Opera Chic

Eyes as Enhanced as Her Voice, Katherine Jenkins Shines Her New Blues

South Korean opera singer Lee Ji-Young, Katherine Jenkins, and Placido Domingo attended a press conference earlier today in Seoul, South Korea, in preparation for a concert at the Seoul Olympic Gymnastics Arena tomorrow.

Jenkins's suitcase was packed full with sapphire colored contact lenses, flashing the paps with her ~enhanced~ peepers.

Really, Katherine? REALLY? Blue-colored contact lenses are sooooo sophomore high school.

Here are a few more pictures from the conference:

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Shame On Katherine Jenkins: Booed By Animal Lovers (And Wait Until She Shows Up On An Opera House Stage)

Welsh pOpera tart Katherine Jenkins got badly booed by anti-fur activists when she showed up at Harrods earlier today to open the seasonal sale.

Protesters shouted "shame on Katherine" as she arrived by horse-drawn carriage.

The Welsh star turned out after chart-topping singer Leona Lewis reportedly refused to open the sale because of Harrods' policy of selling fur.

Protesters claim Harrods is the only major store in the UK to sell imported fur.

reports the BBC. Pictures from the event above and below...

 

 

 

 

*********UPDATE**********

Click on the link below for a NSFW & NSFL image of the protesters' posters, slamming Katherine Jenkins for supporting fur (and a few of her sitting at the piano looking really ~awkward~.

Katherine [Florence Foster] Jenkins: Una Voce Poco Fart

After posting the YouTube clip of Adi, the Cecilia Bartoli-worshiping dog earlier today, we figured it couldn't get any worse. We were wrong: ~dead wrong~!!

A kind reader flagged us to Katherine Jenkins singing Una voce poco fa, from Rossini's Il Barbiere di Siviglia, which was part of Jenkin's "Viva La Diva" tour last year with Darcey Bussell.

Remember, this is the *same* Katherine Jenkins who recently revealed to the press, "I would love to do an opera. I've had offers to do little things but I've turned them down because I'm not ready yet. Mezzo-sopranos' voices start maturing in their 30s".

"I'm not ready yet" is like the understatement of the century. So we ask, was she singing this ironically? Or what?

Hi I'm a Welsh showgirl who sings into microphones and makes records in a studio by an engineer who fixes me in the mix with digital audio sequencers, but opera is somehow better understood by me than real opera singers.

It looks like poor Placidone really has his work cut out for him.

Hide Your Stash: Katherine Jenkins Will Snort Your Coke, Smoke Your Weed, and Pop Your X

Welsh mezzo pOperaTart Katherine Jenkins telephoned a Daily Mail journalist, and confessed to taking cocaine, ecstasy and weed. For serious!

Piers Morgan for Daily Mail recounts:

"On Wednesday night, I was sitting down to watch Arsenal play Spurs in a Dubai hotel bar [...] when my phone rang."

"'Piers, it’s Katherine Jenkins. I need to tell you something that’s been bothering me.'"

"For the next hour, the beautiful young singer poured her heart out to me about how she had regularly taken cocaine, Ecstasy and cannabis."

When asked if Jenkins thought her confession would shock the classical world she replied, "Oh goodness me...I don’t want to cause a stir, I just want to be honest." TAKE THAT straight-laced classical nerds! I TOOK DRUGS. IN LONDON CLUBS. lol omg coke & X & weed hai guys i did coke HAIII I DID COKE & I snorted it OFF MY OWN BEWBS. Thanks for the totally XxXhardcoreXxX confession. ★superstar★

The Guardian, The Evening Standard, The Mail On Sunday, Opera Chic: Where OC Officially Joins The Mainstream

Opera Chic gets namechecked in today's The Independent, re Katherine Jenkins:

Tim Ashley of The Guardian wrote, "She can't really be called a classical singer." Norman Lebrecht of the London Evening Standard complained that she'd "never sung in an opera house." David Mellor wrote in the Mail on Sunday, about her performance of Holst's "Jupiter", "The great soprano Elisabeth Schwarzkopf once coined a word that sums up perfectly the sheer awfulness of this bathetic rubbish: vomitacious." And the online opera gossip website Opera Chic is always harping on about her "bewbs", calling her a "pOperaTart" and complaining that she hasn't a trained singing voice.

