Tag Archives: gay artists

Today the Scissor Sisters released an “instructional video” to support their unexpected smash album track, which is outselling the official single. Look at Jake strut in that mesh tank top!

A “gay-positive take on Cinderella” from the openly gay American Idol contestant who brought us last month’s “hood-inspired” and wildly popular viral video, Beauty & The Beat. You should recognize several of the supporting players.

Elton John spoke yesterday at the 2012 AIDS Conference in Washington DC, telling the audience, “By all rights I shouldn’t be here today. I should be dead – six foot under in a wooden box. I should have contracted HIV in the 1980s and died in the 1990s, just like Freddie Mercury, just like Rock Hudson. Every day I wonder, …

A lovely cover of Lana Del Rey’s hit.

Earlier this month I posted the audio version of this track. Here’s the production video, which Andrew Sullivan calls “one of the very few videos I’ve seen that actually celebrates the life of the transgender person.”

Newly out R&B star Frank Ocean debuted at the pinnacle of Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart this week. (I’m fairly sure this is the first time that an already out artist has achieved this.) In fact, Billboard’s chart-watch column notes that Ocean’s first week sales are more than three times what had been forecast before he came out. Ocean also debuted …

I missed this a couple of days ago, but here’s George Michael’s reflection on his recent brush with death.(Tipped by JMG reader Don)

As an album cut from the latest Scissor Sisters release is blowing up huge in the clubs, Universal has rushed out five remixes of Let’s Have A Kiki. Below is the Danny Verde Remix, which is very much in the style we once called “the big room mix.” Other mixes here.

Openly gay actors Jim Parsons and Jesse Tyler Ferguson are among those nominated for 2012 Emmys. The Los Angeles times recaps the biggest nods: Many of the nominees have been perennial favorites in recent years, such as “Mad Men,” “30 Rock” and “Modern Family,” as well as Jon Hamm, Tina Fey, Michael C. Hall and Jim Parsons. But there were …

During an interview yesterday with Matt Lauer, Elton John said that he was worried about the day that his son learns about his birth story, leading some anti-gay sites to immediately print the quote. The Alliance Defense Fund headlined the statement, but linked to a surprisingly not-nasty report from the UK’s Christian Institute: In an interview with an American TV …

Clip description: “The American Bowie,” “The True Fairy of Rock & Roll,” “Hype of the Year.” Known as the first openly gay rock star, Jobriath’s legacy delves deeper than the labels hung upon him. His reign was brief—two years and two albums. Sabotaged by a publicity machine run amok, shunned by the gay community and dismissed by critics, Jobriath was …

Openly gay Israeli pop star Ivri Lider, who is half of the popular techno-pop duo the Young Professionals, has released the sarcastically titled Congratulations Israel. You may not understand the language, but the images provide his message. Perhaps someone here can provide a translation of the lyrics. (That’s Lider on the right.)(Tipped by JMG reader Eric)

Billboard Magazine is forecasting that the latest album from newly out R&B artist Frank Ocean may debut as high as #2 on this week’s top albums chart. It may launch at No. 2 with a robust 100,000 to 120,000 copies — nearly all from Apple’s iTunes Store. “Channel Orange” — released by Def Jam and distributed by Universal Music Group …

In his first national appearance since coming out last week on his personal blog, last night R&B star Frank Ocean debuted his new single Bad Religion on the Jimmy Fallon Show. Note the pronouns: “I can’t make him love me.” I quite like this.

I’m attending the Armistead Maupin talk later today and will take in one of Matt Alber’s shows later this week. I’m still cracking up over Bearilyn Monroe.

Last night the Scissor Sisters played Terminal 5 in Hell’s Kitchen where an already ecstatic (and virtually all-male) audience went nuts when during their current club smash, Let’s Have A Kiki, the band brought out Justin Bond of the legendary cabaret act Kiki & Herb. We literally screamed in delight and later at the XL after party I got to …

Available for download tomorrow. And it’s timed, I’d think, for the London Olympics, although the press materials don’t say so.

Even though it’s by miles the most wildly popular viral video of the week, I’ve resisted posting this “hood take” on Disney produced by openly gay American Idol contestant Todrick Hall. It’s funny, clever, inventive, and musically brilliant. But it takes its humor at the expense of the stereotyped, impoverished black community and that makes me uncomfortable behind the laughs. …

Four shows at the Crown & Anchor. Cute bit in the clip.