Judy Garland At 100: Rufus Wainwright & Kristin Chenoweth Pay Tribute

Today marks the 100th anniversary of Judy Garland's birth, and gay singer Rufus Wainwright and his LGBTQ+ ally Christine Chenoweth are honoring the icon with a new version of the "Get Happy" / "Happy Days Are Again" garland written in 1963 and performed by Barbra Streisand. . .

The song is taken from Rufus Does Judy at Capitol Studios, a new interpretation of his previous Garland tribute Rufus Does Judy at Carnegie Hall, recorded at Los Angeles Capitol Studios last year and released today. Using the same microphone Garland used in the studio, she spoke to an audience hosted by Renée Zellweger, who won the 2019 Academy Award for Best Actress for her role as Garland in Judy. Wainwright's performance was broadcast live this year, and the album is available on CD, vinyl and digitally on various platforms.

This is one of many tributes to the great star for his centenary. Today, the Empire State Building in New York lit up with all the colors of the rainbow in honor of Garland's favorite song "Over the Rainbow" from The Wizard of Oz. (It also works well for Pride Month.) Wainwright sang with Garland's daughter, Lorna Luft, at Garland's birthday party inside the building, and also recently sang at the Stonewall Inn in New York City when Luft showed a photo of Garland on a historic hanger. building. LGBTQ+ place.

The theory that Garland's death in June 1969 sparked a riot in Stonewall against police harassment has been debunked, but Garland's status as an LGBTQ+ icon is not in doubt. “She was our goddess. “We knew about all the problems he faced and saw him take the stage like a phoenix, which meant we could do the same,” said gay Albert Poland, founder of the Garland fan club, in 2019 documentary Sid and Judy. . life and career while married to producer Sid Luft.

In the same documentary, Stonewall veteran Ms. Major Griffin-Gracie said, “She seems to have got it all figured out. It made the gay community feel like they have a right to be who they should be."

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Among other Garland-related events, Wainwright will perform related songs at the City Winery in Chicago next Thursday and Friday, as he recently did at the City Winery in New York.

The Wilshire Ebell Theater in Los Angeles presents Get Happy!, a collection of Garland artifacts including costumes, movie posters, letters and more. 100 Years of Judy Garland Exhibition on Saturday and Sunday; A 15-minute viewing time is available from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm.

In Garland's hometown of Grand Rapids, Minnesota, the Judy Garland Museum is hosting a series of special events this weekend, including performances by former Garland fan John Fricke, city and museum tours, and performances by The Wizard of Oz and other Garlands. movies.

Garland is Turner Classic Movies Star of the Month. TCM presents its films every Friday this month to celebrate both the 100th anniversary and Pride, with other Pride-related shows taking place in June featuring LGBTQ+ filmmakers hosted by TCM's Dave Karger and director Kimberly Pierce.

Check out the Wainwright-Chenowet video below, as well as the original with Garland and Streisand.