August 2002

August 31, 2002 - The New York Post has details of the after parties following the MTV Video Music Awards. The near rumble between Sean 'P. Diddy' Combs' bouncers and the Ja Rule posse was the big story at his Cipriani bash, while *NSYNC star Justin Timberlake declined a dance-off with Usher at 'The Greatest Party of All Time', and Avril Lavigne had to beg to get into the party, not exactly dressed the part. Read more.

August 31, 2002 - Associated Press has a video clip of *NSYNC star Lance Bass talking about his trip to space this fall, where he promised to sing in space. Lance says it's not about show business, it's about education. Watch the clip here.

August 31, 2002 - According to People Magazine, *NSYNC star Justin Timberlake got a special visit from actress Alyssa Milano during filming of the first video from his new album, 'Like I Love You'. According to a source, the pair spent the better part of the day in Timberlake's trailer, and an *NSYNC member confirmed that there is something growing between the two.

August 31, 2002 - Celebrity Vibe has photos of Def Jam Island Records & Blender Magazine Post MTV Awards Party in New York on Thursday (August 29). Included at the bash were the Clipse, Russell Simmons, Charli Baltimore, Ja Rule, Foxy Brown, Vita, Christina Aguilera, Chris Kirkpatrick of *NSYNC, Ashanti, and Anna Kournikova giving a lap-dance to boyfriend Enrique Iglesias. Check out all the photos here.

August 31, 2002 - MTV News spoke with *NSYNC's Chris Kirkpatrick on the Eminem vs. Moby fued that he was sitting in the middle of at last night's MTV Video Music Awards, but managed to not get his ass kicked, as Slim rapped in 'Without Me'. Chris said, "I love Eminem, I love Moby. Why can't we just be friends? They should just make fun of me." As for bandmate Justin Timberlake's debut solo performance, Chris commented, "I'm just right behind him usually. Now I get to sit in front of him and watch. It was a good time. He's got a great thing going." Read more.

August 31, 2002 - Tons of photos from last night's Video Music Awards are on the net today, including shots of *NSYNC, Enrique Iglesias with girlfriend Anna Kournikova, Avril Lavigne, Eminem, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Christina Milian, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Justin Guarini, Kelly Clarkson, Ludacris, Kylie Minogue, Michael Jackson, Shakira, Willa Ford, and more. Check out photos from Yahoo, WireImagecom, GlobePhotos, GettyImages, and LFI (PressRoom, Arrivals1, Arrivals2, and Sean 'P. Diddy' Combs Party).

August 31, 2002 - Triumph The Insult Comic Dog on MTV.com joked about life for *NSYNC star Justin Timberlake following his split with longtime galpal Britney Spears. "Justin Timberlake looks good," Triumph said. "He has facial hair now. He looks really tough now that he's getting some tail. It's nice. After two years of just having to lick himself like the rest of us, it's good to see him up there. But Britney, I understand, you know, she's got her thing, she's saving herself. Yeah right, and I poop Godiva chocolate." Read more.

August 31, 2002 - Chris Kirkpatrick covered the MTV Video Music Awards on Thursday night for CBS News and spoke with Britney Spears, Shakira, *NSYNC bandmates Joey Fatone and JC Chasez, and finally Justin Timberlake, who he joked had left the group to persue a solo career while guys like him were taking side jokes with CBS News. Watch the interview (right menu under multimedia) here.

August 31, 2002 - NSYNC star JC Chasez was one of the few wearing clothing that was pitching something... onlyartist.com. Checking out the site, it appears to be under construction with some fancy graphics and talking about "music freedom." You'd think based on the title it's some sort of independant distribution system for artists. If so, is Jive happy about this? Check it out here.

August 31, 2002 - Roger Friedman of FoxNews.com gave thoughts on last night's MTV Video Music Awards. Friedman writes, "The MTV Video Music Awards are like Mardi Gras, Fourth of July and Halloween all rolled into one. The music is mostly awful, the so-called artists are forgettable. But the show! The show is a wonderment! It's full of so many simultaneous excesses -- like the godawful Shakira belly-dancing, and Justin Timberlake's failed attempt to launch his solo career, and Eminem insulting Moby -- that you can't take it seriously. You just to have to enjoy it." Read more, including Roger's report from Sean 'P. Diddy' Combs' self-proclaimed Greatest Party Ever at Cipriani here.

August 30, 2002 - Our last poll asking if you prefer the solo debut single from *NSYNC's Justin Timberlake or Backstreet Boys' Nick Carter had about 60% of you voting for Nick's 'Help Me', enough to easily beat Timberlake's new hit 'Like I Love You', which he performed at the MTV Video Music Awards on Thursday.

August 30, 2002 - One of Jimmy Fallon's skits at the Video Music Awards on Thursday was on *NSYNC star Lance Bass. Fallon, as Bass, said, "Hey, guys. It's me, Lance Bass. Bass sings the bass, you know, I want my babyback babyback, you know, the hits. I'm going to level with you. I actually launched myself into space..." Read more.

August 30, 2002 - The New York Post reports *NSYNC star Justin Timberlake joined bandmate Joey Fatone at Planet Hollywood. Justin was spotted there tongue-wrestled with backup dancer Jenna Dewan, as well as chatting up Britney Spears' personal assistant, Felicia, who was there without Britney.

August 30, 2002 - MTV News spoke with Joey Fatone, JC Chasez, and Chris Kirkpatrick before the Video Music Awards on Thursday. The trio were joined by the self-proclaimed newest member of *NSYNC, Jennifer Love Hewitt. Read here for a transcript.

August 30, 2002 - Suchin Pak of MTV News spoke with *NSYNC star Justin Timberlake before the MTV Video Music Awards. Justin said no big surprises for his performance and said he was excited for the November 5th release of his debut solo album 'Justified.' Read here for a transcript.

August 30, 2002 - Justin Timberlake of *NSYNC hung out with Damien on MTV's Total Request Live before his performance tonight at the MTV Video Music Awards. Justin talked about his first solo gig and his debut solo album 'Justified', which he had a little trouble finding out the release date for. Read here for a transcript.

