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CNN Live At Daybreak

Interview with Paul Quinn-Judge

Aired August 23, 2002 - 06:36   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Let's talk about Bass in space now. Today is the deadline for 'N Sync's Lance Bass to fork over $20 million or lose his ride on the Russian space mission.
Joining us on the phone from Moscow is "Time" magazine bureau chief, Paul Quinn-Judge.

COSTELLO: Good morning.

PAUL QUINN-JUDGE, "TIME" MAGAZINE MOSCOW BUREAU CHIEF: Good morning.

COSTELLO: So do you think Lance will be successful in his attempts to beat that $20 million deadline?

QUINN-JUDGE: Well, it looks like the deadline itself is slipping a little. There have been a few statements quoting the space organization in the last -- saying that they're still very irritated with his failure to pay, but he's going to be allowed to leave for the Johnson Space Center tomorrow to carry on with training. And they're hinting that he has a few more days.

COSTELLO: Oh, they're going to extend the deadline beyond today, then.

QUINN-JUDGE: It looks like it. These are statements being carried by the semi-official news agency, Interfax. And they are making the point that still, the space organization officials are very unhappy, though they clearly are not saying that's it. I think the money is still extremely attractive, and they're still hoping for some.

COSTELLO: Well, you know, you've got to wonder why Lance Bass didn't have this all straightened out before he went through all the training.

QUINN-JUDGE: It's sort of strange, because what the Russians are saying is that every deadline they have set for the payment has been broken, and they are quoting 'N Sync people as saying it's problems with the paperwork, which makes it sound like 'N Sync has sort of Russian-style bureaucratic headaches at the moment.

COSTELLO: Oh, no, that would be awful. If they don't allow Lance Bass to go up in space, wouldn't this be a bad public relations move for them?

QUINN-JUDGE: I don't know. I think a lot of people would say it was a pretty bad public relations move to send a pop singer up for $20 million, and on a program the Russians feel is intensively serious and scientific. I don't think his scientific contribution is going to be earth-shattering.

COSTELLO: Well, if they thought that, though, why did they even think about doing it -- I guess, they want the money, though, right?

QUINN-JUDGE: They badly need the money. And they still would hope to have it, judging from the statements that are coming out from them today.

COSTELLO: OK, we'll keep following this story. Paul Quinn- Judge, thank you very much.

A couple of more days of reprieve for Lance Bass.

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