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'N Sync Motivated By Friendly Competition With Backstreet Boys
 "The 'N Sync-versus- Backstreet Boys rivalry may be going strong, but that's only in the minds of the fans, according to 'N Sync. The group harbors no ill will toward its labelmates and says that the two acts are pitted against each other by outside forces, as 'N Sync member JC Chasez tells LAUNCH. "I think everybody puts us in direct competition with them," he says. "We really don't care either way. We just do our thing day to day and we're thankful that we've achieved what we have. We don't want to take anything away from them--I mean, hey, they're just trying to do their thing, so we have nothing against them. We know what it's like to try and make a living at this."
While 'N Sync denies any negative relationship with the Backstreet Boys, there is a healthy sense of competition that produces positive results, as Chasez explains. "I guess people set it up that way, and in a way it's a good thing, 'cause it really kind of helps drive everybody and it motivates everybody to do positive."'N Sync is gearing up for the second leg of its No Strings Attached tour, which will kick off in Charlotte, North Carolina, on October 17. The tour will wrap up on December 1 in San Diego, California, after which the group will head into the studio to record its next album. 'N Sync is hoping to have the new project completed by February.

NSYNC Film New Video in San Francisco
 No, that didn't just look like the members of 'N Sync outside of Sinbad's Pier II Restaurant near San Francisco's Embarcadero last Friday, that was Lance,Chris, Joey, J.C. and Justin lip-synching their new song, "I Promise You, "for their new Dave Meyers-directed video. Nevertheless, nosey dinners andpassers-bys were told that it was a rock band named the Melons. The boy band was in the Bay Area for two days to film the video, according to a spokesperson -- the first day in a redwood grove, the second smack dab in the middle of a tourist trap, where not a single person recognized them. Maybe that's a bad thing . . .

'NSync Talks Second Leg Of Tour, New Album, Lou Pearlman
(10/10) from Allstar: On the eve of the second leg of their sold-out No Strings Attached tour, the members of 'NSync entertained select media during a yawn-filled, sarcastic teleconference on Monday (Oct. 9).
    Kicking off in Charlotte, N.C. on Oct. 17 (allstar, Aug. 16), No Strings Attached version 2.0 will feature a few changes from the tour's first go-round (allstar, May 15), but don't expect the world's hottest boy band to stray too far from the proven pop formula.
    "We're going to do a great show again," said Justin Timberlake, who was the main yawning culprit. "A lot of people have seen some of the show but every show we do is different. We add little things here and there to change it up and make it an original show, so hopefully everyone will enjoy it."
    'NSync cites Janet Jackson, for whom the boy band toured with early on in their career, as a major showmanship influence from both and entertainment and evolution perspective. "She is very good at entertaining," says Chris Kirkpatrick. "We learned a lot -- that if people want to hear just the music, they can buy the CD. But it's the whole live aspect of changing the songs every night or the whole theatrical performance that she puts on. She's definitely one of our mentors when it comes to touring and the stage show. Her show told a story, and that's what people like to see."
    In addition to the upcoming tour, which continues through Dec. 1, 'NSync have several new projects set to surface in the coming months. Besides a new home video, Live at Madison Square Garden, a new 'NSync track, "You Don't Have To Be Alone," will surface on the upcoming compilation A Platinum Christmas (see related story, this page). Additionally, Kirkpatrick launches his new clothes line, FuMan Skeeto, in Nordstrom's on Nov. 24.
    On whether or not the members of the band would indulge Kirkpatrick's tastes in clothes by adorning the new line, the entrepreneur vowed to use inducement tactics. "I just threaten them," says Kirkpatrick. "There is a difference between pressuring and threatening. Pressuring is just me bugging them every day about it, threatening them is telling them if they don't do it, I'll beat them up."
    As for the future, 'NSync vows to take everything to the "next level" (or is it the next next level?) on the follow-up to the 9x platinum No Strings Attached, set to surface in 2001. "If we don't adapt, we won't survive," says Kirkpatrick. "We enjoy new music. We don't enjoy stagnant music or somebody doing the same thing that everybody else is doing so we try to change our sound and change our ideas to be innovative."
    "We've been doing a little bit of writing," continues Timberlake. "Some of the tracks that I've heard and that I've done, it's taking the sound to the next level. It's going to be tough because one of our main goals is that we each get 10 tracks submitted and then just pick the best 12 or so from that big pile. We'll have the best pool of where we feel the sound is going."
    Towards the end of the conference, things turned, as usual, to the band's former manager/babysitter Lou Pearlman, from whom the group fought in court to be freed last year (allstar, Nov. 24, 1999). Asked to set the record straight as to what exactly Pearlman did for the group, Kirkpatrick reported the following:
    "He did pay for a lot of the stuff, but it was an investment, like anything," he said. "We said all along, 'Hopefully you will get to make your money back on us.' But the only thing that shreds us about it is when we hear things like, 'Yeah, he used to tell you guys how to sing, he used to tell you guys...' He gave us money. That's it."
    "That's funny, I ask myself that all the time," says Timberlake. "What did he do?"

