Justin Timberlake

On Labor Day weekend, an E:60 production crew headed to Memphis, TN, to complete it's feature with Justin Timberlake. His biggest fans probably know how much of a golf fan Timberlake is...BUT everyone else might be surprised to learn how much passion Timberlake has for the game of golf.

Long before he made a name for himself -- first as a member of the New Mickey Mouse Club, and then as one of the lead singers of the boy band 'N Sync -- Timberlake learned the game of golf from his step dad, Paul Harless. His first round of golf was played at a public course in Millington, TN, his hometown, at a place called Big Creek.

Then about 10 years ago, while on tour, Timberlake played a round with some of his roadies and ever since has had a love affair with the game. He told E:60's Rachel Nichols in an interview -- perhaps half jokingly -- that on his concert tours, he would adjust the travel schedule to accommodate golf.

Then a couple years back he got a call from his mom, Lynn Harless, and Paul, telling him that Big Creek was up for auction. For less then $1 million dollars, Timberlake became the owner of the course where he first learned to play the game.

Last fall, E:60 started this project with Timberlake at his PGA Tour event in Las Vegas, The Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open.  Since his involvement, the event has been gaining in popularity with pros on the tour. Timberlake has a celebrity Pro-Am that kicks off the event each October at the Summerlin TPC, and he also throws a concert on the night before the final round.

On Labor Day, after investing at least $16 million of his own money, Timberlake was back in his hometown and E:60 cameras were rolling as he cut the red ribbon at the grand re-opening of Big Creek, which he has renamed Mirimichi, a native American word which means, "Place of Happy Retreat."

After the ceremony, Timberlake sat down with Nichols for an in-depth interview about his love for golf, before showing off his tricked-out golf cart, and giving Nichols a driving tour of the course. Mirimichi is a luxurious and upscale par 72 golf course, which stretches more than 74-hundred acres. And after all of the improvements and upgrades Timberlake and his team have made, it is now recognized as among the most eco-friendly golf courses in all of the Americas.

Tune in to E:60 in October for this entertaining feature with one of America's Most Sexiest men, Justin Timberlake.

T. Sean Herbert
E:60 Feature Producer
9/7/2010

Bhopal, India - September 6, 2010

You're probably wondering why I haven't written a blog in the last couple of days. I thought about it a bunch of times. After all, we've sat in traffic for far too long (jeez, and I'm not even in Mumbai yet.). What can I tell all of you about India?  What would you like to know?  I just never felt I had a theme for a blog entry. But maybe my theme is just what India's all about.

Is the food good? Yes. Fantastic, actually. I love Indian food, and here, the spices pop. I always describe Indian food (in America, of course) as spicy, but not in the hot way. In the flavorful way. Here, it is a mixture of the perfect heat with the perfect taste.

Is it crowded? Indeed. So many people. Everywhere. There isn't a street corner that isn't populated, a road not full of mini-taxis, and a slum devoid of naked children running barefoot through waste. India is dense. And claustrophobic.

Here's what you need to know about India: Imagine you want to direct a movie, and inside your cozy studio, you need to create a scene of poverty and despair. What would you put in there? Sewage in streets? Dead frogs in your drinking water? Barefoot children walking through shit?  You can find that everywhere in Bhopal.

Ok. To India's defense, this is Bhopal.  I've spent much of the last week within a couple of miles of the Union Carbide factory. As you know, the factory still stands. Corroding. Toxic. And dangerous. Why would you live by the site? Well you wouldn't. Unless you were so poor you couldn't go anywhere else.

What's worse is that it appears no one cares? Ok. People say they care. But they let them live. And no one intervenes. Why is that?

India is all about a sense of community, and these people like that. No matter if they live in filth or wealth. Especially the filth. I can't quite wrap my head around that. How do you live in a place so dirty? Well, they don't know anything else, and for most of them, they'll never be afforded any other opportunity. But they smile. And they live through it. After all, they have no other choice.

I promise. Next blog entry, I'll tell you more about the story out here. It's about a factory. Its destruction. Its presence. And its aftermath that lingers through the streets both visibly and invisibly.

Yaron Deskalo