(How could I have missed this?) During the gala dinner for the Met's 40th Anniversary at Lincoln Center a few weeks ago, General Manager Peter Gelb engaged in what even Variety considered "trash-talk":

"You won't be attending any performances like this at the City Opera of the future, or the Paris Opera of the present," he declared, drawing a few catcalls and grumbles from the highfalutin gathering for those remarks.

Gelb called the two charismatic singers (Anna Netrebko and Rolando Villazon) "the future glory and hope for opera," which drew hearty applause ...

Two questions for the highfalutins: (1) 2008: which will be bloodier, the prez elections or the impending yo-mamma-fight at Lincoln Center Plaza? (2) If they're the "future glory and hope for opera," why do we have to listen to them today?