In Sync With 'N SYNC
When Bop met Justin Timberlake, J.C. Chasez, Chris Kirkpatrick, Joey Fatone, and Lance Bass from the group ‘N SYNC last summer on the Malibu, California set of their music video for their European hit single, “For The Girl Who Has Everything,” we knew from watching their performance that their smash success in Europe would cross over to North America in no time. Well, that time has come, and today, the band is getting ready to take on their home territory with the hit single “I Want you Back” from their soon-to-be-released American album. But wait, if some of the boys from ‘N SYNC look familiar, that is because two of the group’s members, J.C. and Justin, used to be on TV’s The Mickey Mouse Club. Meanwhile, Chris and Joey worked at Orlando, Florida’s Universal Studios (where MMC was filmed) while auditioning for singing, acting, and dancing gigs. Around this time, Chris was interested in starting a band, and he approached his pal Justin, who’s show had just been canceled, about his idea. Justin liked the idea and asked J.C. to join them. (Okay, still with us here?) Then, when the threesome saw their friend Joey’s awesome dancing skills at a nightclub one evening, the convinced him to be the fourth member. But one thing was missing:a guy who could hit the low notes. “We needed a bass,” 26-year-old Chris explains to BOP. “So we called Justin’s vocal teacher, and he recommended Lance.” After two years together, ‘N SYNC are a top-notch act. Yet with all the numerous boy bands out there today, what makes ‘N SYNC different from the others? “we do a lot of a cappella, five-part harmonizing and stuff,” says Joey, 21. “That kind of sets us apart.” In addition to their R&B sound, the band also puts on a great live performance. “We like to dance a lot and entertain,” 18-year-old Lance tells BOP. “Our whole show has choreography. Even in some of the slow ballads, we’re always moving.” But above and beyond their musical talents, they are all best buds, bound together by a common love for singing and performing, which is something that can’t be manufactured. “We’re not fake;we weren’t put together by a record company,” explains 17-year-old Justin. “We put ourselves together through friends.” Twenty-one-year-old J.C. continues the thought, adding that what you see with ‘N SYNC is truly what you get. “We put ourselves together, so our chemistry is genuine,” he explains to BOP. “It’s not an act.” And, of course, strong bonds of friendship can never be broken, which is why Chris feels the band is destined for longevity. “We’re in it together, and that’s what keeps us strong,” he says. More power to you, guys!
'N SYNC Romancing The Radio Waves
When Chris Kirkpatrick, Lance Bass, Joey Fatone, JC Chasez, and Justin Timberlake of ‘N SYNC recently spent some quality time with the writers at BB, we had the opportunity to size them up and down for you readers by prodding them with just about every question known to man (and woman). While many of our Q’s went something along the lines of, “Who is your favorite musician?”, “What’s your goal in life?” and “What do you think of the situation in the Middle East?” (just kidding about that one), we made sure that none of them left without giving us the lowdown on girls: What do they think of them, what they don’t think of them and, most importantly, what are they thinking about when they think of them. In doing so, we were able to expose each guy’s romantic side in a way that even their songs can’t convey. Upon discussing his potential for being the romantic-type, Lance admits that he tries to be a Romeo. “I haven’t had much practice lately,” the 19-year-old sighs, “but I like to be.” Good honest answer, considering that these guys haven’t stayed settled in any one city long enough in the last couple of years to have a meaningful relationship-let alone even dream about one. However, when this bleached-blond does get the rare opportunity to date, he has no problem with letting his romantic side shine through. “On my dates, I like to do different things. I hate doing the same thing over and over,” Lance explains. “I like picnics, going to the beach, kind of like adventurous stuff, like rock climbing and hiking.” Just where does Lance’s zest for keeping a girl on her toes come from? “I have this old-fashioned, traditional side in me because I’m from Mississippi,” he continues. “That’s how my parents raised me. So I feel really bad if I don’t open a door for someone, or, you know, just being polite-I have to. It just comes out of me. I can’t not do it.” Well, although opening doors is something Lance can’t not do, making sure a girl is seated before he is definitely is something that Joey won’t do. “Open doors, yes, but I don’t pull out the chair,” the headstrong 21-year-old says. Why in the world not? “It’s weird because now it’s the ‘90s and a lot of women are liberal and they want to do things on their own,” he reasons. “But there are a lot of women out there who are old-fashioned. I’m all for whatever they feel.” Joey also admits that being romantic doesn’t necessarily come easily to him. “It just depends on the mood, I guess,” he says of stirring up the Romeo in him. Considering that he never fails to make girls swoon each time they hear him sing his heart out in “I Want You Back,” Joey must be in a good mood quite often. As for JC, the 21-year-old admits that he has a penchant for playing a Casanova. “I