2/27/01-N Sync fan's lawyer speaks. 'N SYNC singer JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE is being accused of false imprisonment of a minor and intentional infliction of emotional distress by a 15-year-old fan. The charges, which were lodged at a court in St Louis, Missouri last week, stem from an incident which is alleged to have happened at Chase Park Plaza hotel in the town after the group performed there on November 19. www.sonicnet.com reports that a security guard is also being accused of assault and battery by the girl, Danielle McGuire. The girl's lawyer John Wallach says that she was in the lobby of the hotel with dozens of other fans of the group when the boyband stars arrived. All of them apart from Timberlake are reported to have spent time talking to the girls, and the girl yelled "I like JC (group member Joshua Chasez) better anyway, he's cuter." She alleges that one of the group's security guards then appeared and asked who made the comment, and when she admitted it was she, she was taken upstairs by the guard who she says refused to let her tell her mother. Wallach alleges: "(McGuire) said he went on and on, and wouldn't stop. He was right in her face, saying things over and over again." The girls mother was not allowed upstairs, but a friend - news reporter Randy Jackson was allowed to fetch her and claims to have seen Timberlake shouting at the girl. N Sync, their managent company and Chase Park Plaza hotel, who employed the security guards, are all named in the lawsuit.
2/27/01-*NSYNC in Money Magazine. In March 2001 Money Magazine (Pg.33) there is an article which includes none other then our boys in Nsync.It featured a list of 25 acts that, in 2000, best represented the confluence of Music, Money, and Power...in which Nsync landed the number 1 spot! In this brief article and chart they also fatured artists like Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys, Ricky Martin...etc. Vh1 did a show based on that information. Check the check your local listings page for more info.
2/27/01-A Fool's Day To Fall in Love. In the April issue of YM magazine there is a calendar of activities for the month, it says for the 1st of the month "Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake finally get hitched!" *NOTE - April 1st is April Fool's!
2/27/01-*NSYNC Go MAD. MADTV did a spoof of Lance on "Celebrity Millionaire." They made him look so stupid, when in reality he really kicked some tail! Though the actor did have the look down, the spiky blond hair, the outfit, the eyes were a little too wide. He just kept going "Uh..." and staring. It was horrible!
2/26/01-'NSync Announces Full 2001 Tour Itinerary. 'NSync has finally stopped the day-by-day teasing and announced the full itinerary for its summer stadium tour, now dubbed 2001 Pop Odyssey. As previously announced, the tour will hit major baseball and football stadiums beginning May 12 in Miami and carry on, as expected, through a date in Memphis, Tenn., on Aug. 18. The group will be touring in support of its as-yet-untitled follow-up to 1999's No Strings Attached of which several tracks have already been recorded in Orlando, Fla., including "Dirty Pop," "Game Over," "Gone," and "Celebrity."
2/26/01-The group will induct Michael Jackson into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame March 19 in New York City in a ceremony that will air on VH1 on March 21.
2/26/01-When Bad Things Happen to... Pop Stars. There are commercials circulating MTV that show a preview of a show called "When Bad Videos Happen to Good Artists." They showed a couple of clips of 'N SYNC's "I Drive Myself Crazy" video among other artists. The show airs March 3rd at 12 noon eastern/11 a.m. central. Just to let you know that is my all time fav. 'N SYNC vid!!!
2/26/01-E! Online's Kimberly Potts reports NBC is negotiating with *NSYNC to have the band appear on Friends, Will & Grace and Just Shoot Me all on the same night for the networks Thursday powerhouse lineup during sweeps week.
2/26/01-'NSync Announces Full 2001 Tour Itinerary. 'NSync has finally stopped the day-by-day teasing and announced the full itinerary for its summer stadium tour, now dubbed 2001 Pop Odyssey. As previously announced, the tour will hit major baseball and football stadiums beginning May 12 in Miami and carry on, as expected, through a date in Memphis, Tenn., on Aug. 18. The group will be touring in support of its as-yet-untitled follow-up to 1999's No Strings Attached of which several tracks have already been recorded in Orlando, Fla., including "Dirty Pop," "Game Over," "Gone," and "Celebrity." In other 'NSync news, the group will induct Michael Jackson into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame March 19 in New York City in a ceremony that will air on VH1 on March 21.
2/25/01-Thursday night Jay Leno sent one of his Jaywalking All Stars to the Grammys. It was Angela -- that crazy woman with the freaky laugh and frizzed hair. She was on the side of the red carpet in the press line. Earlier she had gone into the Staples Center locker room and stole Shaq's size 22 basketball shoes. She was getting all these people to sign them as they were going into the Staples Center, like Dre, U2, etc. 'N Sync stopped, and Angela asked, 'Do you know whose shoes these are?' JC answered, 'My mom's?' Then he said 'Shaq's.' They all signed it. Justin was on the side and he was off camera most of the time 'N Sync was on. Angela left the Grammys wearing the shoes.
2/25/01-Where did Justin get the idea to shave his head from? None other than Cheap of Brain Damage. That's right. No clue what I'm talking about, eh? Well, go to brain-damage.net and see it for yourself. If it is deleted by the time you get there this is what the article says:
I can only take it so long ya know? so people compare me to the boy from nsync. so what do i do? i shave my head. then i'm watchin the grammys and well well well, what do we have here...justin timberlake with a shaved head as well. seriously man just leave me ALONE!
I'm sure he's just joking, but I thought it was funny so I just wanted to let you know.
2/25/01-Perhaps The New York Post isn't up on *NSYNC since today they're 'breaking news' that Chris Kirkpatrick has "started a new skater clothing line called Fu Man Skeeto."
2/24/01-The New York Post's Liz Smith reports Justin Timberlake said of the Elton Eminem duet "It's just a great publicity stunt" when questioned at the Clive Davis pre-Grammy party.
2/23/01-When Craig Kilborn commented "I like the straight one" when speaking of *NSYNC on the Late Show last night, model Kim Smith replied, "They're all straight!" Kim also said they were all great guys, and when she was at her first video shot with them for "Bye Bye Bye," she was sick and they made her feel all better.
2/23/01-The New York Post reports Kathie Lee Gifford commenting on *NSYNC and other boy band members who greeted her at Clive Davis' mammoth pre-Grammy bash at the Beverly Hills Hotel Tuesday, "Oh, I'm just an Earth Mother to these boys. Why, they're all adorable, like my own kids!" Chris Kirkpatrick joked while her arm was around him, "You know, this will be in all the tabs next week, that you're robbing the cradle."
2/23/01-'N Sync's Joey Fatone is going to be a papa. 'N Sync's Joey Fatone (one of the four who's not Justin Timberlake), may soon be mixing pop's most successful formula with baby formula. Sources told Us Weekly that Fatone's slightly older girlfriend (he's 24), whom he's been dating on and off for a number of years, is due to give birth to a baby in the early summer and Joey's the proud papa. A rep for the singer declined to comment, but sources said Fatone is thrilled about becoming a parent. "They're not talking marriage," a source said, "but this is serious for Joey. He isn't going to be walking away from this in any way." Not walk away? Whoa. That's the type of commitment any woman could get behind. Three cheers for Joey.
