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Hugh’s attending right now the GQ Men of The Year Awards in London. Follow the event via Twitter over here and here. Good friend Stephen Fry is presenting the award of Music Man of the year to Hugh.

In case you haven’t heard the news Hugh Laurie is the new face of L’Oreal. Yes this means that he joins Beyonce, Sarah Jessica Parker, Eva Longoria, Cheryl Cole … the list goes on. Why, you might ask, would a crinkled 52 year old Brit be the face of a new men’s skin care cream? Because, in a stroke of marketing and advertising genius, L’Oreal have realised that he can charm the world into buying an anti ageing moisturiser, just like he charmed every beauty editor last night at The Savoy.

Ok, at this point I can admit that I technically wasn’t on a ‘date’ with Hugh, well not unless you call being in a room of fifty adoring members of the UK press together with Hugh a date. But a girl can dream, can’t she? He was utterly adorable, like a charming, well mannered but fiercely intelligent puppy dog – and yes I did want to take him home.

He took to the stage mumbling an apology about how ridiculous it was that he should be modelling a face cream, and then looked up and with aplomb and confidence won over every single person in the room. That’s real X factor for you. And that’s what L’Oreal has tapped in to, and it really is very, very clever of them.

Take a look at the ad; it’s funny, self effacing, charming, and witty, self deprecating but also searingly clever – just like the man himself. I wonder how much input he had into the concept? Because, in my opinion, very few cosmetics companies are confident enough to gently to poke fun at their own industry. Yet this ad is so brilliantly self aware that it subverts the whole genre of ‘buy this cream and your life will be fabulous’ men’s cosmetics ads.

And guess what – no airbrushing of that wonderfully craggy and sexy face? So I say three cheers to L’Oreal and raise a glass to Hugh Laurie – now please L’Oreal, sign Helen Mirren and do the same thing for women of a certain age the world over.

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It was a bit disorienting to experience Hugh Laurie’s transformation from the scowling, egocentric television character Dr. Gregory House to his welcoming British self during a visit to the “House” set here. But it wasn’t as jarring as experiencing for the first time Mr. Laurie as a New Orleans blues singer and pianist on his album “Let Them Talk” (Warner Brothers).

From its opening bars, the music proves the disc isn’t a vanity project or another role for the 52-year-old Mr. Laurie, who in the U.K. is known as a musician and comedian as well as a dramatic actor. He’s been playing piano since he was 6 years old and said he’s long adored the music of Lead Belly, Jelly Roll Morton, Bessie Smith, Fats Waller and other American jazz and blues giants he covers on the disc. When Mr. Laurie jumped in, he did so at the deep end: “Let Them Talk” includes a reading of Professor Longhair’s “Tipitina” and Morton’s “Buddy Bolden’s Blues,” as well as versions of “Swanee River” and “Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho.”

The album opens with Mr. Laurie’s take on Louis Armstrong’s adaptation of “St. James Infirmary Blues.” After a lengthy, melodramatic, almost mawkish introduction, Mr. Laurie’s left hand locks in with the ace rhythm section of Jay Bellerose on drums and David Piltch on bass and makes a convincing case for his right to the music. For anyone who doubts his bona fides, consider that New Orleans legends Dr. John and Irma Thomas are among the guest vocalists. Allen Toussaint did some of the horn charts. Mr. Laurie sings with an American accent, much like Mick Jagger did when the Rolling Stones covered Ms. Thomas’s reading of “Time Is on My Side” some 47 years ago.

When we met in his trailer on the Fox back lot, an electric piano at hand in the cramped space, Mr. Laurie said he was both eager and hesitant to do an album that took on the New Orleans canon. A series of emails he exchanged with producer Joe Henry bolstered his confidence. A talented songwriter and singer in his own right, Mr. Henry knows the terrain: He’s worked with Ms. Thomas and Mr. Toussaint, among many others.

“Joe was the only choice to produce,” Mr. Laurie said. “I’d had inquiries before and I’d think, ‘One of these days. . . .’”

In discussions with Mr. Henry, Mr. Laurie explained how he thought the album could unfold. “I was hearing ‘St. James Infirmary’ as an overture,” he recalled. “I know it’s much covered, but as it is much covered I’m avoiding any hint of hiding behind arcane material. I wanted it to be honest. There’s no trickery.”

