Justin Timberlake talks to Terry Gross about doing comedy:

I’ve always thought that there was humor everywhere. As a kid, I grew up an only child, and nothing made me happier than to make my parents laugh. … I had a Jackson 5 wig that I would wear around, and I would do the dances from the Jackson 5, and my mother thought that was hysterical. Of course, that seed got planted very early, the physicality of comedy. When I was a kid, I would impersonate anything that I would hear. [That’s] why I was able to become a musician and a singer. What I was more talented at, more than anything — because I don’t think I’m a great singer — I grew up imitating different voices that I heard, and when I was young my mother used to listen to a lot of a Southern rock station in Memphis, and I grew up imitating all of those voices that I heard when I was young.”

Since he gives a shout out to his mom here it’s a good excuse to revisit the Timberlake-Samberg modern classic, “Motherlover.”

Pop music critic Ken Tucker reviews the new Justin Timberlake album 20/20 Experience:

Timberlake has always been a hard worker, and an early adaptor to the notion of marketing himself as a brand. Perhaps as a side benefit to what has proven his invaluable grooming and training as a Disney Mouseketeer, Timberlake knows that presentation and promotion need not degrade the product. From his own good taste, he knows that product can be transmuted into art. And by instinct and ambition, he wants to showcase that art-product to reach the maximum audience.

Image via the artist

These guys.

The Fresh Air interviews with Justin Timberlake and Jay-Z are both great.

Today’s guest on the right (Jimmy Fallon.) On the left, Justin Timberlake, who was already on Fresh Air.

Everything that we did was based around a cappella harmonies. That’s what we wanted to be in the beginning, an a cappella group. So that is why we put five guys in the group. When we were forming the group, there wasn’t a boy-band phenomenon. Nirvana and Pearl Jam were probably the top two acts in the world at the time, so we never knew at what capacity everything was going to work out for us. I don’t think we thought it was going to be as big as it became.

— Justin Timberlake, on the success of *NSYNC, during an interview with Terry Gross about his music and acting jobs.

Justin Timberlake, on recording the song digital short “Dick in a Box” from Saturday Night Live: We recorded it that night, and we were laughing so hysterically — and probably through the delirium of trying to write something so funny, this came out of it. We knew it would be funny on some level, because we were laughing with each other on the Friday we filmed the video. And then on Saturday they edited it and Saturday night it was put out on television. … We weren’t parodying anyone in particular. I think the style in which we were doing the song was early-’90s R&B, so when we had that as a basis, we said ‘How ridiculous can we make this?’ Because then at that point, it’s just about making it as funny as possible.”

Our guest today will bring sexy back to Fresh Air (as if sexy ever left…)

minirachel:

Jennifer: Are you dying?

Me: I’m dead.

Jimmy, Justin, and The Roots.

Tomorrow: Justin Timberlake. Terry Gross. %^%$^ in a Box.

allthegoodsouls:

Justin Timberlake: Could we not objectify Jon with all this cat-calling?

All in one photo: Monday’s guest: Jon Stewart. Wednesday’s guest: Justin Timberlake.

Film critic David Edelstein on the acting in The Social Network: “Only singer Justin Timberlake comes through with a nuanced performance as the sleazy former Napster co-creator whose hustle is just what Facebook needs.” (Picture: Merrick Morton/Columbia Pictures)