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Cry Me a River
Background:
A former vocalist of Grammy-winning boy band ‘N Sync, Justin Timberlake, rose to
prominence with the phenomenal success of the group in the mid 1990s until the
early 2000s. With such blockbuster albums as 2000’s No Strings Attached and
2001’s Celebrity, Timberlake and the band broke Billboard chart records as well
as netted a 2002 Grammy Award and a 2002 People’s Choice Award. An American pop
superstar, Timberlake made a reputation for himself as a chart-topping solo
artist with his debut smash, Justified (2002). Spawning hit tracks like "Like I
love you," "Cry Me a River" and "Rock your Body," his critical acclaimed album
received multi-platinum certifications throughout the world. From 2003-2004,
extraordinaire Timberlake nabbed two Grammy Awards, a French Music Award, a
Music of Black Origin Award and a MTV Award for his spectacular work in the
album.
As an actor, one of Teen People Magazine's “21 Hottest Stars Under 21” (1999),
Timberlake branched out to acting in 2000 with the drama film Longshot. Since
his debut, he has put several films under his belt, including Model Behavior
(2000, TV), On the Line (2001), Edison (2005), Alpha Dog (2005), Southland Tales
(2006) and Shrek 3 (2007).
Justin Timberlake is also well-known for his much publicized romance with pop
star Britney Spear. He began dating Spears after ‘N Sync took flight and Spears
started her pop career. Timberlake and Spears became tabloid headlines when
Spears revealed the duo had been intimate after Timberlake's interview with
Barbara Walters in which he disclosed information on their sex life. She had
once promised she would "save herself" for marriage, but confessed that she had
lost her virginity to Timberlake.
"It's happened for at least six months now, this whole image of everybody
portraying me as a playboy. That's not me. When I go out, I go out with my group
of friends. Any girl who approaches me in a club and tries to win me over, I'm
not gonna go for it." Justin Timberlake after his breakup with Spears
After they split up in 2002, Timberlake started another high profile
relationship, this time with Charlie’s Angels star Cameron Diaz (9 years his
senior). After beginning to date in 2003, the couple was rumored to have planned
a secret wedding for Christmas. A source said that they’re not saying if there's
going to be a marriage but said it will be a time of new beginnings. Timberlake
and Diaz reportedly have already invited more than 150 guests to a party in
Hawaii to “celebrate their romance. “ Close friends maintain that the party is
in fact their wedding.
Curly Spice
Childhood and Family:
Son to Randy Timberlake and Lynn Harless, Justin Randall Timberlake was born on
January 31, 1981, and raised in Memphis, Tennessee. Singing, acting and dancing
by a very young age, Justin had his first singing performance at the Grand Ole
Opry when he was ten years old. A year later, he showed off his talents on TV by
competing on the talent series Star Search. Influenced by his Music City
background, he sang primarily country music. Unfortunately, Justin lost the
contest though he was awarded 3-and-a-half stars. This failure, however, did not
dim his ambitions to become a successful performer. By the time he was 12, the
son of a bluegrass musician had received a big break as a regular on a
television series.
Off screen, Justin, who carries the nicknames Shot, Curly Spice, Bounce, The
Baby, or J, has used his celebrity status to form the Justin Timberlake
foundation, which is used to support theater arts and music in public schools in
America. Justin owns six Harley Davidsons, two Mercedes Benz and a Mercedes M
Class. Justin also co-owns a bar called Chi in Hollywood. He opened the bar in
2003 with entrepreneurs Art and Allan Davis.
Justified
Career:
After a performance on the Star Search TV talent show, Justin Timberlake got his
start as a regular on the Disney Channel variety series The Mickey Mouse Club
when he was 12. He stayed with the show until 1994, during which time he was
able to promote his skills as a performer working with the other fellow members,
including feature band-mate Joshua Scott Chasez, and present pop princesses
Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears.
Arriving back at Orlando at age 14, Timberlake began his acclaimed collaboration
with JC, Lances Bass, Chris Kirkpatrick and Joey Fatone in a group band named 'N
Sync. With his band, Timberlake immediately joined their European tour and was
well-received among European music listeners. In 1998, they made their way back
to the U.S. to record their close harmony for their self-titled debut album.
