette, Christine Baranski and James Caan. The announcement was made today by Jeff Zucker, President, NBC Entertainment, at NBC's annual Sales Presentation held at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City. Zucker told advertisers, "NBC maintains the stability of a schedule that has been number one among 18-49-year-olds for three consecutive years and seven of the last eight. We're thrilled with our efforts to develop the next wave of hit comedies and dramas." He added, "This is a balanced lineup that will continue NBC's legacy as the leader in quality, scripted programs." The new comedies include: "Coupling," starring Emmy Award winner Rena Sofer ("General Hospital," NBC's "Ed"), Colin Ferguson ("The Opposite of Sex"), Sonya Walger ("The Mind of the Married Man"), Jay Harrington ("The Division"), Lindsay Price ("Beverly Hills, 90210") and Christopher Moynihan ("The Fighting Fitzgeralds"); "Happy Family," starring Emmy winners John Larroquette and Christine Baranski, and "Whoopi," starring multi-talented Oscar winner Whoopi Goldberg ("Ghost"). The new dramas are "Las Vegas," starring an ensemble including Oscar and Golden Globe nominee James Caan ("The Godfather") and Josh Duhamel ("All My Children"); "The Lyon's Den," starring Rob Lowe of NBC's "The West Wing," and "Miss Match," starring Alicia Silverstone ("Clueless") and Ryan O'Neal ("Love Story"). The new schedule kicks off Mondays with the hit reality series "Fear Factor" (8-9 p.m. ET) followed by a fast-paced new drama, "Las Vegas" (9-10 p.m. ET). It replaces "Third Watch," which moves to 10 p.m. to start its fifth season. Hit drama "Crossing Jordan" (currently airing at 10-11 p.m. Mondays) will return to NBC's schedule for its third season in January, after series star Jill Hennessy gives birth to her first child. On Tuesdays, the network re-invigorates it's comedy lineup from 8-9 p.m with the new comedies "Whoopi" and "Happy Family," followed by the night's anchor, multi-Emmy winner "Frasier" (9-9:30 p.m. ET). Freshman comedy "Good Morning, Miami" moves from Thursdays to Tuesdays at 9:30 p.m. and the gripping drama "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" - now entering its fifth season - moves to Tuesdays at 10 p.m., replacing "Dateline NBC." Remaining completely intact is NBC's Wednesday drama lineup - which many critics have hailed as the best night of drama on television. The legendary "Must-See" Thursday schedule - which will feature the final season of the classic comedy "Friends" - also remains the same,except for the 9:30 p.m. addition of the sexy singles comedy "Coupling," based on the hit British series of the same name. Zucker also announced a two-year deal for "ER," ensuring that the Emmy-winning drama will remain on NBC another three seasons. Fridays usher in the new Alicia Silverstone drama "Miss Match" (8-9 p.m. ET), created by Darren Star ("Sex and the City"). Following "Dateline NBC" (9-10 