LGBTQ news and entertainment
Rufus Wainwright and Carly Rae Jepsen in ‘The Loneliest Time’Carly Rae Jepsen (“Call Me Maybe”) recently released the music video for the title track of her new album, The Loneliest Time. The stylish visual features Jepsen playing out a fantastical duet with her musical hero, out recording artist Rufus Wainwright. Continue reading “Carly Rae Jepsen & Rufus Wainwright Disco Down In ‘The Loneliest Time’”
Rufus Wainwright (promo photo)
Rufus Wainwright sings ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’ (screen capture)
On his relationship with the iconic Judy Garland song:
“I was about 5 years old when I started singing “Somewhere over the Rainbow.” My mom would occasionally wake me up in the middle of the night and make me sing the song to guests to end the party. They would feel so bad that the kid was still up that late at night and leave.
“Much later, she accompanied me on the piano at Carnegie Hall, the Palladium, the Olympia, and the Hollywood Bowl during the ‘Rufus does Judy’ shows in 2006 and 2007.
“After she passed away, I am only doing the beginning lines of the song a cappella without any piano accompaniment as an honor and memory to her and the hole she has left behind.
“It has a deeply personal meaning to me to sing this song. I think my mom and I singing that song together was also her finally acknowledging my homosexuality with which she struggled for a long time. I am sure that similarly to my experience this song means a lot to LGBTQ folks young and old and their struggles with coming out and living a proud queer life.”
Kristin Chenoweth and Rufus Wainwright (photo: Sean James)
Paulo Batista (via Instagram)
• The Hill: The final testing stage for a potential coronavirus vaccine developed by Moderna is set to begin in July. John Mascola, the director of the vaccine research center at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told the Wall Street Journal the trials will involve about 30,000 people at more than 50 sites, which will mostly be within the U.S. • Washington Post: Last week, the hashtag #LadyGraham exploded on social media in response to allegations made on Twitter by gay adult-film star Sean Harding against Sen. Lindsey O. Graham of South Carolina. The hashtag purportedly refers to Graham’s nickname among male sex workers. What followed has been a mixed bag of political commentary, wanton speculation and downright trolling. • Politico: The Trump administration is preparing to open the door to oil and gas drilling off Florida’s coast — but will wait until after the November election to avoid blowback in a swing state whose waters both parties have long considered sacrosanct, according to four people familiar with the plan. • Out Music: Acclaimed out singer/songwriter Rufus Wainwright drops his latest music video, “You Ain’t Big,” from his upcoming album Unfollow the Rules. “I originally wrote the song “You Ain’t Big” about the strange fact that in the music business worldwide until recently (our estimation has fallen considerably) no matter how well you’ve done anywhere else, if you couldn’t make it in the heartland of the US you weren’t really considered a true star,” shares Wainwright. “Think Little Richard, Elvis, the Beatles, and Julio Iglesias.” “Its vintage sound harkens back to the classical American country music sound of the 40s and 50s and with the help of opposing images in the video of how different life was for white people compared to black people in the 1950’s, as it has sadly remained,” adds the two-time Juno Award winner. “I think it rings appropriate for this time and professes a certain truth.”