http://www.vanityfair.com...lman200711


http://www.nypost.com/sev...agesix.htm

In the media, I mean. I know boybands are no longer the flavour of the month but there's nothing the press likes to jump on better than a good ol' fashioned pedophile story. Especially if the freak is even somewhat known to the public. Especially if the kids involved are boys.

A lot of these boybanders weren't young men at the time they were with Pearlman. 3/5 of the Backstreet Boys were under the age of consent, and so were a similar number of those in *N SYNC, O-Town, and the other lesser known groups.

There'd been whispers for years among the collective fanbases about something....not quite right.....about "Big Poppa", and each of the boybands that broke ties with the guy spoke of vague grievances they'd really rather not get into in public, thanks, which a lot of people took at the time as a sign there was something rotten in the state of Denmark....

Is it because this whole shit was a long time coming and not really a huge surprise to anyone who'd been paying attention that the media didn't make a bigger deal out of it, or some other factor? Because I'm genuinely puzzled as to why the media storm, wasn't.

To clarify, I'm not saying it should have been a media blitz. In fact I'm glad it's not for the sake of those involved, especially if any of it's true. I'm just a little lost as to why, in this age of Brangelina's breakfast burritos getting coverage on serious news programs, nothing came of it.

Yeh, I too thought they'd jump on this like they jump on MJ wearing PJ's and Britney shaving her head. But I guess not. I'll never get these entertainment news shows/magazine and stuff.

DarlingDiana said:

When I first heard the news, I was expecting a rampage. That nothing really came of it is just...weird.

Wow! Thanks for posting. I had heard rumors of this in the past. However, there was never any coverage from a "credible" media source.

It is suspect how ignored this story was in the mainstream press. I wonder if that is partly due to the people involved. So many well known singers were associated with Pearlman that perhaps certain media avoided their typical blitzkrieg as a "favor" to those people, hoping that it would benefit them in the future. Who knows.

I never knew any of this. Thanks 4 sharing.

The sexual predator aspect is hearsay until some of the members of those boy bands corroborate some of the allegations. The much bigger story is the investment fraud committed.

bellanoche said:

It's possible. Timberlake is a powerhouse these days, and Backstreet Boys are remarkably well-liked by people in the business, so who knows?

On the other hand, a performer being well-liked and supported never stopped media shitstorms before. It usually just added fuel to the fire.

But if it's a matter of Pearlman not being a household name except among the fanbases and boybands not being big anymore, that shouldn't have stopped it either. Nobody knew or cared who Paris Hilton was before the sex tape came out.....

LittleAmy said:

Um. They have. The article's quoted several young men who were in Pearlman's pet projects, and his assistant. No one of either of the two big boybands will confirm anything, and Jane Carter (Nick's mama) is inherently suspect for various reasons, but I don't think you need the big name boys to say anything for any of these claims to be valid.

As for the investment fraud.....there wasn't exactly a lot of media attention in that department either. Everything else aside, the guy's a crook. He swindled hundreds of millions of dollars from investors, worked his boybands in such a way that he's already been on trial for embezzlement and violating child labour laws, (a case he won, unfortunately. each group that broke ties with him still pays him half of their profits) then went into hiding. Something like that should've been a scandal, but the press just sort of gave it a collective shrug.
[Edited 2/22/08 13:22pm]

meow85 said:

Actually, you do need something more than "he said, she said" -- such as a police charge. The fact that the parents or performers have not taken any legal action of any matter -- not to mention these are one-sided accounts -- makes it little more than gossip. The same with Steve Mooney's story.

You're hearing allegations from one side -- allegations Lou Pearlman did not have an opportunity to address.
[Edited 2/22/08 13:36pm]

meow85 said:

I've heard of and read about the investment fraud in some other pubications (which is how I heard of Lou Pearlman), so it's not news to me. But then again, I'm a financial advisor so it's likely in trade publications where I read about it.

Being a former journalist, I can't give a solid answer about why this wasn't more publicized than it has been. But I wouldn't be surprised if it's because the average Joe doesn't know who Lou Pearlman is. The story (and Pearlman's arrest) is fairly recent and still is unfolding. Also, it doesn't seem like members of The Backstreet Boys and N'Sync and/or their parents are exactly taking an active and public role in this story, which would bring about more public attention.
[Edited 2/22/08 13:39pm]

LittleAmy said:

He's not in protective custody and he does still have people in charge of press releases in his employ. It's not as if he hasn't had the opportunity to address it.

In spite of the fact that no one's taken legal action, it's still a pretty serious allegation. It's not like they're accusing Pearlman of forgetting to water their begonias. Besides, since when has the media needed an actual charge to leap all over a story? I don't know enough about finances or American law to comment much on either, but I do know media.
[Edited 2/22/08 13:49pm]

LittleAmy said:

Well, Jane Carter's commented, but like I said before, there are several reasons she's not exactly a trustworthy source.

I don't know about anyone in *N SYNC, but as for BSB, AJ's stint in rehab aside, they've got a history of going out of their way to keep awfully quiet about some awfully big things.

meow85 said:

Well, considering no member of The Backstreet Boys or N'Sync or their parents have filed charges -- or even acknowledged that Lou Pearlman made improper overtures (though looking at Jane Carter's statements, some would rather not say anything publicly) -- it's a case of "he said, she said." If anything, it would be in Pearlman's best interest not to bring attention to it by commenting on it.

meow85 said:

You have Steve Mooney, who was an adult by U.S. law, saying a man allegedly came on to him. Another one, Rich Cronin, says the same thing.

OK, you have two guys (and one for sure was an adult) who allegedly were hit on by a man. No crime committed there.

Neither Mooney or Cronin filed charges, neither said anything suggesting they were forced to do anything. One was in a group Pearlman formed and another wanting to be in a group Pearlman formed (and apparently still associated with Pearlman despite the overtures).

It's not exactly Michael Jackson-level allegations with legal action taken, until something of a legal action happens. Until then, the $300 million-plus investment fraud is a much bigger story, because there is factual documentation.
[Edited 2/22/08 14:11pm]

meow85 said:

Quite frankly, Jane Carter seemed hesitant to speak about anything regarding the allegations out of fear of her son's name being dragged into the public. It sounds like she would rather have the issue would go away (or at least, be outed without involving her son or her family).
[Edited 2/22/08 14:11pm]

LittleAmy said:

Oh no, I understand that. But I'm not talking about the law. I was asking about the media's approach to the matter, which has never hinged on solid proof.

I don't know how old Cronin might have been at the time, but both he and Mooney spoke of goings-on that involved guys who definitely were not legal adults. Again, I am not asking about law's take on the matter, I'm asking about the media's. Since you brought it up; Macauley Culkin never said Jackson laid a hand on him either -in fact, insisted he didn't -that didn't exactly stop the media from speculating, did it?

LittleAmy said:

Not that I'd consider myself an authority on the matter, but based on Jane's past public behaviour and her renowned Stage Mommyness, she'd be more likely than not to be suggesting something did happen, just to keep her kids in the spotlight. A fine lady, that Jane.