Spawning such hits as "God Must Have Spent a Little More Time on You," "I Want
You Back" and "Tearing Up My Heart," the album was a huge success both in the
U.S. and Europe, selling more than six million copies. Their soon followed the
victory with the holiday album titled Home for Christmas that same year.
In the new millennium, Timberlake experienced a big breakthrough when ’N Sync
launched their second studio album, No Strings Attached. Produced by Jive, the
album was even more commercially successful than its predecessor. Thanks to the
major hits, "Bye Bye Bye" and "This I Promise You," No Strings Attached went to
double platinum certification during its first week of release.
"Ever since I was a kid I wanted to be an actor, not necessarily a musician. If
you keep focusing on your dreams, then they will come true." Justin Timberlake
The same year ‘N Sync exploded on the American charts with their second album,
the vocalist broke into acting and made his debut performance in the motion
picture Longshot (2000). He then appeared as male model Jason Sharpe, in the ABC
television movie Model Behavior (2000), starring Maggie Lawson and Jim Abele,
and made a cameo appearance as a Make-up Artist in Eric Bross’ comedy film On
the Line (2001).
Timberlake rejoined his band in 2001 to release their third album, Celebrity.
Giving their all at each performance, the album became a blockbuster album in
the U.S. as well as received positive feedback from critics. In the following
year, the band took home a Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Album, a People's Choice
for Favorite Music Group and a Much Music for Best International Video – Group.
With their great accomplishment, Timberlake and his band-mates established
themselves as one of the most popular boy bands worldwide.
While enjoying the glory with his band, Timberlake eventually launched his
career as a solo artist in 2002. His debut solo album, Justified, hit the music
shelves in November 2002. With a heavy R&B influence, the album premiered at No.
2 on the Billboard Top 200 album chart, as well as skyrocketed to No. 1 on the
UK album chart. Its lead single, "Like I love you," peaked at No. 2 in the UK
singles chart and became a major hit. That was followed by the second hit, "Cry
Me a River," and the third smash, "Rock your Body," both of which landed in
second place on the U.K singles chart. Justified sold more than three million
copies in America alone and over 7 million copies internationally. As for
Timberlake, he took home several awards like a MTV for Best Dance Video ("Rock
your Body"), a Music of Black Origin (MOBO) for Best R&B Act and a French Music
for Best International Male Artist. Moreover, he was nominated for 5 Grammys and
picked up two for Best Pop Vocal Album and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance
(''Cry Me a River'').
Supporting his album, Timberlake embarked on a tour with another teen idol,
Christina Aguilera, in 2003. He further increased his solo career by performing
in such events as the 2003 Brit Awards, collaborating with Kylie Minogue, the
Superbowl XXXVIII halftime show with Janet Jackson (2004), the 2004 MTV Europe
Music Awards with the hip-hop group Black Eyed Peas, among others.
In 2005, Timberlake returned to the silver screen after five years’ absence. He
could be seen playing the role of a young journalist who discovers an elite team
of corrupt police in director David J. Burke’s thriller Edison (2005), alongside
Hollywood heavyweights Morgan Freeman and Kevin Spacey. Unfortunately, his movie
comeback was panned by many critics as "a star-studded dud of a B-picture." The
Hollywood media even singled out Timberlake as "green but earnest" and qualified
the whole cast with "enough posturing to start up a chiropractic clinic."
Despite mixed response, Timberlake received offers to play roles in several
upcoming films. He will soon star with Olivia Wilde in a movie based on the true
life story of drug dealer Jesse James Hollywood, in Alpha Dog (2005), play a
role in director/writer Richard Kelly’s Sci-fi thriller Southland Tales (2006)
and appear in the drama film Black Snake Moan (2006). He is also scheduled to
provide his voice for King Arthur's nephew in the third Shrek film (2007),
teaming up with his girlfriend Cameron Diaz.
Awards:
