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Welcome to your weekly dose of Pop Think! I'm Sam Lansky, music writer and pop fanatic. With British boy bands prepped to invade the states and news of 2gether poised to reunite, an American boy band revival seems imminent. This makes it all the more devastating to learn that *NSYNC, one of the greatest boy bands of all time, have no plans to reunite, as JC Chasez confirmed for the bajillionth time to TMZ this week.

It is quite literally tearing up my heart to think about a music universe devoid of *NSYNC, because, let's face it, the group produced some of the finest cuts of the millennial teen pop boom. This week, I'm taking a look back at *NSYNC's utterly flaw-free catalog and exploring why I'm not quite ready to say bye, bye, bye to my fave boy band ever.

Credit: Getty Images

Remember when *NSYNC ran the show? Yeah, those were the good ol' days: Justin Timberlake in an oversize ribbed turtleneck, a crown of goofy braids atop Chris Kirkpatrick's head, Joey Fatone stroking his goatee thoughtfully, Lance Bass gazing out with that doe-eyed expression, JC Chasez sporting a rakish soul patch. Whodathunk that this ragtag band of crooners would go on to make some of the most giddily innovative pop music of the new millennium?

Their initial output followed trends more than dictating them; their self-titled debut album, released in Europe in 1997 and the United States in 1998, was sweetly saccharine boy-band goodness in keeping with their contemporaries, Backstreet Boys and 98 Degrees. Max Martin-penned gems such as "I Want You Back" and "Tearin' Up My Heart" hardly re-created the wheel, instead following the formula for uptempo teen pop about heartbreak, and gushy ballads like "(God Must Have Spent) A Little More Time On You" and "Thinking of You (I Drive Myself Crazy)" provided the perfect soundtrack for gingerly affectionate middle-school slow dances everywhere.

But their next album, 2000's No Strings Attached, was less predictable, integrating hip-hop and funk influences for results that sounded, at the time, remarkably forward-looking. Singles "Bye Bye Bye" and "It's Gonna Be Me" brought the group unparalleled success, and the album sold 1.1 million copies on its first day of release, then more than 2 million copies in its first week, which Entertainment Weekly called "perhaps the greatest mass spending of allowances in history." The next year brought possibly their best (and final) album, Celebrity, a concept album (much of which was penned by Justin and JC) about the virtues and vicissitudes of fame that broke ground for that subject long before rap superstars made complaining about paparazzi a stock lyrical component. The lead single, "Pop," was a weird, overstuffed, hyperactive piece of stutter-pop brilliance; their later single, "Girlfriend," brought in Nelly and the Neptunes for a hip-pop remix that seamlessly integrated teen pop and rap in a way that felt fresh and unexpected.

+ Read more about why we want an *NSYNC reunion after the jump!

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Tags JC Chasez, Justin Timberlake, NSync, Pop Think

We love it when former boy banders go solo. Justin Timberlake is the obvious success story here, but we'd like to take a quick minute to highlight the underdogs. J.C. Chasez' "Some Girls" is still on our workout mix, Nick Carter's "Help Me" brings us right back to sophomore year in high school, and no matter how harshly we're judged, we'll always love Jordan Knight's "Give It To You."

Though we won't list him as an underdog quite yet (give him a minute... GOSH!) former Backstreet Boy Howie Dorough (aka Howie D), who's also one-ninth of NKOTBSB, has just released the video for his new solo single,"100," off his forthcoming album, Back To Me.

We'll admit we had our doubts (like, within the first five seconds when we were confronted by some pretty intense dance moves by the female lead in the video). But, as we pressed on, we were actually pleased with our findings. In direct contrast to his sugary pop days, Howie's gone down a more freestyle R&B throwback path, and frankly we think it suits him.

In his "100" video, Howie convincingly promises his highly enthusiastic female friend that he's "giving you 100/I hope that's enough/ I'll never give any less girl/you're worth that much." And, despite his dancing -- let's just say he's no J.C. Chasez, OK? -- we actually believe he's gonna try to be good to his gal, so we're in complete support of his foray into solo stardom. Get it, Howie D.

+ Watch Howie D's "100" video.

