Grounded in Southwest
(9/20/04) Toni Daylor Southwest Orlando Bulletin

He never saw it coming. Joe Mulvihill had his future planned out. The 1989 Dr. Phillips High School graduate was the golden boy — prom king, senior-class president, class clown, and one of the school’s top athletes.

Chosen among the top 20 high-school senior baseball players to join the prestigious Florida Team and earning a full scholarship to play ball in Illinois, Mulvihill was poised for a professional baseball career.

Then it happened. He was engrossed in a typical snowball fight on his northern campus, when he felt a pop in his shoulder. Immediately, he had the sickening feeling that something was terribly wrong. In that one moment it took to hurl a snowball, his baseball dream was gone.

Mulvihill traveled back home to Southwest, determined to find a way to fill the void where his athletic hopes had rested.

Trying to decide what to do next, he picked up a part-time job as a character at Walt Disney World.

At the same time, Universal Studios Orlando was opening its doors and looking for entertainers.

“They were paying 30 cents more an hour [than Disney] as a character, so I was there,” Mulvihill said.

He was attending Valencia Community College and working part time at Universal when another life-changing event happened.

“Universal was just developing, and they were giving people opportunities that they would not normally have gotten.”

Mulvihill, scanning the list of characters that had higher per-hour rates, zeroed in on the character of Beetlejuice.

“Hey, I figured I could put some paint on my face and jump around like an idiot.”

He found himself whisked away on a nationwide publicity tour as Beetlejuice promoting the newly opened Orlando-based park. Appearances on Larry King and the Today show were among the stops where his antics as the outlandish, crudely opinionated Beetlejuice entertained the crowd, while spotlighting other Universal attractions.

“For the first time since I got hurt, I felt something fill that void — and it was entertainment,” he said.

A natural talent was becoming evident, not only to the top brass at Universal, but to Mulvihill — it was his innate ability to promote and identify marketing opportunities. He was definitely more than some caricature of a guy wearing makeup.

Entering his sixth year as Beetlejuice and graduating from the University of Central Florida with a bachelor’s degree, the 24-year-old Mulvihill was earning a good living. However, he was troubled by a likely future scenario.

“I kept thinking that one day my kids would go on a field trip and see their dad jumping around like a clown,” he said.

It was time for him to move on.

An avid Orlando Magic fan, Mulvihill frequently went to basketball games. Like manna from heaven, another career-changing opportunity dropped into his lap. He became the host of the half-time show for the Orlando Magic basketball team in 1995, allowing him to combine his newfound love for entertainment with his original passion for sports.

“At first, I didn’t want anything to do with sporting venues,” he said. “I tried to distance myself from athletics because the personal disappointment of my baseball career.”

Because of his increased visibility, the demand for his talent snowballed, and he began to receive offers from the Phoenix Suns, National Basketball Association, National Hockey League, and even a project for Jimmy Buffet. Throughout the next three years, Mulvihill traveled around the world writing, producing and directing shows at special and sporting events, including a memorable trip to the pinnacle of the baseball season, the World Series.

“It was an incredible experience,” he said.

Traveling nine months out of the year was starting to wear on Mulvihill and his relationship with fiancé and fellow DPHS grad Alicia Davis. True to his penchant for looking at other ways to use his gifts, he found the path back to Universal Studios as the entertainment show host for the fledgling nightlife hotspot, CityWalk.

Meanwhile, in Southwest Orlando, a little-known group of five extremely talented guys were starting to make their mark on the music scene. Mulvihill knew Chris Kirkpatrick and Joey Fatone from his Universal days so he was familiar with the depth of talent his two friends possessed.

Kirkpatrick contacted Mulvihill to see if he wanted to get in on ’N Sync’s promotional ground floor. Satisfied with his gig at CityWalk and still working on projects in sports, Mulvihill politely passed. It was not until he noticed that ’N Sync was featured on an HBO show that the light went on. Sure enough, the next time a call came from Kirkpatrick, Mulvihill jumped on the band wagon.

