Justin Timberlake says Janet Jackson not part of Super Bowl show

LONDON | Justin Timberlake caused a national controversy when he performed the Super Bowl halftime show with Janet Jackson in 2004, and the pop singer said on Thursday not to expect his partner in crime to appear this time around.

Timberlake on Sunday will return to America’s biggest stage 14 years after a “wardrobe malfunction” overshadowed his last gig at the National Football League’s championship game.

“To be honest I had a ton of grand ideas about special guests. There’s a whole list. I think Vegas has a lot of odds on it. From NSYNC to (Jay-Z) to Chris Stapleton to Janet,” Timberlake told a news conference in Minneapolis.

“But this year… my band, the Tennessee Kids, I feel like they are my special guests and I am excited this year to rock the stage and it’s going to be a lot of fun.”

Timberlake infamously ripped off part of Jackson’s garment during their halftime show performance in Houston and briefly bared her breast. The incident coined the phrase “wardrobe malfunction.”


The Parents Television Council published an open letter to Timberlake on Thursday asking the 10-times Grammy winner to keep his performance, which is estimated to draw more than 100 million viewers, friendly and safe for children.

“The fallout of your performance during Super Bowl XXXVIII has left an indelible mark. You really threw us – and millions of parents who were watching with their kids,” the group wrote.

“The now-infamous wardrobe malfunction was the biggest news story for weeks, even at a time when the nation had launched into war in Iraq.”

The letter continued, “We ask you to keep the halftime show friendly and safe for the children watching, and who may be hoping to emulate you one day.”

NEW ELEMENTS

Timberlake did not reveal too many details of his upcoming performance but did say his “Can’t Stop The Feeling” hit song from the movie “Trolls” will be included along with plenty of dancing, while also promising something new.

“Without giving too much away we are doing a few things with this halftime show that they have never quite done before,” said Timberlake, whose new album “Man of the Woods” come out on Friday.

“I always like to push, to be able to do something like that. But also, on a more serious note, it’s a moment where you have the opportunity to bring so many people together through what I think is the greatest art form, which is music.”

Timberlake will have around 13 minutes to perform at halftime of the game between the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles in Minneapolis.

Timberlake, who turned 37 on Wednesday and was serenaded to “Happy Birthday” by some of the attending media, took many light-hearted questions but also stressed how grateful he was to be able to share his passion for writing and performing music.

“We want everyone to have a ton of fun, that’s my main objective with the halftime show,” said Timberlake. “I like to make dance music so I hope everyone’s dancing. I think that’s the greatest thing anyone can do to express joy.”

source: interaksyon.com

Justin Timberlake kicks off concert documentary at Toronto festival

TORONTO | Pop star Justin Timberlake’s new concert documentary was a joy to make because the lack of rigid plot or story structure makes shooting such productions the “purest form of film making,” director Jonathan Demme said on Wednesday.

“Justin Timberlake and the Tennessee Kids,” which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on Tuesday, was filmed at the final performances of the singer’s world tour in Las Vegas in January 2015.

It begins with a pre-show band huddle and then launches within minutes into the action-packed dance and musical spectacle from onstage.

“When we film music, to me that’s the purest form of film making,” Demme said in an interview in Toronto with Timberlake. “There’s no script that has to be followed. The only narrative is the music itself.”

Demme, known for “Philadelphia,” “The Silence of the Lambs,” and concert films such as “Stop Making Sense” with Talking Heads, said being in the middle of the show makes even a non-musician such as himself feel part of the music.

“We’re feeling it, so intense, and capturing it, it’s like, ‘We’re in the band now!’” he said.

The film, which will be released on Netflix on Oct. 12, is a culmination of Timberlake’s 134 shows and 2 years on the road on a tour billed as one of the highest-grossing of the decade.

Timberlake said on Wednesday he initially was nervous because he was being himself, instead of portraying characters as he usually does on screen.

“Last night I had a bit of that,” he said. “I was going like, ‘Oh, wow, a lot of people are going to see this now.’”

But Demme had told him that, in a way, performing on stage was playing a character as well, Timberlake said.

“Being on stage is intuitive but it’s also a bigger version of yourself,” he said.

Timberlake is a Demme fan and said the movie maker had captured the concert well, including his supporting cast. While Timberlake was the focus, the film did not neglect the Tennessee Kids, Timberlake’s 25-piece band whose members were given liberal screen time.

“I feel proud for everyone else in the show, the musicians and the dancers, because they’re such a part of what’s happening,” Timberlake said.

