Rufus Wainwright & Hubby For The Gap

Advertising Age notes the new campaign from Gap:

A stylish film running online in the U.S. and on broadcast outside the States accompanies colorful print ads featuring some famous celebrity pairings, including actors Michael J. Fox and Tracy Pollan, representing "True Love," musician Rufus Wainwright and artistic director Jorn Weisbrodt, who stand for "Married Love," while "Fatherly Love" figures rapper Nas and his famous blues musician pop, Olu Dara. The ads and film were shot by director/DP Peggy Sirota.

Rufus Does Gum

"For three nights only, experience the spectacle, the beauty, the flavor...of gum."

Swag Tuesday

Courtesy of the Karpel Group, today's Swag Tuesday prize is Out Of The Game, the new album by Rufus Wainwright. The release went on sale today at music sellers and online.

Rufus Wainwright returns to the pop foray with his eagerly anticipated new album, Out of the Game, to be released May 1st on Decca. Produced by the celebrated Mark Ronson, this is the seventh studio album from one of the most accomplished, contemporary singer-songwriters today. A labor of love for both Wainwright and Ronson, Rufus calls Out of the Game, the most pop album Ive ever made, while Ronson recently stated, it s the best work of my career. Recorded in New York in the fall of 2011, the twelve songs are hook-laden, memorably arranged tracks reminiscent of Rufus early work, following 2010 s more quietly intimate outing, Songs For Lulu.From the uptempo opening chords of the title track and first single, to the gospel tinged rock of Jericho, through the beauty of Sometimes You Need and the emotional pull of Candles, this new disc ranks alongside Rufus Wainwright's very best.

We have three CD copies of Out Of The Game to give away. Enter to win your copy by commenting on this post. Only enter once and please remember to leave your email address in the text of your comment. Entries close at midnight on Thursday, west coast time. Publicists: If you'd like to take part in Swag Tuesday on JMG, please email me.

Rufus Wainwright - Out Of The Game

With Helena Bonham Carter.

Kylie Minogue & Rufus Wainwright

The disco pixie teamed up with gay popster Rufus Wainwright this weekend at the Watermill Center in New York, covering some of Kylie's biggest hits and the below 1976 hit from Elton John and Kiki Dee. Tons of photos here.

HomoQuotable - Rufus Wainwright

"I have been with Jorn for five years and he's the light of my life. He's my inspiration, support and he's good in the sack, too! But I am very aware of living in the U.S., of the conundrum that you can't marry your gay partner and give him citizenship. He has to apply for a green card and he may or may not get accepted, which is annoying when you're in a committed relationship. If we were straight, we could get married and he'd get his American passport and it would make a lot of sense. I wasn't a huge gay marriage supporter before I met Jorn because I love the whole old-school promiscuous Oscar Wilde freak show of what 'being gay' once was. But since meeting Jorn that all changed." - Rufus Wainwright, changing his tune on same-sex marriage.

In 2008, Wainwright said he wasn't a "huge supporter of marriage equality" but later backtracked somewhat, saying "a girl likes to have options." It appears that his partner's immigration status may have something to do with his evolving opinion.

Kate McGarrigle Dies At 63

Folk music legend Kate McGarrigle, mother of Rufus and Martha Wainwright, has died at 63.

The Canadian McGarrigle and her younger sister Anna started the duo Kate & Anna McGarrigle -- sometimes billed as the McGarrigle Sisters -- in the mid-1970s, creating a modern permutation of folk music notable for their crystalline harmonies. Their self-titled debut was a masterpiece of this new folk. The group recorded regularly in the '70s, though after 1983's Love Over and Over their output slowed. McGarrigle was married to singer-songwriter Loudon Wainwright III in the '70s; he is the father of Rufus and Martha. They divorced in 1976.

Here's an old clip of the entire family performing in a documentary about the Civil War. That's Rufus behind his mother.

A Place At The Table

Last night my pal Chris accompanied me to the Ali Forney Center's gala fundraiser, A Place At The Table, held at the Chelsea Art Museum where Manhattan's gay glitterati nibbled fancy bits from top chefs, took part in silent and live auctions, and were entertained by Tony-nominee Justin Bond and famed singer/songwriter Rufus Wainwright - all in the name of raising money for NYC's LGBT homeless youth. Boldface names in attendance included Mayor Michael Bloomberg, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, community leader John Weis, Lt. Dan Choi, actress Sandra Bernhard, furniture mogul Mitchell Gold, activist Corey Johnson, and Poz Magazine founder Sean Strub.