'NSync, Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears All On Board For A Platinum Christmas
 On Nov. 14, several of the world's biggest pop stars will relay their Christmas thoughts and feelings through A Platinum Christmas, a star-filled Christmas compilation orchestrated by Jive, RCA, and Arista Records.
    The album will include new tracks by 'NSync, Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, R. Kelly, Pink, and Kenny G, as well as previously released tracks by Santana, Toni Braxton, and Joe, among others.
    'NSync's track, co-written by JC Chasez, is possibly called "You Don't Have To Be Alone," on which Justin Timberlake offered up the following terse opinion: "It's a ballad," he said during the 'NSync teleconference on Monday (Oct. 9) (see related story, this page). "It's pretty." As a disclaimer, Timberlake wasn't 100 percent sure that 'NSync Christmas song was surfacing on this compilation.
    Not much more is known at press time by way of additional song titles, etc., but the album is sure to be a must-buy on the Christmas lists of parents worldwide this Christmas.
    A Platinum Christmas will be released by Jive Records.

'NSync talks business during press conference
 The group plans to record a new album in early 2001. After making playful jabs at his fellow members during a 45-minute teleconference with a handful of reporters on Monday (10/9), 'NSync founding member Chris Kirkpatrick turned somber when he said that working with former manager Lou Pearlman was "a life lesson we learned quick."
   "The only thing that kind of shreds us about it is when we hear things like, 'Yeah, he used to tell you guys how to sing.' He gave us money and that was it. We kind of did our own thing," said Kirkpatrick, who was joined on the call by bandmate Justin Timberlake.
   "When he did control the money, he would say things. And we were like, 'This is our group. This is what we do. You're paying us to be 'NSync. You're not paying us to be your people and your puppets. We are a group. We were a group before your money and we'll be a group after your money.'"
   'NSync left RCA Records and Pearlman for Jive Records last year, prompting a $150 million lawsuit by Pearlman, his management team Trans Continental Media, Trans Continental Records and BMG Entertainment, which owns RCA. A judge in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida ruled in November against Pearlman and allowed the band to record for Jive. Shortly after the judge's ruling, the group reached a confidential out-of-court settlement with Pearlman and BMG.
   "It's really sad that it went down like that," Kirkpatrick said. "Because at first he tried to make it like a family: 'I want to be close to you guys. I want you guys to be able to trust me.' But in a business when it comes to money, you can't trust anybody, because the people you start trusting, you never guess that they're the ones that are actually taking all your money. That was really hard for us."
   These are happier times for 'NSync, however. The group is about to embark on the second leg of its sold-out "No Strings Attached" tour, which begins on Oct. 17 in Charlotte, N.C., and ends Dec. 1 in San Diego.
   "We're actually starting the tour on a holiday this year. Oct. 17 is Chris Kirkpatrick Day," Kirkpatrick said. "We're real excited about that. ... And you've only got eight shopping days or so left."
   "Chris' birthday is Oct. 17." said Timberlake. "Please get him something. Because I'm not."
   Besides stages, the group will be hitting TV screens as well. They have scheduled appearances on "The Rosie O'Donnell Show" on Nov. 7, "Live with Regis" on Nov. 10 and "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" on Nov. 29. Its concert video "Live from Madison Square Garden" hits stores on Oct. 24.
   Timberlake explained that the second leg of the tour will be basically feature the same show as the first leg--with a few surprises.
   "This tour is so big, we want to give people the chance to see it in person again. That's why we put the extension on the tour. There's stuff that happens every show that's different. Who knows what we'll come up with? We might throw another song in or something. Who knows?"
   When the tour wraps up in December, 'NSync is going to take a break, during which the quintet will embark on "solo ventures," although not necessarily musical.
   "I think when we say 'solo ventures,' they're all different types of things, like business ventures, Timberlake said. "Joey's filming something right now--I'm sorry, I don't know what it's called."
   Lance Bass is also getting involved in film, while Kirkpatrick will bring his Fu.ManSkeeto clothing line into Nordstrom stores the day after Thanksgiving. Timberlake said he wasn't sure what he was going to do.
   "I'll probably just be writing some music, and I don't know, maybe I'll get into some on-screen stuff. Who knows? I'm crazy like that. I'll switch it on you."
   It won't be that long of a vacation, however. 'NSync is planning to return to the studio in early 2001 to record the follow-up to its nine-times-platinum album "No Strings Attached."
   "We haven't had a lot of time but we're doing a little bit of writing," Timberlake said. "... I think one of our main goals is that we all get at least 10 tracks submitted and just pick the best 12 or so from that big pile. We'll have the best pool of where the sound's going or where we feel the sound's going. Once we've all submitted our tracks, maybe everybody else will come in and help produce them up and get the whole 'NSync sound on them."
   Rabid fans who can't wait for the new album, however, will have "A Platinum Christmas," due out Nov. 14, which will feature holiday songs from a variety of acts including 'NSync and Britney Spears. Timberlake admitted he didn't know too much about his band's contribution, however.
   "There's so many different [compilations]. The song is written by J.C. [Chasez of 'NSync]. ... It's called 'You Don't Have to Be Alone.' It's cool. It's a ballad. It's pretty."
   One thing that Timberlake and Kirkpatrick don't find so pretty, however, is "Making the Band," the ABC television series about the boy band O-Town.
   "What do we think about it? It's a piece of crap," Timberlake said. "It's scary to think that that O-Town show, that they're serious. I'm not dissing the boys on the show. God bless them. I'm almost positive that they don't have a clue what's going on, really.
   "I kind of look back and see what we were like: We didn't know what was going on. I don't want to talk bad about anybody but I can't have faith in something that's done by a business partner that we've already had and who was not a very good business partner."

