http://www.croatia.org/crown en-us http://www.croatia.org/crown N/A nenad@nenadbach.com Fri, 05 Sep 2008 21:51:51 -0700 20 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9556/1/Nenad-Bach-on-Global-Broadcast-for-Supreme-Master-TV-June-1-2008.html Nenad Bach’s interview is scheduled to air on Sunday, June 1, 2008 on  "A Journey through Aesthetic Realms" on Supreme Master TV.  Broadcasting on 14 satellite platforms across the globe plus World Wide Webcast. translated in 15 languages. See inside for the exact time of the broadcast and webcast. stecak@sbcglobal.net (Marko Puljiæ) Sat, 24 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9492/1/Joe-Magarac-a-legendary-Croatian-steel-worker-in-the-USA.html Joe Magarac is a well known name in the USA. His name, aparently nonamerican, has without any doubt Croatian roots. Its meaninig is simply - donkey. The name of "magarac" is also a synonim of hard work, endurance and obstinacy in Croatian. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Tue, 18 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9328/1/Ivan-Paric-on-the-reality-show-for-photographers-VH1-TV-this-Sunday.html I would like to invite you to watch the reality show for photographers where I am one of the contestants. The name of the show is The Shot. The Shot is scheduled to premier on Vh1 channel  on Sunday, Nov. 4 @ 10 PM & 12 PM EST and Monday Nov 5th. ivan@ivanparic.com (Ivan Paric) Fri, 02 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9301/1/Jaz-Spelic-Actor-Producer-based-in-Sydney-The-Trinity-of-Vukovar.html Since graduating in 2004, most of my time has been spent developing 'The Trinity of Vukovar'. I am also employed as a guest Actor at Sydney's International Film School, have done a few televison commercials and my first feature film 'The Warrior' was screened at the Cannes Film Festival this year. Directed by Melbourne based Croatian, Steve Ravic. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 20 Oct 2007 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9305/1/Croatian-American-Dennis-Kucinich-on-Colbert-Report-TONIGHT-Oct-15-16-2007.html Stephen Colbert talked about Dennis Kucinich on his show - made Dennis sound smart and funny and dedicated, which of course he is. Colbert challenged Dennis to appear on his show. Dennis accepts challenge tonight... I can't wait!  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 15 Oct 2007 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9259/1/PYRAMID-on-top-of-the-Pyramid---Monumental-success-of-Croatian-TV.html   The Pyramid is a unique combination of talk show and game show. Europroducciones has already optioned the format for Spain, Italy and Portugal, as has Gestion Avanti Cine Video for French speaking Canada. (photo) Dubravko Merlic and Zeljka Ogresta letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 12 Sep 2007 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9160/1/A-Thousand-Leaps-of-Faith-in-Zadar-Croatia---World-Record.html     letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 27 Jul 2007 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9110/1/Lennon-Brothers-Reconcile-in-Croatia.html nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 28 Jun 2007 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9100/1/Thompson-snimke-sa-Maksmira--Thompson-videos-from-Maksmir.html On June 17, 2007, Croatian pop star Marko Perkovic - Thompson held a concert in Zagreb's Maksmir Stadium that was attended by over 50,000 of his fans.   stecak@sbcglobal.net (Marko Puljiæ) Mon, 25 Jun 2007 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8948/1/Croatian-Rubiks-Cube---Almost-There.html     Ivobach2@aol.com (Ivo Bach) Sat, 17 Feb 2007 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8909/1/quotBeyond-the-Callquot-on-PBS---Check-Local-Listings.html     Wadirum1@aol.com (Adrian Beliæ) Thu, 25 Jan 2007 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8885/1/The-New-York-Times-review-quotI-Love-Youquot-by-Dalibor-Matanic-Jan-3rd-2007.html   Review by Jeannette Catsoulis.  A bleak drama from the Croatian writer and director Dalibor Matanic, is an unusually perceptive scrutiny of absence and emptiness. Set in the filmmaker's hometown, Zagreb, the movie follows a young advertising hotshot . letters@croatia.org (Andrej & Daniela Urem) Wed, 03 Jan 2007 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8883/1/Last-month-on-a-frosty-night-in-Zagreb-Croatia-they-draped-the-shimmering-cape-on-the-shoulders-of-James-Brown-for-the-last-time.html   As the crowd cheered, the "Hardest Working Man in Show Business," whose career had begun six decades and a world away as a child dancing for coins along the Savannah River, walked away from the microphone. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 26 Dec 2006 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8876/1/A-Triumph-at-Carnegie-Hall-Ivana-Kunc-makes-Her-Smashing-Debut-on-Dec-9th-2006.html   Ms. Kunc's comportment and grace on stage, and the depth of emotion that she conveyed through her father's direct and passionate vocal style, all connected with her audience, the cumulative result garnering an even deeper respect for this unique family legacy.  mspudic@aol.com (Michael Spudiæ) Fri, 22 Dec 2006 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8875/1/Night-At-The-Museum---New-Movie-Has-Croatian-Roots---Milan-Trenc-in-Action.html Milan Trenc (pictured right) was born in 1962. in Zagreb, Croatia where he graduated graphic arts and film direction. His comic strips appeared in Heavy Metal Magazine and his children's book, The Night At the Museum (Baron's 1993,) became a Twentieth Century Fox. feature movie directed by Shawn Levy, with an all star cast including Ben Stiller, Robin Williams and Dick Van Dyke.   stecak@sbcglobal.net (Marko Puljiæ) Thu, 21 Dec 2006 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8840/1/BRYAN-ADAMS-quotYou-crazy-Croatians-Bravo-Thank-youquot-AN-EXCITING-EVENT-IN-OSIJEK-CROATIA.html After performing his well known song "Somebody", Bryan has started his concert in Osijek, Croatia, with simple words: "Hello. I'm Bryan !" . dentamete@vip.hr (Goran Nikola¹eviæ) Tue, 28 Nov 2006 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8839/1/Ivan-Hrvatska-Partying-to-the-Top.html Outside of Vancouver, Ivan Hrvatska may not be a household name, but his music is starting to get him noticed. So who is Ivan Hrvatska, and why is he attracting a devoted following?    stecak@sbcglobal.net (Marko Puljiæ) Tue, 28 Nov 2006 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8786/1/BRYAN-ADAMS-CONCERT-IN-OSIJEK-CROATIA.html  Bryan Adams's fans ! We are expecting Bryan's concert in Osijek, Croatia, on 27. november 2006. in Zrinjevac Hall. All fans are invited on concert !   