May 2002

May 31, 2002 - The New York Daily News spoke with Destiny Productions chief David Krieff who took issue with Russian Aerospace Agency spokesman Konstantin Kreidenko's comments yesterday who stated, "We have received no requests from either him or his representatives, not to speak about signing any contracts." Krieff insists, "That is inaccurate. It is true that we have not finalized an agreement. But we are in negotiations and making progress." Read more.

May 30, 2002 - Globe magazine reports that Britney Spears is back in the arms of *NSYNC star Justin Timberlake which is being credited to hot phone sex with the couple. A source revealed sparks flew when Britney phoned Justin from Australia while he was on tour with *NSYNC in Washington D.C. "Justin was whispering to Britney for hours, telling her how much he loved her and needed her, and how he wanted to be with her." Then things got more X-rated: "He'd ask which negligee she'd be wearing so he could think about it all day. She'd tease him with plenty of hot talk of her own. She wasn't shy in the least!"

May 30, 2002 - Stu Bykofsky of the Philadelphia Daily News reports more details on Justin Timberlake's visit to Philly last week. Stu says the *NSYNC star was there to work with R&B producers Andre Harris and Vidal Davis. Harris produced Michael Jackson's song 'Butterflies' while the pair have also produced for Jill Scott and Musiq.

May 30, 2002 - The publicity battle between Destiny Productions and the Russian Aerospace Agency continued today as the space agency poured cold water on claims in a press release that claimed *NSYNC star Lance Bass was given informal word that he was physically fit enough to take a seat on a Russian rocket flight to the International Space Station was anything more than that. Russian Aerospace Agency spokesman Konstantin Kreidenko said, "We have received no requests from either him or his representatives, not to speak about signing any contracts. Anyone has the right to undergo tests in the Institute of Biomedical Problems. But that doesn't mean that such person is considered to be a candidate for space flight." Read more.

May 30, 2002 - Stu Bykofsky of the Philadelphia Daily News reports *NSYNC star Justin Timberlake has been in Philly on his hush-hush solo project. Ken Sunshine, Justin's new publicist, beamed and confirmed the recording project but was mum on details. Justin also was working on keeping himself in shape while in town working out at the Sporting Club, with a huge bodyguard standing nearby. Read more.

May 30, 2002 - crys writes "Hey all of you JC Chasez fans, did any of you know that JC was a race fan? I sure didn't. I went to Indianapolis Sat. May 28 to shop at Circle Centre Mall the day before the Indy 500 and guess who was there for the race, uh huh JC. He is so sweet. The boy loves sunglasses, I think he spent at least a half hour in the Sunglasses Hut trying on different glasses. Oh yeah, I did get to meet the wonderful guy and he gave my friends and I an autograph. Just thought I'd share with you all what he has been up to."

May 27, 2002 - The National Enquirer reports the split between Britney Spears and *NSYNC star Justin Timberlake was caused by Britney being afraid of getting pregnant were the two to have sex. A pal revealed, "Britney was horrified over what her young female fans would think of her becoming pregnant outside marriage. If she became a mum her career would be kaput - and so would the healthy, moral image she has projected for years. They stopped sleeping together while they dealt with the issue, and, with their sex life at a standstill, Justin dumped her." Read more.

May 27, 2002 - The Sunday people reports Britney Spears has not returned to ex-boyfriend Justin Timberlake of *NSYNC. In fact, his grandmother Sadie Bomar denied any reunion talk and said they fight on the rare occasions they speak on the phone. She added, "He has no plans to meet Britney at all."

May 27, 2002 - Raven Symone, an actress and singer that has toured with *NSYNC was on Celebrity Weakest Link on Sunday. Raven was grilled by host Anne Robinson who wanted to know more about *NSYNC, not her. Raven said they were great and that her favorite guy was Joey Fatone. When Raven was finally voted off after being the weakest link two consecutive rounds - even missing what's half of 1000 (she guessed 100 - Anne told her: "As your friends from *NSYNC would say, you ARE the weakest link. Bye Bye Bye!" Anne even did the group's choreographed hand gesture.