“I credit my introduction to the music industry to Chris’ persistence,” he said.

The group began touring in 2000 with Mulvihill serving as a personal assistant. By the next year, he was ’N Sync’s road manager, handling all of the details involved in making the show happen. The tour manager sets-up the tour — booking the venue, coordinating transportation, reserving hotel rooms, etc. The road manager has to execute the plan. Think of taking a family on a two-week vacation and magnify that process to include more than 100 people on a continuous journey of three months or longer.

“This was definitely a gig that could wear you out because of the pressure and high demand for the group,” Mulvihill said.

Initially, Kirkpatrick and Fatone wanted their buddy to ride on their tour bus. But he was firm in his conviction to remain with the crew.

“I was there to do a job for them. Sure, we were friends, and we all hung out together and had fun, but I was still their employee, and my place was with the rest of the crew.”

’N Sync embarked on their biggest stadium tour in history in 2001, followed by the 2002 Celebrity tour. Traveling with the group, Mulvihill was surrounded by industry greats like local resident Johnny Wright who has worked with and managed mega stars, including Britney Spears, Back Street Boys and New Kids on the Block. Mulvihill gained invaluable experience watching and listening to Wright, his mentor, in action.

“I’m blessed to be able to work with someone who has seen it all and is willing to share that [experience],” Mulvihill said.

Despite the success of ’N Sync as a group, the individually talented members decided to work on their own projects. One of the first to break out was Justin Timberlake with his Justified album. Touring more than 20 countries throughout Europe, Asia, Australia and the United Kingdom in only two months was a ride Mulvihill was thrilled to be on.

“Justin is really great about making sure his support people get a chance to really experience the cities they are in,” he said. “At times I felt like I should be paying him for all of the great things I was able to see. He is a supertalent with a family mindset.”

...Mulvihill has been instrumental in the creation of locally based LiveWire Entertainment, a service that utilizes the many relationships he has garnered in the past to produce and execute top-quality corporate and sporting events. The multimedia production arm of LiveWire is Media Evolutions, a high-tech company that mainly handles concert tours and corporate events, creates multimedia concepts based on input from the artist/corporations, coordinates video screens, and executes the tour’s shows. Its impressive list of clientele includes Jessica Simpson, Britney Spears, Ozzie Osborne, Mary J. Blige and the Andre Agassi Foundation.

“I may not be the smartest person out there, but what I do know how to do is execute a plan,” Mulvihill said. “If someone needs something, I figure out a way to do it for them. I love coming up with ideas and making them come to life.”

He also uses the many contacts he has established in the sporting and entertainment world to help with projects.

“I never leave anything 100 percent. I always maintain some type of relationship with the people I have worked with.”

Teaming up with Joey Fatone and Kid Cruz, the three co-host a late-night syndicated radio talk show on XL 106.7-FM every Sunday.

Fatone believes his friend’s most outstanding characteristic is his personality.

“He treats everyone the same,” Fatone said. “He has the ability to make people laugh and also motivate them.”

He also commented that Mulvihill is confident but humble, and he does what he says.

“His mind works very quickly,” Fatone said. “When things are going wrong, he finds a way to make the situation better...”

 

Looking ahead to Britney Spears’ future
How long till the prenup hits the Smoking Gun?
(9/20/04) Kim Reed MSNBC

PARODY

With Britney Spears' wedding to backup dancer/Red Bull aficionado Kevin Federline now confirmed, many fans (and foes) are wondering what will come next in the former Mouseketeer's career. Whatever happened to the teen who was "Not A Girl, Not Yet A Woman"?

With the couple still measuring their wedded bliss in hours instead of days or weeks, prognosticators and pundits alike are trying to figure out what Britney's next move will be, and how her marriage will affect her career.

