'Nsync's NYC Week

Whew! 'Nsync had quite a week in the Big Apple, and it wasn't just those four sold-out shows at Madison Square Garden that kept them busy. Here, a recap of their New York reign:

Tuesday, July 25

MTV Video Music Awards press conference
The guys joined Carson Daly and the Wayans Brothers to announce the nominees for this year's awards, which take place on September 7. 'Nsync received six nominations, tying with boy-band spoofer Eminem for leader of the pack.

Press conference at FAO Schwarz to announce the new 'Nsync marionettes
We thought it was NO strings attached! Justin, Chris, Lance, Joey and JC gathered at the midtown toy emporium to launch their new line of puppets.

Performance at Madison Square Garden
Tuesday night was the first of four digital getdowns at the Garden.

Savage Garden party at Lotus
The New York Post reports that the fab five did some post-show partying with Jay-Z, Serena Altschul (who was sporting a new cornrow-and-weave-'do) and Sony Music honcho Tommy Mottola at the new NYC hotspot Lotus. They were also at a party honoring the men of Savage Garden. And word has it that Justin was joined by none other than Britney Spears, who spent a couple off-tour days with Mr. Timberlake.

Wednesday, July 26

Chris Kirkpatrick Child Watch press conference
Chris Kirkpatrick held a press conference at New York's Essex House hotel to announce his involvement in the Child Watch organization. He will serve as spokesman for the group, which helps prevent abductions and provides investigative assistance to the parents of missing children.

Soundcheck party at Madison Square Garden
'Nsync invited a group of underprivileged children to watch their soundcheck and hang out with the guys before the show.

Performance at Madison Square Garden
Night two in their four-night stand at the Square Circle. How do they maintain all that energy? Perhaps Lance goes for a sugar rush: The Post reports that his dressing room was equipped with a case of Mike's Hard Lemonade and a whopping five dozen Krispy Kreme donuts. He likes them so much, in fact, that he's opening his own doughnut shop in Orlando!

Chaos at Chaos?
The New York Post's infamous Page Six column reports that Britney Spears -- who showed up at the club Chaos at 2 a.m. with Justin Timberlake and entourage -- was none too pleased when a tourist tried to take a photo of her in the ladies' room. Her handlers ousted the pushy picture-seeker. While the woman claimed Britney was "drunk and belligerent," the club says that La Spears was drinking nothing stronger than cranberry juice.

Thursday, July 27

Performance at Madison Square Garden
'Nsync spent Thursday preparing for their show that evening, which was broadcast as a super-hyped special live on HBO.

Friday, July 28

"Today" performance
Attendance records were shattered on Friday morning when 'Nsync took the stage bright and early as part of the Today show's Friday concert series. Over 10,000 people descended upon Rockefeller Plaza to see 'Nsync perform, beating the previous record of 6,000 for Britney Spears' recent performance.

Challenge for the Children press conference
'Nsync were joined by Ananda Lewis, Pink, Donell Jones, New York Knick Erik Strickland and others as they held a press conference at Planet Hollywood to talk about Saturday's Challenge for the Children basketball game. It wasn't a love-fest, though: Ananda, who brought along her new puppy in her purse (Justin called it their team's "mascot"), claimed that she wanted to "check Lance hard" on the court.

Performance at Madison Square Garden
After one VERY long day, 'Nsync wrapped up their Garden run with another sold-out set.

Saturday, July 29

Challenge for the Children basketball game
To cap off their whirlwind week in New York, 'Nsync held their second annual Challenge for the Children celebrity basketball game at St. John's University in Queens. Challenge for the Children is an organization that 'Nsync established to benefit various children's charities. Charities that benefitted this year were the Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children and Women, Camp Good Days, Child Watch, Nordoff-Robbins Foundation and, of course, The Justin Timberlake Foundation.
The boys didn't perform... they opted instead to focus their energy on the court. Chris and Justin were joined by Beverly Mitchell, Fat Joe, Ananda Lewis, Johnny Wright and more on the Daze team; the Knights consisted of Joey, JC, Lance, Kelly Price, Pink, Jordan Knight (how appropriate!), basketball great Isaiah Thomas and friends. Most 'Nsyncers opted for nicknames on their jersey: Chris was Tricky, Justin was Tennman, Joey was Phat One, JC was Shazan (was that supposed to be Shazam?) and Lance was, well, Lance.
The Daze were leading at the half, boasting 23 points to the Knights' 18. The halftime show wasn't your standard cheerleader fare; guests Eve and Jay-Z looked on as the crowd was entertained by R Angels, Josh Keaton, 95 South, Youngbloodz, Peter Gunz (minus partner Lord Tariq) and Pink, who explained her lack of basketball skills by telling the crowd, "I promise I sing better than I play ball!"
Things got physical in the second half; Queen Latifah bowled over Isaiah Thomas and the benches were cleared when Chris Kirkpatrick got into a brawl with Knights coach Erik Strickland. In the end, the Daze held onto their lead and beat the Knights 41-35.

Teen People Online August 2000