Actor-turned-30 Seconds to Mars frontman Jared Leto recently revealed the strangest gift he has ever received from a fan.

"Someone cut their ear off once and sent it to me, that was very strange. A whole ear. The Van Gogh move," he told Xfm's Phil Clifton. "The note just said, are you listening? I never knew who it was, who's missing their ear out there. I poked a hole in it and wore it as a necklace!"

He jokingly added, "Just don't put your entire body in a case and send it to us."

On Tuesday, Leto tweeted a grotesque photo of the actual ear:

THEY CUT OFF THEIR F-ING EAR AND SENT IT TO ME!!! → bit.ly/YddJ6Y

— JARED LETO (@JaredLeto) March 26, 2013

Now listen to Leto tell the weird story in his own words:

SEE ALSO: Hugh Hefner has slept with an insane amount of women >

Please follow The Wire on Twitter and Facebook.

Join the conversation about this story »

It looks like actress Chloë Sevigny has finally sold her farmhouse-chic apartment in NYC's East Village.

The apartment is in contract for $1.85 million, according to StreetEasy.

We first heard that the home had been sold in July of last year, when The New York Post reported that the actress had found a buyer after listing the place for $1.7 million.

But neighborhood blog EV Grieve says the buyer dropped out due to a death in the family, and the home was re-listed for $1.995 million.

Hopefully, this time it sticks. The apartment was designed by David Cafiero and has a wood-burning fireplace, beamed ceilings, a fountain in the backyard, and exposed brick walls.

The co-op is on East 10th Street.

But it doesn't feel like a city apartment. Check out those wide-plank floors.

There are built-in bookshelves and even a working fireplace.

Please follow The Life on Twitter and Facebook.

We've seen a multitude of uses for Twitter's video app Vine.

In the three months since its launch, the app, which allows users to share six-second looping videos, has become a lucrative location for food porn and recipes, sports clips, and journalists to cover news events. 

However, it looks like Hollywood may have found the best use for Vine yet. 

Marketing. 

Monday, "The Wolverine" director James Mangold tweeted the first footage for the new movie through Vine.

Dubbed a "tweaser" by Mangold, the director debuted a teaser for a teaser out today. 

In six seconds, the clip shows roughly 16 different clips set to an overture and, who we presume to be, Hugh Jackman yelling. 

The tweaser. vine.co/v/bDExaiMjJ1F

— James Mangold (@mang0ld) March 25, 2013

The first full trailer for the film won't be out until today. 

Though there's no way of knowing how many times the Vine has been viewed, the "tweaser" has been retweeted directly from Mangold more than 1,000 times. 

We doubt it will be the last we see of this.

This is the second time in a week that a film has put out marketing content on Vine.

FilmDistrict released video reactions last week to early screenings of its new Gerard Butler film, "Olympus Has Fallen" in hopes the videos would help draw buzz for the movie. 

It certainly didn't hurt.

The movie's opening weekend of $30.4 million was the largest debut ever for a FilmDistrict movie—more than double the opening of last year's "Red Dawn" ($14.3 million). 

Deadline speculated Vine may be the next big viral movie marketing tool after FilmDistrict first announced promotion of its film through the app earlier this month.

And, they're not the first movies to experiment with the video app. 

Indie film distributor Oscilloscope took a different approach to Vine.

Last month, they released an entire movie, "It's A Disaster" in six-second clips on the video app. 

#itsadisastervine.co/v/b65lI9jTeTz

— Oscilloscope Labs (@OscopeLabs) February 19, 2013

SEE ALSO: How media outlets are using Vine to deliver the news >

Please follow The Wire on Twitter and Facebook.

