Met Gala Idols

RANDY: "Dawg, keepin it real, it wasn't good for me dawg. The Mimi was good, I liked it, but the Manon was not comin' together. And the Adina, that was pitchy, dawg. And you, man, there's something wrong, man. Your Nemorino, I'm not feelin' it."

PAULA: "Like, I'm really proud of you, to sing like that with a lot of heart. I like that. Not your best performance, but you tried your best, I know it. Maybe you picked the wrong songs. And maybe you oversang a bit. But I like the energy. And the chemistry, it's so real. And guys, you look great!"

SIMON: "Donizetti must be turning in his grave tonight. Really mediocre performances. Very bad vocal. You sounded hoarse and pushed, and you there just sounded dreadful. It was like bad karaoke performed by someone's drunken mom and dad during a wedding on a cruise ship. I don't know if you are really ready for this stage of the game."

RYAN: (to Simon) "Shut up and just come out, fag."

[via Sirius]

UPDATE: Sieglinde should note that (a) she was home eavesdropping via Sirius, (b) she participated in the wonderful parterre chat at Chez Cieca, where (c) nearly all expressed disappointment with the 'trainwreck' of a gala, and (d) after having listened to the recording again this morning, with rested ears, she's not revising her impressions. However, in the interest of balance (huh?), she notes that reports coming from people who were in house are much more positive. Maury says "L'elisir was when it all came together. Villazon's vocal troubles apparently vanished, and Netrebko sounded about the best I've ever heard her." In Opera-L, a well-respected poster says, after detailing his Manon creds (from Moffo to Fleming): "I cannot imagine a better Manon until Netrebko last night." This is odd, but not entirely a surprise. There are widely-acknowledged limitations of such radio transmissions, whose compression can be severe and can truncate parts of the 'timbre' and dynamic spectra that make the voice sparkle and mystify. Another limitation is the mics' suspect ability to capture and relay charm and sex appeal, qualities gaining more prominence in the operatic arena than ever before.