KEEPING UP APPEARANCES
With a wink and a smile, Justin Timberlake eases into his role as host of the MTV Europe Music Awards during a press conference Wednesday in Copenhagen. Timberlake is also competing for best male and best pop singer at the 13th annual awards, which will be held Thursday. - People Website
COPENHAGEN: Singer Justin Timberlake says he feels no pressure about hosting today's MTV Europe Music Awards, one of the industry's biggest nights outside the United States.
"The pressure's not on me, it's on the performers," he told reporters at a news conference. "I'll try to make MTV proud."
Timberlake will host the Copenhagen show, which features performances by alternative rockers Muse, rapper Diddy, retro rockers The Killers and R&B/hip-hop singer Nelly Furtado.
"We haven't performed at many of these award shows, so that will be fun," The Killers guitarist David Keuning told Reuters. "And to do it in this setting, in a square in the centre of Copenhagen, it will be pretty special."
The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Madonna, Gnarls Barkley, Nelly Furtado and the Black Eyed Peas are among the award nominees.
"I'm looking forward to seeing Muse, I really like (their latest album) Black Holes and Revelations," Timberlake said.
Timberlake follows 2005 compere Sacha Baron Cohen, who adopted his politically incorrect persona of Kazakh television reporter Borat for the evening.
Cohen, who has just released a movie featuring Borat travelling across the United States, has angered many in the Central Asian state with his portrayal of Kazakhstan as a nation of drunks, racists and misogynists.
"I thought he did a good job. You have to bear with Borat – he doesn't understand a lot of culture outside of Kazakhstan," Timberlake said.
In fact, Borat's first dig at the 2005 Lisbon show was at pop queen Madonna, who stole the show with a return to the stage months after a horse riding accident. "It was very brave of MTV to start the show with a transvestite," he quipped.
Last year's winners included pop-punk idols Green Day, who won Best Album and Best Rock categories, Robbie Williams (Best Male), Shakira (Best Female), Gorillaz (Best Group) and Coldplay's "Speed of Sound" (Best Song).
In September, 25-year-old Timberlake released his second solo album, FutureSex/LoveSounds, which has topped the charts and features the single SexyBack.
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When asked how a middle-aged man might "get his sexy back" and keep his wife interested in him, Timberlake dished out some helpful advice. "First of all, do not look desperate," he said. "Surprise your wife with a trip to somewhere with better weather than Copenhagen."
The city had its first snowfall of the year on Wednesday, which also gave Keuning the chills.
"I don't like playing in the cold, so I'll probably be wearing (a big) coat tomorrow," he said. "I'm not a big fan of cold weather, that's why I moved to Las Vegas."