Join the conversation about this story »

• Despite being the second highest-rated court show on TV next to "Judge Judy," CBS has canceled "Judge Joe Brown" after a salary dispute. He reportedly has been making $20 million a year, but the network was looking to trim his compensation in line with a decline in the show's ratings.
• Justin Timberlake's new album "20/20 Experience" missed the 1 million mark, but it's still the strongest album sales week since Taylor Swift's "Red" album. It's also the biggest week for a male artist since Lil Wayne's "Tha Carter III" in 2008.
• Joel McHale and Justin Timberlake's names are already being thrown out there as possible hosts for next year's Academy Awards.
• Selma Blairhinted she's filming "Hellboy III" by posting a photo of herself behind a grey clay mask.
• Celebrities from Ben Affleck to Lena Dunham tweet their opinions on Prop 8.
• ABC Family's hit teen murder mystery "Pretty Little Liars" is getting a spinoff titled "Ravenswood," which is set in one of PLL's neighboring towns and will premiere in October.
• Tom Brady. Gisele. Their kids. On a beach.
• Justin Bieberwent through airport security ... shirtless. Totally unnecessary. 
• Six months pregnant Kim Kardashian changed outfits 3 times in 8 hours.
• And stop calling Kendall Jenner skinny!

SEE ALSO: Hugh Hefner reveals the insane amount of women he's slept with >

Please follow The Wire on Twitter and Facebook.

Join the conversation about this story »

Colombian beauty Sofia Vergara is known for her long brown locks, but it's surprisingly not the Emmy-winning "Modern Family" star's natural hair color.

The 40-year-old actress was actually born blonde, but has said she dyed her hair because “It didn’t match the Hollywood stereotype for a Latina woman.”

At the time, Vergara also added, “I think I should have always had dark hair.” 

Looks like she changed her mind because on Tuesday, Vergara posted a photo of herself with a much lighter 'do.

The picture has over 33K "likes" on Instagram. What do you think of Vergara going back to her roots?

Here's what Vergara looked like with her famously darker 'do:

But here she is in her first Pepsi commercial at age 17 showing off her naturally lighter locks:

Watch the spot here:

SEE ALSO: Kim Kardashian Blasts Weight Gain Reports: "You're 60 Pounds Off!"

Please follow The Wire on Twitter and Facebook.

Join the conversation about this story »

Super Bowl network CBS is asking Louisiana, the seventh poorest state in the US, for a $700,000 tax break. And the television behemoth is likely to get what it's after.

CBS applied for the credit to cover costs for broadcasting its chat show "The Talk" in the runup to the Super Bowl, which it also aired.

(Its Talk promos also earned local ire when CBS covered a statue of President Andrew Jackson with a sign.)

CBS said it was seeking the break because "a live, daily entertainment talk show on location is a considerable expense." Taxpayers are furious: The Louisiana Budget Project, a research group based in Baton Rouge, called it "corporate welfare." 

Louisiana is known as "Hollywood South" because of its state tax credit program for broadcasters and film companies. The program is designed to incentivize movie and TV show production in the state, creating business and opportunity in an economically depressed region.

So why are people so mad?

The tax credit is designed for companies that wouldn't otherwise film in Louisiana. Because CBS was already putting on the Super Bowl in New Orleans, critics say, "The Talk" was already coming to the city, with or without the tax incentive.

The program, which cost Louisiana taxpayers $223 million last year, also specifically excludes televised news and sporting events.

"The tax credit shouldn't be icing on the cake," said state Senator J.P. Morrell. However, it looks like CBS will get the money back after all, because talk shows aren't classifed as news.

CBS aired about 65 half-minute commercials in this year's Super Bowl. At an average cost to the advertiser of $3.75 million per commercial, CBS earned over $240 million on its Super Bowl ad space.

Please follow Advertising on Twitter and Facebook.

Join the conversation about this story »

In the most recent episode of "Kourtney and Kim Take Miami," Scott Disick goes on an alligator hunting trip in which he shoots one in the head, skins and guts it — all while cameras rolled.

Before going on his reptile-killing expedition, Disick tries to persuade friends to join him by explaining, "I need to get new ridiculous alligator shoes made."

And he didn't stop there.

"I'm actually doing it. I'm going to skin it and then get my own shoes made," Disick continued. "We'll give them a little wine, treat them well and then kill them."

When Disick's friends question his hunting trip, he coldly replies, "I don't care, call PETA too, let them know my number and my email, too."

Disick proceeded to go on the hunting trip at a Florida farm — ironically owned by "Bachelor" star Vienna Girardi's family— and shoot an alligator in the face.

He later tried to justify the killing, telling the cameras, "Shooting the alligator behind the eyes is actually the most humane way to do it ... If I didn't do it, somebody else would."

