The album, which hits shelves October 16, will feature a new track from Britney Spears, and music by a variety of artists including 'NSYNC, Mandy Moore, Al Green, Christian Burns from BBMak and Richie Sambora from Bon Jovi, a source close to the project said.

The first single from On the Line is the title track by True Vibe, a supergroup made up of Bass, Fatone, Moore and Burns. A video for the track was shot September 7 in New York by Mark Webb (Green Day, Live). The video will feature scenes from the film and will loosely follow the movie's plot, which centers around a young man who instantly falls in love with a girl he meets on a train, and who then spends all his energy trying to find her again so he can win her over.

"Basically, Lance is a nerd in the movie and Joey is a bigger nerd," 'NSYNC member Chris Kirkpatrick said backstage at the MTV Video Music Awards Thursday. "But we can have lots of fun laughing at them when we go to the premiere."

The soundtrack will also feature a new 'NSYNC song called "That Girl," a solo tune by Fatone called "Ready to Fall" and a song co-written and sung by Kirkpatrick called "Falling," which Bass described as "a beautiful ballad."

In addition, On the Line includes Al Green's new recording of his classic "Let's Stay Together" and Sambora's "Take Me On," which was co-written with Aerosmith and Baha Men collaborators Mark Hudson and Desmond Child, and country writer Gary Burr.

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U2 frontman Bono and hip-hop/R&B producer Jermaine Dupri are organizing what Dupri has called a "We Are the World"-like project. Backstreet Boys, Wyclef Jean, Christina Aguilera, No Doubt singer Gwen Stefani and the Roots' ?uestlove are also participating in the recording, according to organizers.

Jennifer Lopez, Radiohead, Jagged Edge and Usher may also contribute, Dupri told MTV News last week.

Hundreds of artists are in New York this week for the MTV Video Music Awards on Thursday (September 6) and the Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Celebration, The Solo Years tribute shows on Friday and Monday.

Dupri said that Bono asked him to lead the project, dubbed Artists Against AIDS Worldwide. Proceeds from sales of the single, which will be released as soon as possible, will go toward AIDS research in Africa.

"He basically reached out to me to be the producer for the project," Dupri said. "He'd been calling me from London. I guess he's really lived with it. He's been [making] some suggestions of what we could do at the end of the record to make it bigger."

Unlike "We Are the World," the recording of the song will not be handled in one huge session. Dupri is running several sessions at Battery Studios in New York with performers stopping in beginning Wednesday (September 5) and going through the end of the weekend.

A video will also be filmed for the song, organizers said, though the details are still being finalized.

Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie and Quincy Jones organized USA for Africa's "We Are the World," which was recorded the night of the American Music Awards in 1985 and featured Bruce Springsteen, Sting and others. It won the Song of the Year Grammy the following year. Mtv.com
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An uptempo song by Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake was recorded last week, according to Rich Travali, who is mixing the track this week in New York.

"It's a slick pop thing, very aggressive," Travali said of the tune. "It sounds really hot."

Spears and Timberlake wrote the track with their choreographer, Wade Robson, who also produced it, Travali said. Robson and Timberlake wrote 'NSYNC's current single, "Pop."

Travali, who has mixed albums by Nelly and the St. Lunatics, would not reveal the title of the song, which he said would likely surface on Spears' new LP, due November 6. Spears' label, Jive Records, did not return calls for comment.

Spears has collaborated with electronic music guru BT and R&B hitmaker Rodney Jerkins for the as-yet-untitled album.
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And besides, he said, it's just the economy that's to blame if the album's opening week comes shy of the 2.4 million copies No Strings Attached sold last year in its first week on shelves.

"People probably don't think we think about this kind of stuff, but if you really wanna get technical about it, the whole country, the economy, is down 15 percent," Timberlake said Tuesday. "So if you put the calculations in to sell somewhere between one-sixth and one-eighth [fewer albums this time], that would be the equivalent of selling 2.4 when the economy was a little bit stronger. But all that stuff, we really don't take it into consideration. ...

"We wanna stick around for longer than the first week."

Industry insiders predict that Celebrity will sell about 2 million copies in its first week, enough to beat out the second-best sales mark held by Eminem, whose The Marshall Mathers LP (2000) sold 1.76 million copies in its first week.

As they've progressively done with each album, 'NSYNC took greater control in the studio this time around and ended up writing the bulk of the disc's material — a result, Timberlake said, of overcoming any lingering insecurities by realizing their competence as producers and songwriters.

"It's one thing to go and write a song, but it's a whole other thing to go in and be turning knobs that you don't know what they mean, and now we know what they mean," said the singer, who also assumed lead writing duties on more than half of the album's tracks. "That's big to us, and that just comes with experience."

But it wasn't easy trying to finish the album while planning PopOdyssey, one of the most elaborate concert tours in history, JC Chasez said. "It's been a roller coaster ride. ... The last record, even though we had a lot of adversity or whatever, it was one thing at a time. You record the record, you promote it, you go out on tour, you breathe for a second. This [was] everything at once."

'NSYNC — whose lineup also includes Lance Bass, Chris Kirkpatrick and Joey Fatone — enlisted some unlikely collaborators to bring new styles to their sound, including electronica producer BT and red-hot duo the Neptunes, whose hip-hop-heavy résumé includes hits by Mystikal and Ol' Dirty Bastard.

BT, who helmed the boards for Celebrity's first single, "Pop," said he was hesitant about working with 'NSYNC when Timberlake approached him last fall.

"At first I thought, because our music is sort of polar opposites, it wouldn't really make sense," he said. "But Justin called me one night and said, 'Dude, we want to do a track like "The Hip Hop Phenomenon" from the U.K. version of [your] album,' and I was like, 'If you wanna do something that punk-rock, I'll do it.'"