“I just kind of feel like I’m standing in the middle of them. I’m really happy for them to be showcased the way that they are.”

source: interaksyon.com

Sandra Bullock, Justin Timberlake sweep 2014 People’s Choice Awards

LOS ANGELES | Actress Sandra Bullock swept the 40th People’s Choice awards on Wednesday with four wins, cementing her status as a favorite among the fan-selected winners, while singer Justin Timberlake dominated the music categories with three wins.

Bullock, 49, picked up three awards for favorite movie actress, dramatic movie actress and comedy movie actress for her roles in existential space drama “Gravity” and in female buddy-comedy “The Heat.” She also won favorite movie duo alongside her “Gravity” co-star George Clooney, while the film won favorite drama movie.

“An actor can’t do what they do without hundreds of amazing people working for them and alongside them. I learned so much this year. I got to work with Melissa McCarthy on ‘The Heat.’ … And on ‘Gravity,’ the nicest people in the world would string me up and leave me there, and I still had an amazing time,” the Oscar-winning actress said.

Bullock later joined McCarthy on stage to pick up the favorite comedy movie award for “The Heat.”

Singer Timberlake, 32, who returned to the musical spotlight in 2013 with the two-part release of “The 20/20 Experience” after more than five years away to focus on his acting, picked up three awards including favorite album.

“I’d like to thank my parents for continuing to instill in me that no dream is too big. I’d like to thank my team that puts up with my ridiculous neuroses all the time – sorry, but not really, because look at this,” the singer said on stage, referring to his award.





Timberlake also won favorite male artist and favorite R&B artist, but was beaten in the favorite pop artist category by Britney Spears, who won her first People’s Choice award in her career spanning 15 years.

Actor Robert Downey Jr. was named favorite action movie star for his leading role in Disney-Marvel’s “Iron Man 3,” which also won favorite movie and action movie.

“I am Iron Man and this is for the people,” the actor said dramatically after asking for a spotlight and triumphant music on stage during his acceptance speech.

Adam Sandler won favorite comedic actor for the fourth consecutive time, this year for “Grown Ups 2.” While his films have failed to gain much favor with critics in recent years, Sandler is a favorite at the People’s Choice awards.

“This means a lot to me. I appreciate this, I really do, I really do. I think about the fans out there and how nice you’ve been to me all these years,” the comedian said.

The People’s Choice winners are chosen by fans, who can vote online across 58 categories spanning film, TV and music. This year, more than 700 million votes were cast, organizers said. The ceremony, aired live on the CBS network, kicks off Hollywood’s annual awards season that culminates with the Academy Awards on March 2.

Kaley Cuoco won her first People’s Choice award for favorite comedy TV actress for her role as the ditzy Penny in CBS sitcom “The Big Bang Theory.” Chris Colfer won favorite comedic TV actor for a second year running, for his role as Kurt Hummel in Fox’s “Glee.”

“The Big Bang Theory” won favorite network TV comedy for a third time, while fellow CBS show “The Good Wife” was named favorite network TV drama.

Ellen DeGeneres won favorite daytime TV host for “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” picking up a record 14th People’s Choice award. Satirist Stephen Colbert picked up favorite late night talk show host for Comedy Central’s “The Colbert Report.”

Oscar-winning actress and singer Jennifer Hudson was awarded favorite humanitarian for her charity work with her Julian D. King Gift Foundation, in memory of her late nephew.

“It’s one thing to be a celebrity and have power … but it means nothing if we’re not helping someone else. It also feels good to see positivity acknowledged,” Hudson said emotionally.

The 40th People’s Choice awards opened with a skit featuring many of the night’s nominees sitting in “2 Broke Girls” diner set, being served by the show’s stars and awards hosts Kat Dennings and Beth Behrs. Dennings and Behrs then kicked off the show by having a bevy of waitresses serve burgers to the audience.

Singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles, country star Brad Paisley and pop-rock group OneRepublic provided the musical entertainment, while Drew Barrymore, Matt LeBlanc and Zac Efron were among the night’s many presenters.

source: interaksyon.com

Justin Timberlake celebrates return to music with second No. 1 album this year

LOS ANGELES | Pop singer Justin Timberlake scored his second chart-topping album this year on Wednesday as his latest record debuted at No. 1 on the weekly Billboard 200 album chart, capping the singer’s successful return to the musical spotlight.

Timberlake’s “The 20/20 Experience – 2 of 2,” which follows the first set of 10 songs released in March this year, sold 350,000 copies in its first week, according to figures compiled by Nielsen SoundScan.

The first installment of “The 20/20 Experience” sold 968,000 copies, the biggest opening week sales of the year so far.

Timberlake, 32, returned to music after more than a five-year hiatus, during which he focused on his acting career. His debut single “Suit & Tie” featuring rapper Jay Z became a chart-topper in January, and his album was received well by fans and critics.

