News Bites: *NSYNC
(02.19) Source - Allstar: *NSYNC nailed down three additional summer tour dates over the weekend by adding a second show in Foxboro, Mass. on May 31 and confirming dates at the Reliant Astrodome in Houston on July 6 and Kansas City, Mo.'s Arrowhead Stadium on July 10. The tour, in support of the group's upcoming new album, is set to kick off on May 12 in Miami and tentatively carry on through Aug. 18 in Memphis.
Misc. *NSYNC News
(02.18) Source - Various: Here's some minor news tidbits for those of you who don't know:
�����~QVC will sell top CDs by artists including *NSYNC, Baha Men, Backstreet Boys and U2 for $9 beginning on Monday [Feb. 19]. Proceeds from the sale of the CDs, which were donated by the artists and their labels, will benefit MusiCares, an organization that offers emergency financial assistance and recovery programs to people in the music industry.
�����~*NSYNC's "Making The Tour" was the number one music video sold last week. Their "Live At Madison Square Garden" took the number four spot, while Britney Spears' "Britney In Hawaii: Live & More" grabbed the number five slot.
�����~"Being compared to *NSYNC, or to Christina Aguilera, is a big compliment, and I mean, maybe we're similar to *NSYNC in our personalities. But we're younger - and we're girls." -Holly Arnstein of Dream
�����~"We're inspired by *NSYNC, even though they're a boy band. They have wonderful singing and awesome choreography." -Adrienne Bailon of 3LW (3 Little Women)
�����~PYT on opening a show for 'N Sync. "A group of little girls asked for our autographs, and I was like, wow."
Love Week Horoscopes: Britney Spears & Justin Timberlake
(02.16) Source - Music365: Music 365's Love Week Horoscopes continue. Here Future 365 summons up the power of the stars to predict what the future holds for young lovers Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake.
�����These two complement each other. Britney will have a strong influence on Justin and there is a strong sexual attraction. Justin could feel threatened by her at times, but they are good, natural friends and mutual creative endeavours will bring emotional understanding. There is romance and a sympathetic understanding between them. They have similar tastes in art, music and social conduct.
�����Living together could be harmonious and there are common goals in domestic matters. Any problems could be solved, as their communication with each other is very good.
�����Both have Saturn in Libra, so they may feel trapped and restricted within a relationship, but this is not just with each other but with anybody. There is a need to learn to be less competitive and more co-operative within a relationship and this would solve their difficulties.
�����Both lack water in their charts, which allows emotion to build up and burst out at times. Living near or visiting water would soothe their souls. They are young, but the potential is there.
Justin Talks New *NSYNC LP
(02.16) Source - Rolling Stone: *NSYNC 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."
*NSYNC Has Six Songs In The Can For New Album
(02.16) Source - Allstar: *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 (Feb. 15).
�����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.
Destiny's Child, *NSYNC To Honor Janet Jackson
(02.15) Source - MTV: Destiny's Child, *NSYNC, Macy Gray and Outkast will give it up for Janet Jackson in the inaugural "mtvICON," a new annual special honoring artists who've influenced music videos and who've had a significant impact on fans and other artists.
�����"mtvICON: Janet Jackson" will air on March 13 and will feature an overview of Jackson's 16-year recording and video career, as well as interviews with artists whose careers have been influenced by Jackson. The night's performers will each cover a Jackson song, though their particular selections were unavailable at press time.
�����"Janet Jackson is an awesome individual," Destiny's Child's Michelle Williams said in a statement. "Her music has always kept me dancing. ...She is the total entertainer."
�����*NSYNC will perform a "special vocal tribute," and Jackson herself will sing the show's finale. Jackson is wrapping up a new album with producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. No release date has been set.
Destiny's Child, *NSYNC, Others To Honor Janet
(02.15) Source - Allstar: Outkast, Destiny's Child, Macy Gray, and *NSYNC 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.
*NSYNC Adds More Dates To Summer Tour
(02.15) Source - Allstar: 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.
Sheryl Crow, Macy Gray, Jill Scott Added To Grammy Lineup
(02.15) Source - Allstar: The Recording Academy has expanded its Grammy Awards performance guest list to include nominees Sheryl Crow, Macy Gray, Shelby Lynne, Jill Scott and the Blue Man Group (both performing with Moby), and Marc-Andre Hamelin.