'NSYNC enlisted the Neptunes for "Girlfriend," in which Timberlake, ever the heartbreaker, sings lyrics right out of a million female fans' dreams: "Why don't you be my girlfriend/ I'll treat you good."

The guys return to familiar terrain with "Tell Me, Tell Me ... Baby" (courtesy of teen-pop hitmaker Max Martin) and "Just Don't Tell Me That" but do the two-step on "The Two of Us" and "Up Against the Wall." There are also frequent shifts into R&B, including the spare "Gone," and collaborations with Motown legend Stevie Wonder and urban-soul crooner/producer Brian McKnight.

Timberlake said he was dead set on enlisting Wonder after coming up with the harmonica part for "Something Like You" with songwriting partner Robin Wiley.

"I said, 'We have to get him to do it.' I mean, that's the other thing that he's famous for — besides his incredible voice, he's killer on the harp. Somehow the record company got a hold of him and it just worked out. He came in and it definitely was a surreal moment. I was sitting at the board, and he's sitting in the booth playing the part."

The group has not yet picked the album's second single. "We'll listen to the fans and see which ones they like," Bass said.

"It's hard to pick because everything is so different," Chasez added.

After all its experimenting, Celebrity ends rather humbly, with the graceful "Do Your Thing."

"They were looking for something that could conclude the record and showcase that they are really great singers and they have amazing harmony," said Paul "PDA" Allen, who co-produced the song with his PAJAM partner J. Moss (Sisqó, Babyface).

"A lot of people think that these guys are just an assembled boy band, but they really studied their craft," Moss said. "In the studio, they show you that they are all true, talented singers."
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Nearly 1.9 million copies of the superstar quintet's Jive release "Celebrity" flew from retail shelves in the week ended Sunday, according to data compiled by SoundScan.

That's about a half-million short of the group's record-breaking sales week with its prior LP "No Strings Attached," which bowed in March 2000 and has sold 10.6 million copies nationwide to date. It's more than enough, however, to top 2001's second biggest bow, the Dave Matthews Band's "Everyday" (RCA).

The debut of "Celebrity" knocked nascent pop superstar Alicia Keys into a distant second place, with sales about 1.7 million short of the leader. Still, the numbers for Keys' J Records debut "Songs in A Minor" held strong, falling just 10 percent from the previous week and pushing the artist into platinum territory after five weeks on the chart. Keys' labelmate, R&B crooner Jimmy Cozier, sold 23,000 copies of his eponymous album to enter the charts at No. 63.

The sleeper-hit award of the week went to Neil Diamond, whose latest release "Three-Chord Opera" (Columbia) opened in 15th place. The singer-songwriter got a sizable boost from a recent appearance on A&E's "Live by Request," which turned out to be the highest-rated episode of the cable channel's live music show in history. He also performed on NBC's "Today" last Friday.

Also making a strong debuts were "Violator Vol. 2 -- The Album" (Loud/Sony), a hip-hop compilation from veteran producer Chris Lighty, which bowed at No. 10 (nearly 79,000 sold), and quirky alt-rock act Cake, whose sophomore effort "Comfort Eagle" (Columbia), landed in the 13th spot on sales of 72,000.

Actress-pop star Jennifer Lopez rebounded into the top 20 with her most recent release, "J.Lo" (Epic), which shot up 49 places and tripled its sales following the release of the new single "I'm Real," as well as an appearance on the live concert series of "Today."

*NSYNC's "Strings" also got a bump this week from the buzz surrounding "Celebrity": the older album logged a sales gain of nearly 12 percent, climbing the ranks to 95 from 110.

*NSYNC could see some viable competition for the top spot next week from the seventh installment of Virgin's wildly popular "Now That's What I Call Music" compilation series. The album's predecessor, "Now 6" (Sony), has sold more than 2.7 million copies and remains at No. 25.

"Down From the Highway," the concert version of the successful "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" soundtrack, sold almost 14,000 albums in its first week.

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"Celebrity" is now the sixth album to be released in the past year to sell more than 1 million units in a week. The set is ahead of the 1.76 million moved by Eminem's Web/Aftermath/Interscope album "The Marshall Mathers LP," and the 1.59 million sold by "Black & Blue," the most recent effort from Jive labelmates the Backstreet Boys.

Yet the weighty debut was accomplished with no help from radio. With stations cooling on teen pop acts, 'N Sync's current single "Pop" is at No. 62 on The Billboard Hot 100. Depending on sales of "Celebrity" hold up in its second week, the boys could face tough competition from this week's release of the latest "NOW! That's What I Call Music" compilation album.
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As expected, "Celebrity" debuted at No. 1 in both Canada and the U.S., with impressive sales that nonetheless could not match the record established by their previous album, "No Strings Attached".

In Canada, "Celebrity" sold 71,245 copies in its first week of release, almost five times as many as its closest competitor, Destiny's Child's "Survivor" (15,097), according to sales data compiled by SoundScan. That's down from the first-week sales of 104,847 of last year's "No Strings Attached".

South of the border, "Celebrity" moved a whopping 1.88 million copies, compared to the record 2.4 million set by "No Strings Attached".

Back in Canada, two other new releases went straight into the Top 10: Cake's "Comfort Eagle" hit No. 7 with sales of 8,389, just ahead of Shaggy's "Hotshot" (8,377).

And Moist frontman David Usher debuted at No. 9 with his second solo album, "Morning Orbit", which sold a healthy 7,654 copies in week one of its release.