*NSYNC Talks Movie, Tour and New Album
 : 'N Sync has long talked about taking its act to the silver screen; the quintet even went to Cannes this year to promote its movie career. The only question that remained was which project the boys were going to pursue. It looks like they may have decided at last.
   "Most likely, it's Grease 3," Lance Bass said in a teleconference today that also included his fellow 'N Sync mates J.C. Chasez and Joey Fatone.
   "Everything just got put on hold because of the [Screen Actors Guild] strike, which was just very bad timing for us. We're going ahead and getting the script written. It's a go from the studios, and we just got to wait until the strike is over, and then we can start filming."
   The group didn't detail which of the band's members would serve as the movie's male lead or who would be tapped to play opposite him. ( Britney Spears, 'N Sync member Justin Timberlake's main squeeze, has also been rumored to be attached to Grease 3.) "I guess it'll be an ensemble," Fatone said.
   "It'll definitely be more written for a group," Bass added. "We've got a great cast in mind right now."
   Despite all the talk of a new endeavor, 'N Sync is not ready to say "Bye Bye Bye" to the concert stage just yet. The quintet is about to embark on a 31-date string of shows, part of its long-running "No Strings Attached" tour, which kicks off in Charlotte, S.C., on Oct. 17. Fans shouldn't look for any new wrinkles in the show (which has already sold out its entire run), just the same scream-inducing mix of pop songs, choreography, and special effects.
   "We're actually going to keep it the same as of right now, due to the fact that there are actually certain cities, a bunch of places that we have not hit yet," Chasez said. "So people that never got the chance to see it yet are actually going to get a chance to see it. If anything, maybe towards the end of [the tour] we might throw a Christmas song in, but we're not even sure if we're going to do that. For the most part, yeah, it's just the 'No Strings Attached' tour."
   The members of the band also addressed such things as their ongoing rivalry with the Backstreet Boys (Chasez doesn't see it as a competition but does think it makes both groups work harder and do positive things), the media and fans prying into their private lives (surprise, they don't like it), and the still-controversial use of taped backing vocals at their shows.
   "We never use them on the lead vocals," Chasez insisted. "Sometimes we might use them on the background a bit. We never use them for a cappellas. For the dance numbers, sometimes we use them in the fast songs, yeah. But that's not what rides in the forefront. Everybody wants to hear how the song itself and the leads and everything like that [sound], and those are always live."
   "When you're performing, you do get sort of winded, as far as doing background vocals, since you're dancing so much," Fatone said. "The good thing about it is, if all else fails, we can sing the background vocals, you know what I'm saying? It's not a big help to us, but it does at least give us a little backing so [the sound is] a lot fuller and a lot thicker."
   If 'N Sync has any spare time these days, it's spent thinking about its next album, which it hopes to finish by February. At this point, the band is still mulling over potential producers to work with and claim that it's likely that Chasez and Timberlake will take a greater hand in shaping the record's direction.
   "We're definitely getting into that side of it more," Bass said. "There's been several people we've been talking about. Maybe getting with She'kspere again, Timbaland, Missy [Elliott]. Even Richard Marx would be great to work with again."
   Even before that, the group is planning to do a song for the country market — Bass declined to disclose who it will work with on it but said that the band has narrowed it down to "a couple of artists" — and will continue to seek out new venues for its music, like the Latin Grammy Awards, which it played last month.
   "We just want to prove that music is music," Bass said.
   "We want to challenge ourselves," Chasez added. "Music, it's fun. It's a journey, and I don't think that any artist likes just one kind of music. They're usually very creative people and they like a little bit of everything. There's part of them that wishes that maybe they could do this, that, and the other, and we've just been lucky enough to push the boundaries and do it, instead of wondering about it."