May 25, 2002 - NSYNC will be profiled in an upcoming episode of VH-1's 'Driven'. The special 90 minute version of the show will feature news about Justin, Joey, JC, Lance, and Chris, as well as Jason, the *NSYNCer who almost was. And it's about Lou Pearlman, the financier who held them too tight and paid the price. The show will feature rare home movies and revealing new interviews and will debut Tuesday, July 16 at 9/8c. Check out more on the special here.

May 25, 2002 - Seventeen magazine spoke to *NSYNC star Joey Fatone who was asked how his friends would describe him. Joey answered, "Perverted but fun-loving. I always like to make them laugh." When the 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding' was asked if he's a better actor than Mariah Carey, he responded, "I don't know, am I? I hope so." Read more.

May 25, 2002 - Yahoo has a photo of *NSYNC star Justin Timberlake at Game 3 of the Western Conference finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Sacramento Kings in Los Angeles on Friday. The Kings won after a horrible performance in the first three quarters 103-90. Check out the picture here.

May 24, 2002 - NSYNC will be profiled in an upcoming episode of VH-1's 'Driven'. The special 90 minute version of the show will feature news about Justin, Joey, JC, Lance, and Chris, as well as Jason, the *NSYNCer who almost was. And it's about Lou Pearlman, the financier who held them too tight and paid the price. The show will feature rare home movies and revealing new interviews and will debut Tuesday, July 16 at 9/8c. Check out more on the special here.

May 24, 2002 - Lance Bass space fan site BASStronautical reports that earlier news saying Lance has a cold that is delaying his space flight testing are untrue. The site reports, "Lance is doing just fine, and he even did some centrafuge tests today to see how his body will cope with the speed of a space launch." Bass is expected to meet President Bush on Friday to welcome him to the embassy. The President arrived in Moscow on Thursday. Read more.

May 23, 2002 - Empire Online chatted with 'Star Wars Episode II Attack of the Clones' producer Rick McCallum who addressed the talk that *NSYNC had filmed a scene for the movie. Rick blasted, "That was such a complicated, longwinded, unbelievable bunch of wank. I don't know where that came from. It is interesting. The only two people - and this is an absolutely true story - the only two people who have ever fact checked with everything that has ever been written about Star Wars is you guys and the National Enquirer. That's just amazing. I mean I don't get it but you guys are the only two people who have ever fact checked."

May 23, 2002 - The Sun reports Britney Spears and *NSYNC star Justin Timberlake have again split up. Word is that Justin took dancer Jenna Dewan with him to Janet Jackson's 36th birthday bash. After hearing of the news, a furious Britney told Justin that he's no longer allowed to see Jenna if she wants to stick with her. A pal revealed, "She has told Justin if he wants to stick with her he can never see Jenna again. When he said he could not promise that, Britney called the whole thing off. It is now completely over – and Britney is totally over him." Read more.

May 23, 2002 - Russian website www.gazeta.ru reports *NSYNC star Lance Bass' tests to see if he can become the third space tourist have been delayed because he has a cold. The tests have been postponed until next week. Read more.

May 22, 2002 - Associated Press reports with time running out for the necessary training, the Russian space agency likely won't find anyone to be the world's third space tourist and the chance is virtually zero that a tourist will come along on the flight, agency spokesman Sergei Gorbunov told Interfax news agency on Saturday. Read more.

May 22, 2002 - NSYNC.com has another update from Melinda on the latest goings on with the group. Melinda writes, "The guys have been enjoying their time off, well if you call it that. JC is enjoying boating and is getting ready to do a couple writing trips. Justin has been on the road since June 1st [she must mean May 1st] writing songs with different producers across the country. Lance is in Russia doing yet more tests for the Russian Space Program. Joey has been attending social events and doing some small cameos in movies. Chris has been doing social events and just left for a cross country writing trip!" The message also includes a brief statement from Lance Bass in Russia. Read more.

May 22, 2002 - Associated Press reports *NSYNC star Lance Bass and former NASA official Lori Garver are currently in Moscow undergoing medical tests at the Russia's Institute of Biomedical Problems to evaluate their fitness for space travel. The tests include spending time in a pressurized chamber and a centrifuge test to determine how their bodies would respond to the spacecraft's liftoff. Read more.

