LFO's Rich Cronin
Photo: Getty Images/ Gabe Palacio

Former LFO frontman Rich Cronin opened up about his onetime manager, Lou Pearlman, who helped make the trio famous in the late '90s thanks to their hit "Summer Girls," but Cronin admits that the fame came with a price.

"He wanted to [seduce] everyone. He wanted to [seduce] everyone there ... he's disgusting," Cronin told Howard Stern on his radio show on Wednesday (January 21), when he stopped by to promote his new album, Billion Dollar Sound. "He needed you to sing a little bit, but really he just wanted you to be good-looking."

He also revealed that despite the band selling "4 or 5 million records," he never really saw much in terms of money. "I should've made, like, at least 2 or 3 million dollars," adding that his former manager even sold the publishing rights to the songs he wrote from underneath him.

"I've had to go to therapy ... he's really a creepy guy," Cronin said after describing Pearlman's "wonderland for guys" mansion, which was full of Star Wars memorabilia. He added that Pearlman's attention was invasive to say the least.

"He goes, 'You could be a star ... take off your shirt.' Then he's like, 'Turn around,' " Cronin recalled. "He's massaging my shoulders and he's like, 'You wanna watch "Top Gun"?' "

Cronin also revealed that some guys allowed Pearlman to use his power to take advantage of them, because it would mean they would have better career opportunities. "Eventually he did [try and touch me sexually] ... some other dudes went for it. And if you did, he took care of you. He'd buy 'em cars." Rich jokingly added that one of the guys is now very famous because of it.

Pearlman wasn't the only hot topic that Cronin touched on — he also talked a bit about his former relationship with actress Jennifer Love Hewitt. "I decided to talk to her and she kept talking to me and talking to me," he explained. She also gave him a ring and, according to Cronin, "She said, 'Listen, I wanna marry you. We're gonna be together forever.' " He later found out that Hewitt used that line on other guys.

• LFO

Britney Spears in 1999
Photo: Joey Terrill/ WireImage

The pressure had been building up behind the scenes for longer than most music fans realized. But when the teen-pop explosion burst onto the charts in early 1999, it felt like the music world had been blindsided overnight by a flood of squeaky-clean acts who would dominate the charts for years to come.

And in some cases, those ripples are still being felt today. It's hard to believe it now, but over the course of a few months between late 1998 and early 1999, radio and MTV were inundated with the debuts and breakthroughs from Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, 'NSYNC, Backstreet Boys and countless other boy bands and teen singers who would rule the charts well into the 2000s, and in the cases of Britney and Christina, continue to lord over them today.

Of course, that bum-rush of teen acts and copycat bands also produced a bunch of groups that were barely a blip on the screen then or now (Five, Natural, 3Deep, A1, Another Level, C-Note, BBMak or Dream Street anyone?), not to mention some other pop flashes in the pan, some of whom survived and some of whom are named Lou Bega.

Here are what some of the survivors and also-rans are up to:

Lou Bega
Why you know that name: The German-born Latin music revivalist had a hit with a summer 1999 remake of the 1952 instrumental "Mambo No. 5," to which he added an indelible string of women's names (shout-outs to Angela, Pamela, Monica and Jessica). The song hit #1 across the globe ... and then Bega was hardly ever heard from again.

Len
Why you know the name: This Canadian one-hit-wonder, brother-sister act graduated from its early punk roots to a fizzy pop sound on You Can't Stop the Bum Rush, featuring the bop-tastic hit "Steal My Sunshine." But the duo's next LP wasn't released outside Canada, and they've been talking up their upcoming album for several years now.

Sixpence None the Richer
Why you know the name: The Christian group hit #1 on the pop charts a year after its 1997 self-titled album was released when "Kiss Me" was used on "Dawson's Creek" and in the teen flick "She's All That." The group followed it with a cover of the "There She Goes," the legendary one-off hit by the La's, which was added to the 1999 re-release of Sixpence's album. The band broke up in 2004, and singer Leigh Nash went solo, later forming an ill-named side project called Fauxliage. And then the group got back together in 2008 to release a new EP, a Christmas album and tour the U.S. and Europe.

Orgy
Why you know the name: The synth-rock band signed to Korn's Elementree Records, released Candyass in 1998 and broke through with a grim cover of New Order's "Blue Monday." Orgy released another album that fizzled, toured on the Family Values outing, put out their third album on their own label and have been threatening to make another album for several years.

Tal Bachman
Why you know the name: The Canadian singer/songwriter released the top-10 hit "She's So High" from his self-titled debut, produced by Metallica homie Bob Rock. The son of Randy Bachman, lead guitarist/singer of 1970s rockers the Guess Who and Bachman-Turner Overdrive, released another album in 2006 that failed to chart in the U.S. Most recently, he can be seen in the Bill Maher documentary "Religulous," talking about his break with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Smash Mouth
Why you know the name: These chilled-out San Jose, California, pop rockers had a minor hit in 1997 with "Walkin' on the Sun," but busted it major in 1999 with their signature tune, "All Star," from their Astro Lounge album. The bouncy pop song made it into a string of movies ("Shrek," "Rat Race" and "Mystery Men") and then things got kinda quiet. They released another album, shelved one after that, and despite the departure of most of their members, they're now reportedly working on a new album, even as singer Steve Harwell is pulling a Hootie and prepping his solo country debut.