While it's legal to hunt alligators in Florida, the International Reptile Rescue is seriously peeved about the E! episode.

"He didn’t kill that alligator, he murdered that alligator," a rep from IRR told TMZ. "Fairness would be to cut both his thighs so he bleeds and then toss him in a gator pond with gators small enough to rip him apart slowly and painfully."  

And the animal rights group isn't the only one outraged by the incident. Celebrities are speaking out, too:

Any1 else upset by 2nite ep of K&K Take Miami? Taking alligators life on camera as a storyline&making a mockery of it sent me over the edge.

— Tori Spelling (@torianddean) March 25, 2013

I think it's beyond horrible that @scottdisick killed an alligator on Kourtney & Kim tonight-& they showed him shoot… say.ly/UOl5rtm

— Shannon Elizabeth (@ShannonElizab) March 25, 2013

And as predicted, PETA also weighed in:

It takes a small man to kill an animal 4 fun. The pain of the alligator @scottdisick skinned alive 4 shoes is REAL. bit.ly/10fzlgS

— PETA (@peta) March 26, 2013

Watch the controversial clip below:

SEE ALSO: Jim Carrey blasts gun control opponents in Twitter rant and video >

Please follow The Wire on Twitter and Facebook.

Join the conversation about this story »

Netflix secured three huge names in sci-fi entertainment this week to produce a new original series called "Sense8" that will start streaming in late 2014. 

Andy and Lana Wachowski, the creators of the "The Matrix" movies, and "Babylon 5" creator Joe Straczynski are teaming up to produce the show.

Netflix didn't give us much about the show's plot in its announcement, only saying that it'll be a "gripping global tale of minds linked and souls hunted." But with three well-respected names in sci-fi entertainment behind "Sense8," expectations will be pretty high.

"Sense8" is just the latest in Netflix's growing roster of original streaming shows. "House of Cards," which premiered earlier this year, was praised for being just as good as shows on premium cable networks on Showtime and HBO. It reportedly cost Netflix about $4 million per episode to produce. Netflix will also resurrect the popular sitcom "Arrested Development" in May with a full season of new episodes.

Please follow SAI on Twitter and Facebook.

Join the conversation about this story »

MTVdebuted a 20-second teaser-trailer for "The Wolverine" yesterday, but a full-length trailer for the latest installment of the "X-Men" franchise has just been released.

The video finds Wolverine, played by Oscar nominee Hugh Jackman, out of his realm in modern day Japan where he faces his nemesis in a life-or-death battle that will change his life forever. 

Watch below:

SEE ALSO: "The Wolverine" Trailer in 6-seconds on Vine >

Please follow The Wire on Twitter and Facebook.

Join the conversation about this story »

Matt Lauer has been the subject of much scrutiny recently as reports of what really transpired in the Ann Curry ousting come to light and ratings continue to decline.

And it appears the brass at NBC are now looking to possibly replace Lauer.

Deadline's Nellie Andreeva reports exclusively:

I hear NBC toppers recently reached out to CNN’s Anderson Cooper to replace Lauer on the show before the end of the year. After their initial approach to Cooper, I hear NBC reached out to Lauer to get his blessing about the changeover. But I heard they got pushback from the Today veteran, who contacted Cooper to express his disapproval. I also hear that call caught Cooper by surprise, as he had assumed Lauer had been brought on board before NBC began making overtures. Cooper has been one of the leading faces at CNN, though I hear his contract has an out, and he previously was able to do his syndicated daytime talk show in addition to his CNN program.

New York Times media reporter Brian Stelter, whose book on the morning show wars is due out next month, called the Deadline report "so surprising that some television industry executives thought the story was untrue, chalking it up to troublemaking by agents or rival networks."

But, he also confirms that "three people with knowledge of the call confirmed that it happened, and said they too were taken aback by it. The people insisted on anonymity because the call was considered confidential."

Stelter further reports, "A news division executive, who discussed the matter on condition of anonymity, confirmed in an e-mail that 'NBC News has many exploratory talks with talent inside and outside of the network, but to read anything specific into that is presumptuous.'"

An NBC News spokeswoman declined to comment to The Times, but one source said “Matt’s now in the same situation now as Ann Curry.”

