BY LORI MAJEWSKI
PHOTOGRAPH BY DAVID STOLTZ

Not so long ago, Nick Lachey used to stake out a spot on the on the roof of a parking garage across from L.A.'s famed Shrine Auditorium to watch his favorite stars arrive for the Grammys and the American Music Awards. These days, as a singer with pop sensation 98*, the 25-year-old's got a much better view. With the AMAs just one day away, he and the rest of the group-- Nick's younger brother Drew Lachey pronounced Le-SHAY), 22; Jeff Timmons, 25; and Justin Jeffre 26 -- are in the back of a stretch limo, heading to the Shrine for a rehearsal for the awards show. "I used to go to USC, which is right across the street," recalls Nick, who also used to deliver Chinese food in this same neighborhood. "So it's kind of weird years later to come back and be [performing] in the Shrine. It's come full circle, and that's pretty cool." starting to sizzle Full circle and then some, considering the band's recent rise -- both on the charts and in the hearts of fans. With a platinum single ("Because of You"), at press time, a soon-to-be-platinum album (98 Degrees & Rising), a tour in the works, and a Grammy nomination (for their Mulan soundtrack hit "True to Your Heart," with Stevie Wonder), it's no wonder that AMAs executive producer Dick Clark invited the group to appear in his star-packed show. But the Ohio-born foursome's popularity extends well beyond their primarily young, female fan base to include their contemporaries -- and even the competition. As the clean-cut quartet strolls into the Shrine, fellow popsters 'N Sync -- rehearsing their own part for the AMAs - suddenly break into the chorus of "Because of You." Says Jeff, 98*'s founding member, "We've been friends since we went on tour with them in England about a year and a half ago. They're very down-to-earth, very talented guys." Just the night before, three members from 98* stopped in for a backstage visit after 'N Sync's performance at L.A.'s Universal Amphitheatre. "We were all in there, just chilling," recalls 'N Sync's JC Chasez. "The fact of the matter is, we can be friends. You know, we're above that kind of simplemindedness." But as much as 98* may connect with their supposed rivals, they consider themselves a breed apart from the average boy band. Refer to them as such and they'll be sure to set you straight. For starters, "We're not the greatest dancers," admits Justin (their show doesn't feature a lot of complicated choreography). Instead, they're a male vocal-harmony group, "like Boyz II Men," says Drew. "That's who we modeled ourselves after." Unlike 'N Sync or Backstreet, there's no teenage heartthrob in 98*'s midst: All four members -- who went for a sophisticated suited-up look at the AMAs -- are in their twenties. And there was no enterprising manager around to pull them together. They formed the group themselves in 1995, after a mutual friend introduced Jeff and Nick. Nick then recruited his brother Drew and longtime friend Justin. "They're balladeers," says their manager, Paris D'Jon, who discovered group singing together backstage at a Boyz II Men conert in 1995. Within months, 98* had a deal with Motown Records. In concert, says Paris, the act is "more emotional, more theatrical" -- not unlike his former client, singer Montell Jordan. "You would go to a Montell show and people would actually cry during some of the song." continued..