Frank Ocean Coming Out On New Album 'Channel Orange'?

Frank Ocean's Channel Orange doesn't hit shelves until July 17th, but BBC radio's Max caught a listen and says that Ocean, a ghostwriter for Justin Bieber, Beyonce, John Legend and also a vocal talent in his own right, basically comes out. Instead of using "her" in love songs, he blatantly uses "him".

From The Boombox:

[Ocean] has been holding listening parties all over the world, most recently in London, and after giving Channel Orange a spin, BBC 1 radio personality Max reported back on lyrics that would seemingly out Ocean as gay.

"Frank has also opened up about his sexuality on the album, we think it's brave and admire him for being so honest and sharing such a personal aspect of his life through his music," Max said. "On the songs 'Bad Religion' 'Pink Matter and 'Forrest Gump' you can hear him sing about being in love and their are quite obvious words used like 'him' and not 'her.'

The site also notes that Bossip.com recently ran a blind item suggesting Frank Ocean was prepping for a coming out party.

There’s been plenty of speculation about this hot young r&b star’s sexuality, but most of it has been drowned out by the adoration by fans and famous alike. After keeping folks guessing in 2011, this soul singer will answer any questions about which team he’s swinging for with his upcoming musical release.

If this is indeed about Ocean and he is coming out, the 24-year old and his many famous friends, like Jay-Z and Kanye West, could become leading figures in combating homophobia in hip-hop. That is if Ocean chose to do so, of course.

A Brief History Of Male Strippers...

With all the hoopla over Magic Mike and its nearly $40 million box office haul, Forrest Wickman at Slate takes a look at the history of male strippers. Apparently that history is short:

While musclemen have been paid for popping their pecs and otherwise showing off their bodies since at least the late 19th century, it’s only in the ’70s that stripping became a co-ed profession.
…
Gay strip shows sprouted up around the same time. By 1976 the Gaiety Theatre in Times Square featured men stripping for the entertainment of other men.

Unlike the shows oriented toward women, the Gaiety shows regularly featured full frontal nudity on stage. Still, gay shows were otherwise quite similar to their straight counterparts, though there was more likely to be drag and other gender-play.

It wasn't long until male strippers started popping up in pop culture, featuring in long-gone television shows and made-for-tv movies. And now they're making millions at the box office. Male strippers sure have grown!

Towleroad Guide To The Tube #1158

'INSTANT CHARACTER:' An interview with Lisa Gail Allred, a country singer with a personality all her own.

'BLOW ME:' Audio of Pink's latest single, "Blow Me (One Last Kiss)."

WISHFUL THINKING: CNBC's Joe Kernen wants NJ Gov. Chris Christie to be Romney's veep.

INSIDE IMAX: A behind-the-scenes look at how The Dark Knight Rises will be projected.

For recent Guides to the Tube, click HERE.

News: Mermaids Debunked, Andy Griffith, Pot Cookies

R.I.P. The Sheriff Of Mayberry: "Andy Griffith, an actor whose folksy Southern manner charmed audiences for more than 50 years on Broadway, in movies, on records and especially on television — most notably as the small-town sheriff on the long-running situation comedy that bore his name — died on Tuesday at his home on Roanoke Island in North Carolina. He was 86."

President Obama called Griffith "a performer of extraordinary talent."

Madonna's tour truck overturned in Sweden. No one was hurt, but her lighting may be broken!

The FDA has approved the first at-home HIV testing kit.

BBC takes a look at the legality of "gay-only" apartment ads.

President Obama and his family will not be vacationing in Martha's Vineyard this summer, the first time in three years they haven't stopped by the luxe island.

Crumbles: "Police say a 3-year-old Southern California boy ended up in the hospital after eating his grandmother's marijuana-laced cookies."

Religious conservatives think they can "save" the nation in 40 days.

The two Illinois clerks looking to defend the state's ban on gay marriage have been given the green light.

In an article called "No Evidence of Aquatic Humanoids Has Ever Been Found," The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration confirms that Little Mermaid Ariel, Daryl Hannah's Splash character Madison and Emma Roberts' 2006 teen comedy Aquamarine are all the work of fiction. The Cher movie Mermaids is not effected by this very important study.

Chris Hemsworth is a DILF.

More evidence that CERN scientists found the Higgs boson. Said a spokesman in a leaked video: "We've observed a new particle. We have quite strong evidence that there's something there, so to ascertain its properties is still going to take us a little bit of time."

A campaign to stop Ukraine's government from prohibiting any public displays of LGBT-ness is about 60,000 signatures shy of a petition urging Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych to use his power to stop the law. Click HERE to sign.

How to "come out" at work, even if you're not gay.

Tom Cruise is now 50 and single.

Florence + The Machine get patriotic in video for their new single "Breaking Down."

And now the trailer for Lifetime's remake of Steel Magnolias, starring Queen Latifah.

Pugilist Amir Khan Shows Us How He Gets Dressed: VIDEO

Clothing retailer Mr. Porter recently taped Amir Khan getting dress while the British boxer discussed his personal style.

That's all you really need to know about this video, which you can watch AFTER THE JUMP.

(via OUT)

Two Zimbabweans Arrested Over 'Lurid' Gay Pictures

Two Zimbabwean men have been arrested after a third party discovered pictures of them "embracing" in bed.

According to New Zimbabwe, one of the men, known only as Andrew, left his phone to charge with employees he knew at a local mobile phone store. One of those employees went through the phone's pictures and found images indicating Andrew and another man from the neighborhood were in a gay relationship. He then called the police, who have confirmed the arrest.

"I can confirm that we have arrested two men who are assisting officers with their investigations following the discovery of a set of images of a sexual nature. No charges have been brought at present," said a police spokesman. The men are still being held.

Not only is homosexuality illegal in Zimbabwe, it's considered an abomination by most of the population and President Robert Mugabe has made a habit of lambasting gay people, whom he likens to "filth."

Same-sex love is so disdained there, in fact, that people who heard about the pictures prior to the arrest gathered around Andrew and his alleged lover and wanted to "mete out instant justice," according to one witness.

As for Andrew, he claimed he and his friend had gotten drunk and "ended up behaving strangely," but that they're not in a relationship.