August 30, 2002 - WireImage.com has photos from the Stuff Magazine 2002 MTV VMA Pre-Party on Wednesday (August 28) at Lot 61 in New York City, where Christina Aguilera and *NSYNC star Justin Timberlake were in attendance. Check out the WireImage.com pictures here and a big one of Christina from RexFeatures.

August 30, 2002 - JC Chasez and Justin Timberlake of *NSYNC were out in Midtown Wednesday night as bandmate Joey Fatone made his Broadway debut in 'Rent' and WB11 was there. They spoke with JC and Justin before Joey took the stage. Watch the clip here.

August 30, 2002 - WireImage.com has photos of the 'Rent' after-party at Planet Hollywood on Wednesday (August 28) at Planet Hollywood in New York City. Check out the photos that feature *NSYNC's Joey Fatone, who stars in the Broadway number, and Justin Timberlake here.

August 30, 2002 - Sounds like *NSYNC star Justin Timberlake was exhibiting some rather snooty behavior to his Backstreet Boys rival Nick Carter at Jive Records headquarters, where both are set to release their solo debuts. According to Groovevolt.com's inside sources, Nick's meeting with execs at the label started late because Timberlake was meeting with them when he arrived. "When Justin finally appeared," the insider adds. "He noticed Nick waiting and greeted him with a sly smirk and kept walking." Read more, including news on a possible Whitney Houston and Toni Braxton collaboration here.

August 30, 2002 - Lance confirmed he was going to be the third space tourist, though financing still seems up in the air at this point. "I'm so lucky to be able to go up," the singer said. "I'm definitely not afraid. I know how the whole system works. I feel - not safe, its one of the most dangerous things you could possibly do - but I'm in good hands." Read more.

August 30, 2002 - NSYNC star Justin Timberlake was the Hot Shot Debut of the week on Billboard this week, coming in at #67 on the Hot 100 chart with his solo debut single 'Like I Love You'. Timberlake also debuted at #64 on the Hot 100 Airplay chart.

August 29, 2002 - Orley Hood of the Clarion-Ledger has a funny look at Lance Bass' quest to rocket up to the international space station, including his top 10 reasons for wanting to do it. Amongst the reasons:
1) Nobody from the Backstreet Boys has the nerve to do it.
6) To impress Britney Spears.
Read more.

August 29, 2002 - WillaFord.org has video captures of Willa Ford and *NSYNC's Chris Kirkpatrick hosting Wednesday night's Miss Teen USA Pageant on CBS. Check them out here.

August 29, 2002 - Us Weekly's interview with *NSYNC star Justin Timberlake has been scanned on JustJustin.nsync.nu. In the article, Justin talks about his role model, Michael Jordan. "You think of Jordan back inthe '90s, he never failed," Timberlake said. "He never shows weakness. The look in his eye was the eye of the tiger. I grew up watching those eyes win six championships." Of course he also talks about his solo debut, his rumored romance, and a little bit on his split with Britney Spears. Check out the article/pictures here.

August 29, 2002 - Associated Press spoke with industry insiders on the big fall lineup of new albums hitting stores. Alex Pappademas, an associate editor at Spin commented on Christina Aguilera's yet to be titled new album saying, "There's always a sense with these teen-pop people that they are very micromanaged. She seems like she's breaking out and doing controversial things ... (but) there's always the possibility of a backlash against her, like, she's trying to be something she's not." Pappademas seems to be betting on *NSYNC star Justin Timberlake to be the big winner with his solo debut. "There's going to be a lot of attention paid to this, because of all the boy-band types he seems to be the who will break out," he said. Read more.

August 29, 2002 - Damien chatted with Usher on MTV's Total Request Live on Wednesday before Thursday's big MTV Video Music Awards where Usher is nominated in three categories. Usher says when asked what is he looking to see at the awards, the breakup of *NSYNC star Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears was on his mind. "I want to see Britney and Justin get into a scrap or something like that," he said. Read RNBDirt.com for a transcript.

August 29, 2002 - Duane Carey, a space shuttle pilot and father of two teens spoke with the Associated Press on *NSYNC star Lance Bass and his quest to reach outer space, something he's excited about. "What's exciting about this is getting a creative person up there," he said. "Maybe some songs or some poetry or some type of inspiration can come out of it." He added, "You get a guy up there (like Bass) whose whole life has been built around the right half of his brain and creativeness and everything, it's going to be really interesting." Read more.

August 29, 2002 - TV Guide had seven silly questions for *NSYNC's Chris Kirkpatrick, including one asking if he secretly is hoping bandmate Justin Timberlake tanks with his 'Justified' solo debut. "Not in the least bit," Chris said. "That's my little brother. If that was the most successful album ever, it still wouldn't surpass my expectations. It would take a lot for me to wish him not well. Anything that happens for him can only help us as a group, too." Read more.

August 29, 2002 - *NSYNC star Chris Kirkpatrick was on 104.7 KISS FM on Wednesday ahead of his co-hosting job of the Miss Teen USA pageant on CBS along with Willa Ford. Kirkpatrick talked about his first big hosting job, Justin Timberlake's solo album, Joey Fatone's Broadway gig, Lance Bass and his efforts to go to outer space, Eminem's 'Without Me' diss towards him, and the future of *NSYNC. On the last subject, Chris said, "Well, yeah, you know, we talked about breaking up and it's right there on the forefront and it's probably gonna happen within the..." Read more.

August 28, 2002 - Some video captures of *NSYNC star Chris Kirkpatrick on E! News Live from Tuesday have been posted. Chris was backstage before co-hosting Wednesday's Miss Teen USA 2002 pageant with Willa Ford which happens on Wednesday (August 28) on CBS at 9PM EST/PST. Check out the vidcaps here.