2/22/01-Teen pop is dead - not! It seemed like our long national nightmare might finally be over. Both the Los Angeles Times and Salon magazine ran long stories citing the facts that radio airplay is down for teen-pop phenomena such as Britney Spears, 'N Sync and the Backstreet Boys. Sales are also down; after just 12 weeks on the charts, the Backstreets' new "Black and Blue" has dropped out of the top 20. Could it be that the calculated, fabricated, orchestrated teen-pop phase is finally dying out? Sorry, Moms and Dads. No such luck. "In general, the teen pop phenomenon is as strong today or stronger than it has ever been,"says Gary Bongiovanni, editor of Pollstar magazine, which tracks the concert industry. "If there's an ebbing of airplay, it certainly hasn't impacted the concert market as of yet." "The overall picture of pop is not significantly diminishing. It has leveled, off, but there's not much less of an appetite to hear it on the air," says Jeff Pollack, chairman of Pollack Media Group, a radio-consulting firm. You are correct, however, if you think you're hearing less pop on mainstream radio right now. The saturation of it, combined with what's generally seen as a weak Backstreet Boys album, has caused some backlash. The glory days of teen pop are already behind us, as far as radio is concerned; from mid-'99 to the first half of 2000, teen pop reigned supreme. But it has a relatively short shelf-life. "There is less pop being played on the radio right now. That is a fact. That doesn't mean a good song won't still get played," Pollack says. "It doesn't mean that hundreds of thousands of people won't turn out to see the Backstreet Boys or Britney Spears. If they're hot, people will go see them." The decrease in radio airplay doesn't mean teens are sick of these groups; actually, it reflects the fact that you're sick of them. "The radio-listening audience is different from the concert-going audience," Pollack says. "The majority of people don't go to concerts and don't call in and request songs. It's those people who are sending a signal to a lot of Top 40 stations around the country." "That isn't to say any industry isn't going to have its ups and downs," Bongiovanni says. "It's hard to maintain the kind of heat that the Backstreet Boys have. Nobody stays red-hot forever. But we haven't seen any ebbing off on Britney Spears' popularity or Backstreet Boys or 'N Sync. They continue to do well." "Obviously these records still sell like crazy. But the decrease in radio airplay is due to the research and finding that the appetite may not have lessened for the genre, but it has lessened for some of these artists," Pollack says. Indeed, even if you're not hearing them on the radio,that doesn't affect the live show as much. It's not terribly dissimilar to the way BruceSpringsteen sells out every show but still has trouble getting radio play in the past 10 years," Pollack says. The formula used to be easy; if a teen-pop act had a hit, they milked it for all it was worth, squeezing every penny out of a career in the shortest period of time, knowing that the clock was ticking. That made for teen-pop road kill that included New Kids on the Block, Tiffany and countless others. But Spears, Christina Aguilera, the Backstreets and the restare shooting for actual careers, even if the performers themselves have little control over it. Smart management has succeeded in keeping the bands and artists going through more than one album. "All of these acts have been managed skillfully," Pollack says. "They've been managed so that they have a career and are not one-hit wonders. You cannot call any of them one-hit wonders now; they've all had multiple hits." They've also changed their look and image, with Spears being the most radical example, going from a picture of an innocent teen to that of a high-class stripper in a matter of months. Such metamorphoses are the only way to survive. "Madonna is a pop act, yet she's been able to change and shift and she is the definition of a true pop artist," Pollack says. "There aren't that many that are real artists in using pop as their form of music." As for the new crop of acts, "they've been enormously successful, they're very wealthy, but if they want a career, they have to concentrate on the songwriting," Pollack says. "It's all about the songs. It always has been. They must change their sound from time to time or they'll have a short lifespan. "The challenge will be coming up with a sound that feels different from the previous records," Pollack says. "Pop acts have got to avoid putting out too many sound-alike singles." And much of that control is out of the hands of the singers. Parents may be puzzled; they grew up with the Beatles, the Stones, Bruce Springsteen and Tom Petty - people who wrote their songs and had something to say. This isn't that, and isn't intended to be, despite the fact that your kids swoon over the lyrics.
2/21/01-*NSYNC was on Entertainment Tonight from the Sony Playstation party, where they have in store appearance tomorrow night. JC revealed for their Grammy performance the group will "have couples and they're in black and white, and we're in color."
2/21/01-J-14 reports in its March issue that *NSYNC's first single will hit radio waves on Tuesday, March 27th, with the album expected to be released in June.
2/21/01-Backroads Boys? Kenny Rogers behind country boy-band. A country boy-band from the creator of NSYNC and The Backstreet Boys? Depending on your viewpoint, it's either the work of the Devil or a masterpiece of music niche marketing. Whatever, they seemed like perfectly nice kids to us.
The band is Marshall Dyllon. Kenny Rogers created the band with Florida-based boy-band impresario Lou Pearlman and put them on his own label Dreamcatcher Records. He introduced them to the Toronto press yesterday as part of a getting-to-know-you tour. Their single Live It Up is all over country video channels, they're front and centre in the latest issues of Seventeen and Tiger Beat. And tomorrow, Kenny's fans will hear the boys when they sing a couple of songs in the middle of his set at Massey Hall. As he sees it, Marshall Dyllon -- a.k.a. Paul, Michael, Jesse, Daniel and Todd -- could be the band "that brings 14-year-old girls who are now listening to NSYNC to country radio."
Pearlman, who also created Making The Band's current boy-band prodigy O-Town, is "the most misunderstood man in the music business," Rogers says. "We were talking about the success of NSYNC and I said, 'Isn't it amazing no one's done this in country'?" Armed with the inspiration, Rogers said he wouldn't think about doing it without Pearlman's help, because "he knows the psyche of a 14-year-old girl better than anybody."
The boys in Marshall Dyllon range in age from 17-22. One of the two "old guys" at 22, Todd Michael Sansom, is a graduate of music studies at Belmont College in Nashville, and is the one who plays guitar and writes their charts (he's also, sorry girls, the only one with a girlfriend). But consider that when Daniel Cahoon's dad first suggested the name from his favourite show Gunsmoke, "We didn't really know who that was," Cahoon says.
"We don't really think we fall into the category of NSYNC," Sansom says. "We are country top-to-bottom.
2/21/02-'N Sync To Take It Slow At The Grammy Awards. 'N Sync will perform its Richard Marx-penned ballad, "This I Promise You" at the Grammy Awards Wednesday (February 21). The quintet rehearsed several different versions of the track from their album No Strings Attached during its sound check on Sunday (February 18) at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Singer JC Chasez told LAUNCH that the pressure's off for the members of 'N Sync because they don't have to host Wednesday's ceremony like they did at the Billboard Awards in December. (Wednesday the pressure will be on comedian Jon Stewart, who will be hosting). "Well, (for) the Grammys I don't think I can relax, but I would think that it would be a bit more relaxing because we don't have the pressure of hosting," he said. "Now we get to kind of sit back and just let everything unfold." 'N Sync is nominated for record of the year and best pop performance by a duo or group with vocal for "Bye Bye Bye," and best pop vocal album for No Strings Attached. The 43rd annual Grammy Awards take place Wednesday (February 21) at the Staples Center in Los Angeles from 8-11 p.m. ET, and CBS will air the event live. 'N Sync's third Jive Records album is expected to be released as early as June.
2/21/01-'NSYNC Brings It To Chi-Town to Make Amends. Soldier Field traditionally has been the arena where the biggest and best rock stars perform in Chicago: Pink Floyd, the Grateful Dead, Paul McCartney, Pearl Jam. Now add to that list the world's best-selling boy band 'N Sync, who will take the stage at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, June 16. The group is trying to make amends to parents still angry about the hours-long traffic holdup at last summer's 'N Sync concert in Joliet by offering anyone who sent a written complaint to promoter SFX Inc. the chance to buy seats in a special section close to the stage. All seats go on sale Sunday at noon through Ticketmaster, and prices are $75.50, $65.50, $45.50, and $29.50. An SFX spokesperson could not provide the exact figure, but service charges can add $15 or more per ticket. Call Ticketmaster at (312)559-1212 for more information. See what other shows are going on sale this weekend on the Tour Dates page.
2/21/01-'NSync Sticks To Formula On Next Album. 'NSync took a few moments out of its busy partying schedule at Clive Davis' Pre-GRAMMY party at the Beverly Hills Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif. on Tuesday (Feb. 20) to fill allstar in on the juicy details of the boys' third album. "It's basically another step above what the last album was," says Joey Fatone amid gulps of a Jack Daniels and Coke. "We're taking it another notch and bringing some edge to it. Electronically, musically, vocally -- everything -- just taking it another level."
The group has polished off six songs in an Orlando, Fla. recording studio, including "Dirty Pop," "Game Over," "Gone," and "Celebrity," and are recording a few more in Los Angeles during GRAMMY week. In total, the plan is to nail down around 20 tracks from which to choose from for the final track listing. Additionally, the boys have done a lot more of the writing this time around, according to Lance Bass. "We've written and produced all of it so far," reports Bass, somewhat unsurely. "I don't know if we want to write the whole thing." So what's it all sound like? "We're into club mixes more and it's a little more urban with the ballads," describes Bass. "But other than that, we stayed with the same formula as No Strings Attached because it did so good. I think we finally found what we're good at."
'NSync will kick off a massive stadium tour in support of the as-yet-untitled album May 12 in Miami, on which many of the group's new tracks will be debuted. "We're gonna do a bunch of new ones, whichever ones stand out the most," says Fatone. One word describes how this tour will differ from the group's No Strings Attached tour: Bigger. As if that's possible. "A lot bigger," says Fatone. "A lot of different special effects and gags. We're taking it above and beyond. It's pretty exciting. We've seen the drawing for the stage. Its pretty impressive." 'NSync's follow-up to the record-shattering No Strings Attached is due in June on Jive Records. Meanwhile, the group is vying for three GRAMMY Awards at the 43rd Annual ceremony in Los Angeles on Wednesday (Feb. 21).
2/21/01-A Baby Fatone? Today on ET they were talking about all of the famous clebs at the grammy's after parties and they did a close up of Joey and said "Joey Fatone and his girlfriend are expecting their baby this summer." There is also going to be an article in US Weekly about that same subject, the issue comes out Friday 23rd.