Everlast
Why you know the name: In 1998, the former lead growler for early '90s Irish-American rap crew House of Pain ("Jump Around") released his second solo album, Whitey Ford Sings the Blues, which mixed hip-hop beats and rhymes with blues and acoustic guitars, spawning the inescapable ballad "What It's Like." His similar-sounding 2000 follow-up, Eat at Whitey's, didn't catch on, nor did a more country-tinged 2004 album, White Trash Beautiful, and his recently released Love, War and the Ghost of Whitey Ford had not caught fire at press time.

The New Radicals
Why you know the name: Talk about a one-hit wonder. This Los Angeles band blew up with the Marilyn Manson/ Courtney Love-baiting power-pop hit "You Get What You Give" in early 1999 from the group's only album, Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too. Reclusive leader and main songwriter Gregg Alexander broke the group up less than a year after the album's release and has quietly written songs for other artists since, including the 2002 Grammy-winning "The Game of Love" for Santana.

LFO
Why you know the name: The Lyte Funky Ones hit the jackpot on their self-titled debut with the 1999 song "Summer Girls," but faded soon after. Singer Rich Cronin appeared on VH1's "Mission: Man Band," and former hardware store clerk Devin Lima is releasing his rock-edged debut with his new band, Cadbury Diesel, in July 2008.

98 Degrees
Why you know the name: Featuring future "Newlyweds" star Nick Lachey, they debuted in 1997 but, like many boy bands of the era, hit their groove in 1999 with hits including "I Do (Cherish You)" and "The Hardest Thing" from 98 Degrees and Rising. After one more album, the guys went their separate ways in 2002, with Lachey going on to marry and divorce Jessica Simpson and release two solo albums, with another one due in 2009. The group has continued to discuss a comeback, but no plans have been announced yet.

And now, some names you might still recognize:

Jessica Simpson
Why you know the name: Like Katy Perry, Simpson started out in the Christian pop world, but crossed over into teen pop with her 1999 debut, Sweet Kisses, which spawned the hits "I Wanna Love You Forever" and "I Think I'm in Love With You." Less successful than Christina or Britney, Simpson released two more albums, married Lachey, appeared on "Newlyweds," divorced Lachey and moved on to roles in a series of flop movies such as "Employee of the Month" and "Blonde Ambition." After her 2006 pop album, A Public Affair, failed to catch fire, Simpson switched genres and had a top-20 hit in 2008 with her debut country single, "Come on Over."

Eminem
Why you know the name: It's hard to think of a time when Marshall Mathers wasn't in our lives, but the Detroit rapper burst onto the scene in 1999 with his major-label debut, The Slim Shady LP, which spawned the hits "My Name Is," "Guilty Conscience" and "Role Model." Em went on to world domination and a string of three huge albums before taking a hiatus in 2005 following a stint in rehab for a dependency on sleeping medication. He's laid low for several years, but is plotting his return in 2009 with an album called Relapse.

Kid Rock
Why you know the name: Fellow Detroit rapper Rock had been kicking around the industry for years, releasing albums on small labels, when he smashed the big time in 1998 with Devil Without a Cause. After a slow start, the disc blew up and became one of the best-selling rap albums of all time (11 million copies) thanks to hits — and "TRL" favorites — like "Bawitdaba," "Cowboy" and "I Am the Bullgod." Rock has continued to spin off hits with his signature country rock/hip-hop sound, most recently defying the odds (and iTunes) with the 2 million-selling Rock N Roll Jesus.

Getting pumped about the Britney Spears documentary? Share your thoughts by uploading a video to YouRHere.MTV.com, or sound off in the comments section below. "For the Record" airs Sunday, November 30, at 10 p.m. ET on MTV.

• The Class Of '99: Britney, 'NSYNC, More

• Britney Spears
• *NSYNC
• Eminem
• Jessica Simpson
• Kid Rock

Lou Pearlman (file)
Photo: AP Photo/ John Raoux

After nearly six months off the radar, former boy band mogul Lou Pearlman was arrested in Indonesia on Thursday, where FBI officials took him into custody.

Authorities have been seeking Pearlman in the midst of an investigation into allegations that he was behind a bogus investment scheme that defrauded investors out of hundreds of millions of dollars and banks out of an additional $150 million. According to the Orlando Sentinel, authorities in Indonesia expelled Pearlman and then turned him over to U.S. authorities.

"We are aware that he is in the custody of the FBI, I can't comment beyond that," Steve Cole, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Tampa, told the paper.

The arrest comes just days after thousands of items from Pearlman's Trans Continental empire were auctioned in Florida to help raise money to pay back some of the allegedly defrauded investors (see "'NSYNC, Backstreet Boys Relics To Be Sold In Lou Pearlman Auction"); only $200,000 from the sale of boy-band memorabilia, office furniture and plane parts was rung up at the auction.