May 21, 2002 - A  spokeswoman at Jive Records tells dotmusic.com that reports from Rav Singh in The News of the World about the singer talking about an emotional reconciliation with *NSYNC's Justin Timberlake are untrue. The spokeswoman said that Britney had not carried out any interviews with English press in recent weeks. Read more.

May 21, 2002 - BET's Rap City host Big Tigger is planning a three day charity event in Washington DC to benefit several charities; American Diabetes Foundation, District of Columbia's Foster Children's center and D.C. Mayor's Children's charities. Amongst the celebrities listed to attend the June 28 - June 30 bash include Shaquille O'Neal, Magic Johnson, Mary J. Blige, Frankie Muniz, *NSYNC, Allen Iverson, Donald Faison, R. Kelly, Chris Webber, Willa Ford, Gabrielle Union, Viveca A. Fox, Morris Chestnut and Tracy McGrady, Ludacris, Jessie L. Martin, Elton Brand, Jason Richardson, Brian Mcknight and more. Read more.

May 21, 2002 - T. Lopez from Soluna spoke with Springolo.com's Jessica Jones who talked about working with Howie D from the Backstreet Boys helped write 'Don't Wanna Live My Life Without You.' The girls "got to meet [the Backstreet Boys] plus a lot of other cool people." As for who T would like to open for, she replied, "There are so many people we would enjoy to open for but I think we would really like to open for N Sync. Or even Stevie Wonder." Lopez adds of *NSYNC, "They are one of the groups that me and the other girls all agree to listen to when we are together." Read more.

May 21, 2002 - MTV news reports on August 3rd, *NSYNC star Justin Timberlake will join Sean 'P. Diddy' Combs, Busta Rhymes and Wyclef Jean as stars that will submit vehicles to Funkmaster Flex for his second annual celebrity car show at Raceway Park in Englishtown, New Jersey. The music stars will also compete in a basketball contest which saw Baby of Cash Money win last year.

May 20, 2002 - Anonymous writes "According to a poster on the popular JJB forum, a member of *NSYNC's management has said that Justin Timberlake had to be paid a lot of extra money to do the Celebrity tour and it was *NSYNC's last tour."Note: Unfortunately the forum thread was deleted.

May 20, 2002 - Nsyncworldwide.com reports *NSYNC has taped a goodbye video segment for Rosie O'Donnell, whose talk show ends (the live episodes anyways) on Wednesday. They will sing a song from "The Sound of Music". It's unclear whether their apearance will be on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday though.

May 19, 2002 - Rav Singh of News of the World spoke with Britney Spears about how she and *NSYNC star Justin Timberlake have patched things up. Britney revealed, "I didn't want it to be over. We'd known each other since we were kids and I couldn't imagine life without him. It was a tough time. We both went out and drank to block out our sadness but we still loved each other. We both did the single thing and didn't like it." Read more.

May 18, 2002 - World Entertainment News Network reports the guys from *NSYNC, as well as Britney Spears, got special spoof Star Wars t-shirts which feature Timberlake as Anakin Skywalker and Britney as Queen Amidala. Joey commented on their brief scene getting cut from the film saying, "We got cut and we were obviously disappointed. A lot of people thought we took it to heart. I enjoyed just being there."

May 18, 2002 - Sean 'P. Diddy' Combs' production partner Mario Winans said Puffy will be making an uptempo track on *NSYNC star Justin Timberlake's solo album.

May 18, 2002 - Reuters reports *NSYNC star Lance Bass recently underwent an outpatient "surgical procedure" to correct an irregular heartbeat in order to qualify for a seat aboard a Russian rocket flight to the International Space Station, according to his spokeswoman Jill Fritzo. She said Lance's heart condition was "not even remotely life-threatening" adding, "It's something he had wanted to correct for a long time, but being that he's planning to go into space, it prompted him to move it up a bit." Read more.

May 16, 2002 - Globe magazine reports Britney Spears went into a rage after reports surfaced that Justin Timberlake had told a fellow airline passenger that he had bedded the singer. An insider revealed, "She's absolutely livid. Britney can't believe Justin would blab about their private moments together. She's insulted, humiliated, and has told friends that Justin is a lowlife creep!" Read more.

