I've been pretty neglectful keeping up with new releases. I let a new album by STRAIGHTENER and a new single by the brilliant green go by without any notice. Well, I did notice them -- I was just too lazy to post about them. I think part of the difficult with compiling these entires is the slow pace of the release schedule. Since the last time I posted a round-up, I would visit my usual sources for news and be totally underwhelmed by the offerings. I didn't report anything because there was nothing to report. And I just get this sense ...

Just because. ...

In a new interview with The Guardian, Rufus Wainwright talks about the death of his mother, folk singer Kate McGarrigle:"The farewell became, as Rufus recalls, inevitably, an impromptu performance: 'We sang to her as she lay there… as we were having this jamboree, her breathing became more laboured and she made a moaning noise. One of the nurses said this could go on for four days and we had already exhausted the back catalogue. Then Kate breathed a little differently, it was like she was saying, 'Hold on, I'm going to end this show', and she died. ...

Kate McGarrigle, the singer-songwriter who with her older sister Anna became iconic on the Canadian folk scene in the 1970s, died Monday of clear-cell sarcoma at home in Montreal. She was 63. In the McGarrigle Sisters' heyday, NY Times music critic John Rockwell wrote that “their voices have a plaintive allure full of light vibrato and husky emotionalism, and they blend together exquisitely in harmonies. Not since Carole King’s Tapestry has the female voice been recorded with such unblemished intimacy.” We love the McGarrigles, if only for their heartbreaking song "Kitty Come Home." On his website, Rufus Wainwright, ...

Kate McGarrigle, Canadian folk singer and mother to singer Rufus Wainwright, has died at 63: "It was reported last week that McGarrigle was 'critically ill' after her son, the singer Rufus Wainwright, cancelled his Australian tour to be with her. Her doctor, Robert Tabah, confirmed the singer's death to the Guardian, saying: 'Kate McGariggle passed away yesterday (Monday 18 January) as a result of sarcoma, a form of cancer that she was first diagnosed with three and a half years ago.' The late singer apparently passed away at her Montreal home, where she was surrounded by family and friends." A ...

All Days Are NightsLate Saturday afternoon, after finally de-Christmas-ing the apartment and completing a few other chores, we cleaned ourselves up and caught the Passport to downtown Long Beach. First stop was a leisurely dinner at La Muse, a small, trendy restaurant specializing in savory and sweet crêpes. We happened upon La Muse during our walk back from a Prop 8 rally at the City Hall and made it a "restaurant of choice" when we see a show at the Long Beach Performing Arts Center just across the street. Tonight we both ordered the Melpomene the ...

Matt Morris is quite something different.When I first heard his crunchy folk-infused soul-pop, it was hard to believe that this Nashville crooner used to be a performer on the Mickey Mouse Club together with Justin Timberlake, JC Chasez and Britney Spears. All grown up now, his music sounds nothing like the sugar-sweet pop of his past.Since his days on the Mickey Mouse Club, the openly gay-singer (and my fellow OUT 100 Honoree)  has developed a compelling style of his own as a singer and songwriter. He has written songs for people like Christina Aguilera, Reba McEntire ...

Previously on my blog, I was just about to head off on my honeymoon, and if you followed my Twitter or Facebook updates, then you know it was an amazing time. I haven’t gotten around to uploading all my photos (of course), but Thom’s full set is here. The past ten years sure have been a decade of change in my life. In 2000 I found my first post-college job and moved across the country, from California to Washington, D.C. In 2001 I discovered the music of Rufus Wainwright and became a semi-groupie. In 2003 Thom and I first ...

2010 looks so good. Happy New Year!(btw, Gilles will be back on Brothers & Sisters in January.)Recent Posts:'RuPaul's Drag Race' preview: Ru on the new seasonRufus Wainwright: My memory of a 'Prima Donna'Even in Europe, Lindsay Lohan keeps it realHomeRelated:Photo Credit: Amazon.com ...

Tonight at 9:00: "The Sundance Channel will profile the precociously talented, singer/songwriter Rufus Wainwright and take viewers behind-the-scenes as he tackles his grandest project yet: mounting his first classical opera, 'Prima Donna.' Directed by George Scott, this engaging portrait chronicles the career of this ambitious musician with candid video, home movies and other filmed elements for a capacious look at a life entwined from the start with music, including a life-long passion for Opera. There is iconic meaning to everything in Rufus’s work, from the name of the opera to plot lines and cast members who are loosely based on ...

0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false false /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} I've been a fan of Rufus Wainwright since a free CD of his music landed in my goodie bag at an NYC Pride in the late-90s. Since then, I've run into him a few times. Each time he was really nowhere close to a "Prima Donna." The most memorable time for me was the night we knocked ...

