A homeless man featured in the now-infamous video commemorating Justin Timberlake's wedding wants to get in sync with the singer during a skid row rendezvous.
The 57-year-old man â€" who gave only the first name "Eddie" â€" staged a Christmas Eve press conference in downtown Los Angeles to demand a face-to-face meeting and direct apology from the pop star.
Flanked by civil rights lawyer Gloria Allred, Eddie said he never expected to be a punch line for the rich and famous when he uttered some generic well wishes into a camera in exchange for a "bowl of soup."
He said Timberlake's apology for the video posted on his website Oct. 26 didn't go far enough.
The singer's open letter was directed at family, friends and fans â€" not the people the video hurt the most, he said.
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"In fact, the word 'homeless' never appears in your letter," he said Monday. "What I take from your letter and its purpose…is that you have a good heart but do not really understand the situation I face."
The controversial recording, which leaked on Gawker.com, features transsexuals, street performers and homeless people â€" some appearing to suffer from mental or substance abuse problems â€" offering congratulations and apologies for missing Timberlake's lavish Oct. 19 marriage to actress Jessica Biel.
It was made by pal Justin Huchel as a gag gift, Gawker reported.
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Timberlake, 31, said he made "zero contribution" to the video and called it a "lapse in judgment."
The 'N Sync singer was adamant it was not shown to guests during a formal part of the festivities in southern Italy.
"I think we can all agree that it was distasteful, even though that was not its intention," he wrote on his website.
"I didn't know they were going to mock me with the video," Eddie told the Daily News Monday. "I really feel bad about that."
Eddie said he is looking for employment as a clerk, maintenance worker or custodian but has faced added challenges in recent weeks in part due to his notoriety related to the video.
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"I didn't know I was going to be mocked by it," he said. "We're human beings as well. We need to be noticed and appreciated like other people. Not just to take a video of a person and put it in a rich wedding and then everybody laughs about it or whatever, like it's a joke."
Allred said she had no plans to file any civil litigation related to the matter.
"We're not raising any legal issues whatsoever. It's a moral choice he can make," she said of the invitation to Timberlake.
Asked about Timberlake's promise on his website to make his videographer friend do "100 hours of community service," Allred said she didn't take that seriously.
"I take that as a little joke, a snarky comment on his part," she told The News. "If he thought he was being funny, well he's entitled to make a joke, but these people are not jokes."
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A request for comment sent to Timberlake's rep was not immediately returned.
ndillon@nydailynews.com
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