Celeb News

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06/03/04
In the news today: JC Chasez,Simon Cowell, Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears

JC Chasez concert review at the Roseland Ballroom theatre(the show I went to, hell yeah !)

source:JC-Chasez.net
PopMatters review: JC in NYC
Devon Powers PopMatters
JC CHASEZ
12 May 2004: Roseland Ballroom — New York In America, the only thing more contentious than politics is pop music.

Pop music -- the stuff that's mainstream but not hip-hop, urban, rock, dance, or anything else that might give it a shred of cred on another chart -- is highly controversial, its high profile always eliciting fervent and unqualified reactions both in support and disdain. The music's accessibility is either read as a sign of populism -- the apple of democratic values -- or formulism -- an emblem of the numbing effects of a cookie cutter-prone music biz. Moreover, because some critics often go after pop for its apparent lack of the elements necessary to make music worth its salt (such as artists adept at instruments, guitars, or a largely male fan base), championing the sheer joy created by listening to pop music often resembles chalking up the nutritional value of Twinkies. Unlike rock, pop fans have to argue for the music, justify their appreciation, and somehow explain how to listen to it as something heartier than fluff. Even this introduction, in a way, is a testament to the dangerous terrain that a potential pop enthusiast faces.

Especially dangerous indeed: the subject currently at issue is JC Chasez, who is one of the most, if not the most, difficult pop icons to defend. A recent addition to the solo artist circuit, Mr. Chasez has two humungous strikes against him: 1) he was a member of the widely hated (or else, unabashedly adored/ironically appreciated) boy band (boo! hiss!) *NSYNC; and 2) he has released his solo album in the wake of the outstanding success of his former groupmate Justin Timberlake. Thus discussing Chasez on his own merit is a difficult task indeed. To mix metaphors, homeboy is not only plagued by a 900-pound gorilla, but he's got an albatross around his neck and there's a huge pink elephant chilling up in his crib. But while undoubtedly informed by these markers, Chasez's Schizophrenic (Jive, 2004) far transcends them to be, quite simply, an ambitious, creative, and highly enjoyable endeavor, so above and beyond the aforementioned output that comparison seems silly. If J.T. has been likened by some to Michael Jackson -- as much for his saucy singing and dance spasms as for his appeals across the racial divide -- then JC has his roots with none other than Prince: soulful flows that meld seamlessly with post-orgasmic screams, race (and gender and sexuality) so fucked that the issue becomes moot. And like the notorious Artist, Chasez unties pop's straightlaces to become something not only naughtier but also far more subversive. While remaining firmly seated in its traditions (which these days mandate firm nods to hip-hop, R&B, dance, rock, and electronic motifs), his mélange is so varied that it also unhinges them. For a listener, the album demands a wide and varied listening palette. For a performer, it demands and even wider one, not to mention a hugely flexible performing capabilities. Such diversity, breadth, and dynamism were on full display during his go at New York's Roseland Ballroom. Though the club was shockingly underattended, what it lacked in volume it made up in variety, running the gamut from yuppie to groupie and hipster to hippie. And Chasez's years of performing multiple nights to crowds ten times as large were put to good use. Complete with dancers, costume changes, lights, and props, Chasez crossed the line from sheer musician to pure entertainer, justifying at every turn the somewhat steep $35 ticket price. Even the somewhat canned jokes gave the night an air of professionalism. If the music business is a circus, Chasez set out to produce The Greatest Show on Earth.

All of this is just gravy, however, when coupled with the monstrous force of Chasez as a vocalist. Opening the night with single "All Day Long I Dream About Sex", Chasez thrusted, jerked, and pumped his way through an aerobic set, both physically as well as vocally. His voice is, without question, a miracle: elastic and tough, it can move from curdling to coddling in an instant, pushing the limits of what one would think is humanely possible. "If You Were My Girl"'s excitable screams, for instance, did not bruise him for the night's sweeter fare; the ballads and slow songs which followed it were as downy as lullabies. Indeed, as Schizophrenic's variance presented a potentially tough pool of songs to draw from, Chasez's steadfast vocals marked a parallel between them that was at once dynamic and constant. Chasez can sing. He can sing anything-any style, any genre, any speed. And apparently, any order, on record or in real time.

