CD-Charts Position 1
Average Rating:

Gilbert & Sullivan - The Mikado / Eric Idle, Lesley Garrett, Richard Van Allan, Felicity Palmer, Richard Angas, Bonaventura Bottone, Susan Bullock, English National Opera

starring: Eric Idle, Lesley Garrett, Bonaventura Bottone, Richard Van Allan, Felicity Palmer
directed by: John Michael Phillips

Release Date December 26, 2005
I'm always leery of "new and improved" productions of the works of Gilbert & Sullivan. The originals are hard to beat. To my amazement, this version of The Mikado is actually very watchable and enjoyable! The producers stayed true, for the most part, to both the original story line and libretti (other than the fact they "moved" the story from Japan to England, and made a few very minor changes to the dialog). The performance of the musical score is outstanding - Sullivan would be proud.

CD-Charts Position 2
Average Rating:

Twin Falls Idaho

starring: Sasha Alexander (II), Jill Andre, Ant, Patrick Bauchau, Robert Beecher

Release Date January 18, 2000
Michael and Mark Polish play conjoined twins Blake and Francis Falls, who start this movie in a run down hotel room in a big city. They'd come to find their mother who had offered them for adoption at birth upon learning of their deformity.

In the opening scenes, we meet Penny, a prostitute who has been called by the brothers. This is one thing I never understood about this movie - it is rated "R" yet there are no sex scenes in it, however this movie isn't one for the "PG" crowd either because it does take maturity and understanding.

As the movie proceeds, the bonds between Penny and the brothers grow.

I can't say enough about how touching and sweet this movie is. This is not my usual sort of interest ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 3
Average Rating:

Magic in the Water

starring: Mark Harmon, Joshua Jackson, Harley Jane Kozak, Sarah Wayne, Willie Nark-Orn
directed by: Rick Stevenson

Release Date January 04, 2005
Damon Medic believes that this may be one of the worst movies ever made. It begins with a little girl placing Oreo Cookies at the end of a pier. She goes to see the cookies in the morning, and the cream centers are missing. The girl exclaims, "I knew it!" The movie goes downhill from there. I truly believe that the producers ran out of time, and were told to "just put it out anyway." The loose ends in this film are numerous. If you want to see one ridiculous film, perhaps the worst ever, buy this movie! You won't be disappointed with regards to the low expectations. It fulfills them all!
Damon Medic

CD-Charts Position 4
Average Rating:

Rachel Portman - The Little Prince / Rhodes, Garrett, Randle, White, McManners, Carlin, Jones, Zambello, Abell, BBC Concert Opera

starring: Teddy Tahu Rhodes, Joseph McManners, Mairead Carlin, Willard White, Lesley Garrett
directed by: Francesca Zambello

Release Date March 29, 2005
This isn't an opera that you'd watch once a month, but it's entertaining enough to watch once. The cast has wonderful singers who are certainly well-known to opera lovers. The lead role of the pilot is sung by Teddy Tadu Rhodes, who is perfectly cast for both his sweet baritone and his good looks.

CD-Charts Position 5
Average Rating:

Lesley Garrett Live At Christmas / Guy Barker, Sibongile Khumalo, Jose Cura

starring: Lesley Garrett, Guy Barker, Sibongile Khumalo, Jose Cura
directed by: Guy Freeman

Release Date October 28, 2008
This isn't an opera that you'd watch once a month, but it's entertaining enough to watch once. The cast has wonderful singers who are certainly well-known to opera lovers. The lead role of the pilot is sung by Teddy Tadu Rhodes, who is perfectly cast for both his sweet baritone and his good looks.

CD-Charts Position 6
Average Rating:

Richard Rodgers - An Enchanted Evening

starring: Maureen Lipman, Lesley Garrett, Claire Moore, Judi Dench, Gillian Anderson

Release Date November 18, 2003
VERY VERY ENJOYABLE-- GREAT MUSIC, GREAT PERFORMERS. LOVELY EVENING WHICH GAVE A LASTING PLEASENT FEELING.

CD-Charts Position 7
Average Rating:

Johann Strauss - Dance and Dream / The Waltz King

starring: Lesley Garrett, Wiener Opera Akademie, Hofburg Vienna, Abell, Tritsch Tratsch Polka

Release Date October 18, 2005
I would recommend that if you are interested in the life of Johann Strauss Jr., you can look up a really well done biography movie by Walt Disney from 1963, and it is called "The Waltz King". In my own opinion I feel it is a much better movie. At this time it is only available on VHS, but one can only hope.

CD-Charts Position 8
Average Rating:

Handel - Ariodante / Bolton, Murray, Rodgers, English National Opera

starring: Gwynne Howell, Joan Rodgers, Ann Murray (II), Paul Nilon, Christopher Robson
directed by: Kriss Russman

Release Date January 16, 2001
I was startled to find such extreme negativity in some of the customer reviews of this version of ARIODANTE. More than any other opera on dvd I've seen, it showed me that I could make emotional contact with the situations and characters in Baroque opera. I've watched it a number of times and it was one of very few dvd's that I am not currently in the process of unloading by selling them. This is, for me, a keeper!

CD-Charts Position 9
Average Rating:

Lesley Garrett: Live at Christmas

starring: Jose Cura, Lesley Garrett

Release Date October 21, 2003
I was startled to find such extreme negativity in some of the customer reviews of this version of ARIODANTE. More than any other opera on dvd I've seen, it showed me that I could make emotional contact with the situations and characters in Baroque opera. I've watched it a number of times and it was one of very few dvd's that I am not currently in the process of unloading by selling them. This is, for me, a keeper!

CD-Charts Position 10
Average Rating:

I Will Wait for You

starring: Lesley Garrett

Release Date July 01, 2008
I was startled to find such extreme negativity in some of the customer reviews of this version of ARIODANTE. More than any other opera on dvd I've seen, it showed me that I could make emotional contact with the situations and characters in Baroque opera. I've watched it a number of times and it was one of very few dvd's that I am not currently in the process of unloading by selling them. This is, for me, a keeper!