Justin Timberlake performs at the White House on April 9.
By Kurt Schlosser, TODAY
Justin Timberlake left his suit and tie on for a performance at the White House on Tuesday, but he wasn't singing his new hit single.
The pop star offered up a fine cover of Otis Redding's ("Sittin' On) the Dock of the Bay" as part of a tribute to Memphis soul music for the White House's continuing "In Performance" series.
President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama clearly enjoyed the rendition from the front row as they bobbed their heads and sang along with Timberlake.
"These songs get us on the dance floor," the president said. "They get stuck in our heads. We go back over them again and again. And they've played an important part in our history."
Singers Ben Harper, Mavis Staples, Sam Moore and Queen Latifah were among others who performed. The first lady also led a workshop for students to highlight the importance of Memphis music.
PBS will air a concert special from the event on April 16.
Shawn Thew / EPA
Justin Timberlake, right, fist bumps soul legend Sam Moore along with another legend, Mavis Staples, at the White House on Tuesday.
Justin Timberlake's "20/20" vision has left us seeing double. The popster has just unveiled the video to his new track "Mirrors," the second single off his buzzworthy new album "The 20/20 Experience," and it comes hot on the heels of its dapper debut ditty, "Suit & Tie."
The epic eight-minute clip, which was directed by "The Runaways" helmer Floria Sigismondi, follows the kinetic love story of an elderly couple as it flashes through a tableau of images showing the duo's relationship over the years.
Timberlake himself doesn't pop up until almost six minutes into the video, as he meanders through a hall of mirrors wearing wing-tipped shoes and busting out some intricate choreography while dancers in flesh-colored tights circle him.
Touchingly, the song pays tribute to Timberlake's grandparents, William and Sadie Bomar, who were reportedly together for 63 years. (His grandfather passed away last year.)
Waves of emotion seep through the tune as Timberlake croons about saying "goodbye," musing, "You're my reflection and all I see if you/My reflection in everything I do."
The new video arrives just a day after the 32-year-old revealed that he's working on a second volume of "The 20/20 Experience," although he has yet to spill the beans on when it's expected to hit stores.
Justin Timberlake fired back at Kanye West this weekend on "Saturday Night Live."
During the five-time host's first musical performance, J.T. took a subtle shot at Kim Kardashian's baby daddy with a slight tweak to the lyrics of "Suit & Tie."
"My hit's so sick got rappers acting dramatic," he crooned (at the 2:15 mark), instead of the hit single's original line, "s--- so sick got a hit and picked up a habit."
The dramz in question refer to Kanye's latest "Clique" rant during a recent show in London (where everything seems to happen these days).
"I got love for Hov, but I ain't f---ing with that 'Suit & Tie,'" the aggrieved rapper grumbled about his pal Jay-Z's new collaboration with J.T.
Hov clearly has love for the prince of pop: In addition to sharing the stage in their upcoming Legends of Summer stadium tour, Beyoncé's hubby made a surprise appearance on "SNL," grabbing a mic for "Suit & Tie" -- just moments after Timberlake's Kanye dis.
It almost didn’t matter what happened after Justin Timberlake’s "Saturday Night Live" opening monologue, because by that time the episode was already the biggest of 2013.
It was the musician-actor’s fifth time hosting, which gave him access to the exclusive “five-timer's club.” Timberlake was ushered off the stage and into the inner sanctum, where he encountered a slew of "SNL" vets who had all hosted or performed as the musical guest at least five times.
Paul Simon greeted Timberlake, as did a pipe-smoking Steve Martin, who was a tad suspicious of the club’s new member, scoffing when he learned Timberlake couldn't play the banjo.
"He can't do everything," Martin remarked. The comedian then belittled Dan Aykroyd, who as a mere one-time host, was reduced to bartending for the clubmembers. Martin Short (also not a member of the club) was forced to work as a mistreated waiter.
When Chevy Chase appeared next to Short and Martin, Timberlake was thrilled to realize he was standing next to the three amigos. (The trio would appear in full Mariachi garb later to introduce Timberlake’s second musical performance.)