guess (I am) to a certain extent, but I’m not like over the top,” he claims. “I mean, I’m not quite a flowers-and-candy guy. But the only reason I’m not like that is I don’t think it’s as original. I’ll do it, but I always feel a little funny about it.” JC also explains that he doesn’t think spending megabucks on a girl just to grab her attention deserves the definition of romance either. “I’m not Mr. Romeo who takes girls on yacht cruises and flies them on airplanes to go here and (goes), ‘Hey baby,’” he says, “but, you know, just little things.” After all, the old adage “it’s the little things that count” wouldn’t exist if it weren’t true. And 17-year-old Justin knows all about the effect of “little things.” “It’s the little things you do say and the little things you do that really count to get their attention,” he says. From the sound of it, Justin really does know how to sweep a girl off of her feet. One time, instead of taking a girl out to a big, fancy restaurant for dinner, he cooked up some pasta alfredo all on his own, packed it in a picnic basket and brought it over to her house where they enjoyed the tasty dish lounging on her bedroom floor. While Justin has no problem showing his soft side, he admits many girls out there aren’t used to seeing it. “I totally understand that saying about women being from Venus and men from Mars. I totally understand that,” he says. “I think that women don’t think guys are as soft as they are. Women are always seen as being softer than guys, but, in some cases, (we) are a lot softer than they are.” And last, but not least, there’s Chris, who admits that although he hasn’t had much experience in the romance department for quite some time, he’s no dead fish. “If I’m serious about a girl, which is rare,” Chris admits, “I am definitely romantic, but I haven’t had a girlfriend for like two years.” Not being able to really explore his romantic side lately has been kind of a bummer for Chris, but being out of the loop of love hasn’t damaged his opinion on the sexes one bit. “I was raised by my mom and four sisters,” the 26-year-old says. “So I grew up thinking that women were the boss. Women are right, men are wrong, the end.” When it comes to making music that reflects their views on romance and relationships, it’s obvious these heartthrobs really are in sync-in every sense of the word!
'N SYNC Pleased With Their Posters?
Betcha couldn’t wait to rip ‘em out of the magazine and hang the seven scrumptious, full-color posters of Justin, JC, Lance, Chris, and Joey on your wall so that the “Tearin’ Up My heart” hotties could stare you straight in the face, right?! Well, when BB last chatted with ‘N SYNC, we got the full scoop on whether or not these picture-perfect babes have as much fun as you do with their fabulous photos. “I’m kind of funny about photos,” Justin Timberlake, 17, modestly admits with a big grin. “Sometimes I feel totally comfortable and sometimes it’s like, if there’s other people around or if there’s a big crowd standing around watching you, it is uncomfortable.” Can you even imagine this curly-haired crooner being the least bit worried about what he looks like in front of other people? But a little camera shyness hasn’t stopped Justin and his photogenic friends from continuing to pump out precious pinups (like the ones in BB). “At first I really, really felt out of place,” JC Chasez, 22, confesses. “But then when I thought about it, it’s a lot of fun.” So much fun, 21-year-old Joey Fatone chimes in, “It’s just like taking a picture with a bunch of friends.” Just like when you and your friends get together, posing for a group shot can be a super-silly experience for these buds and bandmates behind “I Want You Back” off their 1998 self-titled debut album. So when you spot an ear-to-ear grin on the guys’ faces, it’s likely that the camera was snapped right after someone-like wise-crackin’ 27-year-old Chris Kirkpatrick, perhaps-said something super funny. “We make them fun,” JC laughs. “We crack jokes.” You’d think that after spending hours and hours under hot lights and in cramped quarters during a photo shoot, the guys’ spirits would sink. Nope, JC noted, the only thing that brings a frown to their faces is if they get the feeling their pictures are going to turn out looking fake. “A lot of natural smiles are what I like,” the former Mickey Mouse Cluber confides. “When people want you to be overly posed, it’s not that fun.” Having fun in front of the camera isn’t the only thing that pleases fun-lovin’ Lance Bass. Something that most people don’t know about this groupmate is that Lance has just as much fun on the other side of the camera lens. “I’ve always liked taking pictures,” the 19-year-old Southern sweetie beams about his secret hobby. “I’m a big photographer person.” We’re bettin’ he’s got some hot shots of the cute crooners! Of course, Lance reserves his personal pics for his special photo album so that when he gets older he can look back at all the good times he had with his groupmates. And that’s also a big reason why Chris gets totally stoked when he steps in front of the camera lens. “I like to take my pictures because it captures the memories,” the hipster relates. “You know, that’s the reason you take pictures to look at myself and go, ‘Ooohhh, you look good there.’ I just like to remember memories with pictures.” Well, there’s certainly no way these snap-happy hotties will be forgotten!
