Misc. *NSYNC News
(06.19) Source - Various:
�����~Maryland's Y017 aired a segment featuring Destiny's Child's Beyonce Knowles. The station's DJ asked Knowles who she thought was 'bottylicious'. The singer/songwriter named Eminem, Fred Durst, and, after a thought, Justin and JC of *NSYNC. When she was asked if she's ever hooked up with her bootylicious boys, she commented that Justin was a cuttie and a good kisser. The DJ asked if there was something going on between her and Justin and Knowles replied that it wasn't like that. She didn't want fans getting the wrong idea and cited that it was just once at a party. "He's doing his own thing now with Britney...but I was happy cause he's adorable and I'm a big fan of his talent. He is a good kisser though. Justin - you go boy!" Knowles stated.
�����~Those *NSYNC boys sure cut a wide swath through Chicago over the weekend. The boy band heroes were spied everywhere from Kustom to the White Star to the Buddha Lounge. They even checked out the view from the Signature Lounge atop the John Hancock Center. Though Justin Timberlake's main squeeze Britney Spears sneaked into town to be with her honey, I wonder what she would have thought about the testy scene between Justin and a couple of his bandmates - over a young lovely they were vying for at Kustom.
*NSYNC And BBMak Discuss Justin/Britney Accident Hoax
(06.18) Source - Launch: *NSYNC singer Lance Bass told launch that his bandmate Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears are alive and well, despite all the hype a false car-accident report received last week when it was picked up by several major media outlets.
�����"Oh yeah, he and Britney are definitely alive," he said. "I mean, I can't believe that spread so fast, but yeah, I mean, I don't see how CNN and ABC could actually report stuff like that and not even get it for fact."
�����Bass added that it was more than just *NSYNC fans who were upset by the incident - Timberlake's own mother was shocked when she first heard of the false story. "The thing that really kind of makes us mad is when it hits news that fast, you don't even have time to call your families and tell them it's not true," he explained. "He had family members who really thought it was true because they saw it on CNN. They're all just, like, devastated. His mom's calling. I mean, it's just crazy before we can have time to relay the message that: 'It's not true. We're on tour over in the East Coast.'"
�����BBMak is currently opening for *NSYNC on select dates of the group's PopOdyssey tour. BBMak singer Ste McNally noted that the prank could have a profound effect on fans of the pop music superstars. "Kids put their heart and soul into some of these bands and saying stuff like they've been in a car accident, it can be a shock, especially if it's not true," he said. "You know, you think something bad has happened to someone you really like and then it's not. it's a bit sick really. They don't want anything to happen to their favorite artists, but I'm sure they [the DJs] won't make that mistake again."
�����Two evening DJs on a Dallas-based radio show that airs in San Jose, California, falsely told listeners June 12 that they had information from "an inside source" telling them that singer Britney Spears and *NSYNC's Justin Timberlake had been involved in a fatal car accident. The DJs also claimed that they were reading reports from wire services confirming the accident.
�����KEGL-FM, the radio station that employs the DJs, aired a recorded apology the following day (June 13) that stated, "Last night, this radio station erroneously reported an incident involving Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake. 'The Eagle' apologizes for any confusion this erroneous report may have caused." Meanwhile, no disciplinary action has been formally announced for the DJs Kramer & Twitch, who concocted the hoax. The duo is currently back on the air in their regular time slot.
Britney Spears Signs Teen Country Act Kristy Lee
(06.18) Source - Allstar: Following in the footsteps of *NSYNC's Lance Bass, pop queen Britney Spears has formed a production company and announced her first artist will be a teen country singer.
�����Seventeen-year-old Kristy Lee was unveiled as the newest signing to Arista Nashville (part of the RCA Label Group) prior to the RLG Fan Fair show on Sunday (June 17). Lee, who hails from Selma, Ore., is also the debut artist for Spears' newly formed production company - which apparently is so new it remains unnamed at the moment.
�����Spears will make a cameo appearance in Lee's first video, have Lee join her on tour, and "basically help me out in my career to get well known around the world," said Lee.
�����Country music observers might recall that *NSYNC's Bass signed 16-year-old Meredith Edwards to his Free Lance Entertainment last year; Bass' shared limelight generated interest in Edwards from the get-go when she accompanied him to awards shows and the like. Her first single, "A Rose Is a Rose," peaked at No. 37 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart; her current single, "The Bird Song," is currently at No. 47.
