Rufus Wainwright got way gay last night of the first of his four shows here in New York City. We didn't care to head over, but NewNowNext's John Polly jumped at the chance to watch Wainwright jump into a number of different costumes. Among the singer's sartorial displays, Polly preferred Wainwright's Judy Garland number, which he wore while singing the gay icon's 'gay' number, "Get Happy". Sounds fabulous.

Meanwhile, in other Wainwright-related news, Rufus and his famous family sat down with Vanity Fair for a little heart-to-heart about singing your family's dirty laundry. Not everything's drama for the crooning kin. The crew came together for Rufus' 2006 recreation of Judy Garland's 1961 Carnegie Hall performance.

Click here to read - and see - more about John Polly's Aural Adventures.

We don't know about you kids, but we wake up singing! You know, because we're gay and gay people sing, like, all the time.

Okay, we don't wake up singing. On the contrary, we typically wake up grumbling, but that's not the point. So, what is the point? Good question.

Anyway, we were conducting our typical search of all things gay and came across this fairly entertaining dissection of some homo-inclined songs from South Africa's Independent. In it, the journos Terry Kirby and Richard Smith decide whether some classic "gay" songs were, in fact, written to be gay or if they've been adopted by the homos. Of course, it wouldn't be a list of fag-anthems without a bit of Judy Garland, right?

[Song:] Over the Rainbow, sung by Judy Garland, written by Ey Harburg . From The Wizard of Oz, released in 1938. Intentional or adopted? Adopted, as Garland's personal tragedies mounted.

The story of the song: with lyrics epitomising the hopes and dreams of a young girl, it became a classic.

Lyrics: "Somewhere over the rainbow Bluebirds fly, Birds fly over the rainbow Why then, oh why can't I? Some day I'll wish upon a star And wake up where the clouds are far behind me, Where troubles melt like lemondrops, Away above the chimney tops That's where you'll find me."

Smith's verdict: the song's longing for a socialist future gave voice to gay male aspirations before liberation even appeared in their dictionary.

Huh? We had no idea "Over the Rainbow" propagates socialism. We thought it dealt more with escape and personal validation. Now we hear that it's actually some sort of call for an entire social revolution. Boy, are we self-centered, or what?

• Rufus Wainwright's two-date Carnegie Hall showcase of Judy Garland's history-making concert is met with applause — from the 45-year-old crowd. [Towleroad, NYT]

• When it comes to celebrating gay pride in your home, Brini Maxwell has an edge up on Martha Stewart. [LGBT CC]

• Your guide to gay pride in Brazil. Parties, parties, parade, parties. [Made In Brazil]

• Yesterday Logo announced plans for all new original programming, including a sitcom about a gay ghost (yawn) and a drama about gay men and women in the military (woohoo!). [Reuters]

Makes you rethink the old joke; How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Be gay, gay, gay.

Rufuf Wainwright [Official Site]
The Dreams That We Dare to Dream Really Do Come True [Gawker]

We know that we’re not perfect. As much as we love all things gay, there are some things that some of our fellow homos do that make us cringe: frosted hair, mesh shirts, rainbow ringed necklaces, Miatas. We know we usually have more taste and style than the straights, but sometimes good taste turns to tackiness, kitsch, garishness. Like Elton John.

And we’re cool with tacky things, but only when they’re done in that smart, ironic way. Think Todd Oldham. Sometimes The Gays go a bit overboard. Leave it to a bunch of fags to get so inspired by Brokeback Mountain to create art. Really bad art, but art nonetheless.

Defamer recently found that eBay has become the hot spot for your original artwork inspired by Brokeback Mountain. It will look great next to your Judy Garland photograph or your Tom of Finland poster, honey. Psyche.

They’re so bad, they’re almost good. At least we found something to get Andy Towle for his birthday this year.

Brokeback Mania Inspires Art [Defamer]
Brokeback Gay Paintings [eBay]

• Butch supermodel Jenny Shimizu has issued a warning to Brad Pitt about her relationship with Angelina Jolie. “There has never been an ending to her and I. I think there never will be,” she says. [The Sun]

• Pop Bytes calls Bradford “so damn witty and in my humble opinion incredibly cute!” Awww shucks! Flattery will get you everywhere with us. [Pop Bytes]

• Today is your last chance to help choose the Hottest Brazilian of the Year. Like we could just pick one. [Made In Brazil]

• You can also still vote for The Urbs. And yes, Joe.My.God is still spanking us, Toby, Andy, and Shades of Gray. Wait, that sounded hot. [Gridskipper]

• Adrienne Barbeau, the star of classics The Fog and Escape From New York, will star as Judy Garland in an upcoming play. The cult goddess is playing a camp goddess. Sounds like magic in the making. [ABC News]

As we type this (limp wristed of course), we're wearing a feather boa, ruby slippers and our favorite Argyle sweater from Banana Republic. Why? Because not only are we writing about the new Judy Garland tribute album but a Judy Garland tribute album recorded by a Broadway star. That, dear ladies, is as gay as you get and we’re making sure we're overdressed for the part.

On the recently released Be Myself, Linda Eder does her best Judy impression tackling such classics like It Never Was You and Over the Rainbow. Eder doesn’t out-sing Judy, (hell, even Liza can’t out-sing her own mom) but her voice is absolutely riveting. Amazing talent, yes, but she unfortunately has a trashy background. She was a multiple winner on the American Idol of the 80’s, the uber-tacky Star Search.

We only hope Eder stops at imitating her voice and not her addiction to booze and pills. We’d like for her to be around for the Liza tribute album.

You lucky dogs in Houston can check out Eder live this weekend.

Frank Angeletti's Homovision is an online magazine for the gay community. The recently published Issue 23 contains features on such diverse topics as Judy Garland, leathermen, the Sweeney Todd revival, and a recipe for pot brownies.

With a (very gay) soundtrack pumping, Homovision also sheds light on the eroticism of enemas, quotes Liza’s diary, and provides its fair share of cock shots. Add an essay remembering Luther Vandross and a note from a friend about the joy of sex (involving feet) and you get a really unique and really gay reading experience.

Homovision is an online magazine full of wonderful graphic images too. Check out the photo essay “Mothra: Then and Now” and see just how beautiful Ms. Stewart was in her youth. We love any site that can show the equal beauty of Kristen Chenoweth and pierced cocks. How could you not?

The Not Safe For Work site can be seen here.