dentamete@vip.hr (Goran Nikola¹eviæ) Sun, 26 Nov 2006 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8811/1/Richard-Gere-to-shoot-despite-broken-rib.html Hollywood actor Richard Gere was rushed to hospital in Croatia after breaking a rib while shooting for his new movie but he refused to allow the injury to obstruct the film shoot.   letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 10 Nov 2006 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8788/1/VRHUNSKI-MODNI-DOIVLJAJ-U-OSIJEKU.html Ovoga su vikenda Osijek i Slavonija ponovno do¾ivjeli modnu renesansu. Peti Fashion Incubator je do¹ao pod nazivom Fashion Airlines i u modno nebo nas vodio preko Zraène luke Osijek. Putnièka zgrada u Klisi bila je mjesto odr¾avanja najveæega modnoga dogaðaja namijenjenog iskljuèivo promociji mladih i neafirmiranih modnih imena.   dentamete@vip.hr (Goran Nikola¹eviæ) Sun, 05 Nov 2006 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8720/1/Oakland-Intl-FF-BEYOND-THE-CALL-screening-this-Friday-Sept-22-6pm-at-the-Grand-Lake-Theater.html   Hello Bay Area Friends, I am excited to announce and invite you and your friends to a screening of BEYOND THE CALL in the beautiful Grand Lake Theater in Oakland (http://cinematreasures.org/theater/414/) as part of the Oakland International Film Festival (http://oaklandfilmsociety.org). Wadirum1@aol.com (Adrian Beliæ) Fri, 22 Sep 2006 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6003/1/E-MrsCroatia-Ivana-Brnic-Boce-1st-runner-up-at-MrsWorld-2005.html  Mrs.Croatia Ivana Brnic-Boce Mrs World 1st runner-up 2005  Newly crowned Mrs.World 2005 Sima Bakahr (C) of Israel poses with Mrs.Croatia Ivana Brnic-Boce (R) 1st runner-up and  Mrs.New Zealand Sherin Peace (L) 2nd runner-up, for the photographers during a function in Lonavala, 140 km (88 miles) from Bombay February 25, 2005. Bakahr was crowned Mrs.World from 41 contestants around the world. [Reuters] Sima Bakhar of Israel is Mrs. World 2005 Mrs Croatia, Ivana Brnic Boce was named the first runner-upIndo-Asian News Service Mumbai, Feb 26 (IANS) Beating 40 other gorgeous beauty queens, Mrs. Israel Sima Bakhar won the coveted title of Mrs. World 2005 at Amby Valley Sahara Lake City near here.Mrs. Croatia, Ivana Brnic Boce, and Mrs. New Zealand, Sherin Peace, were declared the first and second runners-up respectively at the event. India's Jeevika Shah could only make it as one of the six semi-finalists.Last year's winner Suzana Pavadee Vicherut Mcnokroot of Thailand crowned Bakhar, 28, with a diamond and ruby studded crown worth $18,000.A five-member panel of judges comprising celebrated personalities like Vijay Amritraj, Ashutosh Gowarikar, Swapna Roy, Heida Dianan (Mrs. America 2004) and Rosy Senanayake (Mrs. World 1985) picked the top three winners.This was the first time that India played host to the contest, initiated in 1977. It symbolises the celebration of beauty, grace, charm and family values of women.Speaking on the occasion David Z. Marmal, president of Mrs. America Inc and Mrs. World Inc said: "The event began with the intention of recognizing the contribution of a woman to her community, country and modern contemporary life. It now showcases the modern married women who has imbibed style, grace, beauty and intelligence."Added Seemanto Roy, head of Sahara Infrastructure and Housing: "All the participants from around the world are living testimony to the continuously evolving empowered women who strive and achieve unprecedented balance in their multifaceted lives, contributing significantly both to the family and society as a whole." Indo-Asian News ServiceFor clarifications/queries, please contact IANS NEWS DESK at 2616-5778/8546, 2617-3369 or mail us atsupport@eians.comhttp://www.eians.com/stories/2005/02/26/26sima.shtml Mrs Croatia, Ivana Brnic Boce was named the first runner-upLifestyle: 26 February 2005, Saturday.Mrs Bulgaria World 2005 Yana Marinova swept the "Duncans Beautiful Smile" award at the prestigious Mrs World contest.The Mrs World 2005 title was swept by Mrs Israel Simam Bahahr. The ceremony took place at open-air theatre against the backdrop of a 15th century fort along the Sahyadri range in Amby Valley at Sahara Lake City near Mumbai.Mrs Croatia, Ivana Brnic Boce was named the first runner-up and Mrs New Zealand Sherin Peace was the second runner-up.The judges chose Mrs Ukraine Svitlana Valova as the Dettol Beautiful Skin, while Mrs Israel was voted Veets Beautiful Legs.Mrs Bulgaria is a fresh acting star. Yana Marinova, aged 26, made a name with Bulgaria-produced soap opera Hotel Bulgaria, which is currently being shown on local Nova TV. The brunette Missis has had a modelling career but never won a beauty pageant before, media said. Last year the beauty and intelligence of the Bulgarian ladies was acknowledged in the entire world as Mrs Bulgaria Globe 2004 Rumyana Marinova was crowned Mrs Globe 2004 at a special ceremony that took place in California.http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=45037   nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 04 Mar 2005 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6004/1/E-Bosnian-refugee-wins-1million---Vitamins-are-good-for-you.html  Bosnian refugee wins $1millionLottery numbers came off bottle By Sheldon S. Shafersshafer@courier-journal.com The Courier-JournalBy Pam Spaulding, The C-JSanel Barakovic held the vitamin bottle that provided the numbers that his father, Kemal Barakovic, right, selected for his five Cash Ball tickets. He claimed his winnings yesterday. A Bosnian refugee who used bar-code numbers from the bottom of a vitamin bottle to choose his Kentucky Lottery Cash Ball numbers ended up with five winning tickets. Yesterday he claimed $1million in prizes. Kemal Barakovic, who settled in Louisville after leaving a refugee camp in Croatia 10 years ago, has always dreamed of having "his own home in America, and now that dream can become a reality," said his son, Sanel Barakovic. Kemal Barakovic speaks little English; Sanel and his brother, Amir, spoke for their father yesterday at Kentucky Lottery headquarters in Louisville. The elder Barakovic bought five $1 Cash Ball tickets Monday at the Thorntons at 5318 Preston Highway and played the same five numbers on each ticket — 11, 14, 21, 24 and the Cash Ball, 22. Each winning ticket paid $200,000. The odds of matching all five numbers are one in 1,268,520. Lottery officials said it's the first time a player has had multiple winning tickets in a drawing for Cash Ball, a game that started in March 2001 and has six drawings a week. Kemal Barakovic, 61, who makes air filters at Airguard in Louisville, spends about $20 a week on lottery tickets and has a habit of picking numbers