Here are the 10 best selling albums in Canada, from SoundScan:

1. *NSYNC | CELEBRITY 71,245
2. DESTINY'S CHILD | SURVIVOR 15,097
3. D12 | DEVIL'S NIGHT 14,462
4. CRAIG DAVID | BORN TO DO IT 9,223
5. VARIOUS | PLANET POP 3 8,919
6. BLINK 182 | TAKE OFF YOUR PANTS 8,868
7. CAKE | COMFORT EAGLE 8,389
8. SHAGGY | HOTSHOT 8,377
9. DAVID USHER | MORNING ORBIT 7,654
10. STAIND | BREAK THE CYCLE 7,333

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Four national retail chains said Wednesday (July 25) that based on first-day sales of 'NSYNC's new album, Celebrity, projected first-week numbers appeared to be falling just short of those for the group's No Strings Attached, which sold 2.4 million copies in its first week last March — the highest first-week sales of the SoundScan era.

But Celebrity, released Tuesday, does seem to be on course to top the second-best sales mark held by Eminem, retailers said. The rapper's The Marshall Mathers LP sold 1.76 million copies in its first week.

"Based on what I'm seeing so far, I'm projecting 2 million in sales nationwide," said Bob Bell, pop/rock music buyer for the Wherehouse Music chain. "It may not meet the mark of No Strings Attached, but in the end, 'NSYNC will hold the #1 and #2 SoundScan records. ... So many people have been predicting the death of the boy band phenomenon, but anyone predicting that 'NSYNC are over will be proven wrong."

In a press release, the Sam Goody chain said that Celebrity "flew off the shelves" on Tuesday, but failed to match the first-day sales of No Strings Attached.

Best Buy and Virgin Megastores echoed that statement, with Virgin's spokesperson pinning Celebrity's sales at 90 percent of those of No Strings Attached.

However, a spokesperson for Tower Records said that at their stores, the new album's first-day sales total of 30,000 copies surpassed those of last year's LP, which sold 28,000 on its first day at Tower.

"We're very encouraged," Tower's Sara Hanson said. "We think it'll do as well, if not better, than No Strings Attached."

A spokesperson for 'NSYNC's label, Jive, did not return a call for comment on the sales of Celebrity. Before No Strings Attached came out, Backstreet Boys held the first-week SoundScan record, with 1.1 million copies sold of Millennium when it debuted in 1999. BSB sold 1.6 million copies of Black & Blue in its first week last year.
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Fans snapped up more than 234 million CDs in the first half of 2000, but this year sales dropped to 215 million, according to industry number-gatherer SoundScan.

The blockbuster trio of Britney Spears' Oops! ... I Did It Again, Eminem's The Marshall Mathers LP and 'NSYNC's No Strings Attached helped drive up last year's numbers, and no release this year has matched those albums' sales.

Spears, 'NSYNC, Alanis Morissette, Jewel, DMX and other major artists are scheduled to release albums before the end of the year, however. Hilary Rosen, president and CEO of the Recording Industry Association of America, said upcoming big releases should boost sluggish sales.

"I'm optimistic that our year-end figures will even out, as our numbers in the third and fourth quarters will reflect great products being distributed between now and then," Rosen told the Los Angeles Times.

When sales of singles declined last year the industry blamed Napster, but the file-sharing service looks to be an unlikely scapegoat for this year's problems. The number of songs available on Napster declined drastically between February, when a judge ordered it to screen out copyrighted music, and July, when the service shut itself down.

Fans continue to trade music files through various other file-sharing systems, which have increased in popularity in recent months.

In addition to the decline in album sales, concert ticket sales have also dropped this year.
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``Fans still love `N Sync,'' said Dick Odette, senior vice president of audio for Sam Goody stores. ``The group's music has evolved with their fans - those who adored the group when they debuted in 1996 are still devoted, Sam Goody's first-day album sales demonstrate that.''
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With the recent announcement of the nominations for the MTV Video Music Awards, the topic of the evening was who would win in the category of "Best Pop Video," which both Spears and 'N Sync are both vying for. The guys actually busted out in a little harmonized rap to describe how they were feeling about the competition, singing "Down, down, down, Britney's going down." The folks at ET were the ones who broke the news of the nomination to a pleasantly surprised Britney, who had not even heard about her latest accolades.

Inside the cool club guests like ANDREW KEEGAN, DREW CAREY, MELISSA JOAN HART, JENNIFER LOVE HEWITT, and COOLIO dined on champagne, chocolates and french fries. 'N Syncer CHRIS KIRKPATRICK also revealed why he was sporting a cast on his arm, "I punched the side of a bus because I was really stupid. Kids don't try this at home."
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Timberlake, 20, told the magazine he is helping 19-year-old Spears move away from her hugely popular bubblegum pop in favor of a harder sound. When the timing is right, he envisages them recording together, a collaboration he vowed would be ``huge.''

"I want it to be somethin' new that they haven't heard us do, that they didn't think we could do. I feel like we still have artistic growth to show, and maybe after that, then I'll think about it. It definitely would be a spectacle. It would be huge,'' he told the magazine.
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Not us. In point of fact, early reports from leading accounts indicate that NSYNC’s "Celebrity" (Jive) is on track to sell the better part of 2 MILLION (comfortably in the 1.8-2 million range), making it one of only a handful of million-plus chart debuts and the second-highest first week in history. What’s wrong with that? Huh? If you think it’s so damn easy, why don’t you go do it yourself?

Say what you will about the great teenpop fadeout, this one’s huge and will be the biggest album of the year. And whatever you do, don’t make those boys cry. They’re very sensitive.

Of course this means that there will be about a one million, eight hundred thousand-unit difference between the #1 and #2 album on next week’s album chart, but the probable #2 album is a doozie in its own right—even under the long shadow of NSYNC.

Yes, we’re talking about Alicia Keys again, the debut artist whose "Songs in A Minor" (J Records) has been #1 three out of the past four weeks and will continue to be a huge story, pushed aside this week only by, as we said, the biggest album of the year. Maybe we’ll let her slide on that one.
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The Aug. 7 date at GM Place may as well be the opening night of a farewell tour for the embattled Boys. Or the group could just cancel the rest of the dates and make rehab reservations for Nick, Howie, Brian and Kevin as a preemptive measure.

