Hello, Hello, Hello, Where's *NSYNC Now?

Former Band Member Bass To Give 'Out Of Sync' Lecture At Jorgensen Tonight

By: Katie Hannafin

Posted: 4/15/08

We all remember doing those unmistakable motions to "Bye Bye Bye" and awkwardly slow dancing to "This I Promise You." Some of you (don't deny it) may have had an unhealthy obsession with one or all five boys of *NSYNC, the world-influencing boy band of the 90's.

Since Lance Bass will be lecturing at Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts tonight at 7, why not take a look at where his fellow *NSYNC bandmates and he are now.

"It's so hard to pick a favorite, I loved them all," said Gina Nicotera, a 4th-semester political science major. "I was always partial to Joey, for some reason though. We're both Italian, both loved Superman, we had a connection."

We watched them grow up, go through legal battles, and make record-breaking success. Since the group went on hiatus circa 2001, many heart-broken individuals may be wondering what the boys - Lance Bass, J.C. Chasez, Joey Fatone, Chris Kirkpatrick and Justin Timberlake - are up to nowadays.

Bass, 28, former bass singer for the pop group had several acting, producing, and even spaceflight experiences that earned him some short lived fame. After revealing that he was gay in 2006, Bass received a lot of media attention, most of which was generally positive. He was awarded the Human Rights Campaign Visibility Award for his courage in coming out. "Out of Sync," the book about his struggles with his sexuality and the stresses of always being in the limelight, debuted on The New York Times Best Seller List in 2007.

Bass has established several philanthropic organizations including the Lance Bass Foundation, a charity designed to meet the health needs of low-income children, and big Hurricane Katrina relief causes. He is currently doing a book tour to share his life experiences that are featured in "Out of Sync" to audiences around the country.

Chasez, 31, left *NSYNC with high hopes of sparking a successful solo career, due to his popularity as one of two of the group's lead singers. Unfortunately, his few singles and solo album "Schizophrenic," didn't hold a candle to the achievement and quality of his former band's albums. Since giving up on his solo act, Chasez has made guest appearances on TV shows and collaborated with several big names on different songs and albums for the mainstream pop scene, both as a vocalist and producer.

Chasez was named one of People Magazine's Hottest Bachelors in June 2006, and while he denies recent speculations that he might be gay, rumor has it that he's single again. Most recently, you may have recognized Chasez on his appearance as a judge on MTV's "America's Best Dance Crew," where he offered advice to teams of dancers competing for first place.

Fatone, 30, has made a name for himself as an actor, and in 2007 participated in season four of the American version of "Dancing With The Stars," where he placed second. He had a comedic role in hit film "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," was in an episode of "Hannah Montana," and is currently the host of NBC's "The Singing Bee." Fatone, along with Lisa Rinna, replaced Joan Rivers and Melissa Rivers as hosts of TV Guide's red carpet pre-shows for the 2007-2008 award show season.

He married his on-and-off girlfriend of 10 years, Kelly Baldwin, in 2004, and has a seven-year-old daughter, whose godfather happens to be fellow band-member Bass.

Kirkpatrick, 36, quirky character and founder of the band, originally pursued a solo career with the band Little Red Monster after *NSYNC. He debuted two songs, but later he regrouped and renamed the band Nigel's 11, and has had considerable success since 2005. Kirkpatrick has managed to stay involved in the music scene since his boy-band days, but hasn't really received the same amount of coverage as his fellow band-mates.

Lastly, you may have heard of pop-artist Timberlake, former lead singer and heartthrob of *NSYNC. If you haven't heard of him or know what he's been up to, you're absolutely living under a rock. Timberlake gained so much popularity during his *NSYNC days, that launching his solo career seemed grim for about 3.5 seconds. With his first two solo albums, "Justified" and "FutureSex/LoveSounds," he has sold over 18 million records worldwide and is the first male artist to achieve six Top 20 hits from one album since Michael Jackson.

Timberlake started his own record label, Tennman Records, and fashion label, William Rast. He has had unmatched success with his several tours, and even managed to regain America's respect after his assistance with Janet Jackson's little "wardrobe malfunction" during the Super Bowl of 2004.

Timberlake has collaborated with some of the biggest names in the industry including T.I., Beyoncé, Nelly, Black Eyed Peas, Snoop Dogg, Nelly Furtado, Timbaland, 50 Cent, Duran Duran and Madonna, to name a few. He has opened several restaurants and made many TV and movie appearances. His "Dick in a Box" skit on "Saturday Night Live" from 2006 has become one of the most viewed videos on YouTube for his comedic abilities and suaveness.

He has been given "Sexiest Man" titles by magazines, and romantically linked to actress Jessica Biel. Only bigger and better things can be expected from this former teen-popstar that melted so many middle-school hearts.

"Justin was always the cutest one," said Elyse Czarnecki, a 4th-semester nursing major."And when the group first came out, he was my favorite. But then his hair got too curly and I didn't like him as much, but seeing him now in his solo career, I think he's incredibly talented."

Contact Katie Hannafin at Katherine.Hannafin@UConn.edu.