off items he finds around his apartment in Buechel, Sanel Barakovic said. Sanel Barakovic works as a clerk at the Thorntons and frequently sells his father tickets. He said his father came in Monday evening with the numbers off the bottle, saying he wanted to play the same numbers on all five tickets. Sanel Barakovic said he tried to persuade his father to pick different numbers on each play, but "Dad always said, `Why go for $200,000 when you can shoot for a million?'" Lottery president Arch Gleason said there is no prohibition on clerks selling tickets to family members. He said there is no way they can know in advance the numbers that will be drawn. Still, Gleason and lottery spokesman Chip Polston said the lottery security staff went to great lengths to validate the five winning tickets, including checking the videotape of the Monday-night drawing and screening the store's security-camera tape of the transaction. They found everything "was on the up and up," Gleason said. Sanel Barakovic said his father intends to share the money with him and his brother, a truck driver who lives in Iowa but came to Louisville yesterday for the festivities. Amir Barakovic said his mother, Habiba, stayed home yesterday because "she couldn't handle this." With the winnings, minus 31 percent automatically withheld for federal and state taxes, the family plans to visit relatives in Bosnia, and his father plans to buy a house and pay off some debts, Sanel Barakovic said. The father probably will take a break from playing the lottery for a while and intends to keep his job, Sanel Barakovic said.http://www.courier-journal.com/localnews/2004/12/31ky/B1-lottery1231-5057.html  nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 02 Jan 2005 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6005/1/E-Welcome-New-Year-2005-at-HOTEL-BOSKINAC.html  HOTEL BOSKINAC NEW YEARS OFFERNEW YEAR 2005 NEW YEAR PARTY IN RESTORANT- Welcome drink with Domestic buffet table in wine cellar - Five courses delicate dinner- Live music by quartet with repertoire of world standard, evergreens, jazz, movie music, very famous canzone, rock’ n ’roll…- Firework from our wine yards with Champagne at midnight- We can feast 50 + 30 persons in two halls that are connected with a dancing floor- The price for arrangement is 590,00 kn (79euro) per person ACCOMODATION IN HOTEL BOSKINAC We can offer accommodation for 29 persons in our hotel. (placed in 4 double bed room, 4 rooms for 3 persons and 3 Suites for 3-4 persons)- 1 night including breakfast/ 696,00 kn (94euro)/ for 2 persons- 2 nights including breakfast/ 680,00 kn (92euro)/ for 2 persons- 3 nights including breakfast/ 640,00 kn (86euro)/ for 2 persons- 4 nights including breakfast/ 640,00 kn (86euro)/ for 2 persons- The deficiency pay for third bed/ 200,00 kn (27euro)The residence tax is 4,50 kn (0,60euro) per person a day. Prices are same for groups or individuals.As we are small hotel with limited numbers of seating place, we would prefer to have table reservations for New Year Eve, at least until 01.12.2004.Same with advance payment of 50% for accommodation in hotel, as confirmation for the reservation.AFTER PARTY IN WINE CELLAR BOSKINAC ON 1ST of January 2005. NIGHT- Traditional re-run New Years Eve with the same quartet, dance and domestic menu- A la card offerNote:To make your New Year days more interesting we can organize excursion through Island Pag with a guide.- Trucking to the highest hill of the Island “St.Vid”, with a spectacular panorama, lunch packet included, (excursion take app. 3-5 hours)- Walking to “Pag triangle”, lunch packet included (excursion take app. 3 hours)- Excursion to Lun, place with thousand years old olive trees (excursion take 2- 3 hours)Price for a guide is 100,00 kn (14 euro) per hour.All excursions could be arranged only in nice weather.-We can organize fishing for groups up to 60 persons, with lunch on boat.Price for that arrangement is 25 euro per person, or 500 euro per boat, for a group of 20 persons.As we are hotel with limited capacity, and you are a big group, we can help you to find an additional accommodation in Novalja, in three stars Hotels:Loža-tel.053/661 326Vila Palcic-053/663 680Both Hotels are app. 2 km away from Hotel Boškinac.Or private accommodation Vila Škoda****- 098/528 430For any other information’s, please contact us by e-mail or by telephone number++385 (0)53/ 663 500. CREATE YOUR WAY OF ADVANTURE ENTERING 2005th. Best regards,Mirela ŠankoWine Cellar Hotel Boškinacwww.boskinac.com info@boskinac.com    nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 06 Dec 2004 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6006/1/E-Health-minister-keeping-watch-on-Croatias-Big-Brother.html  Health minister keeping watch on Croatia's 'Big Brother'Associated PressSept. 21, 2004, 2:29PMZAGREB, Croatia -- They sit together in a whirlpool bath, tell intimate stories and compete for a $166,650 prize. But the health minister has warned 12 contestants of Croatia's Big Brother television show: Stop smoking or you'll pay for it. ADVERTISEMENTHealth minister Andrija Hebrang said Tuesday that some of the players freely smoke during the show, which is televised live on Croatia's RTL channel, and that the practice violates a law that bans smoking in public. The law provides for fines of up to $83,300, but Hebrang said he decided to first warn the show's producers and contestants in a letter. "I understand that it's a widely popular show, but the law must be the same for all," Hebrang said.Croatia's version of Big Brother was launched Saturday. http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/ae/2807465  nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 28 Sep 2004 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6007/1/E-Jigsaw-Dubrovnik-by-Hellie-from-bellaonline.html  Jigsaw Dubrovnik by Helliehttp://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art22719.asp BellaOnline's Walking EditorHello!My name is Hellie and I'm your walking host.I live high on a hill overlooking the beautiful Forest of Dean UK, which I think has some of the best walks in the country.This means of course whenever I go out walking, the journey back is always very uphill!I've walked miles on the Great Wall of China, in Nepal, in Oregon, Canada and Europe.I have always enjoyed walking and this year I shall be off on walking holidays in Croatia and in Tuscany, Italy.I try to walk at least 5 miles at the weekends and on a good weekend maybe 15 -18.I teach part-time at a local comprehensive school and in my spare time enjoy keeping chickens, my favourites are Marans.I also host the English Garden site at Bellonline.I'd like this site to become the best walker's site on the web.Please email me your favourite walks, places, achievements and tips - I'd love to hear from you.If you would like to send me a comment, question or suggestion, please feel free to Email Me!http://www.bellaonline.com/about/Walking http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art22719.asp   nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 06 Aug 2004 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6008/1/E-Miss-Croatia-greet-people-in-downtown-Quito-Ecuador.html     Lef to right: Fabiana Niclotti, Miss Brazil, Gabriela Barros, Miss Chile and Marijana Rupcic, Miss Croatia greet people during a parade in downtown Quito, Ecuador, Sunday, May 23, 2004. This parade was organized to present the candidates for Miss Universe (news - web sites) Pageant 2004 to the people of Quito. