DEAR ABBY: In light of your recent column about the origin of "It's not over until the fat lady sings," this should be brought to the attention of your readership:
According to "Annals of the Metropolitan Opera" (1989), Zinka Milanov never appeared as "Mimi" in "La Boheme" at that theater. The role itself quite simply was not congenial to her formidable voice, temperament and extraordinary ability as the reigning dramatic soprano from the late 1930s to the mid-1960s. -- RAYMOND JARVI, PROFESSOR OF SWEDISH, NORTH PARK COLLEGE, CHICAGO
DEAR PROFESSOR JARVI: Thank you for setting the record straight. Now I regret that I didn't consult my good friend Charles Nelson Reilly, who is an authority on opera.