August 28, 2002 - Marty Kudelka's mother posted on his official site on Tuesday that she spoke to her son in New York and said that Justin Timberlake's performance, which her son is dancing and handling choreography for, won't have any 'special guests'. Mom writes, "I've listened to Justin's song 3 times now & I am in awe of his talent; as M. said I would be; & everyone else in this world! So,now we just have to wait & see the whole performance; with the dancers--did I mention that Marty will be dancing, too? Yes, a rare appearance as something besides a choreographer.Also, Justin's already told the public about his Music Video for this song--& yes, Marty did the choreography on that--& YES, he also dancing on it! I know you guys can NOT tell who is the most excited MOM on the planet,can you?" Read more.

August 28, 2002 - Those are the words from Justin Timberlake in the new issue of Us Weekly, according to both Entertainment Tonight and Access Hollywood. The *NSYNC star is set to open up about life after his split with Britney Spears. The issue hits newsstands on Friday.

August 28, 2002 - NASA's Kyle Herring, a spokesman for the Johnson Space Center explained to the Houston Chronicle why *NSYNC star Lance Bass is already doing his training without any guarantees he'll be making the October 28th scheduled launch, having still not paid the $20 million tab. "You need to get the training done because if you put that on hold, you are basically compressing a schedule that does not need to be compressed any more." Read more.

August 28, 2002 - Associated Press reports *NSYNC singer Lass Bass won the endorsement of NASA and other space agencies Tuesday in his bid to fly to the international space station this fall. The final sticking point is the biggest hurdle, the $20 million price-tag to make the trip. Read more.

August 28, 2002 - Searches for *NSYNC star Chris Kirkpatrick weren't very strong for the month of July, though he did eek out more searches than one bandmate, Joey Fatone. 'Chris Kirkpatrick' was searched 8,054 times for the month on pay-per search engine Overture.com, less than 1/10 of group centerpiece Justin Timberlake. Searches seem to indicate his popularity was boosted by getting dissed by Emiinem in 'Without Me'. For a complete list of Chris Kirkpatrick related searches, read here.

August 28, 2002 - WENN reports Britney Spears was wearing the $150,000 diamond ring given to her by *NSYNC star Justin Timberlake to the Teen Choice Awards. Britney had originally discarded it after they split, but chose to wear it once more when she knew her ex-boyfriend would see it, as Justin was a presenter at the bash. Read more.

August 27, 2002 - Cindy Adams of the New York Post reports that while *NSYNC star Justin Timberlake is a bit nervous about his first solo performance at Thursday's Video Music Awards, he's "not sooo-o nervous that, whilst in New York, he can't pursue his highly active rabidly heterosexual social life avocation. We do not mention the 'B' word, but let's just say he is not selectively sticking to singers."

August 27, 2002 - There are only days remaining for people to add their names to *NSYNC star Justin Timberlake's Congressional petition in support of music education. Thousands of people across the country have already gone online to join the cause at the urging of the popular recording artist, and the petition will close on Labor Day. "Everyone knows how important music is to me, but this issue goes beyond performing and recording," Timberlake says. "This is about an opportunity that every young person should enjoy, no matter what career they aspire to. I want to do everything I can to make sure other people can benefit from music education." Read more.

August 27, 2002 - Associated Press reports Lance Bass started a week of NASA training on Monday for a possible flight to the international space station, even though the trip is still up in the air because of contract issues with the Russians. The *NSYNC star has yet to clinch a deal with the Russian Space Agency despite months of wrangling, and he's yet to be endorsed by a panel of space station representatives. Read more.

August 27, 2002 - Marty Kudelka fansite reports that he'll be handling choreography for *NSYNC star Justin Timberlake for the Video Music Awards on Thursday (August 29). In addition, Mary will be one of the backup dancers onstage, along with Kelly Konno, Eddie Morales, Roger Lee, and Justin's rumored girlfriend, Jenna Dewan. Read more.

August 27, 2002 - MTV News spoke with Chad Hugo of the Neptunes, who talked about working with *NSYNC star Justin Timberlake on his debut solo effort 'Justified', due November 12. "He's a really hard worker," Hugo said of Timberlake. "He would stay up late every night just to finish up backing vocals. I think people want to put him in a box, a boy band box, or an *NSYNC box, but he's not like that. He's a real individual and a dope vocalist." Read more.

August 25, 2002 - Looks like the insider saying the money needed to pay for Lance Bass' trip to outer space would be in by Friday was wrong, as Associated Press reports the Russians are still waiting for their $20 million. Konstantin Kreidenko, spokesman for the Russian Space Agency, said that if the money did not arrive within the next few days, the *NSYNC star would not be permitted to continue training for the Russian flight to the station, which is scheduled to begin October 28th. Read more.

August 24, 2002 - MTV News spoke with the director of *NSYNC's Video Music Award nominated 'Gone' (in the Video of the Year category), Herb Ritts. "One thing about the video is it just feels honest and pure," Ritts said. "It's a bit iconic. You could probably see this video 10 years from now and feel the same thing. It's timeless, the way it visually hooks you and leaves you with something." Read more.

August 24, 2002 - Katrillion profiled the several acts which have seen its members recently do solo albums, including Destiny's Child, Justin Timberlake of *NSYNC, and Nick Carter of the Backstreet Boys. Whitney Matheson, USAToday.com's Pop Candy columnist commented, "They may signify the end of an era. I don't think the boy bands are going to be the same after the solo albums come out. Destiny's Child, however, may go on, especially since they're a bit younger than the others." Read more.

August 24, 2002 - Flo Anthony's Gossip To Go update on K104 focused on the upcoming 1-year anniversary of Aaliyah's death on Sunday (August 25) and the troubles with Virgin Records on paying funeral expenses, as well as the reports that Janet Jackson has asked *NSYNC star Justin Timberlake to father her love child. Listen to the clip here.

August 23, 2002 - LFI has photos of *NSYNC star Joey Fatone, Marissa Jaret Winokur and Deborah Gibson at the after party for the broadway premiere of 'Hairspray' at Roseland in New York City last Friday (August 16), Check out the photos here.

