Showbiz Commentary: Heidi Oringer
June 15 -- Did you feel the world spin off its axis recently? You may have thought you had one too many "hard" lemonades, but, in fact, the very universe we occupy did go into a bit of a tailspin for a short while.
The reason for the equatorial chaos: A rumor circulating that Britney Spears and 'N Sync's frontman/boy (depends on who you ask) Justin Timberlake were killed in a car accident.
It was only a rumor and it was quickly squashed, but it did cause a panic to ensue nonetheless.
It seems a couple of wisenheimer DJs decided it would be uproariously funny to spread the word that two of music's hottest pop stars were finito. The fans who heard this did NOT think it was funny. The Los Angeles police and fire departments and L.A.-area hospitals that were bombarded with phone calls did NOT think it was funny. Britney and Justin did NOT think it was funny (according to their publicists … of course!)
Consensus: It was NOT funny!
Once the smelling salts kicked in and I put some ice on my head following the fall, I started wondering, "What WOULD it be like if such a catastrophic event did occur?" (Actually, at first I thought, "Bummer! She waited to 'do it' with him for nothing!." At least that's what she said.)
A Global Britney Crisis
Quite honestly, if Britney and Justin were to shuffle off their mortal coils (the proper British way of saying "die"), it would be the first time two musical entities of such magnitude bit it at the same time. Sure, there was the Big Bopper-Ritchie Valens-Buddy Holly plane crash almost 40 years ago, but they were in the early stages of being big when they died. Spears and Timberlake are already crazy big.
The impact on the economy alone would be staggering. Virtually every major company has some facet of product linked to Spears and or 'N Sync. T-shirts, notebooks, clothes, mugs, soda, auto accessories … you name it. If a company can make a product with them on it, near it, using it, promoting it or buying it, they do it.
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