Religion—the root of all evil?

The perpetual turmoil in the Middle East begs the question, “Is religion, or more specifically, religious fundamentalism the root of all evil?”

Throughout history, what has caused the majority of conflicts between countries?

What has spurred “ethnic cleansing”?

Is it:

(1) Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes,
(2) Hollywood,
(3) the homosexuals, or
(4) religion?

The correct answer is (4) religion.

Of course, you might disagree with my answer.¹

Many people look to religion for all the answers in life. Let's face it. Life is much easier if you have all the answers in a book.

I think that's why some people are hell bent on converting others to their religion. That way everyone is on the same page. They must follow the rules, and then we will have order in the world.

There are several problems with this thought process. First and foremost, it is not that simple. Just deciding that everyone must convert to your religion will not make it so. Second, it is extremely presumptuous to decide that you must save other people because they do not subscribe to your belief system. Third, it'll never work. Seriously. People have been attempting to convert others for ages. Has it worked? Is there any less religious-inspired fighting in the world? Finally, and most simply, no book contains all of the answers.

And yet, this does not stop people who, in their little minds, are convinced that they are right. Has anyone been converted by the street corner morons preachers who shout witness to strangers passing by? Or better yet, by the ones who find their captive audience on the subway trains on their way home from work? How did they get the impression that this is how to "witness" to people. Does one not catch more flies with honey than with vinegar? It never ceases to amaze me how many alleged christians behave in completely un-christianlike ways. Don't they realize that people learn more from others who set a good example rather than from those who simply yell at them. But I suppose the honey v. vinegar theory means I can't simply reply, “Bitch, please.”

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¹My brother, for example, believes that the carrot— the evil root, as he calls it — is the root of all evil.

Thoughts about the ABT season

I will miss Erica Cornejo's dancing. She was hilarious as the myopic stepsister in Cinderella. Her dancing in the peasant pas de deux from Giselle was beautiful. She looked as if she could hold her balances for days. But her performance that most impressed me was the pas de trois from Swan Lake. I had seen the part danced beautifully the night before by another soloist, but Cornejo filled each beat of music when she danced. I don't know how else to explain it, but she was so in synch with the music. She gave every note its full value without distorting her phrasing. I wish her the best of luck in Boston.


I can't say enough about Alessandra Ferri and Julio Bocca. They have basically ruined Manon for me. They were so incredible together that everyone else pales in comparison and that's saying a lot because the other performers were excellent, but Ferri and Bocca's dancing had a level of abandon that the others lacked.

The level of understanding and trust between them was incredible. There were so many places where Ferri would either let herself fall or would leap towards Bocca with a a sort of free fall quality and Bocca would always be there. It just brought an added level of passion to their performance.

To be continued...

Arkansas court backs gay foster parents

Judges rebuke state’s claim that homosexuals make bad parents
Arkansas cannot ban homosexuals from becoming foster parents because there is no link between their sexual orientation and a child’s well-being, the state’s high court ruled Thursday.

Music I've been listening to

Sandrine Piau
Haendel Opera Seria


I cannot recommend this recording highly enough. I keep coming back to it to listen again.

Quite possibly the best recording of Brahms' piano concerto no. 1













Donizetti's L'Elisir d'Amore with
Mariella Devia
Roberto Alagna
Pietro Spagnoli

This recording is based on the critical edition of the score.

I think Alagna sounds better on this recording than on his second one with Gheorghiu.




Brahms: String Sextets Nos. 1 & 2 with Derek Simpson, Robert Masters, Cecil Aronowitz, Yehudi Menuhin, Maurice Gendron, Ernst Wallfisch

If the shoe fits... (ABT's Cinderella)

In Four Words: Great Dancing--Underwhelming choreography.

I saw the company premiere of James Kudelka's Cinderella at American Ballet Theatre tonight (technically, last night).

Julie Kent and Marcelo Gomes were wonderful. Kent was radiant in the role despite her drab attire, and Gomes was spot on tonight--he soared in his leaps and his turns were a-mahz-ing. I also enjoyed the stepsisters. The "glamorous" stepsister was played by Carmen Corella while the myopic sister was portrayed by Erica Cornejo, who has a great flair for comedy. They played well off one another.

The production is set in the 1920s with Art Deco sets and costumes (designed by David Boechler), which I liked, except for Cinderella's ball gown, which was a variation of Cinderella's burlap-sack-inspired dress from the first act. The color did make Cinderella stand out from the other guests. She was in light brown while the other guests were in black. I think I understand the concept behind Cinderella's ball gown, but I don't think it was the strongest possible choice. I also didn't care for Cinderella's wedding dress. The cut and design were fine, but the fabric was hideous.

The Kitchen
I liked the first act until the garden scene where the "creatures of the garden," Blossom, Petal, Moss and Twig danced their variations instead of the usual fairies, of the seasons, Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. I really don't care what you call these characters, but give them something to do! The choreography for the aforementioned "creatures of the garden" left me completely underwhelmed, which is a shame, to say the least, because these creatures were danced by Misty Copeland, Maria Riccetto, Stella Abrera and Veronika Part.

I did like the choreography for the clock, which was danced by pumpkins, or rather, men in pumpkin heads.

At the Ball
I liked the costumes at the Prince's ball, but some of the numbers with the corps looked cluttered, and I wasn't sure whether this was due to the choreography or spacing of the dancers on the stage. For example, early on in the scene before all the guests appear at the ball, there were four couples dancing. The other guests appeared upstage and then proceeded to clump together, which just looked bizarre. Another strange bit occurred once while the stepsisters were dancing downstage, in front of the waltzing ensemble, but the ensemble actually looked more interesting than the business the sisters were doing. It struck me as odd. I did like Cinderella and the Prince's pas de deux at the Ball. I thought this was some of Kudelka's best work. The lifts and various transitions were fascinating and wonderfully executed by Kent and Gomes.

The Search
The last act, entitled The Search was definitely my favorite. Does Kudelka create better choreography for men than women? It would seem so. I found the choreography for the Prince and his Four Officers, Jared Matthews, Jesus Pastor, Sascha Radetsky and Gennadi Saveliev, the most engaging and inspired parts of the evening. Their worldwide search was very funny.

I especially liked the ending where the Prince chased away the photographer who was attempting to take a picture of the Prince and his new bride by the hearth in their home.

AIDS Walk New York

I'll be there. Will you?

Jesus will survive...

There's a little queen I think you should meet.

Très fabuleux, n'est-ce pas?

I was introduced to this jeune artiste by way of a youtube post on the part of the equally (if not more) fabulous Mrs. Stella Maria Krazelbrg von und zu Brabant.

I am Super, man.

Your results:
You are Superman

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You are mild-mannered, good, strong and you love to help others.

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Here Is The Big Gay Agenda

The horrifying secret plot to homo-amplify America.