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| 4/9/04 |
Sandoval praises Timberlake ...(Arturo Sandoval's) latest notoriety has nothing to do with his prodigious musical talent or his eventful life: Sandoval was paired with Justin Timberlake at this year's Grammy Awards show, in Timberlake's first performance after ripping off half of Janet Jackson's bustier during the Super Bowl halftime. Fortunately, no wardrobe malfunction spoiled the show. "Thank God he didn't do anything wrong to me," Sandoval said, laughing long and hard in a telephone interview from his home in Miami. Seriously, "He's a good kid, very talented," said Sandoval...
JC in Tony tribute video for Shotgun release party the party was amazing. OME really came correct. it was organized, professional, and ultimately impressive. (thank you guys so much for the kick-ass send off) a video was put together in my honor with the sole intention of making me cry. it was kind of like a "this is your life" electronic press kit. it opened with JC at his house addressing the camera, speaking to me, congratulating me on the release and went on to inlcude the better majority of all my closest friends, family and fellow musicians chiming in with their sentiments. without sacrificing all of my machismo, suffice it to say, tears fell and their mission was accomplished. nothing could have set the stage for me to rock the snot out of my set better than that tribute.
JC and Scissor Sisters reviews WHO would have thought that 'N Sync's JC Chasez and Scissor Sisters would have something in common? The boyband bloke and the American glam disco quintet drip wanton sex and delirious camp in their respective records. Chasez proclaims himself Schizophrenic, flitting between dancehall reggae (Mercy) and Prince-styled funk (One Night Stand) like a man on the prowl for a quick fix. This is one Lothario who has no qualms about cataloguing his various wet dreams. All Day I Dream About Sex is a disco-relic workout and the scurrilously-titled heterosexual wet dream called Some Girls (Dance With Women) moves with Latin sass - it's his saucy answer to Justin Timberlake's Senorita. As for Scissor Sisters, the 1970s are big now and fully ripe for the band, which could well be four times JC Chasez in sisterly spirit. These ambi-sexual New Yorkers - four men, one woman - follow in the footsteps of American compatriots Fischerspooner and Britain's The Darkness to stir the hormones of savvy boys and girls...
Edison Script Review Edison, once a virtual cesspool, is now a vibrant city -- the kind of pristine, prosperous metropolis anybody would feel blessed to live and work in. But at the heart of this "showroom clean" city is a hidden political engine that is dirty and corrupt. David Burke's story introduces an elite police force, FRAT (First Response Assault & Tactical), a shoot-first & never-answer-questions team willing to kill in cold blood to avoid a trial; and steal dirty money to fund their own operation. They're a group of mostly corrupt and immoral men, led by an even more corrupt and callous Captain. One man, however, has a spark of conscience, a ray of hope in his life. Officer Raphael Deed - who does what he's told, but clearly knows right from wrong. The story follows a young journalist, Josh Pollack, who begins investigating the FRAT unit after witnessing an open and shut trial that raises suspicions of foul play. Pollack writes for a small paper that prints mostly coupons, working under a rather bitter veteran editor, Moses Ashford, who tries to brush off the story, then talk Pollack out of perusing it when it becomes a dangerous endeavor; but he eventually helps his young protég&eatue; chase the potentially Pulitzer-winning story. They enlist the help of one of the city's top detectives, Levon Wallace, who must work behind the D.A.'s back to help the reporters investigate the corruption, which likely extends to the detective's own office. As Pollack uncovers more and more of the truth, things become dangerous for he and his girlfriend. Meanwhile, officer Deed begins to realize what he's in the middle of, and how much he regrets the path he's taken. His own girlfriend is trying to set him straight, her family offering him a normal job and life, but he's convinced he's already in to deep, and now with the young reporter getting too close, his past may be catching up to him, and he has to make the most difficult decisions of all about his future. Will he do as he's told, or tell his story and "do in" the FRAT unit? Burke's script is a real ensemble piece, with no less than four lead characters and more than half a dozen strong supporting parts. Deed is the strongest, and gets much of the spotlight, providing a voice-over narration throughout the story. The first act of the script is very fast paced; Burke's writing paving the way for a very stylish, fluid film. His dialogue is sharp, exceptionally well written and, along with the characters he's created, the strongest part of Edison by far. It's no wonder this project has attracted so many A-list actors, any high profile performer looking for a solid part would jump at the opportunity to take on any of these characters. The down-side is that this mishmash of genres and themes from numerous other films and TV shows is a bit to familiar, the plot and story offering very little that we haven't seen before. It's a shame it didn't come earlier, because it's suffering just a bit from bad timing. One couldn't say that it's too little too late, however, because it's not too little. Though the situation and story have been done, they haven't often been done quite as well as Edison may offer. With the unique characters and style of the script, we're