Ricky Martin's Band Lives Again on MTV

In the '80s, stadiums were filled and girls went wild at the sound of the first boy band (in today's understanding of the term) ever: Menudo. Now, MTV and Menudo Entertainment have joined forces to try and bring that magic back, via a not so original way: the reality show.

Auditions for the new band, which is likely to keep the name of the original one, have not yet begun and a debut album is already scheduled for release in late 2007. The improved version of Menudo will be managed by Johnny Wright, who also managed the New Kids on the Block, N'Sync and Justin Timberlake.

To make the long expectation sweeter, MTV has already agreed to shoot ten episodes showing the development of the band, including auditions for the five boys that will make the final cut and many interviews with the fans of the original Menudo. The show will premiere in the fall of 2007.

Unlike the initial band, the new one will have a more R&B sound mixed with Latin influences. By this, the manager hopes to reach two different audiences, both the young American one and the Latin one. It is supposed that the show will also be aired on the Spanish version of MTV, MTV Tr3s. 'I think the markets are colliding. We know the audience goes back and forth between both of these [channels]', the MTV president announced on Friday.