2/21/01-Steely Dan Steals Show at Grammys. So much for the Grammys embracing edginess. Despite the hype over whether Eminem's "The Marshall Mathers LP'' would take home album of the year honors, the rapper's angry disc lost out to aging rockers Steely Dan, who until Wednesday night had never won a Grammy. The duo snagged album of the year for "Two Against Nature,'' their first album in nearly two decades. They also won best pop album and best pop performance by a duo or group for the song "Cousin Dupree.'' They seemed as surprised by their victory as anyone. "I thought Eminem was going to win,'' Steely Dan's Walter Becker said backstage. The controversy didn't have an appreciable impact in the ratings.
The show drew an estimated 26.8 million viewers, about 1 million fewer than last year when Carlos Santana swept the major awards, according to Nielsen Media Research. Still, it was the second most-watched Grammy telecast since 1993, according to Nielsen.
Eminem did win three awards, in the rap categories. Also taking home three trophies apiece were Irish rockers U2 and crossover country singer Faith Hill. Outside the ceremony, about 100 people from women's and gay-rights groups demonstrated against Eminem. John, one of music's most famous gay celebrities, was criticized for joining the rapper onstage. Their performance of "Stan,'' Eminem's darkly gripping song about a deranged fan also tested CBS censors. At least three curse words could be heard during the performance.(Wow I heard a lot more then three.)
D'Angelo's "Voodoo'' won best R&B album and his song "Untitled (How Does It Feel)'' won best male R&B vocal performance. Destiny's Child's "Say My Name'' won best R&B song and best R&B performance by a group. Hill's "Breathe'' won best country vocal performance, and her duet with her husband, Tim McGraw, won best country collaboration with vocals. She also won best country album.
Among the night's losers was Madonna, who opened the show with a glitzy performance of "Music''; the new mother and wife was shut out of the three categories she was nominated in. Also going home empty-handed was boy band 'N Sync, which had last year's best-selling album with "No Strings Attached.'' There were 100 Grammy categories this year. Unlike last year, when Santana walked away with a record-tying eight awards, there were no sweeps. Dr. Dre and Destiny's Child led all nominations with five each; Dr. Dre picked up the Grammy for best producer.
2/20/01-Meredith Edwards' First Single Debuts. The first single from Lance's upcoming star Meredith Edwards has been released and the video for "A Rose is a Rose" is played daily on the Country Music Channel. Let me just say the song is fantastic so I hope everyone goes out and buys her CD on April 17th when it is released because, trusting Lance, it will be awesome even if you don't like country.
2/20/01-Lance at an Aaron Carter Concert. Lance Bass of *NSYNC was in Orlando on Sunday, February 11th when he appeared on stage at an Aaron Carter concert! He told the audience about how him and the rest of the guys are busy recording their next album, while handing out autographed Aaron Carter merchandise and t-shirts.
2/20/01*NSYNC's #1 Fan, Barbie. Mattel's *NSYNC No. 1 Fan Barbie is predicted to be a big seller when it is released to stores in May 2001. Here's some of the toys analysts predict will be big in the coming year. *NSYNC No. 1 Fan Barbie (Mattel; $17.99; to be released in May) "As long as there are girls, there's going to be Barbie," Byrne says. "It's become a rite of passage." But this Barbie, dressed in jeans and a T-shirt with the Orlando boy band's name, could be a big seller because of one of its accessories: an *NSYNC CD single, remixed specially for Barbie.
2/20/01-Access Hollywood reports *NSYNC will have front row seats at the Grammy awards along with Madonna, U2, and Elton John (and I presume Britney.)
2/19/01-*NSYNC Cleans Up With "Dirty Pop. "We sat down at a table one day and were told straight to our faces, 'You guys are a one-record act. It's never gonna happen for you again. What you had, enjoy it now. Because it's over." 'N Sync's JC Chasez still vividly recalls the darker moments of the legal wrangling that accompanied his group's switch from RCA records to Jive. "It's hard when you have people who are in the record business, putting out multi-platinum records, telling you this stuff," Chasez adds. "That was their tactic to get us to shut up. But we never changed our game plan, which is to make our music and do our shows. And if people want it, they'll come get it."
Which they did. Far from proving 'N Sync a one-hit wonder, the group's second album, No Strings Attached, moved a record-shattering 2.4 million units in its first week of sales, and has continued to do stellar business, giving 'N Sync one up on their perennial chart rivals, the Backstreet Boys. "We never really freaked out," says 'N Sync's Chris Kirkpatrick of the lawsuit. "Because we had each other. And if we had to start all over again, we would have." Although 'N Sync slot neatly into the boy band format, they pride themselves on being self-created, rather than assembled by some record producer or A&R exec. Chasez formed the nucleus of the group with tousled heartthrob Justin Timberlake in 1995. Both are veterans of Disney's teen pop farm team, the "Mickey Mouse Club," although they'd both moved on by the time they met. "We'd been off the show for about a year, and we were both writing songs and doing demos in Nashville," Chasez recalls. "In a weird, freaky way, we gravitated towards each other and ended up writing tunes together." 'N Sync hit it big in Europe before releasing their self-titled U.S. debut album in '98. That disc yielded hits like "I Want You Back, " "Tearin' Up My Heart," "God Must Have Spent a Little More Time on You" and "I Drive Myself Crazy." But when the time came for a follow-up album, 'N Sync were ready for a change, both business-wise and stylistically. It was Kirkpatrick who coined the phrase "dirty pop" to describe the harder edged sound the group was after. "I was just joking around," he recalls. "We were laying some beats in the studio one day and I said, 'We should make it real dirty.' We started laying down some dirty beats and then put some good pop hooks over the top of it. So I just started calling it dirty pop."
"On your first album, you kind of play by the record company's rules," says Chasez. "But we decided to take the reins ourselves on No Strings Attached." Chasez comes to the fore as a co-writer and co-producer on four of the album's 12 songs, including the title track. But the disc's first big hit was "Bye Bye Bye," penned and produced by Kristian Lundin, Jake, and Andreas Carlsson of Cherion Productions, which is headed by Swedish teen pop mastermind Max Martin (Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys, Ace of Base). "As soon as we heard the demo," Kirkpatrick recalls, "I was one of the ones in the group who said, 'This is going to be really huge for us.'" But Chasez was skeptical at first. "I was the one guy who took a little bit of convincing," he says. "When we were walking out of the studio after putting our own vocal arrangement on 'Bye Bye Bye' --that's when I knew it was going to be a hit." The group also worked with ace R&B producers Teddy Riley and Kevin "She'kspere" Briggs and songsmith Diane Warren in making No Strings. But it was '80s chart vaulter Richard Marx who supplied the hit ballad "This I Promise You."
"It was an honor being approached with that song," says Chasez. "We all grew up listening to Richard Marx. That's even how I got my first gig. I auditioned for the 'Mickey Mouse Club' singing one of his songs. So doing 'This I Promise You' was a wonderful moment. It was like life had come full circle for me." Plans for 'N Sync to do a movie have been put on hold while the group works on a follow-up album to No Strings Attached, which they hope to have out by the summer of 2001. "With us the music always comes first," says Kirkpatrick.
Meanwhile, there has been plenty to keep 'N Sync busy. The group contributed a track to the Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas soundtrack and released a concert video, Live at Madison Square Garden. They've done a slew of TV guest shots and appeared at the 1st Annual Latin GRAMMY Awards on September 13, 2000, performing "Yo Te Voy a Amar" -- the Spanish single version of "This I Promise You." "It was a great opportunity for us, " says Kirkpatrick of the Latin GRAMMYs. "We got to meet a lot of Latin acts that night, and we got to do a song in Spanish. We just hope we didn't butcher the language too much!"
'N Sync are also casting a hopeful eye toward the GRAMMY Awards in February. "Winning a GRAMMY is the pinnacle in any musician's career," says Kirkpatrick. "It's the one award where we can honestly say we'd be happy just to be nominated." "A GRAMMY would be top of the shelf, baby," enthuses Chasez. "When people think of awards shows, they think of the Oscars and the GRAMMYs. Everything else kind of falls underneath that. When you think of the GRAMMYs you think of people like Quincy Jones and Stevie Wonder. When we get there I think we're gonna be pretty awestruck. If we get to perform, we'll be concentrating on our performance more than anything else."
2/19/01-Justin & Lance Speak About Grammy's, New Album on Early Show. Mark McEwen interviewed Lance Bass and Justin Timberlake this morning on The Early Show on CBS. He said that JC was sick, so he left. Chris had something else to do and he didn't even see Joey. Both of the guys are shocked they even got nominated. Lance didn't think the industry was "ready" I guess to recognize them. They don't have speech, but during rehersals they did walk up the stairs cuz they figured that's the only time they'd get to do it. He asked them how they felt about Eminem and Elton John performing together and they he also said that they were going to perform a short version of TIPY at the Grammys. With the new album, Justin wants people to love it...he wants us to be married to the cd, just as much as they are. At the end, they included that he new tour has 85 semi trucks, compared to the 12 from the last tour.
