Wednesday, August 10, 2011

INTRODUCTION

     For this celebrity blog profile, our team chose to explore the fame of Justin Timberlake.  Throughout this project, we learned a variety of interesting things about Justin and his multi-faceted career.  He has successfully built himself a very positive star image reflecting both his professional and personal life, and this image is reinforced and well received through fan reception and media discourse. His hard work has paid off leading to his widespread fame throughout the entertainment industry in the realms of acting, singing, dancing, and fashion design. Through his strong work ethic and ability to take advantage of all given opportunities, Justin Timberlake can be interpreted in American culture as a living example of the “American Dream”.

OVERVIEW

Justin Randall Timberlake was born on January 31, 1981, in Memphis Tennessee to Lynn Harless and Randy Timberlake. From the time he was a small child, Timberlake has been performing in front of crowds and showcasing his talents to anyone who would listen. He appeared on the television show Star Search when he was just 11 years old, while he didn’t win the competition it provided him with his first taste of show business. Timberlake was a part of the hit TV series, The All New Mickey Mouse Club that also featured future stars such as Ryan Gosling, Keri Russell, J.C. Chasez, Christina Aguilera, and Britney Spears. Justin went on to become a member of *N Sync at the age of 14, releasing their self titled debut album in 1998, the first of a string of hits for the popular boy band. *N Sync later went on to produce three more albums, Home for Christmas (1998), No Strings Attached (2000), and Celebrity (2001). *N Sync received numerous awards during their time together. Winning best new artist in 1998, winning Favorite Pop and New Artist at the American Music Awards in 1999. Other awards included Viewers Choice and Best Pop Video for their hit song “Bye Bye Bye”, as well as seven Nickelodeon Teen Choice Awards and six MTV Video Music Awards throughout their career.
            Timberlake went on to focus on his solo singing career in 2002, working on his debut album Justified. Justified went on to produce five singles, and to sell ten million copies worldwide. Timberlake’s debut solo album also won two Grammy’s in 2004. Timberlake’s second solo album dropped in 2006, four years after his first solo album. FutureSex/LoveSounds was also a tremendous hit for Timberlake, selling ten million albums worldwide and four million in just the United States alone. FutureSex/LoveSounds was nominated for four Grammy Awards, winning Best Dance Recording for SexyBack and Best Rap/Sung Colalboration for My Love.
            Justin Timberlake is far more than just a singer or songwriter. In fact he has done a little of just about everything in the entertainment industry. Timberlake has been a producer for other high profile artists such as Ciara, Madonna, Rihanna, T.I., 50 Cent, and Duran Duran.  Apart from music Timberlake is often found acting in various roles on Television and even in motion pictures. His resume includes three time host of Saturday Night Live, winning an Emmy for one of his performances. On top of that Justin Timberlake has hosted Nickelodeon’s Kid’s Choice Awards, ESPN’s ESPY Awards in 2008, MTV’s Europe Music Awards, and also served as an executive producer on the MTV reality show, The Phone.  Timberlake also has been featured in quite a few roles on the big screen. Playing in Alpha Dog, Black Snake Moan, Shrek the Third and Love Guru. More recent films for Timberlake include, The Social Network, Yogi Bear, Bad Teacher and Friends with Benefits. Aside from the singing, acting, and producing, Timberlake also serves as Chairman & CEO of Tennman Records; he created William Rast, a high-end clothing line with his childhood friend Trace Ayala.  Timberlake also has endorsements with Callaway Golf, Sony Music Entertainment, and Sony Electronics, along with hosting his own charity golf event for Shriners Hospital.
            With a career spanning over every field of entertainment, Justin Timberlake has made a considerable impact in each one he has been a part of. From his award winning music with *N Sync and his solo career, to acting and producing he has been a force to be reckoned with in the entertainment industry.

