N Sync Fun Facts
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1. Justin's mom Lynn came up with the group's name. It's an acronym featuring the last letter of each guy's first name (with a little cheating since Lance becomes Lansten- not his real name!). The breakdown: JustiN, ChriS, JoeY, LansteN, JC.
2. Speaking of names, here's what you'll find on the guys' birth certificates: James Lance Bass; Joshua Scott Chasez; Joesph Anthony Fatone Jr.; Christopher Alan Kirkpatrick; Justin Randall Timberlake.
3. Lance's favorite singer is country legend Garth Brooks. This is not too surprising considering Lance is actually a country boy himself (he was born in Mississippi). In fact, after Lance saw Garth perform in concert, he decided he wanted to be a performer, too.
4. On *NSync's first demo tape, the group covered the classic Beatles tune "We Can Work It Out."
5. Chris actually penned the lyrics to "Giddy Up," the show-stopping song that wraps up the *NSync's debut U.S. album.
6. JC collects Hard Rock Cafe menus from all over the world, including ones from *NSync's overseas tour stops in Malaysia, England, France, and Japan.
7. Lance recently had a guest-star role on an episode of the WB television drama "7th Heaven."
8. Justin does between 150 and 200 pushups each day. That must be how this man keeps his boy so buff!
9. The guys have two pre-show rituals. First, they toss around a hackey sack to warmed up. Then they gather for a group prayer and hug with their super-close-knit posse of security guys and the road crew.
10. Before Lance officially joined the group and the guys became *NSync, there was actually another guy singing in his place. Unfortunately for him (and fortunately for Lance!), he could not commit to the long rehearsal hours and dedication the group needed, so he quit. (You know he's kickin' himself now!)
11. Although the group is based
out of Orlando, Fla., none of the guys is a Florida native. Here's where they
actually hail from:
Justin - Memphis, Tenn.
JC - Bowie, Md.
Chris - Clarion, Pa.
Lance - Laurel, Miss.
Joey - Brooklyn, N.Y.
12. Justin is the youngest and the tallest (6 feet) member of the group.
13. *NSync's first performance was at a showcase at Walt Disney World's Pleasure Island in October of 1995.
14. Joey has had small roles in two films, "Once Upon A Time In America" and "Matinee." He also guest-starred on the short-lived TV series "seaQuest DSV."
15. Joey and JC attended Dr. Phillips High School, a performing arts school in the Orlando area.
16. You probably won't see many slithering serpents in upcoming *NSync videos because JC and Justin hate snakes!
17. Lance's favorite cartoon character is the Tasmanian devil.
18. Justin co-wrote the song "Good For You," which appears on the group's new album, "No Strings Attached."
19. JC has been moonlighting as a record producer. He produced the song "Fire," which he wrote for the all-girl group Wild Orchid. JC also sang on Blaque's hit song "Bring It All To Me."
20. Chris owns his own music and visual art production company, FuMan Skeeto, which has its own clothing line. And Lance's ex-girlfriend, "Boy Meets World" star Danielle Fishel, is FuMan Skeeto's spokesperson.
21. Justin founded the Justin Timberlake Foundation to improve art education in American schools. He even met with President Clinton and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton to promote his extraordinary efforts.
22. Check out these boys' battle wounds: Lance got the scar over his left eye in sixth grade, when he and his cousin were pretending to be American Gladiators. Joey got the scar on his left eyebrow when he hit his head on a light switch as a tot, and Justin actually broke a finger on stage once during their European tour.
23. Love Justin's curly locks? Well, get this: He used to HATE them so much that he wanted to get them straightened.
24. *NSync in ink: Justin, Lance, Joey, and Chris all got the same tattoo during a visit to Toronto. The tattoo is of a fiery flame design.
25. Joey used to sport a silver hoop in one eyebrow, until "the powers that be" decided that wasn't cool for the squeaky-clean image they wanted the guys to project. Eventually, he let the hole close up, but did you ever notice that silly ski cap he wears in the "I Want You Back" video? That's to cover it up!
26. You know what they say about a guy's shoe size...here's how the guys measure up: Chris-size 7, JC and Lance-size 11, Justin and Joey-size 12.
27. Justin love Apple Jacks cereal.
28. Justin appeared on "Star Search" when he was only 11 years old.
29. Both Justin and JC strutted their stuff as members of "The Mickey Mouse Club." JC joined at age 13 and stayed on the show for four seasons, while Justin joined at age 12 and appeared for two seasons (along with fellow singing sensations Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera) until the show was canceled.
30. The group covered two songs on its first album: "Everything I Own" by the '70s group Bread and "Sailing" by '80s Grammy winner Christopher Cross.
31. The group formed in 1995, and Chris was the person who actually brought the guys together.
32. Was this boy bound for Broadway? In fifth grade, Joey played the lead in "Oliver," and his first stage performance was in the show "Oklahoma."
33. Chris is a HUGE football fan. He played it in junior high and high school and now he cheers on his fave home-state teams, the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers and Penn State's Nittany Lions.
34. Justin starred in The Wonderful World of Disney feature "Janine and Alex: Cover Girls," which filmed in Toronto in 1999 and aired on ABC in March 2000.
35. Lance once toured with the United States' No. 1 show choir, the Mississippi Show Stoppers.
36. Joey had a childhood crush on actress Demi Moore.
37. JC's most popular character on "The Mickey Mouse Club" was Clarence "Wipeout" Adams, a hilarious dude with surfer attitude.
38. Lance is taking college correspondence courses from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln (same a Britney Spears). His major? Business administration.
39. Remember *NSync's big break, the group's "In Concert" special for the Disney Channel? It was actually supposed to be the Backstreet Boys' big night, but that group backed out, paving the way for *NSync to skyrocket to superstar status.
40. Ever catch a glimpse of the Superman chain Joey sports, or the tattoo on his right ankle? It's because he's a freak for the Man of Stell. He collects tons of superhero memorabilia, including his fave-a vinyl Superman record album from the '60s. Joey even has been known to wear Superman T-shirts and jerseys on stage that had been given to him by fans only a few minutes earlier!
41. Lance and Chris are both afraid of heights, but both them faced their fears to fly out over the screaming crowds during the song "Sailing" on *NSync's "Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now" tour.
42. The other guys nicknamed Lance "Scoop" or "Stealth" for the way this seemingly shy guy works the ladies.
43. Joey sang in "The Beetlejuice Graveyard Revue" at Universal Studios Florida. Maybe you caught him in his werewolf wear or vampire gear during a family vacation.
44. Chris love to surf. Once (and we're definitely not recommending it), he even surfed off the Florida coast during a strong hurricane!
45. Chris is the only guy in the group with a college degree, an Associate of Arts.
46. Lance love butter pecan ice cream, while Chris prefers Ben and Jerry's "Chubby Hubby."
47. Justin was elected president of his middle school's student council.
48. Joey's helping finance and create an acting handbook with his former acting coach, Karen Rugerio.
49. Chris also worked at Universal Studios Florida. He sang in an a cappella doo-wop group, The Hollywood Hightones, for more than three years.
50. Among the nicknames for Justin are "Mr. Smooth," Baby," "Curly," "Shot," and "Bounce."