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CNN Spotlight
CNN Spotlight: Justin Timberlake
Aired May 23, 2014 - 21:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE, SINGER/ SONGWRITER: I'm ready.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Justin Timberlake was ready for one of the biggest years of his career which is really saying something for a Mouseketeer turns teen heartthrob, turn solo smash.
He dropped his first album in seven years.
Back by a flow of promotion and carefully planned performances. On Jimmy Fallon Show, it was the history of rap.
And then one of the highest rated Saturday night lives of the year, he was at time savvy.
And silly
The music, the moves, the motivation. Tonight in the Spotlight, Justin Timberlake.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TIMBERLAKE: Good morning everybody. I'm Justin Timberlake and I'm going to sing (inaudible).
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TURNER: Long before the millions of fans in Mega-Stardom, there was nine-year old Justin Timberlake, a small town boy with big time dreams.
TRACE AYALA: People in the music industry always talk bout this thing or that thing or whatever but he definitely always have that thing, always.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Best friends Trace Ayala grew up with Justin in Millington, Tennessee just outside of Memphis.
AYALA: And Memphis is a very, very, very musical town. Everything (inaudible) music, I mean, from the time we were a little kids, I mean you to a dinner and the bar next doors has a lot of band plan. So, I feel like Memphis brings it out in you, you know.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Whether it was a singing a gospel duets in this rare early video.
Or during the charity events channeling one of Memphis's is own, the king of rock and roll.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TIMBERLAKE: ...oh baby. I've been so lonely baby.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The grandson of a preacher and son of a choir director never passed up a change to perform.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Look at those, can you believe it
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Look at him sing.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Bob Westbrook gave Justin his first singing lessons when he was eight.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What did he have? What was that star quality?
BOB WESTBROOK: Just his mannerism and his charisma, his hair (inaudible), natural stage feel. Now you see what he's got now? Same he was there.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When Justin was just 11, his talents landed him on Star Search, the nationally televised talent show. Back then, Justin only went by his first and middle name.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: From Millington Tennessee, welcome Justin Randall.
TIMBERLAKE: Call my doctor on the telephone, help me doctor something is wrong.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TURNER: The young singer with a 10 galloon hat seemed comfortable in the Spotlight.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TIMBERLAKE: I can hear you, I can play. It turn me everyway from there (inaudible).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Four stars...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But in the end...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our challenger goes to Randall receives (inaudible).
(END VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: His performance failed to win over the star search judges.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Congratulations for you and...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: With his mothers unwavering support, Justin continue chasing his dreams.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Lynn was very much a loving mother and wanted Justin to have every opportunity that he could and to take his talent where he wanted to take it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Shortly after losing star search, Justin heard about an open casting call for the Disney TV show, a Mickey Mouse Club.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So I went in audition, I remember, if I would have won on Star Search, I will never ever seen that audition. It sounds -- it's really funny how stuff works out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I can imagine that had been a huge deal when he landed that.
AYALA: It was a huge deal.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A huge deal because now Justin would be singing, dancing and acting as part of a who's who of teenage heartthrob including Christina Aguilera, Ryan Gosling, Jessy Shaji and one sparkling 11 year old Mouseketeer who caught Justin's eye.
Britney Spears.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Chuck Yerger tutored Justin and the other child stars on the show.
These are your kids?
CHUCK YERGER: Yes, you are right.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So kind of show me who's...
YERGER: OK. We start down in here with Christina Aguilera, we go up already showing a bear (inaudible), Britney Spears and then Justin Timberlake next with her.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: With his arm around Britney, that was foreshadow. But just two years after joining the show, the Spotlight suddenly vanished when the Mickey Mouse Club was cancelled. And Justin had to return to his sleepy home town in Tennessee.
AYALA: You know for him, it was tough. He would step out and go and experience a new culture and the fashion trends, you know, things like get a new hair styles. Where he grew people, they're not open to change, you know, they don't like change.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I can imagine people picking on Justin. Kids picking on him.
AYALA: You know, you and your boy and you live in the south, it's tough. It's tough to be a boy in the South. But it also, I think prepared him for what was the coming of future with having tough skin.
TIMBERLAKE: A group in small town and I definitely fall like I was an individual, always.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Coming up, Justin leaves his hometown after receiving a phone call that would change his life forever.
CHRIS KIRKPATRICK: When I heard him saying, I mean, you know, it was just unbelievable.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A short time after 14 year old Justin Timberlake hung up his mouse ears, he got a phone call that would propel him back into the spotlight.
Chris Kirkpatrick had been tapped by Lou Pearlman, the successful of the Backstreet Boys to put together another boy band. An agent sent Chris a tape.
KIRKPATRICK: Started listening and I was like, wow, this kid can sing and I look to the head shot and I was like Justin Timberlake. I was like Justin Timberlake, why is that sound familiar and it's like he was on the Mickey Mouse Club and all this think. And I was like, "This guy would want to be in my band," like...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Was there any kind of, "Well, he's really young." Was there any thought about that.