Finding out their 15 minutes of fame are over at the hands of the band BSB creator Lou Pearlman developed to whup 'em silly is likely to have disastrous consequences for all.

It's clear that Justin Timberlake, JC Chasez and those three other guys -- what do they do, anyway? -- are taking a page from El Jacko himself. The last time a teen trend took those first, cautious dancesteps towards adulthood as successfully came when Mikey got ornery enough to tell us all to "Beat It." That's what 'N Sync does with "Pop."

Don't credit Timberlake's tunesmithing for that song's appeal. His vocal range remains "perma-whine" and the seven other cuts Justin carries co-writing credits on don't have half the impact. Producer Brian "BT" Transeau is behind the winning beats in "Pop." Hoping for another chance at the charts, Justin's girlfriend, Britney Spears, is enlisting BT's studio magic for her next CD as well.

Timberlake and Chasez's tunes succeed in packing a lot more oomph than anything BSB managed to bring to Black & Blue. Best of all is Chasez's "Up Against the Wall," about fine young "gals with game" grabbing JC for serious grinding in the geographic area referenced by the song's title.

While it's doubtful even BSB could salvage garbage such as "Selfish," "Gone" and the truly vile "Something Like You," they might be able to make the tracks listenable. 'N Sync clearly can't handle a ballad.

That's a big problem. Take a listen to radio and it's obvious that romantic shmaltz is the lifeblood of maturing teenie poppers. For all its flash, "Pop" is getting a lukewarm reception. Could the pre-fab cookie be crumbling? Even if it does, both Timberlake and Chasez have clearly demonstrated they've got what it takes for show-biz futures.

The rest of the gang can chill with their BSB buddies and play monopoly with real money. The so-called slump Backsteet Boys are in with Black & Blue still translated to eight-times platinum sales.

Rating: Two 1/2
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Those were just a few of the celebrities joining the boys from Orlando, Florida, at the club Momba on the eve of Celebrity's arrival in stores, amid almost unreal expectations (not to mention whispers of vulnerability).

But -- perhaps ominously for the group -- the first single from the album, "Pop," has not been an instant hit. That has left industry observers wondering if the band can match the success of their last CD, "No Strings Attached," which sold a record 2.4 million copies in its first week.

Failure to do so will no doubt embolden the chorus of skeptics who have already begun proclaiming the beginning of the end for boy bands. Just ask 98? whose latest album performed weakly on the charts.

But 'NSYNC were all smiles, as usual, Monday evening in West Hollywood, and who could blame them? Platinum albums are nothing to sneeze at, and Tuesday (July 24) they will play for more than 50,000 fans at the Rose Bowl.

"It's one of the most prestigious places we play, and it's always the best crowd," band member Lance Bass said.

'NSYNC are looking forward to the performance for another reason, as fans (at least those who pick up the album before the concert) will be somewhat more familiar with the song roster of Celebrity. "We've been singing the new songs at all our shows on this tour and the fans aren't as into them because they've never heard them," said the group's Justin Timberlake, who brought his equally famous girlfriend, Britney Spears, to the party. "We wanna challenge our fans to learn all the songs before we play Tuesday."

The band spent the rest of its face time with an overflowing media contingent explaining how Celebrity is quite the musical departure from its previous, lighter fare.

"We are who we are, but every musician wants to grow and I think people will see this with Celebrity," JC Chasez said.

"Every song on this album is totally different from the next one," Bass added.

Electronica guru BT, who worked with the group on the album, talked up the band's new "cutting edge" sound while pointing out that 'NSYNC's playfulness doesn't end with the album's title.

"What's so refreshing about these guys is that they don't take themselves too seriously," said BT, who became involved with 'NSYNC after Chasez saw him perform in a club. "You get more attitude from a guy working behind the counter at Starbucks than you do from these guys. They're just regular people."

Of course, how many "regular people" party with Hef? The new, grown-up 'NSYNC apparently are still attracting grown-up converts, such as actress and "Talk Soup" hostess Aisha Tyler.

"I'm a new 'NSYNC fan," Tyler admitted. "I was drawn in watching 'Making the Video' on MTV for that 'Pop' song. It's a cool video and a cool song. I've been into them ever since."

With critics already writing obituaries for the boy band phenomenon, *NSYNC releases its latest album with more than the usual pressure. "Celebrity" arrived in stores Tuesday, marking a stylistic departure for the quintet. This time there's less soulful crooning and more of a hip hop, edgier sound.

Other stars who dropped by were Frankie Muniz of "Malcolm in the Middle," and Limp Bizkit's Fred Durst. "Showbiz Today Reports" correspondent Sherri Sylvester hip hopped over to West Hollywood for the big event.
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On "Celebrity" - the biggest, most important release of this summer (other than Michael Jackson's upcoming comeback disc) - the quintet takes the "No Strings Attached" method further into the techno zone, welding jumpy vocals to fast-track beats.

The result is a rare album that stands up to repeated listens because it is musically diverse and lyrically smart. It is a milestone record for the band, one that will be remembered for what's important - the music.

There is an R&B undercurrent on this 13-song disc, but it's less distinct here than on *NSYNC's previous work, as if the band is distancing itself from the balladeering of the past.

"Celebrity" comes with a powerhouse one-two punch of "Pop" and the title track.

On both of these numbers and in many of the other songs (most written by *NSYNC), the band examines who they are, what they do and how they do it.

Their introspection isn't your typical coffeehouse confessional, as it reveals the joys and, yes, horrors of being one of the most popular bands in the world with honesty and a sense of humor.

"Celebrity" opens with a breathy rush and the band asking, "If I wasn't a celebrity, would you be so nice to me?" Lyrically, self-awareness is the hallmark of this collection.

