body2body

I hope to see a production of Dialogue of the Carmelites some day, I have only heard it in a Met broadcast. I did see Poulenc's La Voix Humaine in a very fine production many years ago. I saw the Cocteau play from which the Opera is derived at the Comedie-Française a few years ago, and found that Poulenc's score improved the work making the sole character less strident and more sympathetic. Beautiful music can do that.

When David Hemmings was the Artistic Director of Los Angeles Opera we got a lot of Britten. In addition to Peter Grimes, Albert Herring, and Billy Budd, we also got A Midsummer Nights Dream, and The Turn of the Screw. Seeing all these formed my opinion that Britten is one of the finest composers of Opera in the 20th century. The Midsummer is superb, and the Turn of the Screw is taught and frightening (with only a small chamber orchestra).

is this 4711 available in the States in its "original" form?......thanks.....would love to at least just smell the classic scent of it

According to Muelhens the manufacturer it is still the same formula. It is available on Amazon 13.5 oz bottle for a little over $32.00 ( that's a huge bottle of Eau de Cologne). During WW II the Kriegsmarine loaded huge amounts of it on submarines where bathing was infrequent to help improve the atmosphere.

Many of the most popular and enduring Operas were based on popular works of fiction, or plays - think of Mozart and Da Ponte, Verdi's use of material by Victor Hugo, Dumas, and Shakespeare, Puccini's adaptation of plays by Belasco and Sardou. Even in the 20th Century, think of Strauss' Salome, or Janacek's Makropolus Case. A good story makes a good Opera.

I saw my first Opera when I was 10 on fifth grade field trip to a matinee performance of the San Francisco Opera. The Opera was La Fanciulla del West with Dorothy Kirsten as Minnie. The Gold Rush setting was perfect for kids who were watching Gunsmoke, and Wyatt Earp at home on TV. Many years later, a co-worker wanted to take his girlfriend to the Opera. Neither had ever been to the Opera. I suggested La Boheme. L.A. Opera had a beautiful traditional production directed by Herbert Ross that would be performed the following month. They went and loved it. If I'd sent them to see Wozzeck or Moses und Aron, it might not have been the right choice.

I attend several charity events every year that are "black tie". It made sense for me to buy one rather than rent. I bought mine at Nordstrom Rack for about the equivalent of three rental fees. I bought a conservative shawl collar style, and have updated, and personalized it with accessories ( ties, cummerbund, studs) and my Father's Tiffany cuff links. I have not bought formal shoes and just wear plain toe black oxfords which I take to the local shoe shine and have them buffed to high gloss shine.

Ms. Nagasu may not find DWTS too receptive, the majority of the Olympic Athletes on the show have been Gold Medalists. The exception was Nancy Kerrigan ( silver 1994) and she was on the show more than 20 years later. Mirai may have wait a long time.

Do you guys like Kostner? I think she’s way overrated. Just an opinion.

 

But yes, they need to focus on the jumps and techniques first. Artistry comes later

You have to remember that Kostner won the silver medal at the Grand Prix finals Junior Division in 2002, the same year Zagitova was born. She has had a very long career by skating standards, appearing at 4 Olympic Games (taking the Bronze at Sochi), she made the podium 5 times at Worlds (gold medal at Nice 2012), 9 European Championship medals (5 golds). Her ability to adapt to the changes in the Sport are pretty remarkable. She has superb musicality, but has always been inconsistent. However, at 31 she cannot keep up with technical elevation that the young Russian (and Japanese) skaters are bringing to Skating. Still, she managed 5th place at Pyeong Chang 4 places ahead of the best performance by a U.S. Skater. Kostner is going to retire after these games, but what the hell are Bradey Tennell, Karen Chen, and Mirai Nagasu going do. They cannot compete with either the Russians or the Japanese on either an Athletic or Artistic level at this point.

I hired him a loooong time ago. It was not a good experience, and I would not consider another session even if he looked the way he did then.

When I saw his new profile I thought of the line in The Mirror Crack'd- " It's so nice to see that you've kept your lovely figure, and added so much to it"

I'm pretty sure that Nathan's free skate score is an Olympic record. Nathan placed first in the free skate (long program), almost nine points higher than #2 in the free skate Yuzuru Hanyu (215.08 vs. 206.17). But Nathan ended up only fifth overall because his short program score was a dismal 82.27, which put him in 17th place after the short. Hanyu's short program score was 111.68, and three other skaters each scored more than 100. Nathan was just too far behind to catch up.

There is an old figure skating trope- You cannot win a competition with a good short program, but you can lose a competition with bad short program. That's what happened to Nathan.

Time to change the title of this thread to Nathan Choke after tonight y'all 2 awful performances in a row & all the way down in 17th place now lol. Like, I want to feel sorry for the guy, but can't do to all the hype he received going into Olympic season...

 

Hanyu skating to Chopin slayed me, but I'm going to be rooting for Javi the most tomorrow night <3 Hoping he steals gold, or at least medals this time. Couldn't take my eyes off his perfectly round butt in that outfit he was wearing, wow! #SoInLove

Hanyu was flawless tonight, but I enjoyed Fernandez performance the most. Nathan suffered from all the pre Olympic media hype. He wouldn't be the first one, Michelle Kwan never took an Olympic Gold, nor did Kurt Browning. I would also blame Vera Wang who designed Nathan's costumes. She also designed Nancy Kerrigan's and look what happened to her. Call it the Vera Wang Curse. While we are on the subject of appearance, the Japanese men need to stay away from the hairdresser and the paint pots. All the Emo, neo romantic, feathering, and coloring makes me think they've been taking tips from Johnny Weir- nobody wants that.

