For The Record: Quick News On ...Lance
(9/29/04) MTV.com

...Lance Bass, having already visited students in Texas' Rio Grande Valley on Tuesday as part of Hispanic Engineering, Science and Technology week, is expanding his tour to visit public schools in and around Los Angeles for World Space Week next week. During Tuesday's stop, Bass announced the winners of a robotics competition sponsored by Gear Up, a program that prepares low-income students for college. For World Space Week, the 'NSYNC member has a competition named after him — "Lance's Lab" challenges students to design a module for the International Space Station. "When I talk with kids about space, they really understand that their generation is the next wave of explorers, and that's really exciting to them," Bass said in a statement. "World Space Week gives us the opportunity to fuel that excitement even more and show them the tools — especially math and science — that will get them there, and bring the rest of the world with them." Bass is slated to be inducted into the National Space Society's Board of Governors next week...

 

Soundcheck : Richard Marx : Singer
(9/29/04) Jeff Niesel Cleveland Free Times

FAMOUS FOR SUCH HITS as “Should've Known Better” and “Right Here Waiting,” Chicago singer-guitarist Richard Marx was a staple on Top 40 radio in the '80s. To date, he's sold some 20 million albums and produced acts ranging from country singer Vince Gill to alternative act Sister Hazel. Marx has just released My Own Best Enemy , his first studio album in seven years, and recently spoke via phone from a tour stop in London, England.

...Was that the best collaborative experience you've had?
I've had very few that I would classify as not fun. There've been newer artists who didn't have a clue. My favorite project was the Emerson Drive album. They work their asses off and have so much to prove. I loved working with 'NSync. They were workhorses. The disparity has been great. I love writing for Sister Hazel and Barbra Streisand. I loved working with Vince Gill and Keith Urban...

 

*NSYNC’s Lance Bass touts math, science at HESTEC
(9/29/04) Brittney Booth The Monitor

EDINBURG — Elizabeth Gonzalez’s hands were still shaking 10 minutes after she took a photograph with her childhood idol Lance Bass.

"I love him. He’s awesome. It’s a moment I’ll never forget," the 17-year-old La Joya High School student said of posing Tuesday with the *NSYNC member at the University of Texas-Pan American.

Gonzalez and other students from La Joya and Pharr-San Juan-Alamo High Schools met Bass on Tuesday after classmates Eve Robledo and Sergio Suarez won a contest sponsored by UTPA and The Monitor as part of Hispanic Engineering, Science & Technology week.

Bass, 25, told reporters he came to HESTEC to encourage students to pursue their careers, especially those in math and science.

"I really do believe that is the future," he said.

Growing up in Mississippi, Bass said few celebrities encourage young people to "stick to their goals."

Bass later appeared in front of a crowd of about 2,000 UTPA students gathered in the quad area outside the student union.

"I’m basically here so y’all can skip class," he joked before apologizing for forgetting to pack black socks and wearing white socks with black pants and shoes.

Joking aside, Bass reiterated that he wanted to encourage students to enter math and science careers. He noted while one in four students are Hispanic, only 4 percent are studying science or engineering.

"We need more Hispanic scientists and engineers," he said.

Bass said since he was 8, he dreamed of becoming an astronaut; however, he "fell" into a music career first. After selling more than 25 million records with *NSYNC, Bass was asked to train to become the youngest person to go to space.

Training with Russian cosmonauts was the "hardest experience in my life," he said, especially because he felt most of the world doubted him.

"I really had to prove I wanted to do it. I had to work my butt off," he said. "That’s when you work best, when you feel like the whole world is against you."

But Bass had the support of the crowd when he tried to say "Si Se Puede." As a member of *NSYNC, he recorded several songs in Spanish, though Bass said "I didn’t know what I was singing."

Responding to questions from the audience, Bass said he did not know when *NYSNC would record their next album and that he did not go to Britney Spears’ wedding.

"My invitation must have been lost in the mail," he joked.

