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NEWS
February
2002
Page
4
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Backstreet
Boy Tuned In To Offshore Boat Racing
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Source: Tampa Tribune
By: KATHERINE SMITH
Perhaps it's part of his penance. Backstreet Boy Nick Carter is
trying to clear a criminal record following his arrest last month at
the Pop City nightclub in Tampa by entering an intervention program,
which includes community service.
The Ruskin native is taking to the water.
Carter, 22, recently bought a 43- foot offshore racer with two 750-
horsepower engines and plans to enter the 130 mph boat in the
American Power Boat Association's 2002 circuit.
Joining other celebrities such as ``Beverly Hills 90210'' actor
Jason Priestley in the fast-paced sport, Carter won't actually
handle the pilot duties. His father, Bob, will be at the helm.
He also recruited Lee Murray, a Key West racer regarded for his
aggressive racing tactics, to be the boat's throttleman.
``One of the main reasons I am getting into this is my father,''
Carter said. ``It's a dream come true for him.''
Before Carter, who lives in the Florida Keys, takes the wheel, he's
going to need a lot of practice. Or at the very least, a brush-up on
his navigational skills.
Carter was fined for running his boat aground into a preserved area
a couple of years ago.
Nick Carter Racing will open April 28 in Daytona Beach, then run in
the Marathon Offshore Grand Prix on May 17-19 in South Florida.
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Reaching
Harmony-Chicago Dinner with Kevin Richardson
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Source: Fanworks Entertainment
Join us as we Celebrate our Vision for a Healthy Earth A benefit for
Kevin Richardson's Just Within Reach Foundation
Saturday, April 6, 2002
The Peninsula - Chicago
7:30 p.m. Reception
8:00 p.m. Dinner and Auction
Kevin Richardson will be in attendance for the duration of the
celebration program which will include live musical performances and
the inaugural presentation of the JWR Visionary Award.
Seating is limited to the first 100 guests.
Tickets are $400 per person. A limited number of tickets will become
available online at www.JustWithinReach.org
beginning March 13th, 2002 10:00 a.m. EST.
Attire for the event is business dress.
Sorry, no cameras, recording devices or autograph requests allowed
at the event.
For more information, email info@jwrfundraisers.com.
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NCOC's
Shark Fin Surfer Bracelets
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Source: The
Official Site
You've seen Nick wear both his whale tail and shark fin surfer
bracelets in photos (Feb. Pop Star, pg. 33) and on stage (Black
& Blue Tour). And you may have heard that JWR and NCOC gave out
free bracelets at Backstreet Boys concerts last year. Well now you
can have your very own pewter style shark fin bracelet and support
Nick Carter's Oceans Campaign, a division of Just Within Reach!
Proceeds from bracelet sales support NCOC and the American Oceans
Campaign. To order yours, go to www.JustWithinReach.org
and click on the GIVE/SHOP button. Supplies are limited.
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Boy-Band
Hitmaker Under Investigation
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Source: Fox News
Lou Pearlman, the boy-band hitmaker responsible for the Backstreet
Boys and 'N Sync, has cultivated an avuncular image. Called
"Big Poppa" by some of his singers, Pearlman has often
been seen taking group members to concerts or to his downtown
pizzeria.
But now the Florida Department of Labor is investigating the portly
47-year-old music impresario and his Orlando-based company, Trans
Continental Entertainment, for possible violations of the state's
child labor laws.
Merrily Goodell, the mother of two members of Take 5 — one of
Pearlman's former groups that failed to make it big — filed a
complaint last fall alleging Pearlman broke more than a dozen state
statutes dealing with minors working in the entertainment
industry.
The complaint says Pearlman violated rules prohibiting minors from
working more than six consecutive days, working no earlier than 7
a.m. and no later than 11:30 p.m., and requiring that parents be
notified of their children's activities.
She also accuses Pearlman of violating the terms for receiving a
state permit allowing minors to work in the entertainment
industry.
