Opera is about so much more than vocally gifted people singing in a foreign language — the genre has notched up a few scandals and interesting titbits in its 400-plus years.

MOVIE OF THE WEEK: Whenever I mentioned to anyone in the past few weeks that I had seen Kung Fu Panda, they laughed, writes Shaun de Waal.

NOT THE MOVIE OF THE WEEK (OR ANY WEEK): According to Shaun de Waal, Rush Hour III is not funny, the action is dull and it’s not enjoyable at all