August 23, 2002 - According to AllAccess.com, Like I Love You is getting 6 times more spins (798) than Help Me (173). It's also being played on 39 stations to Nick's 11. And that was just the pop format. In the urban/crossover chart, Like I Love You is getting almost 300 spins per week. Read more. [Requires free membership]

August 23, 2002 - Launch.com reports that according to inside sources, *NSYNC star Lance Bass could be making an official announcement as early as Friday (August 23) confirming that funding issues for the trip have been resolved, and Bass's $20 million mission to the International Space Station will go on as planned. The Russian Space Agency imposed the August 23 deadline on the singer to come up with the money in order for him to be eligible to participate the October 22 launch. Read more.

August 23, 2002 - People Magazine's big interview with Britney Spears has been posted online. In it, Britney talks about her split with *NSYNC star Justin Timberlake, her parents split, stalking Brad Pitt's mansion, her eroding good girl image, and more. On the subject of weaker album sales with her latest album 'Britney', the singer said, "Selling 5 million records is still good. I don't want to get jaded thinking I have to sell 10 million every time. It's not about that." Read more.

August 23, 2002 - Joey Fatone spoke with the CBS Early Show about his role as Mark in 'Rent', which he admits is a big change from an *NSYNC concert performance. "This is obviously a little different because there’s characters involved. There’s acting involved. It’s not *NSYNC performing," said Fatone. "Here, it’s like you’re laughing and crying with the people on stage. I think it’s going to open a lot of people's eyes up, as far as the generation that listens to our music." Read more.

August 23, 2002 - MirCorp President Jeffrey Manber tells Space.com that if Lance Bass of *NSYNC is unable to secure financing for the Soyuz capsule bound for the International Space Station in November, his spot will be replaced by a cargo container. "If we don't solve the contract issues in the next couple days, Lance will not fly and a cargo container will fly instead," he said. "That's the plan." Read more.

August 23, 2002 - New York Magazine reports *NSYNC star Joey Fatone has approached VH1 execs about developing an 'Osbournes' type reality show that would focus on him and his family, including his mom, Phyllis, and siblings Janine and Steven.

August 22, 2002 - popdirt.com's latest poll is one MTV.com is running also, which is whether you prefer the new solo cuts from *NSYNC's Justin Timberlake or the Backstreet Boys' Nick Carter. Vote here.

August 22, 2002 - Z100's 'Interactive 9 at 9', features the 9 most requested songs of the day. *NSYNC star Justin Timberlake's 'Like I Love You' was #8. While Backstreet Boys star Nick Carter was charted at #5 with 'Help Me'. Fans get to vote for there favorites with this free phone number, 1-800-242-0100.

August 22, 2002 - DiVa4LiFe writes "Joey Fatone will be interviewed live Tomorrow on E! News Live on the E! Network at 6:30pm ET. He will discuss the future of *NSYNC and his role in the hit Broadway show 'Rent'. "

August 22, 2002 - People Magazine's Todd Gold spoke with Britney Spears who cleared things up about her break-up with *NSYNC star Justin Timberlake as well as the split between her parents. On the Timberlake split, Gold tells Access Hollywood, "Britney reveals for the first time that this breakup was a saga. First, Justin broke up with her and then they tried to reconcile. Then she broke up with him. She said that was the hardest part, making that decision, making that declaration to Justin that this was not going to be any longer." As for her parents divorce, Gold said, "She is pleased it's happening and it's official, that her parents fought when she was little and they are much better off apart." Read more, including news on Britney's admission to stalking the home of Brad Pitt recently, here.

August 22, 2002 - Alloy.com chatted with Mark Barry, Christian Burns, Ste McNally of BBMak and one of the subjects was whether they enjoyed touring with Britney Spears or *NSYNC more: 
Ste: They're both really nice people but, of course... 
Mark: Doing the tour *NSYNC was the best because we got the full band on stage. Whereas on the Britney Spears tour, we didn't. 
Christian: They're cool guys. 
Ste: Who's cooler? You know, with Britney, that was like playing in front of 20 to 25 thousand people. Then our single went up the charts, and we ended up touring with *NSYNC in front of crowds of 70,000! 
Mark: There's a big difference.
Check out the entire interview here.

August 22, 2002 - After wild partying, drinking, and smoking, Britney Spears was given an earful by mother Lynne and has decided to ditch the lifestyle in favor of a more health-conscious one like her idol Madonna. Britney had turned to booze to cope with the ended relationship with *NSYNC star Justin Timberlake. "Britney has realized that whatever she does she is still going to miss Justin," said a friend of Spears. "She knows now that partying isn’t the answer and that even if she tries to escape the reality by going out with friends, she will inevitably bump into him or some of their mutual pals. All it does is remind her about what she has lost — and what she needs most right now is to forget about him. Justin has moved on and now must Britney. It’s taken a while but now she’s ready to start afresh. Britney did have a wild period but we are all hoping it’s behind her now." Read more.

August 22, 2002 - Radio 1 reports that Joey Fatone has revealed radio bosses wanted *NSYNC to dump Lance Bass from the group if they wanted to make it big. "It happened when we first started. We were doing a showcase for a record company and they basically said Lance doesn't need to be in the group, we need to get someone else in the group," he said. "And we were like, no! People have told us it was never going to work, other groups are already out there..." Read more.

August 22, 2002 - The New York Post reports industry insiders are saying Justin Timberlake's new album 'Justified' is a better debut solo effort than Backstreet Boys rival Nick Carter's 'Now Or Never'. "Justin’s new album, ‘Justified,’ is amazing," said one industry insider. "He is going to be huge." As for Carter, his disc is said to be such a disappointment, his label Jive almost didn’t release it. For their part, a Jive rep told the Post, "We are behind Nick 100 percent. He’s doing his video for ‘Help Me’ next week, and we fully support him."

August 21, 2002 - MTV News spoke with *NSYNC star Justin Timberlake about his debut album, titled 'Justified', which is set for a November 12th release. "I don't want to say too much about it," Timberlake said of the album. "I want people to get what they get from it. It's definitely a new sound — not just from me, but period." He added, "I think it's cool. I hope everybody else does." Read more.