'N SYNC's Sleepless Nights
Do you ever feel like there are just not enough hours in the day to do everything that you have to do? JC Chasez, Justin Timberlake, Lance Bass, Chris Kirkpatrick, and Joey Fatone of ‘N SYNC, the dreamworthy dudes who sing the smash hits “I Want You Back” and “Tearin’ Up My Heart” off of their 1998 self-titled debut, certainly feel this way. In fact, between pumped-up performances, tiring travels, rockin’ rehearsals and all the rest, there’s little time left for these fine five guys from Florida to enjoy one of life’s simple (and necessary) pleasures: sleep. These guys burn some serious midnight oil when they’re touring, but they say they’ve come up with some creative ways to get their rest anyway. JC: Snoozin’ while cruisin’ Smiley guy JC tells BB that getting eight hours of straight snooze time a night is not a reality for him. “You go through the day sleeping 15 minutes here, 30 minutes here, 20 minutes there,” JC explains. So his sleeping routine on the road is to catch zzz’s whenever and wherever possible. “If I sit down for long, my body goes, ‘Okay, you’re not tired, but you know what? You need to rest just in case,” the 22-year-old reports. When JC does eventually drift off to Slumberland, he says he’s down for the count. “I’m a pretty heavy (sleeper),” JC admits to BB. “I fell asleep on the plane and we landed and everything and I didn’t know it. Lance had to smack me on the back of the head and go, ‘Dude, the plane is empty. You’re the last one.’ I said, ‘Oh my goodness.’” Justin: Bring in da noise Cutie-pie Justin agrees that airplane flights are primo sleeping opportunities. “Every time we get on the plane,” Justin notes, “I fall asleep.” And Justin’s not picky about location when he settles down for a nap. “Me and one of my security guards joke because I can pretty much sleep anywhere,” laughs the 17-year-old. However, unlike JC, Justin doesn’t sleep heavily. “If somebody were to come up and stand over me or something, I’d wake up,” he shares. This goes ditto for things that go bump in the night. “If I hear a noise or something, I wake up,” Justin reveals to BB. Yet even thought he may wake up at the sound of a needle dropping, the one thing that puts Justin to sleep every time is constant noise-gentle sounds, that is. When his group-mates are not available to sing relaxing harmonies to him (too sweet!), he likes to fall asleep to the sounds of nature. “A steady sound makes me go to sleep,” he says. “You know, like one of those sound-soothers (with) the waves.” Lance: Lights Out! Lovable Lance has a harder time settling in at night than his group-mates. “I like putting one leg in and one leg out of the blanket and I’m either hot or cold,” the 19-year-old singer says. “And I like a fireplace. I like sleeping in front of it.” Lance adds that noise isn’t always in the equation for him when it comes to counting sheep. “I can’t stand it when the TV’s on,” the blond babe notes. “It always wakes me up. But I like listening to music sometimes. I like real mellow kinds of music, then sometimes total quiet.” Another no-no for Lance is light in the room. “No light whatsoever,” Lance insists. “My cell phone has this little charger. It has this little itty-bitty light and I can see it when my eyes are closed and it bugs the heck out of me, so I have to have total darkness, unless there’s a fireplace.” Chris: Just a few zzz’s to please Cuddly Chris says that he doesn’t require a lot of sleep. “I only need about four (hours),” the 26-year-old confesses. “I’m not a big sleeping person.” When he does sleep, though, he says he’s about as versatile as the other four guys. “We’ve got crazy hours, but I’ve learned to sleep on airplanes a lot and in vans,” Chris tells us. The problem for Chris in getting enough snooze time is that when night falls and most people are in bed, Chris says he’s up and ready to go. “I like to go out and, well, I’ve got my (Sony) Play Station,” he grins. However, Chris doesn’t consider himself a night person. “I’m just more of an awake person,” he explains. “There’s a lot of activities that I do in the day and there’s a lot of activities I like to do in the night.” Yet the one thing Chris generally tries not to do at night or at any other time during the day is snore. “I’ve never caught myself snoring,” he vows. “Most