Many of you might have read about the plans *NSYNC have announced for the coming year or so; Joey and Lance did a press conference on the 19th, and snippets have been quoted all over print and internet media. Let's see... This month they've been in extensive rehearsals for their bazillion-date American tour (I say 'American' and not 'North American' because they only have one date in Canada, which is the sorriest excuse for a tour known to man... okay, I'll stop here). Then they film the video for the next single, "It's Gonna Be Me." Then when the first leg of the tour's done they go over to Europe to tour... then in August and September they will be taking some time to write for their third album (wow. After having to wait two years for a new album, suddenly the thought of having one out again in a year is a little much).

Fall and winter will bring them back to North America for the remainder of their "No Strings Attached" tour. Next January and February they will be filming for their movie (more on that later)... then of course they have to record their third album. In the midst of all this they have agreed to participate in a TV movie that will be a sort of "backstage access" type of film following their every move while on tour. And I'm sure that I'm forgetting a thing or two here and there as well.

I have more than a few mixed feelings about all of these developments. I have to give the guys full and complete credit and MAJOR props for their outstanding sales of "No Strings Attached", and for practically selling out their tour in record time. I have to congratulate them on the success of "Bye Bye Bye" and for what is sure to be another big hit in "It's Gonna Be Me". Having said that...

First things first. The upcoming video. I must admit, I am worried. The concept, as Joey has explained, will be rather "Toy Story"-ish, with the guys as marionettes in a toy store wanting to be bought, so they fight with the other toys in an attempt to be chosen. Kim Smith (the girl from the BBB video) will be in it, some of it might be filmed underwater, yadda yadda. This concept scares me. It sounds... oh, what's the word I'm looking for... oh yes... stupid. Okay, so maybe that's a bit harsh. But I find it hard to believe that they'll be taken any more seriously after this video than before it. I already am not thrilled with their choice of single (while I'm sure it will be successful, I just don't feel it's reflective enough of their "new" sound to win any new fans or crossover exposure), and this... I don't know. I hope it turns out looking better than it does in my mind right now. And can I just add, we get the marionette theme, fellas. I and just about everyone else under the sun are now sick of it. Please stop.

Next, the tour. Who went and gave these guys permission to kill themselves like this? And have they not learned anything from last year? *NSYNC is practically double-booked on their tour this summer, and surely the rest of the fall will be similar. I realize that they are in demand, but dayum! And this tour, as they gush to anyone who will listen, will be far larger and more intense than the last. It will be longer, have a flashier production, and since the majority of their songs off of "No Strings Attached" are uptempo, it promises to be far more energetic. It will also be more vocally challenging for Justin and JC, if you have noticed from the tracks on NSA. So my question is, are they crazy? And can I grab them by the shoulders and shake them?

The movie. The (in)famous movie. Tentatively titled, "Why Can't I Be You" (which is not a bad title, actually), the screenplay has been penned by our very own, very dear James Lance Bass and Joseph Anthony Fatone, Jr.
::pause for hysterical, side-splitting, floor-rolling, knee-slapping laughter::
Sorry. I am so mean. Perhaps I grossly underestimate the boys? Maybe this will be really good. Maybe I'm way off and these two are onto something really special. However, forgive me if I don't have much faith in the writing abilities of individuals who consistently make statements such as, "Me and Joey...." and "I hopefully hope...."
Well, they obviously know they won't be winning any Oscars for this one. They obviously know that most people won't take them seriously and that this won't help their cause in the least. And hey, if they're comfortable with that, then I as a fan--ahem, as a "respectful admirer"--have to suck it up and deal. And shell out my $8.50 to see that damn movie on opening night. LOL. What I don't understand (besides why they let Joey and Lance write the screenplay -- my God, what were they thinking?) is why they want to set the story in high school. Come on, not a one of them can pass for a high school student anymore save perhaps Justin, and his baby-faced days are fast approaching long gone. This movie just has "BAD IDEA" written all over it, and I wish that I could summon up some positive feelings about it, but I just can't.

The "Britney" duet:

"That has been talked about," says Bass of the Spears collaboration, adding that *NSYNC plans to start working on its third album during August and September, while on break from touring. "It would be one of the hottest songs ever, I think. I would want to do something like a Janet Jackson-Michael Jackson 'Scream' very edgy, very dance-oriented, because she's such a performer. I was actually talking with her the other day , 'OK, this next album, we're going to write something and it's going to be a killer, killer duet.' So maybe on the next album."

Oh, geez. Mah man had to go open his mouth and be all stupid and stuff talking about this damn duet. Not one of his prouder moments, nor mine for liking him. I'm not sure why *NSYNC thinks that a duet with Britney would be such a swell idea. Sure, she's hot now and so are they, but I thought that they were looking for some credibility and crossover appeal. I don't know if a lot of people actually respect what Britney does as an artist and as a performer... and I hate to see *NSYNC lumped together with her, because to me they are on a completely different level as artists and as performers. So their little "killer duet" that Lance seems to be having orgasms just talking about? I'm not looking forward to it. I hope that it's wonderful. I hope that the video kicks ass. I hope that it's hugely successful. But that doesn't mean that I have to support it. Oh, and by the way, Lance? I didn't think that "Scream" (the song or the video) was all that great anyway.

All of these together make me want to comment on the larger issue at hand: The apparent whoring out of the group known as *NSYNC. They're everywhere, and it doesn't look like it's letting up anytime soon. They've joked that their next bout of time off is booked sometime in the year 2001. Ha ha... so nice. Okay, so I figure I probably won't get sick of them -- even when I feel like I am about to, they skip a week or so in appearances and then I'm just as eager to see them again as I had been before. But what about the rest of the world? Pop gets enough of a bad rep, and a lot of people want to see these guys fall. Not that that will necessarily harm them in the long run, but how much *NSYNC will the general public be able to take before there is a backlash? I distinctly remember thinking at age 13 that a large part of NKOTB's downfall was overexposure, and it breaks my heart to even have the thought cross my mind that *NSYNC could be going down that slippery slope.

