Celebrity Court

Lou Pearlman, the leader behind boy bands The Backstreet Boys and N’Sync may have had more than a fatherly-mentor role with the young men in his band. According to allegations by The New York Post, Pearlman reportedly made inappropriate sexual advances toward the teens in his groups.

Jane Carter, the mother of Backstreet Boy Nick Carter said that “certain things” happened and she had to warn the mothers of the other boys about what Pearlman was really like.

Steve Mooney, a former assistant to Pearlman and wanna-be singer, asked Pearlman what he needed to do in order to get a shot in one of his groups. According to Mooney, Pearlman “leaned back in his chair, in his white terry cloth robe and white underwear, and spread his legs and said, ‘You’re a smart boy. Figure it out.’”

Other allegations have also come from members of former groups Take 5 and LFO, which appear to indicate that Pearlman’s predatory actions were not limited to one or two people.

What surprises me about these allegations is that they were not made public at the time that they happened and that charges were not filed against him. Perhaps those involved wanted to spare themselves public humiliation and wanted to keep it a secret. This is a normal response when someone is abused, but I would imagine the fear and shame would be greater when you know that the entire country will know about what happened to you.

Pearlman is currently in jail awating trial on bank fraud, after he allegedly duped investors out of $315 million. He has not been charged in connection with any sex related offenses.

Lou Pearlman, Nick Carter, Steve Mooney, Backstreet Boys, N’Sync, LFO, Take5

Although he was indicted five years ago on charges of child pornography, R. Kelly has yet to stand trial. The trial was scheduled to begin on September 17th, but Judge Gaughan announced yesterday that the trial would not be starting then. R. Kelly is charged with 14 counts of child pornography in 2002 after allegedly videotaping himself having sex with a 14-year-old girl.

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R Kelly, trial, child pornography

Following the release of his post-arrest interview tapes on Thursday, Senator Larry Craig resigned from office on Saturday. Craig pled guilty to one count of disorderly conduct following his arrest in a men’s bathroom after police say that he attempted to solicit sex from an undercover officer. The GOP, his own party, had called for his resignation.

In his press conference on Saturday, Craig stated that he did not want to be a distraction. He added:

Few people have had the privilege and the pleasure to represent Idaho for as many years as I have. I have enjoyed every moment. The people of Idaho deserve a senator who can devote 100 percent of his time and effort to the critical issues of our state and of our nation.

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Here is an entertaining video that inter splices Craig’s denial of being gay in his earlier press conference with the Avenue Q song “If You Were Gay.”

Senator Larry Craig, Larry Craig, Avenue Q, solicitation