While Lauer's $25 million contract isn't technically up for a year and a half, it could be good timing for Cooper, whose current contract at CNN expires this fall.

But, as one source told The Times, "he's not a morning person.”

SEE ALSO: Ann Curry got pranked and teased by "Today" show crew >

Please follow The Wire on Twitter and Facebook.

Join the conversation about this story »

Even though T-Mobile girl Carly Foulkes is one of the most recognizable brand spokespeople out there right now, giving Progressive's Flo a run for her money, the phone company has decided to remove her from its significant new campaign which introduces its integration of the iPhone to its service.

Here's every thing you need to know about Foulkes>

"The current campaign will not feature the character of the T-Mobile Girl, however she is still a part of the company’s brand family," a spokesperson told BI.

That's usually how brands say that they're ditching their spokesperson without officially having to say say it.

Sure sometimes spokespeople can come back from the dead — literally in the case of William Shatner after Priceline realized it was a horrible mistake to kill the face of its company in a fiery bus crash — but it's a rare occurence.

We have profiled Foulkes before, but wanted to remind readers why they fell in love with this graphic novel-reading, video-game playing, 24-year-old Alanis Morissette fan in the first place.

Foulkes is from our neighbor to the North.

According the description on her Twitter account, "I am Canadian. Embrace it. Love it. ...Please:)"

The province? Again, according to her Twitter, "Your moms house."

Foulkes was born to British parents who raised her in Toronto. She spent her summers in the U.K.

She's only 24.

Foulkes first donned the T-Mobile dress when she was only 22 years old.

Born on August 4, 1988, Foulkes is proudly a Leo. According to an interview with My Daily, she was distressed when false rumors spread last year that the astrological calendar had shifted.

If we are going to take the whole astrology thing seriously, being a Leo means Foulkes can be a little melodramatic and vain, but she is also ambitious, encouraging, and loyal.

She loves to skateboard and play video games.

She enjoys reading graphic novels.

Please follow Advertising on Twitter and Facebook.

The Huffington Post has put together a video compilation of "Between The Lines: Every Woody Allen Stammer From Every Woody Allen Movie."

At nearly 45-minute-long, it's both fun and frustrating to watch:

SEE ALSO: Celebrities tweet their Passover greetings >

Please follow The Wire on Twitter and Facebook.

Join the conversation about this story »

Most media companies focus on covering the latest news. Eli Pariser and his army of bloggers at Upworthy don't, yet they have grown from no readers last year to 10.4 million last month.

If The New York Times is a designer store with new, original items that keep readers informed, Pariser is running a pawn shop, recognizing the value in old gems, and selling them for much more.  

Essentially, Upworthy goes dumpster diving in the Internet's archives, hoping to find gold. They're looking for any scrap of a moving, visual story they can tell that was, for some reason or another, initially overlooked by readers. They polish it off with a catchy headline, send it out into the Twitterverse and Facebook, and watch the readers flock to the page.

When you're promoting old stories, there's not much competition either. News sites compete to be the first to a story, so there's a lot of overlapping coverage. It'd be hard for another site to stumble upon the same older content Upworthy finds at exactly the same time. 

To find the hidden gems, Upworthy's content curators spend a large portion of the day scouring YouTube and other visual sites. They don't crank out dozens of stories each; Pariser estimates only 60 pieces of content are created per week. Interest, not timeliness, is what matters when it comes to social content.  

"Our mantra is to over-promise and over-deliver," Pariser told us this morning. "If you write the perfect thing and no one sees it, it really doesn't matter. It's like giving a speech to an empty room. But having a really clicky headline only goes so far if it's [tied to] something people will actually be interested in. The content also has to be good enough."

When Upworthy's curators find something that moves them, they comes up with at least 25 headlines for that piece of content. Upworthy is data-driven, and the team can tell when a headline is hooking readers. It uses a platform called SimpleReach to further understand article analytics.

Take a video about a bully, for example. It ultimately received 4 million views, Pariser explained, but the author tried 16 headlines before landing on one that resonated with readers and reeled them in. 

"We have 5,000 publishers, and 20% of all social actions we record on a daily basis come from Upworthy -- significantly more than any other single site," SimpleReach CEO Eddie Kim says.

