Daily Good Gossip

Justin Timberlake's Old School Jam For Charity

Justin Timberlake is in Las Vegas for the annual Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, Sept. 25-Oct. 2, 2011 at TPC Summerlin.

As part of tournament week, Timberlake hosts an annual concert benefiting Shriners Hospitals for Children. This year’s concert is Saturday, Oct 1 at The Theatre for the Performing Arts at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.

This year’s concert theme is “Old School Jam,” with artists who have influenced Timberlake. The concert line-up features Earth, Wind & Fire, Charlie Wilson, Vanilla Ice, the Commodores, the Sugar Hill Gang, Sister Sledge, Turbo B and Color Me Badd. Comedian Wayne Brady will co-host the event with Timberlake.

Shriners Hospitals for Children is a pediatric health care system specializing in orthopaedics, burns, spinal cord injuries and cleft lip and palate. All services are provided regardless of the patients’ ability to pay. There are 22 Shriners Hospitals for Children, with locations in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

To find out more about the event, click here.

Read more: http://www.looktothestars.org/news/7004-justin-timberlakes-old-school-jam-for-charity#ixzz1ZBwhg3jx

Daily Good Gossip

Justin Timberlake's Manager Says They're Mulling Talent Competiton For Revamped Myspace

"We want to bring the industry back to Myspace to really look at the talented people that have put their faces there," says Johnny Wright, who promises that he and Timberlake will unveil plans for the beleaguered social network at an August 17 press conference.

Justin Timberlake's longtime manager Johnny Wright said on Friday July 2 that a talent show or some other way of developing new artists will be core to the revamp of Myspace.

The kernel of an idea is what has emerged from a frenzied two weeks of deal-making that brought the former `N Sync pop star into a partnership with new buyers of the ailing website.

"Whether it becomes a talent competition or something like that, those are things that we will still flesh out," said Wright, who has managed Timberlake since his 'N Sync days. "We definitely want to bring the industry back to Myspace to really look at the talented people that have put their faces there."
Timberlake and the new management of the social networking site will explain their plans at a press conference Aug. 17.
His new partner is Irvine, Calif.-based online ad network operator, Specific Media. It said Wednesday afternoon that it had bought Myspace from News Corp. The deal was for $35 million, mostly in stock.
Hours later, Specific Media said in a second release that Timberlake had become a part owner and would be a creative force behind the social network's revival with his own office and staff.
Timberlake's partnership deal hadn't been completed until 30 minutes before Specific Media's Myspace purchase was made public.
It capped a rushed courtship, starting with an idea hatched by Nicole Winnaman, a branding executive who has also worked with Timberlake since his 'N Sync days.
She knew the people at Specific Media, including its founding brothers, Tim, Chris and Russell Vanderhook, and got approval from Wright to explore a partnership two weeks ago.
The Vanderhooks jumped aboard on Thursday last week, without even knowing they'd win the bidding for Myspace.
"It was the Thursday before. They said, 'Let's go, let's see if we can pull this together,' " Winnaman said.
Wright, Winnaman and the Vanderhooks met Friday last week at Los Angeles International Airport for a meal and conference call with Timberlake, who was in New York. They all met again in New York late Tuesday afternoon, where everyone was "instantaneously aligned," Winnaman said. Lawyers worked through the night before the deal was announced Wednesday.
Wright said Timberlake is anxious to get to work. The day after the deal closed, Timberlake sent Wright an e-mail saying, "Are you up? My mind is going dizzy with ideas. I need to talk."

Source:  http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/justin-timberlakes-manager-says-theyre-207943

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Specific Media Buys Myspace, Timberlake Takes Stake

Marking the end of a social era, ad network Specific Media on Wednesday announced the acquisition of Myspace. And in a strange twist, music star-cum-actor Justin Timberlake is also taking an undisclosed ownership stake in the company, and is expected to play a key role in re-imagining the MySpace brand.

While financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, multiple reports put it at about $35 million -- far less than the $580 million News Corp. paid for the then-high-flying site back in 2005.

Per the sale, News Corp. is taking a minority equity stake in Specific Media.

What does Specific Media want with the fallen social network? "Myspace is a recognized leader," said Tim Vanderhook, Specific Media CEO -- but a leader in what he did not clarify.

What's more, "there are many synergies between our companies, as we are both focused on enhancing digital media experiences by fueling connections with relevance and interest," Vanderhook added.

"There's a need for a place where fans can go to interact with their favorite entertainers, listen to music, watch videos, share and discover cool stuff and just connect," Timberlake stated. "Myspace has the potential to be that place."

Founded in 1999 by brothers Tim, Chris and Russell Vanderhook, Specific Media bills itself as a "global interactive media company."

In what now can now be seen as a sign of things to come, the company recently appointed Jim Knopf to a newly created position of entertainment industry lead.

With Myspace, Specific is also getting Myspace Music, which offers a catalogue of freely streamable audio and video content to users.

According to Compete.com, Myspace drew 30.79 million unique visitors last month, which represented a 54.47% drop year-over-year.

Myspace CEO Mike Jones on Wednesday said he would step down from his post immediately, but would likely work with News Corp. and its new parent company in an advisory role for a short time.

In a memo to staff, Jones also announced pending layoffs as part of the sale. "In conjunction with the deal, we are conducting a series of restructuring initiatives, including a significant reduction in our workforce."

Already a shadow of its former self, Myspace was reportedly planning to lay off nearly 40% of its remaining staff -- or about 150 employees -- this week. First reported by Gawker, the news was later confirmed by TechCrunch.

Apparent for some time, News Corp.'s desire to unload Myspace recently became palpable. "With a new structure in place, now is the right time to consider strategic options for this business," News Corp. COO Chase Carey told analysts in early February.

Carey's comments came on News Corp.'s latest earnings report, which included a $275 million writedown for its digital media business, which was said to have stemmed largely from Myspace.

Late in February, News Corp. brought in Allen & Co. to help unload Myspace, and was reported to have received "early interest" from about 20 parties -- the majority of which were private equity and venture capital firms.

Largely perceived as an effort to gussy up the company, Myspace laid off 47% of its staff -- or 500 people -- in January.

Myspace has not been the only digital asset that News Corp. has sought to unload. In early May, the media conglomerate decided to spin off IGN.com. Unlike Myspace, however, IGN is anything but a sinking ship. Indeed, IGN expects to earn more than $10 million this year on revenues of around $100 million.

Source:  Mediapost