Web of Lies: Lou Pearlman
He took five young Americans and helped turn them into the biggest-selling boy band on the planet, but the web of betrayal and deceit which Lou Pearlman spun around BSB will always haunt some of the guys.
AJ admits that reliving their memories of Lou was one of the hardest parts of filming Show ‘Em What You’re Made Of.
“Obviously, the Lou Pearlman stuff is still to this day a bit of a sensitive subject for some of us.
“Some of us have made our peace with it; others may not have yet…
“You can always forgive; you just can’t really forget.”
Nevertheless, he says the boys remain aware of the role the now-imprisoned former mogul played in their rise to success.
“He’s always going to be a part of us. We’re very grateful and thankful for Lou. We wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for Lou.”
AJ was just 14 when he first met Lou, who is currently serving 25 years in jail for engineering one of the biggest Ponzi schemes in American history.
“He was probably the wealthiest man in Orlando at the time – an entrepreneur and all-around wealthy man,” he recalls in the documentary.
“Lou had seen the success of Boyz II Men, Jodeci, New Kids on the Block and once that got in the back of his head, he was like, ‘I can do this. I can put together a group. Five pretty faces that can sing and dance.’
“And that’s exactly what he did…”
While initially giving the boys a $75 check each week, he would later pocket a chunk of their fortunes by legally naming himself a sixth member of the group. He is also believed to have used their earnings to help fund rivals *NSYNC.
In October, a long-running legal battle between BSB and Lou concluded with a $99,000 cash settlement (a fraction of the $3.45 million that BSB was claiming) and the release of old audio recordings.
Although the band had hoped to confront Lou in jail for their documentary, the prison wouldn’t allow filming to commence.
What would you say if you had five minutes with Lou? Leave your comments below!
*Show ‘Em What You’re Made Of continues its international launch with New Zealand, Australia, France, Mexico, Poland and Japan all releasing the documentary this month!
And US, don’t forget to check HERE for fans hosting local screening.
Buy #BSBTheMovie on iTunes US HERE.
By Leena Tailor / @LeenaNZ