Our Commentary of the Week from Fri. Feb. 02 - 2024 through Fri. Feb. 09 - 2024!

                  A British Socialist Opera Director - Carrie Cracknell  Ruins the Latest Metropolitan Opera's Production of "Carmen".

            The latest premiere took place on Sat. Jan. 27 - 2024 and it "laid a huge egg" which means the public hated it even though some Leftist/Snobs - critics - loved it "to death". In essence - the old time, popular opera favorite "Carmen" - is usually produced with the emphasize on beautifully designed costumes as well as with a display of imaginative - set designs. However - this latest "modern"/Leftist slanted - version - is set in current times - at some bus station - thus a fine, well established international mezzosoprano - Aigul Akhmetshina - wears cut off jeans which make her look stupid. 

        The international opera star Aigul Akhmetshina with a smooth mezzo voice is from Ukraine, but she is a member of the Moslem looking minority who has always lived in Ukraine; anyway - instead of a nice costume - this proven, international opera diva had to wear some goofy looking cut off jeans which made her look like a village idiot - all because of Carrie Cracknell - a British Leftist's director's - demented Socialist -vision.

         We have been quoting above - almost verbatim - an opera critic - David Salazar - who published this scathing review in the "Opera Wire" from Jan. 03 - 2024 - however - we agree with him - at least 100 percent and more.

        Moreover - for the part of her lover - Don Jose - which is normally - cast with a good looking, young tenor - they chose - instead - an older, old uncle - appearing - performer - who has - absolutely no love chemistry with Carmen. In addition - the Metropolitan Opera people have the nerve to attempt to charge $271 for the cheapest ticket - which nobody - in their right mind - will pay after they see a preview of this production.

        A few days before the opening of the aforementioned new version of "Carmen" - Christianne Amanpour - another rich/hypocritical - Leftist activist - pretending to be a journalist - showed some clips from this new production during her nightly CNN Leftist/Socialist slanted - news show. 

       Enough said - in addition to being a "contrived Leftist propaganda" - according to the opera critic David Salazar - the production is "boring" and "never ends".

      As everybody - probably - surmised - by now - we wouldn't recommend this version of "Carmen" even though this opera - composed by a French composer - George Bizet - has been an absolutely successful masterpiece - ever since it was first produced - on March 03 - 1875 in Paris.

      Copyright@L. Hadley and Associates 2024

Our Commentary of the Week - from Fri. Jan. 26 - 2024 through Fri. Feb. 02 - 2024!

                                 February 02 - 2024 - A Groundhog Day - Coming Very Soon.

       During every first week of February - every winter - a fat, big groundhog named Punxsutawney Phil - comes out of the box/cage - to be held up - preferably in the sun (if it's a sunny day) - to "see his shadow or not to see his shadow". This yearly ceremony takes place in a small Pennsylvania town - Punxsutawney. The aforementioned groundhog is handled by an elderly gentleman clad in a vintage outfit - complete with a tall top hat. According to the tradition - if the groundhog sees his shadow - (on a sunny day) - that is - there will be less than six weeks of winter - still to come. If - however - the big fatty does not see his shadow (presumably on a cloudy day) - there will be more than six weeks of winter - to get through.

      Some years - the groundhogs would bite their handlers - then they would run away like a proverbial "Texan out of hell" - but most years - no such drama happens - which the news media would have to "endure". This year - though - PETA - the organization which advocates for animals - suggests again - to use a toy in place of a real groundhog or use a big coin since - presumably - the accuracy of the yearly predictions - yields the same mathematical odds/probabilities - as tossing of the coin.

     Maybe they could start using the small prairie dogs which are plentiful in Arizona and other Western states. Those little guys are smaller than groundhogs - but fat like the groundhogs - and waddle as the walk just like their "cousins"- groundhogs - if that's a prerequisite. Moreover - they "travel" in groups - thus they have a leader; in addition - they "sport" a high-pitched - apoplectic sounding - bark - which may or may not be working in their favor.     

    Copyright@L. Hadley and Associates 2024

Our Commentary of the Week - from Fri. Jan. 19 - 2024 through Fri. Jan. 26 - 2024!

                      Paul Anka's - Mini "Payback" to Another Superstar - Chuck Berry

      For this frigid, freezing but laced with snow - week - in our hilly area - we shall comment upon the recent recollection of an incident which an aged superstar - Paul Anka - (who still looks and sounds great) related - about another famous musical legend - idolized by the Beetles - Chuck Berry - during Paul Anka's recent, sellout concert in Las Vegas.

     Paul Anka told the audience about a short incident which happened when he was still struggling to publicize his beautiful songs while Chuck Berry was an already established superstar - idolized by the Beetles and other famous musicians of that time. Anyway - according to Paul Anka - after he and his accompanist performed his famous super hit "Diana" to Chuck Berry - before it quickly became the mega hit in the U.S. and all over the world - Chuck Berry - allegedly - told the very young Paul Anka (an aspiring musical star with a subsequent, long lasting musical career to his credit) that "he hates 'Diana' and Paul Anka should 'shove it where the sun don't shine'''.

     Shortly after that incident - however - the song "Diana" became an all time - musical hit in the U.S. and all over the world - which made a youthful Paul Anka - a "household name" - famous - for the long time to come.

     In any event - Chuck Berry - subsequently - apologized to Paul Anka for this sort of treatment. Paul Anka - reportedly - accepted the aforementioned apology with an air of "no big deal - we shall both forget about it". It was a magnanimous gesture on his part - no doubt - while most people would - probably - opt to suggest that Mr. Berry places his apology - in the same place - "where the sun don't shine".            Copyright@L.Hadley and Associates 2024

   

Our Commentary of the Week - from Jan. 12 - 2024 through Jan. 19 - 2024 - Part II.

