JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE AND BONO WORKING ON ALBUM

Justin Timberlake is working on Duran Duran's new album, along with superproducer Timbaland, who created recent smash hits for both Timberlake and Nelly Furtado, the British band said. "We've got some good stuff happening," said lead singer Simon LeBon. "We've done three tracks with Timbaland; we've collaborated in a writing and production manner on one of those tracks with Justin Timberlake. We've got a lot really hot producers who are hotly interested in working with us at the moment. We are in a very good space." Duran Duran, who had its biggest hits in the '80s with such songs as "Rio" and "The Reflex," was in New York last Tuesday to perform at Cipriani's at a benefit for the AIDS research organization AmFar. The night also featured an auction, led by Sharon Stone, of luxury items. The performance was without one of its founding members: Guitarist Andy Taylor left the group late last month. Bassist Josh Taylor likened the split to a divorce. He said, "There were many strong differences of feeling within the band for some time now."However, he said, Taylor's departure has been "empowering, quite freeing" for Duran Duran. "We've been playing over the last few weeks around Europe and in the States, and we're just putting it into the music," he said.

Justin Timberlake