1. Get good hair.
"I've had some pretty shady hairstyles," admits Justin. Let's recap: When 'NSYNC first came on the scene, Justin had what the guys in the group affectionately refer to as helmet hairówhite-blond curls loaded with so much gel that a hurricane blowing through Orlando, FL, wouldn't have moved it.
Then came a more natural, closely cropped cut. After months of growing it out, he had a 'fro (which prompted fans of his big hair to start sites like "The 'Fro Can't Go"). Sometimes, he braided it into cornrowsófor more street cred, obviously. That didn't work, so he cut it shorter nad went the Ronald McDonald route by dyeing it red.
Tired of all the attention his hair was getting, he nearly shaved his head, leaving less than an inch of bristles. Now, he's letting it grow out again. "I just don't want to look back at photos years from now and go, 'What was I thinking?' I've done that enough already."
2. TP people's houses.
Justin has no problem admitting he's still a kid at heart. "I'm goofy like that," he says. As he describes the last time he toilet-papered someone's house, he switches to an excited, high-speed and even higher-pitched voice. The victim? 'NSYNC's Lance Bass. "My friends and I used about twenty rolls on his house," he says proudly. "It looked like it had snowed." But Operation TP turned bad when the guys were on their very last roll. It seems Justin's moves are smoother on the stage than they are in pulling off pranks. "I chucked the roll over his house, and Lance saw it through the window," says Justin. "He came running out and we jumped into my truck and took off, but he knew it was us."
3. Thank my mom for being so cool.
"Yes, I'm a mama's boy," confesses Justin. "I can't front and try to come off hard like, 'No, I don't need my mom,' because I do." When he speaks of his mom, Lynn Harless, his polished "interview voice" changes, revealing a bit of a Tennessee twang. "We're best friends," he says. "Even when I was a little boy, she always treated me like I was on the same level. I think it's really important that parents never treat their kid like they're better than them, because if they do it just forces the kid to rebel. Honestly, I've done some stupid things, but there wasn't enything that I couldn't talk to my mom about. She told me, 'You're gonna do dumb things and you're gonna do great things. As long as you learn from them, that's all that matters."
Justin and his mom even hit the clubs together. "My mom parties harder than I do," says Justin. "When she went out with me and Britney after the Video Music Awards, she ended up staying out longer than we did. I was like, 'I gotta go home,' and she was still going. I think I'm getting old."
4. Get Britney to say "I'm sorry" first.
In our October cover story interview, Britney admitted that she never apologizes first, and Justin quickly agrees. "She is one of the most hardhearted people I know," says Justin. After a long pause he adds, "in a good way," followed by an uncomfortable "did-I-just-say-that?" laugh. "It's funny how when you're with someone the things that you find attractive are also the things that drive you up the wall."
Justin's explanation for his prompt apologies: "I've always been a bit of a problem solver." But just in case his girlfriend of nearly three years will scold him for that, he qualifies it by saying, "Not that I'll say 'I'm sorry,' just to get over it. If I say it, I definitely mean it."
5. Eat Granny's food.
"I've been around the world and I've never met anybody who could cook like my Granny," he says. "She cooks comforting soul food and she makes the best peach cobbler you'll ever have in your life."
6. Call up my "Mickey Mouse Club" pal.
"Ryan Gosling and I were best buddies," says Justin. They were on the show for two years together singing, dancing, and performing skits. Justin has good memories of those times. "I wish I could just sit around and talk to him like I did when I was a kid. He's gonna be such a big star." Justin's rightólook for Ryan and Sandra Bullock in Murder by Numbers in mid-2002.
7. Do a duet with India.Arie.
"You don't find many CDs that you can listen to from start to finish," says Justin. "Even our CD [Celebrity], isn't one of thoseómaybe 'cause I've heard it so many times. When I first listened to her CD, I didn't press one button.
"I would love to do a duet with her because I think she is so spiritual and such a cool soul. She was opening up for Sade at Madison Square Garden and I met her. There is something inside of her that is so beautiful."
8. Play golf.
"It's a Zen thing for me," says the Memphis native. "I grew up around nature, so it's just comfortable territory for me."
His golfing partners include his stepdad, Paul (whom he calls Dad), and 'NSYNC's Chris Kirkpatrick. "I've named Chris 'Happy Gilmore,'" jokes Justin, referring to the Adam Sandler movie. "If you've seen the movie, you'll understand. He's a little wacky and aggressive on the course. Unlike Chris, my dad's a very good golfer."
9. Erase the tapes of my "Star Search" episode.
You've probably seen the clip on VH1's Before They Were Stars with Justin decked out in a cowboy hat and boots, with a funny feathered hairstyle. But in his defense, it was 1992 and he was only 11. "I'm not embarrassed by it, because I thought it was cool at the time," says Justin. "I'm just tired of everyone talking about what I was wearing and how I looked."
10. Sign a movie deal.
Don't think Justin's going to play himself in his first big movie role, or a cute supermodel like he did in his first TV movie, Model Behavior (2000). He wants to choose a part that's a little more challenging. Justin was in talks with Spike Lee about a big-screen version of the Broadway show Rent, in which he'd play a heroin addict whose girlfriend commits suicide. But since it was supposed to start filming in New York shortly after the World Trade Center disaster, everything's up in the air.
"I want to hurry up and jump into acting, but I'm choosing my roles carefully because I don't want to be an actor just to say I'm an actor," says Justin. "I wanna be involved with a movie that means something and that people feel. I'm really in touch with dramas, but I also like to make people laugh, so I'll probably do a mixture of both. My favorite characters are the ones who aren't perfect; they're flawed, but they're still funny and honest."
