"Honestly, I don't really look at myself as sexy," Justin Timberlake said
with a laugh. "I'm just me. I do what I do and I do it naturally. I just
have
fun doing what I do, and if somebody looks at me in that way, it's very
flattering."
Millions of teenage girls look at Timberlake in that way.
The 19-year-old, curly-haired singer-dancer in the smash pop group, 'N
Sync,
is a hot item. Photos of the just over 6-foot-tall Memphis native grace
countless walls. His mischievous smile beams from the covers of teen
magazines. Girls scream when they see him.
All this is reminiscent of another favorite son. If Elvis is The King,
Timberlake is The Prince.
Timberlake was voted "Fave Male Sex Symbol" and "Fave Male Performer" in
Teen
Beat magazine's 17th annual Teen Stars Awards, featured in the June
issue. 'N
Sync won the "Fave Music Group" title among the 5,000 people who sent in
ballots. The magazine's readers cast votes for their favorite music,
movie
and TV stars and favorite TV shows.
Karen Williams, editorial director of Teen Beat, said Timberlake has been
a
hot item in the magazine for about a year. "He's very cute," she said.
"He's
very personable. He's fan friendly. He's very nice to his fans. And he's
just
a very open, sweet person. And I think they react to that."
Teen Beat readers range in age from 8 to 18, but 50 percent of the
readers
are 12 and 13. "He just appeals across the board."
Timberlake, whose nicknames include `Bounce,' `Curly' and `The Cute One,'
has
been a busy guy since 'N Sync formed in 1995. The group embarked on its
Summer 2000 tour Tuesday in Biloxi. They sold 2.4 million copies of their
new
album, "No Strings Attached," in seven days - more than double their
previous
record, the self-titled album that included the hit song, I Want You
Back.
The new album, which includes the hit song, Bye Bye Bye, swamped the 1.13
million albums sold by the Backstreet Boys last year.
In an interview from his Florida home, Timberlake, who hasn't been to
Memphis
lately, said he mostly misses "my granny's home cooking."
His grandmother, Sadie Bomar, knows what Timberlake likes to eat.
"Whenever I
come into town - I don't even have to tell her - she'll always make me a
peach cobbler. And that's the closest to heaven I think I've ever been."
Timberlake, son of Lynn Harless of Shelby Forest and Randy Timberlake of
Shelby Forest, said he misses his family when he's on the road. "I've got
two
brothers in Memphis. I kind of feel like they might forget who I am
sometimes
if it wasn't for me being on television because I never get to see them."
People recently got to see Timberlake and the rest of 'N Sync perform on
the
Oscars telecast. "That was different. That was really cool to be there."
Like most superstars, it's difficult for Timberlake to go out in public.
"When things get kind of weird for me and they often do - things are
really
big at this point - I just turn to my spirituality. (It) has helped me
through a lot of those things. And my family. You have to keep your
family
close. . . .
"My mom and my grandparents and my dad, all of my family, they all are
so, so
proud of me. But I'm still Justin to them. I'm still just that little kid
who
used to run around and act like a little smart aleck."
Timberlake was "a pretty good kid" growing up. "I was actually very
independent as a kid. I was pretty quiet. But when I said something you
had
to think about it for a second."
Timberlake was a class clown at E. E. Jeter Elementary School, but, he
said,
"I think I was more of a Ferris Bueller type of clown. I wasn't the type
of
class clown who always was in trouble. I always found a way not to get in
trouble."
Timberlake got the urge to sing in church. "I got into a lot of gospel
music
and saw a lot of gospel concerts."
He also got into the blues. "There's the big blues appeal that goes
through
Memphis. I mean, it's the city of blues. It's B. B. King. It's
everything.
Elvis, he sang blues. I think it's just the whole vibe that went through
there. That's where I got the bluesey sound to the way I sing."
Timberlake also listened to whatever was on the radio. "I think when I
started to be old enough to develop an opinion about music I really
looked up
to Stevie Wonder, Brian McKnight, Marvin Gaye and Al Green."
Bob Westbrook of Memphis was Timberlake's vocal teacher. "From the ages
of 8
to 11 he coached me. . . . There is a definite, different way you breathe
when you sing. And things that have to happen with your body that you're
not
used to. So, he definitely taught me those things."
"When he was 8 years old he did his first performance for his school,"
Westbrook said. "And the girls were screaming for him then just like they
do
now. He loved the stage back then and he had that charisma. You either
have
it or you don't."
As for dancing, Timberlake credits Janet Jackson's 1990 "Rhythm Nation"
tour
as a big influence. "I went and saw her at the Mid-South Coliseum. And
that's
what started me off learning to dance because I was so intrigued with how
she
worked the stage. It was a show. She just didn't stand there and sing her
songs. She came and performed."
Timberlake, who knew he wanted to be a performer, set goals for himself.
"Each time you reach a goal, you set another one. And you don't stop
until
you reach that goal. The one big celebrity that I looked up to when I was
young was Michael Jordan. I think he's a perfect example of someone who
uses
[himself] as [his] own motivation. . . . I've heard stories about how he
psychs himself out and makes himself go out there and win."
Timberlake got to meet Jordan, who recently invited the group to view his
IMAX movie, Michael Jordan to the Max. "It . . . put myself out of my
shoes
for a second to be shaking hands with somebody that great."
