NSYNC a Crew Stadium highlight
(5/12/04) Our Sports Central

COLUMBUS, Ohio— Throughout this week, leading up to Crew Stadium’s Fifth Anniversary Match on Saturday, May 15, The Crew will feature top moments in Columbus Crew Stadium history. Today, we look back at some of Crew Founder Lamar Hunt’s most memorable moments, including some that will surprise you...

Hunt’s Honorable Mention choice highlights just one of the many ways Crew Stadium has been used during the first five years. “The 2001 NSYNC Concert was a great event,” said Hunt. “It was Crew Stadium’s largest ever attendance (26,432), our most youthful audience, and it highlighted a wonderful compatible use for a sports stadium...”

McDonald's seeks new vehicles for ad jingle
(5/12/04) Deborah Cohen Reuters

CHICAGO (Reuters) - The success of McDonald's Corp.'s "I'm Lovin' It" advertising has the company thinking of new uses for the campaign's five-note jingle, company officials said Wednesday.

McDonald's, whose first global campaign was launched last fall, is running "I'm Lovin' It" commercials in various forms in 119 countries where it operates more than 30,000 hamburger restaurants.

The TV and radio commercials, whose initial spots were done in hip-hop style featuring pop star Justin Timberlake, have helped boost consumer awareness of McDonald's advertising to 86 percent in its top 10 markets, said Larry Light, the company's global chief marketing officer.

Now the campaign is going a step further, with a so-called audio signature played at some sporting events. The five-note tune may eventually be offered as a choice for doorbells and cell phones, officials said.

"As people hear these five signature notes, they know instantly it's McDonald's," Light told reporters.

"You can expect to hear these five notes in very unexpected places," he said. "The list of ideas goes on, from cell-phone rings to car horns to door chimes."

Light said the music has already been used at New Jersey Nets basketball games to underscore the excitement of three-point shots. It will be used in a similar way at various basketball venues next year, he said...

Justin in McDonalds ads this summer
(5/12/04) PRNewswire

...Additional "i'm lovin' it" commercials will be released by McDonald's this summer themed to current promotions as well as the Olympic Games in Athens. They will feature appearances by Justin Timberlake, Yao Ming, and Venus and Serena Williams...

Kleiser Lovewrecked with Lance
(5/12/04) Romeo San Vicente Windy City Media Group

Now that boy band ‘N Sync is over, Lance Bass knows better than to go the “hey-listen-to-my-solo-album” route. Instead, he’s gotten into the movie-making business.

Bass’ production company, Bacon and Eggs, is co-producing a new film called Lovewrecked, a family comedy from Grease’s gay helmer, Randal Kleiser, who also made the 1996 indie AIDS dramedy It’s My Party and the forthcoming Red Riding Hood (which, coincidentally, stars ‘N Sync alum Joey Fatone as the Big Bad Wolf). The script, written by Stephen Langford (TV’s Family Matters), follows an 18-year-old girl who works at a Caribbean resort and gets stranded on a remote beach with her favorite rock star. One small, stalker-ish lie: she fails to tell him they’re not really stranded at all. Sounds like Bass knows from this sort of fan behavior. The movie begins production in June, and casting is happening now—though after On the Line, Bass will probably opt to stay behind the scenes. Either way, girls, send in those headshots!

Usher Vs. Justin: Who's Biting Who?
(5/12/04) MTV

You can never accuse Usher of biting Justin Timberlake's style — Ush has been in the game for 10 years doing his own thing. And when J.T. stepped out from 'NSYNC, he too proved that he's in a class all by himself. Still, due to a handful of strange similarities, some people compare the two to each other anyway. In that spirit, here's more fodder for the debates ...

Usher: Hails from Chattanooga, Tennessee, eventually moved further down South to Atlanta and started his recording career.
Justin: Hails from Memphis, Tennessee, eventually moved waaayyy down South to Orlando and started his recording career.

Usher: The sole heir to the King of R&B throne, previously occupied by the legally embattled R. Kelly.
Justin: The sole heir to the King of Pop throne, previously occupied by the legally embattled Michael Jackson.

Usher: Released his latest album, Confessions, in the wake of his breakup with pop princess Chilli, of TLC.
Justin: Released his latest album, Justified, in the wake of his breakup with pop princess Britney Spears.

Usher: 1.1 million first-week sales of Confessions landed him the highest chart debut ever for a male R&B artist and the biggest first-week sales since 'NSYNC's Celebrity.
Justin: Justin, as a member of 'NSYNC, has the two highest-debuting albums in history, 2000's No Strings Attached and 2001's Celebrity, selling 2.4 million and 1.8 million copies, respectively.

Usher: Latest album spent five straight weeks at #1 until being bumped off by the Eminem-led D12's D12 World.
Justin: Latest album never went #1 on the albums chart. It was edged out of the top spot in its first week in stores by the Eminem-spearheaded "8 Mile" soundtrack.

Usher: "Yeah!," the first single from Confessions, won in the clubs and on the charts by incorporating collaborations with a superproducer (Lil Jon) and consistent rap hitman (Ludacris), both from the same Southern hot spot, Atlanta.
Justin: "Like I Love You," the first single from Justified, won in the clubs and on the charts by incorporating collaborations with a team of superproducers (the Neptunes) and two street-credible MCs (the Clipse), all from the same Southern hot spot, Virginia Beach.

Usher: The ballad "Burn," the second single from Confessions, uses one of the four elements in the title and as a symbol of the state of his broken relationship.
Justin: The ballad "Cry Me a River," the second single from Justified, uses one of the four elements in the title and as a symbol of the state of his broken relationship.

Usher: Janet Jackson practiced part of her Super Bowl XXXVIII performance at his multimillion-dollar house.
Justin: Shocked millions of households with his now infamous "wardrobe malfunction" while performing at Super Bowl XXXVIII with Janet Jackson.