Via the New York Post, we learn that the architect of several famous boy bands, Lou Pearlman, has allegedly taken something more than a professional interest in the talent he's, er, mentored, over the years. He's currently in federal custody on other charges related to a ponzi scheme, wherein he scammed more than one thousand investors of more than $315 million. According to Wikipedia,
After being on the run since December 2006, Pearlman was finally arrested in Indonesia on June 14, 2007 after being spotted by a German tourist couple. Pearlman was then indicted by a federal grand jury on June 27, 2007.
I wonder what he may have been up to in Indonesia? But now, according to the New York Post, there's even more news (emphasis in the original):
October 2, 2007 -- LOU Pearlman - the hog-fat, boy-band honcho who created *NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys and launched the careers of Justin Timberlake and Nick Carter - was a pervy pedophile who preyed on the young men he mentored, Vanity Fair reports.
"I would absolutely say the guy was a sexual predator. All the talent knew what Lou's game was," Steve Mooney, an aspiring singer who was Pearlman's assistant, told VF's Bryan Burrough. "Some guys joked about it. I remember [one singer] asking me, 'Have you let Lou [fellate] you yet?' "
Mooney said he once asked Pearlman, who was known as "Big Poppa," what it would take for him to get into a band. "I'll never forget this as long as I live. He leaned back in his chair, in his white terry cloth robe and white underwear, and spread his legs," Mooney told Burrough. "And then he said, and these were his exact words, 'You're a smart boy. Figure it out.' " Mooney added that a singer groped by Pearlman told him, "Look, if a guy wants to massage me, and I'm getting a million dollars for it, you just go along with it. It's the price you got to pay."
Phoenix Stone, an early member of the Backstreet Boys, tells Vanity Fair Pearlman was "definitely inappropriate" with Nick Carter. Nick's mom, Jane Carter, wouldn't get into specifics, but said, "Certain things happened and it almost destroyed our family. I tried to warn everyone. I tried to warn all the mothers . . . I tried to expose him for what he was years ago."
Tim Christofore, a member of Take 5, recalls that during a sleepover at Pearlman's house, the music czar swan-dived onto his and another boy's bed and wrestled with them wearing only in a towel, which came off. "We were like, 'Ooh, Lou, that's gross.' What did I know? I was 13," Christofore told Vanity Fair.
Rich Cronin, lead singer of LFO, recalled Pearlman told him of an "ancient massage technique that if I massage you and we bond in a certain way, it will strengthen your aura."
Um, say it with me. . . EEEEEWWWWWW!!!!!
But I didn't come here to tell you that tonight. I came here to share with you what I found out about the past political donations of one Louis Pearlman of Orlando, Florida:
According to Open Secrets:
Contributor
Occupation
Date
Amount
Recipient
PEARLMAN, LOUIS
ORLANDO,FL 32819TRANS CONTINENTAL COMPANIES/EXECUTI
6/5/2002
$1,000
Keller, Ric
PEARLMAN, LOUIS
ORLANDO,FL 32819TRANS CONTINENTAL COMPANIES/EXECUTI
6/5/2002
$1,000
Keller, Ric
PEARLMAN, LOUIS
ORLANDO,FL 32819TRANS CONTINENTAL COMPANIES/EXECUTI
6/11/2003
$1,000
Keller, Ric
PEARLMAN, LOUIS J
ORLANDO,FL 3281912/19/1997
$3,750
National Republican Senatorial Cmte
PEARLMAN, LOUIS J
ORLANDO,FL 328191/3/2001
$1,500
National Republican Congressional Cmte
PEARLMAN, LOUIS J
ORLANDO,FL 32819TRANS CONTINENTAL COS INC
3/7/2001
$1,250
National Republican Senatorial Cmte
PEARLMAN, LOUIS J
ORLANDO,FL 328199/9/1998
$1,000
National Republican Congressional Cmte
PEARLMAN, LOUIS J
ORLANDO,FL 32819TRANS CONTINENTAL COS INC
4/4/2001
$500
National Republican Senatorial Cmte
PEARLMAN, LOUIS J
ORLANDO,FL 32819TRANS CONTINENTAL CO./CHIEF EXECUTI
1/27/2003
$500
National Republican Congressional Cmte
PEARLMAN, LOUIS J
ORLANDO,FL 3281912/20/2000
$350
National Republican Congressional Cmte
PEARLMAN, LOUIS J
ORLANDO,FL 3281911/19/1997
$250
National Republican Congressional Cmte
PEARLMAN, LOUIS J MR
ORLANDO,FL 32819TRANS CONTINENTAL COMPANIES/CEO
6/29/2000
$1,000
Keller, Ric
PEARLMAN, LOUIS J MR
ORLANDO,FL 32819TRANS CONTINENTAL COMPANIES/CEO
9/22/2000
$1,000
Keller, Ric
PEARLMAN, LOUIS J MR
ORLANDO,FL 32819TRANS CONTINENTAL COMPANIES/CEO
10/27/2000
$1,000
Keller, Ric
PEARLMAN, LOUIS J MS
ORLANDO,FL 32819TRANS CONTINENTAL COMPANIES/EXECUTI
3/7/2002
$1,000
National Republican Congressional Cmte
Look at all that money for Republicans!