going to see something that's a strange mix of films like L.A. Confidential, Copland and even Serpico. Burke's experience writing for TV cop shows like Law & Order: SVU comes through in the script, and is probably where his expertise with working with complex, well developed characters originates. It's clear he did a lot of work on these characters before the story came together, and it has paid off. It's difficult to read a script already armed with the knowledge of who has been cast and be objective, but the placement of actors in the project, currently filming in Vancouver, seems right on the money. LL Cool J will play Deed, a fact that hasn't been getting much attention in the trade reports and story synopsis released so far, despite his being probably the most crucial character in the story. The best written character in the script, if Cool J pulls it off it will be the biggest accomplishment in his career as an actor so far, a memorable performance and an opportunity he's wise to have jumped on. Morgan Freeman will play Ashford, and Kevin Spacey is Detective Wallace, both parts that should fit like gloves. It's a dream cast, one Burke earned with some great writing, and a team that should help him realize this film's potential and ensure its weaknesses are overshadowed. The only obvious wild card is the casting of Justin Timberlake in his first feature film role. He's a talented young man, who has yet to prove this particular skill. Luckily, this pivotal role in the film is that of a young, talented man yet to prove himself. So, at best, Timberlake could impress the entertainment community and launch an acting career; at worst, by fluke his inexperience may play to the part just enough to pull it off anyway. We'll have to wait and see. On the page, Edison is a strong film, an impressive piece of work that was bound to attract some big names and get a green light. Fortunate enough to get hold of the directing reigns, David Burke now holds the fate of his first big project in his own hands. If he's as competent a director as he is a screenwriter, keep an eye on his career. Hopefully, whatever he does next, he continues writing.
Britney, Christina and me JC CHASEZ - pronounced Sh'say - is holed up in Manchester's Rossetti Hotel. He tried to go out last night, "but your weather is screwed up, dude. It's raining; then it's sunny. Like every half hour it changes.'' Graduating from Weapons Of Ass Destruction *Nsync, he's here to promote his ace new album, Schizophrenic, and bold lead single, Some Girls (Dance With Women). Criticised by the Schizophrenia Digest (whose list of contributors must be massive), he insisted he was using the dictionary meaning to describe his work: "contradictory or antagonistic qualities or attitudes''. That seems to sum up the album - while maintaining some sense of continuity by recruiting Riprock 'n' Alex G (responsible for *Nsync's Celebrity), it's where JC's more adventurous that Schizophrenic really shines. "I think what people are probably gonna expect is an *Nsync sounding record.'' he explains. "But people gotta remember that that's five opinions, and that's a mish-mash of different ideas. And this record's pretty much me all the way through. I didn't really tone anything down, or make any changes according to anyone else.'' Throughout the album, JC comes across as more eclectic than your average bear. "Well, I'm pretty lucky, like, 'cos I grew up with just so many different groups of friends,'' he says. " Different groups And I was kinda like the guy that was bounced between all of the different groups. One of my friends was like, the heavy metal guy, one of my friends was like, the hip-hop guy and I was the guy that got along with everybody.'' "I was, like, really mellow and if somebody called me up I was cool to hang out. Even if it was for nothing. You know, somebody called me up: 'Hey dude, what are you doing?' 'Nothing', 'Wanna come over and do nothing together?' 'Yeah, sure why not'. But that was where I learned. "Those were my first experiences of music and that's why my taste varies so much and I feel like I'm a pretty open-minded feller.'' Still, how does he feel about the inevitable Justin comparisons? Is he competing against 'ole Trousersnake and the others who we'll just call, um, `Andrew Ridgely'? "I just made a record for fun,'' he rebuffs. "It took me a year to figure out that I wanted to do one, so when I did, it was just a matter of OK, I wanna do a record. It wasn't really he did a record, so I have to or he did a record and it did well, so maybe mine will do well. '' When Washington-born Joshua Scott Chasez was 15, he grabbed a pair of black ears and joined the The New Mickey Mouse club, where he met Britney Spears, McJustin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera. They still keep in contact. "We're all supportive of each other's careers,'' he maintains. "That's why it's funny whenever you see like, people saying 'Well, it's Britney versus Christina'. These people are so stupid. They don't realise these girls have been friends since they were 11 years old. That's why we have a laugh at it. "You know, and obviously when Justin and Britney were dating, they were dating for years off and on. They dated for a minute when they were on the Club and then they took a break and they decided to grow up and then they got back together. Then they broke up again; maybe they're not supposed to be together, but they're definitely friends at this point. "We're all friends; we all have a laugh at what's going on, actually.'' What were you like as kids? You can imagine Britney making Barbie and Sindy kiss; but only because Sindy's popularity is sagging. Or Christina's mother whinging