As Mr. Laurie and the band drove deeper into the material, it became clear that inviting New Orleans royalty to join in might be a treat—not so much to obtain their imprimatur, but as a courtesy.

“I wore a suit and a tie everyday as a sign of respect for the music,” Mr. Laurie said. “When Irma arrived I was even more on my best behavior. She couldn’t have been more gracious.

“Then the thought crossed my mind: Why not Dr. John? I was caught somewhere between hysterical laughter and abject terror.”

On the day he was to cut “After You’ve Gone” with Dr. John, whose real name is Mac Rebennack, Mr. Laurie decided to arrive at the studio early so he could practice. But his guest was already there, working out an arrangement on piano. “Joe said, ‘Step away from the piano. We want you just to sing.’ Mac gives a performance that appears to be effortless. His phrasing and embellishments are completely spontaneous.”

Held in 2009 while Mr. Laurie was on a break from “House,” the recording sessions had a credo: “No hotel lobby version.” “All these musicians are deep, thoughtful people,” Mr. Laurie said. “I was sort of giddy-drunk with the sensual pleasure of playing with these guys.”

Other musicians on “Let Them Talk” include Patrick Warren on keys and Kevin Breit and Greg Leisz on guitars. Levon Henry, the producer’s 18-year-old son, plays a gritty tenor-sax solo in Leroy Carr’s “Six Cold Feet,” and Robby Marshall issues a sinewy clarinet solo in “After You’ve Gone.”

Despite his delight with the record, Mr. Laurie doesn’t know how the marketplace will react, especially in the U.S. where he’s known as a TV character who occasionally plays the piano, organ or guitar on his popular series.

“I don’t know what people like anymore,” he said. “This I love: I love these songs and instruments. Joe has a way of recording. You hear the squeak of the fretboard. It’s not prettied up.

“I won’t deny that I’m immensely proud,” Mr. Laurie added, as he was called back to the set. “I feel it’s a truer expression of who I am than anything I’ve ever done. There’s no clowning, no face pulling, no affectation.”

When his schedule permits, most likely in the spring when “House” is on hiatus, Mr. Laurie intends to take the music of “Let Them Talk” to the concert stage, performing in venues across the U.S.

“I want to get in a position where I’m completely exhausted from being on the road,” he said.

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Today has taken place the launch of Hugh’s L’oreal campaign promoting antiwrinkle cream Vitalift. This afternoon (European time), Twitter has been quite busy with tweets and retweets of some lucky fashion journalists who have attended and posted comments and pics of the event. Here’s a compilation:

@ Nadine Baggott: Here he is, the epitome of charm, that’s British breeding for you.  See the picture.

@ DARE_Editor: Charming, absolutely charming hughlaurie for LOrealParisUK. See the picture

@ CosmoBeautyBoss: Rather a better ambassador for L’oreal than Shayne Warne (allegedly) is for Lauder. See the picture. Oh: and good old #hughlaurie is using his l’Oreal swag to build a school and stuff in Sierra Leone. Antiwrinkle cream with a purpose.

Hugh made a radio interview on  All Things Considered (NPR) and you will able to listen to the whole programme here at 7 PM (ET).

Hugh Laurie has a serious case of the blues.

No, life isn’t imitating art for the star of the TV medical-mystery drama House. Quite the opposite. The 52-year-old actor, writer and amateur musician has just released his first album Let Them Talk, a celebration of his longtime passion for New Orleans blues, boogie- woogie and jazz.

“This music has moved me ever since I first heard it at age 11 or 12,”

says the erudite Brit down the line from House’s Hollywood set. “I don’t know how anybody can hear the music of that city and be unmoved by it, and not drawn to it like a moth to a flame.”

The 52-year-old singer, pianist and guitarist isn’t flying solo on Let Them Talk: The authentic-sounding set of blues classics was produced by studio ace Joe Henry and features Louisiana legends Dr. John, Allen Toussaint and Irma Thomas. But the real star of the show is Laurie, whose nimble fingers, decent vocals and obvious sincerity elevate the album beyond the usual actorly vanity project.

