Jean Miélot, a European author and scribe at work

A scribe is a person who writes books or documents by hand as a profession and helps the city keep track of its records. The profession, previously found in all literate cultures in some form, lost most of its importance and status with the advent of printing. The work could involve copying books, including sacred texts, or secretarial and administrative duties such as taking of dictation and the keeping of business, judicial and historical records for kings, nobility, temples and cities. Later the profession developed into public servants, journalists, accountants, typists, and lawyers. In societies with low literacy rates, street corner letter-writers (and readers) may still be found providing a service.^{[citation needed]}

Ancient Egypt[link]

Egyptian scribe with papyrus scroll

The Ancient Egyptian scribe, or sesh,^[1] was a person educated in the arts of writing (using both hieroglyphics and hieratic scripts, and from the second half of the first millennium BCE the demotic script, used as shorthand and for commerce) and dena (arithmetics).^[2][3] Sons of scribes were brought up in the same scribal tradition, sent to school and, upon entering the civil service, inherited their fathers' positions.^[4]

Much of what is known about ancient Egypt is due to the activities of its scribes. Monumental buildings were erected under their supervision,^[5] administrative and economic activities were documented by them, and tales from the mouths of Egypt's lower classes or from foreign lands survive thanks to scribes putting them in writing.^[6]

Scribes were also considered part of the royal court and did not have to pay tax or join the military. The scribal profession had companion professions, the painters and artisans who decorated reliefs and other relics with scenes, personages, or hieroglyphic text. A scribe was exempt from the heavy manual labor required of the lower classes, or corvee labor.

The hieroglyph used to signify the scribe, to write, and "writings", etc., is Gardiner sign Y3, from the category of: 'writings, & music'. The hieroglyph contains the scribe's ink-mixing palette, a vertical case to hold writing-reeds, and a leather pouch to hold the colored ink blocks, mostly black and red.

Mesopotamia[link]

An account of monthly barley rations issued to adults (30 or 40 pints) and children (20 pints) written in cuneiform script on a clay tablet. Written in year 4 of King Urukagina (circa 2350 BCE). From Girsu, Iraq. British Museum, London.

The Mesopotamian scribe, or dubsar,^[7] received his education in the "tablet house," or é-dubba.^[8] As in Egypt, he was generally male^[7] and belonged socially to an elite class.^[7] The youngest of the Mesopotamian students typically received their first instruction from older students.^[7] The older students appear to have been bribed into proffering preferential treatment, such as to avoid punishing certain children.^[7] Excavations suggest that all the male children from the wealthier families of Mesopotamia were educated.^[7]

Writing in early Mesopotamia seems to that the need to document economic transactions, and consisted often in lists which scribes knowledgeable in writing and arithmetics engraved in cuneiform letters into tablets of clay.^[9] Apart from administration and accountancy, Mesopotamian scribes observed the sky and wrote literary works as well as the famous myth The Epic of Gilgamesh. They wrote on papyrus paper^[10] as well as clay tablets. They also wrote and kept records. Scribe's writing tools were made of reeds and were called a stylus.

Babylonian scribes concentrated their schooling on learning how to write both Akkadian and Sumerian, in cuneiform, for the purposes of accountancy and contract dealings, in addition to interpersonal discourse and mathematical documentations.^[8]

The Mesopotamian scribal profession was associated with the goddess Nisaba, who later would become replaced by the god Nabu.^[8]

Egyptian and Mesopotamian functions[link]

Besides the scribal profession for accountancy, and 'governmental politicking' , the scribal professions immediately branched-out into the socio-cultural areas of literature. The first stories probably related to societal religious stories, and gods, but the beginning of literature genres were starting.

