Brian Littrell's New Ventures

The Backstreet Boys are getting back into gear, taping the video for their "Drowning" song, and resuming their top-selling tour. That includes A.J. McLean, whose early July entry into rehab, to undergo treatment for alcohol abuse, depression and anxiety, called an abrupt halt to the tour.

Brian Littrell recently announced the launch of "BriLeigh Productions" with his actress wife Leighanne.

"The Backstreet Boys is my day job," he says. "And the Backstreet Boys will always come first for me."

However, he and Leighanne have their sights set on non-Backstreet Boy ventures, including film production and releasing CDs on their company label. Their first album, due in October, is the soundtrack (produced by Brian and Leighanne) for the indie film "Olive Juice" (coproduced by and starring Leighanne), which features music from the Backstreet Boys.

How do the Littrells respond to all the recent stories about how hard it is for talents like A.J. McLean and Mariah Carey to cope with the pressures and time demands of superstardom?

"We're very blessed to have each other and to be happy together. I think we keep each other grounded and humble, in a sense," says Leighanne, who'll serve as their company president.

She admits, "It's funny, this last break for the guys was a blessing for us. The stress had built up, and everyone was having a hard time with A.J., and Brian and I were having a hard time being apart." Now, she insists, "Everybody's happy as pigs in dung."

She stresses that she and her husband don't foresee keeping up their 20-hour-a-day pace -- especially since they want to start a family, but don't want to do so while he's on the road. "By the middle of next year, we'll make ourselves slow down. Otherwise, we'll be a product of our environment, caught up in it all."