Music Notes: Timberlake Reacts to Rumor
June 21 -- Pop fans weren't the only folks shocked by a recent radio stunt in which two DJs claimed Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears had died in a car crash.
The singers themselves were rather taken aback.
"The first thing I did was call Britney," said 'N Sync singer Timberlake.
"She was in L.A. and I was in, I believe, Philadelphia the day it happened so we were across the country from each other," said Timberlake. "The first thing she says to me was like, 'Hey, where are you?' You know, we both kind of heard about it at the same time."
The two Dallas disc jockeys who aired the news of the false collision have since been fired.
For the young pop stars, being the subject of a false rumor is not an entirely new experience.
"Since the beginning, people knew about our relationship there's always been things that have been said that were totally not true, but this just, like, took it to a whole 'nother planet," said Timberlake.
And while he says he and Spears routinely deal with the fans and attention their careers attract, he was still upset by how rumors like this one affect their families.
"It just sucks that my family was so worried about it and Britney's family, too, because they're part of my family … I seriously got, like, six phone calls from different people in my family — immediately."
Diamond to Shine Again?
Back in the 1970s Neil Diamond was one of the hottest acts in town, and he's looking to prove that even though it's the 21st century he's still got it.
The "Sweet Caroline" singer has written an album of new material, and will release Three Chord Opera July 24.
Diamond is already finding his way into the ears of younger fans. He wrote the Shrek song "I'm a Believer," which was recorded by Smash Mouth for the movie and soundtrack.
Moreover
Tom Petty is no Heartbreaker. He recently wed his longtime girlfriend Dana York in Las Vegas … And Blink-182 will debut atop the Billboard charts with their album Take Off Your Pants and Jacket, with Staind's Break the Cycle dropping to second place.
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