In ancient Egypt an example of this is the Dispute between a man and his Ba. Some of these stories, the "wisdom literatures" may have just started as a 'short story', but since writing had only recently been invented, it was the first physical recordings of societal ideas, in some length and detail. In Mesopotamia, the Sumerians had one of the beginnings of this literature in the middle to late 3rd millennium BC, and besides their creation stories, and religious texts, there is a series of debates. An example from the small list of Sumerian disputations is the debate between bird and fish.^[11] In the other Sumerian disputes, in the debate between Summer and Winter, summer wins. The other disputes are: cattle and grain, the tree and the reed, Silver and Copper, the pickax and the plough, and millstone and the gul-gul stone.^[12]

Ancient Israel[link]

Scribes in Ancient Israel, as in most of the ancient world, were distinguished professionals who could exercise functions we would associate with lawyers, government ministers, judges, or even financiers, as early as the 11th century BCE.^[13] Some scribes copied documents, but this was not necessarily part of their job.^[14]

The Jewish scribes used the following process for creating copies of the Torah and eventually other books in the Tanakh.

1. They could only use clean animal skins, both to write on, and even to bind manuscripts.
2. Each column of writing could have no less than forty-eight, and no more than sixty lines.
3. The ink must be black, and of a special recipe.
4. They must say each word aloud while they were writing.
5. They must wipe the pen and wash their entire bodies before writing the most Holy Name of God, YHVH every time they wrote it.
6. There must be a review within thirty days, and if as many as three pages required corrections, the entire manuscript had to be redone.
7. The letters, words, and paragraphs had to be counted, and the document became invalid if two letters touched each other. The middle paragraph, word and letter must correspond to those of the original document.
8. The documents could be stored only in sacred places (synagogues, etc.).
9. As no document containing God's Word could be destroyed, they were stored, or buried, in a genizah.

Sofer[link]

A Sofer (Hebrew: סופר סת”ם‎) are among the few scribes that still ply their trade by hand. Renowned calligraphers, they produce the Hebrew Torah scrolls and other holy texts by hand to this day. They write on parchment.

Sofer accuracy[link]

Until 1948, the oldest manuscripts of the Hebrew Bible dated back to 895 A.D. In 1947, a shepherd boy discovered some scrolls inside a cave West of the Dead Sea. These manuscripts dated between 100 B.C. and 100 A.D. Over the next decade, more scrolls were found in caves and the discovery became known as the Dead Sea Scrolls. Every book in the Hebrew Bible was represented in this discovery except Esther. Numerous copies of each book were discovered, such as the 25 copies of Deuteronomy that were found.

While there are other items found among the Dead Sea Scrolls not currently in the Hebrew Bible, the texts on the whole testify to the accuracy of the scribes copying down through the ages, though many variations and errors occurred.^[15] The Dead Sea Scrolls are currently the best route of comparison to the accuracy and consistency of translation for the Hebrew Bible, due to their date of origin being the oldest out of any Biblical text currently known.

See also[link]

• Copying
• List of ancient Egyptian scribes
• Scrivener
• Scriptorium
• The Seated Scribe
• Transcription (linguistics)
• Transliteration
• Uncial
• Worshipful Company of Scriveners

Notable scribes[link]

• Ahmes
• Amat-Mamu
• Baruch
• Dubhaltach MacFhirbhisigh
• Máel Muire mac Céilechair
• Sidney Rigdon
• Sin-liqe-unninni

Notes[link]

References[link]

• Barry J. Kemp, Ancient Egypt: Anatomy of a Civilization, Routledge 2006, ISBN 0-415-23549-9, pp. 166ff.
• Henri-Jean Martin, The History and Power of Writing, University of Chicago Press 1995, ISBN 0-226-50836-6
• David McLain Carr, Writing on the Tablet of the Heart: Origins of Scripture and Literature, Oxford University Press collyn anderson2005, ISBN 0-19-517297-3

External links[link]

• Some Old Egyptian Librarians, Ernest Gushing Richardson, Charles Sribners, 1911
• Catholic Encyclopedia

This article incorporates text from Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897), a publication now in the public domain.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Scribes

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Scribes of Ancient Egypt

Justin Timberlake
Timberlake at the premiere of Shrek The Third in 2007.
Background information
Birth name	Justin Randall Timberlake
Born	(1981-01-31) January 31, 1981 (age 31) Memphis, Tennessee
Origin	Shelby Forest, Tennessee, United States
Genres	Pop, dance, R&B
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, musician, record producer, dancer, actor, businessman
Instruments	Vocals, keyboards, guitar, beatboxing
Years active	1993–present
Labels	Jive, RCA
Associated acts	'N Sync, The Y's, Timbaland, Nelly Furtado
Website	justintimberlake.com

Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981)^[1] is an American singer, actor, and businessman. He achieved early fame when he appeared as a contestant on Star Search, and went on to star in the Disney Channel television series The New Mickey Mouse Club, where he met future bandmate JC Chasez. Timberlake became famous in the late 1990s as the lead singer and youngest member of the boy band 'N Sync, whose launch was financed by Lou Pearlman.