p.m. ET), Peabody Award-winning critical favorite "Boomtown" travels from Sundays to Fridays at 10 p.m., and carries on the fine tradition of NBC crime dramas in the time period (including "Miami Vice," "Homicide: Life on the Street" and "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit"). Additionally, Zucker announced that Vanessa L. Williams ("Eraser," "Soul Food") will join the cast of "Boomtown" in its second season. Saturday remains the night for major theatrical films on NBC, with a lineup this season that will feature the network television premieres of "Traffic," "A Perfect Storm" and "Shrek." The growing Sunday lineup continues to feature "Dateline NBC" (7-8 p.m. ET), freshman hit "American Dreams" (8-9 p.m. ET) and the surging "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" (9-10 p.m. ET). The new drama "Lyon's Den," starring Rob Lowe, inherits the Sunday 10 p.m. time slot. Zucker also announced that "The Tracy Morgan Show," starring "Saturday Night Live's" Tracy Morgan, will debut later this fall. The reality series "The Apprentice," from Mark Burnett ("Survivor") and featuring business tycoon Donald Trump, will premiere in early 2004. Zucker stressed the following points concerning NBC's current successful lineup: -- NBC has now won three seasons in a row (includes projected ratings for 2002-03) in adults 18-49 and seven of the last eight years. -- NBC maintains strength across the schedule, with top-30 shows on six nights of the week. NBC has 11 of the top 30, more than any other network. -- NBC's schedule boasts the top four comedies, two of the top three dramas and the top two newsmagazines in adults 18-49. NBC has five of the top six scripted programs. -- NBC is #1 or tied for first in key demographics in the six major dayparts (prime time, late night, daytime, morning news, evening news and Sunday morning public affairs), something no other network has ever accomplished. -- Following is NBC's primetime schedule for the 2003-04 season, followed by show descriptions. (Titles are "working titles"; all times are Eastern Time): NBC PRIMETIME SCHEDULE FOR 2003-04 *New programs in CAPS MONDAY 8-9 p.m. "Fear Factor" 9-10 p.m. "LAS VEGAS" 10-11 p.m. "Third Watch" (new time) TUESDAY 8-8:30 p.m. "WHOOPI" 8:30-9 p.m. "HAPPY FAMILY" 9-9:30 p.m. "Frasier" 9:30-10 p.m. "Good Morning, Miami"(new day and time) 10-11 p.m. "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (new day andtime) WEDNESDAY 8-9 p.m. "Ed" 9-10 p.m. "The West Wing" 10-11 p.m. "Law & Order" THURSDAY 8-8:30 p.m. "Friends" 8:30-9 p.m. "Scrubs"9-9:30 p.m. "Will & Grace" 9:30-10 p.m. "COUPLING" 10-11 p.m. "ER" FRIDAY 8-9 p.m. "MISS MATCH" 9-10 p.m. "Dateline NBC" 10-11 p.m. "Boomtown" (new day and time) SATURDAY 8-11 p.m. "NBC Saturday Night Movie" SUNDAY 7-8 p.m. "Dateline NBC" 8-9 p.m. "American Dreams" 9-10 p.m. "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" 10-11 p.m. "THE LYON'S DEN"