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa) nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 23 May 2004 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6012/1/E-Bill-Rancic-is-The-Apprentice.html   Bill Rancic is ‘The Apprentice’Op-edWhat is with those Croatians, they win each and every big Real TV contest. Amber, Bill... who's next? Nenad Bach Donald Trump with "Apprentice" winner (and new Trump employee) Bill Rancic.  The Associated PressUpdated: 4:29 p.m. ET April 28, 2004NEW YORK - For one night at least, Donald Trump can really proclaim that he was the king of television.An estimated 27.6 million viewers tuned in Thursday to watch Trump say, “You’re hired!â€? to Chicagoan Bill Rancic on NBC’s hit boardroom game, “The Apprentice.â€?That enabled Trump to knock off television’s most popular show, “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.â€? The CBS drama was seen by 23.6 million, about 2½ million fewer than average, Nielsen said.When Rancic won, Trump gave him a choice of two plum jobs: managing a Trump-owned golf course in California or overseeing a 90-story building project in Chicago.“In a way, I’m very happy he didn’t choose the golf course, ’cause I put someone there about a month and a half ago, and they’re doing a great job,â€? Trump said after the broadcast. “It could have been a little bit embarrassing.â€?The snag was averted. Rancic was happily homebound and his fellow finalist, Kwame Jackson, was fired as the hit NBC series aired its live finale.“Kwame, I think you have an amazing future,â€? Trump said. “You’re a brilliant guy, great education, and I have no doubt you’re going to be a big success. But right now: Bill, you’re hired!â€?Rancic, a street-smart 32-year-old Internet entrepreneur, had edged out Jackson, the laid-back 29-year-old New Yorker and Harvard MBA, for what Trump described as the “dream job of a lifetimeâ€? and a $250,000 year’s salary.Trump insisted the decision had been difficult, and close â€" and one he shared with no one before airtime â€" not even Mark Burnett, creator of “The Apprentice.â€?“I had good feelings about both of these people,â€? Trump said after the show, “or they wouldn’t have gotten there.â€?Which did Burnett think Trump would pick? “I didn’t think,â€? Burnett answered flatly.The victorious Rancic said his win sends a message.“The American Dream is still alive out there, and hard work will get you there,â€? he told reporters. “You don’t necessarily need to have an Ivy League education or to have millions of dollars startup money. It can be done with an idea, hard work and determination.â€?Then, asked when his job with Trump would start, he grinned and said, “I believe I am on the clock, even as we speak.â€?Trump 'fires' up viewersTrump’s decision closed out a three-month-long competition. The billionaire developer and host of the show put 16 would-be apprentices through numerous business tasks â€" then, in the boardroom, “firedâ€? an underperformer at the end of each episode.At their last assignments, Bill was put in charge of a Trump golf tournament and Kwame handled an appearance by pop star Jessica Simpson at one of Trump’s Atlantic City casino hotels.These two “bossesâ€? were each teamed with three “employeesâ€?: previously fired “Apprenticeâ€? candidates who, possibly still nursing grudges, sometimes seemed as much a hindrance as a help.Thanks to Bill’s team, a vital sponsor’s sign went missing.Thanks to Kwame’s team, Simpson went missing. Then she disappeared again, while Trump tapped his foot.That was the handiwork of beautiful but scheming Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth, one of the breakout stars among the show’s candidates. Her feigned martyrdom after plaster fell on her head on one episode earned her the ultimate pop-culture salute: She was spoofed on “Saturday Night Live.â€?Of course, not every burning issue was cleared up Thursday. For instance, how can 15 people be fired when they were never hired in the first place? That question may never be resolved.But the boardroom summits with Trump, where he pronounced the now famous “you’re fired,â€? helped make “The Apprenticeâ€? a sensation after its January premiere.Last week, it ranked second among all prime-time shows, logging 22 million viewers â€" even more than CBS’ “Survivor: All-Stars.â€? It holds seventh place for the season to date, according to Nielsen.Created by Burnett, who brought “Survivorâ€? to the airwaves, “The Apprenticeâ€? traded on a similar survival-of-the-fittest gimmick, and viewers loved it for its display of competitive greed and back stabbing.Another draw, perhaps: the eight female contestants were attractive and tended to wear short skirts.“The Apprenticeâ€? launched Trump to new heights of renown. Not only did he dine out on the catchphrase “you’re firedâ€? (even threatening to copyright it), he landed deals for a Trump-brand credit card and as a celebrity spokesman for a telecommunications company.Two weeks ago he was guest host on “Saturday Night Live,â€? and now has agreed to come back for a new edition of “The Apprenticeâ€? next season, reportedly at a substantial pay raise.Looks like there are lots more firings ahead.