�����The latest wave of artists will join previously announced acts Madonna, U2, Christina Aguilera, Destiny's Child, Faith Hill, *NSYNC, Nnenna Freelon, Brad Paisley, Dolly Parton, Take 6, and the controversial pairing of Elton John and rapper Eminem.
�����New additions to the presenters' list are Tony Bennett, Gloria Estefan, Vince Gill, Joni Mitchell, and Sisqo, who join previously announced presenters Erykah Badu, Toni Braxton, Carlos Santana, members of Aerosmith, and actors Andy Garcia, Kevin James, and Ray Romano. Comedian-actor-talk show host Jon Stewart will host the show.
�����In other Grammy Awards news, Target Stores and the Grammy Foundation are launching a series of multimedia Concerts for Young People on Thursday (Feb. 15) in Los Angeles with a performance by Sisqo. After L.A., the live shows will be streamed to urban elementary school students in Chicago; Memphis, Tenn.; Minneapolis; New York; Las Vegas; Miami; and Atlanta in order to teach them a history of music through various genres, including salsa, blues, and jazz.
�����The L.A. launch is part of the Experience Music Project's Electric Bus Grammy Week events. The bus is a 10,000-square foot mobile, interactive, and educational music museum which incorporates the teaching methodologies of the Grammy Foundation's Leonard Bernstein Center for Learning.
�����The 43rd Annual Grammy Awards are set for Feb. 21 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
More *NSYNC Dates, Ticket On-Sales Confirmed
(02.14) Source - LiveDaily: update: Tickets will go on sale for *NSYNC performances in at least eight new cities on Saturday (2/17), and strong ticket sales have led to the addition of a second show in one market, according to tour sources. The boy group's ambitious tour itinerary includes stops at stadiums in more than three dozen cities from May through July.
�����Saturday ticket on-sales are planned for upcoming *NSYNC shows in the Boston, New York City, Kansas City, Little Rock, Buffalo, Dallas, Houston and Toronto regions.
�����Last week, tickets went on sale in five cities: Miami; Tampa; Jacksonville, Fla.; Jackson, Miss.; and Hershey, Pa. A second show has been added in Hershey, Pa., and tickets will go on sale on Saturday at 10 a.m. Eastern Time, according to Hershey Park Stadium's website.
�����Ticket on-sale information regarding the other cities on the group's itinerary was not available from promoters by press time. LiveDaily has obtained an initial routing for the tour that includes cities and dates, but many venues haven't been confirmed. Ticket prices are being advertised at $25 to $65 for most shows, not including taxes, ticketing charges and other fees.
�����*NSYNC grossed $76.4 million on the concert circuit in 2000, enough to earn the group the No. 2 slot on Pollstar's year-end chart of top tours. In 1999, the group's tour grossed $51.5 million, according to Pollstar. The Florida-based quintet's latest release, "No Strings Attached" (Jive) was crowned the top-selling album of 2000, and has sold more than 10 million copies to date, according to SoundScan.
�����Opening acts for the tour will vary, but BBMak will be on board for the tour at least through May 28, according to Hollywood Records. Girl group Dream is expected to hold down the opening slot for some shows.
Index Ranks *NSYNC As 2000's Biggest Music Stars
(02.14) Source - MTV: In 2000, you better believe *NSYNC "Just Got Paid" � and we're not talking about the Johnny Kemp cover on their smash album No Strings Attached.
�����The Orlando, Florida, group made $267 million in U.S. album sales and tour revenues alone last year, according to the VH1/Money Rock Star Index. The channel and financial magazine teamed to rank musical artists based on CD sales, tour revenues, "money power" (including merchandising, endorsements and licensing) and "star power" (considering such factors as fan loyalty and crossover appeal).
�����The 10-times platinum No Strings Attached holds the record for selling the most copies in a single week � 2.4 million flew off shelves in the album's first week of release in March.
�����Dr. Dre and Eminem, whose revenues were combined because they toured together, bow in at #2, with $249,900,000 in album sales and tour revenues. The rappers are followed by Britney Spears, husband-and-wife country singers Faith Hill and Tim McGraw (also combined due to their joint tour) and the Backstreet Boys. The rest of the top 10 is Santana, Creed, the Dixie Chicks, Tina Turner and Christina Aguilera.
�����The index also includes Tina Turner (ranked #9) and Kiss (#13), who made a fortune in 2000 by "retiring" with farewell tours. Moby, #23, made an estimated $16 million by licensing songs from his album Play over 800 times in movie soundtracks, commercials and TV shows.