Where John Walsh -- apparently unaware that opera singers voices are not amplified in the opera house -- immediately states, contrary to the evidence, that Jenkins is not being marketed as an opera singer (example, after 15 seconds on Google: "Montblanc has appointed opera star Katherine Jenkins as one of its international brand ambassadors").

Then it goes downhill until by the end of the long profile she merrily states:

"I don't want to come across as overly religious."

Too bad that the Independent itself(see screencap below) hypes la Jenkins as "classical music's $10M woman".

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Life in Plastic, It's Fantastic!: Katherine Jenkins Parties at Harrods to Launch 'Sacred Arias'

oOoOoOoOo Kathy...we were wondering if after your obscene, record-breaking Warner music deal and egregious name dropping of industry insiders, you would take a breather. No such luck, so O.C. is happy to bring a little ray of wholesome, Spanx-wrapped sunshine into your lives.

Jenkins was at Harrods in London yesterday for a launch party of her "Sacred Arias". It was also a farewell party of sorts for Jenkins, who will be parting ways with Universal and climbing aboard Warner, who will preen her to break into the lucrative U.S. market. "Sacred Arias" is her 6th studio album, remixed with yummy blended vocals, featuring religious hits like, "Pie Jesu", "Panis Angelicus" and "Ave Maria".

[^^^^^UPD8^^^^^] HOLD UP W8 A MINUTE! Before you see the rest of the images from yesterday's Harrods launch (follow the link below), here are three pictures of Jenkins out&about today in London:

 

 

A couple more magical images can be found under the cut <~*mixmaster, cut faster*~>

Katherine Jenkins to Gain $10 Million by Watering Down Classical Music & Singing into Mics

Because the general public is sucker for silicon bewbs mouthing O sole mio and O Mio Babbino Caro remixed with backup vocals at million-dollar recording studios, Welsh mezzo Katherine Jenkins has just inked what is reportedly the most expensive classical recording deal in history, signing a £5.8 million GBP ($10 million USD) contract with Warner Music.

The contract includes a 5-album deal, and Jenkins is headed to L.A. to party with new BFF&E Placidone for a few pointers.

Let's hope she finally puts her earnings towards a good stylist, because gawd only knows how many (more) tight, sparkly evening dresses, weaves, and cases of hairspray that 10 million dollars can buy.

Right about now, Dame Kiri is freaking out.

Katherine Jenkins Asks Placido Domingo to Make Her an ~Opera Star~

pOperaTart Katherine Jenkins will collaborate with Placido Domingo for pointers on how to become a legitimate contender in the world of opera. Jenkins shared with the BBC:

 "Placido Domingo has offered to train me and I'll probably go to his house when we both have the time free. He's a very generous person and he's always trying to encourage young singers. He thinks he can help me and give me advice and I'm always keen to learn. He's a great person to learn from. I would love to do an opera. I've had offers to do little things but I've turned them down because I'm not ready yet. Mezzo-sopranos' voices start maturing in their 30s."

omg brb...

pOperaTarts Baked From The Same Mold: Jenkins To Follow in Church's Footsteps?

Recent pictures of Welsh opera crossover star Katherine Jenkins have us chatting at the O.C. Headquarters. Has the nippy Fall weather kicked the lovely mezzo's metabolism into hibernation mode? Have too many fabulous parties laden with high-fat nibbles kept Jenkins out of the gym, fostering indulgence in bellinis & blinis (with xtra crème fraîche)?

We don't have the official word, but we're wondering if Jenkins has been unconsciously influenced by fellow Welsh opera crossover Charlotte Church, regarding her penchant for premarital baby-making secks. Church is currently 5-months pregnant with her second child from live-in boyfriend, Gavin Henson. Could Jenkins be the latest to join Jamie Lynn Spears, Anna Netrebko, and Halle Berry in celebrity unwed babydom?

In the image above, taken on September 17, 2008 during London's Spring 2009 Fashion Week, Katherine Jenkins took part in the celeb-ridden "Fashion for Relief" show. Brainchild of ex-supermodel Naomi Campbell, the charity catwalk & auction events raise awareness with the White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood, an organization devoted to ensuring safe pregnancies and childbirths around the world. o teh ironings!