Pearlman, who once managed the Backstreet Boys and 'NSYNC (see "Backstreet Boys Sue Former Manager — Again"), was being flown to the U.S. territory of Guam at press time to make his initial appearance before a judge, the Sentinel reported.

Pearlman has been out of the country since January, when he left Orlando to reportedly accompany his latest boy band, US5, to Europe for a tour just as his once-massive empire was falling apart amid the bank-fraud allegations. While he was out of the U.S., involuntary bankruptcy proceedings against him and his dozens of companies went forward, as did a federal criminal probe and a number of lawsuits from the more than 1,000 investors who were allegedly cheated.

The paper reported that Pearlman mailed a letter to an Orlando attorney in early February that had a return address in Indonesia.

• Backstreet Boys, 'NSYNC And More On The Auction Block

• *NSYNC
• Backstreet Boys
• O-Town
• LFO

Backstreet Boys' platinum record "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)," one of the items offered at the Lou Pearlman auction
Photo: Bidspotter

Everything must go! One day only! If you're in the market for some 'NSYNC gold records, a couple of Sea Doos, 10,000 jewel cases or a LFO signed poster, then you should get down to Orlando, Florida, before the end of the day. Those items are among the thousands up for auction Tuesday (June 12) that used to belong to disgraced boy-band mogul Lou Pearlman.

(See pictures of some of the items up for sale here.)

The items are part of a liquidation of the remaining assets of Pearlman's once-billion-dollar Trans Continental empire — which included a jet service and management of 'NSYNC and Backstreet Boys (see "Backstreet Boys Sue Former Manager — Again") — that has crumbled to the ground amid charges that Pearlman defrauded investors out of more than $300 million in too-good-to-be-true investment schemes and owes banks another $130 million in loans.

As the 1,400 angry investors await word on what happened to their money and who is going to be held accountable, Pearlman is missing. According to reports, the man who practically invented the modern boy-band phenomenon in the 1990s has been in Europe since January as authorities worked to secure all his assets.

"We consider every little bit important," Soneet Kapila, the bankruptcy trustee who is selling Pearlman's assets to raise money for creditors, told the Orlando Sentinel. Given the astronomical claims and depending on who shows up to bid, Kapila's lawyer said, it's unlikely the proceeds will make much of a dent. The list of items on the block ranges from the mundane to the bizarre (hundreds of pieces of office furniture; electronics; airplane parts; lava lamps; 80,000 microphones; gold and platinum records from 'NSYNC, Backstreet Boys, O-Town, LFO, Aaron Carter and Take 5; a key to the city of Orlando; a ping-pong table; an oxygen tank; and signed basketballs from 2000's "Longshot," the flop movie co-written by Pearlman starring Paul Sorvino and Antonio Sabato Jr.).

In what investigators call a classic pyramid scheme, Pearlman and his associates are alleged to have sold potential investors — many of them elderly citizens who ponied up their retirement funds — on a plan to buy what turned out to be phony securities in what Pearlman called his "employee investment savings account" through Trans Continental Airlines Inc.

TransCon promised investors that their money was insured, and some early investors were paid quarterly using money from new investors. Now, with dozens of allegedly cheated investors lining up to sue Pearlman for fraud, the Florida Office of Financial Regulation wants to talk to Pearlman but hasn't been able to track him down since he left the country in January.

While his exact whereabouts are unknown, Pearlman has been spotted overseas. He was filmed in Berlin in February watching as his latest boy band, the German group US5, took home an award for Best International Band at the Goldene Kamera Pop awards. A short time later, TransCon's remaining assets were put in receivership and the FBI and IRS stormed the company's Orlando offices and carted away reams of evidence.

A TransCon spokesperson could not be reached for comment at press time.

• Backstreet Boys, 'NSYNC And More On The Auction Block

• *NSYNC
• Backstreet Boys
• O-Town
• LFO

Rich Cronin
Photo: Getty Images/ Gabe Palacio

After Rich Cronin's initial battle with leukemia in 2005, the former LFO singer made it his mission to educate the world on the importance of donating blood and stem cells.

Cronin had not yet undergone a stem-cell transplant — "And hopefully I never do," he told MTV News in January 2006 (see "LFO Singer In Remission After Chemo Treatment; Working On Solo LP") — but donated blood had saved his life.

Now, a year later, the same can be said for those stem cells. "After I was in remission for a year, I relapsed and they told me my only shot was a stem-cell transplant," Cronin explained. "Neither my brother nor my sister was a match and they said, 'Well, we're going to have to go into the donor pool and it's rare that you find a match.' But thank God they did find me a perfect match."

After a week of intense radiation and chemotherapy treatment, Cronin received his new stem cells on July 14. He was out of the hospital by late August, but he could barely walk until December.

What motivated the singer to get back on his feet was a project that stemmed from an idea Cronin had long before he was diagnosed. "Me and a friend of mine made our own little homemade pilot for a reality show I was trying to do about myself trying to get back into the business," he said.

Cronin was in talks with VH1 when he got sick, but the show didn't materialize. (MTV debuted the similarly themed "There & Back: Ashley Parker Angel" last January.) While he was in the hospital, however, VH1 came back to Cronin with a new idea: making a supergroup with former boy-band members.