4/1/03 info courtesy of Jen webmaster of www.donniewahlberg.com
Link to Gotham Magazine found on Jen's site!
http://www.donniewahlberg.com/magazine.htm

3/20/03 info courtesy of MsOctupus@aol.com
"Dreamcatcher: Fun in a Recurring Nightmare Sort of Way" By Teddy Durgin tedfilm@aol.com These were a few of the audience reactions I overheard after my recent preview screening of "Dreamcatcher" (new in theaters March 21). "It was like 'Outbreak.'" "No, it was like 'Tremors.'" "Hey, it was like 'The Thing.'" "Uh, hello! It was like 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind.'" "No, it was more like 'Alien.'" And therein lies the problem, ladies and gents. "Dreamcatcher" is a mishmash of so many other movies and movie influences that it never seems uniquely its own. And by the way, you can also throw in my observations: "It was just like 'E.T.,' 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers,' and 'The Blob.'" And because it's based on a novel by horror maestro Stephen King (a book he wrote while likely whacked out on painkillers following that horrible accident where he was struck by a vehicle a few years ago), you can also find MAJOR similarities with "Stand by Me" and "The Shining." That said, I want you to know I enjoyed the time I logged watching "Dreamcatcher." I kind of treated the movie like a game, a spot-the-movie-influence game. King and writer-director Lawrence Kasdan are clearly in love with the idea of making a creature feature for the 21st century, that honors the conventions of the monster movies they spent way too much of their youth watching in theaters and on late-night TV years ago. The film follows four childhood friends who meet once a year in a snowy New England cabin to reminisce about their teen years, play cards, drink beer, hunt game, and pay tribute to a fifth guy they knew way back when named "Dudditz." Dudditz was a retarded kid the quartet saved from being beaten by a trio of local jocks. But he was special somehow, beyond the kind of "special" that most people apply to such people. Dudditz seemed otherworldly somehow, and he gave to the four friends special psychic powers that are augmented anytime they're all together. The powers bonded them. But as the plot unfolds, these same powers may be just what the world needs to save it from ... an alien threat (!), one that the grown-up Dudditz (Donnie Wahlberg) may know something about. "Dreamcatcher" is a strange, strange flick. The film is eminently watchable. It has all the things that stir the 14-year-old boy still inside of me (yeah, I know, last week in my "Agent Cody Banks" review, I said it appealed to the 12-year-old boy inside of me. Hey, gimme a cheap sex comedy next week with lots of boobies, and you'll see reawakened the beastly hormonal 16-year-old who chucked the comic books and "Star Wars" tapes and had his face slapped one too many times). Oh yeah. "Dreamcatcher" has monsters and blood. People getting their faces gnawed on by snake-like worms (or, worm-like snakes) with big fangs. It's got helicopter gunships firing missiles on a crashed alien mothership (Industrial Light and Magic did some exceptional work for this flick). It's got crazy generals, big Hummer trucks, gun-toting soldiers, and Tom Sizemore yelling, "Lock and load." It's got all dat stuff, man! And my lap was just full of popcorn kernels that missed my mouth when the flick was over. The problem is ... I ain't really 14 anymore. The film has too much stuff in it for this 32-year-old. There is no focus to the storytelling, and I kind of became annoyed in the last half of the picture as the plot went all over the place. It's a story about psychics. No, wait, it's a story about an alien invasion. No, no, it's a story about containing a virus. No, I think I got it this time. It's a story about possession. Yeah, that's it. That's the ticket. Oh, no, wait! It's now a story about ... the list goes on. When "Dreamcatcher" is really good, it's centered on the four main characters. The buddies in the woods. And I liked all of them. There was Henry (Thomas Jane), a psychiatrist who is distraught over using his psychic abilities to know things his patients aren't ready to tell him. There was Jonesy (British actor Damian Lewis, in a terrific American debut performance), the red-headed college professor who is the most gifted of the four. There was Beaver (Jason Lee), a latter-day hipster with a funny way of talking. And the most tragic of the four, Pete (Timothy Olyphant), a guy who wanted to become an astronaut but has settled for a life of booze and selling used cars. When the movie goes haywire is when the military come in and quarantine the area of forest where the guys are camping. >From then on, the plot keeps jumping around and the interest level wanes as Kasdan is unable to sustain a constant level of tension. There is a bathroom scene about halfway through that is just extraordinary in its tension and its payoff. But nothing comes close after that to matching that sequence's effectiveness. Kasdan simply has too many balls in the air. I also learned some other interesting tidbits after the screening was over. Apparently, the last half of the film is substantially different from the last half of the book (which I have not read). Now aware of the differences, I think it's save to say the movie may work best for those who have never read King's novel. Like I said, "Dreamcatcher" will have great appeal for those who love creature features or alien-invasion flicks with A-list production values. And, maybe, that's all I should have expected from this movie. But I don't know. If that's the case, I wish Kasdan and Co. hadn't teased me with such a strong, focused, wonderful first half of the flick. There is a part of me that can't help feeling this was one dream unfulfilled. --- "Dreamcatcher" is rated R for violence, gore, and language. SPECIAL NOTE: There is one MAJOR reason to see "Dreamcatcher," and that is the promise that every print SHOULD have the nine-minute, animated "Final Flight of the Osiris" attached to it. This is part of the "Animatrix" collection of visual stories that serve as a prelude to the eagerly anticipated "The Matrix Reloaded" sequel coming May 15. "Final Flight" is everything "The Matrix" was and more, telling the story of a human crew of freedom fighters who learn a potentially deadly discovery that could affect the future of mankind. The short film is 100-percent CG animated by 45 artists, and the result is stunning. It's clever, quick, fun, and ultimately nerve-racking as the threat against Neo and his pals now seems greater than ever. For fans of "The Matrix," this is an absolute MUST SEE, and it will make the wait until mid-May that much more unbearable.

