Justin Timberlake's 'Not a Bad Thing' launches real-life search

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Those who can act, sing and dance are often called triple threats. For those who think those talents aren’t enough, there’s Justin Timberlake. The former child star and boy-band member who has a collection of Grammys and loads of commercial success for his music has tried his hand at acting over the years, appearing in films like the Facebook movie “The Social Network” and the based-on-a-true-story crime drama “Alpha Dog.” He also has his own clothing label, tons of endorsements and even bought a golf course. During his down time, he’s helped with charitable causes. Here’s a look back at his career. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

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After the extraordinary success of ‘N Sync, the men grew up and focused on solo efforts in 2002. Timberlake’s debut solo album, “Justified,” sold more than 7 million copies worldwide. The album was even well received in the hip-hop community, since it was produced by Timbaland. Timberlake’s second solo effort, 2006’s “FutureSex/LoveSounds,” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard chart. (Ann Johansson / For The Times)

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Timberlake’s song “I’m Lovin’ It” became the McDonald’s theme for a while. The nice thing about starting in a boy band is that nobody can ever really accuse you of suddenly selling out. (Dan Trittschuh / Chicago Tribune)

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Apparently he means it when he sings “Bet I’ll have you naked by the end of this song.” In 2004, Timberlake teamed up with Janet Jackson to do a halftime performance at the Super Bowl. During the show, he tore off part of Jackson’s costume to reveal … a breast! Entering the term “wardrobe malfunction” into the pop culture lexicon, Timberlake later apologized for what the press dubbed “Nipplegate.”

Some members of the African American community felt that Timberlake threw Jackson under the bus after Nipplegate. According to Newsweek, Queen Latifah said, “He loses a lot of my respect for not taking responsibility for his actions. I think that was real shady on his part.” (Elise Amendola / Associated Press)

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Timberlake is also known for his sense of humor. How funny is he? Well, he’s won several Emmys for his work with “Saturday Night Live.” One win was for the 2009 awards show, pictured here, for outstanding guest host. The other was outstanding original music and lyrics in 2007 for that um, music video about an unexpected present in a box. The third win came in 2011 with for his singing monologue.

He’s also garnered two other Emmy nominations in the outstanding original music and lyrics category: for the song “I Love Sports,” which was part of the 2008 ESPY Awards, and for “Motherlover,” another “SNL” number. That video featured appearances by Susan Sarandon and Patricia Clarkson, which should help you figure out what it was about. (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

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In 2006, Timberlake started his clothing line, William Rast, with his childhood friend Trace Ayala. Justin gives much of the credit for the casual menswear line to his partner. He once joked in USA Today, “Trace does it all and I take the credit for it.” (Dan Steinberg / Associated Press)

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Timberlake, an amateur golfer, bought a run-down golf course in his home town of Millington, Tenn., in 2007. After improvements, it became an eco-friendly site named Mirimichi Golf Course.

He has also partnered with the PGA to host the fall tournament in Las Vegas called the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. (Scott Halleran / Getty Images)

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Life imitates art: “The Social Network” star took a stake in Myspace, with the goal of revamping the struggling site as a destination for music and entertainment. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

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Timberlake wed longtime love, actress Jessica Biel, on Oct. 19, 2012, in Italy with 100 guests in attendance.

The Grammy-winner penned a tune for his bride and serenaded her during the ceremony. (Eamonn McCormack / Getty Images)

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Timberlake donned a “Suit & Tie” for his 2013 Grammy performance -- his first musical appearance in seven years -- to support his new solo alum, “The 20/20 Experience.” (Christopher Polk / Getty Images )

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At the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards, Chris Kirkpatrick, Joey Fatone, Justin Timberlake, JC Chasez and Lance Bass reunited after 11 years in a throwback 15-minute medley performance before Timberlake accepted the annual Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award. (Rick Diamond / Getty Images for MTV)

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Justin Timberlake costars with Ben Affleck as Richie Furst, a Princeton whiz kid, in the 2013 crime thriller “Runner Runner.” The film is about online gambling and received a lukewarm reception from critics and the box office, debuting the same weekend as Oscar darling “Gravity” starring Sandra Bullock and Affleck’s pal George Clooney. “Runner, Runner” fell short of even the lowest projections with a disappointing $7.6-million start. (Josh Weinstock / Associated Press)

By Nardine Saad

March 20, 2014 7 PM PT

Justin Timberlake is taking another unconventional approach to the art of the music video with “Not a Bad Thing,” this time using the airwaves and social media to solve a romantic mystery.

The “Mirrors” singer’s latest video debuted Thursday on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” and shows two documentarians, a man and a woman, setting out to find a man who proposed to his fiancée on a Long Island Railroad train en route to New York City around 8:20 p.m. Jan. 12.

It turns out the man played a Timberlake song to his lady love -- the proposal is simulated at the beginning of the video -- and “Not a Bad Thing” plays as the filmmakers search for the elusive couple. JT’s voice is the only part of him present in the video, embedded below.

PHOTOS: Justin Timberlake’s career in pictures

“They were so in love. You almost never see that. We don’t know who these people are, or what their story is, but maybe you do,” the female filmmaker said. “We’re making a documentary about finding love. Have you seen this couple?”

The rest of the video follows their endeavor to find the man and woman and also enlists real-life couples to talk about love, their proposals and the struggles in their unions.

Volunteers are seen taking to the streets to post bills asking, “Have you seen this couple?” The question became a hastag used by Timberlake to promote the pursuit and his video.

“Tune into @TheEllenShow TODAY for an exclusive Not A Bad Thing video (Check local listings.) #NABT #haveyouseenthiscouple -teamJT,” Timberlake tweeted Thursday.

In the meantime, a Twitter account called “Find This Couple” and its respective tumblr “HaveYouSeenThisCouple” have crowdsourced the effort.

The video ends with the documentarians getting out of a van to chase down another lead. “Might be them,” the female filmmaker said, “Let’s try it out.”

Then “To be continued” is super-imposed on the screen. (Kind of reminiscent of his MasterCard TV spot, no?)

After the premiere, DeGeneres echoed the filmmakers’ plea.

“So obviously if you know this couple, contact us, because Justin is trying to find you, and we’ll put y’all together,” she said.

Timberlake, who tied the knot with actress Jessica Biel in 2012, seems to have a thing for proposals: During a concert back in December, the crooner assisted a Kentucky man in popping the question.

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