Between takes, a genial Laurie – whose love of New Orleans and its music will be the subject of a PBS doc in late September – discussed growing up friendless, consulting with Dr. John and taking his act on the road.

You’re a little young to have been caught up in the ’60s British blues wave. Shouldn’t you have been a punk?

Indeed, I should have been a punk. And who knows, maybe I will be one day. But I never really bought punk or pop records. That’s not a boast; I was just never moved by it. I don’t really know how this happened, because I have no memory for anything beyond … oh, about 20 minutes ago. I just know that as soon as I heard this music, I gravitated toward it. But people who were collecting Screaming Jay Hawkins were pretty thin on the ground, so I never had the same kind of musical bond with my peers that other people had. I was utterly friendless. And continue to be.

Not many people wait until their 50s to make their first album. Why are you doing it now?

Well, I don’t want to say I’m reacting rather than proacting, because I don’t think there’s such a word as proacting. Basically a man came to me and asked me if I wanted to do a record. A few people have done that in the past, and my instinct has been to say, ‘No, I’m not ready.’ Perhaps the reason I said yes this time has something to do with having a five at the beginning of my age. You start thinking differently. I started to think, ‘If not now, when?’

So it’s your midlife crisis album?

Please don’t say that. (Laughs)

What was it like to have personal heroes like Dr. John and Allen Toussaint working on your album?

It was so intoxicating I actually started laughing in a slightly crazed, manic way. When I got a text from Joe Henry saying that Dr.

John was in town and up for singing something, I assumed I’d been hit by a bus and taken to heaven, or was in some episode of The Twilight Zone. The whole thing was like a dream. But to play piano for Dr. John was just a little …

Intimidating?

Just a bit! And the thing is, we hadn’t rehearsed. The idea was that I’d get there early; we all assumed Dr. John would be an hour late because he’s a legend. But he was half an hour early and by the time I got there he was at the piano figuring out the song. So we actually had to ask Dr. John to step away from the piano! But he just said, ‘That’s great; now I don’t have to learn the motherf—ing changes.’

The man swears like a trooper. Anyway, we recorded it in about half an hour, and then he just sat in the control room and told us stories. It was so incredible that at the end, I got in the car and wept. I was so overwhelmed by the whole experience. I had worshiped the man since I was a boy, and to be in his presence, never mind play for him, was extraordinary.

Do you want to make more albums and tour?

If any record company wants to do another album, I would jump at it with embarrassing haste. I wouldn’t even put pants on. I’d be out of the door like a shot. And I would love to tour. We did eight or nine shows in England earlier this year, which scarcely counts as a world tour. But when you’ve done no shows, nine is a lot. I thought I was staring? up at Everest. But I had the most wonderful time. I frankly can’t wait to do it again. I’m slightly constrained by the TV production for the next few months, but come spring, I hope we’ll get a bus.

Albums by actors are a tough sell. You know people are going to call you a dilettante.

I do. And to be honest, I would do the same. I completely get it, I’m ready for it, I understand it. It’s completely fair. The only thing I can assure you of is the sincerity of my love for this music. So the only strategy for me is to keep going. If I can do this for 10 or 20 years, hopefully I’ll have turned around some of my more cynical critics.

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Here you have the first promotional still of “The Oranges” featuring Hugh and Leighton Meester. Do you like it?

The Oranges – Promotional Stills

 Hugh Laurie was in pain. This is often true, but usually it’s because of self-inflicted psychic wounds. The immediate source of his torment, though, was a female voice, flat and affectless, inside a glass elevator at the Natural History Museum in London.

“Over 100 scientists work here,” the recorded voice said, “and it is the home for millions of specimens.”

Laurie winced, putting his hands on his temples and looking around for a way to escape. No luck. We were still in an elevator.

“I hate this woman’s voice so deeply,” he growled.

“Have you picked up a NaturePlus card yet?” the voice continued. Laurie, hunched over, made inarticulate noises to block her out.

As the elevator doors opened, he mimicked the voice’s blank institutional tone. “Welcome to heaven,” he said. “Through the door on the left, an eternal fire awaits.”

