Bass to Begin Space Training

With 'N Sync's touring behind Celebrity wrapped, Lance Bass will now turn his attention back to outer space. Bass is expected to report to Star City Russia, outside of Moscow, on May 13th to begin training for a space mission that will likely launch in November.

The singer's quest will also be the subject of Celebrity Mission: Lance Bass, a television special that will follow Bass from training through the process of becoming an astronaut. The program is being developed by Destiny Productions in Los Angeles, which has inked the Phil Gurin Company (which produces The Weakest Link) to executive produce.

"Lance will stay there for a few months," says David Krieff, president of Destiny Productions. "He's committed and he's packing. I think we're gonna have a big party in Orlando with all the 'N Sync guys before he leaves." The few months could be as many as five, where Bass will undergo training with flight simulations and training for emergency situation responses. Should Bass pass muster in training, he would be completing a childhood dream; as a twelve-year-old, he attended Space Camp in Titusville, Florida.

As for the program, Krieff likens the extent of the coverage to The Osbournes. "We're covering all of it," he says. "Every inch of this thing has been covered and will continue to be covered 24/7."

The only outstanding issue is finding a second celebrity lined up, should something go wrong with Bass' training. Krieff says there has been a great deal of interest, but that he is still looking for a committed back-up.

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Song Stories

“1999”

Prince | 1982

“I don’t consider myself a great poet,” Prince told Rolling Stone. “I just know I’m here to say what’s on my mind.” In the case of the apocalyptic party anthem “1999,” he was worried about then-president Ronald Reagan’s foreign policies. The song’s melody is based on a riff borrowed from the Mamas and Papas’ “Monday, Monday,” and Prince originally envisioned the first verse with three-part harmony but later split the vocals between himself and members of the Revolution. Because Warner Bros., with whom Prince was locked in a contractual battle, owned the original’s masters, Prince rerecorded the song and appropriately released that version in 1999.

More Song Stories entries »

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