Below is another image of Jenkins looking a bit, um, bloated later in the night, arriving at the F4R gala dinner. 

Jenkins came public nine months ago (!!) on her ~secret~ relationship with television presenter Gethin Jones. We're even more swayed by the one-month growth of untended black roots that Jenkins is sporting in her trademark platinum locks. We thought she was a ^natural blonde^!! Ooo\(º_o)/wned. Here is Jenkins and her bf:

Jenkins @ The TV BAFTAs

Bewbs miracolously under control, and rawking some really, really fine Vivienne Westwood,
Katherine Jenkins @ the TV BAFTA Awards looking really pretty -- let's be fair here -- last night in London.

To keep things in perspective, and oldie but goldie image of La Jenkins and La Church, aka The Battle Of The Bewbs (with oversize football used by Brits for a mysterious ancient game, like a pre-NFL pastime of Britannia's Barbarian populations).

Photoshop of the Year Award Goes to:

Mont Blanc's million-man strong imaging department for their latest Katherine Jenkins magical illusion of advertisment wizardry, pimping the latest Mont Blanc venue of merchandising, perfume Femme de Montblanc. I mean, srsly, who is that...really? Mmmmm, smells like 475cc high profile saline implants with undertones of Restylane and Crest whitestrips.

moar like this am i rite? vvvvvvvvvv

Che Soave Sephirot: Jenkins-Domingo In China

Plácido Domingo poses with guest star Kathy J (and conductor Eugene Kohn) at a press conference in China earlier today. They will sing together this Saturday night @ the AsiaWorld-Expo, which will mark the first time The Dominger has ever sung in Hong Kong.

Katherine, a Montblanc "brand ambassador" *rolls eyes* was seen shilling the Montblanc jewellery collection. Jokes on her cuz the Montblanc emblem is a 6-sided star. We thought at first the shiksa was wearing a pair of magen david, the Star of David -- but we could prolly tell her it's the "Star of Woody Allen" and she'd believe us.

(photo credit: Reuters)

Mel Gibson’s Heart Isn’t Only Filled with H8

Our most beloved, drunkenly-enraged, homophobic, anti-Semite, fallen Hollywood actor has shared with the world that he has other hobbies than h8ing on, well, almost every minority out there. He was spotted at Tuesday night’s Katherine Jenkins/Darcey Bussell Viva La Diva extravaganza in London (that Opera Chic covered in detail here), and declared himself an opera and ballet lover.

In his eloquent words, “When I was a kid I used to go and look at opera and ballet.” Having a “go and look” at an opera is like coincidentally walking by the opera house while you happen to be downtown picking-up your dry cleaning. What the hell is that? He is also quoted on Viva La Diva saying, "I loved it. I thought it was great. They are both amazing talents. I sat there with a smile on my face the whole time.”

C’mon Mel. That's just the liquor talking. Or he was under the influence of Jenkins' scary rack.

"Hooter-Sounding": La Jenkins Sings For La Camilla

Katherine Jenkins, her b00bs and her mike (see photo above) sang for Camilla & Charles at the naming of new ocean liner Queen Victoria.

Insert joke here.

Viva La Diva: Katherine Jenkins & Darcey Bussell Vs The Spice Girls & La Callas

Who needs la Maria and la Audrey, those old bags, when you have the magic trio of Katherine Jenkins (aka Our Queen Of The Mikes) and her gigantosaurus bewbs?

(Darcey Bussellout, who, unlike KJ, once had an actual career in the arts, was there too)

After 18 months of preparation, the Britextravaganza Viva La Diva is finally rawking:

Bussell makes a straight-laced Audrey Hepburn in a take on Funny Face, foil to a brisk (though disgracefully uncredited) Miss Prescott. There's a sultry menace in "The Dance of the Knights" from Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet and loads of gusto in Jenkins' frothy impression of Doris Day as Calamity Jane in "Deadwood Stage".

Highlights include the colour expressionism of an episode from The Red Shoes in which Bussell reaches delirious heights in the role of Moira Shearer, and Natalie Wood's burlesque striptease routine from Gipsy. Jonathan Cope is the lead male dancer, proving his versatility in a number of roles, while Bob Fosse's hand-twirling, shoulder-shrugging, sexy strutting gets a look-in, too.

