Frank Ocean

Credit: AP Photo

Frank Ocean’s “Channel ORANGE” has dropped a week early. Fans can stream all 18 tracks (several of them interstitial) here or buy the set on iTunes.

Ocean, a member of Odd Future, has been all over the news lately after sharing in a moving message on his Tumblr page that his first love was a man, although he never identified himself as gay or bisexual. Some of the material on solo album “Channel ORANGE” addresses that relationship. For example on “Sierra Leone,” he sings about being so in love, he and his paramour are “acting like teenagers” and have even run out of Trojans.  A number of other R&B and rap artists, including Beyonce, have sent out message of support.

[More after the jump...]

Pink

Credit: RCA

I don’t know exactly when over the last year that lyric videos became mandatory, but many acts now produce them as a stop-gap between when the audio single is released and the full official video.  Some are exactly what the title implies: the song’s lyrics scrolled across the screen, others are fully-fleshed out ideas that could serve as the final video.

Pink’s video for “Blow Me (One Last Kiss)” falls on the simpler end of the spectrum. In front of an array of backdrops, including the beach and a mosaic tile, a nose ring-wearing redhead with red, white and blue nail polish, opens her mouth, as the written lyrics appear as a word bubble out. She doesn’t even seem to be particularly singing or lipsyncing with the lyrics. It’s all shot close up so we seldom see her full face and with very quick cuts.

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Demi Lovato

Credit: Jason DeCrow/Invision/AP

Demi Lovato will host The Teen Choice Awards on July 22.

The Teen Choice Awards air on Fox, the same network that broadcasts “The X Factor.” Lovato, along with Britney Spears, is one of “The X Factors” new judges in the season that bows in September.

Top nominee Justin Bieber will perform on the show, as will Carly Rae Jepsen, Flo Rida and No Doubt. As we previously announced, No Doubt will debut new single, “Settle Down,” on the show. 

Green Day

Three albums are clearly not enough: Green Day will also have two documentaries coming out this fall and winter.

As previously reported, the Bay Area punk pop band will release three albums, “Uno!,” “Dos!,” and “Tre!,”  between September and January. Now comes word that a documentary chronicling the creation of the three sets will also come out this fall. Additionally, a documentary covering the trio’s pre-”Dookie” days will also be released, according to Billboard, which broke the news.

The unnamed film covering the creation of the three new albums is not “going to be the sitting-down, head-shot of me going ‘we started out ‘blah, blah, blah.’ W wanted to get into lifestyles of rock ‘n roll...and letting the story kind of tell itself rather than create revisionist [history],” Green Day lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong told Billboard.

Tim Lynch, who previously worked with Green Day on “Bullet in a Bible” concert flick, and Tim Wheeler are shooting the documentaries.  Wheeler co-produced and edited “The White Stripes Under Great Northern Lights.”  Film making will continue as Green Day plays some upcoming concert dates at international festivals. The hope is that the film will debut the Sundance Film Festival in January. Shooting for the doc commenced more than a year and a half ago as Lynch and Wheeler have followed the band in the studio and select club performances.

"Dookie," the group's third album, came out in 1994 and was Green Day's major-label debut.



 

Carly Rae Jepsen

Carly Rae Jepsen is relocating to Beverly Hills...temporarily, at least. The Canadian singer, whose “Call Me Maybe” is one of the biggest songs of the year, will appear on the season premiere of “90210” on Oct. 8.

The night time soap opera played “Call Me Maybe” in last season’s finale. No word yet on what song Jepsen will sing but we’re going to go ahead and guess it will be whatever her label decides to push as the next single. Her debut album will come out this fall on  on 604 Records/Schoolboy Records/Interscope.  She will also tour as Justin Bieber’s opening act on his forthcoming outing.

We know this about Jepsen’s performance: “90210’s” executive producers Patti Carr and Lara Olsen say she will sing in a scene as the headliner for Adrianna’s (Jessica Lowndes) Las Vegas premiere. But this being “90210” and all, that special moment for Adrianna is interrupted when she gets bad news about Dixon (Tristan Wilds).

“Call Me Maybe” remains No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the fourth week in a row.

D'Angelo

Credit: AP Photo

D’Angelo’s triumphant return continues. After stealing the BET Awards with his first televised appearance in 12 years a few weeks ago and wowing the audience at the Essence Music Fest in New Orleans this past weekend, the R&B superstar will tour with Mary J. Blige later this summer. D’Angelo stepped back on stage for the first time in a dozen years in the U.S. when he made a surprise appearance at Bonnaroo with the Roots.

Blige told Rolling Stone, “I felt like it would be refreshing and fun for people to see him and Mary J. Blige on the road together.” 

The Liberation tour opens Aug. 18 in Virginia Beach. Only four of the planned 20 dates have been announced, according to Billboard.

Aug. 18 Virgina Beach, VA (Farm Bureau Live) ?Aug. 19 Wantagh, NY (Nikon Theatre at Jones Beach) ?Aug. 21 Boston, MA (Bank of America Pavilion) ?Aug. 23 Holmdel, NJ (PNC Bank Arts Center)


 

Adam Lambert

The rumor mill is churning overtime with reports that Adam Lambert, “American Idol’s” season 8 runner-up, is in the running to become a judge on the reality talent competition.