Timberlake joined the New Mickey Mouse Club when he was 11. After he lost
on
Star Search in Nashville, he and his family stopped by an open audition
for
the Disney show. The casting director asked him to come back the next day
for
another taping.
"It was a fluke . . . If I would have won on Star Search just one time I
would have never made the audition. I just think everything happens for a
reason. I think God has His master plan and He'll lay it out for you. But
you
have to walk that road."
Timberlake met fellow 'N Sync members - J. C. Chasez, Chris Kirkpatrick,
Joey
Fatone Jr. and Lance Bass - during his early show business career. "We
just
kind of jumped into it. We put this group together ourselves and then we
found somebody who would back us moneywise."
Timberlake didn't think 'N Sync would reach such heights. "Never in my
wildest dreams would I imagine something this big happening."
He doesn't feel like he's reached legendary status yet. "No, man, I just
feel
like me. We have fun with what we do. We definitely want to perfect our
craft, but we don't take ourselves too seriously because when you do
that,
you start to fall off. You start to get too involved with yourself. . . .
"I think it's funny how we get put up on a pedestal sometimes. And I
think
the main thing I tell our fans is that we are human. . . . It's funny how
people percieve us to have had all this media training. . . . Man, I wish
we
would have had that. Otherwise, we wouldn't have said so many stupid
things
in the middle of interviews."
Since he's human, Timberlake has to keep in shape for 'N Sync's rigorous
shows. "I don't totally go to the gym all the time, but I do pushups and
stuff just to keep my stamina up. . . ."
He also plays basketball every day when he's on tour. "I have a goal they
set
up at the end of every venue behind the stage and I'll just shoot ball."
Timberlake doesn't drink or smoke. "I don't smoke 'cause I'm a singer and
I
don't drink 'cause I'm 19."
The hard work has paid off - literally. And Timberlake doesn't mind
spending
some of that money. "(I'm) really bad, man. I'm developing this thing for
cars. I've got a Mercedes M-Class truck. It's maroon and it's all chromed
out. And I've got a BMW roadster. It's the blue roadster. It's really,
really
fast. I've already gotten a ticket."
Timberlake, who was wearing a pair of Nike running shoes during the
interview, collects sneakers. He's got between 200 and 300 pair. "I
started
collecting Air Jordans. Every year they would come out with a new Air
Jordan
and I had to have it. I just have to have it. I have some in Memphis and
some
here in Orlando."
Timberlake has a house in Memphis, but he wouldn't reveal the location.
"I
don't want to give too much away. I'll have people outside my house every
holiday."
Clothing-wise, Timberlake said, "I'm a jeans and T-shirt kind of guy. You
see
me on TV wearing a lot of stuff all the time. I just wear what's
comfortable.
I'll just throw on some vintage jeans and some boots or some sneakers and
throw on the T-shirt and be on my way. . . . You have to dress up
sometimes.
I wouldn't mind wearing tennis shoes to the Oscars, to be honest, though.
I
wore just a Dolce & Gabbana suit. I think they were D and G shoes, too.
And
then Versace dressed us for the performance."
With the money and fame, being a member of 'N Sync can be lonely, too. "I
have a crazy cell phone bill. There's not a day that goes by that I don't
talk to my mother.
"She is a very strong person. And she's always been there. . . . She was
always there to say, `The moment this feeling goes away, the moment that
you
stop loving what you do and stop really wanting to do it, then it can
just
stop.' . . . My mom is like my best friend."
Timberlake now is giving his mother advice on Innosense, a singing group
she
founded and is managing. The group includes Memphian Veronica Finn.
Asked if he's dating anybody now, Timberlake said, "Well, nothing
serious.
I'll leave it at that."
Britney Spears, maybe? "Nothing serious. I'll leave it at that. There's
not
one exact person I am dating right now, so that's why I say `nothing
serious.' "
Timberlake said he'll probably get married some day. "One day I'll make a
good daddy, but not any day soon."
Timberlake, who recently appeared as a model in the TV movie, Model
Behavior,
would like to make more films. "If I did something on the screen, I think
it
would have more of a light-hearted approach. It would have a comedic
approach. That's the kind of training I had when I was . . . on the New
Mickey Mouse Club. It was skits, sketch comedy."
He's also had a couple of ideas for screenplays.
"I really think Brad Pitt is one of the most underrated actors. I think
he's
an incredible actor. And because he's a pretty face, a lot of people just
don't look at him that way. They look at him as somebody who sells sex."
'N Sync is planning a movie. "I can't tell you exactly what all it's
going to
be about because we're still developing our characters and developing the
script even as we speak. And deciding if we want it to be more musical."
Meanwhile, Timberlake is concentrating on the group. "The tour is what I
have
my mind set on right now. The album broke and did crazy things for us
this
year. If I just stop for a second (I) say, `Wow, this is amazing.' But .
. .
it just gives you more incentive to do better, to keep striving to be
that
perfect performer. . . . If you have that mindset you will achieve crazy
status. You will achieve so many things that you didn't even know you
could
do."
Looking to the future, Timberlake said, "If it all stops tomorrow, look
at
all the stuff that I can say that I've done. . . .
"Maybe one day it'll slow down, but I'm on the ride right now."
Back to Justin Time for Timberlake