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Tags Backstreet-Boys, Howie Dorough, JC Chasez, Jordan Knight, Justin Timberlake, Nick Carter, NKOTBSB

Credit: Getty Images

It's Friday, it's the freakin' weekend, and it's also Flashback Friday, in which we revisit a forgotten video from the MTV video vault.

Sure, people like to call out the '80s as the decade so unapologetically garish they made the next decade look like a Vogue spread. But the '90s had some messed-up ish happening too. Mediatate on this: frosted tips, belly chains, ribbed sweaters, cargo pants and -- worst of all -- Pogs! Granted, there were no pogs in *NSYNC's 1999 music video for "(Thinking Of You) I Drive Myself Crazy," but there was, indeed, some very offensive '90s hair (and a cameo from Elisa Donovan of Clueless fame).

The whole "One Flew Over The Cuckoo Nest" theme -- a light interpretation of the song's title, to say the least -- is pretty funny. Padded cells, strait jackets and an insane asylum where the patients are all wearing enormous silk pajamas? It's very M.C. Hammer-sanitarium chic.

The video is pretty run-of-the-mill as far as music videos from the bubblegum pop explosion era go, but it's still unsettling to see things like Justin Timberlake with that weird haircut. He was by no means the only dude sporting damp, bleach-blond curls, but he was probably the most famous. And did Chris Kirkpatrick wear beaded dreads because that was how you showed you were "weird" 11 years ago? You just know A.J. McLean was rolling somewhere in Orlando, rolling his eyes the first time he got a glimpse of that.

Nevertheless, the boys did something right. Even Joey Fatone knew how to pout properly for all the clamoring girls who would have paid in blood to join the boys inside that enormous padded cell. And, eventually, they came out with "Gone," which was not only a mature step musically, but a peek into how Justin Timberlake would quickly become a sexy grown-up solo superstar devoid of all... wet curls.

Related Content Vintage Video: Lance Bass Screws Up His Choreo, *NSYNC Discuss The State Of Their Butts In 1999

Tags Chris Kirkpatrick, Flashback Friday, JC Chasez, Joey-Fatone, Justin Timberlake, Lance Bass, NSync, vintage-video

Singer JC Chasez has made a triumphant return to the buzz of the nation. He displayed a stunning act of BADASSERY yesterday after a burglar attempted to break into his Hollywood Hills home. Crazily enough, it was reported that this all went down while JC was even Chez Chasez.

The story: Apparently, JC Chasez called 911 after someone tried to break a window in the home in an apparent attempt to get inside the house. JC then heard the noise, approached the perp and proceeded to blow him up not with his love but with his words. Reportedly, the subject then swiftly fled the scene. Unfortunately the suspect got away.

Go JC! We think it's rad that you were all "Oh no, HELL no. You're not going to get *NSYNC with MY valuables." Your transition from boy-bander to full-on crime-averting badass is totally commendable. We're totally calling you next time we sense a crime teetering dangerously on the precipice of being committed. You're certainly not blasé when it comes to uninvited guests at Casa Chasez. (OK, we'll stop with the JC Chasez puns.)

What do you think about JC's heroic display of self-defense? Tell us in the comments.

Related Content Watch *NSYNC Videos, JC Chasez Is Working With Glee's Matthew Morrison! http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1647362/20100908/chasez_jc.jhtml, PHOTOS: '90s Music Flashback, NSYNC Talks About Their Butts

Tags JC Chasez, NSync, We Have To Say Something

After these amazingly Glambert-ine photos of Lance Bass surfaced this week, we started thinking about the glory days of NSYNC. Specifically the late 1990s when NSYNC ruled the world. But heavy is the head that wears the crown, my friends. With all their popularity came a great toll on their physical well-being, as you will soon learn from this rather odd vintage MTV video interview with John Norris, Justin, J.C. and the boys.

Things start innocently enough, with talk of life on the road. But soon it gets slightly more ... intimate. Before you can say "bye, bye, bye," NSYNC regales us with stories of "Dr. Buzz the butt doctor," who administered shots of, no doubt FDA-approved medicine to the band's bottoms. If that weren't jarring enough, Timberlake pops up, as it were, to announce a recent, um, cleansing.

Funnily enough, Norris mentions Janet Jackson and her particular style of digestive maintenance. Good to know!