Alec Baldwin and Tom Hanks revealed their greatest pleasure of the five-timers club was making "SNL" castmembers fight each other. The pair cheer on Bobby Moynihan and Taran Killam as they went blow-for-blow in a match similar to a disturbing parlor room scene from "Django Unchained."
“I killed my best friend” Moynihan screamed after the battle. Hanks and Baldwin congratulated him and said he deserved a beer. Shortly after, Candice Bergen appeared to demand the other members put the toilet seat down after using it.
In its cold open, "SNL" took on the death of Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez. Timberlake played Elton John, who tailored “Candle in the Wind" to fit the late president. Among the salient Chavez moments highlighted included the socialist leader calling President George W. Bush the devil during a United Nations speech and blaming capitalism for destroying life on Mars. “He really said that,” Timberlake insisted.
The star power continued as Andy Samberg and Timberlake appeared as their “D--- in a Box” characters during a dating sketch. Martin and Aykroyd competed against them as two wild and crazy guys, while poor Moynihan failed to compete. It got rather crude for the female contestant, who doesn’t seem to mind.
Near the show's end, Timberlake revisited romantic comedy territory ala "Friends With Benefits" in a trailer in which he and a “cute brunette” (Nasim Pedrad) enjoy a grocery store meet-cute and fall in love. But they are soon torn apart by her secret—she has a penis.
Perfectly capturing the essence of dozens of romantic comedy trailers, the spot for "She’s got a D---" also featured a “confused black friend” (Kenan Thompson) and Eugene Levy (Fred Armisen), who tells the girl “if he can’t accept all of you, he doesn’t deserve you."
"SNL" is next new April 6 with host Melissa McCarthy and musical guest Phoenix.
For the second time in a month, a Justin is causing people to lie down for hours at a time on the snowy sidewalks of New York City.
Fans of Justin Timberlake -- just like those of Justin Bieber in February -- were camping out Friday during wet winter weather in the hopes of catching the singer/actor on "Saturday Night Live" this weekend.
TODAY's Willie Geist headed outside of the 30 Rock studios to assess the line length and find out why Timberlake's fifth appearance as host was worth the wait.
One couple drove 13 and a half hours from New Brunswick, Canada, and set up camp Tuesday morning at 5 a.m.
"Do you love Timberlake that much?" Geist asked a man named Mike. "Uh, he's all right," Mike said.
"He's all right?! You're sleeping in the snow and you drove 13 hours, he's all right? You gotta show a little more enthusiasm," Geist insisted.
Mike's partner in patience, Kayla, told Geist the couple is soaked all the way trough. "We're just kind of shivering ourselves to sleep."
Bieber fans weathered similar elements the weekend of Feb. 8 when winter storm Nemo was bearing down on the city. Geist stepped out on that pre-'SNL' Friday as well to find out what fans were thinking. Check out the video.
Kanye West has never been one to bite his tongue, but diss Jay-Z ... that's a different story. Putting the duo's 2011-2012 "Watch the Throne" tour to the side, the loquacious rapper hit the stage during his show in London Saturday and sounded off about Jay-Z and Justin Timberlake's "Suit & Tie."
"I got love for Hov, but I ain't f------- with that 'Suit &Tie,'" Kim Kardashian's baby daddy told the crowd as an instrumental "Clique" played in the background, which features him and Jay-Z.
And that was just the beginning of Kanye's rant about the music industry.
"I hate business people," West rapped, according to Billboard. "People get on the phone with me and tell me, 'What kind of business can you do, though? What type of business are you doing? What's the numbers? How much did you sell? What's the radio spins? How much shampoo can you sell with your face on it and sh--. Remind me again why we in this sh---. Can you remind me again why we in this sh--? Since when (is) making music about getting rich? Since when was making art about getting rich? ... Remind me again why we in this sh--."
Oh, yes, there was even more during the 10-minute rapped speech.
