Martina Serafin knocked it out of the park as Puccini’s Manon Lescaut. Enjoy the review and let me know your opinions as well.
Articles by Antoni Matteo Garcia
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Two years ago I caught an underrated Richard Strauss that deserved a good look. Enjoy the review and let me know your opinions as well.
Let’s see how this production of Puccini’s Manon Lescaut starring Kristine Opolais will fare. Enjoy the review and let me know your opinions as well. Yes, I did sound a bit worn out in this video review, but let’s just say my voice kind of gave way to a film shoot I was involved in. But it was getting better, I just needed to rest my voice.
Claus Guth. Whether you like him or hate him, you can’t deny that this Salome production did have some moments of brilliance. Enjoy the review and let me know your opinions as well.
Two years ago, I parted from Budapest with this light and lovely comic opera starring wealthy older man and his cheeky yet lovable servant girl. The singers involved in this opera were Andras Kiss as Uberto and Orsolya Safar as Serpina.
Two years ago in January, I caught the premiere of Leos Janacek’s Vec Makropulos, known in English as The Makropulos Case, at the Deutsche Oper Berlin starring the indescribable, invigorating, and exhilarating Wagnerian soprano, Madame Evelyn Herlitzius, as the tragically eternal anti-heroine, Emilia Marty. Enjoy the review and let me know your opinions as well.
Four years ago, I caught the premiere of this particular production of Hector Berlioz’s La Damnation de Faust headlined by an illustrious cast consisting of Samuel Youn, Klaus Florian Vogt, Clementine Margaine, and Tobias Kehrer. Enjoy the review and let me know your opinions as well.
My three favorite Disney muscle hunks, Hercules, Basuli, and Tarzan, are back. This time, based on the look in their eyes, they are so ready for a beatdown, more specifically a Pankration match. Plus, they are aged up to be in their forties, given their ages after their shows or movies were aired and, of course, their beards. In this pic, Herc is 45, Basuli is 44, and Tarzan is 43. For those of you not in the know, Pankration is an ancient Greek martial art that existed since the 7th century BC and that is a combination of wrestling and boxing along with the usage of kicks, holds, locks, and chokes. The only unacceptable moves were biting and gouging the opponent’s eyes out. Etymologically speaking, Pankration derives from two Greek words, “pan” meaning “all” and “kratos” meaning “strength, power, or might”. When combined together the literal meaning is “all of the power”. Moreover, Pankration is rather similar today’s mixed martial arts given the similarities of certain moves. Going to Herc, Basuli, and Tarzan, I envision them as veteran pankratiasts, given their superhuman strength and unparalleled combat prowess. Even more so, when making this drawing, I kind of knew that Hercules would also specialize in something like Pankration, as he is based in Ancient Greece, and I figured that Basuli and Tarzan would make perfect sparring partners and teammates for Herc. Growing up, they would participate in many a Pankration match and would constantly sharpen their skills. By the time they reach their forties, they would still go on with competing, but they would also dedicate themselves to becoming coaches to aspiring young fighters and teach them the basics and watch their growth and development. When making this drawing, there were facets that had to come into consideration from the stance to researching the typical Pankration attire to aging up these three gentlemen. I gave Herc, Basuli, and Tarzan their signature color loincloths, with Herc’s being burgundy, Basuli’s being red and Tarzan’s being dark brown, and even different beard styles, with Herc having his beard around the jaw and chin area, Basuli having a sort of full beard and Tarzan having a goatee. Plus, I gave them the same color of cloth that binds their hands and wrists when fighting. In addition to that, I am rather satisfied with how their arrangement turned out, as everyone is seen and in a line. Overall, I definitely enjoyed making this and even finding out a bit about Pankration. I imagine these guys would square off against Nessus, Kaj the Leopardman, and Muviro, Goku, Vegeta, and Gohan all three in their Super Saiyan 4 form, or even, Conan, Prince Zula, and Ka-Zar in a three-on-three throwdown. That would be such a spectacle I would pay really good money to see! As always, it’s really fun seeing Hercules, Basuli, and Tarzan kicking loads of butt together while being really close friends, which is definitely a crossover I would’ve loved to see happen. Thanks so much for taking a gander at this pic and for reading this post and I will see you all on the flipside. Take care. This is where I found some information regarding Pankration, so here you go. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pankration Hercules belongs to Disney and Greek Mythology Basuli and Tarzan from The Legend of Tarzan and Tarzan belong to Disney and Edgar Rice Burroughs.
Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you all my three beloved Disney musclemen, Hercules or Herc from, of course, Hercules, Basuli from The Legend of Tarzan, and Tarzan from, of course, Tarzan, having a posedown in Opar. Aside Basuli and Tarzan being my absolute man-crushes of all time, Herc was definitely the one who preceded them. I remember even liking Disney’s Hercules ever since I was a little boy. Moreover, I was rather fascinated with Herc and how absolutely charming he was from his muscles to his charisma to the fact that Tate Donovan did such a phenomenal job bringing this character to life. Nowadays, as an adult, I still fancy him, even though his movie did have some flaws here and there. Regardless, Disney’s Hercules is still a rather enjoyable flick from time to time. I have always wanted to draw Hercules, Basuli, and Tarzan in one picture because I do feel like these guys can make an excellent three-man team with Herc being the leader and the overall big brother, Basuli being the proud warrior with his set of codes and Tarzan being the fierce fighter who saves his teammates’ behinds. I can even imagine them having the closest BroT3 bordering on OT3 bond ever because of how well they might work in battle and how well they deal with each other. In terms of relationships, as I stated before, I always see Basuli and Tarzan as brothers and when Hercules enters the mix I see him more as the childhood friend who always has their backs through thick and thin. If these guys were to be relocated in Ancient Greece, I am pretty sure these men would have some action together with the two jungle men sharing nights of intimate pleasure with their beloved demigod of strength. This kind of gives me an idea for an AU where Basuli and Tarzan are brothers who are brought to Greece from their native Africa to be trained as Hercules’s comrades in war. Little does Herc know, Basuli and Tarzan also have superhuman abilities like super strength, super speed, and even, the ability to communicate with animals. Thus, Herc feels a connection with them that he does not want them to be his slaves but rather his best friends and confidants akin to brothers. I can envision them training their muscles via weightlifting and even engage themselves in contact sports like wrestling, boxing, javelin-throwing, discus throwing, and probably their most favorite, Pankration. As time goes on, they will start to have feelings deeper than kinship. They might eventually confess their admiration and love for each other to the point where all three men strike a deal. Basuli will have three nights of passion with Hercules. Tarzan will have three nights of passion with Hercules. Finally, on the seventh day, all three of them will have a go at each other. I could really imagine these guys battling it out in the day and having their hours of passion at night. When their parents would inquire them about this, Hercules, Basuli, and Tarzan would staunchly say that they deeply care for each other and they are meant to be together and nothing they say will separate them. In terms of this drawing, I had to get the positioning, the postures, the skin tones of each of these gentlemen, and the setting pegged down to a T. I’m fully aware that Hercules has the lightest skin tone among his comrades, with Tarzan having a darker shade given his time in the jungle, and Basuli having the darkest shade of skin in comparison to Herc and Tarzan. Moreover, when it comes to muscle mass, Herc and Basuli are the bulky ones compared to Tarzan, who is leaner yet definitely has muscle. Out of all these facets when making this drawing, I had the most fun with the positioning and postures, as I was able to ensure that all three of these hunks are visible and, boy, was it satisfying. Plus, I find drawing Tarzan’s to be a slightly better experience than before. As for the setting, I sort of decided on a chamber in Opar complete with leopard-spot curtains and a reddish backdrop, enough to give anyone who views this exhibition a grand time with these three godly hunks. I hope you all enjoy this drawing I did and the post I wrote, as I did put some time and effort into this. Until then, see you on the flipside. Hercules belongs to Disney, and of course, Greek mythology. Basuli and Tarzan from Tarzan and The Legend of Tarzan belong to Disney and Edgar Rice Burroughs.
So, I have just turned 26 years old, just four more years until I reach the big 3 o. I am both happy yet anxious because of all the plans I need to iron out for a more stable future and I have to keep on being consistent in everything I do. So, in honor of my very special day, I decided to draw the now grown-up Rowdyruff Boys and Powerpuff Girls looking really sharp tonight. In my headcanon, these two teams ended up becoming one grand superhero team, known as Team Xtreme, while they were still kids and have been on several missions from fighting monsters, beating criminals, battling supernatural forces and balancing all that with school, work, and other endeavors. Moreover, while the Powerpuff Girls have their parents, Professor Utonium and Miss Keane, known in my headcanon as Mrs. Keane-Utonium, I decided to let the Rowdyruff Boys be away from Mojo Jojo and Him and be adopted by Mr. Green and Miss Sara Bellum, known by her married name as Mrs. Sara Bellum-Green. No worries, I will definitely make fanart out of these two families, one when they were children and one when they are grown up. So, without further ado, here’s Team Xtreme from left to right. Brick “The Lord High Bludgeoner” Green, aged 25 going on 26 Butch “The Baron of Brawn” Green, aged 25 going on 26 Boomer “The Fleet Athlete” Green, aged 25 going on 26 Blossom “The Commander and the Leader” Utonium-Green, aged 25 Buttercup “The Toughest Fighter” Utonium-Green, aged 25 Bubbles “The Joy and the Laughter” Utonium-Green, aged 24 I hope you enjoy this piece of work and I will definitely see you on the flip side. Take care. The Rowdyruff Boys (Brick, Butch, and Boomer) and the Powerpuff Girls (Blossom, Buttercup, and Bubbles) belong to Craig McCracken.