Anywho! Enjoy, if that's the right word, this vintage interview. And check out NSYNC's classic "Bye Bye Bye" video, both below.

Tags Janet Jackson, JC Chasez, Justin Timberlake, NSync, video

Why is the sky blue? Why is water wet? Why do caged birds sing? All eternal questions without answers (actually they all have perfectly good answers, but you see what I'm saying). At least one eternal question has been answered: Will *NSYNC ever get back together? Well, according to JC Chasez, the answer is, "no."

Now, given the ex-*SYNCers' various states of busy-ness, from "very" (Justin, JC) to somewhat (Joey, Lance) to not (Chris), this isn't that much of a shock. But still, it's pretty interesting to see the America's Best Dance Crew judge nail the coffin shut so decidedly. *NSYNC really is gone. No matter how much it tears up your heart, no matter how much you want them back, they're still saying, "bye, bye, bye."

Don't worry, we'll always have TRL: Watch *NSYNC perform "Tearin' Up My Heart" live on TRL in 1998.

Related Content Buzzworthy Catches Up With JC At The TRL Finale, Lance Bass Steps Out Of Sync, Watch NSYNC Videos On MTV, Relive The TRL Finale, Step Inside The Famed TRL Photo Booth, Backstreet Boys Get All Vampirey

Tags JC Chasez, Justin Timberlake, NSync, TRL, video

Now that I've watched Taylor Swift's "You Belong With Me" video -- filmed at Pope John Paul II High School in Hendersonville, Tennessee -- approximately 16,000 times (it seriously won't even play on my computer any more -- instead of playing the video, a little sign that says "Please... Isn't It Enough Already?" pops up instead. BECAUSE MY COMPUTER IS MOCKING ME!), I can confidently say that Taylor and I CLEARLY have the EXACT SAME TASTE in teen movies. In case your Netflix queue needs some refreshing, here are six OBVIOUS teen movie allusions found in Taylor Swift's "You Belong With Me" video.

+ She's All That: Cool, artsy girl in glasses undergoes geek-to-chic transformation, just in time for prom!

+ Mean Girls: The "Girlfriend" version of Taylor is even DRESSED like a pink Plastic! Classic! (Also, I could quote Mean Girls for days. DAAAAAAAYS!)

+ Drumline: I'd be lying if I said I won't drop ANYTHING I'm doing to watch this movie when it comes on. Like, if I have a flight to catch, I would even consider missing it just so I can watch that ish. Also, what if I told you I have a "FRIEND" who loves that JC Chasez song "She's Blowin' Me Up" from Drumline? Anyway, back to Taylor Swift -- Taylor plays a band geek in the video, but she's Taylor, so that automatically makes being in the band cool.

+ Bring It On: Sneering cheerleaders? Check.

+ A Cinderella Story: And Lucas Till even LOOKS like Chad Michael Murray!

+ Nick And Norah's Infinite Playlist: Because you know Taylor listens to REALLY good music, unlike that crappy POSER girlfriend. (Also, I want to be Cat Deeley. Also-also, Michael Cera is his absolute cutest self in this movie. Even cuter than in Juno, if that's somehow possible. Though I did see him backstage at It's On With Alexa Chung, and he confirmed my suspicion that he's a puppy dog trapped in the body of a human boy.)

+ Watch Taylor Swift's "You Belong With Me" video. And, if you're feeling up to it, leave your favorite teen movie quote in the comments! It's ON!

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Tags JC Chasez, Lucas Till, Michael Cera, Taylor Swift

Total Finale Live is well underway, but backstage I caught up with JC Chasez. Check out a quickie video I just shot with JC -- the *NSYNCer-turned-soloist-turned-ABDC judge told Buzzworthy that going to TRL is essentially like going back to high school -- except instead of lockers, everyone had dressing rooms.

Tags JC Chasez, NSync, TRL

Y'all, I'm like sitting here up to my knees in Puffs Plus (the extra-aloe kind), bawlin' like a bambino over the last-ever afternoon episode of TRL, which aired today.

And when the All-American Rejects weren't busy pulling up the floor boards (hey, we're gonna need those for the TRL finale this Sunday!), Damien and Lyndsey counted down the top 10 live performances of TRL's 10-year history.