Other new albums in the top 10 this week include 16-year-old New Zealand singer-songwriter Lorde at No. 3 with her debut album “Pure Heroine,” selling 129,000 copies.

The album has been driven by the popularity of the single “Royals,” which topped Billboard’s digital songs chart this week, selling more than 2 million download copies in the United States. Lorde’s album also garnered nearly 6 million U.S. plays on online streaming platform Spotify in its first week.

Country singer Tyler Farr entered the chart at No. 5 with his debut album “Redneck Crazy,” while Los Angeles sister trio Haim came in at No. 6 with the critically acclaimed debut album “Days Are Gone.”

On the digital songs chart, which measures song downloads, the top three songs remained steady this week with Lorde’s “Royals” at No. 1, Katy Perry’s “Roar” at No. 2 and Miley Cyrus’ “Wrecking Ball” at No. 3.

A surprise entry on the digital songs chart this week came in the form of British 1960s rock band Badfinger’s “Baby Blue” at No. 32. The song scored 37,000 downloads in the past week after being featured in the closing scene in the final episode of AMC’s drug drama “Breaking Bad” last month.

Overall, album sales for the week ending October 6 totaled 4.8 million, down 10 percent from the comparable week in 2012, according to Billboard.

source: interaksyon.com

Justin Timberlake puts the sexy into married life in new album

LOS ANGELES – After making the transition from child star and boy band heartthrob to movie star, Justin Timberlake is returning to music with his first album since 2006, cementing his grown-up status with a record inspired by his new marriage.

Timberlake, 32, officially releases “The 20/20 Experience” on Tuesday. But the 10-track record of smooth love songs with a throwback R&B sound is already No. 1 on the iTunes charts after it was streamed online last week.

The album is Timberlake’s first since “FutureSex/LoveSounds” which spawned hit pop singles “Sexyback” and “What Goes Around…Comes Around.”

Although lead single “Suit & Tie,” featuring rapper Jay-Z, failed to meet sales expectations on its first week of release in January, the album is expected to sell well following weeks of promotion including a Grammy Awards show performance and a stint by Timberlake on TV sketch show “Saturday Night Live.”

Industry sources cited by Billboard said “The 20/20 Experience” could sell 500,000 copies in its first week, and easily give Timberlake the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 album charts.

“The 20/20 Experience” sees Timberlake embracing his status as a married man after his wedding to actress Jessica Biel in October 2012.

The singer draws on lazy summer romances for the majority of his songs, with slow-tempo swing rhythms on tracks such as “Pusher Girl Love,” where Timberlake describes his addiction to a girl.

Jason Lipshutz at Billboard magazine gave the album an 88 out of 100 rating, saying that while the singer did not replicate the edgy pop sounds of earlier hits on his “FutureSex” album, he “has offered us something more complicated, although no less accessible.”

Rolling Stone magazine’s Jody Rosen praised the singer for being “such a charismatic and effortlessly appealing singer, dancer and showman,” and called the album “Timberlake’s neo-soul record.”

Timberlake has barely put a foot wrong in his transition from child star in the “Mickey Mouse Club” to popular boy band N’Sync, through to solo entertainer, actor and entrepreneur.

He has appeared in movies “The Social Network” and “Bad Teacher;” launched his own record label, Tennman Records; added clothing designer to his credits with label William Rast; and invested in social networking site MySpace.

His all-rounder status was showcased last week on “Saturday Night Live,” where he sang, danced and acted – and boosted ratings for the NBC show to a 14-month high.

In July he will embark on a “Legends of the Summer” tour of North American stadiums along with Jay-Z, and the pair will headline a London music festival in the same month.

While “Don’t Hold The Wall” – a steamy dance floor track with explicit connotations – harkens back to Timberlake’s “Sexyback” days, Biel is often at the forefront of the singer’s mind in the new album. “That Girl” is a sweet throwback R&B love song, while new single “Mirrors” is an ode to his new wife.

Los Angeles Times reviewer Mikael Wood gave the album three out of four stars, saying “Timberlake holds (the album) together too, with lyrics that stay resolutely on the topic of romance.”

Not all critics are swooning. Alexis Petridis of Britain’s Guardian newspaper gave “The 20/20 Experience” three out of five stars, but slammed Timberlake’s lyrics, which he called “awful.”

“It’s not that the lyrics are exclusively about sex; it’s that Timberlake writes about it in a way that suggests he’s desperate to add some kind of musical equivalent of the Bad Sex award to his six Grammys and four Emmys,” Petridis said.

source: interaksyon.com