of the time I don’t think I snore, but I think (there are) certain positions you can lay in sometimes and everybody snores.” Joey: Out like a light bulb Sweetie-pie Joey tells BB that he values his sleep time and he rests up whenever he gets the chance. “When I’m not doing anything, I just try and get rest,” says the 21-year-old songster. Joey reveals that jetting all over the globe can make it difficult to adjust to all of the different time zones, but he and his buddies from the group have found a surefire way to beat jet-lag. “I stay up as late as I can, so when I get on the flight, I just pass out,” he shares. And once Joey’s out, he’s out. “If I’m really tired and all night people yell, I wouldn’t hear it,” he says. Dream-worthy dreamers Even though sleep is at a premium for these five talented guys, then try to make the most of it-in fact, a couple of them even carry on conversations in their sleep! “I talk in my sleep a lot,” Justin admits. “My mom used to laugh at me because if she wanted to find out something about me, she’d come in while I was sleeping and start talking to me.” JC confesses to being a chatty sleeper, too. “My sister said she had an entire conversation with me and I was talking in my sleep,” he recalls. The other guys may not talk in their sleep, but they do dream. “Once in a while, I remember (my dreams), but usually everything’s all weird and jumbled,” Justin says. Lance says that he sometimes gets nightmares, but his dream life is pretty close to his real life when it comes to his career. “Any dreams I have about performing are all good,” he smiles. Despite being majorly sleep-deprived, the talented ‘N SYNC boys are definitely not asleep on the job. And that’s just enough to give their fans plenty of sweet dreams!
'N Sync Kiss and Tell
Justin Timberlake has a big, teethy grin on his face. He was just asked by BB’s Kristin to think back to his very first kiss, and, well, he’s a little embarrassed,to say the least. But thankfully for you (and the demands of this story!), this music-maker, who adds his awesome vocals to the group’s single “Tearin’ Up My Heart” on their self-titled CD, reveals each and every juicy detail about this monumental moment in his life, which, as Justin remembers, took place in “fifth or sixth grade.” “It was my third or fourth girlfriend and it was quite an embarrassing situation,” Justin, 17, begins. “She was friends with my best friend’s girlfriend and she lived right across the street from him (in his hometown of Memphis, Tennessee).” Imagine the convenience of having the object of your affection living directly across the street from your best friend, whose house you practically live at anyway! According to Justin, it couldn’t have worked out any better, aside from him not knowing what to do. It happened one night when Justin and his best friend were over at the girl’s house watching TV. “I knew this moment was going to have to come soon and I wanted it to be this night,” recalls the Ryan Phillippe look-alike. “Then, all of a sudden, she turns the TV off, hits the light switch off, it’s pitch black, and we’re both like, we don’t know what to say. So I looked at her, I’m embarrasses, and thought we might as well do it and we did and it was great. I was a happy little guy.” From the look of nostalgia in his eyes, fun-loving mate Chris Kirkpatrick also enjoyed reminiscing about the first time he got to kiss a girl, even if it did leave him with a slight concussion! “I was 8 years old and we were playing kiss tag (back home) in Pennsylvania,” the 26-year-old cutie recalls. “And this girl, her name was Amy, she caught me-and she was like twice as big as me-and she kissed me. Then she punched my lights out because she was a bully.” Poor Chris! Considering the magnitude of Amy’s fist in his face, it’s a good thing this innocent punching bag can remember that incident at all. As for joyful Joey Fatone, he didn’t have to battle of any bullies after his first kiss. Where he was, he wouldn’t have had any room to rumble anyway. “It was weird. (Some friends) pushed me and this girl Lisa into a closet,” Joey, 21, remembers. “And it was weird ‘cause it just happened. It wasn’t like we liked each other or anything.” But what’s even weirder than being shoved into a closet with a girl Joey didn’t really like is that the