© 2004 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Source: http://msnbc.msn.com/id/4750777/   nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 13 May 2004 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6011/1/E-Croatian-Amber-Brkich-Wins-Survivor-All-Stars.html  Croatian, Amber Brkich wins 'Survivor  From a 2001 issue of Stuff Magazine:http://www.stuffmagazine.com/articles/html/article_109.html STUFF: Your last name is spelled B-R-K-I-C-H. What exactly do you have against vowels?AMBER: Ah, no. I have nothing against vowels. It’sCroatian. AMBER BRKICH 22 Single Administrative Assistant Beaver, Pennsylvania Journal and PenAmber Brkich is from Beaver, Pennsylvania and is a recent graduate from Westminster College, where she earned a B.A. degree in Public Relations, minoring in Speech Communications. Prior to departing for Australia, while Brkich searched for her "career job," she was an administrative assistant and lived with her parents. Her previous occupations while attending school included waitress, librarian assistant, swimming instructor, lifeguard and babysitter for her professor. Brkich's favorite hobbies are going out with her friends, dancing and just generally having fun. She's a member of Alpha Gamma Delta Sorority, where she was Vice President and New Member Coordinator. Brkich also belongs to the Catholic Church. Her primary reasons for trying out for Survivor: The Australian Outback include lack of change, excitement, and kangaroos in her life, although the million dollars wouldn't hurt either! Her birth date is August 11, 1978. ©MMI, CBS Worldwide Inc. All Rights Reserved  -------------Source: http://www.realitytvworld.com/index/articles/story.php?s=2546 Amber Brkich wins 'Survivor: All-Stars', gets engaged to runner-up Rob MarianoBy Steve Rogers, 05/10/2004 The beneficiary of heavy resentment regarding the manner in which her alliance and Final Two partner -- and now fiance -- Rob Mariano played the game, Survivor: The Australian Outback's Amber Brkich emerged as the champion and $1 million winner during last night's Survivor: All-Stars finale on CBS. The Survivor finale opened with the four remaining contestants -- Amber, "Boston Rob," Rupert Boneham, and Jenna Lewis -- facing a "two-versus-two" shutdown at the next Tribal Council, since Rupert and Jenna were allied. Rob and Amber immediately campaigned for Jenna to join with them to oust Rupert, thus avoiding a possible random draw "purple rock" tiebreaker, while cleverly not pushing Jenna to make a firm commitment to them. Their plan would be spoiled if Rupert won the Immunity Challenge, which turned into a close race between Amber and Rupert. However, Amber won, for her first victory in an individual Immunity Challenge in her two Survivor seasons, and Jenna sided with "Romber" to send Rupert to a fourth-place finish. During the final immunity challenge, which was (as usual) an endurance test in which contestants couldn't lift their feet or touch the center pole with their free hands, Jenna was the first to waver, moving her foot off its pole momentarily just before the 2.5-hour mark, thus leaving the crucial final immunity to be decided between Rob and Amber. Despite the duo's personal feelings for each other and sworn plans to take each other to the Final Two, neither one was willing to intentionally step off the challenge poles to give the other immunity, and the challenge continued for another hour until Amber absentmindedly touched the center pole with her free hand while gesturing at Rob. Amber was thus disqualified, handing Rob Survivor: All Star's final immunity, a guaranteed place in the Final Two, and the right to choose his opponent in the final vote. Despite some momentary thoughts that he might stand a better chance if he faced Jenna in the Final Two, Rob opted to take his Survivor sweetheart with him to the final jury, leaving Jenna in third. Facing a jury comprised of colleagues who deeply resented the presence of both Boston Rob and Amber in the Final Two, the couple faced tough questioning, including open hostility from Survivor: Africa alums Tom Buchanan, who placed fifth in All-Stars, and Lex van den Burghe, who placed ninth. Four votes were revealed during the voting, two for Boston Rob and two for Amber (who was rumored to have been included in the cast to complete the requisite "hot chick" quota only after previous contestants Elisabeth Filarski Hasslebeck and Colleen Haskell both declined to participate), before the votes were spirited off for safekeeping, to be read at the live finale in New York City's Madison Square Garden. Ever the strategist, Boston Rob had one more card left to play before the votes were revealed. As soon as the live show began, he pulled a multi-carat diamond ring out of his pocket and proposed marriage to Amber, who promptly accepted (no surprise, considering that Amber was wearing an "I Love Rob" tank top), thus ensuring that, no matter who won, both of them would share the prize money. In the process, Boston Rob and Amber got around the game's "you can't agree to split the money" rule in a way that Survivor producer Mark Burnett likely never envisioned. When the votes where finally announced, in a by-then somewhat anticlimactic ending, Rob learned that he was engaged to a millionaire, as Amber edged him 4-3 in the voting. Supporting Amber were Tom, Lex, Survivor: The Australian Outback's Alicia Calaway, and Survivor: Thailand's Shii Ann Huang; supporting Boston Rob were Rupert and Jenna Lewis, plus Survivor: Marquesas's Kathy Vavrick-O'Brien. Amber also won a new Chevy -- but, since she and Rob had already won cars on the show, she had to pass the car along to another survivor, and (after consulting with Rob, who told her that the choice was hers) she awarded it to Shii Ann.The finale was as contentious and acrimonious as the show was predictable, culminating in Survivor: The Australian Outback villainess Jerri Manthey, who was booed when she bashed the show for manipulating people's real feelings for entertainment purposes, walking off the set halfway through. Despite being confronted with evidence of their own deceptions, Lex and Tom were no more willing to "forgive and forget" than they had been while on the jury. The eighteen castaways basically broke down into two groups, with Lex, Tom, Kathy and Jerri, who claimed that what Boston Rob did "crossed the line" between gameplay and personal on the one side, and Richard Hatch, the winner of the first Survivor, Colby Donaldson, the runner-up in Survivor: The Australian Outback, and Shii Ann prominently on the other side. One thing this season of Survivor did produce was a lot of romance, however. For the first time in Survivor history, there were two confirmed couples among the contestants. In addition to Boston Rob and Amber, the other couple was Survivor: The Amazon winner Jenna Morasca and Survivor: Africa winner Ethan Zohn, who have been rumored to be dating for about a year but confirmed that their relationship had become closer since the show. In addition, third-place finisher Jenna Lewis eloped last weekend with a 21-year-old male model, and even Richard Hatch confirmed that he had found romance with a hotel desk clerk that he met in Argentina when he visited there following his boot from All-Stars (in fact, the two currently live together in Richard's Rhode Island house and had announced that they would participate in a February "gay marriage" ceremony in New Paltz, NY, but ultimately did