You, me, that guy, even that girl with that thing in her hair -- everyone.

All of us share in the blame. The shame.

We could have -- nay, we should have -- foreseen Backstreet Boy Alexander James McLean's (a.k.a. A.J.) recent personal battles with depression and alcoholism. All of the signs were there:

Sunglasses worn at all hours of the day, tattoos, a generally lax attitude towards his personal appearance, the listing of Pulp Fiction as his favorite movie.

We didn't see it because we didn't want to think it could happen to A.J., he of dark complexion, and apparently, darker soul.

There is a lesson to be learned here, though. We should never allow this to happen to other people who are important in our lives, those whom we rely upon for our sunshine, and who, in turn, look to us for support, acceptance, and our allowances.

Of course, we're talking about *NSYNC, the rival boy band which releases Celebrity, its third album, on this fine morn.

By reading the liner notes, by studying all of the hot pictures in the CD booklet, and by listening - I mean really listening - to what they're singing, maybe we can save one of the five from befalling the same fate as A.J.

Consider it an *NSYNC-tervention, if you will.

Let's begin with the album cover. Perhaps the most noticeable thing is that all of the members of *NSYNC are staring straight ahead while a commotion rages around them. All of them, that is, except for Lance!

Lance is holding up his hands as if to fend off something. But what? Temptation? Booze? Drugs? The I.R.S.?

Is Lance the troubled member of *NSYNC?

Probably not. In the album's thank-yous, Lance is the only one who includes a pair of quotations from Psalms. Surely any well-groomed man with such an unshakable faith would never stray from His teachings.

We can probably rule out Chris and Joey as trouble spots. As the two least attractive and talented members of *NSYNC, it's fair to assume they appreciate thier fortune and wouldn't do anything to jeopardize the free ride.

And then there were two: Justin and JC.

The dreamy twin talent attack of *NSYNC, who are responsible for, together and separately, co-writing most of the material and producing a handful of the tracks on Celebrity. Surely they have nothing to hide from... or do they?

Well, of the two, Justin appears to have it together a little more, although one has to wonder what kind of psychological damage is being done to the poor boy as he's sent home... um, unrelieved night after night by a deliciously chaste Britney Spears.

As for JC, well, he appears to be the one on the brink. Other than the dead giveaway that, similar to A.J., his first name is two initials, there's the second banana principle. JC will always be the mustard behind Justin's ketchup, the margarine to Justin's creamy butter, the white jellybean to... well, to every other kind of jellybean.

Yes, he's hot and talented, but in *NSYNC he'll always be the second hottest and talented - and that has to gnaw at his insides.

So much rage, so much anger and betrayal set to a poppy synthetic disco beat. Where will it all lead, where will JC turn, what will become of *NSYNC?

The answer depends on us. We can all do something to help. We can light a candle, we can say a prayer, we can enter a chat room - anything to let JC know we care.

We owe it to him. And we owe it to JC.

Never again. Never again.