Justin Timberlake will host this weekend’s season finale of “Saturday Night Live” with musical guest Lady Gaga, an episode that I’m genuinely looking forward to. And since I only get to say that once or twice a year about “SNL” (the other occasions being when Jon Hamm or Alec Baldwin host), I’ve embedded the Timberlake/Andy Samberg promos below. Even when Timberlake is mired in a totally moronic premise, he still goes all in and gets the maximum comedic value from a bit. That stupid handsome talented son of a bitch. I hate him.

Read the rest of this entry »

Good news: Justin Timberlake has been confirmed as the host of the season finale of “Saturday Night Live” on May 21st. He’ll be joined by musical guest Lady Gaga. It will be Timberlake’s fourth time hosting; Gaga last appeared on the show in October 2009.

It’s hard to believe that Timberlake has only hosted the show three times dating back to 2003, given how many memorable sketches he’s appeared in — Dick in a Box, Motherlover, the Single Ladies dance, Breakfast Competition, the Barry Gibb Talk Show, Immigrant Tale, and Hip Hop Kids, to name a few (although it’s worth noting that he’s made some non-hosting appearances). Along with Jon Hamm, he’s probably the best “SNL” host today. Not bad for someone who used to be a boy band star with Top Ramen hair.

Over the course of three hosting gigs at “Saturday Night Live,” Justin Timberlake has established himself as one of the best hosts of the show in recent history. He displays a willingness to go to any length for a laugh, and he’s appeared in more memorable sketches and and digital shorts than any other host in the Internet era. But would he ever actually join the cast? He says he would:

Justin told the TV show Extra that if the show offered him a one-to-two-year contract, he would “absolutely” sign on the dotted line.” [ComedyNews via Splitsider]

Let’s get the necessary caveats out of the way: “Extra” usually only talks to celebrities as they’re walking down a red carpet to something more important (in this case, probably a Yogi Bear premiere), so he probably just said whatever would get the microphone out of his face the fastest. Also, this news is being reported by a website that doesn’t know how to use quotation marks. So yeah, ponder this with a boulder of salt.

That said, it’s certainly an intriguing idea. Would his presence overshadow hosts with lesser star power? Would the novelty of his talent wear off if we saw him every week? Would his recurring sketches get driven into the ground? Should I get this boil lanced? I don’t know, but I think it’s important that we argue about it until Timberlake and Lorne Michaels issue statements later today that dismiss the idea.

Justin Timberlake was a guest on “Late Night” to promote The Social Network last night, and like most people with an ounce of musical taste, he took the time to lavish the Roots with well deserved praise. That served as a segue for Fallon and Timberlake to launch into a three-minute medley of hip-hop classics, starting with the Sugarhill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight” before touching on a variety of numbers from acts like the Beastie Boys, A Tribe Called Quest, Snoop Dogg when he was good, plus modern schlock like “Soulja Boy” before closing with Jay-Z’s “Empire State of Mind.”

Video below. Watch it now, because NBC’s online rights to the music will expire in a couple of days.

Read the rest of this entry »

Justin Timberlake directed this commercial for 901 tequila (a brand he owns), and let’s just say I don’t expect him to be lining up directorial projects. Not only does this have some astoundingly terrible copy (empires are like cakes?), but it’s darker than a David Fincher movie. And not dark as in mood, but dark as in “We forgot to get lights for the set.” See for yourself. Here’s an actual screen cap from the ad:

Okay, so I added Sombrero Cat, but I didn’t play with the lighting at all. You have to admit, it’s better with Sombrero Cat. Everyone knows you sell tequila with sombreros and six-shooters, not hot women. So take that, Timberlake. Why don’t you just stick to singing and dancing and acting and wearing cool clothes and pleasing my girlfriend?

[Gawker via The Playlist]