August 21, 2002 - MuchMusic caught up with the Neptunes and N.E.R.D.'s Pharrell Williams in Toronto over the weekend where he commented on Justin Timberlake's new solo album. "The new Justin Timberlake, it's incredible," said Williams. "[*NSYNC] are all really talented, it's just that we ended up working with Justin at this point. But his album is incredible and I say 'globe get ready'."

August 21, 2002 - *NSYNC star Joey Fatone will be on the CBS Early Show Wednesday (August 21) sometime between 7-9 am, likely to talk about his role in 'Rent' and perhaps what the rest of the group is up to.

August 21, 2002 - KIIS FM has an audio clip of *NSYNC star Justin Timberlake releasing his new song 'Like I Love You' and phoning in to Rick Dees to talk about the early leak of the single. Justin wondered how he got the album but said he was glad Rick played the album. Justin did confirm the mansion he bought in LA was in the $8 million range. Justin talked about recording the album in Virginia Beach, what's left on the album, his insistance that *NSYNC will put out another album, but would be friends even if they didn't, and more. Listen to the 17 minute interview, which includes the new song, here.

August 20, 2002 - NSYNC star Justin Timberlake was featured in MTV's Total Request Live on Monday during the news feature. Check out video captures from the brief clip here.

August 20, 2002 - Associated Press reports the Russian space agency has given Lance Bass of *NSYNC five days to come up with payment for a trip to the international space station this fall, a spokesman said Monday. Read more.

August 20, 2002 - NSYNC star Justin Timberlake and his 'American Idol' spoof is on Extra TV in case you missed it on Monday's Teen Choice Awards. Justin moved on to Hollywood by stand-in judges from Mad TV and Carmen Electra playing Paula Abdul. Watch the clip here.

August 19, 2002 - Victoria Gotti of the New York Post chatted with *NSYNC star Joey Fatone about his new gig on Broadway in 'Rent'. Joey says, "I always enjoyed theater. The challenge of being out there on my own and not part of a group is electrifying." That doesn't mean he'll be leaving *NSYNC anytime soon. "I'm in 'Rent' until the end of the year - then the guys and I are getting back together to start writing [new songs]," he said. Read more.

August 19, 2002 - Tom Russo of the Boston Globe advises *NSYNC star Lance Bass to pack 3 DVD's on his trip to outer space. Russo shares his comments on the Britney Spears starring 'Crossroads', the Mandy Moore starring 'A Walk To Remember', and Lance's own 'On The Line', none of them very positive thoughts, with the worst comments saved for Lance's movie. "The movie is easily the most lightweight - and patience-testing - of this bunch," he commented. Read more.

August 19, 2002 - The LA Times reports Christina Aguilera, *NSYNC, Usher, Aaron Carter, the Baha Men, Smash Mouth, Jessica Simpson and the A-Teens have all contributed to 'Disneymania,' an album of Disney songs due September 17th from Walt Disney Records. A TV special is being planned for the fall.

August 19, 2002 - NSYNC-Dreamland.com has video captures of Justin Timberlake from his Teen Choice Awards where he spoofed 'American Idol'. Check them out here and remember to watch the show Monday night on Fox.

August 18, 2002 - Joshua Ostroff of the Toronto Eye caught up with the Neptunes and N.E.R.D.'s Chad Hugo who defended working with the likes of *NSYNC and Britney Spears. "Our concerns were just to make something hot that we would like," Hugo says. "Some people might wonder why would I do Britney Spears, she's so bubble gum. Ultimately, do a hot joint and if you like it, you can't deny -- no matter who's doing it." Read more.

August 18, 2002 - Neil Strauss of the New York Times has a Sunday feature out on the Backstreet Boys, and their well documented troubles with Lou Pearlman and his creation of a 'mirror-image' *NSYNC act he used to leverage BSB, The Firm, and Nick Carter's decision to stick with The Firm when the other bandmates delivered the management company an ultimatum. Also brought out was the group's beef with Jive Records, and the disappointments with 'Black And Blue' and greatest-hits CD release late last year. Read more.

August 18, 2002 - One of the constant issues with male pop stars is the 'is he gay?' questioning. The results of last month's search queries on pay-per search engine Overture.com though suggest it isn't a huge issue with searchers. We tracked down the ratio of normal searches vs. '[singer name] gay' searches, to figure out who is most associated with being homosexual. Read more.

August 17, 2002 - Justin Timberlake's new song 'Like I Love You' debuted on KIIS FM earlier Friday, and on tonight's Top 9 at 9 with JoJo, the *NSYNC star's solo debut made it to the #1 spot on the countdown, beating BBMak's 'Out Of My Heart'. 

August 17, 2002 - Entertainment Weekly has a rundown on what the guys from *NSYNC have been up to on their hiatus. Justin Timberlake tells EW, "Right now I want to enjoy life." As for his solo effort, "I'm throwing it out there, seeing what happens. I'm testing the water, man." And on the more reclusive JC Chasez, EW suggests, "Writing/producing could be this guy's ticket out of Candyland, but all work and no play make JC a very dull boy indeed." Read more.

August 17, 2002 - The Associated Press reports *NSYNC star Lance Bass will be allowed to continue to train for his planned mission into space while officials try to work out payment for the multi-million-dollar excursion, his representative in Russia said Friday. "A preliminary agreement has been reached so that he can train another week, and that all financial obligations would be fulfilled in this period," said Bass' representative in Moscow, Yuri Nikiforov. Read more.

August 17, 2002 - KIIS FM has started playing the new song by *NSYNC's Justin Timberlake, 'Like I Love You', earlier today. Check out a .wav file of the song here or wait for a better quality track by listening to KIIS FM's web stream here.

August 17, 2002 - DiVa4LiFe writes "Justin Timberlake raised a glass--and an eyebrow--to his fellow *NSYNCer JC Chasez at Chasez's 26th-birthday blowout in Beverly Hills. Unlike their music, though, the party--which featured a suggestively decorated cake and an inflatable doll--wasn't suitable for young audiences. check out the photo here."