�����Spears' manager, Larry Rudolph, said the pop singer formed her production company out of a desire to "discover and help promote other young talent." Spears and Lee met through Rudolph, who is Lee's attorney, "and Britney fell in love with Kristy's voice the first time she heard it," Rudolph stated.
�����Lee told the Fan Fair group that she and Spears connected when they both realized they hailed from small towns. A debut release is tentatively slated for spring 2002. RLG also announced that it is negotiating to sign the Wilkinsons and George Jones.
*NSYNC Prepares For Release Of Celebrity-Packed 'Celebrity'
(06.15) Source - Launch: *NSYNC's upcoming album Celebrity, due July 24, promises to be "different" than its predecessor No Strings Attached, according to singer Lance Bass, who took time out from taping an episode of ABC's The View on Thursday (June 14) to talk to launch.
�����The liner notes of Celebrity read like a who's-who of writers, producers, and other contributors, including BT (Brian Transeau), Wade Robson, the Neptunes, Rodney Jerkins, Brian McKnight, and Swedish hitmakers Max Martin, Kristian Lunden, and Rami, just to name a few. In addition, the legendary Stevie Wonder gives a guest harmonica performance on a track produced by *NSYNC member Justin Timberlake.
�����"The thing that we want to show with this new album is just a different sound," Bass explained. "You know, it's the new us. I mean, every album we try to create and evolve into whatever we're trying to go to in the next level, but I think we definitely did that with Celebrity. I think you're gonna hear a lot of sounds that you've never heard before. We just wanna be, bring something new to music."
�����Even as Bass admitted that Celebrity is different, he said there are some *NSYNC staples that will remain. "Of course, we have the big epic ballads we always have, the huge movie soundtrack songs, and wedding songs. Then most of the songs on the album are the big, fun, dance: 'Dirty Pop' is very much like that. It's a great first single to release because it really describes the album."
�����Exercising hands-on creative control during the recording of this album was very important to the members of *NSYNC. "This is, like, our baby," Bass said. "We wrote about 90 percent of this one, and it's way more energetic, I think. It's way more dance-oriented. We combined a lot of sounds from, like, electronica to hip-hop. Every genre of music is in our album."
�����The tracklisting for Celebrity includes: "Pop," "Celebrity," "The Game Is Over," "Girlfriend," "The Two Of Us," "Gone," "Tell Me, Tell Me...Baby," "Up Against The Wall," "See Right Through You," "Selfish," "Just Don't Tell Me That," "Something Like You," and "Do Your Thing."
Deep Dish Delivery Puts House Spin On *NSYNC
(06.15) Source - MTV: *NSYNC just keep digging deeper into the dance music community. First they recruited BT to produce Celebrity's first single, "Pop," and now they've hired Deep Dish to remix it.
�����The Washington, D.C., house duo, who remixed Madonna's "Music" and were nominated for the Remixer of the Year Grammy, sought to give the song a wide range of emotions.
�����"It sounds like Basement Jaxx on estrogen," Deep Dish's Sharam Tayebi said Thursday (June 14). "It has all these crazy elements, but it's tough. It has dark elements to it, but it's kind of a happy song."
�����Deep Dish's remix, which was done in just two days, will be included with the single when it is released on June 26, according to their publicist. Los Angeles producer Pablo La Rosa and U.K. group Terminalhead provide the single's other remixes.
�����"It was interesting to take one of those groups and make a proper house song out of it," Sharam said. "We had fun doing it and actually ended up liking the song. The melodies sound cool to me."
�����Deep Dish have also been busy with other projects. On their remixing plate, they are working with an Italian group called Planet Funk and are reworking Depeche Mode's "I Feel Loved."
�����On Tuesday, the pair, which also includes Ali "Dubfire" Shirazinia, will release the much-delayed second volume of their Yoshiesque series. The album, promoting their label Yoshitoshi Recordings, features tracks from Spiritualized (remixed by the Chemical Brothers), Delerium (remixed by Deep Dish) and Faze Action.
�����"We weren't happy with it and kept taking it in different directions," Sharam said of Yoshiesque 2, which was originally due last fall. "We finally came up with something that we are OK with. We wanted to get away from the dark progressive sound that is the norm these days � go back to the housey and more song-oriented vibe."
�����Yoshiesque 2 boasts an eclectic mix of dance music styles, from techno to house to breakbeat.
�����"What we do with that label is pick out quality songs regardless of genre," Sharam said. "The whole concept behind it is a mishmash of all genres. It's everything. That's our policy for the whole label: genre bashing!"
