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| 6/17/04 |
Senoritas love concert Two of pop star Justin Timberlake's fans headed to Melbourne on Friday to see the former boy-band singer in concert. Youth reporter BRIDIE MILLS caught up with them to find out what they thought. Name: Ellie Stringer. Age: 15. Home town: Nalinga. How was the Justin Timberlake concert? Awesome, he was such a good performer, and sexy too! What was the best part? At the very end when he sang Rock Your Body. Why did you want to go to the Justin Timberlake concert? It was kind of a spur of the moment thing! And we liked his music. How was he? He was really sexy, and he was an awesome performer. What was your favourite song that he performed? It would probably have to be Senorita and Rock Your Body. Was it what you expected it to be like? Yeah, better! I didn't think he would be that good. Were there more girls than guys there? Yeah, the guys that were there looked a bit out of place, they were just tagging along with their girls. Did the girls get out of control at any time? Yeah, they were crazy. How did you pay for the ticket? I paid for the ticket, but the money wasn't really an issue. I didn't think about it, really. How did you get to the concert? Jen's mum took us. Thanks, Mary! Was it money well spent? Yeah - it was all worth it. Are you more or less of a fan of Justin Timberlake now you've seen him live? Oh, I think I am more of a fan. He's really good. Was it your first concert? Yeah, it was my first concert so it was all pretty exciting. Name: Jenna Bryan. Age: 15. Home town: Shepparton. How was the Justin Timberlake concert? It was awesome, he was talking to the crowd. What was the best part? When he first came out and everyone was screaming. Why did you want to go to a Justin Timberlake concert? His songs are really good and we knew it was going to sound awesome live, and we have never been to a concert before. How was he? He was a great performer and he sang really well live. What was your favourite song that he performed? My favourite would have to be Rock Your Body. Was it what you expected it to be like? Yeah, pretty much. I thought it was gonna be packed with people, and he sang really well. Were there more girls than guys there? Definitely! You could tell they were all there for their girlfriends. Did the girls get out of control at any time? Yeah. One girl got taken out by security guards for throwing her bra at Justin! How did you pay for the ticket? I went half and half with my mum. How did you get to the concert? My mum drove us up. We were dropped outside the entry doors. Was it money well spent? For sure it was, I had an awesome time. I've never really done anything like that before. Are you more or less of a fan of Justin Timberlake now you've seen him live? A bit more, I think. At the beginning I didn't think I was going to enjoy it for some reason, but that all changed the moment he came out. Was it your first concert? Yeah, it was the first concert I've been to and it was so good. He performed really well and I'd definitely do it again.
The many hats of Justin Timberlake THERE are many sides to Justin Timberlake. There's Justin the charming pin-up-boy pop star, Justin the musician who wants to make records like Steely Dan, Justin the burgeoning actor, Justin the McDonald's rep, and Justin the celebrity who loves to hate the media when not wanting to promote his albums or concerts. Yesterday, at an intimate invitation-only press conference at Sydney's Fox Studios, we met all of them. Justin the pop star, with his boyish good looks and his slight southern drawl, was the epitome of charm - he has had a ball during his local concerts and Australia is so good he has already decided to come back "so I can go surfing and enjoy the sights a little bit more ... you guys are really nice". Justin the musician was just as affable. Contrary to his international pop persona (he was originally a member of boy band *NSYNC), Timberlake tried to create his solo album Justified - which has earned him two Grammy awards, two Brit awards, three MTV awards and sold over 7.2million copies worldwide - "the way Steely Dan would have made a record". "You come up with a guitar (riff) and you come up with a groove and you build on from there," he said. Then came Justin the burgeoning actor, who has just completed his feature film debut alongside Morgan Freeman and Kevin Spacey in the crime thriller Edison, in which he plays a journalist investigating corrupt police: "It opened me up to a whole new venue where I can try to express creativity in a different way." While we didn't exactly meet Justin the McDonald's rep, the big golden arches were ever present in the form of a sign behind the pop star reminding us who is sponsoring his international tour. Then, finally, came Justin the celebrity who, until yesterday, preferred to flip the bird to local photographers. The 23-year-old has dated some of the world's most famous women, including his current squeeze, Charlie's Angels star Cameron Diaz, and his media manager briefed reporters yesterday with the words: "If you ask anything personal, I will shut this press conference down immediately." So when Diaz - who is in Australia with her boyfriend - was finally brought up, Timberlake took a long sip from his glass of water. "There's a part of my life that I keep my life and probably so I don't get in situations where I feel awkward (like) right now ... The truth of the matter is, yes, I brought my mum with me, I brought my best friend with me and I did bring Cameron as well. "But that's not why I'm here. I'm here to play the shows ... I'm here to entertain you."