�����The figures are based on research by Money, VH1, sales data service SoundScan and concert industry magazine Pollstar. The chart below reflects only the rankings, CD sales and tour revenue information provided by the VH1/Money Rock Star Index and does not include the mitigating factors of "money power" and "star power."
�����[Rank] [Artist] - [CD Sales] | [Tour Revenue]
�����01 *NSYNC - $190,600,000 | $76,400,000
�����02 Dr. Dre - $73,000,000 | $22,200,000
�����������Eminem - $154,600,000 | $22,200,000
�����03 Britney Spears - $162,700,000 | $40,500,000
�����04 Tim McGraw - $55,100,000 | $48,200,000
�����������Faith Hill - $67,300,000 | $48,200,000
�����05 Backstreet Boys - $122,800,000 | $25,800,000
�����06 Santana - $119,200,000 | $26,100,000
�����07 Creed - $131,200,000 | $26,200,000
�����08 Dixie Chicks - $79,400,000 | $47,300,000
�����09 Tina Turner - $14,000,000 | $80,200,000
�����10 Christina Aguilera - $81,200,000 | $13,500,000
�����11 Dave Matthews Band - $24,600,000 | $69,800,000
�����12 Sting - $42,800,000 | $28,900,000
�����13 Kiss - $8,400,000 | $62,700,000
�����14 Red Hot Chili Peppers - $45,100,000 | $31,100,000
�����15 Ricky Martin - $33,200,000 | $37,200,000
�����16 Destiny's Child - $66,500,000 | $1,100,000
�����17 Sisq� - $59,400,000 | $900,000
�����18 Madonna - $42,300,000 | $0
�����19 Bruce Springsteen - $11,200,000 | $45,900,000
�����20 Jimmy Buffett - $19,300,000 | $24,100,000
BBMak Added To Additional *NSYNC Tour Dates
(02.14) Source - Allstar: 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.
Shaggy Holds On To No. 1; Grammy Pop Album Makes Top 30 Debut
(02.14) Source - Allstar: It took Shaggy 26 weeks to get there and he's not ready to give it up. The hip-hop/reggae fusionist held on to the No. 1 spot on The Billboard 200 for the second week in a row with his latest effort, Hotshot, and managed to sell 100 more copies than last week in the process.
�����From there, it was all the way down to No. 29 to find the top debut for the week ending Feb. 11, which is where 2001 Grammy Pop Nominees, featuring Destiny's Child, *NSYNC, and U2, landed in its first week.
Pete Townshend's Guitars, Rod Stewart's Pool Table Up For Auction
(02.14) Source - Allstar: There are a slew of rock and roll auctions currently going on, and if you can afford to fork over the big bucks for a good cause, you can get your hands on some pretty sweet stuff.
�����Rod Stewart is currently offering up a signed billiard table and a signed jukebox for an eBay.com auction benefiting the City of Hope Cancer Center. The auction ends Feb. 23 and coincided with Tuesday (Feb. 13)'s honoring of Stewart and Vogue publisher Richard Beckman at the City of Hope gala benefit dinner at Cipriani in New York City. Both men received the organization's Spirit of Life award. Sugar Ray frontman Mark McGrath hosted evening's entertainment, which featured performances by Stewart as well as Brandy, Jewel, Hootie and the Blowfish's Darius Rucker, and Sugar Ray - all covering classic Stewart tunes.
�����Who guitarist Pete Townshend has thrown down a couple of autographed Pete Townshend Signature Model Electric Gibson guitars (only 250 were made), one for allstarcharity.com benefiting Music Maker Relief Foundation (ending Sunday [Feb. 19]), and another for QVC's MusiCares donation.
�����The latter auction, currently on eBay.com as well, also features a Fender Squier Stratocaster guitar autographed by Sting, a Faith Hill Prada top and Joseph skirt worn on the cover of her Breathe album, an Ovation round-back guitar signed by Melissa Etheridge, an autographed pair of Ray Charles' sunglasses, an *NSYNC autographed book, and Rolling Stone's "Britney Wants You!" issue autographed by Britney Spears, among other choice items.
�����The QVC/MusiCares auction is in conjunction with the MusiCares Person of the Year Auction, set to air Feb. 19 at 9 p.m. EST on QVC (the same night that MusiCares Person of the Year, Paul Simon, will be honored in Los Angeles). Hosted by actor-musician Michael McKean, the event will feature interviews with Brian McKnight, Boyz II Men, Shelby Lynne, Kenny Loggins, Peter Frampton, and the Baha Men, while CDs donated by Grammy Award winning and nominated artists' record labels will be sold at $9 to benefit families and children through MusiCares' health and social services programs, and through the Recording Academy's Grammy in the Schools program.