2/19/01-Justin's New Look. At grammy.com click the link for "Rehearsal Day 2 - Preview of Monday's Event/End of day wrap-up, then from the list choose 'N SYNC - Backstage there are videos NSYNC backstage. They have one of Justin and Lance backstage and another of Justin greeting fans. In those videos Justin's hair is chopped off. Justin said on Access Hollywood that he was tired of people talking about his hair, so he just shaved it. After that he said, "but since I've done this more people are talking about my hair." Theb he said, "It's just hair it'll grow back." So watch the Grammy's February 21st, to see Justin's new do!
2/18/01-'N Sync "Promises" A Great GRAMMY Performance. Acclaimed pop group captivates during GRAMMY rehearsals. Considering recent uptempo hits like "Bye Bye Bye" and "It's Gonna Be Me," fans might expect 'N Sync to perform one of the more danceable numbers from their multi-platinum CD, No Strings Attached, at the 43rd Annual GRAMMY Awards. But during a soundcheck performance Sunday at the cavernous Staples Center in Los Angeles, the acclaimed "boy band" rehearsed the soulful serenade "This I Promise You," featuring solo vocals by Justin Timberlake and JC Chasez.
'N Sync is nominated for three GRAMMYs, including Record Of The Year and Best Pop Vocal By A Duo Or Group With Vocal for their hit single, "Bye Bye Bye." The quintet is also nominated in the Best Pop Vocal Album category for their current CD, No Strings Attached. The 43rd Annual GRAMMY Awards will be telecast Wednesday February 21 at 8 p.m., EST and PST.
The rehearsal performance showcased the group's remarkable R&B-influenced harmonies and seductive solo vocals. The quintet -- which features Timberlake, Chasez, Lance Bass, Joey Fatone and Chris Kirkpatrick -- commenced soundcheck Sunday with several a capella versions of "This I Promise You." Replicating the sound of their recordings with astounding precision, the group's unaccompanied rehearsal performances drew applause from the technical crew and guests in attendance. Those skeletal run-throughs were followed by three additional performances featuring pre-recorded instrumental backing. These interpretations opened with heartthrob Timberlake strolling the stage and singing in a feathery falsetto voice. Tenor JC Chasez and the rest of the group sauntered to the front of the stage and closed out the tune. During wardrobe change, the stage was transformed into a still-life painting come to life, with models portraying young lovers, an elderly couple and a young mother and child. These romantic/familial scenes underscored the devotional sentiments expressed on "This I Promise You." Later, Timberlake emerged from the wings wearing jeans and a snakeskin turtleneck. He and the group treated the small rehearsal crowd to three more bravura renditions of their hit ballad.
2/18/00-Justin Talks New 'N Sync LP. 'N Sync are ready to tear up a few more hearts with a new studio album and major tour. Justin Timberlake says that he, JC Chasez, Chris Kirkpatrick, Joey Fatone and Lance Bass are busy in the studio laying down tracks for the as-of-yet-untitled third album (due in June), and they can't wait to get out and perform again. The group will hit the road on May 12th, starting with a performance in Miami to an already sold-out audience. "I didn't think it was going to be this crazy," Timberlake says. "Something keeps happening every time we put an album together that this vibe kinda kicks in. It's so intense but it's a hell of a lot of fun."
Timberlake, who says he had a chance to do a lot more writing on the album this time around, credits the presence of several producers for the group's new sound. "We tapped into a lot of different flavors, even for us and our style," he says. Timberlake worked with famed producer Rodney Jerkins (Whitney Houston, Mary J. Blige, Britney Spears) for one of the tracks he co-wrote. "I did a ballad that is totally R&B. It sounds like R. Kelly could have sang it."
Trying to do something different also meant that the boys would deliberately schedule the tour right around the record release time. "People will be able to pick up the album and see that immediately live," Timberlake says. "That's something we wanted to do, try something different, to have the tour and the album around the same time. It's kind of like you don't really give the music a chance to sink into their heads before they're already watching it on stage."
2/18/00-Chris Plans to Take Mom to Grammy's. 'NSync's Chris Kirkpatrick is apparently a big momma's boy. According to a live chat on amuZnet on Thursday (Feb. 15), the heartthrob has decided his mother will be his date for the GRAMMY Awards ceremony on Wednesday (Feb. 21) in L.A. Teenage girls need not fear, because Kirkpatrick announced he's still single -- for now. Anyone wanting to sync their teeth into Kirkpatrick's booty may soon have a little competition, as Danielle Raabe, close friend and president of Kirkpatrick's FuMan Skeeto clothing company -- which will soon have products in Nordstroms, Bloomingdales, and Van Mures stores -- was the last lucky girl to receive a kiss from him. (They used to date, but are now just friends.) "Above everything, she's still my friend," Kirkpatrick noted in the chat. "But, technically, we're both single." Looks like the two could be sharing more than just clothes in the near future.
2/18/01-"Making The Tour" Hits #1. Most Popular Videos Weekly charts for the nation's most popular videos as they appear in the Feb. 24, 2001, issue of Billboard magazine:
1. "Making The Tour,'' 'N Sync.
2. "The Up In Smoke Tour,'' Various Artists. (Platinum)
3. "Salival,'' Tool.
4. "Live At Madison Square Garden,'' 'N Sync. (Platinum)
5. "Britney In Hawaii: Live & More,'' Britney Spears. (Platinum)
6. "The Complete Video Anthology 1978-2000,'' Bruce Springsteen.
7. "Baller Blockin','' Cash Money. (Platinum)
8. "E.,'' Eminem.
9. "Hell Freezes Over,'' The Eagles. (Platinum)
10. "One Last Time Live In Concert,'' Tina Turner.
2/18/01-Grammy performance can mean a lot. Do you remember who won the male pop vocal performance award at last year's Grammys ceremony, or song of the year in 1998? Me neither. Most folks don't recall much in terms of past Grammy winners. Yet the performances that pepper the telecast are often remembered for years, such as Ricky Martin's career-kickstarter in 1999 with "La Copa de la Vida" and Metallica rocking the cufflinks off a stodgy industry crowd in 1989 with its blistering performance of "One." So who's set for a knockout performance, and who will inspire channel surfing at this year's Grammys? Here are some predictions:
Christina Aguilera/Destiny's Child: Hide your fine china. These gals with multi-octave voices will be shooting for all the high notes at this mother of all music awards shows. But singing fireworks aside, performances from Aguilera and Destiny's Child could also highlight the night's cheese factor. Goofy choreography and canned backing tracks will be best appreciated by mall rats.
Eminem: Get set for Grammy's most controversial performance ever. Despite a tsunami of public outcry against Eminem's violent and homophobic lyrics, the notorious rapper will team with Elton John to perform "Stan." Expect the unexpected. Will Eminem use the stage to flip a middle finger to his critics? Will some kind of protest interfere with the performance? Love Eminem or hate him, this is must-see TV.
Madonna/Dolly Parton: Unless she's rolling around the stage in a wedding dress or voguing in Elizabethean-era garb, award-show gigs aren't Madonna's forte. (Remember her pitch-slippery performance of "Nothing Else Matters" at the 1999 Grammys?) So, the Material Girl might need some new tricks to keep her showcase from falling flat. Since Madonna's been sporting a cowboy hat as part of her new look, how about a duet with Dolly Parton, who's also set to perform? That duo could be a real hoot, but left on her own Madonna is likely to be mediocre.
'N Sync: Unless your bedroom wall and schoolbooks are plastered with 'N Sync posters, the general populous is thoroughly over 'N Sync's teen-pop high jinks. Expect plenty of pyrotechnics, a whole lotta strutting and shrieks from lucky teens who scored Grammy tickets. Oh yeah, there might be hints of live singing, too.
Brad Paisley: Who's Brad Paisley? That'll be the perennial question for many on Wednesday, but taking the Grammy stage is nevertheless a boon for such newcomers as Paisley. It's unlikely that his traditionalist country music will have the same breakthrough effect as Ricky Martin's 1999 performance. Still, a strong showing by Paisley could spike his record sales.
U2: Considered one of rock 'n' roll's great live bands, U2 won't have any problem packing a musical punch during its performance. And the band will need it. Although its latest album, "All That You Can't Leave Behind," has been gushed over by any number of rock writers, its sales have been lukewarm. U2 will be ready to deliver, and a solid performance could give its new album a second wind.
2/17/01-The New York Daily News reports *NSYNC have RSVP'd for Clive Davis' annual pre-Grammy Awards party in Beverly Hills next week.
2/17/01-In his latest "News From The Road" report, Aerosmith bassist Tom Hamilton has some rather flattering things to say about his fellow Super Bowl performers, *NSYNC. Rather than bash the teen-pop icons, which would have been the easy thing to do, Hamilton writes, "I can't believe how pro those guys were. I can see a lot of Aerofanatics out there cringing because they need us to be some kind of animal that makes meals out of cute pop bands. Don't worry, we ain't tradin' in our drums and Danelectros for dance steps." He also assures everyone that *NSYNC actually works with a live band, rather than performing to pre-recorded tracks.