'NSYNC, Lil' Kim To Toast Mystikal At "Secret" Party form MTV
 'NSYNC, Lil' Kim, and Joe are among the artists planning to "Shake Ya Ass" during a private party in New York City on Tuesday night to celebrate the chart-topping debut of Mystikal's "Let's Get Ready" album. Mystikal moved more than 330,000 copies of "Let's Get Ready" in its first week in stores, beating out 98 Degrees' "Revelation" by more than 60,000 copies, according to SoundScan. Jive Records, home to Mystikal, 'NSYNC, and Joe, will be hosting the event, which will also tout the rapper's appearance on the cover of the November issue of "XXL" magazine, which is on stands now. Other artists and celebrities are expected to turn out for the Manhattan party, which a source close to the event said will have a "secret" theme loosely based on the 1999 Stanley Kubrick film, "Eyes Wide Shut," which inspired the "Shake Ya Ass" video. Music for the party will be provided by a local artist, the Incredible DJ Touchtone.

'N Sync To Collaborate With Top Female Country Star
 'N Sync is planning to unite the worlds of pop and country music once again, according to group member Lance Bass.The singer recently shared with Jive Records executive Clive Calder his idea of teaming up with a country artist. "We just released a ballad, 'This I Promise You,' to every market except country," Bass says. "I mean, we did Spanish, everything. I was talking to Clive Calder the other day and I was like, 'Why don't we do a country version, 'cause it's such a country song,' so we are going to get together with a well-known artist and probably collaborate this year." Lance added that the singer will be female. There is no word on when fans can expect to hear the musical collaboration on the radio. "This I Promise You" was written, arranged, and produced by Richard Marx, who also wrote the title track on Shedaisy's new Christmas album, Brand New Year. 'N Sync's first country collaboration was with Alabama on "God Must Have Spent A Little More Time On You," which was a top five hit on the country charts in August 1999. 'N Sync is heading to New York City Monday (October 9) to perform "This I Promise You" and "It's Gonna Be Me" on ABC's Good Morning America.

It's Official: Britney Spears And Justin Timberlake An Item 
 Sorry, girls-- Britney Spears has officially confirmed the rumor that she is dating 'N Sync heartthrob Justin Timberlake. In the October issue, Spears tells Elle magazine: "When you're really comfortable with someone you love, the silence is the best. And that's how me and J. are. When we're in a room together, we don't have to say anything. And when we go out to a club, it's like we're the only two people there. It's for real." The 18-year-old singer also tells the magazine that she and Timberlake had a good laugh about the rumor circulating last month that the couple was engaged. "I told him during my show I would wear a big-ass ring just to keep people talking," she quipped. Spears graces Elle's cover wearing an original Givenchy tulle jumpsuit with crystal embroidery.

