Guns N' Pansies

(Fashion rocks: Donatella Versace and Axl Rose c/o Getty Images)

Since last month's release of "Chinese Democracy," Guns N' Roses' first album in 17 years, I've been doing two things: a) trying to find the disc's single redeeming quality, which I believe I have with song number five; and b) reminiscing about Guns' good ol' days, before front man W. Axl Rose got those god-awful braids.

Rufus Wainwright's Remarks On Gay Marriage Whip Up Controversy

Rufus Wainwright wants to make something clear—he's not against gay marriage.

Still, he has been portrayed as being against gay marriage—especially by the online media—after a recent interview with New York Press. When asked by the newspaper how he felt about the passage of Prop 8, Rufus mused, "Oddly enough, I'm actually not a huge gay marriage supporter."

Sax Symbol

(Photo: Lori Stoll)
As Dave Koz prepares to take his final bows at the last of his 11th annual "Dave Koz And Friends Smooth Jazz Christmas Tour" stops, which officially ends on Dec. 20, the six-time Grammy-nominated, platinum-selling contemporary jazz saxophonist has much to be grateful for.   

All I Wanna Do Is !!!! And Take Ya Money

I suppose that congrats are in order for Ritchie Rich. He scored a $75 million dollar settlement with Madonna, which essentially triples his assets from the original $35 million he was worth.

Big Gay Inauguration Parade

I guess we really are witnessing the dawn of a new era. The Washington Blade has reported that for the first time in American history, openly gay musicians and performers will be marching in Obama's inauguration parade.

Del Marquis: OUT on his own

(All photos c/o Girlie Action)
If the lead singer [Jake Shears] of one of your favorite bands [Scissor Sisters] goes solo, you grow concerned, but when a musician in said band [Del Marquis] is suddenly a one piece, you really worry. That said, you have to admire Scissor guitarist Del Marquis for taking the risk with his just-released debut EP, "Hothouse" -- and triumphing.

"Star of Wonder" iTunes Holiday Single Benefits Homeless Gay & Lesbian Teens

Tommy Boy/Silver Label artist Matt Alber released an acoustic single on iTunes this week entitled Star of Wonder (originally recorded by The Roches) in hopes of keeping the lights on at the Los Angeles Youth Network.  100% of the proceeds benefit the non-profit community organization who provide group homes and emergency shelters to many of the 10,000 homeless teens who currently call the streets of LA home.

Says Alber, "A lot of these kids are gay, lesbian or transgender who flee from abusive homes and schools.  They arrive by bus, they hitch-hike, they do whatever they can to get away and land here with nothing.  LAYN is more than a band-aid or a hand-out; they provide real homes, one-on-one social workers and even send these kids to college.  Most of us have always had a roof over our heads.  These kids just want a safe place to start their lives."

Download Star of Wonder from iTunes

Brandy on the Rebound

When Brandy talks about future goals, she doesn't list No. 1 hits or a top-selling CD among them. Instead, she talks about more personal benchmarks, like learning to be more understanding, staying true to herself, and living her life with a purpose.

"I don't want to live my life in vain," says Brandy, who released her first CD in four years, "Human," this week. "That is the most important thing ... not just to be here to be here."

Hot on CD/DVD: k.d.'s "Watershed"

If you’ve got friends who can’t get enough of k.d. lang, here’s a great holiday gift tip. “Watershed” Deluxe Edition CD/DVD has just hit stores, and it packs a punch.  A special cloth-wrapped box contains the full “Watershed” album.  A bonus disc contains four live recordings, as well as a video interview with k.d.  And that’s not all – there’s also three portrait prints of k.d., and a full-color booklet.  Lesbian fans will love this.

Take a sneak peek of k.d.'s KCRW performance at the Malibu Performing Arts Center.

"Upstream"

Fashion Backwards: The End of the World's classic style

(The End of the World's Stefan Marolachakis (L.) and Benjamin Smith (R.), stuck at the hem: c/o Tell All Your Friends PR).

Sometimes I feel like the overwhelmingly laissez-faire attitude towards fashion today, like that college- kid-gone-wrong look, for example: think boring t-shirt, sweat pants or cargo shorts, and flip flops... or worse, UGGs, makes me want to run and hide, or at least sue for battery clothes. It just might signal the end of the world as we know it, and I don't feel fine. But other times, I feel like fashion is still a driving force that continues to bring people together. That's what happened in 2003 with New York-based indie rock band The End of the World's drummer-singer Stefan Marolachakis and guitarist Benjamin Smith, when the former noticed the latter on their college campus, in a t-shirt featuring one of his favorite, most obscure bands. Adding Mike Incze on guitar and later Sam Axelrod on bass, the band released a self-titled EP, before their full-length "You're Making It Come Alive" in 2006.  Their new LP "French Exit" was released last month.

While the band may take a more casual approach to fashion, you'd never catch Marolachakis, 28, in a pair of sweats. You're more likely to find him in a classic, well-tailored suit, as Gay.com learned in a recent interview, because an appreciation for fine clothing isn't a choice for the drummer-singer, but a part of his DNA.