Willa Ford
Photo: Ethan Miller/ Getty Images

Who: Willa Ford (a.k.a. "Bad Girl of Pop")

Biggest hit: 2001's "I Wanna Be Bad"

Claim to fame: Good girl gone bad ... really bad

You may remember her from: The former Tampa Bay Children's Chorus member from Ruskin, Florida, hit the big time in 1999 under the name Mandah when she landed a song on the "Pokémon: The First Movie" soundtrack. After touring with the Backstreet Boys, she began dating Nick Carter and her then-label, MCA Records, tried to position her as a clean-cut cutie.

A raft of negative Web sites blasting the singer for her breakup with Carter led to her being dropped from MCA and reinventing herself as a sexpot bad girl. Her Lava/Atlantic debut, Willa Was Here, was released in 2001 and spawned her signature hit, the Britney-like R&B track "I Wanna Be Bad," which was used in a 7UP ad campaign and as a theme song for Six Flags theme parks.

Where ya been, Willa?: The first single from Ford's second effort, the sorority-chant-sampling 2003 track "A Toast to Men" fizzled, and the album, Sexysexobsessive, was never released. The singer went on to host "I Bet You Will" for MTV, "The Ultimate Fighter" show for SpikeTV and perform as a guest in the Las Vegas Pussycat Dolls revue. The curvy blonde continues to eschew music for more revealing fare, such as spreads in Stuff magazine, a stint (barely) suiting up as a celebrity quarterback in the 2006 Lingerie Bowl and appearing naked in the March "Sex and Music" issue of Playboy magazine.

	Willa Ford: Where Ya Been?

Up next in the Champagne Room: Ford is busy writing a new album and putting together a new band, according to her manager.

The moral: Next time Willa says she's bad, believe it.

Who: Jesse Camp (a.k.a. that skinny guy who won MTV's "Wanna Be a VJ" contest)

Biggest hits: Landing the VJ gig, getting to jump onstage with Vince Neil and Van Halen and having his own short-lived MTV show, "Lunch With Jesse."

Claim to fame: Allegedly won the contest over the less charismatic walking music encyclopedia Dave Holmes when an Internet hacker rigged the voting and sent in 3,000 bogus votes. Also, his onscreen duet with Tori Amos on Aerosmith's "Dream On" is a high point in bizarre TV.

You may remember him from: The 6'4" beanpole rocker with the gravity-defying hair made up a story about being homeless on his way to winning the $25,000 grand prize and a once-in-a-lifetime gig as an MTV VJ in a 1998 contest. He released the debut album from his band — Jesse Camp & the 8th Street Kidz — the next year, featuring Cheap Trick's Rick Nielsen and Fleetwood Mac's Stevie Nicks, made the cover of Spin magazine and then quickly disappeared from the scene. He had a small cameo in Britney Spears' movie "Crossroads," and appeared in the low-budget 2004 horror flick "Skin Walker" alongside other notorious figures such as Joey Buttafucco and drag performer RuPaul.

	Jesse Camp: Where Ya Been?

The bad news: Unfortunately, the former student at the prestigious Loomis Chaffee prep school in Connecticut appears to have taken his spacey rocker persona too seriously. After the album stiffed and Camp was dropped by Hollywood Records, he fell off the map, according to his former manager, Charlie Stettler, who could not reach him for comment. "The kid was a confused teenager who ended up fooling the whole world, including me. Thousands of fans lined up outside record stores when he released his rock and roll album ... problem [is] nobody bought, they just wanted to touch him, be him for a day. ... He has spent the last several years trying to find himself and do the right thing, unfortunately without much success to date." Camp's parents could not be reached for comment, and a former bandmate said Camp, now 26, contacted him six months ago and said he was living in Los Angeles.

The Moral: Those 15 minutes are a lot shorter when you're the one in the spotlight.