"It sounds like someone has it in for us," Pearlman said
in a telephone interview. "It's just preposterous."
Added Trans Continental Records Vice President Scott Bennett:
"Merrily Goodell is obviously fishing for something, whether
it's money or whether she's jealous or upset that her boys didn't
become rich and famous like some of the other bands Lou has worked
with."
Goodell, mother of former Take 5 members Ryan and Clay Goodell, said
the complaint is only about how Pearlman "horribly exploits and
manipulates young people."
"Mr. Pearlman reminds me of the bully that runs around stealing
kids' milk money," said Goodell, who lives in Dellwood, Minn.
"You cower at his bullying behavior. It takes awhile, but one
day you realize your life won't be worth living until you face off
with him."
Pearlman has had no previous child labor complaints filed against
him in Florida.
However, both the Backstreet Boys and 'N Sync accused Pearlman of
deception and cheating them out of money in lawsuits they filed
several years ago to get out of Pearlman's control. Pearlman also
had a bitter parting with the group O-Town that was documented on
the ABC show Making the Band.
Bob Brandewie, a state child labor coordinator, said he couldn't
provide details on the investigation until it's completed. A
first-time offense usually results in a warning, but employers can
be fined or lose their permit to work with underage performers if
they are found in violation during a follow-up investigation,
Brandewie said.
The five-member Take 5 disbanded last year.
They had high hopes when they came to Orlando in 1997 to join the
stable of teen-pop acts groomed by Pearlman. T.J. Christofore and
the Goodell boys came from Minneapolis. Tilky Jones came from Vero
Beach and Stevie Sculthorpe from Miami. They ranged in age from 13
to 17.
Pearlman put Take 5 in a house together. They took voice lessons in
the mornings and dance classes with a choreographer in the
afternoons. Band members said their rehearsals sometimes began at 6
a.m. and didn't end until 8 p.m. A private tutor helped with
schoolwork until she quit.
"It's not just four years of working," said Ryan Goodell,
21. "It's four years of slaving."
Pearlman said his company and two record companies, edel and
Elektra, spent more than $2 million in advances, recording costs,
wardrobe, education, meals and travel trying to build up the
group.
"Trans Con took care of the house, but all the time we had
trouble with the electricity not being paid," said Christofore,
17. "They gave us money for groceries but it was nowhere near
enough to feed five guys. Our parents would buy us baby food for
protein."
In April 1998, the group went to Germany for its first tour, and
eventually traveled through Europe, Asia and Canada. They recorded
two albums, Take 5 and Against All Odds.
Sculthorpe left the group early in 2001. Later that year, he was
arrested for burglary, battery and felony mischief for getting into
a scuffle at an acquaintance's house. The group fell apart soon
afterward.
Then the group had to stop using the name Take 5 after the
Grammy-winning gospel group Take 6 threatened to take legal
action.
Sculthorpe is now pursuing a solo career with Trans Continental.
Pearlman said the company has talked about working with Jones, who
is getting his lifeguard certification while continuing to write
music. Christofore is pursuing a solo career in Los Angeles. Ryan
Goodell is enrolled in community college in Los Angeles, and Clay
Goodell, 17, is in high school in Minnesota.
The Goodells, Christofore and Jones said they never received any
royalties from merchandise and album sales.
Pearlman contended that any royalties Take 5 went to Trans
Continental to recoup the expenses of developing the group.
Richard Wolfe, a Miami entertainment attorney hired by Merrily
Goodell to get her sons released from their contract and to examine
if any royalties were owed, agreed with Pearlman. Wolfe no longer
does work for Goodell.
Whether the boys have been released from their contract is subject
to interpretation. Wolfe negotiated contract releases from Pearlman,
but Goodell said the terms were unacceptable.
"As far as I'm concerned, Lou Pearlman put his money up, he
took the risk, he doesn't owe them anything," Wolfe said.
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