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Thursday, May 15, 2008
Justin Timberlake a bigger celeb than Muhammad Ali?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Q100’s “The Bert Show” never called to ask what I thought about about their recent “Who Do You Know!” celebrity contest. Maybe they should have.
I could have saved show yakkers Bert, Melissa, Jeff and Jenn some major embarrassment. The contest — and it was a good one — challenged radio listeners to use their personal connections and get the biggest celebrity they could to call the station to win money for charity.
Jessica Biel called. So did Ben Affleck, Morgan Freeman, Fran Drescher, Gwyneth Paltrow, Sean Connery, Bette Midler and others.
Trouble is, when they got around to selecting who was the biggest celebrity who called, “The Bert Show” chose Justin Timberlake as No. 1 over … get this … Muhammad Ali.
At this moment my head is in my hand because I can’t believe anyone on the planet would make such a dumb move.
I mean, Timberlake is a big celebrity. But no way does he even come close to Muhammad Ali.
Granted, Ali was never a Mouseketeer. Far as I know Ali never appeared on Ashton Kutcher’s “Punk’d” to get so upset during the prank being played on him that he called his mama. Ali didn’t expose Janet Jackson’s breast. Nor did he ever date Britney Spears.
So maybe Ali isn’t the bigger celeb. All he did was win the world boxing title three times! All he did was emerge during the 1960s as a fighter who could command as much if not more media attention than Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton.
I have been around celebrities most of my life. I can tell you three times I was rendered speechless.
No. 1: I was working in a busy newsroom in the early 1980s when, unexpectedly, Ali walked in with the publisher. The entire newsroom stopped cold. And it was close to deadline time. Ali slowly walked around and spoke to everyone. It was amazing.
No. 2: When Ali appeared to light the cauldron at the 1996 OIympics in Atlanta.
No. 3: While driving and listening to “The Bert Show” and realizing that the celeb who had just called the station was Ali.
I’ve seen Timberlake in person. He’s a fine celeb. A nice guy. But he lacks the charisma of an Ali.
Oh, what was it my once-wee son, Cecil B., said about Justin Timberlake as our biggest male pop star? Oh, yes. It was this: “After Michael Jackson, I guess J.T. is what we’re left with by default.”
The argument at the radio station shouldn’t have been about Timberlake vs. Ali. It should have been about Ali vs. President Carter.
Who do you think is the bigger celeb — Timberlake or Ali? Or would you have named someone else who called the station as the biggest celebrity?
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