Reality Check

Justin Timberlake (the furnace that warms my stone-cold heart) seems to have come down with a case of celebrityitis. This condition occurs when the head swells with a bullish level of self-confidence and pride, due in large part to one's heightened celebrity status. Soon, said celebrity thinks they're brilliant and that the world gives a shit about what they say.

In an attempt to come across as a nice guy, Justin keeps it hush hush when it comes to his exes.

Asked what he thinks about Britney Spears's recent ups and downs, Justin says in the April issue of Details, "We had our thing, and it's over."

And he won't speak at all about Cameron Diaz. These two lasted nearly four years. Instead, he slams the tabloids that, he says, "create soap operas out of people's lives." He won't take part in the speculation about the people in his life: "I would never say anything bad about anyone," he says. "I love a lot of those people."

When it comes to discussing his music, however, Timberlake is more forthcoming. About his first solo album, Justified, he says: "I tried so hard to be an R&B artist, and it was pop album of the year, and I was like, 'F---. That's the last thing I wanted.' But I was like, 'So everyone considers me a pop artist? Well, f--- it. I'm going to do whatever I want to do."

One thing he wishes he hadn't done, he admits, was "My Grammy Moment" during the February awards show, when a contest winner got to perform alongside him. Though he wanted to cancel the appearance, Timberlake says, he didn't, "Because I'm the nice guy who follows through on the things he commits to. But I don't know if I'll be going through that sort of thing again. I feel like the Grammys used me for ratings. And look at it – they were up 18 percent."

It's going to take more than a swift kick in the ass to set this one straight. Then again, let's not set this one straight. OK?

[source]