Hamilton did, however, manage a small joke at *NSYNC's expense. Concerning the pre-Super Bowl press conference that both groups participated in, Hamilton writes, "They get more press than a pair of cheap slacks at the dry cleaners."
The bassist also explains why singer Mary J. Blige and rapper Nelly were added to the half-time show: "Originally it was just supposed to be us and 'N Sync, but we decided it was a little on the white side and we needed to address that."
And, answering the question that was on every man's mind, Hamilton adds, "I didn't even look down Britney's shirt once. (You didn't have to.)"
The new Aerosmith album, Just Push Play, comes out March 6. To read the entire Hamilton missive, go to aerosmith.com.
2/16/01-*NSYNC was 2000's biggest earning group raking in $267 million in U.S. album sales and tour revenues.
2/16/01-Chris Kirkpatrick shot down rumors of an *NSYNC breakup after their next album in an online chat on Yahoo Thursday saying, "We'll still be together ten years down the road and the people that started the rumor will look like asses."
2/16/01-'NSync Has Six Songs In The Can For New Album. 'NSync has finished up six songs for its upcoming third album, the group's Chris Kirkpatrick told an amuZnet chat audience on yahoo.com on Thursday. The group is currently holed up in an Orlando, Fla. recording studio finishing the as-yet-untitled affair, which is the follow-up to the record-shattering No Strings Attached. The album is due in June on Jive Records -- smack in the middle of the boys' summer stadium tour, which now has one more confirmed date: Foxboro, Mass. on June 1 (Foxboro Stadium). That brings the total confirmed dates for the tour to 14, with Brit trio BBMak opening up the first eight dates. The boys will take a break from recording on Wednesday (Feb. 21) to perform at the 43rd Annual GRAMMY Awards, where the group is up for three awards.
2/16/01-BBMak Land Coveted Opening Slot on N*Sync Tour. BBMak Land Coveted Opening Slot on N*Sync Tour. Hollywood Records recording artists BBMak will return to the U.S. this spring to support N*Sync on its upcoming North American tour. The British trio has enjoyed tremendous success since the release of its debut disc, "Sooner or Later,'' an album that's rapidly approaching platinum status. Fueled by the success of hit singles such as "Back Here'' and "Still On Your Side,'' BBMak has played to sold-out audiences around the world, while also appearing on television programs such as "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno,'' "The Rosie O'Donnell Show,'' "The View,'' "Live! With Regis'' and "Good Morning America.'' "Back Here'' continues to dominate the airwaves, currently standing tall at No. 3 on Billboard's AC chart, behind N*Sync and the Backstreet Boys. The band's also garnering heavy play on MTV, with the video clip for "Still On Your Side'' remaining a TRL staple.
BBMak's tour with N*Sync will kick off Saturday, May 12, at Pro Player Stadium in Miami. The dates will be the band's first stateside shows since its sold-out headlining club tour late last year. During its most recent appearance on U.S. soil, the band's blistering live show garnered widespread critical acclaim. Said The Hollywood Reporter, "The threesome's hour-plus headlining performance was filled with vocal verse trades, rising three-part tenor harmonies and, perhaps best of all, no gimmicks.'' The Los Angeles Times praised BBMak for its sweet harmonies and charm, while Variety wrote, "the photogenic trio made an impressive showing in what may well be a preview of much bigger things to come.'' Don't miss your chance to experience BBMak live. Check out the tour page on my site to see what venues/stadiums BBMak will be performing at.
2/16/00-Phone Cards. Not only are these a cool way to make long distance calls but they are an outlet for you, the fans to call up and hear Chris and the FuMan Crew talk about anything and everything that is going on at FuMan Skeeto. Yes, you heard it right, this is the first official FuMan Skeeto Club, and it's offered exclusively through the FuMan Skeeto phone cards. A few of the retail outlets you may find carrying the six FuMan Skeeto phone cards include Claire's and Hallmark. So don't be afraid to go in and request that they carry these unique collectables, it's the customer demand for a product that necessitates a supply!
2/15/00-Pop heroes, rappers top savvy earners list. Pop heartthrobs 'N Sync have conquered the pop charts, and now they're the No. 1 act on a new chart detailing the savviest earners in the music industry. Other top money-making acts on music cable network VH1's inaugural "Music Money Power'' list include rival vocal group Backstreet Boys, the rap combo of Dr. Dre and Eminem, teen pop singer Britney Spears, and husband-and-wife country stars Tim McGraw and Faith Hill.
VH1 joined forces with Money magazine to analyze the commercial power of music's big guns, calculating gross revenues from album and concert ticket sales, and assessing their star and money power based on such factors as fan loyalty, crossover appeal, licensing and merchandising deals. The top 25 money-making acts will be revealed to the viewing public on the Feb. 22 installment of VH1's "All Access" series.
'N Sync, with an estimated $267 million in combined album and ticket sales last year, topped the list, which was supplied to Reuters by VH1. Along with Spears at No. 3, Backstreet Boys at No. 5 and Christina Aguilera at No. 10, 'N Sync benefited from the continuing teen pop phenomenon. Dr. Dre and his protege Eminem came in at No. 2, thanks largely to their album sales, while country crossovers McGraw and Hill were No. 4. The show's executive producer, Bill Brand, said the list was weighted toward album and tour revenues. Acts benefiting from the more subjective calculations included rock singer Sting at No. 12, on the basis of his lucrative endorsement deals with Jaguar and Compaq; rock band KISS (No. 12), the kings of merchandising; and veteran crooner Jimmy Buffett (No. 20), whose empire encompasses restaurants, clothing and books.
2/15/00-'NSync Adds More Dates To Summer Tour. It's a day-to-day process, but the 'NSync summer stadium tour is growing, growing, growing. Thursday (Feb. 15) brings the confirmation of five more dates in addition to the eight previously confirmed dates. New shows have been sealed up at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. on June 3; Ralph Wilson Stadium in Buffalo, N.Y. on June 10; Toronto Skydome in Toronto on June 19; War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock, Ark. on July 4; and Texas Stadium in Irving, Texas on July 8, according to Pollstar. As of press time, BBMak has not been confirmed as the opening act for these new dates. The 'NSync summer tour, in support of the group's upcoming third album (due in June), is tentatively slated to continue through Aug. 18 in Memphis, Tenn.
2/15/00-BBMak Added To Additional 'NSync Tour Dates. Brit trio BBMak has been added to six new dates on 'NSync's upcoming summer tour beyond the Miami (May 12) and Tampa, Fla. (May 15) dates confirmed last week. The boys will continue on the tour for dates in Jacksonville, Fla. on May 18; Jackson, Miss. on May 20; Hershey, Pa. on May 26; and newly confirmed dates in Charlotte, N.C. on May 22; Atlanta on May 24; and Hershey, Pa. on May 28. Those remain the only confirmed dates for the tour at press time, although the tentative routing carries it on through Aug. 18 in Memphis, Tenn.
2/15/00-Destiny's Child, 'N Sync, Others To Honor Janet. Outkast, Destiny's Child, Macy Gray, and 'N Sync have signed on to perform as part of mtvICON's tribute to Janet Jackson. The event, the first in what the music network hopes to become an annual affair, will premiere March 13 on MTV. Jackson will also perform; additional acts will be announced in the coming weeks. According to MTV, "mtvICON" aims to annually recognize an artist who has "made a significant contribution to music, music video, and pop culture, while tremendously impacting the MTV generation." As part of the broadcast, each artist will perform a song from Jackson's catalog. The special will also feature interviews with artists who have been influenced by Jackson, and will offer interactive features in tandem with MTV.com, such as live opinion polls and streaming music videos. Jackson's forthcoming Virgin album is due in late April or early May, and will be preceded by first single "All 4 U." The set features production work from longtime collaborators Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, the Neptunes, and Rockwilder.
2/13/01-*NSYNC summer tour expected to gross $100 million. Chart-topping boy band 'N Sync will begin a 45-date North American stadium tour May 12 at ProPlayer Stadium in Miami, with the tour culminating Aug. 18 at the Liberty Bowl in Memphis, Tenn. Although a full routing has yet to be announced, a handful of early shows are confirmed. The Miami show and a May 15 date at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla., will go on sale tomorrow (Feb. 9). On-sale Saturday (Feb. 10) are a May 18 show at Alltel Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla.; May 20 at Veterans Stadium in Jackson, Miss. (home town of 'N Sync's Lance Bass), and May 26 at Hershey Park Stadium in Hershey, Pa. Support will vary throughout the tour, with BBmak and 3LW on board in the first few weeks. Tickets are priced at $65, $45, and $25, with golden circle tickets likely for major markets. Expect the production to be extravagant, with pyrotechnics as well as large video elements allowing the group to interact with the audience. Last year, 'N Sync grossed nearly $60 million playing a mix of arenas and stadiums. This year's all-stadium tour is expected to gross about $100 million and will be produced by SFX. The group is touring in support of its latest Jive album "No Strings Attached," which set a new record for first-week U.S. sales when it moved 2.4 million units last March. The album is No. 32 on The Billboard 200 this week.