Thank you PK for sharing this with us.

For Ben-

Goodnight, Sweet Prince

and flights of angels sing thee to thy rest

Johnny Weir was giving commentary to the short women's program (at least that is what I saw) this evening and although he could be interesting what the fuck was he wearing? It looked like something stolen off Queen Victoria.

I enjoy Johnny and Tara's commentary, however Johnny has released his inner Drag Queen in a fashion that is quite alarming. Beyond the sequined jackets and make-up, tonight he looked as if he had a black cat curled up atop his head.

Still it's not as bad as Rio where he was shown full figure in broad daylight wearing women's high heel boots, a shear blouse, and a large Prada handbag. I harbor a perverse hope that he will get to meet the Vice-President.

I really like Nathan Chen's combination of Athleticism and Artistry. His Ballet training has given him excellent posture. He also skates complete programs where he focuses the same level of energy on the spins and footwork as on the jumps.

The triple Axel is a terribly difficult jump, the only jump started skating forward which means it is 3.5 rotations. Still he really needs to get this fixed, particularly for the short program where it will be compulsory. The starting value of a triple Axel is 8.5 while a double is only 3.5. Shoma Uno from Japan has been very impressive and will be one to watch. Rippon has always been inconsistent, and I doubt that the pressures of an Olympic Games performance will help his consistency. For me, the three favorites are Chen, Fernandez, and Uno- but the Russians, and Chinese also have strong challengers on the Men's side.

Here is a clip from La Fanciulla del West with Neblett and Domingo.

Thank you for making me aware of her passing. I saw her in Fanciulla with Domingo and Justino Diaz at L.A. Opera,

and as Didon in Les Troyens. In both performances she was memorable. I'm sad to find out she has passed.

Don Johnson was a frequent cover boy for The Advocate in those days.

Sal Mineo was murdeed in the alley behind his Sunset Plaza apartment in 1976 returning from a rehearsal of "P.S. Your Cat is Dead" which had just moved to L.A. After a successful run in San Francisco.

I suffered from acne until I was in my early 30s. After being treated by numerous Doctors (most of whom really hadn't a clue about effective treatment of the condition). Finally, I was treated by a dermatologist who prescribed a course of Accutane. It took about 4 months, and was often quite uncomfortable, but it permanently ended my acne problems.

I find acne a turn off, and after a very unpleasant experience with a body builder a few years ago, I have learned to be direct and ask "do you have any acne". It is often a problem with guys who are juicing. I have also learned to carefully view photos in escort profiles for evidence of skin problems, or heavy use of airbrushing or Photoshop resulting skin that is impossibly perfect.

I remember seein Starstruck at the Fine Arts theater in Beverly Hills in 1982 with a dear and long departed friend. I thought it was wonderful. I would be very interested in seeing a restored edition of the film.

Topher has an ad in A4A Los Angeles https://www.adam4adam.com/profile/view/TopherDiMaggio_

I live in Southern California. Our warm climate dictates a light hand with scent. My day to day fragrance is Extra Vielle by Roger et Gallet. It is a classic Eau de Cologne formulated by Jean Marie Farina (who also created 4711) and in production since 1802. The scent is light (citrus and herbs) and can be worn in warm weather without being too much. After the initial dry down you have to be very close to smell it. For more formal occasions in Summer I prefer Molinard Homme III by the very old French perfumer Molinard. In the Winter I like Chanel pour Monsieur, in its original Eau de Toilette formula. They no longer sell it in the U.S., Chanel instead peddles a hideously strong concentrated Eau de Toilette Concentrée here, which is not the same scent. Blessedly a bottle of the old stuff lasts a long time so I can re- stock on trips to London or Paris where the original is still available. Most of the the scents found in department stores today (Calvin Klein anything, most Estée Lauder, any "Designer" or "Celebrity" fragrance) are developed by firms like International Flavors and Fragrances in New Jersey, who in addition to "Designer" fragrances make the scents for Lime Jello, Dog Food, and fabric softener and fabricated from synthetics with nary a flower, herb, or natural essence involved.

My first escort experience was a gift. While in College I let a friend crash on my sofa so he could avoid choosing which of his divorced parents to spend the summer with. One night at a bar, I told him I was having muscle fantasies, but thought it was unlikely that I could hook up with the kind of guy who would scratch that itch. A few days later in the same Bar, in walks a guy with the attributes of every Muscle fantasy that had been swirling in my fevered brain. He looked at me and walked over and introduced himself. Everyone was looking at him. He bought me a drink, pulled me close and kissed me. After a few minutes we left and went back to my place. I had an intimate experience that rocked my clock. He spent the night. The next morning my friend asked if I had a good time, and revealed he had hired my Dream Date.

I believe Mr. Keillor may own the rights to the "A Prairie Home Companion" name. The show has been poor since Keillor left anyway.

The thing that puzzles me about his Illinois accuser is how do you engage in a relationship with a man for 30 years and accept gifts of $50,000 and then claim "abuse". Was there not, at some point, a transition from victim to volunteer. Did he not stop being a minor shortly after their relationship began? Was he not expecting help with his career in exchange for his interactions with a prominent Conductor and Music Director. Does it not strike anyone as convenient that his allegations arise only after the payments stop?

While Mr. Levine's proclivities have been long discussed ( I was first made aware of them by a Composer in 1973) this particular case strikes me as odd.

If that was Los Angeles she would need to have a smart phone in her hand sending a text.

This Man just began advertising on Rent.Men. He owns up to being 55

https://rent.men/RickSteele