KIRKPATRICK: There was. There was.
JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE: I've been so lonely baby...
KIRKPATRICK : But when I heard him sing, I mean, you know, it was just unbelievable like his voice was just -- especially at that age, it was so mature and he had so much control over, you know, this kid is so unbelievable, like I'm going to at least try. I'm going to make a phone call, awkward phone call and see if I can get this to work.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It did work. The group which would include ex- Mouseketeer JC Chasez, Joey Fatone and Lance Bass call themselves 'N Sync.
TIMBERLAKE: My mother came up with the name. First time we sang together she's goes, "Man, you got sound really in sync really like ding, ding, ding."
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: With Pearlman's backing some members of the group including Justin and his mom moved in to a house in Orlando. They recorded their music in a secret hideaway nearby.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's almost like in a fun house.
KIRKPATRICK: Right? And that kind of what it was, I mean it's got like every luxury you could imagine.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So life for Justin in the house.
KIRKPATRICK: He's already done the Mickey Mouse Club. Now the difference was during the daytime if we didn't have anything to do, Justin would have to be in the dining room with his tutor, you know, taking classes and doing school.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Six hours a day.
KIRKPATRICK: Yup, he would outwork anybody.
TRACE AYALA: Driven, driven, driven always and all the time, but he's definitely the hardest working person I know.
TIMBERLAKE: I like to rehearse. I like to know where every spot on the stage is going to be. I like to know where the camera frames are going to be, you know, and I think it always comes up the better because of it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And the hard work would eventually payoff. After two years of relentless touring overseas, Justin and 'N Sync hit it big in the US with a Disney concert special filling in in the last minute replacement for the Backstreet Boys.
WRIGHT: And it just so happened that the guys were in Orlando and ready and when that call was made to Disney and say, "Hey, we can fill that spot." They rose the occasion, they went and did it. That was some big moment for us.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 'N Sync became the new teenage heartthrob. But behind the success, this trust was (inaudible) between 'N Sync and Lou Pearlman.
WRIGHT: When you're getting up at 5:00 o'clock in the morning and going radio and you're spending 24 hours on the job and someone else is at home going to the stake houses and making 75 percent of the money, all of a sudden it's like wait, something's got to change.
KIRKPATRICK: We're generating so much revenue in all the stuff, where is all that money?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Pearlman have taken 'N Sync to the top of the charts. But in 1999 when the group wanted to switch record labels, Pearlman sued threatening to take the band's name and block them from performance, 'N Sync countersued.
KIRKPATRICK: It was scary that if we separated from Lou that we would lose Johnny Wright and we would lose all of our connections, we would lose our record label, we would lose all these things and end up, you know, back at square one singing, you know, at the downtown high school.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In the end, lawsuits were settled out of court.
LANCE BASS: And right now it's basically about the fans and our music and we're so proud that all our fans came out here to support us.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sign to a new record label, Justin and 'N Sync turn their attention to the release of their second album (inaudible) titled No Strings Attached.
In its first week alone, No Strings Attached sold 2.4 million copies making it the fastest selling albums of all time.
Despite of growing frenzy, they're growing bank accounts and the growing adoration of millions of fans.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How much do you like 'N Sync?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A lot, kind of like a lot.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Those close to Justin say his feet never let the ground.
WRIGHT: You know, when people get this big in this business, sometimes they get a big head and they entourage start to grow and they become in the situation where you kind of-- they're unobtainable and you can't talk to them anymore. He's that guy that's still approachable.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Justin's apparent humility seemed only matched by his talent and drive.
KIRKPATRICK: I always felt like I was like Mozart's older brother. He's so good at what he does and he's so, you know, he hits on every (inaudible) all the time.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's kind of like you're ...
KIRKPATRICK: It is.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: ... describing the savant.
KIRKPATRICK: Exactly. Exactly, that's exactly what he is. He's a savant.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But it wasn't only Justin's talent in the spotlight so was his love life.
LARRY KING: Britney Spears and you. Can you give us the -- this is Larry King Live, we don't fool around.
TIMBERLAKE: We are dating.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: From the moment they confirmed their relationship to the moment it ended, Britney and Justin were a tabloid dream. Despite it all, Justin remained focused on the music, taking the lead and crafting the groups of third album, Celebrity. Which included a lead single that seem to take aim at 'N Sync's detractors who derisible labeled their music Pop.
As a member of 'N Sync, Justin Timberlake had done the unsinkable. He made liking a boy band cool.
Coming up, from boy to man. Justin sets out on a solo career and finds himself at the center of controversy.
AYALA: It was definitely a big emotional rollercoaster.
(Commercial Break)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was 2002, 'N Sync has sold millions of album and Justin Timberlake was bonafide heartthrob. But band-mate Chris Kirkpatrick says life for the man was all business.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I this the compound?
KIRKPATRICK: This is the compound. And we all tried and learn our instruments, you know, better than the next guy, everybody just worked to that goal, you know.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So it wasn't a crazy house, it was a focused house.