2/13/01-*NSYNC's new tour to be called "Odyssey Tour 2001." According to Ticketmaster.com, *NSYNC's upcoming summer tour is going to be called "Odyssey Tour 2001". An odyssey is an extended adventurous voyage or an intellectual or spiritual quest.
2/13/01-Billboard.com reports Carson Daly commenting on Justin Timberlake as both took part in Sunday's Celebrity Basketball Game at the Washington Convention Center during the NBA All-Star weekend. Carson said, "Justin's got some game. He can handle the ball really well. He's a little guy, though, so he should stay out of the kitchen."
2/13/01-Billboard reports *NSYNC's next album could be out as early as June and Justin says they hope to "experiment a little" on the album.
2/13/00-JC's House in the Hollywood Hills. In Entertainment Weeklythere is always an article called, "Gimme Shelter." The section is about recent sales of celeb houses. This week our very own JC was in the issue. Here is what the article said, plus check out pg 18 of the magazine if you want to see a picture.
"4 BR, 4 BTH hilltop house in the Hollywood Hills Price $1.1 Million. It's a buy, buy, buy for *NSYNC's JC Chasez, who just moved into a 4,000-square-foot L.A. home that sources say is within sight of Britney Spears' new pad. (The teen queen paid a reported $3 million a few weeeks ago for her 6,000-square-foot fortress.) EW has learned Chasez bought the three story abode last spring and made extensive renovations. The half-acre spread boasts two fireplaces, a gourmet kitchen, a two-story master bedroom, and sweeping city views. Note to Britney and her beau, fellow *NSYNC-er Justin Timberlake: keeps the shades drawn!
2/13/00-*NSYNC Wins Celebrity Death Match. On MTV's Celebrity Death Match last night and the main event was *N Sync vs. BSB. Since they were already dead, Nick had to got down to haties and bring them back to earth. Well, 1st he was meditating, then looking into a crystal ball for a sign, then he went into a stall in the bathroom and the devil came out of the toilet and gave the boy bands to CDM because they boys were getting on his nerves any ways. So... the fight at 1st BSB was winning then N Sync starts to get in the lead then BSB transforms into one big BSBeast, kinda like Power Rangers, and they started to win, but Justin and Chris pull and electrical cord and electricuted the BSBeast and it blows up killing the BSB! So N Sync wins! Go Guys!
2/13/02-Justin's First Crush. This article was in February 16, 2001 issue of Entertainment Weekly:
With a romance in the air, we asked stars to name their first celeb crush.... Justin Timberlake: "Sam from Who's the Boss? (Alyssa Milano). She was hot and could play sports too."
2/13/00-*NSYNC Choreographer Will Change the World. On Friday, February 9, there was a special on Teen People's 20 Teens Who Will Change The World, and 'N Sync's choreographer Wade J. Robson was on. Justin and J.C. shared their opinion on him and just said how he choreographed some of their songs and J.C. said he's definitely gonna leave his mark. They showed a clip of Wade when he was five and dancing to Michael Jackson's song, and let me tell you, I've never even seen a grown person dance that good in my entire life!
2/13/01-Lance on WB's "Hottie Week." WB said for valentines day they were going to do a hottie week. It's from Feb.12 through Feb.16. They said they were going to show the rerun of "7th Heaven," the episode with Lance in it! Just in case your one in a million that hasn't seen it.
2/13/00-'N Sync Member Has Northeast Ohio Roots. Pop Band Member Went To Dalton High School Justin, J.C., Joey, Lance and Chris -- five guys who make teenage girls go crazy. Before he was a star, one of the 'N Sync boys called northeast Ohio home. NewsChannel5's Danita Harris traced his small-town roots. Teenage girls from coast to coast can't get enough of 'N Sync. At age 29, Chris Kirkpatrick is the elder of the group, but he's still a big child at heart. Not many people know that Kirkpatrick actually spent part of his childhood in northeast Ohio, in the quiet rural farming town of Dalton.
"He was kind of shy; he was really just a nice kid," teacher Robin Evans-Delciappo said.
Kirkpatrick sang in the choir, played on the baseball team and made his mark on the stage at Dalton High School. Evans-Delciappo directed school musicals, and she tracks 'N Sync's every move, including Kirkpatrick's many hairstyles.
"I'm glad he got his hair cut," she said. "Let me tell you --whatever you call those, dreadlocks. He was a cute kid in high school -- let's keep the cute. He's back to a cute man now. I guess he's a man!"
The vocal quintet shattered sales records with its second album, "No Strings Attached." Kirkpatrick sings tenor and hits all of the high notes, something he's been doing since his days in the Dalton show choir.
High school buddy Todd Borton said that harmonizing was Kirkpatrick's real love.
"He was so good at getting his voice out, and you could just tell he had a little extra something with his voice," Borton said. "It was really nice."
When 'N Sync came to Cleveland, Borton and his sister, Wendy August, went to the concert. They said that Kirkpatrick was up to his old tricks.
"We have fun with each other, we have fun on stage, we have fun with the crowd," Kirkpatrick said in an earlier interview. "That's what makes our shows so interesting."
Borton and August will never forget that night in the sixth row, but more importantly, they said that they will remember what kind of person Kirkpatrick was and the kind of person that they say he still is today.
"Everyone that knows him knows he's a good person," Borton said. "He likes making people feel good."
2/12/01-This past weekend was the concert of Luis Fonsi in Puerto Rico. And for people that doesn't know him he is one of Joey's best friends. He was one of the members of The Big Guys. At the end of the concert Joey got up on stage to reunite with the Big Guys to sing "Una noche de amor" ("A Night Of Love"). Joey saw the reaction of some of the people in the first row and he smiled and threw kisses at them.
2/10/00-School Officials' Hands Tied Concerning 'N Sync Fans. Officials Say They Can Do Little To Punish Students If Parents Condone Behavior. School officials say there is nothing that they can do to keep many students from skipping school to buy tickets for the 'N Sync concert. Teenagers and tents are now snaked around the Coliseum. Many have been there since Wednesday night. Tickets for 'N Sync's concert May 18 at Alltel Stadium don't go on sale until noon Saturday. But some viewers called Channel 4 asking why the teenagers are able to skip school with no consequences. Some parents are waiting with their kids, apparently condoning the activity. School truancy officers tell Channel Four that they are upset about the situation but they say that there is little that they can do when parents support skipping school.
2/10/01-In an abstracts.net poll they asked visitors if they thought Justin verbally abused 15 year old Danielle McGuire as she alleged, a vast majority of 85.4% said no, while 14.6% said yes. A total of 2920 votes were cast.
2/10/01-*NSYNC choreographer Wade Robson was featured on the People 20 Teens That Will Change the World special last night on the WB.
2/9/01-'N Sync Gives Back To Community. Orlando-based boy band 'N Sync donated $100,000 to the Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children and Women Thursday. The money was raised from the group's second annual celebrity basketball game. "Challenge for the Children" raised $550,000 for several different charities last year. The stars presented dolls of themselves and signed autographs for hospitalized children. The group even sang "Happy Birthday" to a girl. "It's going to make a difference in the kids' lives. It's going to heal their little bodies much more quickly," foundation Chairman Dr. Gregory Alexander said. 'N Sync said that they hoped to raise even more money this July with an extended charitable event in Las Vegas. The group said that they are working on their new album, which is still untitled.
2/9/01-'N Sync Plotting 45-Date North American Tour. Chart-topping boy band 'N Sync will begin a 45-date North American stadium tour May 12 at ProPlayer Stadium in Miami, with the tour culminating Aug. 18 at the Liberty Bowl in Memphis, Tenn. Although a full routing has yet to be announced, a handful of early shows are confirmed. The Miami show and a May 15 date at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla., will go on sale tomorrow (Feb. 9). On-sale Saturday (Feb. 10) are a May 18 show at Alltel Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla.; May 20 at Veterans Stadium in Jackson, Miss. (home town of 'N Sync's Lance Bass), and May 26 at Hershey Park Stadium in Hershey, Pa. Support will vary throughout the tour, with BBmak and 3LW on board in the first few weeks. Tickets are priced at $65, $45, and $25, with golden circle tickets likely for major markets. Expect the production to be extravagant, with pyrotechnics as well as large video elements allowing the group to interact with the audience. Last year, 'N Sync grossed nearly $60 million playing a mix of arenas and stadiums. This year's all-stadium tour is expected to gross about $100 million and will be produced by SFX. The group is touring in support of its latest Jive album "No Strings Attached," which set a new record for first-week U.S. sales when it moved 2.4 million units last March. The album is No. 32 on The Billboard 200 this week. For the tour dates check out the tour page on my site.
