The Inside Scoop on Justin Timberlake, Aerosmith and More

How dope was the World Cup? The Smoking Section caught the finals at a pro-Italy underground coffee shop in Amsterdam. It was fun. We were in Europe because Justin Timberlake is back, and he's brought sexy with him. JT kicked off a European tour with his first gig in nearly three years, at La Cigale, a tiny club in Paris. There, with an ecstatic crowd of Frenchies chanting "Jus-teen, Jus-teen," Timberlake debuted major cuts from his upcoming FutureSex/LoveSounds, like the hit single "SexyBack" and the future megasmash "What Goes Around," which is in the style of "Cry Me a River" but even better. (Timberlake co-wrote and co-produced the album, and it's damn fine.) The next day we jetted up to heaven (Amsterdam), where the S.S. strolled into the Tweede Kamer, our ideal smoking section, for some pre-rolled AK-47 and Kali. (When you go, and you should, be nice to Babiche and she'll personally roll you up some Diesel.)

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Upon our return, the Smoking Section was stoked to get a call from Steven Tyler, now in the clear after undergoing treatment to cauterize a broken blood vessel in his throat. "At least I got the insurance money," he says. During his doctor-imposed bout of silence, Tyler plotted the future of Aerosmith, which he revealed only to the S.S. First, the band's been writing a new album, and then there's the Route of All Evil Tour, kicking off in September with Mötley Crüe. (Years ago, certain Aero and Crüe members met in rehab clinics.) But this is what's really making Tyler lick his lips: Inspired by a July 4th performance backed by the Boston Pops, he says, "My goal is to take songs like 'Home Tonight,' 'Dream On' and a shitload of the good ones and go out with a fifty-piece orchestra." Also, "I want to do a string of shows at Madison Square Garden where the first night we do Toys in the Attic and Rocks, in order, the second night Pump and Aerosmith, etc." And look out for Tyler on TV's Two and a Half Men, where he'll play an annoying neighbor who rocks out all night and all day.

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A while back, the Smoking Section ran into Incubus masterminds Brandon Boyd and Mike Einziger on a crazy night in Vegas, the same night Einziger ended up in a strip club with Paris Hilton. But we recently caught up with the guitarist, who told the S.S. all about Incubus' upcoming album, due in the fall. "Portions of it are harder than anything we've ever done," he says. "And parts are just sublime and beautiful." He's talking about cuts like "Quicksand," "A Kiss to Send Us Off" and "Earth to Bella," which the band has been recording at home in L.A. and in Atlanta with producer Brendan O'Brien. "We've been laying down nasty shit in the Dirty South," says Einziger. "Living in Malibu can be distracting, with Pam Anderson and her pretty friends drinking mai tais and throwing Frisbees on the beach all the time."

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