aTypical Joe: a gay New Yorker living in the rural South

Thursday, February 15, 2007

Give Justin a comedy hour

If you missed Justin Timberlake on SNL in December, watch this weekend for the repeat. He owns that show. Someone should give him a show of his own:

If you saw Timberlake performing at the Grammys on Sunday, you saw evidence of his range. At an upright piano, he led a soulful rendition of what he called his best composition yet, “What Goes Around ... Comes Around.” Later, welcoming to the stage the winner of a contest (19-year-old Robyn Troup), he played acoustic guitar, sang, danced, flirted, rapped, smiled and charmed. [...]

Timberlake has been in the spotlight a long time, from his “Mickey Mouse Club” years to his boy-band ‘N Sync days. He’s even weathered the most infamous pop-culture event in recent history: the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show, which he ended by causing Janet Jackson’s wardrobe malfunction seen ‘round the world.

He’s the type of multifaceted, immensely popular talent who can bring TV precisely what it wants most: lots of young viewers. But he could do it in a format only older viewers might remember: the old-fashioned sketch-and-songs variety show, once the domain of the likes of Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra and Sonny and Cher.

Timberlake is a better comic than any of them, and an excellent singer. Among modern performers, perhaps only Beyoncé has hinted at similarly strong capabilities as a singer, dancer, actor and comic. But Timberlake has the résumé locked, and may even have the inclination.

Give the guy a series of specials for a year, one per sweeps month, and let him loose. Regis Philbin brought back the game show. “American Idol” brought back the talent show.

Maybe Timberlake’s gift, in a box, is to bring back the variety show.

Here’s the uncensored Dick in a Box. (Could have worked for Valentine’s Day too!) Here’s the What Goes Around rehersal for the 2007 Grammy show.