not). Also, in a "surprise" that had been heavily promoted by Extra!, Survivor: Borneo's Susan Hawk showed off her "extreme makeover," which included both liposuction and plastic surgery ... and which was paid for and filmed by Extra! Finally, in a last "twist," CBS and Survivor announced that one of the 18 castaways would be receiving a million-dollar bonus awarded by popular vote as to who played the best game. Viewers may vote for the bonus, sponsored in part by Cingular Wireless, either on the CBS web site or by text-messaging on their Cingular wireless phones. While Susan Hawk, for one, expressed the belief that Rupert would be awarded the million dollars, we note that many viewers -- led, in part, by Michael Orzoff from Fox's Love Cruise (which was the third reality-competition show filmed in the U.S., behind only the first Survivor and the first Big Brother) -- support Rob Mariano for the million. We're not surprised by Michael's support for Boston Rob, since Rob and Amber's game strategy often seemed to mirror the strategy employed by Michael and alliance-mate Melissa in Love Cruise, right down to forcing the jury to choose between the two most-resented people in the final vote (although Michael and Melissa's strategy was almost foiled when the producers inexplicably decided to add another team to the finals). We look forward to seeing the results of this vote on the Survivor wrap-up show, Thursday, May 13, at 8 PM EDT on CBS.  AMBER BRKICH 22 Single Administrative Assistant Beaver, Pennsylvania Journal and PenAmber Brkich is from Beaver, Pennsylvania and is a recent graduate from Westminster College, where she earned a B.A. degree in Public Relations, minoring in Speech Communications. Prior to departing for Australia, while Brkich searched for her "career job," she was an administrative assistant and lived with her parents. Her previous occupations while attending school included waitress, librarian assistant, swimming instructor, lifeguard and babysitter for her professor. Brkich's favorite hobbies are going out with her friends, dancing and just generally having fun. She's a member of Alpha Gamma Delta Sorority, where she was Vice President and New Member Coordinator. Brkich also belongs to the Catholic Church. Her primary reasons for trying out for Survivor: The Australian Outback include lack of change, excitement, and kangaroos in her life, although the million dollars wouldn't hurt either! Her birth date is August 11, 1978. ©MMI, CBS Worldwide Inc. All Rights Reserved   nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 13 May 2004 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6010/1/E-Marijana-Rupcic-Miss-Croatia-Universe-2004.html   Marijana Rupcic, Miss Croatia Universe 2004   Jessica Rodriguez, Miss Panama Universe 2004; Sabina Remar, Miss Slovenia Universe 2004; Marijana Rupcic, Miss Croatia Universe 2004; and Joan Ramagoshi, Miss South Africa Universe 2004, pose together in their Endless Sun swimsuits during registration and fittings for the 2004 Miss Universe competition at the JW Marriott Hotel in Quito, Ecuador on May 12, 2004. They will compete for the title of Miss Universe 2004 during the LIVE NBC broadcast of the 53rd annual Miss Universe competition from Quito, Ecuador on June 1, 2004. REUTERS/Darren Decker/Miss Universe L.P., LLLP/HO   nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 13 May 2004 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6009/1/E-Ivan-Mikulic-performs-at-the-49th-Eurovision-Song-Contest.html   Ivan Mikulic   Croatia's Ivan Mikulic performs his song entitled 'You Are the Only One' during the semifinal of the 49th Eurovision Song Contest in Abdi Ipekci Arena in Istanbul May 12, 2004. REUTERS/Fatih Saribas   nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 13 May 2004 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6013/1/E-Bill-Rancic-Croatian-American-Finalist-on-the-Apprentice.html  Croatian, Bill Rancic of Chicago, a finalist on NBC's reality series 'The Apprentice.'' An undated publicity photo of Bill Rancic of Chicago, a finalist on NBC's reality series 'The Apprentice.'' Four finalists will vie Thursday, April 8, 2004, for a job with Donald Trump. The series ends April 15, (AP Photo/NBC,Scott Duncan)  This is a translation of an article that appeared in Slobodna Dalmacija on Easter. The original article along with the link is below. -MarkoBill Rancic An American Television Success for a 32-year old CroatianA Splicanin in the finals of Donald Trunp's Reality ShowNext Thursday, Bill Rancic will fight for victory on a 2-hour finale, which will bring an influential managerial position in Donald Trump's corporation and a pay of $250,000Bill Rancic, whose roots are from Split, was successful in entering the finals of one of the most watched shows. In the NBC televised series, the 32-year-old has almost reached signing a one-year managerial contract with one of Donald Trump's corporations worth $250,000. We previously mentioned in out TV section - Reflektor that the young Chicagoan is one of the biggest stars of "The Apprentice," and has overcome one more obstacle, with some 23 million people watching to enter in the finals, where his final obstacle will be Kwame Jackson from New York. Bill Rancic has delighted audiences with his management of his work assignments and is an owner of an online cigar shop, and it seems he easily surpassed the 215,000 people who entered. He was among the first who had to produce a rock concert in two days, or when he had to suddenly organize a lemonade stand on a New York street and sell more. Just as easily, when the contestants had to remodel a ruined apartment and rent it for a higher price. In an interview with Slobodna Dalmacija, earlier this week, Bill Rancic mentioned that his grandfather Nikola Rancic moved to the United States from Split, and that he plans to visit the country of his ancestors. Next Thursday Bill Rancic will fight in a 2-hour finale to win an influential managerial position in the Donald Trump Corporation, and because of an agreement with the producers, he could not tell us what will be the last assignment for him and his final opponent Kwame Jackson. Source: http://www.slobodnadalmacija.hr/20040410/mozaik01.aspBILL RANCIC AMERICŒKI TELEVIZIJSKI USPJEH 32-GODISNJEG HRVATASplicanin u finalu realityshowa Donalda Trumpa!Sljedeceg cetvrtka Bill Rancic ce se u dvosatnom showu na NBC-u boriti za pobjedu koja donosi utjecajno managersko mjesto u korporaciji Donalda Trumpa uz placu od 250 tisuca dolaraSplicanin podrijetlom, Bill Rancic, uspio je uci u finale jednog od najgledanijih americkih reality showa. U seriji emisija televizijskoga kanala NBC, 32-godisnji Rancic je dosao na korak do potpisivanja godisnjeg