Justin Timberlake: Cover Boy
From  www.thirsty.com  : "During a live radio interview, the editor of CosmoGirl magazine proclaimed that 'N Sync hottie Justin Timberlake will be on the cover of the November issue. Not only that, but there will also be a "very personal interview," in which he talks about his charity and his personal life. He will also allegedly discuss a period of time in his life when he absolutely hated women.
    Yet the most exciting thing to come is his candid conversation about teen queen and alleged girlfriend Britney Spears. The editor says that he dishes out some very beautiful things about her, and explains what it was like when they first met. Look forward to some "extremely sexy" photos of the boyband wonder, as they are supposedly, "not like any other". All you Justin fans better put away your three dollars now, because the issue hits stands October 2!

Britney, Backstreet, 'NSYNC Record Label Sues MP3.com
Form  MTV.com "Less than one week after a judge handed down a ruling that could cost MP3.com as much as $250 million, Zomba Recording Corporation and Zomba Music Publishing have filed lawsuits against the embattled music Web site.
    Both companies are independently suing MP3.com over its My.MP3.com service, the same database that stirred the ire of the Universal Music Group. Last week, Universal won damages from the site when a judge ruled MP3.com willfully infringed on Universal's copyrights.
    Similarly, Zomba is charging that MP3.com "has adopted a blatant strategy of attempting to unlawfully build a business by misappropriating us and our artists' and writers' goodwill, recordings, and songs."
    Zomba Recording Corp. owns Jive Records, which boasts an impressive stable of pop hit makers including 'NSYNC, Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears, and R. Kelly.
    My.MP3.com allows users to store music that they have purchased and boasts a database of more than 80,000 albums. MP3.com has battled charges of copyright infringement by noting that the My.MP3.com service only allows users to listen online to CDs that the users themselves have already purchased.
    MP3.com Chairman and CEO Michael Robertson promised to appeal last week's judge's ruling, saying, "We believe that everyone should have the right to listen to the music they purchase, even if it's on the Internet."
    While MP3.com vows to fight on, past legal tangles do not bode well for the Web site regarding the impending Zomba lawsuits. In April, a judge ruled that the My.MP3.com database violates copyright law (see "Court Rules MP3.com Violates Copyrights"), and this summer the site settled lawsuits brought by several record labels including BMG Entertainment, Time Warner's Warner Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, and the EMI Group

NSync Headed For The 10 Million Mark Again
Boy band poised to win second RIAA Diamond Award this year as third LP is certified nine-times platinum.
    *NSync have shipped 9 million copies of their third album, No Strings Attached, since its release five months ago, according to the Recording Industry Association of America.
    The RIAA designated the album nine-times platinum in its August certifications, which also saw fellow pop stars Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears achieve multiplatinum gains. Aguilera's 1999 self-titled debut reached the 7 million mark, while Spears' second album, this year's Oops … I Did It Again, was certified at 6 million.
    If *NSync's No Strings Attached carries on its sales success, the red-hot LP could give the boy band its second Diamond Award, commemorating sales of 10 million, this year. The quintet's first album, *NSync, hit that mark in January.
    *NSync also have a holiday LP, Home for Christmas, that is certified double platinum. Additionally, the second single from No Strings Attached, "It's Gonna Be Me" (RealAudio excerpt), was certified gold last month.
    The RIAA's certifications recognize the number of records that have been shipped to retail outlets. No Strings Attached has sold 7.7 million units to date, while *NSync has sold 8.2 million, according to SoundScan. Those figures do not include sales for the past week, which will be released on Wednesday (Sept. 6).
    Also among the trade group's August certifications were rapper Eminem's The Marshall Mathers LP, at 6 million, and DMX's … And Then There Was X, at 4 million.
    Hip-hop newcomer Nelly received his first gold, platinum and multiplatinum certifications for his debut album, Country Grammar. Lil' Kim's second album, Notorious K.I.M., also was certified gold and platinum.

