Justin's lawsuit dropped -- *N The Loop

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Date Posted: 10:36:17 08/08/01 Wed
Author: Gina
Subject: Justin's lawsuit dropped

Pop star status fuels a meltdown Problems prove hard to handle for some young performers
By Elysa Gardner
USA TODAY

On July 9, four of the Backstreet Boys appeared on MTV's Total Request Live to announce that they were postponing dates on their summer tour until today, to allow bandmate A.J. McLean to undergo treatment for alcohol abuse, depression and anxiety.

''Fame brings a lot of stuff to people,'' Backstreet's Howie Dorough explained. ''I think A.J. . . . was looking for support and trying to find himself.''

Last week, the members issued a press release stating that they planned to delay their return to the road further, until Aug. 24, so that McLean could receive ''an additional two weeks in transitional care.''

The story of the young performer who gets too much too soon and doesn't know how to deal with it is one of the oldest in show business, yet it never seems to lose its shock value.

Former teen stars such as Leif Garrett, Andy Gibb, Mackenzie Phillips, Christian Slater and Dana Plato have made headlines and inspired TV documentaries with their legal run-ins and substance-abuse problems, which for Gibb and Plato ended in drug-related deaths.

Mariah Carey, who was groomed for stardom as a teenager and became a household name at 20, has spent the past two weeks in a hospital; her publicist says she is recovering from ''an emotional and physical breakdown.''

Some may find it hard to sympathize with people who earn seven-figure salaries before their peers graduate from college. Lori Majewski, entertainment director at Teen People, advises them to consider the pressures these stars face.

In an interview that Majewski did with Jessica Simpson for her magazine's September issue, the 21-year-old singer acknowledged that she had lingering hang-ups about her weight, looks and dancing ability.

''Imagine feeling that way when you're on stage in front of thousands of people and on television in front of millions,'' Majewski says. ''If you're a young person and not secure with who you are yet, being thrust into the spotlight doesn't help.''

According to some who know him, the 23-year-old McLean's insecurity had been exacerbated recently by personal loss. His publicist said that McLean could not be interviewed while receiving treatment, and that Backstreet's other members are taking time off and could not be reached to comment.

But colleagues have noted that McLean's grandmother -- whom McLean and his mother had lived with after his parents divorced, and to whom he remained extremely close -- died this spring. Several months before that, McLean and his girlfriend broke up; and in an interview last year, McLean spoke of his ambivalence when his father tried to make contact with him after years of estrangement.

TransContinental Entertainment president and CEO Lou Pearlman, who oversaw the rise of Backstreet and fellow boy bands 'N Sync, LFO and O-Town, says he sensed the impact of these developments when he went bowling with McLean this past winter. ''A.J. had been a little remiss about his personal life, because he gives so much to his fans,'' says Pearlman, who no longer works with Backstreet but settled a 1998 lawsuit that the group filed against him out of court. ''I told him he should take a step back and look at things.

''But then he went on tour, and on top of everything else he was dealing with, he had to learn dance moves and travel and give interviews. The pressure just built up, and A.J.'s release was to drown his sorrows in his hotel room.''

Though McLean has acknowledged a previous struggle with alcohol, Pearlman believes that none of the other Backstreet Boys drank as minors, ''and none of them ever really did illegal substances. A.J.'s activities were apparently behind closed doors.''

Living a powerful fantasy

But young stars who want to indulge in such excesses often find them readily available. ''When these performers record or do concerts, I'm sure their dressing rooms are provided with whatever they request,'' says Kate Kelly, author of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Parenting a Teenager. ''I don't think anybody says, 'But two of your band members are only 18.' ''

Such artists get a chance to ''live out the all-powerful fantasy teenagers already have, which is that they're invulnerable,'' Kelly says.

''They think, 'I'm not gonna get addicted to cigarettes; I'm not gonna have a problem with alcohol; drugs are OK.' '' To complicate matters, ''The adults around them usually aren't thinking of parenting, of giving them the guidance and the guidelines that they need. They're more focused on their careers.''

Moreover, as a teenager or young adult acquires more money and fame, authority figures can lose their authority. Many such stars have parents pushing, or at least actively encouraging, their careers. As Kelly notes, ''Every kid dreams of being famous, but you need a parent to decide it's a good idea.'' But once the dream is realized, Kelly says, ''the balance of power shifts. Suddenly, you have an 18-year-old who can buy his or her way in or out of anything, and the parent loses influence.''

But parents who retain their influence and use it in healthy ways can provide crucial support. Music-biz veteran Irving Azoff, who manages Christina Aguilera, 20, and 15-year-old classical crossover star Charlotte Church, says that his young clients rely on their families for emotional sustenance.

''When things get too hectic, Christina either runs home to Pittsburgh or her family comes to see her in L.A. Charlotte's mother and father basically travel everywhere with her.''

Justin Timberlake of 'N Sync, whose members have expressed support for McLean, also stresses the importance of close family ties. The worst scrap Timberlake has gotten into involved a fan who alleged that he verbally assaulted her last November, after she reportedly insulted him. (A lawsuit filed against 'N Sync by the fan was dropped without settlement, according to a lawyer for the group.)

But speaking to USA TODAY last month, Timberlake said, ''We're young guys, and we like to have fun, and we make mistakes sometimes. We don't say that we lead squeaky-clean lives. But we were raised by good mothers and good families, and we always take them into consideration.''

Teen People's Majewski observes that today's younger pop stars generally aren't as rebellious or wary of parental interference as many of their predecessors were. ''A generation ago, nobody wanted their parents around -- Tiffany became emancipated from hers.

''But Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears are very close with their mothers. Jessica Simpson's best friend is her mother. A.J. McLean's mother is one of his best friends, and I'm sure she'll be one of the people who helps him get through all this.''

Managed with motherly love

Eighties teen star Deborah Gibson, a peer of Tiffany's, is still managed by her mom.

''I attribute my survival a great deal to my mother, because she always put the human being before the artist,'' says Gibson, now 30. ''She and my younger sister came on tour with me, and we created a world that was age-appropriate. I wasn't stuck on a bus with older tour managers and bandmates who were out for the sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll thing.''

Gibson, who juggles recording and theater projects and will begin touring with 'N Sync this month, says her mom also shielded her from professional strain. ''Record companies can expect artists to be like superheroes. If it fit on an itinerary, I was expected to do it. I would be like, 'Where's the lunch break? Where's the time I need to warm up my voice?' My mother was willing to be the bad guy and say, 'Sorry, no can do -- I want to have a sane, healthy daughter.' ''

Azoff believes that industry insiders should share this responsibility with parents.

''When I first met Christina, she had the most badly planned, overbooked schedule I've seen in my 30 years in the business,'' Azoff says. ''She was getting chest infections and throat infections. Labels and managers don't know how to say no, and these kids are getting burned out -- just like the young tennis stars used to. It's a matter of whether they break physically or mentally.''

Gibson would advise such artists, including McLean, to resist external pressure and consider their futures, as artists and people.

''Concentrate on yourself as a human being,'' Gibson says. ''Focus on your craft, but first and foremost, live your life to be happy and healthy and sane. Everything else will follow.''Please see COVER STORY

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