Justin Timberlake is bringing music back ... in three days. Today's tease didn't go anywhere, but word has it that singer's follow-up to FutureSex/LoveSounds is in the pipes, with Timbaland, Jay-Z, and Beyoncé onboard. After sending the entire Internet into a tizzy over the prospect of a new single with a cryptic tweet this morning, Timberlake dropped yet another tease with this video: 

So his big announcement was about another announcement? Well, at least it wasn't another plug for Myspace 2.0. Fans have waited patiently while Justin indulges his thespian, fashion, and golfing hobbies. But it says something that new music was the first thing on everyone's mind when Timberlake tweeted this save-the-date:

Thursday, January 10th, 2013 at 9:01 am PST...

— Justin Timberlake(@jtimberlake) January 10, 2013

J.T.'s secret didn't stay secret very long. The Hollywood Reporter quickly reached sources who say there's a new album on the way, with Timbaland—the producer who helped define Justin's post-'N Sync sound—attached to "around 20 new tracks." Gossip about Jay-Z and Beyoncé guest spots wasn't far behind. Producer Carl Paul spilled the beans yesterday (Timberlake's henchmen promptly expelled Paul from Twitter). That new GQ profile of Beyoncé that went up today also placed her and Justin in the studio together. Apparently she didn't take his spoof of "Single Ladies" personally.

This has turned out to be a generous week for surprise album announcements. And to top it all off, Destiny's Child just put listeners on alert for their first new song in eight years. 

Want to add to this story? Let us know in comments or send an email to the author at dwagner at theatlantic dot com. You can share ideas for stories on the Open Wire.
David Wagner