3/02/03 info courtesy of Candace S.
Article links that have recently been found regarding Donnie's hit show BoomTown
Boomtown news Boomtown' trying to focus more on characters http://www.naplesnews.com/03/02/neapolitan/d905402a.htm Marathon marks return of very good `Boomtown' http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/entertainment/5283386.htm 'Boomtown' hopes to beat ratings rap http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2003-02-27-boomtown_x.htm Former GF resident to appear on 'Boomtown' http://www.grandforks.com/mld/grandforks/news/5281859.htm
1/17/03 info courtesy of katdog74@aol.com
Article about Donnie and Mark!!!!!! Click on the link to view article!
http://www.ew.com/ew/article/commentary/0,6115,396600~1||233612|1~0~whatsnextfordonnie,00.html
Another ArticleDONNIE AND BOOMTOWN TO PREMIERE IN UK DRAMA: Boomtown Channel: Five Date: Tuesday 28th January 2003 Time: 21:50 to 22:45 Duration: 55 minutes. Pilot. US drama series about life in Los Angeles from the perspective of the city's unsung heroes from emergency services workers to local hacks. A teenage girl is killed in a suspected drive-by shooting Starring: Donnie Wahlberg, Mykelti Williamson, Neal McDonough, Gary Basaraba, Jason Gedrick

10/22/02 info courtesy of McIntyrePromo@aol.com
Entertainment - Hollywood Reporter
NBC re-ups rookie dramas
Tue Oct 22, 4:18 AM ET
By Scott Collins and Nellie Andreeva

LOS ANGELES (The Hollywood Reporter) --- NBC is
ordering more episodes of the new dramas "American Dreams" and "Boomtown," but
it's curtains for the veteran "Providence."
As expected, the network said Monday that it has
picked up nine more episodes of "Dreams" and "Boomtown," which bookend
"Law & Order:
Criminal
Intent" on Sundays. The orders mean that both series will produce a full
season's worth of episodes.
"Dreams," a co-production of Universal Network Television and NBC
Studios, offers a nostalgic look at one family's path through
the turbulent 1960s, while NBC Studios/DreamWorks Television's "Boomtown"
tells crime stories through the diverging viewpoints of witnesses and
participants.
NBC Entertainment president Jeff Zucker said the new dramas have
improved the network's fortunes on a traditionally difficult night, even amid
harsh competition from returning shows and sports programming on rival
networks.
The peacock's Sunday lineup is up 8% in both viewers
and 18-49 compared with last year (last week's results were not included
pending final figures).
"It's a great performance for us on Sunday nights,"
Zucker said, adding that "Dreams" in particular has had to contend with both
football overruns on CBS and the World Series on Fox. On Sunday, the 8 p.m.
show scored a 4.1 rating/10 share in the key 18-49 demo, according to
preliminary figures from Nielsen Media Research. That was up 8% from the
previous week's episode.
"We're thrilled but not surprised by the early pickup,
which this show richly deserves," Universal Network TV president Sarah
Timberman said of "Dreams."
"Boomtown," meanwhile, is holding its own against
stiff competition from ABC's "The Practice." Sunday's episode (4.2/10) was up
11% from the previous week. Zucker predicted that ratings will grow as
viewers get accustomed to the show's unusual format.
"We're thrilled that NBC shares our belief in this
groundbreaking series," said Justin Falvey, who runs DreamWorks TV with Darryl
Frank.
Meanwhile, the network is yanking "Providence," the
family drama starring Melina Kanakaredes (news). The series, now in its
fifth season, will wrap its run with a two-hour finale Dec. 20. Ratings have
tumbled this season, with the show down 13% in 18-49 in its 8 p.m. Friday slot.
Zucker declined comment on rumors that the network
would put its midseason replacement "Mister Sterling" in the slot. "We know
what we're going to do, but we're not ready to announce it yet," he said. NBC also has yet to reveal future plans for its three new comedies, "In-Laws," "Hidden Hills" and "Good Morning, Miami." However, Zucker said the network was pleased with their performance and would announce a formal decision next week.
"I think we could bat 5-for-5 this year," he said.
9/27/02 this info is from DansTGIFGurl@aol.com
First-rate 'Boomtown' goes straight to TV's first rank
Fri Sep 27, 7:40 AM ET
Robert Bianco USA TODAY