relationship still exists to this day-platonically, that is. “Even though I was about 10 years old (when the kiss happened), I still keep in touch with her,” this Brooklyn-born babe admits. “I just saw her back in New York. It’s weird still keeping in touch with people that I’ve known ever since I was in first and second grade. So it’s pretty cool.” As for way-sweet-natured JC Chasez’s first kissable experience, it took place so long ago, he can barely remember it. And that’s not to say JC’s had tons of girls to kiss in the meantime. Out of the five lovable and kissable guys in ‘N SYNC, JC actually chalks up as the most shy and innocent of the bunch. (Don’t forget, when he was younger, he attended a strict Catholic school back home in Washington, D.C. So, you can imagine what he thought might happen to him if he even tried to look at a girl in the wrong way!) “I guess I was like 6 or 7 years old,” JC, now 22, explains. “Her name was Lea Thompson (no relation to the actress from Caroline In The City). She was cool.” Six or seven years old, JC? That’s not too shabby, after all. Perhaps the most elaborate first kiss award should go to Lance Bass, who not only had the most spectators watching him, he was also the youngest of the group to ever lock lips witha girl: just 5 years old! The setting was at a homecoming dance at South Jones High School, the local high school near his hometown of Laurel, Mississippi. Lance and his kindergarten girlfriend, Bethany (his very first g-f, by the way), were to present the king and queen of the dance with their royal prizes. “I was the little crown bearer and she was the little flower girl,” Lance, 19, begins. “They always had little 5-year-olds in kindergarten do it. Since we were like boyfriend and girlfriend, they were like, ‘Oh, they’d be perfect.’” Once little Lance and little bethany presented the winners of the night with their reigning regalia, all eyes were on the tiny twosome. “we had to take pictures and everything,” Lance says. “)Then) I kissed her.” And was Lance shaking in his little boots when everyone at the dance gazed at him upon landing his very first smooch? “No,” he blushes. “I liked it.” After learning about these guys’ first smooching experiences, we at BB hope you feel less insecure about your first-kiss encounters. Let’s just hope it’s someone special’s sweet lips that meet your face-and not their fists!
Could You Be 'N SYNC's Dream Girl?
We can’t blame you if your heart starts fluttering when you see pictures of Lance Bass, JC Chasez, Joey Fatone, Chris Kirkpatrick and Justin Timberlake of ‘N SYNC, the cutie-pies who croon the catchy hits “I Want You Back” and “Tearin’ Up My Heart” off their 1998 self-titled debut album. Not only are they super-talented, they’re also totally adorable! Thus, it’s no surprise to discover that lots of Boppers have been secretly daydreaming about dating these Orlando, Florida-based bandmates. So what would it take to win their hearts? Could you be the type of girl they they’ve privately dreamed of meeting someday, too? When ‘N SYNC dropped by BOP HQ, we decided to get some answers for you. And as we discovered, these five guys have some pretty definite opinions on what kinds of girls take their breath away! Take JC, for instance. This 22-year-old babe tells us that he’s turned on by confidence. “I love it when a girl carries herself well and she’s proud of who she is and what she does,” he shares. “You can see that (confidence) all the way across the room, because believe it or not, it’s pretty rare.” However, while JC is drawn to girls who are happy with themselves, he isn’t into girls who let that self-confidence go to their heads and start acting stuck-up. “There’s a fine line between conceit and confidence,” he points out. Aside from a strong sense of self-esteem, the characteristics JC admires most in a girl are the same ones he values in his buds. “I look for the same things I look for in a freiend, really,” he shrugs. “First of all, honesty. Second of all, somebody who can make me laugh, ‘cause Im a pretty serious person, and patience, because this gig has us traveling to 100 different places.” Sounds like JC’s dream girl will also have to be okay with lots of long-distance phone calls, too! Like JC, Joey is on the lookout for a girl who shares lots of personality traits with