December 2001

December 27, 2001 - Hiponline.com spoke with Britney Spears about her *NSYNC boyfriend Justin Timberlake's influence on her current album 'Britney' where Spears revealed, "Well, he wrote that one song on the record. But as far as the other stuff, he is a busybody himself, so I try not to bother him too much with the stuff that I do. But if I had something to ask him, his opinion, whatever he thinks and whatever his opinion is means a lot to me. I mean, he's everything to me. So I'm always asking him if I have something that's really weighing on my mind, he's always there for me. But other than that, he really didn't have that much input on this record. But definitely on my next one, hopefully he'll have a lot more." Read the full interview here.

December 27, 2001 - The RIAA has recognized the six times platinum 'Hotshot' as the best selling album of the year, beating out Enya's 'A Day Without Rain' and *NSYNC's 'Celebrity'. RIAA president/CEO Hilary Rosen said in a statement, "When the industry has a year when you can mention Shaggy, Enya, and 'N Sync in the same breath, there is a clear indication that Americans are not turning to any one genre of music." Read more.

December 24, 2001 - Anonymous writes "STAR Magazine (December 25) page 12 Pssst.... 'N sync's Joey Fatone caught blackjack fever at the Atantis Resort in Nassau, Bahamas. "The money he lost could have bought him a condo," a source reveals."

December 22, 2001 - Lynne Spears posted an updated on Lynne's Corner on Friday outlining her daughter's plans for the holidays. Lynne said, "It is four days before Christmas and Britney's last show is tonight. She will visit Justin at his home in Memphis. Brit will come home Christmas Eve, and stay home through the rest of the holidays. Bryan will come home for a week also." Lynne confirmed rumors that Britney's relatives had passed away saying "We lost Maw Ruth and Grandmother Lexie within twenty-four hours of each other. Britney came home for the funerals." Read more.

December 22, 2001 - Launch.com spoke with Mimi Valdes, editor at large for Vibe magazine, about the new single from *NSYNC titled 'Girlfriend.' Valdes said, "Girlfriend's lyrics are pure and innocent, and the song brings a cool R&B vibe to the marketplace. I think R&B was just missing [that]. It's just ironic that these white boys just brought that back." Read more.

December 22, 2001 - Thor Chistensen of the Dallas Morning News gave his thoughts on the year in music saying, "Music critics crossed their fingers and prayed 2001 would be the year the Backstreet Boys bit the dust, Britney [Spears] went bye-bye, and *NSYNC sank. Alas, it was not to be." Read more.

December 22, 2001 - Splash has photos of Britney Spears as she made a special trip to New York to pick up Christmas presents. Britney started her shopping at Chopard Jewelers on Madison Ave. and 63rd St. Justin Timberlake of *NSYNC is also in town. Check out the photos here.

December 21, 2001 - AOL revealed today that Britney Spears was the most searched for person for the year beating out Nostradamus and Oprah. Britney also had the #3 poll of the year asking 'Where Will Britney Be in Five Years?' with 35% saying she will be Mrs. Timberlake.

December 21, 2001 - AOL revealed Thursday that *NSYNC was the most searched band on their website for the year beating out the Backstreet Boys at #2 and O-Town at #3.

December 21, 2001 - Melinda posted an update for *NSYNC fans telling them "Happy Holidays from the *NSYNC Family." As for their holiday plans, she says, "The guys are finally taking a couple weeks to be with their family and friends during the Holidays. All will go be with their families and give their office people a chance to catch up." Read more.

December 20, 2001 - The new *NSYNC video for 'Girlfriend' will premiere on December 31 on MTV's New Year's Eve 2002 special. The video will feature Justin Timberlake drag racing a vintage Ford Mustang in footage filmed earlier this month. Read more on the video here.

December 20, 2001 - *NSYNC, Creed, Dave Matthews Band, Marc Anthony and Foo Fighters are among the artists scheduled to perform during a series of 16 evening concerts at the Olympic Winter Games in February.

December 20, 2001 - Jimmy Magahern of the Dallas Observer has a huge profile of the arrival of pop music into the mainstream as he said, "What we once dismissed as irritating kiddy noise we now embrace as classic, timeless bubblegum." Magahern cited *NSYNC's 'Pop' as the anthem for 'new pop'. Read more.