"Can I sell a drink for you, please?" West continued. "So you can help me put on a better show. Please corporations. Can you please support me? I swear I'm a nice n---- now. I swear I'll put the pink polo back on. I swear to you. Please. Just for three million dollars. I need it so bad. I need a new pool in my backyard. I tell my fans your sh-- is cool. And if they believe in me they should also believe in you. What's my public rating now? Are they liking me again? They forgot about the whole Beyonce thing right? Okay, cool."
Last week, Jay-Z and Timberlake officially announced that they will embark on a tour together, performing in 12 cities this summer.
Something tells us West won't be making an appearance.
It's official: confirming the hype-fueled rumors, Justin Timberlake and Jay-Z have announced that they will indeed head out on tour together.
The summer stadium tour, dubbed "Legends of The Summer," kicks off a series of 12 concerts starting July 17 in Toronto and winds down Aug. 16 in Miami. The two will also play in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Boston, Los Angeles, Vancouver, Detroit, Baltimore and Hershey, Pa. (See more details here.)
Timberlake's upcoming album, "The 20/20 Experience," will be released March 19 on RCA Records. Timberlake has already released two singles, "Suit & Tie" with Jay-Z and the eight-minute "Mirrors," and performed "Pusher Love Girl" and "That Girl" live. It was announced earlier this week that Timberlake and Jay-Z would headline London's Wireless Festival this summer.
Justin Timberlake is not wasting any time! After bringing sexy back at the Grammys tonight, the "Suit and Tie" singer kept to his Twitter promise from earlier in the night and gave fans something else to get excited about -- a new track!
J.T. released yet another song off of "The 20/20 Experience" (which hits stores March 19) called "Mirrors."
The tune marks the fourth from his upcoming album that Timberlake's shared with fans. He first made his comeback to music with "Suit and Tie" featuring Jay-Z, then revealed "That Girl," which he debuted at a pre-Super Bowl party and sang "Pusher Lover Girl" during his Grammys performance Sunday night.
Attention music industry: Justin Timberlake has returned.
The singer, who hasn’t released an album in nearly seven years, performed his new single "Suit and Tie" with Jay-Z before premiering another new song, "Pusher Love Girl," Sunday night at the 55th annual Grammy Awards show. His new, yet old-school sound was accompanied by a massive “JT” band, and was broadcast in sepia tones, no less.
Christopher Polk / Getty Images
Justin Timberlake performs at the 55th annual Grammy Awards.
Timberlake, who announced he’ll be heading out on tour after the release of his third studio album, "The 20/20 Experience" -- out March 19 -- is no stranger to the Grammy telecast. In fact, he’s performed on music’s most hallowed stage during pretty much every iteration of his ever-changing musical career (which can also be marked by his most prominent romantic relationships).
As a member of ‘N Sync, Timberlake -- who was dating Britney Spears at the time -- and his group members J.C. Chasez, Lance Bass, Chris Kirkpatrick and Joey Fatone performed a “Girlfriend” medley with rapper Nelly during the 2002 show.
Two years later, Timberlake had moved on from 'N Sync and was flying high on the success of his first solo album, "Justified," which was recorded during the aftermath of his 2002 split from Spears. He won Grammys for best pop vocal album and also what has since become the ultimate breakup song, "Cry Me A River," during the 2004 show, but chose to perform the more upbeat “Senorita.”
When he returned to the awards show in 2007, Timberlake had already resurrected “sexy” and received another two golden gramophones for songs off of his second solo album, "FutureSex/LoveSounds," which was recorded during his four-year relationship with actress Cameron Diaz. He was popular enough to perform twice during that ceremony. Timberlake sang a mashup of "Ain’t No Sunshine" and "My Love" with rapper T.I. and burgeoning singer Robyn Troup. He also did a solo rendition of his "What Goes Around ... Comes Around," which would win him his fifth Grammy the following year.
Timberlake then took an extended musical interlude to try his hand at acting (and coincidentally, began dating now-wife Jessica Biel), occasionally popping up on friends' records as a guest star over the last seven years. But even this portion of his career is documented on the Grammy stage. The "Trouble With the Curve" star joined T.I. again to sing "Dead and Gone" in 2009.