Musically, the album is very ambitious as well as adventurous, taking a major leap of faith in not underestimating their fans' ability to appreciate a new sound.

Sure, there's the standard sticky stuff in the smooth groove ballad "Selfish," but there is also a modern soulman quality to "Girlfriend."

"Gone" is one of the more interesting numbers on the disc. The stark arrangement presses the band's ability to create complex vocal harmony against a simple drum beat and a lightly plucked acoustic guitar. It is lovely. Although it is too slow for radio and too sad for video treatment, it stands among the disc's best.

Another musical sidebar is the song "The Two of Us," which dabbles in the latest Brit club flavor. You can also hear The Beatles' "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds" influence in the calliope electronics. On the week-kneed love ballad "Something Like You," listen for Stevie Wonder honking on his harp.

With this hook-heavy collection, *NSYNC has realized its goal - to transcend the sappy saccharine that has weighed down other young vocal groups.

Whether the album will best the "No Strings Attached" record and sell more than 2.4 million copies in its first week of availability will be exciting to watch - that's a staggering number to exceed.

But *NSYNC may surprise everyone, considering "Celebrity" is basically a better, smarter collection than "No Strings," and this disc ain't just for kids!

Rating: 4 Stars
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"Pinky -- I love you more and more each day and if all this stopped tomorrow, I would be OK knowing that you would be by my side no matter what. I can't breathe without you. Don't ever forget that."

We're just guessing "Pinky" is known to the rest of the world as Britney Spears.

You can read all the guys' dedications for yourself when Celebrity drops in stores Tuesday.
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The album's first single, "Love of My Life," went to radio July 16, and the disc features duets with 'NSYNC's Justin Timberlake on "My Kind of Girl," Nate Dogg on "Don't Know Where to Start" and gospel star Fred Hammond on "When Will I See You Again." Superhero also includes a bonus track, "Groovin' Tonight," a duet with St. Lunatics that also appeared on their album Free City.
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Celebrity (Jive), the follow-up to 2000's No Strings Attached -- the biggest first-week seller in the history of the SoundScan era at 2.4 million copies -- hits stores July 24 with a world of expectations on its back.

"One of the best things about being on tour is that we're so wrapped up in the tour, [the release of the album] is not the only thing on our minds," says JC Chasez. "I think we'd probably be more obsessed with it if it was the only thing on our minds. Right now, we're just hoping it goes well, and we're getting the audience reaction to the playing of half the album on the tour. We're looking at the audience to see if they are digging it, and so far we've liked the reaction that we're getting."

The album, which includes collaborations with artist-producer BT, the Neptunes, and, believe it or not, Stevie Wonder on a track called "Something Like You." Don't think the boy band wasn't a tad humbled, either.

"Justin [Timberlake] said he was really intimidated because if something was a little bit wrong, he'd have to say, 'Yeah, Stevie, could you do this just a little bit different?'" says Chris Kirkpatrick. "And then he would get off the talk back and say, 'I just told Stevie how to do something, which I shouldn’t have done' so it was really cool."

Celebrity sees at least two members of the group -- Timberlake and Chasez -- stepping up to a larger songwriting roll than on previous albums, perhaps explaining the Michael Jackson '80s-era influence at various points throughout.

"I think everything comes around and you gotta remember the '80s is when we were growing up," says Kirkpatrick. "That's what we listen to... that's the music that helped inspire us."

In other 'NSync news, the group will have two new tracks: Kirkpatrick's "Falling" and "That Girl," on the soundtrack to On the Line, starring Bass and group mate Joey Fatone. The latter track was written by Kristian Lundun, who also co-wrote "Bye Bye Bye."

On the Line is due out in October on Miramax Films with the soundtrack to follow on Jive Records. 'NSync is also looking to put together a European tour beginning in November.

But back to the most pressing matter at hand. Whether or not 'NSync does top its own record remains to be seen, but it's indisputable that a helluva lot of copies of Celebrity are going to cross the bar code scanners come July 24 (the album is already No. 3 on CDNOW.com's Top 100, despite being available only as a pre-order). Either way, Chasez isn't all that concerned.

"It's a nice position to be in that you don't have to break your own record," he says.
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The latest installment of the blockbuster series features the usual rock, pop, R&B and rap radio faves as well as a few more obscure surprises. Destiny's Child leads off with "Survivor."

Other pop tracks include Jennifer Lopez's "Play," Britney Spears' "Don't Let Me Be the Last to Know," 'NSYNC's "This I Promise You" and a remix of the Backstreet Boys' "The Call."

More rockin' numbers include Aerosmith's "Jaded," Lifehouse's "Hanging by a Moment" and American Hi-Fi's "Flavor of the Weak." On the hip-hop and R&B tip, Nelly punches in with "Ride Wit Me," Mystikal offers "Danger (Been So Long)," and 3LW provide "Playas Gon' Play." Collaborations include Eve and Gwen Stefani's "Let Me Blow Ya Mind" and R. Kelly and Jay-Z's "Fiesta." The five more recent Now collections have all charted in the top three, and volumes five and six are still in the top 200. Now 6, which features 'NSYNC's "Bye Bye Bye," Destiny's Child's "Independent Women Part 1" and Shaggy's "It Wasn't Me," debuted at #1 in April and is currently #15.

