Timberlake Holds Back on Madonna/A-Rod

If Justin Timberlake is planning to riff on the reported liaison between Alex Rodriguez and Madonna when he hosts the 2008 ESPY Awards, he isn’t saying. 

Timberlake, who will host the 16th edition of the ESPN awards show from the Nokia Theater in L.A. on July 20, participated in a conference call Thursday in which he was asked about his golf handicap (“from about 4 to 10, depending if I’m on tour”); his favorite athlete (“Tiger Woods, now. Michael Jordan when I was kid.”); his proudest sports moment (“My jumper on [TNT analyst] Kenny Smith on national television, that Barkley won’t let him live down”)—and whether he might make reference to the tabloid frenzy surrounding the Yankees slugger and the pop matron.

“We have a scandal here in New York with some people you know,” someone asked. “Will that be a part of the show?”

“Now, why would I give that up?” Timberlake laughed.

Asked which sports stars he’s looking forward to meeting, the man who boasted about bringing sexy back offered: “I’ve never met Danica Patrick.”

By Joel Topcik