CONSTRUCTION

Justin Timberlake represents the type of man every girl wants to marry and every man wants to be.  Justin has good looks, charm, success, a sense of humor, a smart sense of style, and much more.  He can schmooze the ladies with his good looks and charm, all while singing love songs they feel Justin wrote just for them.  He can relate to his male fans with his likeability, his sense of humor, and his personal style that shine through in his acting roles.  Whether he is singing, acting, dancing, or taking photos, there is something in Justin for every fan.  This sense of versatility intertextually and extratextually contributes to the construction of Justin Timberlake’s star image: The Total Package.
            Intertextually, Justin Timberlake is a respected and successful singer, dancer, actor, and fashion designer.  Musically, he has managed to evolve from a teen heartthrob as one fifth of the pop sensation NSYNC to a more adult singer/songwriter with his solo albums Justified and Future Sex/Love Sounds.  With NSYNC, his target audience was the young, female population.  Although he was very successful with this group of people, he managed to keep that fan base, as well as transition to the more adult fan base—both male and female—with his edgier solo projects. Justin made a similar transition in acting, starting out in such juvenile Disney films like Model Behavior then going onto play a hardcore drug dealer in Alpha Dog and finally a twenty-something guy having sex with his best friend in Friends with Benefits.  This evolution in his acting styles and movie choices has yet again contributed to the expansion of his fan base. He is no longer able to fit in just one mold or social type. 
            Extratextually, or Justin’s private/personal life, also contributes to this idea of him being the total package.  He does not fit into just one category or either extraordinary or ordinary.  In his book Stars, Richard Dyer talks about the overlap of the two seen in different stars.  He gives two ways in which stars represent this and for Justin, that is his ability to be “seen as ordinary people who live more expensively than the rest of us but are not essentially transformed by this” (Dyer 43).  Justin lives the lavish lifestyle: homes in different states and cities, beautiful girlfriends, fast cars, luxurious vacations.  However, his ability to remain in touch with his fans and appear so down to earth allows for him to remain, in some sense, “ordinary”.  He takes time out of his busy schedule to talk to fans, wave at passing fans, and take pictures with fans. He remains relatable with them with this type of two-way communication he has created with his fans.
            Both intertextually and extratextually, Justin Timberlake represents ‘The Total Package.”  In his private or personal life we see his ability to represent the American Dream and all that comes along with that type of lifestyle.  He lives this luxurious lifestyle gained from hard work and determination.  Still, while living with this sort of extravagance, he remains grounded and appreciative of his family, friends, and fans that have helped give him this sort of life.  Intertextually, his versatility to be a sort of cross-over star has contributed to his construction as “The Total Package.”  He has the ability to appeal to both male and female audiences of a variety of different ages and backgrounds.  With attributes like this, there is not much Justin won’t be able to do.

SOCIETY AND CULTURE

Stardom has become embedded within American culture. Stars have become a social phenomenon, and have significance and meaning within culture. These stars are not known personally by the general public, so all perceptions of them are constructed socially within American ideologies and media texts. Justin Timberlake is no exception to this phenomenon. His star image is built through the culture and society that surrounds him. He manages to embody American ideas, such as the “American Dream”, but he still appears to be more than that. It almost seems as if he is a cross-over, or that he is a transcending star forcing us to look at opportunities in a new way.
            The perceptions of stars are formed through ideologies. Ideologies are a “set of ideas and representations in which people collectively make sense of the world and the society in which they live” (Stars 2). Within these ideologies many aspects of American society play a part in perception formation such as class, gender, and race. Justin Timberlake is no exception to this, and it is within these divisions that his meaning begins to be formed. His identity may be embodied physically, but the meaning is constructed socially, culturally, and historically. When someone looks at Timberlake, they may just see an “ordinary” American white male. However, he does a great job of proving that he is far from ordinary, and he shows this through both his professional and personal life. He proves himself with his fans and family by being a friendly and relatable guy, staying humble, and being grateful for what he has achieved. Timberlake has also done a far from ordinary job is getting himself involved in many different modes of success. He has gone from boy band singer, to solo singer, to actor, to fashion designer. He has managed to prove his strong work ethic and ability to take advantage of all given opportunities by being successful in all aspects of his career. It seems that he embodies the societal idea of the “American Dream”. He has it all and he does it all, it looks as if he has everything any American man could imagine. Yet, Justin Timberlake’s success and popularity wasn’t achieved without a great amount of work. He has taken advantage of every chance he has been given, and he has worked as hard as possible to achieve and maintain his success.
            Aside from his embodiment of the “American Dream”, Justin Timberlake can be viewed as a transcending star. Dyer describes transcendence as a star who “produces a fresh point of view, a feeling of integrity, and makes a new man” and also as someone who can “redefine and recreate standards by which experience is to be judged” (Stars24). Timberlake doesn’t necessarily go out and break the rules, but he has brought about a new perspective. He has shown that it is possible to achieve all that you want as long as you work hard. He has proven that he isn’t the typical “all-American white male” who expects things to be handed to them or gets lazy. He has worked hard to prove himself in every way. He really is the “total package” of looks, charisma, work ethic, success, and respect. This amazing image he has formed is well received by his fans. His fan base has developed over the years, and in some ways he can be looked at as a cross-over star. Mary Beltran defines a cross-over star as “non-white performers who succeed in becoming popular with white audiences” (277). Justin Timberlake is white, so this exact definition doesn’t apply, but the concept does. He has managed to become someone who appeals to many difference types and ranges of audiences, and he appears to be appreciated by all of them.