Which brings us to Sunday night's performance. Timberlake and Jay-Z brought down the house with their soulful performance and received a standing ovation from the Grammy audience. But not everyone was as impressed. Some took to Twitter to express their disappointment with JT's self-proclaimed "old man" music.
"Justin Timberlake should have to follow Alicia Keys around for a month and take lessons. Get the damn Disney out of your music, son," tweeted viewer Dave Zirin.
"If only justin timberlake would sing bye bye bye again.. one last time," wrote @v4gisil.
No, Justin Timberlake wasn't calling Britney Spears the b-word during his pre-Super Bowl concert in New Orleans, the singer tweeted Sunday.
Christopher Polk / Getty Images
Justin Timberlake performing at the Saturday night pre-Super Bowl performance where his words got him into a little trouble.
Fans who made the connection had some reason to do so. On Saturday, Timberlake was introducing his Grammy-winning song "Cry Me a River," off his 2002 debut album "Justified."
"Sometimes in life, you think you found the one, but then one day you find out that she is just some b----," he said, according to HollywoodLife.com.
In 2011, Timberlake all-but admitted to The Huffington Post that he wrote the song after a telephone fight with then-girlfriend Spears.
After fans, especially Twitter users who hashtag their posts #BritneyArmy, reacted negatively to Timberlake's song introduction, he responded with a tweet on Sunday.
"Ok. I see you," he wrote. "Wouldn't disrespect ANYONE personally. Ever. #Relax#ItsBritneyBitch I do love that saying though*with accent* #Respect."
His use of the b-word in the tweet is quoting Spears' 2007 song, "Gimme More."
Not everyone believes he wasn't talking about Spears, however. Wrote one Twitter user, "it seems that u still have feelings for Britney or else u wont be bringing her up every time. BOW DOWN TO THE QUEEN."
Timberlake wed actress Jessica Biel in October 2012. Spears was engaged to Jason Trawick, but they announced in January that the wedding was off.
Three days after announcing his return to music with a video called "I'm Ready," Justin Timberlake has released a new track, "Suit and Tie." The Timbaland-produced cut, which features a guest verse from Jay-Z, was dropped on early Monday morning and is the first new music from the singer-turned-actor in over six years.
In an open letter to fans posted on his website, the singer also revealed the title of his forthcoming new album: "The 20/20 Experience." Timberlake wrote that it will be released at some point this year.
"What I came up with is something I couldn't be more excited about!" he said. "It is full of inspiration that I grew up listening to and some newfound muses that I've discovered along the way." He added that the sessions for the album were "probably the best time" he's had in his career, "creating with no rules and/or end goal in mind and really enjoying the process."
"Suit and Tie," a horn-addled shuffler likely to inspire many new dance routines, finds JT waxing poetic about his love for dapper duds. "I be on my suit and tie s---/ Can I show you a few things, little baby?" he croons. Jay-Z later joins in with lines about "truffle season," wearing tuxedos for no reason and the trendy designer Alexander Wang. Listen to it here.
In a Twitter-hyped video titled "I'm Ready," released by the singer/actor on Thursday, Timberlake says music means more to him than "anybody else in the world."
"I've only done two albums in 10 years," Timberlake says in a voiceover as he's seen walking through what appears to be a recording studio. "What does the next decade mean for me?" His last release was "FutureSex/LoveSounds" in 2006.
With a countdown clock ticking away over on his website, Timberlake wants you to be as anxious as he says he is.
"I'm the one who sits and is obsessive about it before you even get to hear it," Mr. SexyBack says of his music. "As close as I get to it, I don't know that I could physically torture myself that much year in and year out, and expect it to fulfill me the way that it does."
Timberlake, 31, has avoided that torture in recent years by focusing heavily on acting, appearing in such films as "Trouble With the Curve," "Friends With Benefits" and "The Social Network." Last fall he married actress Jessica Biel.
As the video concludes and Timberlake steps to a mic, he says, "I don't want to put anything out that I think is something I don't love. You just don't get that everyday, you have to wait for it ... I'm ready."
The top comment on the YouTube video at this moment? "And they never saw Justin Bieber again ..."
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