L.A. Times - Pop & Hiss — Over at Culture Monster, the Times' pop critic Ann Powers has chimed in on the first installment of Richard Wagner's "Ring" cycle, and it's worth a read for both lovers and non-lovers of opera. She name-checks Lady Gaga, Bono, Joseph... more info

L.A. Times - News — Officials project a shortfall due to lagging ticket sales. With its climactic stagings of Richard Wagner's epic "Ring" cycle about to begin Saturday night, Los... more info

Guardian Music — Dalayman/Cleveman/Jun/Hallé/Elder(Hallé, five CDs)The one significant gap in Mark Elder's operatic CV to date is a Ring cycle. Plans to mount one at English National Opera when Elder was music director during the "Power House" years produced only a... more info

Guardian Music — Corporation beefs up output as Sky Arts coverage gains momentumAt a lavish launch to unveil its new Opera on the BBC season last week - highlights include a BBC4 three-parter on Italian opera performances and a series in which Stephen Fry examines hi... more info

All About Jazz — Hey, Richard Wagner -- why so serious? The 19th century German composer of "The Ring of the Nibelung" wasn't known for his sense of humor. His long, serious operas barely crack a smile while tackling such singularly un-funny subjects as death, unr... more info

L.A. Times - Entertainment — Also: Glee over 'Funny Girl'; the Los Angeles Jewish Film Festival; and a visit with Norman Lloyd. With Los Angeles in the grips of Ring Festival LA fever launched by the L.A. Opera's ... more info

Guardian Music — Royal Festival Hall, LondonNext season, ENO stages both Gounod's and Berlioz's versions of Faust. This London Philharmonic programme under Vladimir Jurowski also emphasised how uniquely fruitful this single subject has been as a source for composers.... more info

Pop Crunch — Soap legend Helen Wagner, who played mild-mannered matriarch Nancy Hughes on the long-running CBS soap opera As the World Turns for more than 50 years and spoke the first lines (“Good Morning, Dear”) when the series premiered in 1956, died Saturd... more info

ContactMusic — Veteran U.S. soap star HELEN WAGNER has died at the age of 91.The actress passed away on Saturday (01May10), but her cause of death has not yet been confirmed.... more info

Star Online, Malaysia — NEW YORK: Helen Wagner, who played mild-mannered Nancy Hughes on the CBS soap opera "As the World Turns" for more than a half-century, has died at age 91. more info