Ever wonder what happened to Crazy Town? How about Snow? Vitamin C? Tell us which faded stars you'd like us to check up on, and you just might find them in a future edition of "Where Ya Been?" Send us your suggestions and we'll get digging...

• Willa Ford
• Jesse Camp

Lance Bass has embarked on his second round of training, which finds the 'NSYNC singer joining his potential cosmonaut crew for joint sessions. In addition to further training in Russia's Star City near Moscow, the team is slated for a weeklong stint at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston starting August 26. Meanwhile, the date for the fall rocket launch has been pushed back to October 28. ... While Lance pursues outer space, his groupmate Chris Kirkpatrick will join pop starlet Willa Ford in co-hosting the Miss Teen USA pageant, which will be broadcast August 28 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CBS. Once-lil' rapper Bow Wow will perform at the show. ...

Mario finally joined the Scream 2 Tour Wednesday night at New York's Madison Square Garden. The Baltimore teen titan made a guest appearance during Bow Wow's set, singing "Just a Friend (2002)." ... Fabolous also joined the fray at the MSG Scream Tour stop. The Brooklynite performed "Basketball" with Jermaine Dupri and Bow Wow. ... Tommy Lee proposed to girlfriend Mayte Garcia before a performance in Fort Wayne, Indiana, on Wednesday. Garcia is the ex-wife of Prince. ... The city of Cincinnati is lifting its ban on general admission seating for Bruce Springsteen's show there on November 12, according to the Associated Press. The show will mark the first general admission show in Cincinnati since 11 people were crushed to death at a Who concert there in 1979. ...

James Hetfield has been getting high on speed lately — he's racing cars. On Tuesday, Metallica and their families celebrated the frontman's 39th birthday at a closed-off racetrack in Sonoma, California, and got behind the wheels of some speedy vehicles, including the Chevy Camaro that appeared in the video for "I Disappear." ... Aimee Mann and Beth Orton have been booked for the first show of the Amnesty International benefit series, which begins August 21 in Los Angeles. Amnesty performances will continue through the spring, and other acts have yet to be announced. ...

Beastie Boys keyboardist Money Mark is launching a fall tour to promote his third full-length solo release, last year's Change Is Coming. The trek kicks off August 23 in Phoenix and wraps September 29 in Santa Ana, California. ... DJ Dan hooks up with Moby's Area2 Tour starting Thursday (August 8) in Tinley Park, Illinois. The West Coast house DJ's next mix album, the double-disc Round Trip, is due October 8 through Kinetic. ...

Napalm Death will release a live DVD called "Punishment in Capitals" on September 24. ... The brief Nuclear Assault reunion tour will lead to a live LP in early fall. ... Boston's Milligram have broken up after three albums. Their latest, This Is Class War, is scheduled to be out next month on Small Stone Records. ... Also calling it a day are Spirit Caravan, the band formed by former Obsessed/ Saint Vitus singer/guitarist Scott "Wino" Weinrich. Wino will be working in Place of Skulls with members of Pentagram. ...

08.07.02

In R. Kelly's first court appearance since his arraignment in June, the R&B singer attended a five-minute status hearing in his upcoming child pornography trial in Chicago on Wednesday (August 7). As part of the beginning process of discovery, the defense received seven tapes — including the alleged sex tape — and 73 pieces of evidence from the prosecution. Though it has yet to be copied for the defense, the court also received a videotape of the "Judge Mathis Show," which had been subpoenaed from Warner Bros. and features Kelly's brother, Carey Kelly. R. Kelly's next court date was set for September 20. ... In lighter R. Kelly news, the singer, along with Irv Gotti, Ja Rule, Jay-Z, Mario Winans and the Neptunes' Pharrell Williams, tied for Songwriter of the Year at BMI's 2002 Urban Awards on Tuesday night, because each artist had two songs that were played most often on American radio and television this year. Williams also took home the Producer of the Year Award, while Janet Jackson nabbed Song of the Year for "All for You." ...