"About 20 different versions" of the show were developed over the course of a year, Cronin says, until the final lineup of Cronin, Chris Kirkpatrick of 'NSYNC, Jeff Timmons of 98 Degrees and Bryan Abrams of Color Me Badd met in front of the cameras in January (see " 'Surreal Life' Meets 'Making Of The Band': Boy-Band Supergroup Coming To TV").

"I told my doctors, 'I have to do it,' and they weren't too pleased," Cronin said. "But I don't care, man. I just want to live my life. I'm just trying to enjoy every opportunity that comes to me, because for the last two years I have been cooped up in hospital rooms with doctors sticking me with needles and giving me bad news. For something like this to come around, it's like it's not going to come again. That's why I don't really care if people are making fun of me. I'm having a blast."

Just returning to music was enough. That Cronin is collaborating with guys who inspire him and contributing to songwriting is a bonus.

"We all had our own motives for doing the show, but as time went on and we started recording with [Grammy-winning producer Bryan-Michael Cox] we loved it so much that it was like, 'Maybe we should really do this,' " Cronin said. "So at this point, it's not about the TV show anymore, it's really about the fact that we think we have something here."

Cronin described the band's music as R&B with hip-hop undertones, a merging of the styles of each of their previous groups.

"Bryan came in and gave us each a track and said, 'I want you guys to all go off separately and write a song to this track,' " Cronin recalled. "And the track was very universal. So we all went off to our separate areas and three hours later we each sang what we came up with. And that was brilliant because he realized what our style was, where we were coming from naturally and then from that he developed tracks that would fit all of us."

Each of the guys quickly developed a role in the group, with Kirkpatrick taking on the leadership role. "Out of all of us, he was just ridiculously successful, and he must have learned a thing or two," Cronin said. "Jeff is really into the other side of the business, he's got ideas about how we can market ourselves, how we can make this happen. Bryan is like our teddy bear. He doesn't understand the kind of talent he has. And I'm the comedic relief."

Personally and musically, Cronin said there's been no conflict between the singers. Instead, the drama in the show will come from the struggles each one is facing in their own lives.

Well, that and facing the public.

"We played at halftime of an Orlando Magic game and we got booed by 20,000 people," Cronin recalled. "I suppose that was the point. We get the joke now. But then we also played at [famed nightclub] Mansion in Miami and the place was going absolutely insane. You could see these girls, early 20s, maybe mid-20s, and they are still into it, man. If we just came up with some bullsh-- music then we deserve all the sh--, but this stuff is really, really hot."

• Behold The Supergroup

• Rich Cronin
• LFO

Sureshot's Jeff Timmons, Bryan Abrams, Chris Kirkpatrick and Rich Cronin
Photo: Sureshot

Bryan-Michael Cox is a Grammy-winning producer whose clients include Mary J. Blige, Usher and Mariah Carey. So what's he doing in the studio with former members of Color Me Badd and LFO?

The answer lies with reality television, of course.

Cox is the producer in charge of a new boy-band supergroup at the center of an upcoming VH1 series formerly titled "Man Band." (The show is currently untitled.)

Coming together for a show that blends "The Surreal Life" and "Making the Band" are Chris Kirkpatrick of 'NSYNC, Jeff Timmons of 98 Degrees, Bryan Abrams of Color Me Badd and Rich Cronin of LFO (the latter of whom was diagnosed with leukemia in 2005 but is currently recovering from a stem-cell transplant: see "LFO Singer Rich Cronin Hospitalized With Leukemia").

"We put them all in one house," Cox said. "And the show focuses on them and their manager and me."

Cox and the group have been shooting throughout January in — where else? — Orlando, Florida, the onetime mecca for boy bands. Cameras are scheduled to roll for another few weeks, after which Cox hopes to have a finished album.

"The music is actually really, really good," Cox promised. "I think that people will be surprised by just how talented these guys are. You can never count anybody out."

Along with the VH1 show, Cox is producing his own reality series called "The Studio: Exposed," the first few episodes of which are available on YouTube.com.

"It's a raw view into what we do to create the energy and vibe in the studio," said Cox, whose diatribes dominate the show.

When he's not making TV, the Jermaine Dupri protégé (see "Usher's Success Lifts Songwriter/Producer Bryan-Michael Cox") is still making plenty of music — he has time booked with stars from Celine Dion to Usher.

"We have a certain chemistry," Cox said of the latter. "Usher is very focused in what kind of artist he is. And every album gets stronger and stronger because he knows where he wants to go."

Also on Cox's plate is the comeback album from Whitney Houston, for which he's already produced three tracks.

"I think that Whitney being gone so long is to her advantage," Cox said. "She has so many options. I'm leaning toward more classic Whitney, but I want to produce records that talk about what she's been through. You hear all negative press — it's up to her to tell her story and basically make records that mean something."

Cox is also working again with Chris Brown, Mary J. Blige and Jagged Edge on their next projects. In addition, he'll be taking on several newcomers, including those on his own label.

First though, the producer will hit the Grammys, where he's nominated for his work with Luther Vandross ("I was blessed to be the last [producer] to work with Luther," he said) and Blige.

