Well, it seems bizarre, but I've checked that it's not 1 April. The Royal Opera House is to stage a premiere of a new opera about the life of the late Anna Nicole Smith as part of their 2010/11 season. I'm sure you all know who she was, but just in case you don't, she was a stripper turned model, ultimately most famous for marrying a billionaire oil tycoon 63 years her senior (he was 89). Smith died at the age of 39 in 2007, following an accidental prescription drug overdose.The opera is the work of composer Mark-Anthony Turnage and writer Richard Thomas, co-creator of 'Jerry Springer: The Opera', and will open at the venue on 17 February next year.

So that should be interesting. There are also other interesting things happening at the ROH in the upcoming season, though surely none so guaranteed to grab headlines. Highlights include the Royal Ballet's 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon, and the UK premiere of Philip Glass's Kafka adaptation 'In The Penal Colony'.