The finale with the entire company, an excellent ensemble, is a gorgeous summation of a thoroughly enjoyable evening. Jenkins is a little inhibited as a hoofer and Bussell needs to relax as a chanteuse, but they'll get accustomed to their new roles.

Jenkins's "Somewhere" from West Side Story was a little detached, the Gipsy Song from Carmen less than sultry, but her brave stab at Maria Callas in Rossini's "Una voce poca fa" from The Barber of Seville was airy and natural, while her homage to Marilyn Monroe in "Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend" sparkled.

OC is all in favor of weird Broadway-style shows (and we like Luhrmann's weirdykinz Moulin Rouge, too, except for the Nirvana desecration) and Zeus knows media hype and clumsy newspaper writing are Siamese twins; but, really, the only way for Jenkins to take "a brave stab" at la Maria -- and we say this while standing proudly on the Team Tebaldi side -- would have been to travel back in time, steal a  steak knife in the Savini kitchen and try to attack la Callas as she was ripping her usual pre-Scala raw meat dinner to shreds, fangs glistening with rapturous joy. Beating the Spice Girls scrawny, Botox'd a$$es in the UK charts, while wearing a really powerful mike, does not even begin to, ahem, cut it.

For our UK readers: the tour opened at The Lowry, Salford (25th and 26th November) and then goes on to the Brighton Centre (29th), Cardiff Arena (1st December), Bristol Colston Hall (5th December), Bournemouth IC (7th Dec), Hammersmith Apollo (11th and 12th Dec), Birmingham Symphony Hall (16th and 17th Dec), Nottingham Royal Centre (20th Dec) and Glasgow SECC (21st Dec).

Katherine Jenkins Shuts Down Heathrow Airport In Terror Scare (Not Kidding)

The War On Terror scored a major victory for the good guys (memo to those who don't follow the news much: it's us) by securing to justice Katherine Jenkins.

Jenkins is the crossover lady with the San Fernando Valley look who just sang with Domingo and will sing with Juan Diego next week for Katherine In The Park, the extravaganza that takes place at Margam Park in Port Talbot on July 8 -- there the silicone queen will be joined by our dear Juan Diego Florez and by Paul "Pottsie" Potts, the appalling winner of the TV series Britain’s Got Talent (OC's verdict: dear Scotland Yard please leave Jenkins -- and her b00bs -- alone, the three of them are basically harmless, and take Pottsie instead. Memo to Pottsie: this is how it's done).

Anyway, here's our most impressive wtf moment of the week:

Katherine Jenkins was involved in a major terror scare at an airport thanks to a pot of roses.

The 27-year-old took the flowers on a flight from Greece but when they were taken out of the overhead locker pink sand fell out.

Cabin crew spotting the “suspicious” sand evacuated passengers on the return flight, called the bomb squad and closed off a wing of London’s Heathrow Airport. Katherine said she was phoned and asked to identify the sand.

"To identify the sand".

I mean, really. OC usually flies thru Heathrow but stuff like this makes her go, gah.

Anyway Jenkins had just given us a superweird moment when, after her Athens concert with Placido Domingo

she donned her running kit and celebrated singing her first duet with the legendary Placido Domingo in Athens by sprinting around he stadium where the first modern-day Olympics were held.

Spanish-born tenor Domingo joined the Welsh mezzo soprano for a charity concert at the Panathenaic Stadium on Wednesday night.

It was the venue for the first modern Olympic games in 1896.

After their performance of popular operatic duets, 26-year-old Katherine, who is from Neath, could not resist changing into her shorts and running around the 400-metre track at the Greek capital’s historic stadium.

Katherine is a keen runner and often runs to help her keep fit.

She'd better run from Scotland Yard now.

Domingo + Jenkins Sing For Darfur

Maestro Placido Domingo and Katherine Jenkins have presented this morning in Athens their concert, that will take place tomorrow night in the Panathinaikon Stadium of Athens: organized by Medecins sans Frontieres (Doctors without Borders) and dedicated to the kids of Darfur,  Sudan. Domingo & Jenkins will be accompanied by ERT State Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Eugene Kohn. Also expected to make an appearance alongside Domingo is Greek vocalist Fotini Darra.

We'd make fun of this, but it's all for a good cause, so we can't. More powah to Maestro Domingo, La Jenkins & Fotini.