May 16, 2002 - Liberty X stopped by London's Capital FM to chat about what they've been up to. When asked who the group would like to work with, Michelle Heaton responded, "I would have to pick Justin Timberlake. For artistic reasons only - I don't fancy him, he's not my type! I just prefer dark headed men rather than blonde, baby types." Listen to the entire interview here.

May 15, 2002 - NSYNC's Lance Bass and former NASA official Lori Garver are returning to Moscow for final medical tests to fulfill their hope to ride a Russian rocket and commercial sponsorships into space, reports MSNBC.com. The Russians are expected to decide this month whether either of them will fly, depending on who comes up with the multimillion-dollar fare. Read more.

May 15, 2002 - The Mirror reports now that *NSYNC's Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears have gotten back together, they plan on being a more normal couple, not manipulated by their record company. The insider said, "Justin's sick of the Britney virgin stuff. It makes him look ridiculous and it makes them look ridiculous as a couple. Britney's fed up with it, too. They've resolved to try to be more of a normal couple and not just a pair of packaged pop stars whose romance seems to be handled by publicists." Read more.

May 14, 2002 - Craig Kilborn joked on his Late Late Show monologue Monday, "Friends say Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake are getting together again. And the best part of getting back together? The makeup celibacy."

May 14, 2002 - The Sun scrambled to invent a story to tie into Liz Smith's report Monday that Britney Spears had gotten back together with *NSYNC star Justin Timberlake. The paper says that it was Justin who made the first move with a phone call begging Britney to "Please take me back." A pal of Britney's said, "I think it is safe to say they are an item again after a hiccup in their relationship. A lot of things have been said about them individually since the split and it has been upsetting. They just want to meet up, spend a little quality time together and get on with what they do best — loving each other." Read more, though most of it is retreaded info.

May 14, 2002 - According to WorldofBritney.com, the guys from N.E.R.D. visited Z104 studios, and since two of the members of the group comprise The Neptunes, they spoke about future producer projects they have going on. Pharrel revealed that one of those projects is a remix of Britney Spears' new single 'Boys', which will be included on the Austin Powers soundtrack and titled 'Co-Ed Remix'. In addition, they mentioned that they had just finished producing some tracks with Justin Timberlake, apparently for his solo debut. Read more.

May 14, 2002 - KTLA has a brief video clip of their morning show talking about Justin Timberlake of *NSYNC being back together with Britney Spears, at least according to Liz Smith. Not much new here, but they did say the couple all but told Liz over the phone they are back together. Check out the clip here.

May 14, 2002 - The London Star reports that Britney Spears has replaced her man Justin Timberlake of *NSYNC with a black shih tzu dog, though we all know by now that the latest is that the couple have reunited.

May 13, 2002 - Liz Smith of the New York Post reports Britney Spears and *NSYNC's Justin Timberlake are again a couple. The pair have managed to work things out and would like to be left alone, according to Smith. Britney's 'Dream Within a Dream' kicks off in this week and she's making her video for 'Boys' beforehand with Mike Myers.

May 13, 2002 - Newsweek spoke to Sean 'P. Didddy' Combs who says opening of *NSYNC isn't such a bad job. Combs admits, "We hang tight. You see how they're in and out of my room and I'm in and out of their rooms? It's funny because we like the same things — the same music, the same artists, the same parties. It's all love around here." Read more.

May 12, 2002 - NSYNC's Justin Timberlake reportedly makes a brief cameo about 4 minutes into Alicia Keys new remix for 'How Come You Don't Call Me'. Some have speculated that this was the result of their earlier lunch - and that Keys may also make an appearance on Timberlake's upcoming solo album. You can download the new track here:
jrecords.com/extranet/media/alicia_keys/howcomeyoudontcall_remix.mp3

May 10, 2002 - The New York Post reports *NSYNC star Justin Timberlake was spotted impressing the ladies at Pangaea by filling their glasses from a bottle of Kremly vodka saying "It's on me." Meanwhile, his ex-girlfriend Britney was also spotted in New York shopping for a $700 pair of boots from Uriel, a Russian with a shop on West 26th Street.