The show promoted most of Schizophrenic, but a cover of "Let's Go Crazy" solidified Chasez's kinship with the Velvet One. Though the reference clearly seemed to be lost on the bulk of the crowd, most of whom were skirting just below their 20s. No matter: another truism of a Chasez concert is that his is a fanbase of believers, willing to go with him through stylistic deviations and amalgamations. Never have I seen a crowd seem equally thrilled for guitar noise and technofunk. And for those who disparage pop music for its inability to challenge audiences, I'll ask you this: how many rock bands do you know that can get diehard b-girls to thrash? Schizophrenic is an appropriate title for an album (and live performance) that's all over the place -- one that fractures genres like a stroboscope fractures light. But JC Chasez's head is firmly atop his shoulders. While visionary might be too strong a word, the man clearly sees the links across artificial musical subdivisions, and has put together an album which transcends and obliterates them not as a novelty, but as a necessity. For him, a certain schizophrenia is not only natural and logical, but also beyond question. It is only us that seem to think there's something to argue about.


Simon Cowell Meets His Match:Sharon Osbourne

source:MTV.com
HOLLYWOOD — Simon Cowell has managed to find a Brit as feisty and brutally honest as he is to be a judge on his new series.

Sharon Osbourne will join the "American Idol" judge when "The X Factor" debuts in Britain in September (see "Simon Cowell Will Face Judges' Jabs On New Reality Show"). "He's in for it," Osbourne said backstage at last week's "American Idol" finale, flashing a mischievous grin. "They say that karma comes back to you in life, and I think this is his karma coming back to him by having to work with me."
"She may be right," Cowell deadpanned later. "There are certain decisions you make in life and weeks afterwards you go, 'Maybe I shouldn't have done that.' And this may be one of those occasions."

On both "The Osbournes" and "The Sharon Osbourne Show," Sharon is usually portrayed as a sweet mother with a potty mouth, but her reputation in the music industry is that of a shrewd businesswoman not afraid to tell off even the biggest of rock stars.

"She's like one of those sea creatures that live at the bottom of the ocean," Cowell said. "They're very quiet until you go near them and then they bite you from nowhere. And that's what Sharon reminds me of because you think she's so sweet and then she can be a complete monster."

Not that Cowell is an angel.

"Yeah, but I'm more out there with it," he said. "She makes me nervous. I wouldn't like to fall out with Sharon."

Sharon, Simon and another as-yet-unnamed judge will guide a group of singers on "The X-Factor" as well as judge them. Yet Sharon is confident that Cowell will keep his "Idol" reputation as the meanest judge.

"I wanna be truthful and the truth hurts, but I think it's all in the delivery," she said. "And the thing is, I don't have any talent. I can't sing, I can't dance, I can't do anything like that. So the people that have the balls to get out there, I give them a lot of respect. It takes a lot to do that."

Simon (who managed boy bands Westlife and 5ive before getting into TV) and Sharon (who manages her husband and the annual Ozzfest), are likely to have different tastes on "The X-Factor," although both were in the same boat at the "Idol" finale.

"Definitely Fantasia," Sharon said when asked who her favorite was. "She's basically what got me hooked into the show this season, 'cause I thought there was such great talent there."

Cowell, of course, has been rooting for Fantasia from the beginning. "That performance of 'Summertime' was spectacular, absolutely spectacular," he said. "You can't help but like her. She's always crying, then she's happy, then crying again."

Simon hopes to bring "The X-Factor," which will have no age limit, to America, but — contrary to rumors — he's not quitting "Idol."
"I'll be back for two more seasons," he said. "The risk is you don't want to become a parody of yourself, but we remind ourselves the first day that we are here to find somebody talented, not live up to our images on TV."
—Corey Moss

What Year Is It ? Backstreet Reuniting for a new tour,album

source:MTV.com
PASADENA, California — The Backstreet Boys' return to record shelves this year will mark the start of two comeback efforts: that of the group, of course, and that of the producer who led the charge during the '90s pop explosion.