Choosing the greatest and gayest albums of all time is no easy task. Curtailing a brawl at Out magazine’s editorial headquarters, the magazine turned to 100 celebrities — including Boy George, Cyndi Lauper, and Rufus Wainwright — each of whom weighed in with the 10 albums that changed their lives. With selections as diverse as the community itself, Out magazine proudly presents “Out’s 100 Greatest, Gayest Albums (of All Time).” Readers will no doubt have opinions on the selections and mention some titles they feel should have been included. That’s why in addition to this extensive list, Out ...

Entertainment Buzz for Wednesday: Rachel Maddow vs. the “ex-gay”; David Furnish on George Michael; Elton John and David Furnish’s Empty Closet; Perez Hilton Slammed; Rufus Wainwright in NZ. Fight!: Rachel Maddow vs. The Man Who Claims He Can Make Her Straight (Catch the ringside action at Gawker with blow-by-blow commentary) Drama: David Furnish: Friends ‘worried’ about George [...] ...

A CapellaBrowsing the CDs at a Barnes and Noble listening station last night, I happened upon a CD of a capella music from an L.A. group known as SONOS. Some great music here: covers of Imogen Heap, Depeche Mode, Rufus Wainwright, Björk, the Bird and the Bee, and many others. Here's a sample of their work:I Want You Back by SONOS.I hate that I can't embed this video! ...

I'm actually quite pleased with Robbie Williams' new album Reality Killed The Video Star. I mentioned previously that I'm not a fan of the first released single Bodies, and truthfully, I'm not big on a few more...namely track 5 - Do You Mind? (doesn't belong on the album), the Pet Shop Boy-ish track 6 - Last Days of Disco (just...weird), and track 12 - Won't Do That (the lyrics, "Swiss army wife"...'nuff said). The hits, in my book are track 1 - Morning Sun (grand and sing-along-ish), track 4 - Blasphemy (co-written by Guy Chambers - think Rufus Wainwright), ...

by Bambi Weavil Rufus Wainwright’s (MySpace, Twitter)  newest CD/DVD release, Milwaukee at Last!!!, captures Wainwright live from a sold-out performance at the Pabst Teatre in Milwaukee, WI.  The set includes 10 songs on the album and 23 songs on the DVD, with the main focal point being select songs from the Release The Stars release.  Other highlights include a unforgettable performance of Noel Coward’s “If Love Were All” from his Rufus Does Judy show, as well as closing out with “Gay Messiah.”  The album from top to bottom (no pun intended – wink), ...

We seek them out so you don't have to. This is our weekly non-exhaustive round up of upcoming LGBT programmes on the radio and television. Inclusion of a programme is not a recommendation.Some of the programmes listed below will be available online on the respective network's websites.Enjoy!Owt on’t’telly?A round up of LGBT progs and personalities on British TV.Warning: Emmerdale is running a story about a woman faking domestic abuse to seek attention. You might like to complain to ITV1. In the past Emmerdale has had a major lesbian character: Zoe. She came out, chucked her girlfriend, went mad, turned ...

Rufus Wainwright performed at the "Place At The Table" benefit event for the Ali Forney Center that was held last night at New York City's Chelsea Museum. The Ali Forney Center is an organization that provides support to homeless GLBT youth by rescuing kids from the dangers of the streets and placing them into a safe, homelike environment. Also in attendance were NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg, Sandra Bernard, Justin Bond, Christine Quinn, Paul Mooney and Don Choi. Kevin Tachman took photos of the event that you can view on his BackstageAt photo blog. Click here ...

So fabulous. Dressed in a pink tutu standing on a special platform, a highly-pregnant Roisin Murphy tonight at Viktor & Rolf Spring/Summer 2010 show in Paris. After previously inviting Tori Amos and Rufus Wainwright, the acclaimed Dutch design duo invited Roisin Murphy to perform at their show this year. Check out the entire video of the show at the Viktor & Rolf web site. Roisin performed two brand-new tracks, "Royality" and "Demon Lover," a stomping, grimey house-pop track. Check for more video at the excellent Hopeless Optimist blog. ...

Amazing! Kevin shoots the Yeah Yeah Yeahs (Backstage At) D.C. Equality March: Vote for Equality Song Finalists Kylie debuts in America (and borrows from Gaga?) (Towleroad) Lots of great shots from Kylie's show in Oakland last night (PITNB) Win tickets to see Bebel Gilberto in NYC (MadeInBrazil) It's true: Tour is cancelled. Lady Gaga splits from Kayne West (Queerty) Madonna looking gorgeous on Letterman (OhLaLa) Rufus Wainwright talks about Milwaukee and a new album (Popnography) Tiesto celebrates new ...