Many have criticized Britney's choices lately: an impulsive quickie marriage here, a barefoot journey into a public restroom there. At 22, she seems to be heading on a downward spiral, one from which she may never recover. Herewith, a glimpse into her future:

...November 2008: Britney makes the talk show rounds to promote her new book. She wears a suit and appears both self-deprecating and lucid. "Sometimes I Run" stays on the New York Times Non-Fiction Best Seller List for 14 weeks. Critics hail the book as "courageous" and "juicy." In it, Britney reveals that she never stopped loving Justin Timberlake, and that all of 2004 was a reaction to losing him. When reached for comment, Justin (in the middle of his 'NSYNC reunion world tour) says, "Britney was my first love, and she will always have a special place in my heart." Meanwhile, tickets sales for 'NSYNC's tour are less than expected.

...June 2010: Paparazzi capture photos of Justin Timberlake kissing Britney on the cheek as they exit an L.A. restaurant. Britney's publicist claims that they are "old friends and nothing more."

July 2010: Justin Timberlake's publicist issues a statement confirming that he and Cameron Diaz have divorced, and Cameron will retain custody of their two children, Rhubarb and Scarlett. The publicist denies that Britney Spears had anything to do with the breakup.

November 2010: Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake do an exclusive prime time sweeps interview, in which they admit that they are dating, but are trying to take it slow. They record a duet of a dance version of "The Mickey Mouse Club Theme Song" which hits number one on the club charts.

December 2010: Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake get married on New Year's Eve in Memphis in a private ceremony. Shortly thereafter, Britney announces that she is pregnant, and due in early summer.

March 2025: Britney Spears is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in her first year of eligibility. The nominating committee cites her pioneering work as a teen pop artist, and despite a few missteps early on in her career, acknowledge that her more mature sound paved the way for both male and female artists in the years to follow. Britney attends the ceremony with her husband and fellow inductee, Justin Timberlake, as well as their children Justice, Rhubarb, Scarlett, and Britain.

 

Here's what you may have missed on Emmy night ...
(9/20/04) Whitney Matheson USA TODAY

LOS ANGELES — On TV, the Emmy Awards look deceptively calm.

In real life, "it's a madhouse," as I heard one security official describe it. My first trip to the ceremony was filled with celebrity sightings, sunburn, eardrum-shattering screams and more than my share of chubby, sweaty dudes in tuxedos.

Here's a detailed account of what went down, from my intimate moment with Brad Pitt to what Jon Stewart really thinks of Britney Spears' nuptials.

I guarantee you'll discover some moments below that weren't captured on network television:

...4:58 p.m. "I better get my tail in there," former 'N Sync member JC Chasez tells me in an ultra-soft voice. "Um, what are you doing here?" I ask him. He says he's just with a date...

 

Greatest Teen Moments in Rock 'n Roll
(9/19/04) Blender Magazine, on newsstands now (thanks stamplet and to MartaDolo for transcribing!)

...9. Teen pop goes "cha-ching."
Nsync sell a million albums in a day.

On their 1998 debut and the follow-up Christmas album, 'N Sync looked like they'd guaranteed career shortevity as Backstreet Boys clones. By 2000, they had split with svengali Lou Perlman, switched record labels and perfected a pop-R&B hybrid they had called "dirty pop." Their third album, No Strings Attached, was the result: It sold 1.1 million on its first day, and by week's end, it had shifted 2.4 million copies, still the record for most records sold in a week. "Woah!" was the official reaction from then 19-year-old Justin Timberlake.

...20: Superstar School
Mickey Mouse Club Dream Team

Boasting a cast that, retrospectively, put the show's Annette Funicello-headed '50s-era line-up very much in the shade, the 1989-1994 Mickey Mouse Club actually boasted the teen talents of Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Justin Timberlake, JC Chasez, Keri Russell and The Notebook star Ryan Gosling. Think of it as a tweener version of Skull and Bones. "Britney and Christina are sort of these love goddesses now," Gosling said in 2000. "But I did a [Mickey Mouse Club] sketch where Britney was a giant hamster and Christina was a giant cockatoo. So I just can't see them the way that the rest of the world does."