No expense has been spared here. Stages lift and fall, lasers cut through plumes of dry ice, diaphanous movie screens give the impression of 20ft tall gospel singers towering over the crowd.
Before he sat down to prepare his acceptance speech for tonights MTV Europe Music Awards, Justin Timberlake phoned his friends at hotpress.com for some pointers...
Justin Timberlake had planned to wow a small audience with an after-show club night in Vicar St yesterday, but the event was cancelled at the last minute.
The producers of choice for everyone from Justin Timberlake to Jay-Z, Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo are also earning plaudits for their rock and hip-hop influenced side project, N*E*R*D
Magician to the stars Keith Barry reveals all about succeeding in Hollywood, performing for Justin Timberlake, Paris Hilton and Jack Osbourne, being given his own MTV show, and the perils of his orthodontically hazardous work with bullets. Interview by Tanya Sweeney. Photos by Graham Keogh.
Timberlake shows impressive flair and versatility - he's as comfortable sitting on a stool crooning an acoustic ballad as he is larking around with scantily clad dancers.
Third singles off albums are notoriously tricky affairs (if you’re not Justin Timberlake) and Uh Huh Her is certainly not stacked with unforgettable pop songs.
With a little help from Timbaland and The Neptunes, Justin Timberlake’s debut solo album justified propelled him from N’Sync baby food salesman to purveyor of the slickest dancefloor pop since the days when Michael Jackson was black. here, via the wonders of modern technology, HP eavesdrops as the boy wonder receives a Woodward & Bernstein-style investigative enema from the Euro-press.
This is the first album from the former ‘NSync frontman since his trillion-selling 2002 debut Justified, and back in the safe hands of hitmaker and producer Timbaland, he seems to be trying to come up with a latter day version of Marvin Gaye's ‘Let’s Get It On’. Only instead of recreating Gaye’s subtle mastery of sonic seduction, Timberlake goes straight for the main course.
Saso wouldn’t exactly be what you’d call a singles band and thus ‘False Alarms’ wouldn’t be the kind of thing you’d expect to find itself on radio next to Justin Timberlake. Nevertheless, it’s another example of Saso doing what they do and doing it well: moody electronica with a meaty rock dynamic.
By the end of Shrek 2, we had just about enough of that franchise’s snarky pop-culture references to do us a lifetime. Sadly, Shrek The Third picks up where its predecessor left off.
Having sold 7.5 million copies of their debut album, and collaborated with Sting, Justin Timberlake and James Brown on their new record Monkey Business, the Black Eyed Peas are among the premier pop acts of the moment. And they're still only getting started, as they tell Steve Cummins
Live at the Marquee on Friday June 29: They were the gaudiest of the ‘80s pop sensations. 20 years on, Duran Duran leader Simon Le Bon explains why the good time boys are a band for the long haul.
This third album has gone platinum in the US, and Robin Thicke now counts 50 Cent and Pharrell among his showbiz pals. Is it hard to see why? No. Is it a good album? Not really.
From self-contained sound system to collaborators of choice for everyone from Mutya Buena to Kylie, Groove Armada have perfected the art of beat science.
Irish rugby captain Brian O’Driscoll waxes lyrical about his sporting heroes, Ireland’s hopes for the Rugby World Cup and admits to liking Justin Timberlake.
Sex, drugs, rock ’n’ roll, George Bush, religion, torture, hangovers and, of course, the smelliest member of the band. The readers leave no stone unturned as they seek the truth
from Kirk Hammett. Your host Olaf Tyaransen
LCD Soundsystem's frontman James Murphy talks about working with Justin Timberlake, his Cork ancestors and recalls the time he almost hooked up with Arcade Fire
In a highly revealing interview, Bloc Party frontman Kele Okereke talks about the inspiration behind one of the albums of the year, his current listening and the band's plans for the future.
NEWSFLASH!! As revealed last month on hotpress.com, Justin Timberlake is following his Saturday December 20th Point Theatre show up with a late night club gig in Vicar St.
After what seemed like an eternity of enduring processed boy/girl band hell, 2003 was the year that pop became exciting again. Finally, we got a long hot summer soundtracked by Beyoncé (song of the year – hands down), 50 Cent’s awesome ‘In Da Club’ and even a band from my own ‘hood whose debut album was the feelgood hit of the season.
Action movie sweetheart and FHM-proclaimed second sexiest woman on the planet Jessica Biel gives us the lowdown on upcoming period rom-com Easy Virtue... and nothing else.
No, the term “sexy tech” doesn’t refer to the HP design department; it’s Philadelphia producer King Britt‘s mission to put the hip-shake back into techno under The Nova Dream Sequence banner.
What with her choice Donnybrook location, regular Withnail & I themed evenings and marauding three year old cocker spaniel, comedian Tara Flynn could scarcely have a more ideal home. "I'm almost a little jealous of myself" she tells Tanya Sweeney. Photography by Cathal Dawson.
Glen Hansard takes on Justin and Lisa Hannigan shows Pink how to Get The Party Started with a touch of class: Irish musos show 'em how it's done on Even Better Than The Real thing
Sybil Mulcahy might put on the glam as an entertainment reporter for TV3, but when it comes to house buying and furnishing, she’s the picture of prudence.