�����Deep Dish, who met while on deck duty at the same party in 1991, have another mix album due later this year. They will be the first duo to release an album for the famed Global Underground series. Their album, Global Underground 21: Moscow, will be based on a set they mixed on June 2 at an opera house in Moscow.
�����The duo will continue to tour this summer, playing several high-profile parties and festivals. Deep Dish are on the bill for the Mekka tour and both U.S. Creamfields dates. They will also spin at Centro-Fly in New York on June 21 as a release party for Yoshiesque 2, at the Versace Haute Couture fashion show in Paris on July 7 and at Jason Priestley's birthday party in New York in late August.
�����They will play seven other North American club shows this summer. Here are the dates, according to their publicist:
�����6/16 - Montreal, QC @ Sona
�����6/21 - New York, NY @ Centro-Fly
�����6/22 - Columbus, OH @ Fabric
�����6/23 - Las Vegas, NV @ Luxor
�����7/03 - Miami, FL @ Space
�����7/13 - Toronto, ON @ System Soundbar
�����7/14 - Windsor, ON @ Platinum
�����7/18 - San Francisco, CA @ Release
The Story Behind The Song: BT Crafts *NSYNC's 'Pop'
(06.15) Source - Allstar: Electronic artist and producer BT (a.k.a. Brian Transeau) may have made a blip on the pop music radar with 2000's standout album Movement In Still Life, but that will probably pale in comparison to the exposure he will get from producing "Pop," the first single from *NSYNC's upcoming third album, Celebrity.
�����Actually, Transeau already seems to be feeling the buzz, as he tells allstar via email. "As to whether 'Pop' will turn more people on to my music, all I can say is that while typing this email I have gotten 476 IMs [instant messages]," he says. "So I guess that's a yes."
�����The creation of "Pop" began last fall when *NSYNC's J.C. Chasez started coming out to BT's live dates. "We started to become friendly and hung out a couple of times, and had talked several times about collaborating on some music, however, at the time, I thought - because our music is at opposite ends of the spectrum - that it might not yield fruitful results," Transeau recalls.
�����Justin Timberlake then called Transeau and said that the band wanted to do a track like "Hip-Hop Phenomenon" from the European version of Movement In Still Life. "I was like, 'Are you serious?' And when I realized they were, I was absolutely down," he says, "especially because they were really encouraging about using some of the new technologies that I have been experimenting with for my next album."
�����One place where these new technologies came into play is on Timberlake's beat-boxing solo during the track. "When we were in the studio doing vocals, Justin was beat-boxing under his breath when we were listening back to one of the takes," Transeau says. "I was like, 'That is bad ass. We gotta record that.'" So by utilizing an array of mikes and a cut-up pair of headphones, Transeau recorded the beat-boxing and then cut it up into 1,200 edit points.
�����However, Transeau didn't think these sessions would make it onto the single. "When I reassembled it into what you hear on the record, I had no intention for anyone to hear it because he really dug the way it sounded," he says. "When I got back from Thailand, Justin called and told me that the mix they used was the one I made him for his car."
�����Even more shocking to Transeau was the group's decision to push "Pop" as the first single from the new record. "I was absolutely stunned that they told me it was going to be the single, as I didn't think it was a song for radio," he says.
�����Regardless of the success of "Pop," Transeau feels that this collaboration could lead to more in the future.
�����"I definitely think this opens the door for many others," he says, "and I think this is a great thing; the dance music community is expanding at an exponential rate and there are a lot of artists that deserve to be heard.
�����"Take Moby for example," he continues. "If his music was not in car commercials two years ago, he would have never sold 6 million records. And I think it is great that he has received the accolades he has, because he has been at it for 10 years and is a total bad ass. More power to him."
�����In other "Pop" news, *NSYNC has tapped BT's buddies and fellow D.C.-area production team Deep Dish to remix the single. Deep Dish - whose new double-disc mix, Yoshiesque Two, drops on Tuesday (June 19) - joins Terminalhead and Pablo La Rosa as remixers of "Pop." The vinyl single featuring these mixes drops on July 3.
Dallas DJs To Blame For Britney Spears/Justin Timberlake Death Rumor
(06.14) Source - Allstar: It turns out an evil rumor that Britney Spears and *NSYNC's Justin Timberlake were in a horrific car accident in Los Angeles on Tuesday (June 12) was the work of a Dallas-based evening radio DJ team.