Explicit Songs?
 "The inside story of 'N Sync's next big song. With 6 MTV video nods, the group has major plans to expand its audience
   Teen popsters 'N Sync, who'll perform on tonight's MTV Video Music Awards (8 p.m.), scored their first No. 1 single this summer with the ubiquitous ditty ''It's Gonna Be Me.'' Not content to rest, the boy band -- who tie their taunting nemesis Eminem for six video award nominations -- are busy making big plans for their next single, ''This I Promise You.'' To maximize the ballad's hit potential, Justin, JC, and the gang have recorded two vastly different versions of the song, which is penned and produced by that big hair '80s crooner Richard Marx.
   First up is a Spanish lyric version (''Yo te Voy a Amor''), which the oft gyrating gringos will premiere during their performance on the Latin Grammy Awards (airing live Sept. 13, 8 p.m., CBS). The guys recorded ''Yo,'' which hits Spanish language radio next week, with the help of a dialogue coach. ''It was something that we had even discussed doing with other singles in the past,'' says Joe Riccitelli, senior VP of pop promotion at 'N Sync's label, Jive, ''because there's such a big audience for Spanish speaking radio.'' Indeed, Riccitelli estimates that 'N Sync will reach an additional 10 to 17 million listeners with this Spanish 101 cut.
   But don't worry: The guys aren't abandoning their Top 40 roots. Because pop radio is increasingly shying away from playing ballads -- (of the top 10 songs on Billboard's Hot 100 Airplay chart, only one, Joe's ''I Wanna Know,'' is a ballad) -- the group tapped hot dance club remixer Hex Hector (Madonna, Jennifer Lopez) to do an up tempo version of the song. But there was a problem. The original version was so slow, Hector told them that they'd have to rerecord their vocals to make a faster mix work. If he simply sped up the original vocals to go with the kicky new club beat, the guys would've sounded like the Chipmunks.
   So after their June 20 show in Denver, 'N Sync flew in the New York City based remixer for a daylong recording session. ''I was surprised when they said they'd do it,'' explains Hector, who's currently tweaking Ricky Martin's forthcoming single ''She Bangs.'' ''Because they're such a big act and they were on tour, I didn't think they'd want to come in to re-sing vocals on their day off.''
   Still, as Hector describes the session, it wasn't exactly all work and no play. They'd ''screw around'' between takes, he says, by making up explicit lyrics to go with staple show tunes. ''It would tarnish their wholesome schoolboy image if I told you what was sung,'' Hector says of the impromptu lascivious lullabies of Broadway. Hey, with a matching video, just think of all the airtime they'd get on the Playboy channel.

'N Sync, Chili Peppers, And Eminem Steal Show
'N Sync and the Red Hot Chili Peppers dominated the 17th annual MTV Video Music Awards -- held at Radio City in New York last night -- by taking home three "Moonmen" statues each.

'N Sync was honored for its hit video "Bye, Bye, Bye," nabbing best pop video, viewers choice, and best choreography. The Chili Peppers won the video vanguard award and awards for best direction and best art direction for "Californication."

However, it was Eminem who left the biggest impression at the VMAs with his live performance of "The Real Slim Shady." The video for that song won awards for video of the year and best male video. Jim Carrey introduced Eminem in his own unique style saying, "He scares me a little. I've got to be honest -- I enjoy his music, but he scares me." Eminem went on to perform "The Real Slim Shady" and "The Way I Am" while followed by his huge posse of Eminem wannabes.

Eminem also was one-half of the best rap video award, which went to Dr. Dre and Eminem's "Forgot About Dre." Officially, Eminem won two awards, but one could argue that he really won two-and-a-half. Aaliyah also left with two awards: best female video and best video from a film for "Try Again."

Other two-award winners included Macy Gray and Bjork. Gray won for best new artist in a video for "I Try" and best cinematography in a video for "Do Something." Bjork's remarkable video for "All Is Full Of Love" won best special effects and breakthrough video.

The night was filled with surprises that included Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears holding hands and introducing surprise guest Whitney Houston and hubby Bobby Brown.