2/9/01-Pagers Co-Branded by Chris & Child Watch. Child Watch of North America, a nationwide nonprofit missing children's organization, and national spokesperson Chris Kirkpatrick of `NSYNC have teamed up with VTech Connect Ltd. , Metrocall, Inc. and Shared Technologies Cellular to offer a unique line of FuMan Skeeto-branded prepaid pagers. The alphanumeric pagers are the first in a series of prepaid communications products and services designed to help parents in touch with their kids that will feature Child Watch and Kirkpatrick. A portion of the pager sales and subsequent re-charging fees will go to Child Watch to help recover abducted children and fund safety programs to help prevent abductions.
"I'm very excited about the Child Watch/FuMan Skeeto pagers. They'll help parents keep in touch with their kids, and the pagers are cool enough that the kids will actually use them," said Chris Kirkpatrick, founder and CEO of FuMan Skeeto, a clothing, visual art and music-production company. "This is just one more reason I'm proud to be a part of Child Watch and the great work they're doing with their corporate partners to help keep our children safe."
The pagers are available in several designer colors and feature the FuMan Skeeto logo. At no extra cost, consumers will receive regular pages from Kirkpatrick offering up-to-date information on what's new with him, FuMan Skeeto upcoming concerts and appearances, and news from Child Watch.
"Chris has been incredibly supportive of our mission as our national spokesperson," said Don Wood, president and founder of Child Watch. "Thanks to Chris's continued efforts to help keep our children safe, and the commitment of our corporate partners, we know this will be a very successful project that will truly make a difference."
"We're thrilled to be a part of this outstanding partnership that addresses the safety of our nation's children and that focuses on the communication needs parents and children have," said David DeThier, director and general manager of VTech Connect Ltd. "We know how important it is for families to stay in touch, and are proud to align with Chris, Child Watch and our other partners to further this cause."
With the FuMan Skeeto prepaid pagers, there are no credit checks, no activation fees, no security fees, and no contracts. Consumers may simply purchase usage time when they need it. Usage cards for the pagers will be offered at nationwide retailers and through a toll-free number. Metrocall, who has one of the strongest footprints for paging in the U.S., will provide the service coverage behind the pagers.
The usage cards that fuel the pagers come under STC's One Card Does It All prepaid communications platform. The cards, also featuring Kirkpatrick, can be used with a myriad of prepaid products and services.
"STC is pleased to be associated with Child Watch of North America. Their child safety programs and Chris' celebrity help drive home a very important message - we must stay connected with our children," added Anthony D. Autorino, STC chairman and CEO. "STC's prepaid communications services, which include cellular, paging, long distance, Internet and local access, help parents and kids stay connected because these services are affordable, and available to virtually everyone."
2/9/01-Cracks Beginning to Show in Teen Pop Craze. Is the teen pop music craze finally getting old? Radio programmers at Top 40 stations in the United States are finding that their listeners are beginning to outgrow boy bands like the Backstreet Boys and teen divas like Britney Spears. Due to a variety of factors, these acts still appear to be hot sellers in stores, but their music is not dominating the radio airwaves as they did just a few months ago. "We're finding that Top 40 radio stations are backing off teen pop groups simply because audience demand has dwindled," said radio consultant Guy Zapoleon, president of Houston-based Zapoleon Media Strategies. But some recording industry experts, citing the genre's still-strong sales, argue the retreat from radio playlists is more a reflection of programmers anticipating the trend's end than an actual drop-off in demand. "Things may not be as fluid as they were 18 months or two years ago, but I think sometimes that pop radio programmers over-think it," said Joe Riccitelli, vice president of pop promotion at Jive Records, home to the biggest names in the teen phenomenon including Spears, 'N Sync and the Backstreet Boys. "If the cycle is ebbing, its only happening in pop radio," he said, pointing to the bands' still hotter than ever pull in television, movies, concerts and album sales.
A glance at the weekly charts in Billboard Magazine's Feb. 10 issue shows Spears' new song "Stronger" and "Liquid Dreams" by newcomer teen band O-Town among the top 10 selling singles. But they are conspicuously absent from the top 75 in airplay. "It wasn't Spears' best song and it's also due to the saturation of the music," Zapoleon said. "She's literally had five or six hit songs and obviously the listeners are saying it's time for a break." Pop radio stations make many of their programming decisions based on "call-out research" or surveys of listeners aged from 12 to 34-years-old. But some industry experts admit there may be a bit of a backlash among programmers who have been listening to teen music ad nauseum for longer than anyone expected. "You wonder if radio programmers are sensing the end of the cycle because they are exposed to the music far more than listeners," said Sky Daniels, general manager for Radio & Records, an industry trade publication. "It's difficult to take a step back if you've heard those songs 500 times in a month. Pop programmers are wondering how long can this be maintained," he said. Many radio industry experts said the "teen" fad lasted beyond the typical music cycle. "It's a long cycle for a specific genre remaining hot. This particular teen cycle has lasted almost four years, when most of the time, fads last about one or two years," said Daniels, who is beginning to detect a movement toward smarter singer-songwriters, such as acts like Macy Gray and Dido.
"Pop radio will try to hold on to the teen component, but as it starts to play harder, edgier and more alternative-sounding music, these two styles won't fit on the same radio station," he said. Top 40 stations are now playing songs all over the spectrum like rock songs such as "Kryptonite" by 3 Doors Down and "If You're Gone" by Matchbox Twenty along with a little Britney Spears and rap by Eminem. While Zapoleon predicts the demise of mainstream pop in the next couple of years, he expects another resurgence in the genre by 2005. Others, meanwhile, expect that some pop mainstream artists will always have hits. "It always comes down to if you have a great song, you'll overcome existing maxims," said Daniels.
2/9/01-Salon.com's Janelle Brown is dissing *NSYNC and in particular, Justin Timberlake, in a lengthy article about teen pop stars. Brown says "How sexually threatening, for example, can one consider a group of men who appear at the American Music Awards in coordinated trench coats? A group of boyish men who never, ever grab their crotches, but instead pull woolly hats over their bleach-blond curls and wear shiny T-shirts as they harmonize about their true-blue love for you? Men who, when appearing on a date with a pop star diva wearing a denim patchwork ball gown, wear a matching denim patchwork suit, complete with distressed-denim cowboy hat? How very Ken doll."
2/8/01-Worldpop reports *NSYNC and Jennifer Lopez will be performing at a benefit concert in Los Angeles for former US President Bill Clinton, where all proceeds will go to charity.
2/8/01-Michael Jackson recently invited Justin Timberlake to Neverland, but when Timberland turned up with Britney in the limo with him, Jackson was furious and refused to open the gate for half an hour. When they finally got into the party, Jacko ignored Britney and went off with Justin.
2/7/01-Charity Event in April. Aaron Tonken, who helped raise $4.5 million for Demo (election) functions, is now readying "A Family Celebration'' April 1st at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) at which President Clinton and President and Mrs. Gerald Ford are among the honorees for the multi-charities event. It includes a Wolfgang Puck-prepped dinner to follow a concert hosted by Carson Daly of MTV, with appearances by Jennifer Lopez, Sheryl Crow, Marc Anthony, *NSync. Honorees also include the "Ally McBeal'' company, Bob Newhart and Sylvester Stallone. Several charities benefit from the event.
2/7/01-Get dressed with Chris Kirkpatrick. *NSync's Chris Kirkpatrick has been keeping himself busy traveling around the world with* NSync and working on the clothing line released by his company FuMan Skeeto! amuZnet wants you to be a part of it so we're letting you enter for your chance to have *NSync's own ChrisKirkpatrick hand pick an outfit courtesy of FuMan Skeeto especially for you! Enter today and soon you will be able to tell your friends that you got dressed with *NSync's Chris!
2/7/01-Making the Tour Release. The new NSync home video is out TODAY on VHS! It's called "Making The Tour" and is on sale at most places for $19.95. Here's some places to look for it: Sam Goody, Suncoast, Tower Records, Circuit City, Best Buy, or The Wall. If you wanna order online for $14.99 for VHS or preorder the DVD for $22.48 go to Sam Goody.
2/7/01-MTV News reports Eminem will indeed attend the Grammy awards later this month. Em says, It's because everyone doesn't want my ass there, so I'm going to sit my stinking ass down next to *NSYNC and flick pennies at them and just stand in everybody's face and say, 'Kiss my ass.'"
2/7/01-Filth2go.com's Billy Masters is dishing dirt on boy bands this week with the focus on Timberwoman. Apparently Michael Jackson has a huge crush on Justin and invited him to visit his Neverland Ranch where Justin eagerly accepted, though Michael was upset when he brought Britney along.
