NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK - NEW KIDS HELP RAISE CHARITY FUNDS WITH WAHLBERG PORTRAIT

NEW KIDS HELP RAISE CHARITY FUNDS WITH WAHLBERG PORTRAIT

Reunited boyband NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK have sparked a bidding war online after putting a self portrait up for auction - all in the name of charity. Singer Donnie Wahlberg drew caricatures of the five-piece backstage at their O2 Arena concert in London last Saturday (24Jan09) and got all members of the band to sign it.
Wahlberg then donated the artwork, and the marker pen he used to create it, to the No Surrender Charitable Trust, a British organisation that provides support to young adult cancer sufferers.
And the 1990s teen idols have proved they're still hot property with fans - bidding on the A3-sized picture had reached $1,505 (£1,060) by Friday (30Jan09).
The black pen used by Wahlberg, which the auctioneers state "has been kissed and rubbed all over the body of Donny Wallberg (sic)", is also attracting big bucks - bidding stands at $362 (£255) with five days to go.
The winning buyers will also receive a video blog of Wahlberg creating the artwork on CD to prove its authenticity.
The 11-day auctions will close next Wednesday (04Feb09).