Sydney Morning Herald Justin review Justin Timberlake There are some things you can be assured of even before you enter a pop show (and I don't mean the audience's appalling make-up and clothes and the multiplicity of misspelt home-printed T-shirts with invitations such as "Rok my body" - though that's always part of the deal). You know there's going to be the collective cries of ecstasy as He arrives on stage; the collective sighs as He slides into a ballad; and the collective shiver of excitement as He busts another crotch-grabbing, turn-on-a-dime move. This is group therapy or group pleasure and everyone knows his/her place and role: He excites; you respond and if you're lucky the music holds up. What you don't expect is the collective "what the ----" from a perplexed audience caught between the thrill of seeing Him and the confusion over exactly what kind of show they're getting. What you don't expect is to see the putative new king of pop offer himself as a soulful, funky genuine musician whose music memory goes back further than Thriller. And you certainly don't expect him to pull it off so impressively. Sure, the show was supposed to be "intimate" and glitter-free, and instead of a small group adding flavours to taped/sequenced sounds while dancers distracted your attention from being ripped off (hello, Missy Elliott!) the stage was crowded with a 13-piece band. But the real shocks started early when not only was the Britney Spears break-up ballad Cry Me A River beefed up into something approaching '80s funk/rock outfit Living Colour but it worked. And then Senorita, a light modern R&B workout on his album, was delivered with an emphasis on its feel, not its hook, and an accent on performance not titillation. From then on, things became stranger and stranger. Timberlake at the piano, Timberlake on the guitar - and not just playing along but contributing significantly. Timberlake singing live (and well) with little in the way of dancing. Songs segueing into long, funky and usually inventive passages where groove was king. But wait there's more. The Rolling Stones' Miss You assayed impressively and sensuously. The bump and grind of his excellent pop/R&B tune Like I Love You subtly but smartly replaced with a slightly Latin swing. And overall a feeling that the album's Michael Jackson fetish has been replaced by not just nu-soul boy Maxwell (and Prince) but early Earth Wind & Fire and the Delfonics. Apart from a terribly indulgent and wasteful 20-minute band introduction jam, where it seemed every one on stage had an unnecessary solo, I was liking it. A lot. But I'm not meant to be his audience. Not yet anyway. His real audience, dominated by teens and early 20s, was grasping for reference points here: they had the songs but not the flash; they had him but not Him. There was cheering but the fervour only occasionally surfaced, notably in the night's closer, Rock Your Body. They were happy but not entirely sure. Normally it takes a couple of albums, a few years and gradual steps along the way, before a former teen pop act attempts the move up into adult music, hoping to pull in a new audience who had dismissed him as mere child's play at first. Timberlake's debut album was the first couple of steps as expected. But this show suggests not only that he may be in more of a hurry than we realised but that he's got the wherewithal to do it easily. And no one could have expected that.
Justin to quit after Aus? JUSTIN Timberlake is ready to swap his singing career for the movies. The international pop star will wrap up the Australian leg of his Justified World Tour in Sydney tomorrow night and is hoping to take a break. "This is my last set of live shows," Timberlake said. "I don't want to plan too far ahead. I'm ready for my life to slow down." Asked what he wanted to do next, Timberlake said he was open to what the future holds. "I am only young so I think it is natural and wherever it progresses to I can't predict that, I have no idea," he said. Timberlake recently finished shooting his first big budget feature film, Edison, which filmed in Vancouver and also stars Morgan Freeman and Kevin Spacey. He said it would be a "safe assumption" to say he was going to concentrate more on his movie career in the future. "That is a whole part that I am learning so much about and I'm very willing to just take that step in whatever shape or form that might be and we will see where that goes," he said. "There are a couple of things that I am looking at." As a musician, Timberlake has sold more than seven million albums as a solo artist and many more as part of boy band NSYNC. Timberlake said the concerts on his current tour reflected the making of his latest album – Justified. "I think the idea behind the show is to kind of show how the record got made," he said. "All in all I think I am finding that it is just more fun to work the crowd and keep it raw and laugh." Prior to the press conference, Timberlake's media manager warned journalists not to ask personal questions, particularly relating to his previous relationship with Britney Spears and current partner Cameron Diaz. "We don't want a lot of conversation about his girlfriend or his past girlfriends or anything really revolving around his personal life," the American media manager told journalists before the press conference. "I will stop this press conference very quickly if people ask inappropriate questions." Asking the final question of the conference, one journalist asked Timberlake why he did not want to talk about certain issues. "There's a part of my life that I keep my life and probably where I don't get into situations where I feel awkward, like right now," he said. "I fear that I won't live up to your expectations or whatever you think I might answer so it is just better. "The truth of the matter is, yes I brought my mum with me, I brought my best friend with me and I did bring Cameron as well but that is not why I am here. I am here to play the shows ... to entertain."