In 2002, he released his debut solo album, Justified, which sold more than seven million copies worldwide. The album was a commercial success, spawning the hits "Cry Me a River" and "Rock Your Body". Timberlake continued his success with his second solo album, FutureSex/LoveSounds (2006), debuting at number one on the Billboard 200 chart, and produced the US number-one hit singles "SexyBack", "My Love", and "What Goes Around... Comes Around".

Timberlake has won six Grammy Awards and four Emmy Awards. His first two albums made him one of the most commercially successful singers in the world, each selling in excess of 7 million copies. He also has an acting career, having starred in films such as The Social Network, Bad Teacher and Friends with Benefits. His other ventures include record label Tennman Records, fashion label William Rast, and the restaurants Destino and Southern Hospitality.

Early life[link]

Timberlake was born in Memphis, Tennessee, the son of Lynn Harless (née Bomar) and Randall Timberlake.^[1] Timberlake is of almost entirely English descent, however he has some very distant German and Native American ancestry.^[2][3][4] His paternal grandfather, Charles L. Timberlake, was a Baptist minister, and Timberlake was raised Baptist, though now considers himself more "spiritual than religious".^[5]

Timberlake's parents divorced in 1985, and both have remarried. His mother, who now runs an entertainment company called Just-in Time Entertainment, remarried to Paul Harless, a banker, when her son was five. His father, a choir director at a Baptist church, has two children, Jonathan (born c. 1993) and Steven Robert (born August 14, 1998), from his second marriage to Lisa Perry. Timberlake's half-sister, Laura Katherine, died shortly after birth on May 14, 1997, and is mentioned in his acknowledgments in the album *NSYNC as "My Angel in Heaven."^[6] Timberlake grew up in Shelby Forest, a small community between Memphis and Millington. His first attempts at a singing career were country music songs on Star Search as "Justin Randall."^[7]

In 1993, Timberlake joined the cast of The Mickey Mouse Club. His castmates included future girlfriend and pop superstar Britney Spears, future tourmate Christina Aguilera, future bandmate JC Chasez, and future movie actor Ryan Gosling.^[8] The show ended in 1994, but late in 1995 Timberlake recruited Chasez to be in an all-male singing group organized by boy band manager Lou Pearlman^[9] that eventually became 'N Sync.

Entertainment career[link]

1995–2002: 'N Sync[link]

Timberlake and JC Chasez were the two lead singers of the popular 1990s boy band 'N Sync.^[10] The group formed in 1995, started its career 1996 in Europe, and hit it big in the United States in 1998 with the U.S. release of its debut album *NSYNC, which sold 11 million copies.^[11] The album included a number of hit singles, including "Tearin' Up My Heart". For the next two years, encouraged by similar developments with the Backstreet Boys, 'N Sync engaged in a lengthy legal battle with manager Lou Pearlman. Eventually the band signed with Jive Records.^[12] In March 2000, 'N Sync released a long-awaited album, No Strings Attached, which became the fastest-selling album of all time with 2.4 million copies sold in its first week^[13] and produced a #1 single, "It's Gonna Be Me". The release was followed by the band's third album, Celebrity, which was the second-fastest selling album of all time. In 2002, after the completion of a Celebrity Tour and the release of "Girlfriend", the third single from Celebrity, the group decided to take time off, at which point Timberlake began work on his first solo album and the group went into a hiatus. In its lifetime, 'N Sync was internationally famous and performed at the Academy Awards,^[14] the Olympics,^[15] and the Super Bowl,^[16] as well as selling more than 50 million copies worldwide,^[17] becoming the third-best selling boy band in history.^[18]