"She broke some ground, and I don't think anybody expected it," said Cox, who produced Mary J.'s "Be Without You." "I think that people are attracted to stories like Mary's, watching her grow up and go through changes and come out victorious."

• Behold The Supergroup

• *NSYNC
• 98 Degrees
• Color Me Badd
• LFO

Rich Cronin
Photo: Getty Images

Six years ago Rich Cronin was living the life. The Boston native — one-third of now-defunct boy band LFO — was riding the success of the group's quirky pop hit "Summer Girls," which spoke of his love for Abercrombie & Fitch-wearing females. The single turned LFO into overnight sensations, scoring them a platinum album, a deal with Clive Davis' Arista Records and rabid teenage fans.

But despite his newfound lavish lifestyle — Cronin even dated actress Jennifer Love Hewitt for two years — he felt unfulfilled. "I thought life was never good enough," he said. "Even though LFO was selling millions of records and I was dating a movie star, I always wanted more. Now I look back and think, what was there to be depressed about? It's ridiculous."

Three words forced a radical shift in the singer's perspective: acute myelogenous leukemia. The singer was diagnosed with leukemia in March 2005 (see "LFO Singer Rich Cronin Hospitalized With Leukemia") and was checked into a nearby hospital at the beginning of April, at which point he was immediately given a critical blood transfusion. "I had a lot of strain on my heart, so the first thing they gave me was new blood, and that made such a difference," he said.

Now in remission, the singer has launched the Rich Cronin Hope Foundation to raise awareness about the deadly disease, making it his mission to educate people about the need for donating blood, and even more so, bone marrow. Fortunately the singer never had to undergo a bone-marrow transplant ("Hopefully, I never do," he adds), but he continues to stress the ongoing need for those types of donations. "If people hadn't donated blood, that would be horrible because I needed it immediately," Cronin said. "And while donating bone marrow is a much bigger undertaking, it's worth the effort because there is no doubt that you will help save someone's life."

The singer, who finished his last round of chemo in August, says he's starting to feel like his old self again. His blond locks, which he shaved off before starting therapy, have grown back. And he's returned to his fighting weight of 190 pounds, up from his lowest of 177.

He still has check-ups with his doctor once or twice a month to monitor his progress, but that's much lighter than his previous routine, when he had to go in nearly every other day. Cronin says all he can do now is wait and pray the disease doesn't return.

"At times it feels like you have a gun pointed to your head and you ask yourself, 'Is someone going to pull the trigger today?' " he said. "It's the fear of the unknown, because once you have the disease in your system, you wonder if your body is going to mess up again — but you just need to have faith it won't."

Cronin calls the outpouring of love and support he's received since — from old high school teachers, Cheap Trick's Rick Nielsen, ex-Boston Red Sox star Johnny Damon, ex-flame Hewitt and even former WWF wrestler Hulk Hogan (Cronin helped produce music for his daughter Brooke) — overwhelming, and at times, even surprising.

"When you're in the music business, you tend to see a really bad side to people, but this experience has really shown me the good, so it's been very eye-opening," he said. "I really hadn't been doing anything since 2002, and then all of a sudden people were reaching out. It's amazing how powerful it's been."

Meanwhile, Cronin has been able to return to his first love — music — to help him take his mind off things. He is busy in Boston working on a solo album for Hydrogen Records; jump-starting his own record label, Orange Freeze, with his younger brother Mike; and forming the quirky side project Loose Cannons, a rap duo with former Bad Ronald MC Doug Ray. Their tongue-in-cheek satirical songs, like "Life Goes On," have the two poking fun at everything, including Cronin's former boy-band stint.

But while Beantown isn't exactly a musical epicenter, Cronin says the most important thing for him right now is to stay close to his friends and family.

"I don't expect to be a huge music star [again]," he said. "I would be happy if enough people appreciate what I do and I can be onstage doing what I love. That's more important to me now than being on 'TRL.' I want to put out music that I'm proud of, that can also touch people to an extent.

"Right now, I just want to be by my family. They've all been so amazing and have stuck by me every step of the way," Cronin continued. "I know I still have a long way to go, but I feel good getting up every day and I'm really appreciating life. ... The thing I tell people now is if you're healthy, you have nothing to worry about. I look at life in a really basic way now: If you don't have your health, you don't have anything, because once you get sick, you realize that is everything."

• LFO

Rich Cronin (file)
Photo: Universal

Rich Cronin, lead singer of the now-defunct boy band LFO, has been hospitalized with leukemia.

The 29-year-old was diagnosed on March 28 with acute myelogenous leukemia. The exact cause of the disease is unknown, but it is the most common type of acute leukemia in adults, according to the National Marrow Donor Program.

Cronin is being treated at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center near his hometown of Boston. He went through his first round of chemotherapy last week and will soon find out whether or not he will make it into remission. "I'm praying every second that this will come out of me," he said.

Cronin had been working on his first solo project since the 2001 demise of LFO, an Orlando, Florida, group best known for the single "Summer Girls." He began suffering from exhaustion and headaches in late February. "I started to feel tired when I would walk up stairs, and I would start getting pretty sharp headaches," he said. "But I never thought much of it, because I had always been a pretty healthy guy."