Nonpoint, Blackalicious, Talib Kweli, Borialis and Camp Lo will perform on the second stage of the Sprite Liquid Mix Tour, which kicks off August 20 at the Tommy Hilfiger at Jones Beach Theater in Wantagh, New York. They join a previously announced mainstage lineup of Jay-Z and the Roc-A-Fella Family, 311, Nappy Roots, Hoobastank and N.E.R.D. ... Taproot will work with directing team the Brothers Strause (Linkin Park, Godsmack) on the video for their new single, "Poem," according to their publicist. The shoot will take place on Thursday (August 8) and Friday (August 9) in Los Angeles. ... Texas alt-rock darlings ... And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead spent their weekend shooting a video for their single "Relative Ways" in the Mayan ruins of Uxmal, Mexico. Singer/guitarist Conrad Keely directed the clip, which is inspired by Graham Hancock's book "Fingerprint of the Gods," according to the band's Web site. ...

The DVD of the Wilco documentary "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart" will feature an additional 72-minute movie, band photos and liner notes as well as 21 previously unreleased Wilco songs. The band has already recorded 26 new tracks for the follow-up to this year's Yankee Foxtrot Hotel. ... Raphael Saadiq will release "Still Ray" as the second single from his debut solo album, Instant Vintage. Saadiq will promote the album with a fall tour, which is expected to start in September. ... Boy George continues his career as a club DJ with the release of the mix album A Night Out with Boy George on August 13. Tracks from Christian Smith & John Selway, Jon Carter and the Gay and Lesbian Disco Association are featured on the record. ... A remix of Sacario, Angie Martinez and Fat Joe's "Live Big" will be included on the soundtrack for "The Transporter," due September 17. Previously released songs from Missy Elliott, Tweet, Knoc-Turn'Al, Nate Dogg and Keith Sweat are among the album's other tracks.

• *NSYNC
• Bow Wow
• Fabolous
• Tommy Lee
• Willa Ford

Uncle Kracker
Photo: Atlantic

Not many men would turn down an opportunity to kiss Willa Ford. Leave it to the unconventional Uncle Kracker, however, to prefer keeping his lips to himself to swapping spit with the lovely pop singer.

No, Kracker hasn't pledged his allegiance to the "He-Man Woman Haters' Club" or anything drastic. Ford plays Kracker's love interest in the video for his new single, "In a Little While," from his forthcoming album, No Stranger to Shame, due August 27. Besides being labelmates, the two are friends, and the modest and shy Kracker felt more comfortable acting all romantic with someone he knew rather than a complete stranger.

"They wanted me to be all lovey-dovey with somebody — maybe smooching or holding hands or something like that — and I'm like, 'I don't want to do that,' " Kracker said. "But me and Willa are friends, and I figured as long as I had somebody that I knew [to do it with, it wouldn't be so bad.]

"Because I get awkward when it comes to stuff like that," he admitted. "I thought that we could bring the same chemistry without having to hold hands or kiss, just by being good friends. You know, we could give the same idea probably. She's a cool chick."

The clip was shot a few weeks ago in Los Angeles by director Nick Quested (DMX, N.O.R.E.). Similar to the regular-guy image that Kid Rock — for whom Kracker provides DJ accompaniment, in Rock's Twisted Brown Trucker Band — evokes in his latest video, "You Never Met a Motherf---er Quite Like Me," Kracker appears out of place in the video's portrayal of the glamorous L.A. scene.

"I'm sitting at this big L.A. party like I don't belong here," he said, describing the video's theme. "Everybody's dressed up. It looks like a Puff Daddy party, sitting around a pool. And I'm in there in a flannel and blue jeans. And it creeps through the song that there's something wrong here, I don't belong here."

While the video is still in the post-production stage, "In a Little While" is expected to surface at radio later this month. Paired with the song's languid, cowbell-knocked beat and country inflections, Kracker's words should prove easy to relate to by nearly all who hear them.

