Josmar16
MY BLOGS
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Reviews by Josmar Lopes
http://josmarlopes.wordpress.com/
Brazilian culture and history (as well as music, opera, the arts), films in general, sci-fi/fantasy/horror films in particular, TV, opera history, reviews and personalities, pop music, pop culture personalities, bossa nova, soccer. I was invited to submit my blog by Emma on Dec 6, 2012.
LATEST ARTICLES ( 426 )
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Lost to America — The Unknown Brazilians: Raul Roulien
Actor, singer, songwriter, composer, screenwriter, and director Raul Roulien was a star in his native Brazil. Born in Rio de Janeiro on October 8, 1905, Raul... Read more
Posted on 22 July 2019 CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT, THEATRE & OPERA -
What’s Eating Johnny Depp? The Actor at Age 50: A Mid-Career Retrospective...
That old proverb about "All work and no play make Jack a dull boy" could never be attributed to our eponymously titled, middle-aged thespian, i.e., the... Read more
Posted on 21 July 2019 CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT, THEATRE & OPERA -
From the Depths to the Heights and Back Again: Wagner’s ‘Ring’ Winds Its Weary...
The second and most popular opera in the four-part Ring cycle is Die Walküre. It's the most frequently performed outside of the collective works. And why is... Read more
Posted on 05 July 2019 CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT, THEATRE & OPERA -
Making Grand Opera Great Again: ‘Samson Et Dalila’ and ‘Aida’ at the Met
Before we continue with my review of Wagner's Ring cycle, let's take a break from the action and revisit some old favorites. The Metropolitan Opera, in its... Read more
Posted on 23 June 2019 CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT, THEATRE & OPERA -
From the Depths to the Heights and Back Again: Wagner’s ‘Ring’ Winds Its Weary...
The first scene of Das Rheingold takes place in the Rhine River. As the late comic and raconteur Anna Russell used to introduce this scene, "IN it!" And the... Read more
Posted on 08 June 2019 CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT, THEATRE & OPERA -
From the Depths to the Heights and Back Again: Wagner’s ‘Ring’ Winds Its Weary...
Wagner's Ring is back. And with a vengeance! On alternating Saturday afternoons, the Metropolitan Opera presented Der Ring des Nibelungen ("The Ring of the... Read more
Posted on 01 June 2019 CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT, THEATRE & OPERA -
Of Masters and Their Fate: ‘Don Giovanni’ and ‘Rigoletto’ Are Back in Business a...
It goes without saying that Verdi worshipped Shakespeare. He also revered Schiller and Hugo, and various other playwrights in between, including several of... Read more
Posted on 18 May 2019 CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT, THEATRE & OPERA -
Operatic Hodgepodge: The Met Opera Presents ‘Adriana Lecouvreur,’ ‘Pelléas,’...
Opera is such a fascinating subject! Of all the articles I've written throughout the years and posted on my blog, opera happens to be the most frequently... Read more
Posted on 28 April 2019 CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT, THEATRE & OPERA -
An Artist’s Life for Me — Ten Motion Pictures That Ask the Question: ‘Does Life...
The battle for self-expression and the yearning that artists have, within themselves, to place their thoughts, their feelings - indeed, their very soul and bein... Read more
Posted on 21 April 2019 CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT, THEATRE & OPERA -
The Mythology of Change: Designing and Empowering Voices in Contemporary...
Today's guest contributor is writer, artist, and animator Natalia C. Lopes. A graduate of North Carolina State University's Master's Degree Program of the... Read more
Posted on 20 April 2019 CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT, THEATRE & OPERA -
The Lion of Venice Roars and Sputters: The Raging Storms of Verdi’s ‘Otello’
Leave it to Arrigo Boito to screw up a nearly ideal situation. He and Verdi, the dean of Italian opera composers, had come together to form a cautious if... Read more
Posted on 05 April 2019 CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT, THEATRE & OPERA -
Redemption for the Met: ‘La Fanciulla Del West’ Returns With a Bang!
The Metropolitan Opera transmitted Puccini's La Fanciulla del West over the airwaves via a Live in HD telecast on October 27, 2018, and the regular Saturday... Read more
Posted on 24 March 2019 CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT, THEATRE & OPERA -
A Cloak, a Convent, and a Conman: Puccini’s ‘Il Trittico’ Celebrates 100 Years a...
A later transmission, on December 22, showcased the same composer's La Fanciulla del West, the only bona fide Italian spaghetti Western in the entire standard... Read more
Posted on 09 March 2019 CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT, THEATRE & OPERA -
Epilogue: What’s in Store for Brazil’s Fat Lady? (Part Two)
Despite the surfeit of first-rate material, written and performed by artists of the front ranks, Brazilians still need, in this author's view, to face up to an... Read more
Posted on 16 February 2019 CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT, THEATRE & OPERA -
Epilogue: What’s in Store for Brazil’s Fat Lady? (Part One)
When I began the writing of my book Brazil's Fat Lady Can't Sing, But She Can Still Do the Bossa Nova, my enthusiasm for opera and, if I may be all inclusive,... Read more
Posted on 10 February 2019 CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT, THEATRE & OPERA -
Flames Over Rio 2016 (Part Eight) — Conclusion: Living the Reality-TV Life
Daedalus hit upon a bold scheme. While Icarus lounged lazily about the prison, Daedalus put himself to work on threading bird feathers together and binding... Read more
Posted on 27 January 2019 CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT, THEATRE & OPERA -
Flames Over Rio 2016 (Part Seven): Ryan Lochte Fakes a Dive
Most Olympic stories begin at the bottom and end at the top. As trite as that may sound, the vast majority of sports columnists love to record the exploits of... Read more
Posted on 12 January 2019 CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT, THEATRE & OPERA -
‘Hail, Lord of Heaven’: The Met Opera 2018-2019 Broadcast Season Opens with...
That was my main take-away from the Metropolitan Opera's first Saturday radio broadcast of the season, on December 1, 2018, of Arrigo Boito's Mefistofele. The... Read more
Posted on 05 January 2019 CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT, THEATRE & OPERA -
‘Star Wars,’ the Original Series (Part Seven): ‘The Empire Strikes Back,’ Episod...
The Millennium Falcon follows the garbage to freedom (along with the unseen bounty hunter, Boba Fett, hot on its intergalactic trail). Meanwhile, Luke is doing... Read more
Posted on 02 December 2018 CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT, THEATRE & OPERA -
‘When the Legend Becomes Fact’ — Hollywood and the Historical Film (Part Five):...
We come now to the final phase of the movie JFK, which involves the trial of New Orleans businessman Clay Shaw (aka Clay Bertrand) vs. the State of Louisiana.... Read more
Posted on 22 November 2018 CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT, THEATRE & OPERA