In late 1999, Timberlake made his acting debut in the Disney Channel movie Model Behavior. He played Jason Sharpe, a model who falls in love with a waitress after mistaking her for another model. It was released on March 12, 2000.^[19]

As a member of 'N Sync, Timberlake developed into a major celebrity in his own right in addition to achieving respect as a musician, since he was the writer or co-writer of all three singles from Celebrity. The rise of his own stardom and the general decline in the popularity of boy bands led to the dissolution of 'N Sync. Band member Lance Bass has stated that he believes the group is finished,^[20] and is openly critical of Timberlake's actions in his memoir Out of Sync. On the other hand, Chris Kirkpatrick remarked in August 2008 that the five remain friends, and he believed a reunion was possible:^[21] he repeated that opinion in October 2009.^[22] In September 2008, Bass also made conciliatory comments.^[23] However, in 2011 and 2012, JC Chasez said that a reunion will probably never happen.^[24][25][26]

[edit] 2002–04: Justified and Super Bowl

In August 2002, after months of recording Justified, his debut solo album, Timberlake performed at the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards. He premiered his first single, "Like I Love You", a sparse dance track produced by The Neptunes.^[27] The song reached #11 on the Billboard Hot 100.^[28] Following the single, Timberlake released Justified on November 5, 2002.^[29] The album sold fewer copies than previous 'N Sync efforts. It debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200 album chart, selling 439,000 copies in its first week of release. It eventually went on to sell more than three million copies in the U.S. and more than seven million copies worldwide.^[30] The album also received critical acclaim, thanks to its heavy R&B influence provided by hip-hop producers The Neptunes and Timbaland.^[31] It spun off hits throughout late 2002 and 2003, including the top ten singles "Cry Me a River" and "Rock Your Body".^[28] Timberlake supported the album by co-headlining the Justified/Stripped Tour with Christina Aguilera in the summer of 2003.^[32] At the end of the year, Timberlake recorded a song entitled "I'm Lovin' It". It was used by McDonald's as the theme to its "I'm Lovin' It" campaign. The deal with McDonald's earned Timberlake an estimated $6 million. A tour entitled Justified and Lovin' It Live was included with the deal as well.^[33] Timberlake was featured on Nelly's song, "Work It", which was remixed and included on Nelly's 2003 remix album.^[34]

In February 2004, during the halftime show of the Super Bowl XXXVIII broadcast on the CBS television network, Timberlake performed with Janet Jackson before a television audience of more than 140 million viewers. At the end of the performance, as the song drew to a close, Timberlake tore off a part of Jackson's black leather costume in a "costume reveal" meant to accompany a portion of the song lyrics. According to CBS, "both Jackson and Timberlake had confirmed they planned it 'independently and clandestinely' without informing anyone."^[35] Part of the costume detached, and Jackson's breast was briefly exposed.^[36] Timberlake apologized for the incident, stating he was "sorry that anyone was offended by the wardrobe malfunction during the halftime performance of the Super Bowl...."^[37] The phrase "wardrobe malfunction" has since been used by the media to refer to the incident and has entered pop culture.^[38] As a result of the controversy, Timberlake and Jackson were threatened with exclusion from the 2004 Grammy Awards unless they agreed to apologize on screen at the event.^[39] Timberlake attended and issued a scripted apology when accepting the first of two Grammy Awards he received that night (Best Pop Vocal Album for Justified and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for "Cry Me a River").^[40] He had also been nominated for Album of the Year for Justified, Record of the Year for "Cry Me a River", and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for "Where Is the Love?" with The Black Eyed Peas.^[41] In 2004 American Idol judge Simon Cowell described Timberlake in People Magazine as "just some white kid who's tried to act black over the last several years".