Bass also answered questions about spending time in Russia. He said he still plans to go to space and that he is busy producing.

He declined singing requests, saying a bass singer needs four other guys. Bass also declined to endorse a presidential candidate, but did encourage students to vote.

"You can do anything you want to do. The future is open to all of you," Bass said.

Students said they admired Bass for coming to speak to them.

"I used to be obsessed with *NSYNC when I was in eighth grade. I think it brings a lot of attention to Pan-Am when celebrities come here," UTPA student Amber Salazar said. Meeting Bass "would have been much more of a thrill four years ago, but it’s still exciting."

Olivia Tamez, a 16-year-old junior at McAllen Memorial High School, got to spend time with Bass during a private lunch.

"He’s really nice and downto-earth. He’s really genuine," she said. "I thought he’d be bigger and taller, but he’s still cute in real life. I think it’s good what he’s doing, coming down here. That’s really cool ’cause he’s a celebrity."

 

Justin one of Jai's musical influences
(9/29/04) Emmanuel Garcia Windy City Times

Right now, Jai Rodriguez is the Culture Vulture on Bravo’s hit show Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, but soon he’ll be rock’n your iPod with his new studio album.

...EG: You started out as a singer/ dancer, and you now have the opportunity to showcase that talent. What can we expect from your new album?

JR: I’m writing a lot and getting to know who I am as an artist. A lot of people would think that I would just release a dance record, but my interests are far beyond that. As I love dance, I also love R&B, rock, and fusion. I think when people hear it they will be pleasantly surprised.

EG: Who were your musical influences?

JR: Anastacia, Justin Timberlake, Gavin Degraw, [and] Stevie Wonder...

 

Lance Bass shows support for HESTEC 2004
(9/29/04) Melissa Ciomperlik UTPA Today

Students at The University of Texas-Pan American didn’t need a telescope to catch a glimpse of a star when Lance Bass arrived on campus Sept. 28, as part of Hispanic Engineering Science and Technology (HESTEC) Week.

Bass, a member of the pop group *NSYNC and most recently a certified cosmonaut, said he was honored to be asked to attend HESTEC and have the opportunity to address students.

“What motivated me to come was to know this was a great situation where I could come inspire and encourage a lot of students that make up a minority in this country,” Bass said.

Bass addressed UTPA students and the community at the Quad. More than 500 students congregated to listen to Bass speak, while enjoying free food and drinks.

“I’m here for HESTEC Week which is very important to me because I am a huge space enthusiast,” Bass said. “I’m here to encourage you to stick with your goals and dreams.”

One in four students in the United States is Hispanic, but only four percent are in science and engineering fields, he said.

“We need more scientists and we need more engineers from the Hispanic community,” Bass said. “I would love to encourage that.”

Between enthusiastic crowd members shouting “We love you Lance,” Bass told the story of his preparation and training to venture into space.

At age eight, Bass’ dream was to become an astronaut, but that dream was put on hiatus when he began a music career at 16. Two and a half years ago, his dream was rekindled when he was asked to train to be the youngest person to fly into space.

His training at Russia’s Star City, normally a four-year course, was condensed into six months of intensive classes. He spent six days a week, from 6 a.m.-8 p.m., in university classes taught in Russian.

“The training was probably the hardest thing I’ve had to do in my life,” Bass said. “I was very dedicated because that’s what I wanted to do.”

Upon completion of his classes, he was certified by both the Russian Space Program and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for an upcoming mission aboard a Soyuz capsule.

“In anything in life you’re going to go through obstacles,” Bass said. “If you keeping working at it, you’re eventually going to get there. I’m still working on that dream and it’s looking pretty good.”

Bass said his grandfather inspired him to be an astronaut. While growing up in Mississippi, his family would drive to Florida to watch shuttle launches, he said.

“That’s what really got me into wanting to be a space engineer,” Bass said. “Continue to study hard in math and science. I’m telling you, that’s our future. You can do anything you want to do. The future is open to all of you.”