" 'In a Little While' is about the one that got away," he said. "Everybody's got one that got away. I know I have one that got away."

Kracker will hit the road again with Kid Rock when the Bullgod shares a stage with Aerosmith and Run-DMC on a trek that begins August 13 in Holmdel, New Jersey (see "Aerosmith/ Kid Rock/ Run-DMC Tour Schedule Walks Your Way").

• Uncle Kracker
• Willa Ford

Jewel
Photo: Atlantic

Jewel will perform a solo acoustic set in New York's Central Park on June 19 with toothy blond pop singer Willa Ford and five songwriting-contest finalists.

The finalists were chosen from among 1,200 female singer/songwriters, ages 14 to 24, who submitted an original song, according to a representative for contest organizer Pantene. The hair-care company will fly the finalists to New York for the event, dubbed the Pantene Pro-Voice Finalist Concert.

Judges — including performers Tracy Bonham, Laurie Anderson, Sandra Bernhard and Kathy Najimy — will select the winner after the finalists perform. The winner will score a demo recording deal, concert tour, new car and a $10,000 endowment for her high school's music department. Free tickets to the event are available at www.pro-voice.com.

Jewel, who is working on the follow-up to 1998's Spirit, has a few other summer appearances lined up. The Alaskan pop singer will perform "The Little Girl" with John Michael Montgomery on June 13 at the TNN/CMT Country Music Awards in Nashville. She will turn up June 23 at MIX 93's Red, White and Boom festival in Bonner Springs, Kansas, and she'll perform August 19-20 in San Diego at Humphrey's Concerts by the Bay.

In other Jewel news, the California labor commissioner has approved her request to have her contract with her former manager, Inga Vainshtein, declared void. Jewel petitioned the labor commissioner in response to Vainshtein suing her for breach of contract after being fired by the singer in early 1998.

The commissioner ruled that Vainshtein violated the California Talent Agencies Act by illegally booking and attempting to book engagements for Jewel without being a licensed booking agent, according to a statement issued by Jewel's management.

"With this ruling, the lawsuit no longer has any basis and should be dismissed by the court," Jewel attorney Larry S. Greenfield said.

Vainshtein could not be reached for comment.

• Jewel
• Willa Ford

Willa Ford
Photo: Paul Sunday

When Willa Ford's debut single arrives on radio later this month, the 20-year-old singer is hoping teen pop fans can look past her dating history.

Ford (born Amanda Williford) is a former girlfriend of Backstreet Boy Nick Carter and was prey to their fans when she toured North America with the group in 1999.

"Backstreet [mania] freaked me out," Ford said in the April issue of Teen People. "I saw signs like 'Die [Willa].' It was scary." The singer also has been viciously dissed on the Internet. There are at least five anti-Willa Ford Web sites, with such names as Say No to Willa Ford and Willa Da Witch. The sites, obviously maintained by Backstreet Boys fans, call Ford a "talentless freeloader" and "psycho." Ford is not the only one to receive harsh treatment for hooking up with a heartthrob. When MTV News has reported on boy band members' relationships — such as the marriages of Backstreet Boys Brian Littrell and Kevin Richardson last fall — hundreds of fans have responded with sneering e-mails about the women.

At least Ford's days of scorn should be over. She and Carter broke up in October.

Now the Ruskin, Florida, native is preparing to clear her next hurdle: dodging comparisons to Britney Spears. Ford — whose single "I Wanna Be Bad" follows in the not-that-innocent vein — addresses the Spears issue on another track, "Tired," according to Teen People. Ford's debut album, Willa's World, is due July 10 on Lava/Atlantic Records. DJ Skribble and Anthony Acid are among the producers on the record.

• Backstreet Boys
• Willa Ford

Willa Ford: Where Ya Been?

• Willa Ford

MTV Exclusive: Willa Ford Photos

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Willa Ford Photos

• Willa Ford