INDUSTRY

Justin Timberlake has his foot in almost every door of the entertainment industry.  He is a successful singer both collaboratively and as a solo artist.  He is a respected actor in a variety of different genres of film.  His live performances offer not only amazing singing talents but dancing that is a performance all of its own.  Finally, he is a well-known fashion designer, creating both men’s and women’s fashion with his business partner Trace Ayala.  He does each of these so well and with such success that it would seem quite easy to market Justin Timberlake to almost any audience.  Fortunately for Justin, his ability to transition from a younger teen star to a sophisticated business has made that an easy task. 
            Graeme Turner talks about marketing a “celebrity-commodity” in his chapter, The Economy of Celebrity.  What Turner suggests is that most representatives of celebrities—the agents, managers, publicists—have to decide if their client, or commodity, is going to be a long-lasting success, or someone that is a “hot property” at the time (Turner 194).  At the beginning of his career, Timberlake might have been seen as this “compelling but short-term interest” whose fame could be maximized in a certain, particular method (Turner 194).  As a member of the boy band NSYNC, Justin was a part of the teen pop phenomenon with the likes of Britney Spears, Mandy Moore, Backstreet Boys, and many more.  This type of fame attracted a specific fan base and created a particular star image.  The fan base tended to be young tween and teen girls who idolized these pop sensations, instantly creating a sort of wholesome star image.  These pop stars were expected to be role models for their young fans, and needed to be such if they intended to keep them. Justin and the rest of the members of NSYNC were able to be quite successful commodities in the pop industry.  They played into this star image and interacted well with their young female fan base, making them the most popular pop stars of the boy band era.
            Like all eras, the boy band era ended and so did NSYNC, but Justin Timberlake did not.  He beat the odds and ended up not being the sort of short term commodity that the industry expected him to be.  Instead, Timberlake transitioned into the adult world of celebrity, attracting both male and female audiences of all ages and backgrounds with his solo singing career and more mature acting roles.  In order to be successful in this sort of transition, Timberlake and his team had to create a marketing plan that would allow him to be this sort of cross over star.  He had to choose the right roles and the right music scene that would not only keep the fans he had in NSYNC, but allow him to grow and mature with them.  He left behind the roles associated with tweens and headed in a more adult direction with both his music and his acting, allowing him to keep that audience that grew with him during his pop days as well as garner a new, more mature audience that would see his versatility and relatability to both males and females.

RECEPTION

      Joshua Gamson discusses audience reception and the ways in which media coverage represents them. He states that “the working assumption is that media institutions are in touch with and reflect audience interest” (Gamson 115). He is suggesting that the way the media covers a celebrity, or how much they cover them, reflects how audiences feel about or desire that specific celebrity. A large part of this audience includes fans, which are typically more invested in the celebrity than most people. Ultimately, when it comes to fans, Justin Timberlake has no shortage of them. He is constantly brought up in different media outlets, and it’s no secret that his fan base is huge. There are people all over the world obsessed with him, what he’s doing, who he’s doing it with, and why he’s doing it. This has led to many fan sites such as websites, Facebook pages, and YouTube videos. In an analysis of one of each of these, it is clear that Timberlake is well received by his fans and that he appreciates all of them.
            The first fan site that we analyzed is Timberlake’s fan webpage worldofjustin.com. This website has a variety of things such as his biography, photos, trailers, and tons of articles about him. The website is written in a very positive tone, and portrays him as a very relatable guy. In the biography section it starts by saying how he was just a regular guy from Tennessee who turned into a pop sensation. His ordinariness is also shown in one article on the main page with him and his Friends with Benefits costar Mila Kunis. In the article he talks about gay marriage and how he believes things should be equal. This shows how through all his fame, success, and package of skills, he still manages to be an ordinary guy addressing ordinary issues just like all of us.
            The second fan site we analyzed was a Facebook page promoting Timberlake. The page is not run by him, and the pictures appear to be professionally done, so rather than being ran by fans it’s more a site for fans. This is a chance for fans to share their thoughts and opinions and also to ask questions. The page had over eleven million “likes” and is filled with many “I love Justin!” comments. When looking through all of the comments, hardly anything negative could be found written about him. It seems that this is definitely more a site for those who love him than anything else, and based on the “likes” there are many of these people.
            The last fan site we analyzed was a YouTube video made by a fan at the 2011 MTV Movie Awards. You can see Timberlake in the distance, and you can hear all of the fans yelling for him. He starts by joking around with them pointing at his watch and such, but eventually comes over to talk to them. He takes pictures with many of them, and when a bus of tourists drive by he makes a point of waving at them until the bus has completely passed. When he leaves, all of his fans are thanking him, and Timberlake even stops on his walk back for one last fan picture. This shows his loyalty to his fans and how much he appreciates them. Although he was busy, he came to speak and take pictures with them, then he waved to make sure those on the bus felt attention, and finally he stopped for that one last fan. It seems that he realizes how lucky he is to have his fans, and he loves them for having been there along his journey.
            When analyzing who Justin Timberlake is through his fan reception, an important question that may come to mind is who are these fans? Who are these people who hang on Timberlake’s every word, post up his pictures, share their experiences of him, and scream and yell with excitement as he comes by? It appears that Justin Timberlake has fans in every shape and form. While his main fan base of the early boy band years may have been tween girls, this is no longer the case. It seems that his fan base consists of males and females, adults and the younger crowd, people of all different religions and cultures, the high school nobody and the college cheerleader, and everyone in between.
            Through analysis of these different fan sources and who these fans are, it gives the impression that Justin Timberlake is well liked, has countless fans, and that he appreciates how important they are. Due to his tendency to come across so ordinary, his humor, his concern for issues we all deal with, and his talents which transmit in so many forms, it’s easy to see why he has the fans that he does. He also appears to realize that his fans are what make him such a successful person, and he takes time to appreciate that. It’s no wonder that his fans adore him.