After he was finished recording in New York, Cronin traveled back to Boston to visit his parents, who quickly became concerned about their son's health. The singer went to a clinic, where he was tested for hepatitis A. When the tests came back clean, the doctors said he was suffering from a virus. "They just told me to let it run its course," he recalled.

Two weeks later, when he was still suffering from the same symptoms, Cronin's family urged him to see another doctor. The next day, he visited a family physician who told him he was suffering from mononucleosis. Cronin returned home to wait for the results of a blood test — but an unexpected call from his doctor at 10 p.m. jarred him awake.

"The doctor told me, 'You have one-third of the blood [you need] in your body, and it's putting an extreme strain on your heart. I need you to get to the emergency room right now and I'll explain everything to you when you get here,' " he said. Cronin rushed to a hospital in Boston, where a series of tests were quickly performed.

"Eventually, the doctor came in and said, 'There's no easy way to say this, Rich, but you have leukemia.' When he said that, it was like a train had barreled through the room. From that second, they've been treating me as a cancer patient."

Cronin, who had enjoyed the glitz and glamour of his celebrity lifestyle, has a different outlook now.

"In two weeks, this has completely changed my life and my perspective on it," he said. "The first thing you want to do once you hear the news is run, but you can't, because it's inside of you. You have no choice but to face it."

The singer has found overwhelming support from his family and friends, some of whom he had not been in contact with for years. 98 Degrees' Jeff Timmons, Jordan Knight, members of 'NSYNC and his former bandmates Devin Lima and Brad Fischetti have all reached out to Cronin.

Fischetti has been helping his former bandmate deal with legal matters. Cronin's insurance company is refusing to pay his medical bills due to a clerical error on their part, the singer said. "It's terrible. They're treating me like a piece of garbage." Cronin is currently paying the hefty bills out of his own pocket.

In the meantime, Lima is encouraging LFO fans to keep Cronin in their thoughts. "With all of your love, support and prayers, he will pull through this," Lima posted on his Web site.

Cronin hopes his decision to go public with his struggles will help other young patients suffering through the same experience. He said the proceeds of his forthcoming album will be put toward the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

"I'm scared to death at this point," he said. "It is a nightmare of a situation to be in, but I really want to make something positive out of this."

• LFO

If you're a real chart geek, we invite you to tune in Friday night at 5 p.m. ET for "Chart Attack," MTV News' weekly, in-depth look at what's charting where and why. Check out the "Chart Attack" Web page for more info.

In this week's chart and sales analysis, we come to the aid of Mariah Carey (and her floundering "Glitter" soundtrack) by pointing out some of the bigger chart dogs of 2001, and take a little lesson in mathematics and algebraic theory with NIN's Trent Reznor and his new And All That Could Have Been live album.

Sympathy For Mariah

We're not usually the first to jump to the defense of such megastars as Mariah Carey — especially when the artist gets a $28 million "separation package" to split from her label. But we think it's high time for a temporary cease-fire in the outrageous slings and arrows being launched at Carey because of the lackluster performance of both her "Glitter" film vehicle and the accompanying soundtrack.

The "Glitter" movie turned out to be pure fool's gold at the box office, grossing less than $5 million in the U.S., according to Variety. The flick, a fictionalized version of Carey's own rags-to-riches story, has likely earned a place as one of the more dubious cinematic efforts from a music performer — joining the ranks of such memorable '80s flubs as Madonna's "Shanghai Surprise" and the Fat Boys' "Disorderlies."

The "Glitter" soundtrack has also been an underachiever in its own right, with the disc having sold just 505,000 copies since debuting at #7 on the Billboard 200 albums chart last August. Despite the success of her "Loverboy" single, the album quickly plummeted down the charts, spending just eight weeks in the top 100 and a total of 12 weeks in the top 200. It's understandable why Carey's record label freaked, as the "Glitter" numbers marked a seismic drop in her career record sales up to that point.

Even though it sold half a million copies, "Glitter" has fallen well short of the marks set by the 31-year-old singer's previous studio efforts, including 1999's Rainbow (2.86 million copies sold), 1997's Butterfly (3.62 million), 1995's Daydream (7.49 million), 1993's Music Box (7.07 million), 1991's Emotions (3.55 million) and her 1990 debut, Mariah Carey (4.80 million).

But we think there's a problem with labeling the "Glitter" soundtrack as an out-and-out "bust." While the record seems to represent the sales nadir of Carey's career, one could argue that other albums from last year, such as Sugar Ray's self-titled record or Eric Clapton's Reptile, were at least as big of a downer as "Glitter," especially when compared to those artists' own previous efforts.

The Orange County, California, band has sold 682,000 copies of Sugar Ray since the LP's release in June — down from both the 2.41 million in sales posted by Mark McGrath and company's 1999 album, 14:59, as well as the 1.85 million copies sold of their breakthrough, 1997's Floored.