Officials caught off-guard by irreverent 'Daily Show' Jill LaVine, Sacramento County's top elections official, didn't expect her cable television debut to go like this. "...Don't you think blacks should be given more than one vote to make up for that whole slavery thing?" (Rob) Cordrry asked LaVine. "P. Diddy's got to be worth two votes, and Justin Timberlake, he's worth two votes, even though he's not black or anything." Without cracking a smile, LaVine deadpanned, "That doesn't address the issue here..."
Do you think they're sexy? Brad Pitt made it (again) but Jean Claude Van Damme can forget about it. Paris Hilton got a guernsey but Britney Spears is now too trashy. So who else made Who Magazine's annual list of the world's sexiest people? ...Other shoe-ins included Beyonce Knowles, Hugh Jackman, Keira (Pirates of the Caribbean) Knightley, Halle Berry and Justin Timberlake who, while "largely forgettable" as a member of the boy-band NSync "has grown up since being with Cameron Diaz." "He can dance too..."
Lance's space show *NSYNC crooner Lance Bass wants to take reality shows where none have gone before — into space. Having failed to raise enough money to get a ride on a Russian rocket, Bass told the Hollywood Reporter he's now working on a show that would send a winning contestant into space. Mark Burnett, the guy behind "Survivor" and "The Apprentice," tried to develop a similar show three years ago and failed.
Hip-hop Hilton We hear that Paris Hilton's much-awaited debut album will include hip-hop tracks - potentially featuring rapping by the heiress herself. Rapper/producer Lil Jon, who struck gold with Usher's "Yeah," has signed on to produce tracks for the project, which Paris has said is tentatively called "Screwed." (The album reportedly includes two songs by JC Chasez...)
Justin coming to tribute Justin Timberlake is coming home as part of the international Sun Studio celebration of 50 years of rock and roll. The Memphis pop star and 'N Sync frontman will join soulman Isaac Hayes, Elvis Presley guitarist Scotty Moore and drummer D. J. Fontana, actor (and singer) Billy Bob Thornton and a troupe of early Memphis rockers in the July 5 "Global Moment in Time." The tribute at Sun Studio will be broadcast on radio and TV stations around the world with more than 200 radio stations already committed to simultaneously play Elvis Presley's original recording of "That's All Right." Recorded July 5, 1954, the song has become a rock anthem considered by many to be the big bang of rock and roll. "We are thrilled that Justin is coming home to join us as we celebrate this musical milestone," said Kevin Kane, president of the Memphis Convention & Visitors Bureau. "He is already a world-renowned artist, and his work continues to extend Memphis's musical influence to the next generation." Timberlake had been named one of Memphis's official musical ambassadors to help promote the year-long anniversary, but Kane and CVB tourism vice president Regena Bearden said Timberlake was uncertain until Wednesday that he could be in Memphis for the July 5 event. Negotiations involving Great Britain, France and Germany now are under way, and Bearden said 500 or more stations may commit to the celebration by July 5. During that Global Moment in Time, Scotty Moore is scheduled to push a button at Sun to begin the international broadcast. Others taking part in the anniversary event include Memphian Domingo 'Sam the Sham' Samudio (of "Wooly Bully" fame), and music pioneers Billy Swan, Sonny Burgess, Billy Lee Riley and Ace Cannon. Events - all free to the public - scheduled for July 5 include: 11 a.m.: Presented as a global moment in time, Elvis's "That's All Right" will be played simultaneously on radio stations across the U. S. and the U. K. Presley guitarist Scotty Moore will "press play," cueing the moment via satellite from Sun Studio. Timberlake and Isaac Hayes are among musicians scheduled to attend.Says Kane: "If Justin shows up, does that mean will he jump on stage and play with somebody? You never know." 11 a.m.-midnight: A commemorative concert will feature Sun-loving guest Billy Bob Thornton with music by Sun veterans Scotty Moore, Billy Lee Riley, Sonny Burgess, J. M. Van Eaton, Jerry Lee 'Smoochy' Smith, W. S. 'Fluke' Holland, Ace Cannon, Mack Self as well as Cordell Jackson, D. J. Fontana, Billy Swan and others. Go to www.sunstudio .com for a full artists schedule. All day: As part of a cross-country tour, a traveling exhibit of
rock memorabilia from the Hard Rock Cafe will be at Sun Studio July
5. The free-of-charge display includes a special Memphis room. Noted Elvis interpreter Terry Mike Jeffrey will perform noon-4 p.m. Visit www.50yearsrocknroll.com for more info. |
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