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Justin Timberlake’s Super Bowl LII halftime show: A Prince hologram?

Justin Timberlake at a Feb. 1, 2018 press conference in Minneapolis. (TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images)
Justin Timberlake at a Feb. 1, 2018 press conference in Minneapolis. (TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images)

by Jeyca Maldonado-Medina

February 02, 2018

On Sunday, Justin Timberlake will headline the halftime show at Super Bowl LII at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. This will be Timberlake's third time performing on the Super Bowl stage, which is a record.

Timberlake just released his new album Man of the Woods, so there will surely be songs from the album performed during the halftime show. During a press conference yesterday in Minneapolis, Timberlake said one of his less-new songs is for sure being played: "Can't Stop the Feeling."

Aside from that Timberlake hasn't confirmed any other songs but he did say in a behind-the-scenes video: "I believe it's [Super Bowl stage] also the place where there's nothing wrong with giving the people what they want."

https://twitter.com/JanetJackson/status/959949582296911872

What a lot of people want is for Janet Jackson to join Timberlake to make up for the debacle of their 2004 "wardrobe malfunction," but that's one thing we can't have. At the press conference, Timberlake insisted that there won't be any celebrity musical guests — and yes, that also includes his former NSYNC band members.

"My band, the Tennesee Kids, they're my special guest," Timberlake said.

Update 2/3: TMZ is reporting that "Justin does have one pretty cool trick up his sleeve — a hologram to honor...wait for it...Prince, in his hometown." This is obviously unconfirmed, but it's sparking speculation. The Prince family Twitter account, run by Prince's brother Omarr Baker, refutes the report, as does Prince's sister Sharon L. Nelson. That means both sides of Prince's sometimes-disputing family have weighed in to the negative. Sheila E also reports having spoken directly to Timberlake and says there will be no hologram. Still, "an NFL source" confirmed the hologram to the Star Tribune.

In a few different interviews, Timberlake has said that he wants his performance to unify people. He cited U2's halftime performance during which the band projected the names of the people who had passed away during the attacks on the World Trade Center.

"The hair on the back of my neck stands up just thinking about it," Timberlake said in an interview with Mike Tirico. "Now what I want to do is take the opportunity to put together a performance that feels like it unifies."

Another goal of Timberlake's is to get Al Michaels, T.V. newscaster, to "shake his booty."

As far as choreography goes, Timberlake will be working with a longtime friend and choreographer, Marty Kuldeka. Kuldeka choreographed a lot of NSYNC's dances and has continued to work with Timberlake on his videos and concerts.

His wardrobe is being provided by British designer Stella McCartney, according to an article by GQ. He will be wearing a fringed biker jacket and a suit with camouflage splatter print.

One thing we can be certain of is that Timberlake has big shoes to fill, and he only has 13 minutes to do it. The Super Bowl halftime show has featured legends from Michael Jackson to Beyoncé to Gloria Estefan. And of course, you can't forget Prince's iconic performance of "Purple Rain" in the rain.

What's your favorite halftime performance? Let us know in the comments.

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This activity is made possible in part by the Minnesota Legacy Amendment’s Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.