his friends. “I like someone who can indicate her mind, who can take a joke and hang out like a friend because, I mean, you want to have that type of relationship,” explains the 21-year-old dreamy dude. “You want to have someone whom you can be friends with as well as boyfriend and girlfriend.” That’s why, as far as Joey is concerned, a girl’s personality is much more important than her appearance. “She doesn’t have to be the most gorgeous person in the world as long as she has a great personality,” he asserts. But don’t think that means that Joey doesn’t care about a girl’s looks. He admits that he’s not into girls who can’t be bothered to comb their hair and dress nicely. “I’m not really picky or anything, but she has to maintain herself,” Joey says. In other words, a sloppy, rumpled look definitely won’t work magic on this guy’s heart. It won’t work on 19-year-old Lance’s heart, either. “I like a natural-looking girl, but, I mean, somebody who likes to keep herself up,” he tells us. “I like somebody who respects herself (enough) to want to make herself look as good as she can.” However, Lance adds, although he’s attracted to a girl who cares about her appearance, he isn’t interested in the typeof vain, mirror-loving girl “who knows she looks really good,” he says. Girls who are loud, crude or wild also won’t get anywhere with Lance. “I like innocent girls,” shares this shy guy. As he’s told BOP before, his idea of perfection is Tiffani Smith, the sweet, naive girl played by Kelly Packard on the former Saturday morning NBC-TV series California Dreams. “She is my ideal girl because she’s so innocent and so goody-goody,” Lance reveals. “She’s, like, perfect.” Yet don’t worry that Lance is so ga-ga over this TV character that he’s not interested in real-life girls! “I just like all kinds of girls, you know?” he says with a quick smile. “Just as long as they have a sweet attitude.” Sweet and innocent is just the type of girl that Justin falls for, too. “For me, it’s innocence mixed with confidence, you know?” says the 17-year-old singer. “I look for honesty and sensitivity, someone with a sense of humor. And I like independence. It’s like she’s her own woman, her own person. She’s a girl who speaks her mind and takes charge of situations.” In addition to take-charge chicas like this, Justin is also attracted to girls who share his enthusiasm for sports. “If she’s athletic, she’s usually got me,” he grins. And those of you who love to play his fave sport have an even better shot at finding a spot in this hoopster’s heart! “I really dig girls who are into basketball,” says Justin. Romantic-natured girls who are into moonlit walks on the beach and elegant dinners take his breath away, too. That’s because Justin is a lovey-dovey guy who enjoys sharing heart-melting moments with a girl. “What can I say, I’m a hopeless romantic,” he confesses. “When I get wrapped up in a girl, I become so softhearted.” And what about Chris? Well, this 26-year-old hunk admits that physical attraction is pretty important to him. “Of course, everyone looks for looks,” he says. “You know, you always want to have somebody that you think looks decent.” But don’t think that that means Chris only goes for girls with beautiful faces. He makes it clear that he isn’t looking for a girl with model-perfect looks. Instead, he is simply searching for someone whom he finds attractive-someone a whole lot like silver-screen queen Audrey Hepburn. “I love her,”Chris gushes. That doesn’t mean Chris is only into brunettes with slender, waif-like figures who resemble Audrey. What Chris digs about the late star of 1953’s Roman Holiday and 1961’s Breakfast at Tiffany’s is her personality more than her appearance. “I’m really a personality person,” he shares. “Audrey Hepburn, it’s a certain look, but it’s more in the personality and the chemistry than the look.” What appeals to chris about Audrey’s personality is that she “carries herself very sophisticated but isn’t afraid to have fun,” he says. “I like a girl who’s not afraid put her boots on and run through the mud. she’d do it because she wants to do it and she wouldn’t care is everybody else was saying, ‘Oh, she’d look stupid if she ran through the mud.’ She’d just do it, you know?” And now, you know what it takes to win a special place in ‘N SYNC’s hearts!