2004–06: Collaborations and acting[link]

After the Super Bowl controversy, Timberlake put his recording career on hold to act in several films, having starred in a few feature films earlier in his music career.^[8] The first role he took during this time was as a journalist in the thriller Edison Force, which was filmed in 2004 and received a direct-to-video release on July 18, 2006.^[42] He also appeared in the films Alpha Dog, Black Snake Moan, Richard Kelly's Southland Tales, and voiced Prince Artie Pendragon in the animated film Shrek the Third, released on May 18, 2007.^[43] He also appeared as a young Elton John, in the video for John's song "This Train Don't Stop There Anymore".^[44] Timberlake was considered to play the role of Roger Davis in the film version of the rock musical Rent, but director Chris Columbus had insisted that only the original Broadway members could convey the true meaning of Rent.^[45]

He continued to record with other artists. After "Where Is the Love?", he again collaborated with the Black Eyed Peas on the 2005 track "My Style" from their album Monkey Business.^[46] When recording the 2005 single "Signs" with Snoop Dogg, Timberlake discovered a throat condition.^[47] Nodules were subsequently removed from his throat in an operation that took place on May 5, 2005.^[48] He was advised not to sing or speak loudly for at least a few months.^[49] In the summer of 2005, Timberlake started his own record company, JayTee Records.^[50]

Timberlake made a cameo in the video for Nelly Furtado and Timbaland's single "Promiscuous", released on May 3, 2006.

[edit] 2006–07: FutureSex/LoveSounds

Timberlake at a concert in St. Paul, Minnesota (2007)

Timberlake released his second solo album, FutureSex/LoveSounds, on September 12, 2006.^[51] The album, which Timberlake created from 2005 to 2006, debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 album chart, selling 684,000 copies its first week.^[51] It is the biggest album for pre-orders on iTunes, and beat Coldplay's record for the biggest one-week sales of a digital album.^[52] The album was produced by Timbaland and Danja (who produced a bulk of the album), will.i.am, Rick Rubin and Timberlake himself, and features guest vocals by Snoop Dogg, Three 6 Mafia, T.I. and will.i.am.^[53] A studio representative described it as being "all about sexiness" and aiming for "an adult feel".^[48]

The album's lead single, "SexyBack", was performed by Timberlake at the opening of the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards and reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, where it remained for seven consecutive weeks.^[54] "My Love", the album's second single, also produced by Timbaland and featuring rapper T.I., reached number one on the Hot 100, as did third single "What Goes Around.../...Comes Around Interlude". The song is reported to have been inspired by the break-up of his childhood friend and business partner, Trace Ayala, with actress Elisha Cuthbert.^[55] In October 2006, Timberlake said that he would focus on his music career rather than his film roles, specifying that leaving the music industry would be a "dumb thing to do at this point".^[54] He was the special guest performer at the 2006 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show for being where he sang SexyBack. In January 2007, Timberlake embarked on the FutureSex/LoveShow tour. "Summer Love/Set the Mood Prelude" was the fourth U.S. single off the album, and the next single in the UK was "LoveStoned/I Think She Knows Interlude". The song "Give It to Me", a Timbaland single on which Timberlake guests with Nelly Furtado, reached the Hot 100 number-one spot.^[56]

In February 2008, Timberlake was awarded two Grammy Awards. At the 50th Grammy Awards ceremony, Timberlake won the Male Pop Performance Award for "What Goes Around...Comes Around", and the Dance Recording Award for "LoveStoned/I Think She Knows".^[57]

2007– present: Last music appearance, return to acting[link]

The song "4 Minutes", was first played by Timbaland at Philadelphia's Jingle Ball on December 17, 2007.^[58] When released on March 17, 2008, "4 Minutes" was revealed to be a duet between Timberlake and Madonna, with backing vocals by Timbaland. It was lead single from Madonna's eleventh studio album Hard Candy, which featured four other song-writing collaborations with Timberlake. The single was an international hit, topping the charts in over 21 countries worldwide.^[59] Timberlake also appears in the music video, which was directed by Jonas & François. On March 30, 2008, Timberlake performed the song at Madonna's Hard Candy Promo Show at Roseland Ballroom in New York City.^[60] On November 6, 2008, Timberlake performed the song with Madonna on the Los Angeles stop of her Sticky & Sweet Tour.^[61]