Chris and I began the evening with a guided tour of the Ali Forney Center's daytime drop-in center, where homeless LGBT youth are provided with a myriad of services including medical attention, mental health and drug counseling, and HIV tests. AFC executive director Carl Siciliano spoke passionately about the good work his organization does, remembering the AFC's beginnings with six cots in a basement. Times are tough again for the AFC as corporate and individual giving have been dramatically pinched by the economy. Please consider making a donation. I'll have a video clip of Rufus Wainwright's performance later today.

Broadway Friday

-Next Fall, playwright Geoffery Nauffts' "exploration of faith in a modern gay relationship" moves to Broadway in the spring. Previews begin at the Helen Hayes in mid-February. The show got rave reviews in its Off Broadway run earlier this year, where it was extended three times. You probably recognize Nauffts from his numerous Law & Order bad guy appearances.

-Costumes from Disney's eternally-running The Lion King are headed for display at the Smithsonian.

-Catherine Zeta-Jones has been added to the cast of the revival of Sondheim's A Little Night Music. My BFF Angela Lansbury co-stars. The show opens December 3rd at the Walter Kerr.

-Playwright and actor Charles Busch will host A Place At The Table, a benefit for the Ali Forney Center starring a performance by Rufus Wainwright. The October 3rd event at the Chelsea Art Museum also features a cocktail party, food tastings, and a silent auction. Purchase tickets here. The Ali Forney Center provides shelter to homeless LGBT youth.

-Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS presents their annual Broadway Flea Market this Sunday on Times Square's Shubert Alley. Major Broadway stars will be on hand, including the "tribe" of Hair.

-The Diary Of Anne Frankenstein begins previews on October 1st at Off Broadway's 13th Street Rep. "Mary Shelley meets Adolph Hitler." Starring drag queen Mimi Imfurst in the title role.

Swag Tuesday

Courtesy of Fly Life Inc, today's Swag Tuesday prize is Rufus Wainwright's new live CD, Milwaukee At Last!, which comes out nationwide on September 22nd.

Recorded at Milwaukee's Pabst Theater in August 2007 this 10 song CD highlights selections from the full concert DVD that will be released simultaneously. Having wowed and dazzled audiences on his acclaimed and celebrated 2007 `Release The Stars' tour, Rufus Wainwright releases his eagerly anticipated new live CD `Milwaukee at Last!!!'. Rufus Wainwright's `Release The Stars' world tour lasted nearly eight months. Launching in London's Old Vic for a week of triumphant sold out shows in May 2007; the tour was taken around the world before being officially brought to a close in 2008 at Radio City Music Hall, New York City on Valentines Day. `Release The Stars' is the focal point of the new live CD with other highlights coming from Rufus' `Want One' record, a scintillating performance of Noel Coward's `If Love Were All' from his `Rufus Does Judy' show, plus a spine tingling acapella version of celtic song `Macushla'. Rufus Wainwright was fully complemented on his `Release The Stars' tour by his epic 7-piece band.

A deluxe package featuring a DVD of the concert will be released at the same time as the CD. Enter to win one of our five copies of Milwaukee At Last! by commenting on this post. Only enter once and please remember to leave your email address in the text of your comments. Entries close on Wednesday at midnight, west coast time. Publicists: if you'd like to take part in Swag Tuesday on JMG, please email me.

HomoQuotable - Rufus Wainwright

"I do feel like I live a fabulous life. And I know that’s why a lot of the critics get so mad at me sometimes, because they’re just really jealous.” - Rufus Wainwright, talking to the NY Times, adding that his fans have "a tinge of sadness to their devotion. It relates with the alienation that I bring up. So I still feel somewhat subversive, which is nice.”

Wainwright mentions that his fame means that he had his profile taking down by a certain "gay cruising site", because site adminstrators thought it couldn't possibly actually be him. Yet Mr. Ego longs to even more famous, saying, "I’d love to play Madison Square Garden and get hounded and lose all sense of dignity.”

For the record, I adore Wainwright, and his recent Neil Tennant-produced Release The Stars is quite lovely, if a bit of a commercial flop in America. But ain't she grand?

New Wainwright Album Drops In May

Gay heartthrob Rufus Wainwright's new self-produced album, Release The Stars, (executive producer Neil Tennant) will be released in May, following his April appearance at Coachella. The album was mixed by Marius De Vries (Madonna, Melanie C, Kylie Minogue). With De Vries' client history and with Neil Tennant as exec producer, I'm very curious how Wainwright's sound might change on Release The Stars. Check out the track listing here. Who's going to Coachella this year?
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