ugovora od 250 tisuca dolara na mjestu managera jedne od tvrtki bogatasa Donalda Trumpa, inace pokrovitelja showa.Vec smo u nasem televizijskom prilogu Reflektor pisali kako je mladic iz Chicaga, jedna od najvecih zvijezda emisija The Apprentice, a sada je prosao jos jednu prepreku te uz gledanost od cak dvadeset tri milijuna ljudi usao u samu zavrsnicu gdje ce mu jedina prepreka biti Njujorcanin Kwame Jackson.Bill Rancic je publiku odusevio iznimnim snalazenjem u poslovnim zadacima, pa je vlasnik online trgovine cigarama, cini se s lakocom nadmasio ukupno 215.000 prijavljenih kandidata. Bio je meC'u prvima kad je u dva dana trebalo isproducirati rock koncert ili kad je na brzinu na newyorskoj ulici trebalo oformiti stand za prodaju limunade te prodati sto vise. Jednako je bilo i sa zadatkom kad su natjecatelji morali obnoviti ruinirani stan te ga iznajmiti po sto visoj cijeni...U razgovoru za Slobodnu Dalmaciju, ranije ovoga tjedna, Bill Rancic je ispricao kako se njegov djed Nikola Rancic iz Splita doselio u Sjedinjene Drzave, te da i on sam planira posjetiti zemlju svojih predaka.Sljedeceg cetvrtka Bill Rancic ce se u dvosatnom showu na NBC-ju boriti za pobjedu koja donosi utjecajno managersko mjesto u korporaciji Donalda Trumpa, a prema ugovoru s producentima nije nam mogao reci sto ce biti zadaci za njega i jedinog preostalog konkurenta Kwamea Jacksona. nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 14 Apr 2004 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6014/1/E-PlayStation-2-Croatia-as-a-screen.html  Croatia as a screen on the PlayStation2Rainbow Six 3 On PlayStation 2 This Spring - Screens InsideShop for Final Fantasy X-2 for PlayStation 2 Ubisoft, one of the world's largest videogame publishers, today announced that Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3 will be released for the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system this spring. Developed by Ubisoft's Shanghai studio, the game offers the most thrilling and realistic single- and multiplayer counter-terrorist experience available anywhere. Completely redesigned for next-gen console players, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3 for the PlayStation 2 gives players the opportunity to command an elite, four-man international anti-terrorist squad and features the trademark realism of the Clancy games, immediate, immersive close-quarters action, state-of-the-art in-game cinematics, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell-quality graphics and a nail-biting plot ripped from today's headlines. A voice-activated command system and comprehensive offline and online multiplayer capabilities round out the most exciting experience PlayStation 2 gamers will have this year. "The Tom Clancy brand represents one of the best-selling videogame franchises ever, and Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six series is already a runaway success with PlayStation gamers - the first console title remains one of the all-time top-ten action sellers for the PlayStation 1, and we expect a repeat performance," said Tony Kee, vice president of marketing for Ubisoft. "Thrilling and realistic single- and multiplayer gameplay, intelligent AI, stunning graphics, and an amazing real-time voice-command system combine to deliver the best counter-terrorist gaming experience on the market - period." About Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3 for the PlayStation 2 In Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3 for the PlayStation 2, the first title in the wildly popular series for next-generation consoles, players lead an elite team of multinational counter-terrorist operatives in 15 intense missions against deadly, intelligent foes. When a terrorist plot threatens to tilt the balance of peace between the United States and Saudi Arabia, Team RAINBOW is the only answer. In locations around the world - from the Caribbean to Venezuela, Croatia and New Orleans - execute Team RAINBOW's missions with deadly force and precise tactics in order to protect the innocent and ensure peace. http://www.gameinfowire.com/news.asp?nid=3727 nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 11 Jan 2004 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6015/1/E-Josip-Kuchan-on-TV---George-Lopez-Show-Sept-32003.html  Josip Kuchan on TV - George Lopez Show Sept 3,2003Hey!Love the reruns, especially when I'm in one of them.George Lopez Show " George Has Two Mommies " airs on September 3, at 8:30 PM on ABC 7.I'm in the last 10 minutes of the show.Link to ABC http://abc.go.com/primetime/georgelopez/ Link to IMDb http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0473642/ Link to me surfing http://homepage.mac.com/jozhica/PhotoAlbum2.html Josip Kuchan(yo-sip)jozhica@mac.com nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 31 Aug 2003 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6016/1/E-Goran-Visnjic-and-PBS-Documentary.html  Croatianactor Goran VisnjicCroatian actor Goran Visnjic is the "voice" of wartime photographer,Robert Capa in PBS Television's documentary "Robert Capa: In Love andWar" which first airs on PBS on May 28th at 9:30 p.m. eastern.  Checkyour local TV listings for air dates in your area.  Goran reads excerptsfrom Capa's diary and letters. Croatian actor, and star of NBC's "ER", Goran Visnjic, was asked toportray the character of Spartacus in a USA network remake of the classic filmwhich originally starred Kirk Douglas in the title role.  Filming has begunin Bulgaria.  The made-for-TV movie is scheduled to be aired during thefirst quarter of 2004.    nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 31 May 2003 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6017/1/E-Don-Henley-of-the-Eagles-Loves-Croatia.html  Don Henley Loves CroatiaIn the following interview with Billboard magazine Henley said that henever did a concert in Croatia but would love to do one after havingseen a TV program about the country. Any one looking to sponsor a rockconcert? (:John Kraljic***************************May 25, 2003Soaring with the Eagles: Don Henley on the RoadBy REUTERSFiled at 11:14 a.m. ETLOS ANGELES (Billboard) - Since the Eagles reunited for the Hell FreezesOver tour in 1994, they have become that rare bird: the sure sellout.The band started its latest tour May 9 in Richmond, Va. From the road,drummer Don Henley provides Billboard with a rare glimpse into what it'slike to soar with the Eagles.BILLBOARD: The tour features the Eagles' most elaborate production ever.Why the change?HENLEY: Last year, the band made a decision to play only indoor arenasuntil such time as we change our minds. We have increased our lightingand added large LED screens to take advantage of the fact that we