Timberlake on his Justified World Tour

Around June 2007 Timberlake co-wrote, produced and provided vocals for the songs "Nite Runner" and "Falling Down" for Duran Duran's album Red Carpet Massacre, released on November 13, 2007. "Falling Down" had been released as a single in the UK on the previous day.^[62]

Also in 2007, Timberlake made an appearance on 50 Cent's third album, Curtis. Timberlake, along with Timbaland, is featured on a track called "Ayo Technology", which was the album's fourth single. Also, another possible collaboration was to occur with Lil Wayne for his album Tha Carter III with Nelly Furtado and Timbaland.^[63]

With the wrapping up of the FutureSex/LoveSounds tour of Australasia and the Middle East in November 2007, Timberlake resumed his film career. Projects underway early in 2008 were starring roles in Mike Myers' comedy The Love Guru (released June 20, 2008) and Mike Meredith's drama The Open Road (released August 28, 2009). In March 2008 it was announced that he was to be an executive producer in an American adaptation of the hit Peruvian comedy My Problem with Women for NBC.^[64]

On November 20, 2008, TV Guide reported that Timberlake’s next single, "Follow My Lead", which also featured vocals by Timberlake’s protégée, former YouTube star Esmee Denters, would be available for exclusive download through MySpace. All proceeds would go to Shriners Hospitals for Children, a charity dedicated to improving pediatric care for sick children.^[65]

In 2008 a collaboration between Timberlake and T.I., "Dead and Gone" featured on T.I.'s sixth studio album, Paper Trail, and was released as its fourth single late in 2009. In November 2008, it was confirmed that Timberlake would make a guest appearance and produce some tracks on R&B/pop singer Ciara's upcoming album Fantasy Ride due out May 5, 2009. Timberlake featured on Ciara's second single "Love Sex Magic", the video being shot on February 20, 2009.^[66] The single became a worldwide hit, reaching the top ten in numerous countries and peaking at number one in several countries including Taiwan, India, and Turkey. The single was nominated for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals at the 52nd Grammy Awards.

Timberlake and his production team The Y's, along with Mike Elizondo, produced and co-wrote the song "Don't Let Me Down" for Leona Lewis's second studio album, Echo, released (in the US) on November 17, 2009.

Timberlake also co-wrote and performed on "Carry Out", the third single from Timbaland's album Shock Value II, released on December 1, 2009.^[67]

From 2010, Timberlake increased his acting work. He played Sean Parker, the founder of Napster, in the acclaimed film The Social Network (2010). He also appeared at the 2010 MTV VMAs on Sept. 12, 2010.^[68]

In 2011, he starred alongside Cameron Diaz in Bad Teacher and then alongside Mila Kunis in Friends with Benefits, and played Will Salas, the protagonist of In Time, a science fiction film by Andrew Niccol.^[69] He directed and made a cameo in the Free Sol music video "Hoodies On, Hats Low" which was released in August 2011.^[70]

On October 7, RCA Music Group announced it was disbanding Jive Records along with Arista Records and J Records. With the shutdown, Timberlake (and all other artists previously signed to these three labels) will release his future material on the RCA Records brand.^[71][72]

Other work[link]

Near the end of 2002, Timberlake was the first celebrity to appear on Punk'd, a "candid camera" type show created by Ashton Kutcher to trick celebrities.^[73] Timberlake, who cried during the episode, later admitted to being under the influence of marijuana when he was pranked.^[74] Three episodes later, he set up Kelly Osbourne to be "punk'd", thus making him the first celebrity to appear on the show more than once.^[75] Timberlake later spoofed Ashton Kutcher and Punk'd in a 2003 episode of NBC's Saturday Night Live.^[76]

Timberlake has hosted many music events, including the European MTV Music Awards in 2006. On December 16, 2006, Timberlake hosted Saturday Night Live, doing double duty as both host and musical guest for the second time. During this appearance, he and Andy Samberg performed an R&B song for a skit entitled "Dick in a Box", which some radio stations have aired as an unofficial single from Timberlake and has become one of the most viewed videos on YouTube. On May 9, 2009, he appeared in another SNL Digital Short opposite Samberg, Susan Sarandon and Patricia Clarkson entitled "Motherlover", a quasi-sequel to "Dick in a Box".^[77]

Timberlake appeared on Jimmy Fallon's debut as host of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on March 2, 2009.^[78]

In 2004, ABC hired Timberlake to write a song for its NBA coverage.