E! News first reported that talks were going on, but then Lambert implied in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter that the discussions had not started. However, as he said, “If ‘Idol’ wants to talk to me about judging, I’d be more than flattered to have that conversation.”

While it looks like Jennifer Lopez will opt not to return after two years of judging, E! News predicts that both Randy Jackson and Steven Tyler could be gone as well, leaving room for three new judges. We’re sure the producers would never do this, but in some ways, we think it would be awesome if the whole panel was composed of past contestants. Can you imagine Adam Lambert, Fantasia and Melinda Doolittle all judging?

Let’s pull back from that little high-drama scenario and focus on Lambert. Here are the top seven reasons why we think he’d make an excellent judge:

1. He’s a great singer.  This is a singing competition, after all, and that notion seems to get  a little lost some years.

2. This is stating the obvious, but Lambert knows the game from the inside. Yes, the judges will all be different from when he competed, but the basics don’t change and the general concept remains the same.

3. He’s entertaining and has a razor-sharp wit that amuses, but isn’t mean-spirited.

4. He’s kind, but not annoyingly so. Some judges (yes, Tyler and Lopez, we mean you) don’t levy a lot of criticism or don’t seem to have much advice to give a contestant for fear of hurting his or  feelings. While Lambert won’t be intentionally cruel, he’ll land somewhere kinder than Simon Cowell, but not as soft as Lopez and not as crazy as Paula Abdul.

5. He’s out there in the real world now. His music heyday wasn’t 20 years ago or even 10 years ago. He’s competing in today’s marketing place so who better to judge the current crop of talent and assess where they fit in to today’s space?

6: He knows from different. To give “American Idol” credit, the judges through the past decade have grown better at embracing talent that falls outside of the narrow confines of Top 40 radio, such as Casey Abrams in season 10. Lambert seems like he would continue that.

7. It would be really fun to see him perform with the contestants and give them advice. In that regard, if he doesn’t work out as a judge, he should be a mentor, like Jimmy Iovine.

And now a few reasons why it might not work.

1. Though the perspective of a former contestant can be great on one hand, on the other, it could be a little too inside baseball. Viewers are pretty savvy, but they are the ones ultimately deciding who stays and goes and an insider’s view could be too limited given the wide appeal the winner must have. 

2.  Is he mainstream enough?  One of the reasons Lambert lost to the much blander Kris Allen is that he pushed the envelope and may have made some people uncomfortable.  At its heart, “American Idol” remains a family show.

3. Speaking of, not everyone has forgotten about Lambert’s American Music Awards performance when he pushed another man’s face in his crotch. Hopefully, we’ve reach a time where no one has a problem with his sexual preference (or at least we’re getting closer), but some folks may have a concern about his lewdness.

4. While Lambert has had success, he hasn't become a runaway star, especially at radio, that a number of his fellow former contestants have become.  His current album, the tremendous "Trespassing," has been well reviewed and debuted at No. 1, but has not spawned major radio hits.Should he focus on his own career instead of trying to build others? 

E! further reports that among the other names Idol's producers are tossing around as potential judges aer Miley Cyrus, Nicki Minaj, Fergie, Katy Perry and Black Eyed Peas' Will.I.Am.

Whom would you like see become a judge? Is Lambert a good choice? 

Carly Rae Jepsen

Credit: AP Photo

Carly Rae Jepsen’s summer just keeps getting hotter and hotter. Her breakthrough hit, “Call Me Maybe,” logs its fourth week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 this week, while “Good Time,” her duet with Owl City, is this week’s top debut, zooming onto the chart at No. 18.

Phones remain popular on the Hot 100 as “Call Me” keeps Maroon 5’s “Payphone” at bay at No. 2. The group’s hit, which features Wiz Khalifa, does log a No. 1, however, as it rises to the top of the Billboard’s Radio Songs chart, according to Billboard.

It’s a very static Top 10 as No. 1-8 and No. 10 remain the same as last week. In addition to “Call Me Maybe” at No. 1 and “Payphone” at No. 2, Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used To Know” is No. 3, Katy Perry’s “Wide Awake” is No. 4 and Rihanna’s “Where Have You Been” is No. 5.

At No. 6 is Ellie Goulding’s “Lights,” fun.’s “We Are Young” featuring Janelle Monae is No. 7 and Nicki Minaj’s Starships” is No. 8. The lone new entry, and change at all within the Top 10, is David Guetta’s “Titanium” featuring Sia, which leaps 12-9. Usher’s “Scream” stays at No. 10.





 

Pink

“The Truth About Love,” Pink’s first studio album in four years, will come out Sept. 18, the singer has announced via her website.

The pop singer’s last studio album, “Funhouse,” came out in 2008, and contained such hits as “So What” and “Sober.”  A greatest hits set released in 2010 spawned the hits “Raise Your Glass” and “F**kin’ Perfect.

[More after the jump...]

Gotye

Credit: AP Photo

One-named acts rule 2012 so far: Half-way through the year, Adele and Gotye have bragging rights to the top-selling album and single so far.

Adele’s “21” has some more than 1 million copies this year, while Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used To Know,” which topped the Billboard Hot 100  for several weeks, is the top selling single, moving 5.5 million downloads.

[More after the jump...]