Justin Timberlake is Quitting Music (For Now), and It's a Great Idea for Him

Okay, so in a Vanity Fair article Justin Timberlake told his fans not to expect a new album any time in the near future because he's focusing on "being more spontaneous." Unlike other musicians who've tried to transition out of music and into other things, namely acting, Timbo may just be able to pull this one off. Madonna, Mariah, and Brittney have proven their true skill lies in music, but Justin Timberlake has managed to already build quite an impressive resume away from music.

He was shot into the mainstream in the early '90s on Disney Channel's "Mickey Mouse Club." The tweens and teens variety show gave Timberlake a chance to cut his teeth in the industry, and gave him the chance to perform in sketches and sing songs. It's hard to say with certainty that those experiences gave him the comedic timing to play so well on Saturday Night Live, but that's exactly what he's done. His pairings with The Lonely Island have given us some really hilarious and brilliant material (from "Dick in a Box" to "Mother Lover). He's shown that he's not afraid to be edgy as long as it's truly funny.

Then there's the turn Timberlake took into more serious acting roles. He was in one of the biggest films of 2010, "The Social Network" and played Napster founder Sean Parker perfectly. Timberlake infused Parker with some humor, helping to offset his absolute megalomania that would normally make someone completely unsympathetic. His performance, while not exactly in the pantheon of great performances by American actors, showed some real skill and intuitiveness. It'll be interesting to see what choices he makes in his next roles, and to see if Aaron Sorkin's material or David Fincher's direction played a big role in his overall performance.

Of course, there are plenty of examples of someone moving from a pop music career into acting and it failing miserably. As mentioned before, Madonna tried her hardest to become a legitimate actress, and she came close with her starring turn in "Evita." The movie adaptation of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical about Eva Peron gave the pop icon her best shot at bursting into the acting world, but unfortunately her performance didn't quite vault her to the kinds of levels she aspired to.

Then there's "Glitter." In 2001 Mariah Carey made this film as her attempt to cross over and it remains one of the worst films of all time. She was stiff, and lacked any kind of believability in this film and coupled with her ensuing mental breakdown, her acting career was DOA once "Glitter" hit the box offices.

Whether or not Justin Timberlake ever wins himself an Academy Award, Emmy or Golden Globe isn't as important as the performances he continues to give. He has an undeniable gift for comedy, and has shown flashes of brilliance in roles with some more "meat on their bones." He was the voice of "Boo Boo" in last year's atrocious "Yogi Bear," although comedy icon Dan Aykroyd was the voice of the titular bear, so no one makes perfect choices in their roles all the time.

Next up we'll see Timberlake in "Bad Teacher," a rowdy comedy starring Cameron Diaz as a foul-mouthed teacher. The trailers make this film look interesting, and comedy is suited for Timberlake, so the end result should be something he can be proud of. Regardless though, he still remains that rare performer that can actually carry both a film and an enormous musical career, and it'll be up to him where he decides to take it.

What do you think of Justin Timberlake's decision to put the brakes on his musical career? Leave me a comment.