August 17, 2002 - Jay Leno joked duirng his Tonight Show monologue on Friday, "*NSYNC's Justin Timberlake is complaining -- complaining to friends. You know he was going out with Janet Jackson. Well, he's complaining that Janet Jackson just used him for sex. Hey, kid, you are lucky it was Janet and not Michael."

August 16, 2002 - According to Justin Timberlake's grandmother Sadie Bomar, the family is happy the *NSYNC star is no longer dating Britney Spears. "We are delighted they aren’t dating any more," Bomar said. "The break-up has been good for him. He has been able to do a lot of song writing. Britney was a distraction." Read more.

August 16, 2002 - HitsDailyDouble.com reports *NSYNC star Justin Timberlake will make his solo debut with 'Out of the Blue', due out November 12th. Before the release, Timberlake will release the single 'Like I Love You', which was produced by the Neptunes.

August 15, 2002 - Jay Leno joked during his Tonight Show monologue on Wednesday, "According to the tabloids, Justin Timberlake of *NSYNC has been complaining to his friends that Janet Jackson has just been using him for sex. [Audience aws] He's complaining about this? [Laughter] Isn't this the guy who was with Britney Spears for like four years? His last girlfriend wouldn't give him any, this one is giving him too much. Shut up! There is no pleasing this guy."

August 14, 2002 - If you were watching 'American Idol' on Tuesday no doubt you caught *NSYNC star Justin Timberlake during one of the commercial breaks in an ad for the Teen Choice Awards. Justin belted out a horribly sung line from 'Just A Friend', ala Biz Markie, and he subsequently gets ripped by the Idol judges. The tape-delayed awards air next Monday (August 19) on Fox at 8 PM.

August 14, 2002 - Denis Leary stopped by the Tonight Show with Jay Leno on Tuesday to talk about various current events, including *NSYNC star Lance Bass and his bid to go into space on a Russian rocket. Denis joked about how they were having trouble raising money, saying we should pay not only for Bass, but the whole group, and the Backstreet Boys as well, if we could make them stay in space and not come back. Read on for a transcript. Read more.

August 14, 2002 - Lynn Elber of the Associated Press reports the war of words between David Krieff, a Los Angeles television producer who plans a series about Lance Bass' space trip and space agency spokesman Sergei Gorbunov is continuing as the *NSYNC star's hopes for space continue to squabble about money. "In my mind it's a lot of talk and posturing. That is their style and I can appreciate it," Krieff said Tuesday. "This is 100 percent going forward." Gorbunov responded saying the comments were "foolish" and added, "But should he fly for free? Perhaps he (Krieff) thinks I am against the mission because I keep saying that he needs to pay." Read more.

August 13, 2002 - John Kelly of Florida Today spoke with Lori Garver, an aerospace executive and ex-NASA official who was bidding for a Soyuz ride until *NSYNC star Lance Bass showed up with big money in hand, something she couldn't match. Lori says she doesn't hold any ill will towards Bass though. "The Russians were very clear on this: It is all about the money. It has always been all about the money," she said. "Many people have said too bad Lance got selected over me. That's not it. It's whoever has the money. I've always understood that. I never felt it was unfair." Read more.

August 13, 2002 - The New York Daily News reports *NSYNC star Lance Bass is in talks with Suede to have his pre-blastoff party at the W. before his $20 million flight into space.

August 12, 2002 - The Sun has a photo of Justin Timberlake's new $8 million home in the Hollywood Hills, which they claim is the *NSYNC star's attempt to outdo the home of ex-girlfriend Britney Spears. A pal of Justin's explained the purchase saying, "He’s got the money so why the hell not?" Check out the home here.

August 12, 2002 - The LA Times reports *NSYNC star Justin Timberlake has purchased a Hollywood Hills home in the low $8-million range. Timberlake also has a three-bedroom home in Orlando, Florida. The new home has five bedrooms and 8 1/2 bathrooms in about 12,000 square feet. On several acres behind gates, the Mediterranean-style house also has a theater, gym, guest house and tennis court. Read more.

August 12, 2002 - US Weekly quizzed some celebrities on what their name and superpowers would be if they were a villain in 'Austin Powers'. *NSYNC star Joey Fatone responded, "I'd be Mojo Man. I would have a lot of mojo."

August 12, 2002 - Dean Goodman of Reuters reports Aerosmith is hitting the road with Run-D.M.C. and Kid Rock which should help their fans forget the group performing a family-friendly version of 'Walk This Way' at last year's Super Bowl along with Britney Spears, *NSYNC, Nelly and Mary J. Blige. Lead guitarist Joe Perry called the Super Bowl gig "another event in a long line of amazing events ... But it's not like we're out doing records with her (Spears), or I'm playing guitar on (*NSYNC star) Justin Timberlake's record or anything like that." Read more.

August 11, 2002 - Mark Carreau of the Houston Chronicle reports NASA has made provisional arrangements for *NSYNC's Lance Bass to train at the Johnson Space Center in Houston late this month as part of his preparations for a Russian-sponsored visit to the international space station. "We are prepared to support the (Soyuz) crew when they come here to train, and we will train whoever comes over here as an approved member of that crew," NASA's Eileen Hawley, a spokeswoman for the Johnson Space Center said Friday. "That is very likely to include (Bass)." Read more.

August 10, 2002 - Cyclone writes in the latest edition of Australia's Beat Magazine, "In 2002 MOR pop has had its day. But *NSYNC frontman Justin Timberlake may just avoid falling into obscurity since he commands extraordinary cred in the R&B world. Indeed, there's a good vibe surrounding his forthcoming solo LP. Reports suggest that Justin has already worked with names like The Neptunes, P Diddy & Mario Winans, and, oh boy, Angie Stone. Next he is looking to hook up with Mike City, Raphael Saadiq and Rodney Jerkins. There's also a chance of Justin and Nelly recording another joint after the *NSYNCer cut vox on Nelly's Work it. Lastly there's talk of a duet with Usher."