�����Shock jocks Kramer and Twitch - whose program is aired on Dallas' KEGL-FM (The Eagle) as well as San Jose, Calif.'s KSJO-FM - began the rumor by announcing on the radio that Spears and Timberlake were in a car accident, leaving the former dead and the latter in a coma, according to the Dallas Morning News. The DJ team cited a "source" and that a spokesperson for Cedar-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles had confirmed the report.
�����From there, according to the BBC, the rumor spread worldwide when a mock BBC News Online Web page was created by a computer hacker stating Spears had been "hit by a pretzel van in New York." Mock stories have been circulating around the Internet - with some media outlets never following up to find the truth - a lot lately, including a death rumor about Lou Reed last month.
�����Despite widely reported accounts of Los Angeles police, fire, and medical personnel being deluged with calls over the incident, a spokesperson for Cedar-Sinai reported on Thursday (June 14) that the hospital had not received any calls relating to the rumor.
�����As previously reported, Jive Records released a statement on Wednesday to clear the air and announce its intentions to possibly pursue legal action.
�����Although a spokesperson for KEGL-FM in Dallas offered up a stern "no comment" at press time, the following phone message could be heard on the station's phone line on Wednesday: "Last night, this radio station erroneously reported an incident involving Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake. The Eagle apologizes for any confusion this erroneous report may have caused."
Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake Car Accident Nothing But Rumors
(06.13) Source - Allstar: OK kids, rest easy. A vicious rumor circulating all over the world that starry-eyed pop couple Britney Spears and *NSYNC's Justin Timberlake were killed in a horrible car accident on Tuesday (June 12) prompted Jive Records to release the following statement on Wednesday (June 13):
�����"There is no truth to the rumor circulating around the world that Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake were involved in a car accident on Tuesday, June 12, in Los Angeles.
�����"Spears and Timberlake are in great health. Timberlake is on tour with *NSYNC, and Spears is currently in the studio recording her next album. Representatives for both Spears and Timberlake are looking into the situation to determine the original source of the rumor and if legal action is appropriate."
�����In Pennsylvania, fans of Timberlake can see him for themselves on Wednesday when *NSYNC's Pop Odyssey tour hits Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia.
�����In related news, if you fancy a virtual shopping spree with the couple, check out Yahoo! Shopping, which is currently webcasting previously unseen footage of YOUtopia.com's "Britney and Justin Shopping Adventure." Through a custom ShoppingVision player, fans can simultaneously buy the same merchandise as Spears and Timberlake. The promotion, sponsored by Pepsi, also includes a charity auction where items from Spears' Oops!...I Did It Again tour and Timberlake's closet are up for grabs.
Lance Bass, Meredith Edwards Bandana Sells High
(06.13) Source - eBay: After performing on June 7th's show, Meredith Edwards presented Rosie O'Donnell with a white and black bedazzled bandana. Meredith bedazzled the bandanna herself and she and her manager, Lance Bass of *NSYNC, autographed the unique item. The bandanna was put up for auction on eBay [Also included but not signed was a copy of Meredith's CD "Reach."]. The auction began June 7th and through its course, had a total of 30 bids, reaching an astonishing $630. at closing yesterday, June 12th. Proceeds from the bandanna will go to benefit Rosie's charity, the 4 All Kids Foundation.
*NSYNC, Britney Spears Playing Ball For Kids' Charities
(06.12) Source - MTV: *NSYNC have drafted Britney Spears, as well as NBA stars Tracy McGrady and Elton Brand, for their third annual Challenge for the Children Celebrity Skills Challenge and Basketball Game.
�����The event, which takes place in Las Vegas on July 28-29, will feature two celebrity teams going head-to-head on the court, both in a game and in slam-dunk and three-point contests. Relay races, sumo wrestling and other non-hoops challenges round out the games.
�����Tickets for Saturday's Celebrity Skills challenge and Sunday's basketball game, both at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas' Thomas & Mack Center, go on sale Saturday at 10 AM through Tickets.com.
�����*NSYNC will kick off the weekend with a show at Las Vegas' Sam Boyd Stadium on July 27.
�����Last year's event, which raised more than $700,000, drew Pink, former New Kids on the Block member Jordan Knight, New Jersey Nets' guard Stephon Marbury and Indiana Pacers' coach Isiah Thomas. The *NSYNC-founded Challenge for the Children raises money for kids' charities across the U.S.
