Justin Timberlake has "taken the lead as the prospective Super Bowl Halftime act" for the Feb. 4 game at U.S. Bank Stadium, but the NFL will not confirm that any "decisions have been made," according to Chris Riemenschneider of the Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE. US Weekly first reported that Timberlake was close to finalizing a deal to play the Super Bowl, but NFL VP/Communications Brian McCarthy said of the halftime performer, "When it is time to announce her name we will do it. Or his name. Or their names." Riemenschneider noted Timberlake "fits the bill of a halftime act to a T." He is a "mainstream, relatively safe megastar" who is "readying the follow-up to his last album ... and will likely launch a big tour once his new record is ready to drop." However, Timberlake was in "hot water with the NFL ... when he literally pulled the Janet Jackson 'wardrobe malfunction'" during Super Bowl XXXVIII (STARTRIBUNE.com, 9/27). In Chicago, Madeline Kenney noted Timberlake in the aftermath of the incident called it an "accident and denied having advance knowledge of the spectacle," which caused the FCC to "add a tape delay to all live performances since then" (SUNTIMES.com, 9/27).
LET THE SPECULATION BEGIN: VARIETY's Roy Trakin noted rumors have Timberlake appearing "alongside pal Jay-Z, with who he toured in 2013." Jay-Z "reportedly turned down the NFL's offer" to headline halftime. The league announced Lady Gaga as the Super Bowl LI performer "at the end of September last year" (VARIETY.com, 9/27). In DC, Cindy Boren noted because a Super Bowl halftime show is "so labor intensive, it takes months to prepare, which means that late September is when reports begin to surface about possible performers, with the NFL gauging reaction before officially committing" (WASHINGTONPOST.com, 9/27).