Of a handful of promising new series this season, only one shows the promise of greatness: Boomtown.
Written by Graham Yost and directed by Jon Avnet, Boomtown is an L.A.-based cop show with a novel TV twist: It examines every crime from the often conflicting points of view of the people the crime affects. So in addition to seeing the story through the eyes of the victims and criminals, you have it told to you by the detectives ( Donnie Wahlberg and Mykelti Williamson), the beat cops (Gary Basaraba and Jason Gedrick), a district attorney (Neal McDonough), a reporter (Nina Garbiras) and a paramedic (Lana Parrilla).
At first glance, the shifts in focus might seem to be just one more gimmick in a gimmick-heavy season. But they're much more than that. In the incredibly skilled hands of Yost and Avnet, the device becomes a visual extension of a storytelling philosophy -- a belief that it's not just God that is in the details, but life itself. In structure, though not in entertainment value, Boomtown is the anti-CSI. On CSI you start with a seemingly unsolvable mystery and are led step-by-intricate-step to the solution. Boomtown starts with a seemingly open-and-shut crime, and then slowly the fallacies in your assumptions are revealed. It's like exiting the freeway and driving through town: It takes longer to get where you're going, but you see so many things you would have otherwise missed.
Sunday's marvelous premiere revolves around the murder of a little girl on a playground. Starting from the point of view of the district attorney, we move from person to person, back and forth in time, until we reach the unexpected truth. The journey is complex, but Yost and Avnet never let it become confusing.
Along the way, we also learn something about the characters and the perfectly cast ensemble that portrays them. Williamson, Basaraba and Gedrick all have strong scenes, but the star Sunday is Wahlberg as a ramrod-straight hero with a complicated home life.
The concern when a show is this ambitious and novel is whether it can sustain the same quality over the run of the season. Having seen three episodes, all I can tell you is that one of them -- a case involving a fatal romantic triangle -- is even better than Sunday's premiere. Once again, the entire cast shines, but this episode is a standout show for McDonough, who has one of the most chilling stares on TV.
To be sure, there are potential traps ahead. Avnet and Yost have to make sure the shifts in time and focus expand the story and not just delay the resolution. And we might eventually decide that some of the characters' points of view are not of sufficient interest.
But for now, it's a joy to have another show that expands TV's visual and storytelling repertoire, as CSI, 24 and Alias did before it. Clearly, we're in the golden age of dramatic TV.
Let's hope Boomtown proves to be one for the ages. Boomtown NBC, Sunday, 10 p.m. ET/PT
* * * * (out of four)

9/20/02 this info is from DansTGIFGurl@aol.com
Entertainment - AP TV
'Boomtown' Actor Discusses Career
Thu Sep 19,11:41 AM ET

Wahlberg, who stars in the new NBC series "Boomtown," says he was active in his high school theater program, but refocused his energies once his band took off. Wahlberg was part of the '80s boy band "New Kids on the Block."
Donnie Wahlberg is the older brother of singer turned underwear model turned actor Mark Wahlberg.
Donnie Wahlberg says he was offered an acting role while in the New Kids, but passed on it. He says he didn't have any spare time for big projects, but even if he did, he probably wouldn't have done television or move projects.
"There's too many actors who have been out busting their butts for 20 years, 30 years, to have me just use "New Kids on the Block" as a free pass to become a movie star," Wahlberg said.
The 33-year-old says soon after New Kids ended he really started focusing on acting. He got an agent and started pounding the pavement just like everybody else.
Wahlberg's series "Boomtown" debuts Sept. 29.

9/14/02 this is from Christina aka burangel
'Boom' times for Donnie
Wahlberg follows brother's path into acting as star of NBC drama
By RICHARD HUFF
DAILY NEWS TV EDITOR

New cop on the block: Wahlberg plays a troubled L.A. officer in
'Boomtown.'