Timberlake is the executive producer on the MTV reality series The Phone, which premiered on April 21, 2009. According to People Magazine, the series "thrusts contestants into a heart-stopping action adventure worthy of a summer blockbuster. In six hour-long episodes, a mysterious stranger on the phone invites four strangers into the dangerous game. If they accept, they're paired into two teams and dared to perform physical and mental challenges reminiscent of Matt Damon's The Bourne Identity or Shia LaBeouf's Eagle Eye."^[79]

Other ventures[link]

Business[link]

Timberlake has co-owned or provided celebrity endorsement for three restaurants in the United States: "Chi" opened in West Hollywood, California in 2003,^[80] and "Destino" and "Southern Hospitalty" in New York opened in 2006 and 2007, respectively.^[81] He also has his own brand of tequila called 901; the name comes in part from the area code of his hometown of Memphis.^[82]

In 2005, Timberlake launched the William Rast clothing line with childhood friend Juan ("Trace") Ayala. The 2007 line contained cord jackets, cashmere sweaters, jeans and polo shirts.^[83] The pair reports inspiration from fellow Memphis native Elvis Presley: "Elvis is the perfect mixture of Justin and I," Ayala says. "You can go back and see pictures of him in cowboy boots and a cowboy hat and a nice button-down shirt, but then again you can see him in a tux and a collared shirt with rhinestones on it and slacks. We like to think 'If he was alive today, what would he be wearing?'"^[84] Target has announced that a William Rast collection, including denim, outerwear and sportswear for men and women, would launch in December and be available for a month.^[85]

Timberlake provides celebrity endorsement for many commercial products, this aspect of his business being managed by IMG Sports & Entertainment since April 2008.^[86] Major endorsements in 2009 included Sony electronic products,^[87] Givenchy's men's fragrance "Play",^[88] Audi's "A1",^[89] Callaway Golf Company products,^[90][91] and in 2011, MySpace.^[92][93]

An avid amateur golfer, in 2007 Timberlake purchased the run-down Big Creek Golf Course in his home town of Millington, Tennessee, which he redeveloped as the eco-friendly Mirimichi Golf Course at a cost of some $US16 million. It was reopened on 25 July 2009 but closed again on 15 January 2010 for further improvements expected to take six months.^[94] In October 2011, Timberlake received the Futures Award at the Environmental Media Awards for his green-conscious golf course.^[95]

Charitable causes[link]

Timberlake has been active in several charitable pursuits, initially through 'N Sync's "Challenge for the Children" aimed at a range of charities, and since 2001 through his "Justin Timberlake Foundation," which initially funded music education programs in schools, but now has a much broader agenda.^[96] In October 2005, the Grammy Association presented Timberlake with an award for his humanitarian efforts in Tennessee, alongside writer/director Craig Brewer, also a Memphis native.^[97]

In November 2007 he donated $A100,000 from takings from his Australian tour to Wildlife Warriors founded by Steve Irwin.^[98] On March 23, 2008, he donated $100,000 to the Memphis Rock 'n' Soul Museum and another $100,000 to the Memphis Music Foundation.^[99]

Timberlake golfing in 2006.

On November 12, 2007, the PGA Tour announced that Timberlake, an avid golfer who plays to a 6 handicap,^[100] would become the host of the tour's Las Vegas tournament starting in 2008. With Timberlake's agreement to host the tournament, its name was changed to the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. He played in the celebrity pro-am on the day before the competitive tournament and hosted a charity concert during the week of the tournament.^[101] The activity was a success, and was repeated in 2009. A review of the value of celebrities to fundraising concluded that Timberlake's contribution to Shriners Hospitals for Children was the single most valuable celebrity endorsement in the US during 2009, and worth over $US9 million.^[102]

Personal life[link]

Relationships[link]