Now That's What I Call Music! Vol. 7's track list, according to its publicist:

Destiny's Child - "Survivor"
Janet Jackson - "All for You"
Samantha Mumba - "Baby, Come Over"
Mandy Moore - "In My Pocket"
Jennifer Lopez - "Play"
Backstreet Boys - "The Call (Remix)"
3LW - "Playas Gon' Play"
Nelly - "Ride Wit Me"
Mystikal - "Danger (Been So Long)"
R. Kelly with Jay-Z - "Fiesta"
Eve with Gwen Stefani - "Let Me Blow Ya Mind"
City High - "What Would You Do"
Britney Spears - "Don't Let Me Be the Last to Know"
'NSYNC - "This I Promise You"
S Club 7 - "Never Had a Dream Come True"
Lifehouse - "Hanging by a Moment"
Aerosmith - "Jaded"
Evan and Jaron - "From My Head to My Heart"
American Hi-Fi - "Flavor of the Weak"

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The five-man singing group is about to release its follow-up to the multiplatinum No Strings Attached on July 24. NSA included one big hit single, "Bye Bye Bye," which catapulted 'N Sync beyond the Backstreet Boys and made listening to pop radio a task at best.

The new album, Celebrity, isn't in stores yet but a single, called "Pop," is already a Dud with a capital D. No matter what you hear about "Pop" being the most requested song on MTV, (this is an ignominious distinction since the phone lines are jammed by fan clubs), the song is a stiff on the charts and a stiff on radio. After seven weeks on the Billboard Top 100, "Pop" is pooped at an inglorious number 35. The highest it got? Number 19.

Radio & Records, meantime, charts "Pop" at number 7 on its pop chart. But on the easy listening chart, 'N Sync is also number 7 — with a song from No Strings Attached, of all things, and not the new record.

What makes the imminent release of Celebrity even more daunting, though, is what will comprise the chosen songs. In the past, 'N Sync relied heavily on bland commercial tunesmiths to hand them material from their inventories. Diane Warren was their speed. Or the Swedish hit factory presided over by Karl Martin Sandberg aka Max Martin.

Not this time. Four of the Celebrity songs are written by N Sync's very own Justin Timberlake. He's the one who used to look like a dandelion and purportedly dates Britney Spears. Justin — who's never really had songs of his own on an album before — co-writes with a Spears dancer named Wade J. Robson, also a novice songwriter. One of their songs just shamelessly rips off the Beatles' "Can't Buy Me Love" with this couplet: "If I couldn't buy you diamond rings/And all those other expensive things." Of course, no one ever accused 'N Sync of originality in the past.

Interestingly, the four Timberlake/Robson songs are published by Robson's company, Wajero Music. Usually band members like to stick their names on songs to get part of the publishing royalty — even if they had nothing to do with the song. It's curious that Timberlake seems to have thrown in his lot with Robson, whose only prior credits, according to his Web site, are dancing up a storm behind various bubblegum pop groups.

Timberlake, by the way, has one other credit on Celebrity, a song he co-wrote with a few others called "Up Against the Wall." Last December, Timberlake was sued by a 15-year-old St. Louis girl who claimed that Timberlake invited her to his room, pushed her up against a wall, and then berated her for liking another 'N Sync singer better. "Up Against the Wall" doesn't seem to reference this incident. Instead, the lyrics — posted unofficially on the Web — are about a girl named Shorty who has the singer up against a wall. "She took my hand and never said a word at all/Starting grinding Shorty had me up against the wall."

There's only one song by Max Martin on Celebrity, and it's called — in his inimitable articulation — "Tell Me, Tell Me ... Baby." This may very well be an end to the five-year reign of terror Martin has perpetrated on the teen audience, peaking with his masterpiece, "I Want It That Way." (That song also depended on a "Tell me" chorus, if you recall.)

So is that the last nail in the coffin for 'N Sync? Could be, but we won't count them out just yet. There are still a whole generation of bored 11-year-old girls ready to plunk down their parent's hard-earned money when Celebrity comes out. The question is, beyond the first week, who will pick up the slack. And in a more practical sense, if Celebrity is a bust, where will that leave 'N Sync's greedy record label, Zomba/Jive, and its owner Clive Calder? Calder has used the 'N Sync popularity as leverage with the rest of the record industry. Without Justin, Joey, et all, things may be a lot different for him.
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It's not a totally radical departure: Much of Celebrity merely ups the ante on No Strings Attached's tentative steps to integrate techno in their R&B pop. With it's Pac-Man theme and dance-y squeaks, "The Game is Over" echoes the sounds and sentiments of the last album's edgiest cuts. Producer Brian McKnight stands in for Richard Marx on "Selfish"; the Neptunes and Rodney Jerkins take Teddy Riley's place on "Girlfriend" and the title track. Swedish teenpop-factory kingpin Max Martin and pupils contribute "Tell Me, Tell Me....Baby" and "Just Don't Tell Me That," and it doesn't take a psychic to guess that they sound like every great Britney-Backstreet-'Nsync smash, even if their contradictory titles cry out for a psychologist to tell us what they mean.

Although they've always flashed perkier smiles and danced more enthusiastically than that other boyband, Nsync ultimately set themselves apart with the anxiety in their voices. Where their peers have become unflatteringly self-assured, JC Chasez and particularly Jusitn Timberlake grow progressively more distressed. Michael Jackson went through a similar transformation when he went solo, and much of Celebrity shares that icon's popularity-bred defensiveness and fear of lecherous love. It's a drag to hear rich superstars lash out at anonymous gold diggers, and those attacks temper the nervous thrills of "See Right Through You" and other cutting cuts. But the feistiness also suits the albums jumpier, faster grooves. Underground club-music hero Brian "BT" Transeau goes overground with Timberlake for the beat-driven first single, "Pop," and unsung remixers Riprock 'n' Alex G go even further with Chasez on "The Two of Us" and "Up Against the Wall." The smooth-and-schizo two-step dance beats on those tracks are a perfect fit for Nsync's fearful joy. Along with Nelly Furtado and Mandy Moore, Nsync are paving a new high road for teen pop's future. Who else will join them?
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"They were like, 'I don't know. I don't like that song. I don't think you should go there. It's too different,''' Lance Bass, the 22-year-old bass voice of 'N Sync, recalls with a laugh. "And we're like, 'No, that's what we want to do. We don't want to do 10 'Bye, Bye, Byes' or three 'God Must Have Spents.' That's why every song on this album is different from each other. And they're all ... cool.''

