There’s an interesting comment by Justin Timberlake on the EW blog where he says he’s not interesting in making new music right now. It’s quite an interesting piece, because JT is clearly not going to pump out albums just because there’s a record company expectation. Or even fan expectation for that matter.

By the sounds of this quote, it’s all about motivation: he doesn’t have any.

Right now, I like the idea that things can just kind of pop up and if they feel right I can do them. Committing to my own sort of project, that’s like, ‘Okay, let me block out two years of my life and do it.’ I was heavily fulfilled with the last one and I always have this thing with myself that if I can’t sleep because I need to do it, then I’m gonna do it. But if I’m not losing sleep over it then…

So, expect to see Timberlake piggybacking on singles by every major hip-hop and R&B star for the foreseeable future. And of course anything by Timbaland.

And just because JT hangs out with all these hip-hoppers, doesn’t mean that’s the only kind of music he listens to: he namechecks Kings Of Leon, Radiohead and The Black Keys’ Attack & Release album (which is an absolute classic).

I wonder if that means he’ll broaden his horizons to do a bit of rock screaming in the future? Who knows, but he’s gone up in my estimation for having some good taste!

Seems Justin Timberlake doesn’t release anything by himself these days, he’s just happy to meander onto any given rap track and sing a few lines. No real hard work to be done, the audience is happy, and everybody goes home satisfied.

Except T.I. – he’s headed for prison in a few weeks, isn’t he?

You’ve got to admire the guy’s spirit though – not going to be held back by the minor inconvenience of being incarcerated, he’s releasing the fourth official single from his Paper Trail album.

A tribute to T.I.’s assistant Philant Johnson, who was killed back in 2006, the song’s a lot more serious in subject matter, and Timberlake’s contribution is more than just a celeb cameo: he actually delivers a smooth vocal that doesn’t seem shoehorned in.

Difficult to find a good version of the video online to share with you. The single gets a UK release on 23 Feb 2009.

Rumours are coming in thick and fast that Leona Lewis may be about to record a duet with Justin Timberlake.

Hopefully he’ll make more of an impact than he did on Rehab with Rihanna, which (let’s be honest) was more of an appearance in the video than contributing to the song.

The Sun have reported that Leona and Justin may well be resurrecting that old Whitney Houston hit I Will Always Love You.

A source said: “They will record the track in the next few months and are just waiting for a period when they’re both free to go into the studio. Leona and Justin are huge fans of each other’s music and are raring to go.”

More interestingly, the article reports that Simon Cowell’s team are still reluctant to put Leona on tour because she still doesn’t have the presence to carry a whole concert by herself.

To be totally honest, I don’t know how or why Leona’s confidence issues haven’t been dealt with by now. She won The X Factor in December 2006, giving her management two years to have dealt with this. She’s performed numerous high-profile (but one-off) gigs, including the closing ceremony at the Olympic Games in Beijing. She should  be ready by now.

Perhaps the thing to do is have her go on a combined tour with some other acts – I’m thinking a Leona and Alexandra Burke tour would be great fun. Bring along a male solo singer as well and they could mix and match duets, dance-along songs and big ballads.

Touring would be great for Leona’s career. Considering she’s only had an album out for just over a year, she probably doesn’t have enough material for a full concert on her own anyway. Co-headlining a tour might be a way of easing her into becoming a lucrative touring act.

As fast as helpful music fans put the video on YouTube, Warner and the YouTube admins are pulling them down. Sure, there’s an official version available, but guess what? It’s not available in my country.

Last time I looked, it was the 21st Century and the Internet had rendered phased releases in different countries impossible. No, irrelevant.

Now, if I could be bothered, I’m sure there are plenty of copies available through less legal channels. Fact is, Madonna isn’t really on my radar, so I won’t waste my time. I could be telling you what I think of the new single right now, but someone doesn’t want people on the Internet talking about her music.

Who’s the brainiac behind this anti-marketing decision? Is it Madonna or is it Warner Music? You’d like to blame the record company, but face it: Madonna is a major established artist. You have to assume that the buck stops with her when it comes to these types of decisions.

So, dear Madonna, would you please explain what your grudge is against the Internet? And why can’t I, in my remote corner of the UK, watch your stupid video?*

* I’ve seen it, by the way. You can’t police every corner of the Internet, dearie. But nice to see a poker company is making a fast buck out of your video.

[Bonus link: Idolator have some good commentary on the new Madonna/JT single. I won't be wasting my money on it.]

Youtube may have removed the video last night, but today we were able to get our hands on the full version of Madonna’s new single ‘Four Minutes.’

Of course what has us most excited is the fact that the video features the gorgeous Justin Timberlake…

Check it out!

It’s a well known fact that I got beef with 50 Cent, so I approach any single by the man with a healthy dose of skepticism.

And when the song in question starts with the man blathering about  being ’sumin’ special’ and ‘unforgettable’, the bullshit radar goes off the map.

Ayo Technology is one of those songs, like SexyBack that sports a droning, repetitive backing over which 50 Cent and his companions Justin Timberlake and Timbaland do their respective thangs.

End result? Boring.

In the course of writing this review, I’ve forced myself to listen to the song five times. Grudgingly, the oversexed theme is actually quite good, particularly JT’s line “I’m tired of using technology/why don’t you sit down on top of me?”

Fascinating fact, fact fans! The original title of the song was to be Ayo Pornography before the censors got their hands on it. Basically, it’s a song about preferring a real woman to the er…digital equivalent.

Anyway, enjoy the Ayo Technology video: considering Timbaland shot his recent video in London, it’s interesting to see another big US star do a UK-based vid.

The Proclaimers recorded (I’m Gonna Be) 500 Miles in aid of Comic Relief and have held the number one for the last three weeks. But today they were knocked down to number four as Timbaland’s Give It To Me (featuring Nelly Furtado and Justin Timberlake) took top position.

Poor Gareth Gates failed to even make the top ten with his comeback single Changes, looks like he might just get dropped from another record label!

The former NSYNC singer stated:

“I have been working on some new music.

“But it’s not for myself — I’m writing for other people. I’m working on some stuff for Madonna.”

Could be good….