MTV News: Deborah Gibson, NKOTB’s Jonathan Knight Inspire New Electric Youth

By Rya Backer

This past weekend, MTV premiered “Camp’d Out: I’m Going to Performing Arts Camp,” which featured three young hopefuls vying for stardom … in an Upstate New York summer-camp performance of “Carousel.” And it looks like Debbie — sorry, Deborah — Gibson has followed suit with her own haven on the other side of the country, called Deborah Gibson’s Electric Youth. According to its Web site, the camp is “committed to offering the highest level of performing arts camp for serious young performers available in the industry.”

Last night, Gibson and Ryan Black’s 88’s Cabaret hosted an Evening of Electric Youth with Deborah Gibson. It was described as “a benefit event for the Gibson Girl Foundation,” which offers scholarships to her various performance clinics. Many a performer showed up, including other teen idols of past and present: Jonathan Knight of New Kids on the Block (who also sang alongside Gibson), Howie Dorough of the Backstreet Boys and Nolan Gerard Funk of “Spectacular.”

But the star of the show appeared to be Gibson’s stylist. According to photos of the event, Deborah Gibson’s evening saw four costume changes.