There is something even more disturbing to me than simple fears of overexposure, however. I am getting the uncomfortable feeling that the guys are doing all of these projects and appearances right now because they are afraid that they only have a year or two left in this industry. I know that they are always saying in interviews that they hope to be around for a long time, but that's not exactly the way they're acting. They're acting like they have to strike while the iron is hot because somehow they'll miss their chance. And to me that's incredibly disheartening, because I want them to stick around for years and prove everybody wrong. And if they are going to pull that off, they need to pace themselves, for theirs and everone else's sakes. And so I worry.
Okay, I'm done.

I'm gonna break my own rules here and update this page without moving my latest rant to the "old stuff" page... because I can. ::cheeky grin:: Anyways, *NSYNC appeared on the MuchMusic special "Egos & Icons" on the 27th (E&I is an hour-long show devoted to showing a more in-depth look at an artist's or group's career)... Here is my review, and several billion wavs I made of the show. I also threw in a bunch of wavs I made of the MuchMusic appearance from March 22nd, including JC's precious denial of his pregnancy (hee hee!).

I gotta say, it kicked ass. The only problem was that at one point they were trying to show the comparison between *NSYNC and other "boy-bands" and so we were "treated" to a clip of "Larger than Life" and Howie being nice about them (an old clip, but at least the other guys were keeping their mouths shut back then)...

Um, what do I remember? They showed a lot of clips from the interviews they gave from Japan. Chris is spastic, Lance is one sarcastic bastard, and they both ought to take their acts on the road.

Highlights:
*Chris smacked JC upside the head at one point, and at another point was imitating him in a monotone voice
*When the guys were talking about how they party and it gets them into trouble sometimes, Lance goes "you get arrested ONCE and it gets BLOWN up..." Then Chris says, "The hardest word to erase is 'perv'." LMAO
*When talking about the lawsuit, JC said that it was almost a good thing that happened to them because sometimes "you have to take your spankings..." (WTF? He's mental) to which Lance responded "WHOA, JC.... WHOA!"
*They complained a little bit about fans getting all up in their business
*I think it's SO cute the way Justin and Lance say "Bye Bye Bye" so fast and with their Southern accents it sounds like they're saying "BaBaBA" ::giggles:: (shootme)

Unaired clips from the Sept. 4th interview:
*We all know that Joey's the slob
*Joey's wildest fantasy has changed... lol. Since he said "a big pool of Jell-o" he's been getting all these packs of Jell-o, so now it's "hundred dollar bills". He'd like to roll around in a pool of hundred-dollar bills. Justin laughed. Justin has a very large mouth.
*Chris played a practical joke on Lance once -- he lit a candle over an ice-cream scoop and then told Lance to try some. (Lance: I still have the scar! Joey: Words came out of Lance's mouth that..... Lance: Chris doesn't realize the pain involved with jokes.)
*JC seemed to think that saying "I concur, sir" when he agreed with anything was somehow cool.
*At one point Chris was doing stuff like licking his fingers and smoothing down his eyebrows with them, totally mugging for the camera... hehehe

Um...... ::racks brain::

Two girls won a photo shoot with *NSYNC in a contest last year... they were cool, not very teeny-ish at ALL, which is a good thing. *Upon taking the final picture, Lance shouted "she grabbed his butt!" (pointing to Joey) "She grabbed my butt!" (covering it protectively)

They showed several excerpts of the interview that's on the byebyebye.com website.
*JC is SO cute when talking about his idols... something like "they said, 'yeah, we're gonna get TR (Teddy Riley) in here for you' and we said 'you're gonna get WHOOOOOOO?'" (bug-eyed, slightly teeny-ish expression)

Stuff from "Making the Video" (you've probably seen this stuff):
*Justin is SOOOO friggin' smooth when he dances... he did this breakdancing thing in front of a mirror at one point and um... wow.... wow.
*At another point Joey was jumping around like a little kid (swinging his arms from side to side) and his shirt rode up and you could totally see his gut. LMAO. The squeamish might want to look away)

Wavs

A word about my wavs:
I hate to gripe in a somewhat "bitchy webmaster" manner, but I feel the need to explain a few things first. I don't have much of a problem with making wavs; as long as I have the time and the inclination I go hogwild (that's hog-wah-ild if you're from Mississippi). But for me to make them it's not that easy: the TV is in a different room from my computer so I have to carry my ghetto-blaster to the den, hook it up to the TV, record the clips I want onto a cassette, bring the ghetto back to my room, and make the wavs off of the cassette recording. I know, you're thinking "poor baby ::snort::"... but it is somewhat of an ordeal and this is why my wavs aren't as good a quality as I would wish they were.

Because of this, I think I'm a bit more sensitive to feedback about my wavs than I would be otherwise.... meaning that I need feedback for me to keep on wanting to make them. I don't care if you put these on your own site or anything like that, but I need to know if it's worth my time and effort to put these up, because if people are thinking that the wavs are such poor quality that they don't enjoy them, then I can save myself a lot of hassle and not bother. So if you think that these are any good, PLEASE (I am down, on my knees... not for that, Joey! Sheesh... oh, yeah, please do send Lance over... thanks -- okay, sorry about that) let me know, okay? There are more wavs from the March 22nd appearance that I can make, but they are on hold pending feedback. So you know what to do, aaaaiiiight?

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