11. Say "I Love You."
No, it's not what you're thinking. He professed his love to Britney a long time ago. "Sometimes I call my mom or dad up just to say 'I love you,'" says Justin. "It's so important that people know how much you care about them. I don't want my parents or Britney to ever forget how I feel about them. Some guys act al macho and feel like if they say those three words then they're wimps. That never made sense to me."
12. Inspire people.
"I hope that fans look at me and think, If he can do it, I can do it," says Justin. "No one would have thought a kid from Memphisósinging at church and in talent showsówould end up selling out stadiums." That is, no one except his parents. "They always encouraged me to go after my dreams, and I think that's what helped me have the courage to make it happen," he says. "But even if people are telling you you're never going to make it, you can't give up on yourself."
13. Write more songs.
"I feel alive in the studio," Justin says. "There's something exciting about just letting your creative side run wild." Justin co-wrote seven songs on Celebrityófour of which were written with 'NSYNC's choreographer and show director Wade Robson. "My dad told me Wade and I were a split atom because we're so much alike," says Justin. "He's the first person I've ever met who's my age and has as much drive as I do. He's thinking about doing his own CD, and I can assure you I'll be on that project."
The two also co-wrote "What It's Like To Be Me" on Britney's album. "It's got a little bit of a rock and hip-hop flair," says Justin. "I think Britney was a little nervous working with me. So it took her a while to relax and separate the fact that she was so close to me. But she finally let go. I think we complement each other well. When I ask her opinion on songs she's always very honest. Sometimes it hurts, but that's okay. You're looking for an honest answer."
14. Visit Australia.
"I've been to Japan, Europe, everywhere in the States, but I've never been to Australia," says Justin. " 'NSYNC was supposed to go last year and this year on tour, but so far we haven't had a chance to; we keep canceling."
15. Thank my teachers.
"Next to parents, teachers are probably the most important people in a kid's like," says Justin. "I really look up to Mr. Chuck Yerger." As the principal of the Mickey Mouse Club School, he taught everything from reading to American history to government. "And he was skilled in all of them," Justin says. "Then he tutored me through high school when I was on the road. He's a brilliant man who inspired me to learn. I gotta be honest, I hated school, but every time I was with him he found some way to make the smallest thing so interesting. I also really love Ms. Renee Earnest. She taught me when I was in middle school. She always had a good time in class and that meant a lot to somebody who was 12 and really didn't want to be in school." He and his mom love Ms. Renee (as Justin still calls her), so much so that Lynn hired her to be a management rep at Just-In Time Entertainment, Inc., Lynn's artist development and management firm in Windermere, FL.
16. Study photography.
Justin's certainly been photographed enough to know a good picture from a bad one, but he admits he's no expert at taking themóyet. "I'm fascinated by artists like Herb Ritts, who can capture a moment," says Justin. "I haven't seriously taken up photography yet. I barely even take shots when I'm on the road because I'm always writing whenever I have free time. But if I went to college, I think I might major in photography."
17. Make a difference in the world.
"As an entertainer, I'm fortunate enough to be able to give back," says Justin about his charity work. He started the Justin Timberlake Foundation in October 1999 to raise money for music programs in public schools, since they are often the first classes to go during budget cuts. Another charity close to his heart is 'NSYNC's Challenge for the Children. "We started it in 1999 when we really started getting big," says Justin. "It was the first time we realized we could make a difference." The focus of the organization is to fund schools that have suffered cutbacks in sports programs and music education, also giving special attention to children's health care causes, including pediatric AIDS, adoption and foster care, teen pregnancy, alcohol/drug programs, and the fight against teen violence. "If we can change one person's life, everything we've done will have been worth it," he says.
18. Quit cracking my neck.
"It's my worst habit," Justin says. (But then, Britney's nickname for him is Stinky, which kind of makes you wonder if cracking his neck really is the worst thing he does.) "I crack it way too much and it annoys everyone. But I can't help it. I just do it to loosen up."
19. Pretend I'm 12 again.
"I lived like a king when I was 12," says Justin. And he doesn't now? Do we need to remind him about his multiple houses and cars or the tons of fans camped outside his hotel on any given day? "Well, I got paid to go to Walt Disney World and mess around with my friends every day [on The Mickey Mouse Club]. It wasn't really work. Now I know what work is. My schedule with 'NSYNC is so hectic that I'm pulled in so many directions. Back then, I just got to perform and goof off without pressures and responsibilities."
20. Hang with the boys.
Justin and his best friend, Trace Ayala, used to be inseparable when they were growing up in Tennessee. Unfortunately, they only see each other when Justin's in Orlando, where Trace now lives. "When I'm home, I make time to hang out with him and the rest of the guys, but it's not the same as when we were little and we'd hang out 24/7 and have sleepovers and go to parties together," explains Justin. "Sometimes I wish it could go back to the way it was. It's important to me that he always lives close, because he's like a brother. Whenever I'm back in Orlando, we just pick up where we left off, riding our motorcycles and playing video games. He never treats me like I'm a star."
21. Win a Grammy.
"Getting a Grammy wouldn't suck, that's for sure," jokes Justin. "For me, a Grammy would be the biggest accomplishment of my career. I've always dreamed of going up and accepting one. 'NSYNC has won a lot of awards, but never a Grammy, so it would mean that much more to me."
Sorry, Justin. Even if 'NSYNC does win a Grammy, the awards show isn't until February, so you wouldn't get your statuette in time for your birthday. But that's probably one gift you wouldn't mind getting late. It looks like we'll just have to put that on your "before 22" slate.