The in-with-the-old, out-with-the-new strategy is working for Upworthy. It recently raised $4 million from investors and its traffic has grown faster than any media company we've ever seen. Last month, Upworthy had 10.4 million unique visitors. This month, Pariser says Upworthy will beat that number. Previously, Upworthy's high month was October, when it hit 8.7 million uniques, so while traffic took a temporary dip, it's back up to mind-blowing numbers.

Here's a chart of the company's uniques per quarter:

SEE ALSO: Upworthy Reveals How It Became The Fastest Growing Media Company In The World >

Please follow SAI on Twitter and Facebook.

Join the conversation about this story »

Jon Hamm graces the cover of the latest issue of Rolling Stone and the "Mad Men" actor is addressing reports about his ... parts.

According to past reports, “AMC’s marketing team had to do some Photoshop magic on promotional booklets that went out to press in order to make his privates more, well, private.”

Additionally, tabloids claimed Hamm was “politely instructed” by an AMC staffer “to please wear underwear while shooting his scenes."

Now Hamm is opening up about the invasive reports for the first time in Rolling Stone, lamenting, “They’re called ‘privates’ for a reason. I’m wearing pants, for f**k’s sake. Lay off.”

“Most of it’s tongue-in-cheek, but it is a little rude," Hamm continued in the mag. "It just speaks to a broader freedom that people feel like they have — a prurience.”

And the 42-year-old actor didn't stop there.

“I mean, it’s not like I’m a f**king lead miner. There are harder jobs in the  world. But when people feel the freedom to create Tumblr accounts about my c---,  I feel like that wasn’t part of the deal [of fame],” he explained.

“But whatever,” adds Hamm. “I guess it’s better than being called out for the opposite.”

SEE ALSO: Scott Disick is the most hated man in America after he killed an alligator on TV >

Please follow The Wire on Twitter and Facebook.

Join the conversation about this story »

Actress Ashley Judd announced on Twitter Wednesday that she has decided not to run in Kentucky's 2014 Senate race, ending speculation that the film star would make a Democratic bid to replace Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. 

Here are her tweets: 

Democrats are likely breathing a sigh of relief at the news. Although Judd's potential switch to politics has gotten considerable buzz in recent weeks, national and state Democratic leaders have privately suggested that she would have sunk the party's already-slim chances of winning in deep-red Kentucky.

Please follow Politics on Twitter and Facebook.

Join the conversation about this story »

• Jay Leno resumed his jabs at NBC Wednesday night. After noting that NBC's "The Voice" and "Revolution" performed well for the network, he joked: "You know what that means? Between Easter and Passover, this is truly the season of miracles. We’re number two! And I've been saying that for the last week, that NBC is a big number two."

• Forbes rundown of the wealthiest artists in hip-hop reveals Diddy is the wealthiest rapper with $580 million in the bank. Jay-Z is in second place, with $475 million; Dr. Dre is third with $350 million; Birdman is fourth with $150 million; and 50 Cent rounds out the top five with $125 million.
• Joseph Gordon-Levitt announced he'll be launching a new variety show based off his social media platform for artists and filmmakers, HitRecord. It will air on new television channel Pivot launching this summer.
• The Academy has staged a "Wayne's World" reunion. Mike Myers will join his former co-star Dana Carvey, producer Lorne Michaels and director Penelope Spheeris for a panel discussion and screening of "Wayne's World" hosted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
• Lyle Lovett is launching a men's western shirt line to debut in fall 2013.
• Angelina Jolie denies claims (prompted by a gold band on her ring finger) that she and Brad Pitt are secretly married.
• Olivia Wilde and Jason Sudeikishammed it up at Disneyland.
• "I'm not ashamed of my body," said six-months-pregnantKim Kardashian while wearing a body-hugging dress that showed off her baby bump.

SEE ALSO: Jon Hamm calls the media 'rude' for talking about his private parts >

Please follow The Wire on Twitter and Facebook.

Join the conversation about this story »

"Star Wars" fans waiting for the next film to arrive can unite in California this summer for a week of costumed festivities. 

And, we're not talking about San Diego Comic Con.  

Lucasfilm and Nerdist Industries are hosting the second annual "Star Wars" relay "Course of the Force" this year in conjunction with the Make-A-Wish Foundation.  