Many Irish radio fans reckon that the 2fm evening schedule is at its most exciting for years – from 6 pm, when a revitalised Dave Fanning comes on, right through to Hotpress columnist Cormac Battle signing off at 2am. One of the linchpins of that stretch is Dubliner Rick O’Shea. To celebrate his tenth year in radio we sent Jackie Hayden to ask O’Shea a few leading questions and to check out the great man’s credentials with his colleagues.
While there’s nothing on this newie to replace ‘Rio’ or ‘Girls On Film’, there’s a style and depth in both the production and performances to make it worth watching Top Of The Pops again.
“I hate these questions,” cries David Holmes, DJ, re-mixer, producer, free associate, film-scorer and friend to the stars. Yet he gamely faces the pan-ish inquisition that is the hotpress mixed grill
Two house calls for the price of one? Jackie Hayden calls in on political satirist Paddy Cullivan and Clint Velour of Camembert Quartet, resident ingredient of RTÉ TV’s Tubridy Show, only to find they are one and the same person!
Black Snake Moan exists somewhere between the timeless depression era shanties of Zora Neale Hurston’s folk-tales, the King James Bible and a Jerry Springer confessional.
He’s best known as the voice of Soundgarden and Audioslave. But now grunge legend Chris Cornell has embarked on his most far-fetched adventure yet – a hook-up with uber-beatmaster Timbaland.
As predicted, Snow Patrol emerged the big winners at the Meteor Music Awards, which took place at The Point in Dublin last night. Click for photos from the night
When Ryan Adams gave his record company an album called 'Love Is Hell', they declined to release this “fucking dark, twisted sad and morose” record. so Adams decided instead to record a loud, punky, uptempo album called 'Rock N Roll'. and guess what? now we get to hear both.
Another graduate from The OC soundtrack hall of fame, Jason Mraz is best described as a funkier version of John Mayer or a close relation to New Radicals front man Gregg Alexander.
There’s something too predictable about Snoop Dogg’s R & G (Rhythm & Gangsta): The Masterpiece, his seventh studio album, to lift it beyond just about bearable background noise.
Is she a manufactured pop act made to look like a rock chick? is she a rock chick who sells records like a manufactured pop act? or is she something else entirely? Why’d Avril Lavigne have to go and make things so complicated?
They’ve been heralded as the biggest thing in Irish rock since U2 – a prediction that proved prescient when The Script romped to the top of the charts with their debut album.
While Ashanti’s soulful voice is smooth as honey, the music itself is generic, and it’s virtually impossible to differentiate one inoffensive rambling track from the next
Champagne corks were popped last week as Snow Patrol joined that elite group of bands who’ve simultaneously topped the charts in Ireland and the UK. It’s all a far cry from the days when their fame was confined to the University of Dundee Students Union bar. Gary Lightbody takes time out from wowing the masses in Dublin and Belfast to tell Stuart Clark about their twisty and turny route to the top.
The first live Brits since 1989 took place at Earl's Court in London last night, with Lily Allen walking away empty-handed despite being the most nominated artist.
The Black Eyed Peas emerged in the mid-‘90s as “positive” underground rappers, who aimed to provide good vibes as an alternative to gangsta fraternity’s macho excesses. More recently, the group have attempted a balancing act between indie-rap’s relaxed outlook, and the pop immediacy of more primal hip hop. This is not as exciting a cross-pollination as it sounds – frequently feeling like a tame, uninspired compromise – though still managing to throw up some undeniably fun pop moments.
Full profiles on Faithless, Antony & The Johnsons, Slayer, The Who, Bell X1, Status Quo, The Flaming Lips, 50 Cent, Madness, Christy Moore, Elton John and Lionel Richie.
With the death of Johnny Cash two weeks ago, music’s Mount Rushmore finally crumbled. From the hell-raising country outlaw of the ’60s to his final incarnation as a patriarchal figure intoning songs of guilt and redemption, Cash’s voice resonated down through the years with undimmed intensity. In this special Hot Press tribute to the Man In Black, Peter Murphy talks to Cash collaborators Sandy Kelly and U2, and recounts the turbulent life and times of one of the most iconic figures in 20th century music
First-rate rapping is not the focal point, instead you’ll be seduced by boundary-pushing productions along the lines of Common, strong songs utilising live instruments and samples, all deep-rooted in hip-hop
Music Ireland ’07 has scored a major coup by getting Prince drummer John Blackwell to grace the Sennheiser Live Stage at the October 5 to 7 event in the Dublin RDS.
Like the fine, if frequently disturbing, representations of wasted youth offered by Bully or The River’s Edge, Alpha Dog is drawn from a real life murder perpetrated by, you know, real live kids.
Music lovers of the world, unite and take over! Whether you play music, work in music, want a career in music or just love to listen, don’t miss Music Ireland ’07 – the country’s biggest music show and exhibition.
Balbriggan pop rocker Lesley Roy has confirmed the release dates for Unbeautiful, her debut album for Jive Records whose roster also includes Justin ‘n’ Britney.
For lovers of rhythym, this year's Music Ireland sees legendary dummer John Blackwell will give a special performance on October 6. Best known for his time touring with Prince, Blackwell now tours with Justin Timberlake.
18-year-old Lesley Roy has signed to Jive, the US label that also has Britney Spears, R. Kelly, Justin Timberlake and her fellow Dubliner Laura Isibor on its roster.