Early in 1999, Timberlake began what eventually became a high-profile celebrity relationship with fellow pop singer Britney Spears, with whom he had worked on the New Mickey Mouse Club. This ended abruptly in March 2002. Lynn Harless says as a mother she too was devastated regarding the break-up, but to this day speaks warmly of Spears, "Britney grew up on my living room floor. I still love her to death. They (Justin and Britney) were together 10 or 11 years and had, from day one, instant chemistry between them. She's a sweet girl. I just hate what she's going through now." The breakup influenced the lyrics and theme of Timberlake's hit "Cry Me a River", one of the most popular singles from Justified.^[103]

Post-Spears, Timberlake has generally refused to discuss his personal life with the media, as a result of which his relationships have been the subject of much speculation in the tabloid and celebrity press. Prior to Spears, he was briefly romantically involved with Beyonce Knowles^[104] and singer-actress Stacy Ferguson.^[105] He was romantically linked with Janet Jackson (in July 2002),^[106] actress-dancer Jenna Dewan (in mid-2002),^[106] and actress-singer Alyssa Milano (between September and October 2002).^[106] Timberlake began dating actress Cameron Diaz soon after they met at the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards in April 2003. Regular rumours of break-ups reported in the tabloid press were either ignored or occasionally denied.^[107][108] On the December 16, 2006 episode of Saturday Night Live, Diaz introduced Timberlake as the night's musical guest, and the couple officially split shortly afterwards. After the tabloid press alleged an affair between Timberlake and Scarlett Johansson, with whom he had shot the video for his single "What Goes Around.../...Comes Around Interlude",^[109] Diaz and Timberlake issued a joint statement on January 11, 2007:^[110]

Later in January 2007 Timberlake was linked to Jessica Biel when pictures surfaced of the two snowboarding in Park City, Utah during the Sundance Film Festival. On May 12, 2007 romantic pictures of Timberlake and Biel on multiple dates were published.^[112][113] In the August 9–15, 2008 edition of Heat magazine, when Timberlake was asked to describe his perfect woman, he replied "About 5ft.7in.-5ft.8in., nice butt, Midwestern American, kind-of-German last name, green eyes, big pouty lips, fair skin, ahhh....sinewy bod..."^[114] However, during an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on June 11, 2008 when Jay Leno questioned him about anything related to rumors of engagement and pregnancy, Timberlake jokingly responded that he "is engaging in a conversation with Leno" and "everybody in general can get pregnant."^[115] After four years together, the couple announced their split in March 2011.^[116][117] However, by fall 2011 the couple appeared to have reunited, and in late December 2011, Timberlake proposed to Biel in the mountains of Jackson, Wyoming.^{[118][119][120]}

Other interests[link]

Timberlake was given Sexiest Man titles by Teen People and Cosmopolitan magazines.^[121] On February 17, 2009, Timberlake was named the "Most Stylish Man in America" by GQ magazine.^[122] In 2011, he ranked No. 46 on AskMen's annual rundown of the 49 Most Influential Men.^[123]

Timberlake is a fan of English football club Manchester United.^[124][125]

Justin Timberlake was asked to take a fan to her unit's annual ball in July 2011 via YouTube, and he attended the Marine Corps Ball with her (Kelsey De Santis) on Sunday, November 13, 2011 in Richmond, Virginia.^[126][127]

Discography[link]

Studio albums[link]

• 2002: Justified
• 2006: FutureSex/LoveSounds

Extended plays[link]

• 2003: Justin & Christina

DVDs[link]

• 2003: Justified: The Videos
• 2003: Live from London
• 2007: Futuresex/Loveshow – Live from Madison Square Garden

Tours[link]

Headlining

• Justified and Lovin' It Live (2003–04)
• FutureSex/LoveShow (2007)

Co-headlining

• Justified/Stripped Tour (2003) (with Christina Aguilera)

Filmography[link]

See also[link]

Music portal

• List of awards and nominations received by Justin Timberlake
• Honorific nicknames in popular music

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Justin Timberlake

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Justin Timberlake

• Official website
• Justin Timberlake at Allmusic
• Justin Timberlake at the Internet Movie Database