News Bites
(06.11) Source - Allstar: *NSYNC's annual Challenge for the Children heads into its third year on July 27-29 at University of Las Vegas' Thomas & Mac Center. The Celebrity Skills Challenge, played by two celebrity teams named Daze and Knights, will include a slam dunk contest, a three-point contest, relay races, and sumo wrestling on July 28, while a celebrity basketball game will take place on July 29. Participants and performers will be announced shortly. Tickets will go on sale on July 16 at 10 AM through tickets.com.
3LW Keeping Busy With *NSYNC Concerts, Radio Shows
(06.10) Source - Launch: 3LW (3 Little Women) singers Adrienne Bailon, Kiely Williams, and Naturi Naughton are keeping very busy performing live this summer. 3LW is currently in the middle of playing radio concerts and opening for *NSYNC on its PopOdyssey tour in-between the radio dates. 3LW heads out on the road again, this time for MTV's Total Request Live (TRL) tour with Destiny's Child, Jessica Simpson, Nelly, Eve, and Dream, starting on July 18 at the Pepsi Arena in Albany, New York. 3LW recently performed at New York radio station WHTZ's (Z100) Zootopia concert. At the event, Bailon and Williams shared with launch the one thing that they learned about performing at radio shows. "We're realizing that every show, a lot of shows we go to we work so hard singing live and we dance to hard choreography all the time, and we're seeing a lot of other artists aren't singing live," Bailon said. "All this time I used to think, 'Hey, everybody's singing live.' You know, me wanting to be a star, I was, like, 'It's so real,' and a lot of it isn't. So we make sure we show our fans that we've got to keep it real to show them that it can be a real business - there can be real artists out there."
�����Williams added, "Our motto is 'keepin' it live,' so we definitely want to give our fans that."
�����Bailon told launch that she believes 3LW's popularity is due in part to the fact that young female fans can relate to a least one of the three ladies in the group. "I think girls can relate to all of us and, if not all of us, then they can pick one of us that they say, 'Wow, I'm a lot like her.' We're all from very distinct neighborhoods. I'm from New York City, the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Kiely's from Annandale, New Jersey, and Naturi's from East Orange, New Jersey, so we all have different people that can look up to us that are very similar to us, so that's really hot."
PopOdyssey Facts
(06.10) Source - SFX: So, you�re dying to know every detail about the POPODYSSEY Tour, eh? Read on�and then amaze your friends with your in-depth *NSYNC knowledge!
THE PEOPLE
�����-Over 2.2 million people will see the POPODYSSEY tour this year.
�����-All along their US tour dates, *NSYNC will travel with their crew by bus.
�����-During the POPODYSSEY Tour, *NSYNC will sign around 9,000 autographs.
�����-*NSYNC will travel 500,000 miles worldwide during the POPODYSSEY tour.
�����-*NSYNC and its entourage will stay in 95 hotels, and book 20,000 hotel rooms.
�����-*NSYNC and its crew will consume up to 3000 meals, 400,000 bottles of water and 2,000 pounds of ice in each city on the POPODYSSEY tour.
�����-*NSYNC has several secret locations where friends and family will be able to meet them during the POPODYSSEY tour for some rest and relaxation. SFX Touring has scheduled 4 of these "secret stops" in discreet, small towns.
THE EXPERIENCE
�����-It takes 24 tour buses to transport the band and crew on the POPODYSSEY tour.
�����-It takes 55 trucks to transport the stage, lighting, sound, wardrobe and effects!
�����-It takes 5 full days to set up the stage for each POPODYSSEY performance. But the crew can strike the stage in 24 hours.
�����-Over 500 stagehands are used every night to set up the POPODYSSEY staging.
�����-The stage for the *NSYNC POPODYSSEY tour is a towering 95 feet high and over 20,000 square feet...the structural steel alone cost $6 million.
�����-188 massive loudspeakers are used for POPODYSSEY concert sound each night.
�����-For POPODYSSEY, *NSYNC is traveling with the biggest mobile video screen on Earth!
�����-POPODYSSEY carries 3 semi-trailer mounted power generators, which produce 950 kilowatts of electricity...more than needed to power many small cities.
�����-POPODYSSEY uses over 43,000 feet of electrical cable every show night.
�����-376 computer-controlled spotlights are used to light each POPODYSSEY performance.
�����-To dress *NSYNC during the POPODYSSEY tour, there will be 26 cases of wardrobe, enough clothes alone to fill an entire semi-trailer.
�����-POPODYSSEY's special effects masters control a full fireworks display, four Laser Light centers, and 68 Carbon-Dioxide Jets at every *NSYNC performance.