      I will See You on the Radio - Part II

       For the part II of our Commentary of the Week - we shall insert a firm disclaimer stating the following: Any similarity to real people, situation or circumstances - are purely coincidental.

      Anyway - the part I - had to do with not seeing the speaker (singer) - but imagining his appearance after listening to their pleasant voice. We stated that the reverse phenomenon takes place in the popular communication format - talk radio broadcasts - in which the listeners call the radio hosts with various commentaries - not always agreeing with the radio hosts' political points of view.

      In any event - as the listeners listen and get familiar with the radio hosts - they get to know their various political positions and other views - thus they start either liking or disliking the hosts with whom they either agree or disagree - on most positions.

     The steady callers to the talk radio stations also - mostly - follow - the respective radio hosts' - outlooks - which at times - antagonize - the people in the listening audience who disagree with them. Thus, certain talk radio hosts - at times - attract the same group of listeners/callers - who call - ad nauseum - the aforementioned hosts with the same kinds of their - frequently - "politically sounding - hate speeches" - that make many listeners who disagree with them in the listening audience - collective "skins crawl". 

     It needs to be noted that - at times - some callers/listeners - insert gruesome and disgusting - details from their personal lives which - absolutely - don't belong on the airways.

    At any rate - this talk radio station has many of the same callers who - obsessively - call the station with their - frequently - "off the wall" - political conspiracies theories which - definitely - get on the nerves of many listeners who not only not subscribe to the crazy callers' - political conspiracies theories - but consider the callers of that sort - "a waste of the radio airtime". Needless to say - they constantly offend a lot of listeners, but they seem to love  to be "on the radio" - no matter how many times they are told that "their crazy, hateful, disgusting and phony - political conspiracies' theories - make many listeners' - collective skins crawl."

     Copyright@L. Hadley and Associates 2024

    

Our Commentary of the Week - from Fri. Jan. 12 - 2024 through Fri. Jan. 19 - 2024! Part I.

        I will See You on the Radio - Part I

      We will have two parts of our commentary - this time and next time. The title which we use for the first part - has been used many times by various radio personalities - as a parting shot of sorts - which doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Speaking of "seeing on the radio" or lack - thereof - we have to quote the favorite story related to us many times with some minor details - invariably - changed - each time it was told - just to make it more interesting.

     Our family's favorite aunt who loved to tell funny stories - used to tell us about her favorite male vocalist whom she loved to listen over the radio waves - having only a vague notion about his appearance - from the publicity shots - widely published since - as we mentioned before - he was well known for quite a while.

     At any rate - when he came to perform a concert with his piano accompanist - the tickets were hot and going fast. Our relative was barely able to get some and was looking forward to enjoying - finally - at the long last - her favorite artist - live - in person. She was in love with his silver baritone voice and could listen to him singing many of her favorite, beautiful opera arias - "forever and a day."

     Finally - at the long last - she was sitting - all dressed up - "decked up to the nines" in the concert hall - close to the stage - when the handsome, well spoken - master of ceremonies - came out and announced the immediate appearance onto the stage - of the vocalist - whom our relative was longing to - finally - see in person.

     When the singer appeared on the stage - as he walked towards his piano accompanist's - grand piano - ready to sing his staple item - "The Toreador Aria" from Bizet's famous opera "Carmen" - my relative noticed to her huge disappointment that the singer was short, fat, dumpy and cross-eyed - as well.

     She left the concert hall - as soon as she could - without disturbing the rest of the viewing audience and she made a solid promise to herself - to never again "put any stock" in any publicity photos - published.

     This phenomenon is totally reversed in the popular talk radio show - format; we shall talk about it - the next time.

     Copyright@L. Hadley and Associates 2024

Our Commentary of the Week - from Fri. Jan. 05 - 2023 through Fri. Jan. 12 - 2024

                                The Black Mamba Snake (Vicious and Venomous) and the Albino Alligator (The Same) - A Short Tale.

       First of all - we need to insert our customary disclaimer - that any similarity to real people, situations or places - are purely coincidental.

      Since our Commentary of the Week from several weeks ago - containing allegorical tale about the vicious, ugly and venomous Black Mamba female snake - spewing her venom - galore - as she joins forces with the partner of the same qualities - not better acting or better looking - Albino alligator - who is jealous of other "normal" - alligators - we had a lot of responses and many appeals to continue their - short "saga".

     Lo and Behold - the pair (nasty, venomous Mamba snake and the big Albino alligator - of the same attributes) - got blown off by the river boat hunters - for their skins; the Mississippi river's famous Manchak Swamp - hosts many boat hunters who swim up and down the river on their boats - trying to shoot alligators and snakes - for their skins; most of the time - the reptiles get caught in the traps - "tags" - however - at times the hunters can shoot them without setting the traps.

      Anyway - the pair - the vicious, venomous female Mamba snake and the Albino alligator were swimming around the river for a while - causing big discomfort/disgust - to many -  "normal" - good looking - alligators. 

     "Look at his ugly and vicious - but no less vitriolic - Black Mamba spewing her venom - as she sits on the head of that ugly, freak - Albino alligator," said one "normal" alligator to another "normal", good looking, alligator - as they watched the strange pair swimming up and down the river.

     "You need to express your disapproval of them in much more clearer terms to - really - show your negative feelings," answered the "normal" - alligator.

      Not long after the aforementioned, short conversation - however - unfortunately - the boat hunters - appeared on the scene with their rifles and witnessed the suddenly - developed fight - between the partners - the vitriolic, vicious Black Mamba and the Albino alligator - thus the boat hunters used that golden opportunity to get their skins - for sale.

      Copyright@L.Hadley and Associates 2024