We strolled out into “Cocoon,” a Darwin-themed exhibit. Laurie said he hadn’t visited this museum in years. He chose it for our meeting because he believes that “I have no natural habitat.”

It’s true that Laurie has built his career on being an “invasive exotic,” a species that thrives outside its native bioregion, like the walking catfish in Florida. Successful first as a comic actor and writer in his native England, Laurie spent the last eight years in Hollywood, collecting large checks and Emmy nominations for playing an American: the misanthropic Dr. Gregory House on the TV show “House.” Now, to further thwart attempts at classification, he is releasing an album of New Orleans blues, titled “Let Them Talk,” that is scheduled for release in the United States on Sept. 6. It has already hit No. 2 in England, blocked from the top spot only by Adele.

At “Cocoon,” Laurie considered a vitrine filled with insect specimens. “Darwin — a good contender for the biggest single idea anyone’s ever had,” he said. He recently thought about buying a replica of Darwin’s ship, the H.M.S. Beagle (“it’s a pleasantly unprepossessing ship, given the weight of the ideas it was carrying”) but decided against it, on the logic that it would inevitably lead to acquiring the Golden Hind and then the Cutty Sark and H.M.S. Victory — “and suddenly you’re that guy with the boats.”

He headed past an array of interactive touch screens explaining evolution, then questioned a security guard about where he could find a less high-tech section of the museum. “Glass cases, mahogany cabinets, no people,” Laurie specified. Thus directed, we decamped for the mineral gallery and found a bench between the sulfides and the silicates.

Throughout our tour, Laurie had been unfailingly witty and gracious (automated elevator voice notwithstanding), yet he also radiated such self-consciousness and discomfort that a dark cartoon cloud seemed to hover six inches above his head. Sitting in the mineral gallery, he barely had time to offer his opinion on the cultural gap between England and the United States — “We differ by only 5 percent in almost every field, except when it comes to religion, and then we seem to part company by about 300 percent” — before he was approached by a young Asian tourist, asking if he was Dr. House. He signed an autograph but declined to pose for a photograph. “I really hate pictures,” he said apologetically. “I’ve got a bit of a thing about it.” She walked off, slightly disappointed, and Laurie tried to explain. First, he went for glib but funny: “Schrödinger’s cat notoriously refused all photographs,” then “it steals some of my soul — and I don’t have much of a soul to begin with, so I can’t spare much.” Furthermore, he said, it implies a fundamental mistrust between the photographers and the people closest to them. “Can’t you say to your friends, ‘I met Steve Martin?’ Why is that insufficient? Do your friends not believe you?”

Then he spotted someone taking his picture while hiding behind a nearby pillar and he decided it was time to leave for lunch.

“Hugh is the most miserable man alive,” says Robert Sean Leonard, who plays Laurie’s best friend on “House,” Dr. Wilson. “Hugh is complicated, Hugh is moody, Hugh can be a royal pain in the ass.” Leonard’s tone is almost admiring.

That misery has been fermenting for 52 years: Laurie, born June 11, 1959, grew up, not especially happily, just outside Oxford, England. The youngest of four children, he was a self-described “horrible child” and a constant source of frustration to his mother, who suffered from mood swings that may have been clinical. (She died in 1989; his father, who was a doctor, in 1998.) Despite his habits of cheating on French tests and smoking in school bathrooms, he attended the ultra-exclusive Eton school, where he won a British junior rowing title, and then Cambridge, where he majored in archaeology and anthropology. A bad case of mono ended his promising sports career, so he joined the Cambridge Footlights comedy troupe, which also included Stephen Fry and Emma Thompson. (Laurie and Thompson dated at the time — she has described him as “lugubriously sexy, like a well-hung eel.”) After graduation in 1981, Fry and Laurie became a comedy duo, starring in “Jeeves and Wooster” on TV and in a four-season run of the sketch show “A Bit of Fry & Laurie.” Soon Laurie became famous in England as a comic actor with a specialty in playing upper-class idiots. Later, he became famous worldwide for playing Dr. Gregory House.

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Melissa Block reports that actor Hugh Laurie of the TV show House will talk about his new album of New Orleans jazz and blues on Friday’s All Things Considered. Check out more info here