KIRKPATRICK: Yes, it wasn't crazy at all. I mean it wasn't like, you know, you would think like there's girls over all the time, it was this -- I mean it was work. There was never ...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The girls.
KIRKPATRICK: No, I mean that -- well ...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Maybe a couple.
KIRKPATRICK: Honestly as crazy as this sound, I wasn't that type of vibe.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: With his fans, Justin had a vibe all his own.
GALLO: I think there's an appealing to him. He's been foresee it as a relationship guy. Justin Timberlake's female fans wearing T-shirts say Mrs. Timberlake. I want to be Mrs. Timberlake. They're not saying I want to be a one night stand.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If he was smooth on stage ...
KIRKPATRICK: This one is triple platinum. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: ... he seems even smoother in the studio.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is it fair to say that Justin is a perfectionist.
KIRKPATRICK: He is a perfectionist but there's no work involved for it. You know, it's really just boom, boom, done.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: One take Timberlake, right.
KIRKPATRICK: First is like 16 hours in the garage and, you know, one take Timberlake.
WRIGHT: He got together with one of his friends and they created the song Gone.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Justin's writing skills were getting noticed by the biggest names in the industry like Michael Jackson.
WRIGHT: Michael's people came and I said, "Hey, you know, I think Michael wants to record that record." And I looked at Justin and I was like, "You're not giving that record away." Because I knew how important that record was to him and what it meant for him as a writer to finally get some, you know, respect making a statement to say I'm a writer too.
TIMBERLAKE: We're very, very, very excited to be here.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In 2002, Justin launched the solo career that would define his next decade.
WRIGHT: Everybody was kind of figuring out what we're going to do for the next six months? And then Justin kind of tap me and says, "I know what I'm going to do." He says, "I've had this music inside me for quite a while. I'm going to take this time and I'm going to go make a record."
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That album Justified was hot enough to land his solo act as the super bowl half time show. But when a "wardrobe malfunction" exposed Janet Jackson's bare breast ...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He is now apparently committed the crime of the century.
AYALA: He was very, very -- he was definitely emotional (inaudible) because that was, you know, coming of through performance at the super bowl, it's wow, you know, you have airplanes flying around L.A. they convict Justin and Janet, you know, put banners like it was pretty crazy.
TIMBERLAKE: It's completely, completely, completely regrettable.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A swift apology put Justin back on track. And his star continued to rise. His career would expand from music to movies include...
TIMBERLAKE: I'm Sean Parker.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The Social Network.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Nice to meet you.
TIMBERLAKE: Million dollars isn't cool. You know what's cool?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You?
TIMBERLAKE: A billion dollars.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Two business ventures. For starters, a clothing line called William Rast with best friend Trace Ayala.
AYALA: We build this brand and then release William Rast.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Was he hands on?
AYALA: Justin?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
AYALA: Yes, his too hands on.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You're like (inaudible).
AYALA: No, no, no. Yes, but he's very hand on. I mean he's rivets bottom, stitching, you know, he was definitely very, very hands on.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Add to the business ventures, two Grammies for the man who brought Sexy Back.
And even an Emmy for this guy on SNL. But best of all Justin would likely say finding the real Mrs. Timberlake.
AYALA: He was always into Jessica.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Trace was the best man of Justin and actress Jessica Biel were married in October.
AYALA: You know, he was always a celebrity crush.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Really?
AYALA: Yeah, absolutely.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A new wife and a new album with his old friend Timbaland.
AYALA: Timbaland come in have his headphones on him and sit there and he's playing something, you know, and then Justin sitting there in the corner and finishes, starts picking up on -- he'll run over and then do this, do this, it's crazy watching them work.
WRIGHT: Him and Tim had basically four weeks, and the though pattern was we're going to make a record, put it up for the summer just to have some new music out there. And in 20 days, they made 20 songs.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The 2020 experience released in two parts, featured a notable collaboration between Justin and Jay-Z.
WRIGHT: You know, obviously, there was chemistry that happen when they came in studio together and make certain time, it became the to lead off record.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: By working with Jay-Z, he's getting an artist who is as well formed as he is and in a way it is a grown up approach to singing and rapping together on a same song.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: MTV presented Justin Timberlake with a Michael Jackson video Vanguard awards at the 2013 VMA. Justin performed the medley of his greatest hits and surprised the crowd with some old friends, his former band-mate from 'N Sync.
TIMBERLAKE: I'm not sure how many in VMAs that I've won but I know that somewhere around half of them are with the group. And so I felt like this would be a nice moment to send tribute to those guys and I just wanted to include them in that moment.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 2013 was one of the biggest years in Justin's career and it seems like his star is only rising. He appears in two movies, earned three awards at the American Music awards and kicked off a world tour. Even so, Justin doesn't take anything for granted.
TIMBERLAKE: If there's anything that I've learned in my experience, it's to either like stop and enjoy those moments. Because, you know, they're over before you know it. Now, it's just about enjoying these moments and, you know, you go for moments and moment to moment to moment.
