Fourth-graders' space lab rockets to first place
(3/11/04) Bea Boucher The Grand Rapids Press

JENISON -- If 'N Sync singer Lance Bass' dreams of space travel ever become a reality, he can turn to a group of Jenison elementary school students for tips on how to travel in style.

Five fourth-graders in the district's academically talented program are on cloud nine this week after learning Saturday that the hypothetical space station module they designed for Bass last fall took first place in a national contest held in conjunction with World Space Week.

Bass, a space enthusiast, was the 2003 youth spokesman for the Oct. 4-10 celebrations that were designed to get students in grades K-12 excited about math, science and space flight.

On April 13, Bass will present the K-5 first place Lance's Lab award to Emily Ambs, Rachel Ratliff, Jackie Dryer, Corbin Carrier and Taylor Provost at the California Science Museum in Los Angeles. The Jenison team was one of about 70 nationwide to compete in the elementary division.

"I don't know who was more excited, the kids or the parents," team adviser Karen Ambs said upon learning that the Jenison team had won.

Ambs and her daughter, both 'N Sync fans, learned of the competition after visiting Bass's Web site and clicking on the link to World Space Week. They sent a note home with each of the 14 students in Emily's ACT class, which meets once a week, to find out who was interested in participating. The five students then met after school to put their entry together.

"I knew we got to meet Lance Bass (if we won) and I just thought it would be fun to design it," said Emily, 10.

Students submitted two pictures -- one of what the inside of "Lance's Lab" would look like and one of what the outside of the space lab would look like.

After brainstorming and doing a lot of research on space travel, the students designed a two-story space lab that featured 18 rooms, including a communications room, a science lab, a room for Bass' dog, Jackson, a game room and a dance floor with a floating disco ball. There also was a recording studio, an exercise room, and a bedroom closet filled with designer space suits.

The exterior of the lab featured solar panels in the shape of bass clefs (because Lance sings bass), lasers, heat shields, satellite dishes, a shuttle dock and an escape pod.

The students decided the lab's exterior should be shaped like a limo.

"You know Lance Bass, he's a celebrity. He's got to have a limo," said Taylor, 9.

"I was amazed at the amount of creativity in these kids and the amount of energy. They're very smart," said Karen Ambs, who teaches music at Bursley Elementary School.

One of the biggest challenges was taking all of the children's ideas and combining them into one design, she said.

Dennis Stone, president of the Spaceweek International Association, the Houston-based space advocacy organization that sponsored the competition, said he was pleased with the excitement that Bass generated for World Space Week and its activities.

In his effort to travel to space and the International Space Station, Bass trained to be a cosmonaut at Russia's Star City in 2002 and was certified by both the Russian Space Program and for a mission aboard a Soyuz capsule. He also underwent training at NASA's Johnson Space Center.

He eventually had to cancel his plans to fly after failing to raise the $20 million fare.

Prince's crowning achievements
The Purple One - quirks, genius and all - is being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
(3/11/04) Glenn Gamboa New York Newsday

No one understands Prince. The purple, the name changes, the seemingly never-ending parade of exotically named, misguided would-be singers, the ongoing love-hate affair with record labels? It's all so hard to explain.

His contemporaries in the music world certainly haven't forgotten him... Even pop singer JC Chasez counts Prince as a major influence, with several songs on his debut solo CD "Schizophrenic" bearing similarities to Prince's pop-funk "Purple Rain" phase. "He's just a superb musician, producer and vocalist," says Chasez, who has been covering "Let's Go Crazy" as part of his current tour. "I mean the guy could play, sing and put on a hell of a show. I watched a DVD he did in Paisley Park, and I always found the guy entertaining. I just think he's a great artist..."

Miami Dance Off
(3/11/04) People Magazine

What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas — but when Sin City takes over South Beach, all bets are off. On Monday night, owners of the Bellagio's ultra-hip nightclub Light rented out Mynt on Miami's Collins Street for a bash that featured an impromptu 2 a.m. dance-off between Jennifer Lopez and 'NSync's JC Chasez. "J.Lo was dancing all around like she was single ... even though she was there with Marc Anthony," says a spy, who watched the two stars take turns popping and locking on tabletops and speaker boxes to songs including "Seven Nation Army" by the White Stripes. "I would say JC won because he was up there for almost an hour and a half straight," another onlooker tells the Daily Insider.

The 'Schizophrenic' star proves that 'NSync weren't a one-man band
(3/11/04) Rolling Stone Fashion Issue (transcribing/scanning by mstngchk)
Styled by John R. Olson
Fashion associate Maria Bedievia

Following the release of their fourth album, Celebrity, "NSync took a break in 2002 so Justin Timberlake could record a solo album. JC Chasez, 27, claims he never intended to follow suit but that the CD he has just released, Schizophrenic, grew out of a song he was asked to write for the movie Drumline; Chasez's "Some Girls (Dance With Women)" quickly became a club hit. Meanwhile, rumors persist that 'NSync will reunite later this year.

Your music is flavored by the Eighties. Is your look also influenced by that decade?

I don't overanalyze, I make sounds I think are cool, and I wear whatever I wear because I think it looks cool. The one thing I do love about the Eighties is people were very expressive-they weren't afraid of being a little flamboyant. It wasn't so packaged as it is now. Everything's all formatted now.

Who, to you, was the most stylish rock or pop act of the Eighties?

George Michael was pretty cool when he first went solo. And Duran Duran always looked fantastic. And, oh, a ton of stuff. Even the whole punk thing was good.

I can't quite see you adopting that look

No, I don't think I'll have a red mohawk.

How would you describe your style?

Loose-I am loose. I go into the flow. My tastes run off in every direction. I don't want to have to hold back or be boxed in.

Do you like to suit up for award ceremonies and formal occasions?

Sometimes it's a hassle, but mostly it's fun to dress up. I put a suit on and feel handsome-a bit like the way girls have to have pretty underwear to make them feel special, you know?

Underwear doesn't make you feel special, too?

I wouldn't know. I don't wear any-I'm just kidding! I have a sister, so I know that with girls the underwear is really important. They put on a pair of panties and feel pretty. If her underwear's not matching, she just won't feel right all day.

Do you get very attached to your clothes?

I have a necklace that I haven't taken off in ten years. It is a white stone with the imprint of a lion on the front because I am a Leo. I took it off once for an hour and a half, and I felt too spooked without it.

Do you find it hard to throw away clothes?

No the opposite: Shirts I throw out after a few wears, and I don't wear socks or underwear twice. I don't want things next to my skin that have been worn-@#%$!

What was your most embarrassing fashion moment?

I used to be on the Mickey Mouse Club! At the time, you think you're the coolest kid in the world because you're on TV. Then you look back and, uh-oh, no, you weren't the coolest. And it's all out there for people to see.