May 10, 2002 - Jermaine Dupri has hit back at the new Eminem single 'What You Say' that features Slim and Dr. Dre slammin' JD calling him a "midget" and for getting rich off of 11 year olds - a reference to Lil' Bow Wow. In 'JD's Reply', the rapper blasts, "You same beat making non rapping individual, I was making what you make now when I was a child." As for Eminem, JD says towards the end, "Eminem, I left you out deliberatly, You know why? Cause to me, You're like a character in Disney World, Known for dissing pop groups and Justin's Ex girl." Read rapdirt.com for the full lyrics, and download the track on your favorite file swapper.

May 10, 2002 - Frank Skinner tells 95.8 Capital FM in London that he feels sorry for Britney Spears since her breakup to *NSYNC's Justin Timberlake, recalling his interview with the singer. "I felt sorry for Britney because I asked her about Justin and it was real love. She really thought they'd stay together and get married and all that. So I hate him now - I think he's done her wrong. It's unforgivable - and now apparently he'd been telling people on aeroplanes that they've had sex and stuff!" Read more.

May 10, 2002 - kissforlance writes "Justin Timberlake from *NSYNC was spotted walking down Atlantic Ave. holding hands with a brown haired girl in Virginia Beach, Virginia today. The radio station that this guy who saw him called in to said that it was all hush-hush and the radio stations could not talk about where he is and how long he would be here. But he is recording in a studio here in Va. Beach."

May 9, 2002 -  E! Online's Ted Casablanca reports Justin, Lance and Joey from *NSYNC hit the casinos in Tunica, Mississippi after a recent show in Memphis. Teenyboppers were not in the group's entourage - instead Ted says that they "settled for some of the local talent, who looked to be more familiar with stuffin' dollars in their skivvies than bettin' hundreds on a game of cards." Read more.

May 8, 20002 - Jeannette Walls of MSNBC.com reports Sean 'P. Diddy' Combs was walking around the Kentucky Derby on Saturday with a brick size stack of $100 bills. A source revealed, "He bet a couple of thousand on one horse because the silks matched the color of his tie. At one point, another horse looked in his direction and showed his teeth. Puff Daddy hollered at the horse, 'Baby, I like your smile,' and bet a couple of thousand on that horse." Puffy hung out with the three *NSYNC'ers at the event - Chris Kirkpatrick, JC Chasez, and Joey Fatone. Combs did lemon drop shots and bankrolled the trio's horse bets. Read more.

May 7, 2002 - Filth2go.com's Billy Masters was at Boston's Beth Israel Hospital last week and just happened to run into *NSYNC's Lance Bass, who was there for some special tests needed to qualify him for a proposed space mission this coming November. Lance told Billy that this trip is a dream come true for him. Read more.

May 7, 2002 - World Entertainment News Network reports that *NSYNC star Justin Timberlake would like to focus his newly single attention on actress Cameron Diaz. When he was asked who he would invite to a fantasy Sunday lunch, Justin replied, "I would invite Cameron Diaz. Well, we've got to have a little eye candy, plus I've met her a few times already and she's a great girl."

May 5, 2002 - The Lexington Herald-Dealer reports only three *NSYNC members showed up to the annual Barnstable-Brown Derby Eve Gala last night, and those who did - JC Chasez, Chris Kirkpatrick and Joey Fatone - didn't sign autographs for fans. Amber Mahoney, 16, said "They were telling us they would come over and sign autographs. I could just cry." Read more.

May 5, 2002 - Eminem phoned in to MTV's Total Request Live on Thursday to premiere his new video for 'Without Me' and explain why he took shots at *NSYNC's Chris Kirkpatrick as well as Moby. Slim says he attacked Kirkpatrick because he was the only one who had the guts to say something back at him following 'The Real Slim Shady', plus his last name rhymed with 'get your ass kicked'. As for Moby, he sarcastically told TRL that he liked Moby, but feels bad that no one else does.

May 5, 2002 - The Courier Journal has photos from parties last night ahead of today's running of the Kentucky Derby. Included in the shots are Backstreet Boys member Kevin Richardson, Jessica Simpson, and rocker Alice Cooper. Check out the photos here. In addition, the same site has pictures from the Brownstable party that featured Jessica and fiance Nick Lachey of 98 Degrees, plus *NSYNC's Joey Fatone. Check that clip out here.

