e pur si muove

In a turn of events reminiscent of the days of (sometimes fictional) yore, tenor Roberto Alagna was booed off the stage during the second night of Aïda at La Scala yesterday. Understudy Antonello Palombi was forced to make a hurried onstage appearance in black T-shirt and black jeans amidst the florid, luxurious trimmings of the entire stage set.

Opera Chic reports the context: the performance was well-hyped and Alagna was nursing a hoarse voice. Patrons were understandably upset; apparently enough to start heckling. But apparently there is some much deeper undercurrent of resentment: Alagna later made a comment to the paparazzi stalking his hotel room, comparing La Scala to a Roman arena.

Decca, the music label recording the performance, has threatened a lawsuit against the tempestuous tenor; La Scala appears to be making similar noises.

Kudos to Opera Chic for the Italian translations on her blog, without which the operatic drama wouldn’t have been anywhere as exciting.

To test my theory that things redubbed in Hokkien are funnier to Singaporeans, I hereby present Hokkien James Bond:

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