Last year, the event comprised of a five-day relay covering 136 miles from the Skywalker Ranch in Santa Monica to San Diego right before the start of the annual Comic-Con festival.  

The event features fans dressed up in costume, booths, giveaways, and an Olympic-torch-style relay with all of runner registration funds going toward the Make-A-Wish Foundation. 

This year's event will expand to cover nearly 500 miles and will take place July 9-16.   

Nerdist Industries' founder Chris Hardwick will return to host the event. 

Relay spots cost $150 and include a customized Hasbro lightsaber and "Star Wars" swag bag. 

Those interested in participating can head over to StarWars.com for more information.

SEE ALSO: Upcoming movies have found the most effective use for Vine >

Please follow The Wire on Twitter and Facebook.

Join the conversation about this story »

Because there hasn't been enough talk about morning show anchor shuffling this week, CNN has just announced that Chris Cuomo and Kate Bolduan have received the coveted co-host positions for the network's new morning show.

Cuomo, 42, joined CNN in January from ABC News while Bolduan, just 29, currently co-anchors "The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer" and has been a congressional correspondent for the network.

The still-untitled program, which will premiere this spring, has also tapped Michaela Pereira of "KTLA Morning News" as the New York-based program's news anchor.

"I've been looking forward to this announcement since I first joined CNN," said Jeff Zucker, president of CNN Worldwide, in a statement Thursday. "Chris, Kate and Michaela are a dynamic team that will give our viewers in America a new way to start their day. We were floored with excitement when we saw Chris and Kate together on screen, and by adding Michaela to the mix we feel we have something very special. We believe there is an opening to do news in the morning with a fresh, new voice."

The announcement is somewhat of a surprise considering speculation had centered on "OutFront"s' Erin Burnett as Cuomo's morning show co-host.

The New York Times‘ Brian Stelter reported that Burnett was the original choice, but it didn’t pan out, “reportedly due to Ms. Burnett’s unwillingness to move to the morning time slot.”

Zucker's "pairing of Mr. Cuomo, 42, and Ms. Bolduan, 29, suggests that he sees an opening for a morning show that is generationally different — or, to put it more bluntly, a morning show that has younger faces," adds Stelter.

“We’re not going to reinvent the wheel,” the new morning show's producer Jim Murphy told The Times. “But what we will provide people, I think, is a fresher, more energetic, more conversational and more interesting morning show than what they’re used to.”

Murphy adds of Bouldan, who will be the youngest morning host on any major television network, “It is a surprising choice, and we know that.”

Stelter says the GWU grad "wowed Mr. Zucker" after her "obvious chemistry [with Cuomo] when they tried hosting together in an internal test, and that’s what morning producers look for when they put people together."

In January, Zucker lured Cuomo away from his "20/20" co-host and ABC News gigs to join the new team at CNN.

At the time, the NY Post reported that Zucker was "looking for an anchor he can basically make the centerpiece of the network.”

"Jeff has this brand he has to respect and grow but he’s walked into a situation where he could change out every single talent on his network right now, everything and everyone is up for grabs and he’s going to start with the morning show,” a source told Deadline. “Frankly he wants to upgrade things and he has a wish list and Cuomo fits into that perfectly.”

Cuomo, served as the news anchor on "Good Morning America" from 2006-2009 before moving to co-host "20/20" alongside Elizabeth Vargas and act as the ABC News Chief Legal Correspondent.

And according to her latest tweet, Cuomo's new co-host, Kate Bolduan, is currently resting up for some early wake up calls ahead:

I'm going off the grid for a bit of R&R.Hold down the fort while I'm away :) #vacation

— Kate Bolduan (@KateBolduan) March 15, 2013

SEE ALSO: NBC has reportedly offered Matt Lauer's Job to Anderson Cooper >

Please follow The Wire on Twitter and Facebook.

Join the conversation about this story »

The mystery of Justin Timberlake's sudden return to music — with an album and a concert tour this summer — may have been solved.

Sources tell The Hollywood Reporter that Timberlake was pressured to return to music by Live Nation, which gave him around $20 million in 2009. Timberlake supposedly received $5 million as a "gimme" plus $15 million payment for a future tour.

