Justin Timberlake keeps his word, attends Marine Corps Ball with fan

Justin Timberlake has come a long way since his Mouseketeer and boy-band days, showing some real acting skills in movies like Alpha Dog, Black Snake Moan, and The Social Network, as well as a knack for comedy in his numerous SNL appearances. But even if you're one of those people who find it hard to root for someone who was a member of 'N Sync (you know who you are, people who almost had an aneurysm watching Joey Fatone tool it up as host of The Singing Bee), you've got to give it up to JT for keeping his promise to attend a Marine Corps Ball as the date of Marine Kelsey De Santis, after she extended an invite to him via YouTube back in July.

So, on Saturday night, Timberlake, who's currently starring in Andrew Niccol's In Time, threw on his penguin suit and was picked up at his hotel by Corporal De Santis, the sole female at the Martial Arts Center for Excellence (MACE) at Marine Corps Base Quantico. Then it was off to the Ball in Richmond, Virginia where, as JT described on his blog, he was brought to the brink of tears by a video about Pearl Harbor, World War II, and 9/11 featuring firsthand accounts from Marines.

Timberlake called it "one of the most moving evenings I've ever had," described his date as "humble and honest," and presumably busted out some of those funky R&B moves that seem to be hardwired into him. Though the twenty-three-year-old De Santis said she was single and wouldn't turn down a midnight kiss, Jessica Biel or whoever JT is dating probably wouldn't be feeling that. But, in the end, it was a cool gesture by a down-to-earth dude who isn't too big for his boy-band britches.