Misc. *NSYNC News
(02.12) Source - Various: Here's some minor news tidbits for those of you who don't know:
�����~Download special Valentine Flashcards from MTVAsia featuring *NSYNC, Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys, and Bon Jovi and give them to your special someone!
�����~Touched By An Angel star Della Reese told Philadelphia Daily News, "I like *NSYNC. I don't know that I would rush right out and buy everything they do, but I like hearing their music."
�����~Saturday the 10th was a dueling day for ticket sales. A concert featuring Elton John and Billy Joel at the Philips Arena on April 24th ran out of tickets to sell a mere 30 minutes after they had gone on sale. Though cheaper in price, tickets to some upcoming *NSYNC & Backstreet Boys shows sold out faster than those of the two rock legends.
�����~FuMan Skeeto founder Chris Kirkpatrick and President Danielle Raabe will chat online February 15 at 8PM on amuznet.com. Immediately following the chat will be an exclusive online preview to the new FuMan Skeeto lines at FuManSkeeto.com. *NSYNC's Chris Kirkpatrick, CEO and Founder of FuManSkeeto, and Danielle Raabe, President, will be stopping by amuZnet to chat with you and answer questions! Don't miss it!
�����~According to Entertainment Weekly, *NSYNC member JC Chasez bought a $1.1 million house in LA. It is reported to be within sight of Britney's new house.
�����~Entertainment Weekly asked Justin Timberlake who his first celebrity crush was. His answer: "Sam [Alyssa Milano] from 'Who's the Boss?'. She was hot and could play sports, too."
�����~Aldo Giampaolo - head of entertainment activities at the Molson Centre in Montreal - and his colleagues are in negotiations to land concert dates with *NSYNC, Backstreet Boys and the Dave Matthews Band, among others. But there are some major artists who won't be playing Montreal any time soon because of the bilingual market.
�����~Anybody who watched Superbowl XXXV [& even those that didn't] can vote for their favorite commercial aired during the show. Bud's *NSYNC PSA is available, along with every other commercial aired. Vote here.
Concert Films Rock IMAX Theaters
(02.11) Source - Popcentric: Shooting a rock concert film among thousands of rabid music fans can be daunting under any circumstances. But making such a film for oversized screens like those in IMAX theaters, with equipment that captures details as fine as a yawning pore, is downright risky.
�����Makers of "All Access: Front Row. Backstage. LIVE!," a concert film featuring Carlos Santana, Sting, Kid Rock and others, were worried that they caught embarrassing or even indecent fan activity on film without even knowing it.
�����"The irony is you don't actually see the results until the last step when the film is done," said Jon Shapiro, who made the film with his brother Peter, editing most of it on small screens because it was too expensive to edit on big-screen equipment. After watching rough cuts on TV, we were a little nervous. Something that would be so visible on an IMAX screen - like a concertgoer doing an obscene gesture - may not be visible in smaller formats," he said. "It's a very truthful medium."
�����Producers of the soon-to-be-released *NSYNC giant-screen concert film, "Bigger Than Live," also said post-production was the hardest part of making the film shot at various concerts packed to the gills with thousands of screaming teenage girls. "One little flaw gets magnified three stories high," said Joe Marich, a spokesman for its producer, Really Big Film Corp.
�����Fortunately for the makers of both films, there were no "Woodstock" moments. "Bigger than Live" opens across the nation on giant screens beginning in mid-February, while "All Access" premieres in Hollywood around Grammy Awards time on Feb. 21 and opens nationwide in big-screen theaters this spring.
O-Town Fails Boy-Band Genre
(02.11) Source - Popcentric: If a young woman in your life has developed an affinity for O-Town, it's time for an intervention.
�����It was one thing to overlook her love of *NSYNC and Backstreet Boys � groups with at least some degree of skill and charisma � but O-Town brings nothing, not one thing, to the boy-band genre.
�����"O-Town" crosses the line from glossy, superficial pop music to stupefying, pre-fab bubblegum. Unlike catchy refrains that seduce their way into the subconscious, the hooks on "O-Town" bully their way in with mental warfare, hammering at the brain with awful chorus repetitions that linger like the stench of fresh skunk roadkill.
�����Read the whole article.