DISCOURSE

Justin Timberlake can be found in the tabloids on a nearly daily basis. Featured in articles found in US Weekly, People Magazine, along with various other magazines. Interviews and special stories can be seen on E! News, Entertainment Tonight, and also TMZ. The types of stories written about him vary greatly; while they may have some of the same general information they all seem to flaunt a different focus point of the article, capitalizing on the economy of the tidbit. (Gamson, P. 91) The media focus can range from his career, his love life, and also his life around his family and friends. We found three articles from People Magazine that all highlight a different aspect of Justin Timberlake, showing us how dynamic he is as a person and as a performer, shining some light on who Justin Timberlake might really be as an individual.
The first article we selected was featured in People Magazine in August 2003, titled “Touched by an Angel.” This article focused solely on Timberlake’s relationship with fellow celebrity Cameron Diaz. Documenting their summer romance, Diaz attended Timberlake’s concerts and even flew to Miami on a mini-vacation with him; the two also met his mother among other friends for dinner all within the same week. This article highlighted the glamorous side of Justin Timberlake, showing us his flirty encounters with Cameron Diaz, and his jet-set lifestyle, flying around the country from show to show.
            The second article we chose to look at was featured in People Magazine in June 2004; titled “Justin Timberlake.” This article was featured in the section about “The Top 50 Bachelors” and talked a great deal about his family, and his past relationships, including one with Britney Spears. Justin is well known as a singer, but few know how deeply his ties are to Memphis, Tennessee, his hometown where both his parents and his grandma all still reside. This information also ties back into the economy of the tidbit, when a paper or magazine has new info regarding family life or something new to the public they generally publish a new story with that as the main focus surrounded by facts that were previously known by the general audience. Interviews with several of his family members and even members of *N Sync help show what appears to be the “real” Justin Timberlake, one who is very caring and family oriented, one that most people don’t see when they look as Timberlake as a performer.
            The third article we looked at was featured in People Magazine in September 2006; it was a critic’s review of his recently released CD titled FutureSex/LoveSounds. This article talks about Timberlake’s music career, mainly his two solo albums and his solo career. Focusing on Justin Timberlake as an artist, this article talks about his musical style as a solo artist and who he draws inspiration from and where he gets his motivation to perform the way he does. Citing his inspiration as artists such as Prince, and his CD Purple Rain, Timberlake incorporated that style into songs like “LoveStoned” and “Sexy Ladies.”
            All of these articles focus on a different aspect of Justin Timberlake’s career and way of life. The meaning of Justin Timberlake as explained by these articles is a fairly complex one because they all focus on different parts of not only his career but also his life away from the spotlight. We gathered that while Timberlake is seen as an extremely popular singing artist with a blossoming acting career on the side, he is still portrayed as a humble individual who takes time o be close to the ones he loves, particularly his family. Justin Timberlake appears to be not only a celebrity with a rather successful career, but also a kind-hearted individual who is very concerned with keeping a level head and remembering where he came from and those who helped him get where he is today. Yet another reason fans seem to identify with him in such a tremendous fashion, while he lives the jet-set life of a rock-star, he still has time to visit his grandma for some home cooked meals, making him appear to be extraordinary yet ordinary at the same time.