The stakes for "Celebrity'' are high. The group set a sales record with its last album, 2000's ``No Strings Attached,'' which moved a whopping 2.4 million copies its first week out. But with some of its teen pop peers suffering flagging sales lately, 'N Sync wants to temper expectations for a repeat.

"There's gonna be huge competition with 'No Strings Attached,' definitely. ... everyone's gonna expect us to beat the record from last year,'' Bass says. "But I'd rather not beat it and end it now so that the next time we release an album we don't have to beat 'Celebrity.' Eventually, we're going to have to sell less than we have.''

Credit Bass and his bandmates -- Justin Timberlake, Chris Kirkpatrick, Joey Fatone and JC Chasez -- with a keen cultural awareness. A consensus is emerging that the teen-oriented pop scene that has dominated showbiz during the past four years has finally crested.

A recent cover story in Entertainment Weekly magazine proclaimed "The Teen Bust,'' pointing to decreasing (though still platinum-plus) sales for Backstreet Boys, along with disappointing box-office returns and ratings for youth-targeted movies and TV shows as, evidence of a downward spiral.

'N Sync, however, has so far managed to hold its own. Its new single, "Pop'' -- a track from "Celebrity'' co-written by Timberlake -- soared up the radio airplay charts and almost immediately became the No. 1 song on MTV's ``Total Request Live.'' And in advance of "Celebrity,'' a collection of material composed and produced mostly by 'N Sync's members, the band has been playing to sell-out crowds in stadiums since May.

"The one that's got some issues is Backstreet Boys,'' says one tour promoter. "'N Sync has been fairly bullet-proof.'' Those are encouraging words for Bass and company, who credit an inventive spirit with bolstering their popularity.

"I think that keeps us separated from the rest of the pack,'' Bass says. "We're constantly thinking, 'How can we progress?' And ... all the rest of the groups and people out there are looking at everybody else going, 'Oh, I've got to do something similar to that because look how great it worked for them,' and by the time they do it it's already old news and we're already two steps ahead.''

STEPPING FORWARD WITH "CELEBRITY''

Bass calls "Celebrity'' another step forward for 'N Sync. With staccato beats and herky-jerky rhythm -- and its lyrical defense of pop music in general -- "Pop'' is a case in point.

"It's not radio-friendly,'' Bass says with pride. "There's no songs like it. It doesn't have a formula. It was scary to release it, actually.''

The rest of "Celebrity's'' 13 songs take 'N Sync even further afield from the slick sounds of the group's first two albums, he says. Contributors and guests run the gamut from techno favorite B.T. (Brian Transeau), who co-produced ``Pop,'' to R&B hit-maker Brian McKnight and longtime 'N Sync collaborators Max Martin and Kristian Lunden. Stevie Wonder even plays harmonica on one track.

Bass says "dirty pop,'' a phrase from ``Pop,'' is an apt description of what 'N Sync was after, and he says the group also has embraced the new two-step blend of techno and R&B styles currently popular in Britain.

"Of course we have the big, epic ballads we always have, the huge movie soundtrack songs and 'wedding' songs. Then most of the songs on the album are the big, fun, dance (tunes),'' he says. "The thing that we want to show with this new album is just a different sound.''

A BIG YEAR ALREADY

When it comes out, "Celebrity'' will be the biggest project in an already eventful year for 'N Sync. It started with a performance at the Super Bowl halftime show, where the group sang with Aerosmith, Timberlake's girlfriend, Britney Spears, rapper Nelly and Mary J. Blige.

The quintet inducted Michael Jackson into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and will take part in a pair of tribute concerts for the "King of Pop'' this fall at New York City's Madison Square Garden.

A new series of Barbie dolls dressed as 'N Sync fans has been issued, and the group has even survived that pinnacle of superstardom, the celebrity death rumor (a widely disseminated bogus report that Timberlake and Spears were killed in an auto accident).

But Bass acknowledges that such rumors are a modest price to pay for the success 'N Sync has experienced -- and hopes to maintain in the future.

"It's way more relaxing now, definitely,'' says Bass, who also produced and acted (with bandmate Fatone) in the forthcoming film "On the Line.''

"You go through a lot of crap the first four years of your career, and I think it's harder on a group like us that's definitely not respected at all at the beginning. You really have to fight the criticism and all the comparisons. So, yeah, we definitely had a long way to go, and we worked our butts off to get here.''
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Looking around the cavernous Cleveland arena where the act is about to play another show in a string of sold-out gigs, Timberlake releases his tension with a deep breath, eventually flashing a wide smile. "In the end, it's no big deal. We make music for the people. Right now, we're extraordinarily blessed; we're reaching a lot of people."

Still, it's undeniable: 'N Sync wants respect. After selling 14 million copies of 2000's "No Strings Attached" worldwide, according to Jive (not to mention setting a SoundScan record by selling 2.4 million copies in the U.S. during its first week of release), the act is ready for a pat on the back.

Enter "Celebrity." More than "No Strings Attached" and the quintet's 1998's eponymous breakthrough, this project strives to be an accurate expression of their musical point of view, with Timberlake and 'N Sync colleague J.C. Chasez co-writing 10 of its 13 tracks. The two also participated in the album's production, collaborating with BT, Rodney Jerkins, Brian McKnight, and the Neptunes, among others.

"Our objective was not to be self-conscious and try to make another hit record," Chasez says. "Instead, we set out to make a record that was more reflective of what turns us on musically. We also wanted to prove that pop music comes in a lot of different flavors. It's not all bubble-gum."