at her after finger-painting: `Look at you, you're so dirrty'. "Everybody knew that Christina was just going to be a singer,'' recalls JC, "There's just no way around. And then Britney was kind of the cute one. There were four or five of us that were known as the ones that were going to make records; and me and J were two of those guys." "I was on the show before them. I just remember being 15 and going `Wow, these 13-year olds are AWESOME!' '' Did you feel like the older one, JC? "Yeah.'' Were you the one that could buy them drink? "Well,'' he laughs, "they were probably waaay ahead of me on that one.'' JC's Album Lyrically, most of JC's album comes straight from the groin. "Out of the songs I recorded, the ones that people gravitated towards were about sex. It doesn't bother me, though; it's a trip, it's a part of life, including mine. I made these records and they're fun.'' First up is the naggingly addictive, sinuous groove of Some Girls (Dance With Women) about counterfeit lesbianism. "The whole track is just an observation, and when it gets the hook, it's just about a girl and her girlfriends dancing in a club, and one of them's making eyes at you and in order to tease you, she's going to pull her girlfriend a little bit closer.'' The next single, however, is the startlingly good electro-clubber, All Day Long I Think About Sex, which harrumphs with camp bravado. (It even goes off on one at the end in a frenzy of Eastern Europe karaoke - like an excitable cartoon kitten has invaded the studio and grabbed control of production). It's the track that Pete Burns, you expect, would have skinned his own mother to record. "Actually, no. At the time, we found the synth sound and we were just like, 'this is the baddest sound ever! We're going to be like Gary Numan!' And kind of had a laugh about it. In a way, it's almost like We Will Rock You. "It's like a chant and it's right in your face. We haven't had an anthem in so long, I just feel like it's a full-blown anthem now. Whether everybody's going to agree with it or not, we'll see!'' He laughs: "The first thing my mom said was, `Honey, I love your music. You know I do. I just don't always agree with what you say'.'' JC's supporting Britney on her UK Arena tour in two weeks; something he's thrilled about. "Dude, it's gonna be fun. I believe in this record, and I want as many people to hear it and form their own opinions, instead of just saying, 'Oh, he's the guy from *Nsync and it's just going to be only *Nsync fans showing up'. I want everybody to give this record a fair shake.'' "I haven't seen Britney's show yet; she's called me about it and everybody's telling me about it.'' She's gone quite racy... "I think what she's doing is kind of like a pop star tradition. You know, Madonna did her whole bed scene and Janet did her whole Superbowl scene and now she's doing her bathtub scene. "I guess that's what it is. But you know, Christina did her whole 'in the box' thing. It's just what pop girls do. Me? I'm just gonna bring my band and my dancers and I'm gonna put on a kick-ass show. I'm gonna make a whole bunch of noise, and get everybody excited. That's my goal.'' "I've got to hit a home run every night or I'm going to fire myself, dude!'' If your life was a film certificate, what would it be? "Oh man, I'm a grown-ass man, dude!'' he laughs, ``I'm not over-the-top by any means. I like a decent life. Anywhere from PG13. I mean, not everyone's allowed to watch a sex scene, so they'll be some Rated R moments in there. "My whole life would probably be a Rated R movie; I don't need to be a Ron Jeremy or anything like that. You can leave that out.'' Schizophrenic is out on April 26 on Jive.
TWN Schizo review If "Justified" was Justin Timberlake’s "Off the Wall," then "Schizophrenic" is surely JC Chasez’s "Sign o’ the Times." Sex-driven, slick, fun, and juicy from its skin right down to the bone, Chasez’s first solo effort, since his boot camp days with ’NSync, is this year’s coolest party record, thus far. Chasez is all over the place on "Schizophrenic," but one area where he really gets busy is in the bedroom. He puts his mojo to work on the tripadelic, bouncy "Come to Me," where he gently samples Corey Hart’s "Sunglasses at Night," and then takes a soul-funk twirl on "One Night Stand," which borrows the chorus from Donna Summers’ "I Feel Love." He also dreams about various intimate positions, evidenced on "100 Ways," where he rides Prince’s purple coattails to an all-out kink-fest. If that didn’t tire him out, he manages to lose sleep on the ’80s new-wave throwback "All Day Long I Dream About Sex." Another locale where you’ll likely find Chasez is on the
dance floor. This boy loves to party. If he isn’t checking
out the ladies at the club, as on the lesboerotic "Some Girls
(Dance With Women)," he’s bumpin’ and grindin’
on the Jamiroquai-splashed "She Got Me," or slipping into
his freaky deakyness on "Shake It." At times, he’s
doing nothing more than just putting out some great dance sounds,
as in the totally smooth "Mercy." He’s all grown up now, a man with a wild imagination and the testosterone to see his daydreams come to fruition. Even more fascinating is the fact that he’s got talent to match those great head-to-toe features, both front and back.
The Western Mail 'Some Girls' review Some Girls (Dance with Women)JC Chasez (Jive) ** After his recent collaboration with Basement Jaxx, JC Chasez is the latest former NSYNC member to seek solo success. He may not have as much smooth appeal as his old band mate Justin Timberlake but he does have an energetic edge and some catchy hooks that will ensure this debut single becomes an MTV hit. |
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