December 20, 2001 - Conan O'Brien joked during a bit on Wednesday, "I got a [Christmas] card from *NSYNC. Isn't that nice? Oh, well, you'll love this then. No, it's true. Look at this. *NSYNC sent me this. It says -- "During the holidays, it's more important to give than to receive." And then it says -- "Fortunately, we can do both." Love, *NSYNC! Lawsuit in five, four -- Not my problem, they sue the network. They show some liquor ads, and they get the money back!" The card featured naked members of the group in a choo-choo train position with a black rectangular bar blacking out their privates.

December 20, 2001 - Maybe writers for Jay Leno weren't watching the previous night's Craig Kilborn show as Jay joked during his Wednesday monologue, "Britney Spears said this week she will not -- she will not pose naked for an anti-fur ad after it was announced she would. Remember she said she's gonna do it? Now, she's not. Today, a spokesman for PETA said, it's extremely frustrating for Britney to lead the group to believe she was cooperating, and then all of a sudden changed her mind at the last minute. Which [*NSYNC's] Justin Timberlake said, 'Tell me about it.'"

December 20, 2001 - E! Online's Ted Casablanca has a blind item this week that might make readers recall Britney Spears and *NSYNC's Justin Timberlake being robbed of a videotape from a Florida town a few months back. Ted only describes the couple as "nubile, famous folks are celebrated the world over for their undiminished and unscathed love for each other" and refers to them as "young lovers." Read more. Any guesses?

December 19, 2001 - The New York Daily News reports *NSYNC's Joey Fatone and Lance Bass visited the set of "Men in Black II" after getting an invite from makeup artist Rick Baker, a six-time Oscar-winner. What had people talking though was Joey wearing a T-shirt saying, 'N Stink'. Fans though realize it's nothing unusual for the guys in the group.

December 19, 2001 - Craig Kilborn joked during his Tuesday monologue, "In celebrity news, Britney Spears has now decide not to pose naked for an anti-fur ad. When reached for comment, [*NSYNC's]Justin Timberlake told PETA, now you know how I feel."

December 18, 2001 - Thanks GangstaBarbie. C&A magazine talked with Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bundchen who was asked about her favorite kinds of music. Gisele said, "I love Brazilian music, from Legião Urbana to Caetano Veloso. From Marisa Monte to Elis Regina. Also,I love Prince, he's amazing. It's basically a mix of everything, 80's artists, Brazilian artists. I just don't like *NSYNC,sh** like that. It's crap, and I can't stand someone who steps in a stage to sing 'Hit Me Baby One More Time' for the 10000th time. I like artists who sing and perform their own songs."

December 17, 2001 - aj_iz_da_mac writes "A British reporter known as Irish-Mac reported that 'they have gotten so much, it's unbelievable, especially for the short time they've been around.' *NSYNC recently topped off the Billboards by winning everything that they were nominated for, beating out their biggest rivalrys, The Backstreet Boys." Read more.

December 17, 2001 - The New York Post reports *NSYNC's Lance Bass was sighted with a bottle of Jack Daniels on his table, being interviewed for an MTV nightclub special at Suite 16.

December 17, 2001 - Some of the more visible parents of today's top pop stars are drawing some search engine interest of their own. Topping the Overture.com search queries are Lynn Harless, the often visible mother of *NSYNC's Justin Timberlake who received 108 searches during the month of November. Next up was Britney Spears' mother Lynne Spears who received 106 searches. Joe Simpson, father of Jessica Simpson received 89 searches. Surprisingly, the most vocal parent on the web, Christina Aguilera's mother Shelly Kearns, didn't receive the 25 search limit to even be listed.

December 16, 2001 - YM magazine talked with Justin Timberlake in their January issue where the singer admits about his mother, "We're best friends. I've done some stupid things, but there wasn't anything that I couldn't talk to my mom about. She told me, 'You're gonna do dumb things and you're gonna do great things. As long as you learn from them, that's all that matters'" Read more.