May 4, 2002 - Alan Boyle of MSNBC chatted with TV producer David Krieff who is president of Destiny Productions and the Hollywood negotiator for the Lance Bass project. Krieff said the multi-million dollar project is looking "great" on his side and that Bass has performed wonderfully in tests to determine if he's fit to make the journey. "He has come through with flying colors," Krieff said. "The Boston doctors (said that) in their opinion, he’s there." Read more.

May 3, 2002 - Following their story yesterday that *NSYNC's Justin Timberlake told a fellow airplane passenger that he had indeed had sex with Britney Spears, the Sun is offering sex advice for the newly single pop princess. Amongst the advice offered: Choose your man carefully, flirt in fancy dress, and resist temptation. Read more.

May 3, 2002 - Lou Pearlman chatted with LIME magazine of Singapore about the controversy surrounding his production deal lawsuits with Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC, insisting it wasn't all about negativity. "The press likes writing negative things but not the positive ones," he said. "For example, on behalf of the Backstreet Boys, AJ gave me a very beautiful Mercedes Benz just last year. And *NSYNC did a movie with us called 'Long Shot', which went straight to video. Britney Spears, LFO and O-Town were in it too! I see all our artists from time to time and I invite them to my house. It's very nice." Read more.

May 3, 2002 - annsangel writes "Mary Tyler Moore, Jim Belushi, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Roseanne, Dick Van Dyke, William Shatner, Rosie O'Donnell, Rob Reiner, Sean 'P. Diddy' Combs and *NSYNC are just a few of the celebrities who will reminisce about their favorite television shows in the special presentation, "TV Guide's 50 Best Shows of All Time," airing Monday, May 13 (10:00-11:00 p.m., ET), on the ABC Television Network. Read more.

May 2, 2002 - Nicole Lampert of The Sun reports an unnamed passenger on a flight from Atlanta to Los Angeles last week spoke to *NSYNC star Justin Timberlake about his recent breakup with Britney Spears. Justin told the guy that Britney is not a virgin and that she lost her virginity "a while ago" adding, "And I should know." Justin explained their breakup saying, "We split up because she wanted to get married and I didn’t." Meanwhile, Britney has been banned by a karaoke bar in Burbank because she was driving the staff crazy by continuously demanding booze, even though she's still not 21 years old. Read more.

May 2, 2002 - Rolling Stone spoke with David Krieff, president of Destiny Productions on the plans for *NSYNC's Lance Bass to travel Russia on May 13th to prepare for a trip to space as part of the Destiny's television special 'Celebrity Mission: Lance Bass', that will document the journey. Krieff said, "Lance will stay there for a few months. He's committed and he's packing. I think we're gonna have a big party in Orlando with all the *NSYNC guys before he leaves." Read more.

May 2, 2002 - 48 Hours special 'Teen Idols', the show's official website on CBS has stories profiling pop stars and whether some dress too sexy for their fans. Amongst those scheduled to be on the show Johnny Wright, Christina Milian, Aaron Carter, Justin Timberlake, and former Monkee Davy Jones. Tune in tonight at 10 pm on CBS and check out additional coverage online here.

May 2, 2002 - JustiNasim from the JJB message board posted her pictures from the *NSYNC soundcheck in Washington DC recently. Justin Timberlake is sporting a "Stop Pretending" A&F shirt (with "You Don't Want Me" on the back). Check out the photos here.

May 1, 2002 - 'King of Queens' star Leah Remini stopped by MTV's Total Request Live on Tuesday and shared a recent experience in meeting Joey Fatone of *NSYNC at a concert. Leah said, "Oh, yeah no, no you know when you know somebody you call everybody and tell everybody. My niece is in love with *NSYNC as you all know I go 'You know aunt Leah knows Joey.' She's like 'Nah-uh.' So I get tickets and a car and she's like 'My god I love this car', a limo, I'm showin' off you know so we pull up I'm like, 'Yeah, we are on the list and Joey's from [inaudible] they go, 'Yeah, first of all your limo has to turn around, go five blocks that way and walk back here.' I'm like, 'No, my name is on the list, Joey knows me and expecting me.' They tell us, 'Whatever we had to walk the five blocks', right." Read more.