One of the most interesting moments of the evening came when Jennifer Lopez and D'Angelo presented the award for best rock video to Limp Bizkit for "Break Stuff." A bit of chaos ensued when Rage Against The Machine bassist Tim Bob Commerford sat atop the stage prop behind Limp Bizkit and would not budge. Show security was caught off guard and rushed out to the stage, but they were unable to immediately remove Commerford, who was perched some 15 feet in the air. He was eventually removed when the camera cut away to a commercial.

The WWF's Chynna and Survivor victor Richard Hatch introduced Christina Aguilera, who performed "Come On Over (All I Want Is You)." Towards the end of the song, Limp Bizkit's Fred Durst joined Aguilera on stage for some 15 seconds of a duet.

The show kicked off with Shawn Wayans dead-on impersonation of the comedy stylings of last year's VMA host, Chris Rock. Wayans appeared to hit a sore note at one point with Britney Spears, whose ice-cold stare was caught on camera as Wayans poked fun at her. Shawn's brother Marlon joined him onstage for the show's opening monologue and the two shared hosting duties throughout the night, with mixed results. The biggest laughs by far came at the end of the monologue when Marlon dropped his pants and mooned the audience, and when they screened their hilarious pre-recorded parody of Macy Gray's "I Try" video.

Britney, Eminem, 'NSYNC Get Wild, Weird For VMA Sets
 For the second hour of the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards, Britney Spears, Eminem, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and 'NSYNC rolled out performances that ranged from surprisingly sedate to downright bizarre.

Borrowing a page from "Flashdance" -- as well as Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" video -- a suit-and-tied Spears looked as if she had chosen to take a low-key approach for her second straight VMA performance.

After emerging from behind a backlit screen, Spears descended down a spiral staircase and offered up a soulful, if unstirring, rendition of the Rolling Stones' anti-establishment classic, "Satisfaction." But just when it appeared that Britney would be playing it tame, it all came off -- well, almost.

Spears sent the crowd's hormones into a frenzy by tearing off her black suit to reveal a spangled, flesh-toned outfit, and then proceeded to kick into an adrenaline-pumping performance of "Oops!... I Did It Again" that seemed to suggest that perhaps she really was "not that innocent" anymore.

The beauty was then followed by the beast, as rap bad boy Eminem literally took it to the streets for a performance of "The Real Slim Shady." Starting outside the venue, Em began the number by barking the lyrics in front of a group of look-alikes lined up as if they were a batch of new military recruits arriving for boot camp.

Eminem then led his army down Sixth Avenue, in through the front doors of Radio City Music Hall, and down the auditorium aisles, pausing in front of Carson Daly and Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst as he delivered the song's infamous line referring to the two and Christina Aguilera.

The rapper then left his posse behind as he mounted the stage and switched gears for a minimalist take on "The Way I Am," a song that he dedicated to "all his critics out there" and which addressed the dual faces Em wears in public and private.

The old school then returned to the stage in the form of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, with bassist Flea, guitarist John Frusciante, and frontman Anthony Kiedis all flying the punk rock fashion flag by sporting mohawks.

After being named the recipients of this year's Video Vanguard Award, the Chili Peppers slid into one of its newest (and bluesiest) tunes, "Californication," the band's paean to the same sort of West Coast excesses that threatened to break up the group several times over the course of its near 20-year career.

Perhaps the evening's most bizarre performance was turned in by the guys of 'NSYNC, who admirably (if questionably) attempted to cram mini-versions of three songs, "This I Promise You," "Bye Bye Bye," and "It's Gonna Be Me" into their 4 minute and 15 second set.

Wearing white shirts and sitting on stools that rose out of the floor of the Radio City Music Hall stage, 'NSYNC sang a few bars from its "This I Promise You" ballad. The guys then ripped off their tops to reveal black undershirts and stepped behind TV monitors lowered in front of their heads in a routine that looked like it was lifted from a Grace Jones vi deo or Laurie Anderson performance art piece.

As the monitors displayed images of the respective band member's heads "singing" "Bye Bye Bye," 'NSYNC continued to dance behind the screens, occasionally emerging from behind them as if they were playing peekaboo with the audience.

Things returned to normal during the boy band's incredibly brief finale -- a sped-up rendition of "It's Gonna Be Me" -- during which the band and its cadre of supporting dancers jokingly took a break from its fast and furious performance in order for Joey Fatone to catch his breath.