December 16, 2001 - This week's US Weekly has news and photos of Britney Spears' birthday weekend for the singer who turned 20 on December 2. Britney and *NSYNC's Justin Timberlake took a private jet to the Lake Placid Lodge in upstate New York and stayed in a 700 dollar-per-night cabin that had no television but did 'offer' separate beds. They also talk about her strip tease gift from stripper Steven Peters and her New Jersey concert dance performance where O-Town her with "Happy Birthday". Read more.

December 14, 2001 - Craig Kilborn joked during his Thursday monologue about the what we now know is a false story about Britney Spears getting nude for the PETA anti-fur campaign and threw in a shot at her *NSYNC boyfriend. Kilborn joked, "When boyfriend Justin Timberlake asked whether it would make him jealous. He said jealous? Why would I be jealous? I'm g---... yeah, I'm really, really jealous. Spokesman for Britney says fake fur is the perfect accessory for fake singing, fake breasts and fake virginity."

December 14, 2001 - WENN reports Justin Timberlake's planned role in the movie version of Rent was put on hold following September 11 as the film was set to be filmed in New York City. Justin said of his budding acting career, "I want to hurry up and jump into acting but I'm choosing my roles carefully and I don't want to be an actor just to say I'm an actor. I wanna be involved with a movie that means something and that people feel. I'm really in touch with dramas, but I also like to make people laugh, so I'll probably do a mixture of both."

December 13, 2001 - News.com.au spoke with Janet Jackson about who did the best cover of one of her songs where she replied, "I like the way 'N Sync did That's the Way Love Goes. They're very talented. I think that version is beautiful." Read more.

December 12, 2001 - Buddyhead reports today that during the filming of the "What's going on video", the blindfolds that *NSYNC's Justin Timberlake and Limp Bizkit's Fred Durst were supposed to wear had "Gay" written on them. Both stars refused to wear the bandanas and stormed off the set. Perhaps in a carryover from the move, Justin Timberlake was a no-show at the press conference for Call For Action: Stop Global AIDS Campaign in Las Vegas just before the Billboard Music Awards.

December 12, 2001 - Hits Daily Double shows Britney Spears' latest effort 'Britney' receiving a 10% jump in sales for the week as she climbs back up 2 to the #4 spot behind heavyweight Creed and the always popular NOW series and the NOW Xmas special compilation. Other pop acts in the charts are Enrique slipping to #12, Shakira holding at #15 and Backstreet Boys' Hits outpacing *NSYNC's Celebrity. Michael Jackson's Invincible continued to show vincibility, dropping to #27, just ahead of the Madonna GHV2 album. Mariah's Greatest Hits album on Columbia debuted so low it may fall of some observer's radars clocking in at a pathetic #44 with 64,000 sales.

December 12, 2001 - The Sun reports Pink has revealed a desire to sleep with Justin Timberlake more than any other boy-band member. Pink also joked about Britney Spears supposedly not having sex with her *NSYNC boyfriend saying, "I live with Justin but he doesn’t bend me over every night. No way."

December 8, 2001 - *NSYNC's Chris Kirkpatrick and Justin Timberlake were on Access Hollywood where Chris talked about the death of Beatles great George Harrison saying, "Whenever you have, like, somebody in the business, you know, that passes on, you think before their time, not only do you lose that person but you lose all the music that person creates." 

December 8, 2001 - The Sun has a photo of Justin Timberlake dressed as Elton John for Elton's video for new song This Train Don’t Stop There Anymore, due out on January 7. Elton said of Timberlake, "The video is stunning. Justin looks amazing – it takes me right back to the Seventies." Check out the photo of Justin from the David LaChapelle directed video here.

December 7, 2001 - Spin magazine talked with Gorillaz about various bands and songs in the January issue including *NSYNC and Pop. Jamie Hewlett groaned, "I thought boy bands had died out. They're so sh**. Are Justin Timberlake and Britney shagging each other? Is there going to be a live broadcast fo their first sexual encounter together?" Nakamura added, "I don't know who's in *NSYNC except for Justin Timberland [sic]. Let's just say they're no O-Town." Hewlett added of the song's beat-box, "The sound effects are like somebody is on the toilet."