August 10, 2002 - Ads in this week's Entertainment Weekly confirm that *NSYNC star Justin Timberlake will make his debut solo performance on the MTV Video Music Awards on August 29th.

August 10, 2002 - Getty Images has a photo of Justin Timberlake of *NSYNC entering the Latin Lounge on Thursday (August 8) in West Hollywood, California. Check it out here.

August 10, 2002 - The recent *NSYNC Challenge For The Children weekend had Joey Fatone sporting a shirt that took a dig at the longtime girlfriend of his bandmate Justin Timberlake. Joey's t-shirt read, "Carton of eggs... $3. Ski mask... $14. Tickets to a Britney concert... $54. Egging the crap out of America's Pop Princess... Priceless." For his party, Justin took part in the weekend's basketball game wearing a jersey that said 'Me' on the back, a departure from last year when he wore a shirt saying 'Stinky' and then girlfriend Britney wore one saying 'Pinky', both pet names for each other. Check out Joey's shirt here.

August 10, 2002 - Associated Press spoke with NASA space station manager Dianne Murphy who says if Lance Bass can reach a deal with Russian officials to fly to the international space station this fall, he's welcome to begin training. "We have heard by the grapevine that they have made some progress with getting him signed," she said. "But we have not gotten that official yet." NASA is making plans for the *NSYNC star to visit Johnson Space Center in Houston later this month for a full week of training. Read more.

August 10, 2002 - New York Daily News reports the rep for Lance Bass insists the comments later retracted from Sergei Gorbunov won't have any impact on the *NSYNC star continuing on his mission to space. "We're planning for a launch. He wouldn't be working his ass off if he wasn't going." David Krieff, president of Destiny Productions, who is financing the effort blasted, "This idiot at the Russian space agency is making a fool of himself."

August 10, 2002 - US Weekly reports Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears ran into each other on August 1st for the first time since their March split, and the meeting ended in an argument and dance-off at the Lounge in Los Angeles. Britney walked into the club only to see her ex *NSYNC boyfriend dancing with girlfriend Jenna Dewan. Britney "watched them like crazy," says a spy. Britney confronted Timberlake when he got up to get drinks. When Spears asked him if the two could talk, Justin said, "'If it's about us getting back together, forget it." Britney then started complaining about how Timberlake has been "using different women for media attention." Justin fired back about "'her cheating, and they got into a huge argument." When the dust settled, the two went to the dance floor "and started a dance-off." The drama lasted about 90 minutes until Justin left at 2 a.m... without Britney.

August 9, 2002 - Former Britney Spears dancer Brandon Henschel took part in a live chat with fans on WorldOfBritney.com on Tuesday (August 6). When asked if he had any sweet stories about Britney Spears and her former *NSYNC boyfriend Justin Timberlake, Brandon revealed, "One really sweet thing I remember that Justin did for Brit was; Her and Justin hadn't seen each other in a really long time. Brit was in her hotel room doing a costume fitting. Justin calls her up and the two of them talk, you know like love birds. "I miss you, when will I see you again?" etc. Then all of the sudden Brit gets a knock on her hotel room door. She opens it and there is Justin with the cell phone standing outside. And the two had a nice little reunion. It was sweet." Read the entire transcript here.

August 9, 2002 - Katrillion reports that the junior clothing line of *NSYNC star Chris Kirkpatrick has gone out of business. Efforts to reach Fuman Skeeto's official website result in DNS errors.

August 9, 2002 - Star magazine reports *NSYNC star Justin Timberlake has been confiding to pals that Janet Jackson has dumped him after a month of steamy-hot sex marathons, turned away by the singer's claims that he was falling in love with Miss Jackson. "Their get-togethers were just for sex," claimed a source. "But he ended up being hooked on her. He says she was so wild in bed that he didn't know how to handle it." Their initial hook-up didn't take long to get to the bedroom. "It took her all of an hour to get into his pants," said an insider. Read more.

August 9, 2002 - Chris Kirkpatrick of *NSYNC, and Willa Ford will host Miss Teen USA 2002 to be broadcast live on Wednesday (August 28) at 9pm ET/delayed PT on the CBS. In addition, this year's competition will feature a live performance by Bow Wow. Read more.

August 9, 2002 - Extra TV had a feature on Thursday profiling the new MTV reality shows coming up this fall, and one of them will feature *NSYNC star Justin Timberlake in the first episode. 'Launch' will follow the making of an album, from recording to release. Justin's solo debut will be first up on the reality series. Check out a video clip from Thursday's show here.

August 9, 2002 - CNN reports Russian space officials denied a news report that *NSYNC member Lance Bass has until Friday (August 9) to meet a payment schedule deadline to join an October flight to space. Sergei Gorbunov of the Russian Aviation and Space Agency said he never told news agencies there was any deadline. Still, Alexander Derechin, working for Energia Company which builds Russian space rockets refused to confirm or deny the reported deadline, but said he was "amazed it got into the press." Read more.

August 9, 2002 - ImInJCsPants from the JJB message board posted video captures from Joey Fatone's appearance on the Today show ealier this morning, which include shots from the stage of the *NSYNC star's new Broadway gig in 'Rent'. Check them out here.

August 8, 2002 - Reuters reports Russia's space agency said on Wednesday it might scrap plans for Lance Bass to join an October mission to the International Space Station because the *NSYNC star had failed to meet a payment deadline. "There are a number of deadlines for the installments to be paid, but the first part has already been delayed. Theoretically, we can already dissolve his contract," Rosaviakosmos spokesman Sergei Gorbunov said. Read more.

August 8, 2002 - Robert Kahn of Newsday was on hand at Joey Fatone's debut as nebbishy Mark Cohen in Broadway's 'Rent' Monday night. While the *NSYNC star drew a lot of fans to the performance, he left hundreds waiting for autographs disappointed by making a mad dash for a waiting SUV instead of stopping to sign autographs. "I think it was rude that he didn't stop and sign more autographs, but then I also think the people here waiting are getting really wild," said Tammy Grace, a Granville, Ohio. Read more.