The guitarist known as Slowhand was also forced to shed the skin of his recent commercial successes with Reptile, which has notched just 535,000 in sales since arriving in stores last March. Again, while those figures are nothing to sneer at, they are a step down from the level reached by his collaborative effort with vintage bluesman B.B. King on 2000's Riding with the King (1.91 million copies sold), as well as Clapton's last solo album, 1998's Pilgrim (1.39 million).

So, regardless of the alarming shrinkage in sales posted by Carey, Clapton, and Sugar Ray's albums, it's hard for us to break down and really speak ill of any record that has sold at least 500,000 copies — and is a shoo-in for at least a gold certification by the Recording Industry Association of America. In fact, it's come to our attention that there were many 2001 albums from big-name artists that took as harsh a commercial drubbing as Carey's "Glitter" soundtrack did. So, in the interest of fair play, we thought we'd go ahead and remind everyone about a few of those sales slackers.

First off, it's hard to slam Carey too much when "Glitter" wasn't even the biggest R&B flop of the year. That distinction falls to none other than Macy Gray, whose second album, The Id, has sold just 498,000 copies in the past five months. Admittedly, we hate to "call out" any former employee of the Pro Football Hall of Fame (located in Canton, Ohio) during Super Bowl week, but Gray had sold over 3.27 million copies of her debut, 1999's On How Life Is, so The Id was definitely a comedown. But she is still a youngster on the R&B scene, and we think she's still capable of "Blowin' Up Your Speakers."

The Stone Temple Pilots had originally decided on releasing a greatest-hits package in 2001, but eventually scrapped that plan in favor of issuing their fifth studio album, Shangri-La Dee Da, in the summer. Perhaps they should have stayed at home and just read James Hilton's "The Lost Horizon" instead, as the record has sold just 326,000 copies to date.

What is perhaps most disheartening for STP is that after rebounding from a lay-off with their previous record, 1999's No. 4 (1.01 million copies sold), Shangri-La Dee Da looks to be the band's first LP not to crack the million mark — bucking a trend established by the group's 1992 debut, Core (4.61 million), followed-up by 1994's Purple (4.11 million) and 1996's Tiny Music ... Songs From the Vatican Gift Shop (1.57 million).

Pop music fans have short attention spans — which, in turn, translates into some artists having the sort of mercurial careers that literally puts them on top one day and at the bottom the next. That adage is thoroughly demonstrated with our third offender, LFO. The pop smash single "Summer Girls" propelled sales of LFO's eponymous 1999 album over the 1.49 million mark. But while the guys in LFO once serenaded girls who wore Abercrombie & Fitch, these days band members seem as likely to work behind the counter at an A&F store than crank out another hit. Their follow-up LP, the unfortunately titled Life Is Good, has moved just 282,000 copies since its release in June.

In terms of rap LPs in 2001, there was probably no greater disappointment than Run-DMC's much-hyped, oft-delayed reunion album, Crown Royal. Backed by an all-star cast of rockers and rappers, including Kid Rock, Nas, Sugar Ray, Method Man, Limp Bizkit's Fred Durst, Jermaine Dupri, Everlast and Jagged Edge, Crown Royal looked as though it might provide the venerable rap trio with its own version of Santana's Supernatural. And while we were hoping that Crown Royal would return Run-DMC to the platinum status of 1985's King of Rock, 1986's Raising Hell (triple platinum) and 1988's Tougher Than Leather, we were shocked that the new album has only been coronated by some 142,000 record-buyers. That's not even half the amount Run-DMC posted by their (then) swan-song LP, 1993's Down With the King, which has sold more than 370,000 copies to date.

None of those artists or albums can touch what we consider to be the biggest sales fiasco of the year, though, which came courtesy of the alt rock group the Toadies. Who? Exactly. The Ft. Worth, Texas, band scored a massive hit in the mid-'90s with their single, "Possum Kingdom," which elevated sales of their 1995 album, Rubberneck, to the 1.02 million mark. After six long years (and some slight juggling in personnel), the Toadies returned in early 2001 with the follow-up, Hell Below/Stars Above. Apparently, most of the Rubberneck fans didn't hang around during the sabbatical, as Hell Below has sold just an infernal 61,000 copies — a staggering 94 percent decrease in sales from their previous album.

Those five records weren't the only sales disappointments from 2001, with other underachievers — by "Glitter" standards — including: Foxy Brown's Broken Silence (491,000 copies sold to date), Cake's Comfort Eagle (408,000), R.E.M.'s Reveal (388,000), Big Pun's Endangered Species (304,000), Rammstein's Mutter (162,000), Blues Traveler's Bridge (120,000), Buckcherry's Time Bomb (104,000), Semisonic's All About Chemistry (58,000) and Monster Magnet's God Says No (42,000).

Of course, that list does not include some of the slackers that have been mentioned or spotlighted in previous Got Charts? columns, such as Tori Amos' Strange Little Girls (337,000 copies sold), Björk's Vespertine (280,000), Live's V (258,000), Fatboy Slim's Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars (256,000), Bush's Golden State (211,000) and the Black Crowes' Lions (193,000).