December 6, 2001 - Bill Zwecker of the Chicago Sun Times reports *NSYNC's Lance Bass has been constantly e-mailing Destiny's Child singer Kelly Rowland and sending pricy bouquets. A flattered Rowland insisted to pals though that she only likes Bass ''as a friend. Period.''

December 6, 2001 - WireImage.com has a huge gallery of photos from the 2001 Fox Billboard Awards in Las Vegas on Tuesday. For photos of Aaron Carter, *NSYNC, Mandy Moore, Janet Jackson, and dozens of other musical stars. Check out all the photos here.

December 5, 2001 - *NSYNC picked up a special Billboard Award (along with DMX) for record-breaking achievement this year, for having the most first week sales of an album this year with Celebrity. The band came up to accept the award saying, "Oh, he wow. Ok. We'll make this quick, of course. You know, Berniea Mac told us to make this quick. So we want to thank God, obviously. Our family, our friends, especially all you guys. Thank you. Thank you to God, definitely for giving us this life. It's amazing and we're so glad to make the music for you. The fans, thank you so much because you are the ones that make this. Our management, Johnny Wright, Melinda, Dave, everyone there, Jive Records, amazing record company. And our mamas. We love our mamas. Happy birthday, Kerry. Thank you very much."

December 5, 2001 - Norm Clarke of the Las Vegas Review Journal reports *NSYNC's Joey Fatone was spotted posing for a photo with a bride and her bridesmaids at Planet Hollywood on Saturday, while signing T-shirts for the band's charity "Challenge for the Children."

December 5, 2001 - The Enquirer has more details on the Britney Spears night of drinking with boyfriend Justin Timberlake of *NSYNC at C2K, which prompted the Las Vegas Liquor Commission to cite the bar for serving the underaged couple and pals. A witness told the Enquirer, "Britney looked like she was feeling no pain and, at one point, got very loud and started shouting: 'This is Las Vegas, let's party.' Then waitresses offered the group more drinks. Her party started slamming down shots of Jagermeister so fast the waitresses couldn't keep up with them. Other guests were commenting on how rude those so-called stars were." Read more.

December 4, 2001 - Associated Press reports *NSYNC has teamed with Audemars Piguet to raise money for children orphaned by the September 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. The Swiss watch maker has created 50 men's and 150 women's limited-edition watches that also will benefit needy children through "Challenge for the Children," 'N Sync's foundation. Read more.

December 4, 2001 - Lance Bass called into Perfect 98.7 in Singapore to talk about a variety of issues including his role in 'On The Line', his popularity in Singapore, and his post 9-11 thoughts. Check out the full interview here.

December 3, 2001 - If  you look at Sunday's Best Buy advertising circular in the newspaper today, you'll see that this week's *NSYNC bobblehead is Lance Bass, which you can buy for $9.99 if you buy $25 or more worth of merchandise at the store. If you look up on the monitor advertised on the same front page, you'll see an email from Wendi to jerry@bestbuy.com saying, "Jerry, check this out! Best Buy is selling collectible NSYNC Bobbleheads! This week they are selling Lance. You better get there early to pick one up for your daughter." Nice subliminal message eh?

December 3, 2001 - The New York Post reports Mark Anthony arrived at New York nightclub Pangaea with *NSYNC's Lance Bass and Erin Crosby at 3:45 a.m. and had promised to sign autographs. When Anthony was offered free champagne for the fans, Anthony scoffed, "Don't waste it on this crowd. Give them beer."

December 3, 2001 - The Las Vegas Review Journal reports *NSYNC's Joey Fatone and pals were spotted taking in Carrot Top's show at the MGM Grand on Friday night.

December 2, 2001 - *NSYNC are included in the latest Popdirt.com poll asking "What Was The Top Pop Song Of 2001?" for "Pop". Vote here.

December 2, 2001 - WireImage.com has photos of *NSYNC's Joey Fatone who is sporting his new shaved heave with the foo-man-choo during his appearance at Planet Hollywood Saturday to sign t-shirts for the "Challenge for the Children" charity. Check out 15 photos from the signing here.

December 1, 2001 - During his Friday night monologue, Jay Leno joked about *NSYNC, the Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears, and Mariah Carey. Read here for a rundown.