Just so you know, Lance will always be #1, and Chris is usually #2, but various other 'N Syncers have jostled for the coveted #2 position (why, just last week I had a Joey phase!)... for the time being, the one who has got my attention is... get ready for it...

Justin.

Yeah, I know... whoa, who'da thunk it? Don't worry; the second Chris says something really cool or insightful again I'm sure I'll go back to him. But there's just something about Justin lately that has been getting to me:
The more I (and by "I" I mean me, Chelle, Syd, and all of my friends -- since we share a brain and all) reflect on his so-called ego and "attitude problems", the more I see them as his way of dealing with the enormous amount of pressure with which he's had to deal since he was 14. Am I making excuses for him? Perhaps. But think about it -- some former child stars turn to drugs and self-destructive partying; Justin puts up emotional walls. Some fans are relentless and, let's face it, psycho. When people who claim to love you will stop at nothing to invade your most private spaces, even going so far as to try cutting locks of hair as momentos, one can only be so accomodating before something's got to give. Before we judge Justin, let's take a moment to think about the crap he must have to put up with on a daily basis. Only those who know him well really know the truth. I can only speculate.
The thinner he seems to me (and boy does he seem thinner to me!), the more my heart goes out to him while images of a sick and pale Lance from last May swim through my head. He needs to rest and take care of himself, and I only hope that he can do so before the guys head out on tour again.

The bigger his hair gets, the more adorable I think it is, and the more respect I feel for him... after all, he has the guts to use it to make the silent protest, "You know what? Screw the polls and the image. I'm going to do what feels right for me for once." It also makes him look so much older than his old look; I'm finding it a bit difficult to see him as the baby I once did....
And last but not least... we have the voice. That boy has been impressing me left, right, and center with his ever-improving vocals. I will totally overlook the eye thing, Justin. Just keep making those beautiful sounds, and I promise I'll pretend not to notice*.

*What am I saying? I'll mock that eye thing 'til the day I die. But God, what a voice!