Live Nation is the live-events company dealing with concert promotions ranging from Madonna to Jay-Z. 

A high-ranking source tells THR: "There is a due date by which you have to start touring — at some point, [Live Nation] has to call in the loan."

According to THR, Timberlake could have returned the $5 million if he didn't tour. 

The partnership with Timberlake came on the heels of a successful $150 million, ten-year deal with Jay-Z in 2008for live shows, tours, and future recordings. 

Jay-Z, of course, will be appearing with Timberlake this summer in his "Legends of the Summer Tour."

It was a surprise when the major pop star announced his return to music, and furthermore when he dropped an album, "The 20/20 Experience," only three months later.

For one thing, Timberlake's been a busy man focusing on an acting career. 

He put out three movies in 2011 ("Bad Teacher," "Friends with Benefits," and "In Time") and had "Trouble with the Curve" with Clint Eastwood and Amy Adams out last year. 

Before his return, Timberlake also gave a lot of conflicting quotes regarding his absence from the music world.

March 2011 he told Entertainment Weekly he thought he may return to music: 

”But to make an album, you have to find a group of songs that speak to something that might not be on the radio currently and make sense for you personally. It’s right around the corner, I think.” 

Then in May, he told Playboy music wasn't his focus at all, and that it may never be time for another album. However, he said he's always writing and thinking of ideas for songs: 

“I don’t have a single song ready to go," said Timberlake. “People keep asking me when a new song or album is coming out, and I don’t know what to say. Music is not my focus right now. It may be someday. It could happen next month or next year but right now it’s not where it’s at for me." 

But, then in June 2011 he told Vanity Fair to not bet on another album, but hinted a tour may not be out of the question:  

"I wouldn't say I'm not going to put out another [album]. I would say that would be a bad bet, if you were betting," said Timberlake. "But I could see myself only doing one more big tour."

It seems like Timberlake knew all along he would come back to music eventually and Live Nation was just cashing in on its $20 million deposit.  

"The 20/20 Experience" went on to sell 968,000 copies in its premiere week according to Nielsen Soundscan, and, though it didn't disappoint, the album didn't stand out among the critics either.  

Some reviews of JT's album: 

Some weren't impressed by the lengthy tracks, with ABC referring to  his music as secondhand: 

"He’s not any more talented than your average, well-coached teen-pop star. You’d be hard-pressed to find a pop album that takes itself more seriously than “The 20/20 Experience.”  Most tracks are  overextended to last  seven or eight minutes." 

EW also found the songs offering too much:

"The songs are a little too slow, too long, too lacking in the flashy tap-dance energy that made him a giant solo success when he was 23. Maybe he wants to be the young Frank Sinatra. But for now, he’ll have to settle for being a slightly older JT."

The Rolling Stone noted the lack of catchy beats of previous Timberlake songs: 

"The 20/20 Experience may test the patience of fans expecting immediate gratification. There are no songs as instantly infectious as "Like I Love You" or "SexyBack," nothing that cuts as deep as "Cry Me a ­River" or "My Love." But eventually the music sinks its teeth in, even on the wooziest songs."

The L.A. Times was more generous with its review:  

"'The 20/20 Experience' feels like an attempt to reclaim Timberlake’s space in a deeply altered landscape; it makes a play for timelessness at a moment of unabashed ephemerality."

Was the album rushed? Perhaps.  

And that may be why we'll be hearing another one out later this year. That, and, because of Live Nation.

SEE ALSO: Justin Timberlake's Myspace makeover >

SEE ALSO: Jared Leto's gross gift from a fan >

Please follow The Wire on Twitter and Facebook.

Join the conversation about this story »

Keep your "eyes open," Zooey Deschanel. 

Entertainment Weekly reports Taylor Swift will appear on the "New Girl" season finale.

There's no word on the role she'll play, but, according to EW, Swift will be an "important guest" at Cece (Hannah Simone) and Shivrang's (Satya Bhabha) wedding.

This won't be Swift's first time on screen.

The singer also guest-starred on CSI in 2009 and appeared in "Valentine's Day" two years ago.

Maybe she'll be performing at the wedding.

The episode airs on Fox May 8 at 9 p.m. 

Please follow The Wire on Twitter and Facebook.

Join the conversation about this story »