UTPA students were surprised, but delighted to see Bass on campus and listen to him speak.

“It think it was very unusual, but at the same time nice to see someone like Lance come to UTPA. It was nice to see someone who everyone looks up to and admires come here and give us some good advice, and also help us in promoting education and encouraging people to get into math and the sciences,” Shaadi Khademi, a freshman majoring in biology/pre-med said. “It was really nice and cool, because here in the Valley you don’t see celebrities like that.”

Thanks to a contest sponsored by two local newspapers – The Monitor and La Frontera – in conjunction with UTPA, two Rio Grande Valley high school students won the opportunity to speak and take photos with Bass.

Out of numerous entries, Eve Robledo, a 12th grade student at La Joya High School placed first and Sergio Suarez, a 10th grade student from PSJA High School, placed second. Both winners brought along classmates, teachers and school administrators to meet Bass at the International Trade and Technology Building at UTPA.

Robledo, who found out she won the contest the day before, was very surprised she won and was even more thrilled about the opportunity to talk to Bass. Robledo, who considers herself “a big fan” of Bass’ said the advertisement in the newspaper prompted her to enter the contest.

“I was so glad I got to meet him. I want to major in aerospace engineering and I want to work at NASA some day, so this is really motivating,” Robledo said, who was nearly speechless after meeting Bass and having her picture taken with him.

Suarez, whose mom entered him into the contest, said he and his classmates were excited to be there too.

Administrators and staff of the two selected high schools said the campuses have been enthusiastic about the win.

“The mood of the school and the students that are here is pure excitement,” Delia Oropez, assistant principal and science supervisor of La Joya High School said. “I have one girl that’s very emotional. She kept crying and crying. It’s pretty exciting for our students to be selected to come here.”

Bass’ final stop at the University led him to the Visitors Center where he was given a special preview of the Milestones for Peace exhibit, an international art display designed to trigger public discourse about peace and encourage people to promote a culture of harmony among all nations. What began as a single stone has grown to more than 500 stones from all around the world. While many stones are artistically designed, some stones remain unaltered and are signed by celebrities, kings, presidents and spiritual leaders. After touring the exhibit and learning about the history of the project, Bass signed a stone.

“I think it (signing the stone) is a huge honor,” Bass said. “The people who have signed these stones have been amazing world leaders. I just want to do my part and help carry on the peace.”

 

Janet Jackson still holds TiVo title
(9/29/04) Ben Charny CNET News.com

Eight months later, Janet Jackson's infamous performance during the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show remains the most replayed moment in TiVo history, a representative for the digital video recording company said.

One of Jackson's breasts was exposed at the end of her duet with singer Justin Timberlake, which Timberlake later blamed on a "costume malfunction."

The Federal Communications Commission recently ordered that Viacom, which owns the 20 CBS stations that broadcast the Super Bowl, pay a fine of $550,000 for allegedly violating indecency standards. Viacom is expected to argue that the incident was legal.

TiVo and the growing number of other digital video recorder systems, which let viewers both record TV programs and pause or rewind live television broadcasts, were most assuredly created for less prurient reasons. But the continued hold of the Jackson moment on the top slot shows the unpredictable nature of what consumers actually do with technology, once they get their hands on it.

The incident remains atop the TiVo replay heap, despite notable televised events that have been broadcast since then, including the summer Olympic games in Athens, a picture-perfect scenario for TiVo users, since it was played out over several channels simultaneously and sometimes in the wee hours of the morning.

Before Jackson's moment in the sun, the most replayed moment in TiVo history had been the kiss shared by Britney Spears and Madonna during the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards.

Pratfalls also tend to be popular among TiVo's 1.9 million subscribers. Four of the 10 most popular moments during the summer Olympics involved flubbed performances, such as Chinese Olympian Yang Wei losing his grip during his high bar performance on Aug. 18, TiVo recently said.