Chart toppers included a medley of Snoop Dogg classics, Alicia Keys' 2007 performance of "No One," and  Outkast "Hey Ya"-ing on Halloween in 2003.

But it's most fitting that the princess of TRL, Britney Spears, whose 2003 performance of "Me Against the Music," came in at #7, right beneath TRL's crown prince, Justin Timberlake and the rest of consummate TRL boy band *NSYNC, who made it to the #10 spot for their 1998 performance of "Tearin Up My Heart." Meanwhile JT's 2002 solo performance of "Like I Love You" won him the distinguished honor of the #1 top TRL performance ever.

+ Watch Britney, Justin, and *NSYNC's performances, and check out more of the all-time biggest and best live TRL performances. And don't miss Justin himself -- plus JC Chasez (bringing us two steps closer to an *NSYNC revival!), Backstreet Boys, Snoop, Beyonce, Ludacris, Nelly, Diddy, Hilary Duff, Good Charlotte, Taylor Swift, Fall Out Boy, 50 Cent, and more this Sunday, November 16 at 8pm ET on Total Finale Live.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go pull myself together and then go downstairs and loot! (Maybe the photo booth hasn't been swiped yet!) See you Sunday!

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Tags All-American-Rejects, Backstreet-Boys, Beyonce, Britney Spears, Diddy, Fall Out Boy, Good Charlotte, Green Day, Hilary Duff, JC Chasez, Justin Timberlake, Ludacris, Nelly, Snoop Dogg, Taylor Swift, TRL

We’re just bittersweet DAYS from the real-deal last-ever episode of TRL -- this Sunday, November 16 at 8pm ET. So, here’s everything you need to know about who’s performing and appearing on the star-studded two-hour boo-hoo fest that’ll close the door on TRL forever-ever.

OLD-SCHOOL PLAYERS:
Old enough to remember Carson Daly? (Come on. You’re not THAT young!) Good. because the pioneering TRL host will be back in the house to co-host the night's farewell festivities, along with Damien Fahey. And a parade of co-hosts and VJs, including Lyndsey Rodrigues, Vanessa Minnillo, Dave Holmes, Jesse Camp, Hilarie Burton (Peyton!!), Susie Castillo, La La Vasquez and Quddus (soooo hot! – ed.) will be stopping by to reflect, reminisce, and see how their old dressing rooms held up.

PERFORMERS:
Beyonce/ Sasha FIERCE will be performing live, which is simply unMISSABLE, speaking of which, so is the Backstreet Boys' performance (minus Kevin –- frowny face! It's been too long guys, and you've so shown me the meaning of being lonely!) Anyway, ALSO Ludacris, Snoop Dogg and Nelly will be teaming up for a one-night-only three-way performance, not to be outdone by the monied, the powerful 50 Cent’s live performance or Fall Out Boy’s in-studio performance.

ALSO APPEARING:
Diddy -- the unofficial godfather of TRL -- will make his 37th (and final!!) TRL appearance. A glittering Mariah Carey will be there too, as well Justin Timberlake AND JC Chasez, which is like two-fifths of *NSYNC! Country-pop princess Taylor Swift, the always-glam Hilary Duff, Good Charlotte's Benji and Joel Madden (cordially, I’m sure), Limp Bizkit's Fred Durst, and Korn's Jonathan Davis will all be in the soon-to-be-shuttered TRL studio to give the show the send off it deserves, while Christina Aguilera and Travis Barker will join the party via the magic of satellite, however that works.

+ Too depressed to remember that Total Finale Live is this Sunday, November 16 at 8pm ET? Embed this noise, AND come back heyah to the MTV Buzzworthy blog this Sunday for celebrity interviews, photos, and more behind-the-scenes access to the big TRL farewell.

Tags 50 Cent, Backstreet-Boys, Benji Madden, Beyonce, Carson Daly, Christina Aguilera, Diddy, Fall Out Boy, Fred Durst, Good Charlotte, Hilary Duff, JC Chasez, Joel-Madden, Justin Timberlake, Korn, Ludacris, Mariah Carey, Nelly, Snoop Dogg, Travis Barker, TRL