"We just got finished working with Max Martin again," an animated A.J. McLean said of the producer behind countless Backstreet, 'NSYNC and Britney Spears hits. "He kind of went into hiding for a little bit, took a little break from the pop world and had a baby. And we caught wind through our record company that there was a song he wrote that he thought would be cool for us to try.

"It's a little bit more of a rock edge," he continued, "but we went in and tried it and it turned out great. It's a great record, and it's good to be around Max again."

Like the Backstreet Boys themselves, Martin is blending the sound he became know for with the current hot styles. "Music has changed," Nick Carter explained. "So he's gotten back in, he's reinvented himself, and hopefully we can be the new product of what that is."

In the studio with Martin and other producers, the Boys are doing some reinventing of their own.

"It's got urban, it's got pop, it's got rock, it's got ... everything," Brian Littrell said of their new music. "We're just kind of mixing the pot up and seeing what comes out and trying to put a great record together, just good, positive music. ... It's a little different, but still the traditional Backstreet sound because you've got all five voices on it."

The Backstreet Boys are more than halfway finished with their still-untitled new album, which will also feature a collaboration with Boyz II Men produced by Walter Afanasieff (Destiny's Child, Mariah Carey) and a teaming with a cappella veterans Take 6.

"Howie [Dorough] wrote a song, and [Take 6] arranged it for us, and we performed a little bit of it tonight a cappella," Kevin Richardson said backstage at the recent Wango Tango Festival (see "William Hung Overshadows Backstreet Reunion, All-Star Lineup At Wango Tango").

The group recorded four songs with the Underdogs, a production team best known for work with Ruben Studdard and Stacie Orrico (see "Backstreet Boys Rekindling Fire In Studio After Three Years").

"The first records we did with them were very urban, what they normally do," Carter said. "And then we said, 'Why don't we just try to do something different?' We listened to, like, a Peter Gabriel record and we wrote, all of us collectively, wrote a song with them that was just, like, pushing the envelope. And we really got a chance to see how talented they are as producers and writers. They're good 'cause they're flexible."

Carter and his cohorts are aiming for a late summer release, followed by a fall tour.

"We're gonna try to kick off in September, October, maybe do Europe," Dorough said. "We've actually started talking about doing some shows over in Japan and China for the first time. Most likely the plan would be to come back to the States and kick off a world tour. Hopefully for a whole year."

"We just have to make the right record first, then we go from there," Littrell said.
—Corey Moss

Britney Better Keep Her Catsuit Handy for the next single,but not for China

source:MTV.com
Britney Spears should keep her infamous black catsuit handy. Though the concept for the video remains to be determined, the singer's next single is going to be featured in the upcoming movie "Catwoman."

After wrapping up her current European tour on Sunday in Dublin, Ireland, Spears will return Stateside next week for a short break before resuming her North American tour dates, starting June 22 in Hartford, Connecticut. During that time off, she'll shoot her next video, for the R. Kelly-produced track "Outrageous," off her double-platinum album In the Zone. Video director Dave Meyers signed on over the weekend to helm the clip, which is slated to premiere on MTV on June 28. The track will be serviced to radio the following day.
Meanwhile, Spears' skintight clothes won't be in her wardrobe if she makes it to China on a possible tour of Asia next year. China's Culture Ministry has approved the singer's appearance in its country, according to the official China News Service, but officials want veto power over her outfits and stage show, to make sure that it's not too risqué. Want Enqianq, an agent for Chinese promoter Beijing Poly Culture and Art Co. Ltd., told CNS that Spears would perform five concerts in Shanghai and Beijing sometime in the next year. Spears' spokesperson, however, notes that the Asia tour is not yet scheduled.

—Jennifer Vineyard