Justin Brings 'SexyBack' To Runway
Cameron Diaz could get a slight twinge of jealousy when she sees her boyfriend, Justin Timberlake, perform on the Victoria's Secret fashion show tonight at 10 p.m.
"Timberlake opens the show and he's the first performer to ever actually interact with the girls on the runway. No one's ever done that before," said the fashion show's executive producer, Ed Razek, who filmed the show at Hollywood's Kodak Theater.
The singer was greeted by a slew of beautiful models.
"Oh, my God, I was dreaming to meet him," model Adriana Lima said of Timberlake on The Early Show Tuesday. "I'm his biggest fan ... when he danced — oh, my God, I really flipped out. He was really, really cute. Really hot, cute."
If Diaz is looking for anyone to blame for his involvement in this show, she can only point the finger at Timberlake himself. His hit album, "Future Sex/Love Sounds," was the perfect fit for the annual fete, said Razek, who's been producing it since the first show in 1993.
"He's the right artist at the right time," said Razek. " 'SexyBack' couldn't have been a more perfect intro to the show and he's an incredible performer. I think he had the kind of breakout performance in this show that comes along maybe once every 10 years … he really knocked it out of the park."Photos: Pink On The Red Carpet
This year's show features the hottest models in the industry, including Gisele Bundchen, Adriana Lima and Karolina Kurkova. Heidi Klum will appear in a hosting capacity this year ("She was, I think, 8 and a half months pregnant when the show went live, so it was a little too much even for her," Razek said). Celebrities such as Derek Jeter and Paris Hilton were in the live audience and had front row seats for all the action.
The show's elaborate set emote a holiday theme. Viewers will see bikini-clad models popping out of boxes and models adorned with angels wings while others will be dressed as 1960s airline stewardesses ("but the sexiest ones you've ever seen," said Razek), a gospel choir will be in tow as well as a Scottish bagpiper.
"We call that the 'Highland Romance' section that's inspired by all these Scottish tartans that we worked with. It's very, very, cute," he said.
This year, Kurkova dons the Hearts On Fire Diamond Bra, a balconet-style bra weighing 800 carats and adorned with more than 2,000 diamonds. It's worth $6.5 million.
"The bra was actually very comfortable because it's actually a very sexy Victoria's Secret bra … It's a very glamorous," Kurkova said on The Early Show.
"Karolina wanted to take it home," said Razek.
As executive producer, Razek promotes the attitude of the fashion show. "I'm with the girls before the show starts and I'll talk to them about what the attitude of the show should be and how they can work the runway and what kind of spirit we're looking for," he said.
He said the show has evolved dramatically since the first one in 1993.
"I don't think we knew much about how to put on a show the first year. It was a huge success but if we look at it today in terms of what it is versus what it was back then, it's grown by leaps and bounds. We didn't have any entertainers back then," he said. "We also have the best models in the world (now), in that first year we had an awful hard time getting anyone to do the show because they didn't know what we were going to do."
Frederique van der Wal and Stephanie Seymour were some of the models who participated in the first show, which was filmed at New York's Plaza Hotel.
Razek said that the way the models prepare for this gig has changed.
"They all have personal trainers, they all get in the best shape they possibly can," he said. "It's a very competitive thing to try to get into."
Even with all of the hours of preparation that go into filming this show, something unexpected is bound to happen during the live taping.
"Karolina kept yelling that her shoe was loose and they sent her on the runway anyway," Razek said. "And about 30 feet down the runway she lost it. That proves you gotta listen to the girls when they're telling you something. You'd think somebody would know if their shoe was loose."
By Amy Bonawitz