But sex still rules the TiVo roost. "Janet Jackson is still the most TiVo'd moment we've ever measured," the TiVo representative said Tuesday.

 

Stage Notes
(9/29/04) Paul Wontorek Broadway.com

Thank you to everyone who stopped by the Broadway.com table at the Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS Flea Market and helped us break our own personal fundraising record. Between Sunday's event and our pre-flea online auction, Broadway.com took in more than $14,000 for BC/EFA, making us the second highest-grossing table of the day! (After five years, I'm proud to report that Broadway.com has raised over $50,000 to the charity.)

Of course, success doesn't come easy, so I'd like to thank the people who helped it all come together. First, shout-outs to Broadway.com staffers Bruce Glikas, Beth Stevens, Cara Joy David (and mom Jill), Julie Liu, Kevin Manganaro, Katie Riegel, Kevin Robak, Josie Garthwaite and Matt Gibson, who manned the table throughout the long day. Also special thanks to the many members of the community who donated items to our efforts, including Antonio Banderas, John Barlow, Michael Borowski, Kerry Butler, Jim Byk, Donna Lynne Champlin, Noah Cornman, Alan Cumming, Kurt Deutsch, Bill Evans, Joey Fatone...

 

Rivera, Porter win HESTEC prizes
(9/29/04) KATHRYN WALSON, The Monitor The Brownsville Herald (thanks Eva!)

EDINBURG, Sept. 29, 2004 — Porter, Rivera and Edinburg high school teams were all smiles Tuesday upon receiving their first-place prizes at HESTEC’s Robotics Competition — $1,100 Toshiba laptops.

Former *NSYNC member Lance Bass surprised the crowd by announcing some winners and then signed some T-shirts.

The competition was open to area high school students involved in Gear Up, a program that prepares low-income students for college. It was the first time the University of Texas-Pan American held a robotics competition during Hispanic Engineering, Science and Technology Week, which is in its third year...

 

'N Sync's Bass encourages students to continue math, science studies
(9/29/04) Associated Press Ft. Worth Star-Telegram (thanks Eva!)

EDINBURG, Texas - Singer Lance Bass of 'N Sync told students in the Rio Grande Valley on Tuesday that they should continue their studies in math and science.

"I really do believe that is the future," he said in Wednesday's edition of The (McAllen) Monitor.

Bass, 25, spoke to students from La Joya and Pharr-San Juan-Alamo high schools and the University of Texas-Pan American as part of Hispanic Engineering, Science and Technology week.

Bass noted that while one in four students are Hispanic, only 4 percent are studying science or engineering.

While 'N Sync has sold more than 25 million records, but Bass told students that music was not his first love.

Bass said that when he was 8, he dreamed of becoming an astronaut. But, he "fell" into a music career first.

But he has trained to go into space. Bass said that training with Russian cosmonauts was the "hardest experience in my life."

"I really had to prove I wanted to do it. I had to work my butt off," he said. "That's when you work best, when you feel like the whole world is against you."

Bass said he still plans to go to space amidst his busy music-producing schedule.

In the meantime, Bass said he did not know when 'N Sync would record its next album and that he did not get the chance to attend Britney Spears' wedding.

"My invitation must have been lost in the mail," he joked.

 

The art & soul of Jamie Foxx
(9/29/04) Susan Wloszczyna USA TODAY

TORONTO — For a good time, call Jamie Foxx.

The actor's rep as the L.A. host with the most is legendary. "I've thrown parties for Puffy, Mya, Missy, Tweet, Jay-Z," he says, ticking off an elite fleet of uni-monikered guests. "They've all been at my house."

But it's partying with a purpose, insists Foxx, who takes his cues from the original player himself, Hugh Hefner, and his long-defunct late-night TV show Playboy After Dark.

"I've had Brian McKnight singing Justin Timberlake songs that he's written at my house," he says. "Bobby Brown and Whitney Houston doing karaoke. It's one thing to go out to lose yourself and get crazy. It's another thing if you go out to enrich people that are around you..."