Donnie Wahlberg has been beating improbable odds for most of his life.
As a teenager, he overcame a rough childhood in a gritty Boston
neighborhood to become part of New Kids on the Block, the teen-pop
quintet that generated more than $100 million a year in revenues in the
early '90s.
But faster than you can say "Christina Aguilera," the fame faded.
Yet, Wahlberg, 33, is succeeding again, by joining a relatively short
roster - which includes his younger brother Mark - of music stars to
successfully cross over into acting.
Following well-received parts in such films as "The Sixth Sense" and
HBO's "Band of Brothers," Wahlberg takes on his first starring role on
TV in NBC's "Boomtown," a drama in which he plays a troubled L.A.
detective.
"It's so tough to get away from that bad-boy image he had, and to be
considered relevant in the acting community," says Robert Bucksbaum,
president of Reel Source Inc., which forecasts movie performance for
theaters. "He's really well-thought-of these days. He's really mapped
out a good career for himself."
There is nothing automatic about shifting from stage to screen - just
ask Britney Spears or Mariah Carey about that. But when he decided to
switch, Wahlberg didn't let his past in music get in the way of his
future as an actor.
"It was difficult to get hired," he says. "It was difficult to build and
assemble a body of work."
Wahlberg doesn't know if the change was more difficult because the New
Kids were no longer on the charts, and he doesn't worry about it,
either.
"Blaming past life is a cop-out," he says. "When we're hugely
successful, everybody opens doors. But when it stops, we cry that no one
will open doors anymore. But guess what? That's reality. To sit here and
say, 'Woe is me, I used to be in a boy band, but no one will give me a
job in a movie,' that's just weak."
Wahlberg's work ethic stems from growing up in the '70s and '80s in the
working-class, racially divided Dorchester area of Boston, with eight
brothers and sisters. His father, a truck driver, and his mother, a
nurse, separated when he was a child.
In 1984, Wahlberg, Joey McIntyre, Danny Wood and brothers Jon and Jordan
Knight were picked by producer Maurice Starr, who also created New
Edition, to become a pop group. Their first album, 1988's "Hangin'
Tough" hit No. 1. They faded from the charts after their seventh album
was released in 1994.
"With New Kids, we worked real hard, but maybe, because I was young, I
didn't realize it," says Wahlberg. "Now I feel like I work so much
harder. And I feel much more appreciation."
Wahlberg got his acting start in the 1996 Mel Gibson vehicle "Ransom,"
going from there to "Bullet" (1996), the TV film "The Taking of Pelham
One Two Three" (1998) and, that same year, "Southie," set in Dorchester.
"I do rely on my all my life experiences," Wahlberg says, noting that
his gripping turn in "The Sixth Sense" was like a two-minute therapy
session on film. He dropped 43 pounds for the part as one of Bruce
Willis' patients.
"That day on the set, when he came in to do the scene, it was the most
charged atmosphere," says M. Night Shyamalan, director of "The Sixth
Sense" and the current film "Signs." "It went from making a movie to 'We
don't know what's going to happen.' ... He just took off flying at 100
mph."
"I was just blown away by what I saw to be the soul in his eyes," says
Graham Yost, executive producer of "Boomtown," who wrote Wahlberg's part
specifically for him. "There was something just about the look of him."
"Boomtown" (airing Sundays at 10 p.m. starting Sept. 29) is set in Los
Angeles and is built around imperfect heroes: Wahlberg's emotionally
drained detective, a reporter (Nina Garbiras, "The $treet"), a beat cop
struggling to prove himself (Jason Gedrick, "Falcone") and an ambitious
deputy district attorney (Neal McDonough, "Band of Brothers").
Committing to "Boomtown" was a leap for Wahlberg on several levels. It
was a longterm project that might trip up his new career path. And he
had other options. When Yost called, Wahlberg was in talks with Will
Smith's production company to create a TV show.
These days, Wahlberg finds himself working on a series all day and then
going home - rather than to a hotel - for the first time since he became
an entertainer. As a father of two boys, ages 9 and 11 months, with his
wife of three years, Kim Fey (who performed with Mark Wahlberg's band,
the Funky Bunch), Wahlberg is happy not to be on tour anymore.
Music, in fact, has taken a backseat to acting. He hasn't worked in
music since producing his brother Mark's albums in 1991 and 1992.
There is talk about the two working together again - this time on a film
- but Wahlberg plays down such discussions.
"I've been real focused on getting myself cemented out here," he says.
"I got to think about getting my next job before doing some pipe-dream
movie with my brother. While [Mark's] a lot more situated out here, I
think he probably feels the same thing."
There's also the fear that, just as quickly as life changed for the
better when he joined the New Kids, the acting career could go poof,
leaving him with nothing.
"I think the way we grew up," he says, "we wouldn't be surprised if
somebody took it all away from us."