We're also being rather forgiving of those artists who released albums late in the year, as their sales could still pick up, although we're none too impressed (so far) by the likes of Natalie Merchant's Motherland (296,000 copies sold), Timbaland & Magoo's Indecent Proposal (295,000), Smash Mouth (241,000), Lit's Atomic (128,000), Prince's Rainbow Children (101,000) and De La Soul's AOI: Bionix (83,000).

This also means we haven't forgotten about some of the albums that were issued late in 2000 but failed to measure up over the course of the following year, including Everlast's Eat at Whitey's (329,000) Orgy's Vapor Transmission (316,000), Everclear's Songs From an American Movie, Vol. 2: Good Time for a Bad Attitude (279,000), the Spice Girls' Forever (199,000) and Vitamin C's More (48,000).

What gives Mariah Carey the advantage over many of the other sales underachievers, though, is that as a solo artist, it's easier for her to rebound from the less-than-desired performance of just one album. A band usually has to deal with keeping the inner tensions in check following such a disappointment as the "Glitter" soundtrack. But Carey has documented her vocal abilities and prowess over the years, and there's nothing to indicate that she's technically slipping. Like all accomplished vocalists, she just needs to be matched with the right material for a return to chart or sales form — and we're betting that that hit single isn't too far away.

Nine Inch Nails' Chart Algebra

You'll have to excuse Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor if he gets tripped up on the following mathematics equation: "37 + 26 = 12." That's because the formula is a "closer" representation of the true impact of NIN's live record, And All That Could Have Been, on the new Billboard 200 albums chart. Last week, fans split almost 50-50 on whether to pick up the regular version of And All That Could Have Been or the limited-edition version, which featured a bonus disc of studio outtakes, dubbed Still.

The regular edition of And All That Could Have Been sold more than 28,000 copies to enter the Billboard 200 at #37, while the limited edition moved more than 33,000 copies to debut at #26 — not too bad, considering that NIN's remix disc, Things Falling Apart, sold just 43,000 copies during its first week in stores in October 2000 to enter the charts at #67.

However, Reznor might be slightly irked that the Billboard and SoundScan sales charts don't take into account the commutative property of addition for And All That Could Have Been, instead counting the two different versions as completely separate entities. If one were to combine sales of the two editions (for a total of 61,000 copies sold), that would be good enough to drive the NIN record up to the #12 spot on the Billboard 200 — nestled between the current #11, Enya's A Day Without Rain (62,000), and what would be #13, Alicia Keys' Songs in A Minor (59,000).

While such number-crunching probably isn't too big of a deal for Reznor, it should help the NIN leader (and the band's fans) judge how well the live album fares as compared to another upcoming concert LP, Sade's Lovers Live.

Coming Attractions

While we considered holding off until the Academy Awards in March, we're really digging the "I Am Sam" soundtrack, which could become the first of the "unlikely" hits of the year. Loaded with contemporary artists such as Sarah McLachlan, Ben Harper, Sheryl Crow and Eddie Vedder covering such Beatles classics as "Blackbird," "Strawberry Fields Forever," "Mother Nature's Son" and "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away," the record has prompted us to take a look at some of the biggest and best motion picture albums from the last decade.

So, next week, we'll round up the usual soundtrack suspects — along with a few surprises.

[In SoundScan we trust. All figures, unless otherwise noted, are according to SoundScan's audited sales numbers and reflect sales as of press time.]

• Mariah Carey
• Nine Inch Nails
• Sugar Ray
• Stone Temple Pilots
• LFO

"Longshot" soundtrack
Photo: Trinity Home Entertainment

If diehard 'NSYNC fans thought that surprising them with new material from their favorite group was a long shot, they'd be right.

Songs by 'NSYNC, O-Town and LFO that were previously unavailable in the U.S. will appear on the soundtrack to the straight-to-video film "Longshot," due March 5, according to the LP's publicist. Those groups, along with Britney Spears, also have cameo roles in the basketball-themed movie set in high school.

'NSYNC lend the song "Feel the Love," while O-Town contribute "See You Again" and LFO offer "Me (Boom Shelak, Lak, Boom)" to the album, which also includes tunes by Natural, Take 5, C-Note and Innosense.

The soundtrack, an enhanced CD, also includes the movie trailer for "Longshot," due March 26 in VHS and DVD formats.

Track list for the "Longshot" soundtrack, according to its publicist:

• 'NSYNC - "Feel the Love"

• LFO - "Me (Boom Shelak, Lak, Boom)"

• O-Town - "See You Again"

• Natural - "Put Your Arms Around Me"

• Take 5 - "Let's Get This Party Started"

• Innosense - "Wishing on Every Star"

• C-Note - "So Often"

• Brizz - "It Don't Bother Me"

• Becker - "She's a Mystery"

• Ali Dee - "In & Out"

• Bon Voyage - "I Just Wanna (Be With You)"

• Keli Michaels - "Happy"

• Nichole Carter - "Fall in Love"

• Joey Sculthorpe - "A Reason to Love"

• Lalo Schifrin - "Longshot Theme"

• Lalo Shrifrin - "Longshot Theme" (remix)

• *NSYNC
• O-Town
• LFO

LFO Photos

• LFO

• LFO