Ashton of the opera?

Saw "The Marriage of Figaro" by the Dallas Opera on Saturday night. One scene had a cool similarity to a recent MTV phenomenon.

After much plotting, quick thinking and scheming, the heroine (Susanna) was hiding in the closet in the Count and Countess' bedroom. The royal couple both thought it was a hormone-driven teenager (Cherubio) who had designs on the countess. The count hammered the door open, and out came Susanna.

She should have said, "You've both been Punk'd!"

I may not be a believer

Just got back from an open house at a junior high school my son probably won't attend. Among the attractions was the school's choir singing "I'm A Believer."

The kids were wonderful. They gave it their all and sounded great. The only problem was, as Randy Jackson would say, song choice.

I kept picturing the Monkees' Mickey Dolenz and Smash Mouth lead singer Steve Harwell downing shots together and thinking, "We are in the afterlife."