August 7, 2002 - The New York Post reports pals are saying Britney Spears is still obsessed with her former *NSYNC boyfriend Justin Timberlake and she hit on Leonardo DiCaprio at the Playboy party to make 'Stinky' jealous. "She is desperate to hook up with someone who will make Justin jealous," said another spy. "She is 21 going on 9 years old [Note: She's actually 20 until December 2nd], and just can't get over the fact that he has moved on." Read more. 

August 7, 2002 - JC Chasez commented on American Idol saying he couldn't handle the pressure of the show. "If we started that way we couldn't have done that. We would have got bottles thrown at us," said JC. Read more.

August 6, 2002 - RexFeatures, LFI (page1 / page2), and WireImage.com all have photos from Sunday night's Teen Choice Awards. Amongst the stars in attendance were BBMak, Britney Spears, *NSYNC, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Jack and Kelly Osbourne, Mandy Moore, Backstreet Boys star Nick Carter, and American Idol finalists, judges, and hosts. The show airs on Monday, August 19th at 8 PM EST on Fox. Read more.

August 6, 2002 - Marc S. Malkin of New York Magazine spoke with *NSYNC star Joey Fatone on his role in 'Rent'. Asked if being in *NSYNC meant he was just handed the role, Fatone responded, "No. First I auditioned for Roger's part. I told them it was too high for my range, and they were like, "No big deal, let's just do it." So I sang for them, and then they said, 'Can you audition for Mark?'" Read more.

August 6, 2002 - Amongst the musical acts on TV talk shows this week are *NSYNC star Joey Fatone on the View on Thursday. Check your local listings.

August 6, 2002 - Access Hollywood reports the stars of the night at Sunday's Teen Choice Awards in Los Angeles were the finalists from 'American Idol'. NSYNC star Justin Timberlake admits he doesn't have the stomach to have to hear the acid-tongued remarks from Simon saying, "I don't think my heart could take that kind of criticism."

August 6, 2002 - The Sun reports there was no contact between *NSYNC's Justin Timberlake and former girlfriend Britney Spears at the Teen Choice Awards on Sunday night. An insider said, "They were both booked well in advance so there was no getting out of it."

August 6, 2002 - You Cant Own Me on the JJB message board was at the Teen Choice Awards last night and submitted her review. On the subject of the awards being a reunion of sorts for *NSYNC star Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears, she commented, "ET made it seem like they were going to be sitting soooo far apart when actually they were only a few rows away and had a perfect view of each other. It was nice to see that they were being civil adults, and at least PRETENDING to be friends because I [like everyone else who was watching their every move] saw Justin mouth something to her, and she mouthed something back, he smiled, she laughed, he laughed .. but people, it don't mean they are back together. Don't be that [naive] But it was still cool to see that they were friends." Read more.

August 6, 2002 - Entertainment Tonight caught up with *NSYNC star Justin Timberlake at the "2002 Teen Choice Awards" celebration Sunday night where he addressed rumors that linked him to Janet Jackson. "Rumors are rumors and that's why they're out there. They make things interesting," he said. Justin watched the show from the opposite side of the auditorium from his ex Britney Spears. Read more.

August 6, 2002 - Alicia Keys is on the cover of the new issue of Vibe magazine, which included comments from *NSYNC star Justin Timberlake on whether the two are an item. "We met in L.A. for lunch, and she basically said she liked where I was at musically and thought it would be dope if we write together," Timberlake said. "Of course, I was flattered. She's an incredible prodigy and likes to do stuff that feels good to her. I can appreciate that, because I'm in the same spot." The two do hope to write together soon, but they have no immediate plans to record or perform together.

August 5, 2002 - The New York Post reports Joey Fatone of *NSYNC was spotted with Usher getting into a dance-off competition at Boyz II Men's record release party at Suede.

August 5, 2002 - The Sunday Express reports *NSYNC star Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears arrived separately at a West Hollywood club wearing the same type of pork pie hat, fuelling speculation that they are back together. Read more and check out photos here.

August 5, 2002 - WireImage.com has photos of *NSYNC taking measurements for Madame Tussaud wax figures on July 26th before their Challenge for the Children Celebrity Basketball Weekend at Royal Pacific Hotel in Orlando, Florida. Check out the photos here.

August 4, 2002 - The New York Post reports Joey Fatone of *NSYNC was spotted wearing a T-shirt that read "Sex Instructor, Free Lessons" while jotting down a babe's phone number at Playboy's Midsummer Night's Dream party at the mag's Fifth Avenue HQ.

August 2, 2002 - syndney writes "*NSYNC star Joey Fatone is about to make a big Broadway splash when he takes over the role of struggling filmmaker Mark Cohen in the hit show 'Rent' on August 5tn. Broadway.com has exclusive advance footage of the pop star's B'way debut. Check it out here."

August 1, 2002 - NSYNC's JC Chasez spoke with Katrillion on the band's hiatus, that has them working on various side projects. "It gives the group another dimension," JC said. "I mean, regardless of whatever side projects are going to take place, the band is always going to be the band. And I think if somebody steps out, it just brings more attention to the band. It sheds a new light on it and gives people something different to look at." Read more.

August 1, 2002 - According to today's Gossip to go with Flo report on K104, *NSYNC's Lance Bass got hot and heavy with Destiny's Child star Beyonce Knowles at a club in London recently, and she has the photos to prove it. Check out details of their dirty dancing exploits in an audio report here.

August 1, 2002 - MSNBC's Jeannette Walls reports Justin Timberlake's spokesman says an interview that appeared in the Scottish Daily Record is "complete made-up garbage." The paper had quoted Timberlake saying in regards to Christina Aguilera, "Just look at her -- she's so hot. What a body on that girl. Christina is not into self-denial. She’s wild. After years with Britney, seeing Christina let loose and have fun without any inhibitions is amazing." Read more.