Before he hit the beaches of Bali to scout for new talent, Open Secrets documents $16,100.00 given exclusively to Republicans between 1997 and 2003. Hoo, boy.
What with all the high profile Republicans of late demonstrating a lively interest in the comely lads, I can't really say I spot a trend here, do you?
After all, I'm sure it's just a coincidence.
Pachacutec blogs at Firedoglake.
Crist and McCollum by Lou Pearlman, coupled with the woeful lack of prosecution, and
for readers to see the Florida election commission web site where you
can look up all these contributions:
http://www.fec.state.fl.us/
This is how it's done in Florida, apparantly.
You folks support massive abortion and claim superior concern for children? Really?
You have Harry Reid (Abramoff $$$$, Shady property deals in Vegas, family paid to lobby him) and you claim less corruption?
Talk about people who live in glass houses tossing stones.
Or should it be after a Dem does the same sort of- Oooops, I'm fresh out of examples on the Dem's side - maybe you could help me with this.
No, I guess not. Not even your one Dem example could pull off corruption 101 without a hefty boost from the godfather of Republican corruption himself.
And yes, I DO have superior concern for children over you... once brought into this world by choice, I care that they are taken care of, well-fed, educated and raised to be decent human beings... certainly NOT republicans like yourself.
Wonder why that is? Maybe they are continuing in the great tradition of the royals. Subtly keeping it all in the family. Or a few families.
Or maybe they really are reptilian aliens who only got their hands on one human to clone (a fat white one) and have been altering it slightly ever since.
Seriously, it IS corn -- corn and corn sugar are making all of America fat; the Republicans are just on the leading edge, due to the inherent insecurity of their wealth-is-all ethical system.
-----------
Kill your TV, and free your mind.
I won't mention Gerry Studds or Barney Frank if you don't.
Maybe we can have Ted and Patric Kennedy take Pearlman for a good ole' Democratic car ride.
I can't believe this even made it to the front page here! WTF!!
Go back to firdoglake you child.
Thought not.
Bloody hypocrite...
Gerry Studds had an affair with a 17 year old page and was censured for it. the affair was consensual and the page was of the age of consent.
there was no scandal in the Barney Frank case. a man he had befriended and allowed to live in his home claimed to have run an escort service while Frank was not home. Barney Frank disputes this. even if it were true, there was no malfeasance on Frank's part.
in any case, both of these so-called scandals are OLD. they happened 17 and 24 years ago. why don't you also dig something up on James Buchanan? i'm sure there's some tasty bits there.
Film at eleven...
NAMBLA donated to the Clinton Campaign during this election. The Dole Campaign refused a donation from this group.
Of course the Clinton Campaign also returned the money...after the media aired the story.
Just a thought.
Man, you Republicans really need a sense of humor. Or, next time you crack about Democrats, you should make sure you can take as well as you can dish out.
All of them are so insecure that their immediate response is to attack anyone who points out something they don't want to talk about. Much much easier than acknowledging the truth, which actually might take some guts.
oh yes, they do. every little bit helps.
No Democratic President has ever been found guilty of rape. Keep dreaming and keep drooling, its the GOP way!LOL LOL LOL
Asserting something does not make it so. Even in your republican fever-dream fantasies.