That intention is most evident on "Pop," the single that previews "Celebrity." Masterminded by Timberlake with co-writer Wade Robson and club veteran BT, the track is a crafty, anthemic blend of Cameo-style electro-funk beats, Euro-pop synths, heavy-metal guitars, and Timberlake's now-signature human beat-box riffs. Atop the instrumentation are pointed lyrics like "Dirty pop that you can't stop... Think you need to realize that what we're doing is not a trend," delivered with equal parts pride and indignation.

"We put everything that is not considered 'pop music' in that song," Timberlake says. "It's time to re-educate the new generation about what pop really is: a collection of sounds and genres. How you mix it all together is what makes pop music interesting -- and popular."

The philosophy seeps through "Celebrity," as it deftly combines spirited, funk-fortified jams that stick close to the formula of past hits like "Bye Bye Bye," with more adventurous experimentations in soul-spiked hip-hop ("Girlfriend," "See Right Through You") and the U.K.-bred 2-step club sound ("The Two of Us," "Up Against the Wall").

The act (which also features Joey Fatone, Chris Kirkpatrick, and Lance Bass) is at its best, though, on such sweet, harmony-laden ballads as "Selfish," "Something Like You" (with Stevie Wonder guesting on harmonica), and the haunting "Gone."

"["Gone"] is about as raw as it gets," Chasez notes. "It's just us and a beat-box, with just a tiny accent of acoustic guitar and violin. That song is a proud moment for us; it really shows how tight we are as a group."

"Gone" is among the six "Celebrity" tunes included in the set for 'N Sync's current concert tour, which was launched more than a month before the album's release. "It's a new idea," notes Johnny Wright, president of WEG Entertainment, the Orlando, Fla., company that manages the act. "We're bringing a large portion of the album to the fans before it's available in stores."

It's unusual to play so many new songs in concert -- but it seems to be working. Chasez says, "By the end of each one, the crowd is with us and singing along. That's a good sign." Jive president Barry Weiss agrees. "The fact that audiences are responding so well so immediately to these new songs in this setting is incredible. It indicates to us that we've got an album of immeasurable creative and commercial depth."

'N Sync is scheduled to remain on the road through August, after which the members will take a break to explore outside projects. Timberlake is mulling over film offers, while Chasez is pursuing outside production projects and Kirkpatrick is launching a clothing line. Fatone and Bass will use that time to promote "On the Line," a Miramax film in which they are both featured. The project was co-produced by Happy Place, Bass' production company, and the Jive soundtrack to "On the Line" will include two previously unavailable 'N Sync songs.

Still, Chasez insists that "nothing will seriously distract us from working this album harder and longer than any other we've ever made."

For now, the act is aggressively working "Pop," which went to radio May 14. The song was first heard on MTV, a longtime 'N Sync supporter, live via satellite from a tour rehearsal May 11. The song's elaborate video, directed by Wayne Isham, was also the subject of the May 28 edition of network's "Making the Video" program.

Jive and MTV (which is sponsoring the 'N Sync tour, along with Verizon, Nabisco, and SFX Entertainment) will continue collaborating on marketing "Celebrity" with a weekend package of programming, July 21-22, titled "The Road to Celebrity." During the weekend, the act will play several songs at a tailgate party in the parking lot of a venue where they're scheduled to perform. The band is also slated to appear July 24 on MTV's "Total Request Live."

Timberlake believes that the potential success of "Celebrity," as well as the ongoing visibility of fellow pop acts, is laying an interesting foundation for the next generation of critical darlings.

"It's gonna suck for the next Nirvana or whatever 'cool' rock band that comes along in about 10 years from now," Timberlake says. "The next generation of critics are being raised on 'N Sync and Britney Spears and Backstreet Boys. Their measurement of quality is going to be different. It's going to be interesting to see the next Nirvana blasted for not having a big stage show."
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By March, *NSYNC members Lance Bass and Joey Fatone had begun filming their roles in the feature film, On The L, on location in Toronto. The pair endured a long airplane ride every weekend from Toronto to Orlando in order to join their groupmates in the recording studio. *NSYNC eventually finished recording Celebrity in mid-April, but several of the members have returned to the studio since then to add some finishing touches.

*NSYNC singer Lance Bass told LAUNCH that as recently as three weeks ago, his bandmates Justin Timberlake and JC Chasez were still tweaking Celebrity. "Justin and JC went in there and reworked one of the songs to make it fit into the album better," Bass said. "We're continuously fine tuning everything. You know, like, 'Oh, we need to go back and do a little vocal on this,' and we're, like, 'Oh, yeah, we need to go back on this song and just listen to it again, and we need to do this...' so there's no set thing. It's basically just taken half a year, I guess, to do the whole thing."

In other *NSYNC news, the group is currently holding an auction at the website allstarcharity.com for two tickets to its July 21 PopOdyssey 2001 concert in Oakland, California. Along with the tickets, the winning bidder gets two invitations to *NSYNC's pre-show soundcheck party and a signed *NSYNC photo. The entire winning bid will go to the group's charity, Challenge For The Children, an organization that provides financial support to children's programs, and also funds school sports programs and music education. In addition, the charity helps fund several children's healthcare causes. *NSYNC fans are advised to act fast to get a bid in since the auction closes on June 25.
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The duo will continue to tour this summer, playing several high-profile parties and festivals. Deep Dish are on the bill for the Mekka tour and both U.S. Creamfields dates. They will also spin at Centro-Fly in New York on June 21 as a release party for Yoshiesque 2, at the Versace Haute Couture fashion show in Paris on July 7 and at Jason Priestley's birthday party in New York in late August.

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The tracklisting for Celebrity includes: "Pop," "Celebrity," "The Game Is Over," "Girlfriend," "The Two Of Us," "Gone," "Tell Me, Tell Me...Baby," "Up Against The Wall," "See Right Through You," "Selfish," "Just Don't Tell Me That," "Something Like You," and "Do Your Thing."

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