2/6/01-Lance Confirms the One Tourdate. Yesterday morning, Lance called 95.5 The Beat in his hometown Jackson. He confirmed the Mississippi tour date for May 20th for Veteran's Memorial Stadium. The tickets will go on sale at 10 am, Saturday, Feb. 10th. Also, this has been going around. These new tour dates will not be the same No Strings Attached show. The new album will have already been released and they are now working on a new tour. Lance said the new album will have a reggae sound. About the Lance & Beverly engagement - Scott Steele, Lance's good friend, deejay from The Beat, called him that day. Scott told everyone Lance said he "runs from the thought of commitment."
2/6/01-Chris Talks About Pontential of New Video. Chris was on the phone on TRL and he had mentioned that there may not be a new single till there new album comes out! Chris also said that when he called up he was in the studio working on their new album!! Nsync was also #2 on their retiring day! Come on guys!!! Now did you vote???
2/6/01-Hold Onto Your Change. Gideon Yago reported about how there was an interview with Eminem on Feb. 2nd on his tour. He said this about the Grammy's: Eminem: "I'm gonna sit my stank a** down next to Nsync and flick pennies at them...."
2/6/01-End Of The Line: Could this be it for Joey, JC, Justin, Lance, and Chris? Britney Spears is getting the blame for boy band being on the verge of breakup! BYE, BYE, BYE TO *NSYNC!
Parents of teenage girls better stock up on tissues because the tears are going to start falling like rain. The beloved boy band *NSYNC may soon be calling it quits, says sources. And STAR has learned exclusively that it's partly pop princess Britney Spears' fault!
Sources say Spears has influenced her boyfriend Justin Timberlake to leave the group for a solo career. "She's brainwashed him into thinking that he can be a superstar just like her," says in insider. Britney's romance with Justin has also created hard feelings within the band. Says a pal, "They feel Justin's been getting a lot more of the spotlight than they have, especially because of his romance with Britney, and they don't like it one bit. It's created a lot of strain among them and in the last few months, the band has been ripped apart by jealousy and vicious fighting."
Justin, 20, denies that his galpal Britney, 19, has anything to do with his decision to branch out on his own. He claims he told manager Johnny Wright he needs time to work on an album with '80's singing heartthrob Richard Marx. He's also got his eye on an acting career. Just last year, *NSYNC was involved in talks about doing a sequel to Grease, with Justin in the John Travolta role and Britney tackling Sandy, played by Olivia Newton-John in the 1978 movie. Last March, Justin appeared as a teen supermodel in the made-for-TV movie Model Behavior. He's not the only *NSYNC-er who's ready to fly the coop, either. Joey's been in several movies and appeared on the cancelled series SeaQuest. Up next, he and Lance will play buddies in the romantic comedy "On The Line". Lance has some acting experience under his belt, with a guest spot on the WB series "7th Heaven", where he met his girlfriend, actress Beverly Mitchell, 20. He also has his own management company, which handles country stars like Meredith Edwards, he's started a film production company. JC has said he's "happiest in the studio," and is planning solo projects, which Chris has a sideline with a line clothing he created." In 1997, when Justin; Joey Fatone, 24; Lance Bass, 21; Chris Kirkpatrick, 29; and JC Chasez, 24, started out in Orlando, Fla., they were five guys united by a dream. Their first album, *NSYNC, was a smash. And their second album, No Strings Attached, sold an astonishing 2.4 million copies in its' first day. But all that success has gone to their heads, say sources. They plan to say Bye Bye Bye to fans after their next album comes out this summer.
Tension ran high at the People's Choice Awards and, according to sources, the boys almost came to blows. "They probably would have if their bodyguards hadn't been around," said an insider. The rest of the band seemed to be mad at Justin and were picking on him." Justin's not just in trouble with his bandmates. In December, schoolgirl Danielle McGuire, 15, threatened to bring a lawsuit against the hunk, claiming he intimidated her in a St. Louis hotel after he refused her an autograph. "Everyone knows Justin has a temper, says the insider, "but he denies the event ever took place." And while manager Wright does his best to smooth things over, sources close to the band say it might be impossible to keep the group together until the new album debuts. "It's going to be a serious crime if they break up, but things don't look good for them staying together."
2/5/01-Making the Tour Out Feb 6. TRL reported on friday, that 'N SYNC's new home video is coming out on the 6th of Febuary and the DVD comes out on the 13th. It's 66 minutes long.
2/5/01-TIPY Starts Packing for FL Retirement. On Feb 6, TRL is retiring "This I Promise You." Get on mtv.com to vote and make it #1 on it's last day! They said it'll be the last video out by 'N Sync for a while.
2/5/01-Making of the Superbowl showed footage of the rehearsals that led up to the actual performance. Lots of amusing comments, particularly Steven Tyler asking if there was any way of turning Chris off. The halftime show is shown in its entirety (includes the 90 second movie) at the end. If you missed this check the television page on my site for re-run dates and times.
2/5/01-Vote for *NSYNC @ Blockbusterawards.com. The Blockbuster Awards are on April 11th so everybody head over to www.blockbusterawards.com and start voting now.
2/5/01-Craig Tries to Be In Sync. On the Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn Friday night, Craig was doing a gag where he was dancing (or attempting to.) As he's doing this, the phone rings and he says something along the lines of: "What do you mean I can't dance on my show? Hey, you don't own me, Timberlake!"
2/5/01-P!NK Prefers *NSYNC. A local radio station here in miami, 100.7*Y-100, was interviewing Pink and asking her questions like, "Friends or Survivor?"(she said Friends). Well, when asked "Backstreet Boys or NSync?", she immediately answered 'NSync!" It maybe because she toured with them or just because she has good taste.
2/5/01-Teen turns red-carpet interviews into Web site. He plays tennis, goes to Lakers games, and listens to music with his friends, but don't be fooled. Fred Medill is not a normal teenager. While most teens only dream about meeting the stars, at 14-years-old Fred has already interviewed such celebrities as Tom Hanks, Jennifer Lopez and Denzel Washington for his Web site, www.FredTV.net. With his dad, Cary Medill, standing by as cameraman, Fred gets most of his interviews by standing out on the red carpet at movie premieres. In fact, as Fred's Web site asserts, "where there's a red carpet, there's FredTV. Clips of these "interesting couple of minutes" with stars can be accessed on Fred's Web site at www.fredtv.net, in which he interviews everyone from 'N SYNC to Muhammed Ali.
2/4/01-Entertainment Weekly surveyed Grammy voters for an indication of who'd win Song of the Year, and Faith Hill's Dream was considered the likely winner. *NSYNC's Bye Bye Bye prompted one voter to say, "Academy members aren't young and they aren't girls, so forget about *NSYNC."
2/3/01-Allpop has a review of *NSYNC; Bigger Than Live saying, "If you truly desire to feel like you're actually on stage furiously performing alongside the famed Florida five -- Justin Timberlake, Chris Kirkpatrick, Joey Fatone, Lance Bass and JC Chasez -- then this is the movie for you.
2/2/01-NSYNC mentioned on Craig Kilborn and Sex Wars. On the Craig Kilborn show last night, Kathy Griffin was on, and Craig asked her "You have had many co-stars and co-hosts, which one makes the best breakfast after a hot night of sex?" Kathy answered, "Joey Fatone Jr...he makes great flapjacks," and everyone laughed. She then said, "Oh was I not supposed to say someone that I have actually slept with? I was supposed to make it up?" And on Sex Wars they asked 3 guys to guess who the members of NSYNC were from this list and if they were wrong the 3 girls got the points. Well the guys blew it!! The list was: Justin Timberlake, Chris Kirkpatrick, AJ Fenton and Joey Fatone Jr....needless to say the guys picked AJ Fenton as one of the members of NSYNC.
2/1/01-The New York Post reports 75 year old Marvin Traub's party at his mansion during Sundance got celebrities such as Justin Timberlake and Danny Glover to show up. Unfortunately, his house was trashed by revelers and Traub's daughter kicked everybody out at 3 am. The house was left with soiled carpets, a hole in the wall, and missing pool table balls.
2/1/01-CDNow reports Aerosmith brought their young relatives and kids backstage to meet Britney and *NSYNC at the Super Bowl and accused the rockers of going soft.
2/1/01-Eric Bross to Direct 'N Sync Duo in Romantic Comedy. Eric Bross, who filmed the USA cable movie "The Chippendales Murder," will direct 'N Sync duo Lance Bass and Joey Fatone in the romantic comedy "On the L." The $10 million project marks the first through Bass' recently formed production company A Happy Place, and will be distributed by Miramax Films. Production is slated to begin in March. "On the L'' is about a couple who meet briefly on their city's train system and must then find a way to reunite. It stems from a short film, "On the Line." Bross' credits also independent films "Restaurant" and "Ten Benny."