willalways be playing in darkness.Playing outdoors in the summertime, whether it's a shed or a stadium, isa drag, because it doesn't get dark until about halfway through theshow. Hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of lighting equipment anddesign is wasted.In arenas, there is just more magic, plus we are not subject to thewhims of the weather. The LED screens ensure that even people in thenosebleed section can clearly see what's happening onstage. We like it,and our fans like it.BILLBOARD: You're jokingly calling this tour Farewell I. How many moretours will there be?HENLEY: I very much doubt that we will make it to Farewell XX, but Iimagine there will be a Farewell II after the new album comes out.Beyond that, it's anybody's guess. The Eagles operate on a cyclicalbasis now, with a year to a year-and-a-half comprising a cycle. At theend of each cycle, we sit down and decide if we want to do anythingfurther.So far, there has been a consensus to go forward, but someday it's allgoing to come to a screeching halt. I think everybody in the band agreesthat we want to exit while we're at the top of our game. Nobody in thisorganization is interested in beating a dead horse, but right now thehorse is very much alive and well. It's as good as it's ever been--maybebetter.Even in the midst of this shaky economy and the strange state of theworld, people are flocking to our shows. It's wonderful. We're verygrateful.BILLBOARD: Speaking of the new album, when is it coming out?HENLEY: I don't know when the album is coming out, but it won't be thisyear. ``Hole in the World'' is the only new material from the album thatwe will be doing.BILLBOARD: What markets do you still want to play?HENLEY: The Eagles have performed in a great many places around theglobe, including Russia, but it's a big world, and there are still a fewplaces we've never been.Believe it or not, we've never played in Mexico. We've never been toSouth America, either. We've been invited to several places in the FarEast, such as Bangkok, Hong Kong, and Singapore, but we've never beenable to make it. I saw a thing on TV the other day about Croatia, and itlooks absolutely beautiful, so I'd like to play Zagreb. I'd also like toplay some of the countries that border the Baltic Sea -- Estonia, forexample. Also, we've never been to Denmark or Austria. However, for thepresent time, we are staying in North America.We played in Italy for the first time in the summer of 2001 in anancient, walled city called Lucca. We played outdoors in the piazza;14,000 Italians showed up and sang every word in English at the top oftheir lungs. I'll never forget it as long as I live. I would love toplay in Italy for weeks.BILLBOARD: Describe a show day for you.HENLEY: I have an office set up in each of my hotel rooms. I get up inthe morning and start doing business -- media interviews for the tour;tons of written correspondence and phone calls relating to the WaldenWoods Project, the Recording Artists' Coalition, the Caddo LakeInstitute; domestic stuff -- I talk to my kids as often as I can --communications with Irving Azoff in regard to all kinds of issuesrelating to the Eagles, my solo career, the music business in general.I'm usually on the phone all day. The phone, the e-mails, and the faxmachine never stop. This is not just about the three hours onstage atnight; this is a full-time job. I try to get in a workout most days.We generally leave the hotel in mid- to-late afternoon -- depending onthe distance to the gig -- and we do a sound check before every singleshow. The sound check can last 15 minutes or it can last two hours.We have dinner at the venue at approximately 5 p.m., and then we go toour respective dressing rooms and do whatever we each have to do to getready for the show. I bring a recumbent exercise bike on every tour, andit is set up in my dressing room. Even if I've done a weight-lifting ora Pilates workout earlier in the day, I always get on that bike about anhour before show time and ride it for 30 minutes. Then I take a showerand get dressed for the show.After the show, I generally stay up for an hour or two reading the faxesand e-mails that I didn't get to before I went to sound check.Sometimes, though, we go off stage, straight to the airport, and fly tothe next city. On those nights, I'm often up late trying to make my nestin the new hotel room. I carry three or four good books and numerousperiodicals, and I can usually read myself to sleep. It's a good life,but it's not as easy as some might think. Traveling gets old. I gettired of packing and unpacking. I get homesick.BILLBOARD: How has your relationship with your fans changed over theyears?HENLEY: I think our bond with our fans has only grown stronger over thepast 30-odd years. We've all been through a lot together, and we've beenwith them and they with us. The passage of time enriches these memories,these shared experiences. It's bittersweet.BILLBOARD: How has touring changed since you started more than 30 yearsago?HENLEY: There are two big changes that come to mind. One is the enormousamount of organizational skills that have been brought to bear on ourtouring. Everything is extremely organized and professional now.Irving Azoff usually travels with us, and he is on top of everything --all the time. Harry Sandler, our tour director, is, in my opinion, thebest in the business. There are 92 people, including the band members,on this tour, and it runs like a Swiss watch.We have excellent people who are committed and know how to do theirjobs. We have no jerks, no loose cannons, no slackers. Everybody gives100%, because the goal is to give the fans the best show possible.Backstage is very serene and consistent. There is no partying eitherbefore or after the shows, but we do receive old friends andprofessional guests briefly either just before show time or during themid-show break.In short, things have changed a great deal from the old days. Thesechanges have come out of necessity, and they are a logical progressionfor any band that is committed to its work. That's why we're still hereand thriving 32 years after we began.Reuters/Billboard nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 26 May 2003 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6018/1/E-Mercury-Retrograde.html  Mercury RetrogradeApril 27, 2003 - May 21, 2003Question: What does it mean when the planet Mercury goes "retrograde" in the sky?Answer: Mercury, the Roman god of "communications and everyday routines" seldom gets much attention in astrology, except those times when he briefly turns retrograde in the transiting (moving) sky. Then Mercury gets blamed for just about anything (and everything) that might go "wrong." The traditional meaning assigned to Mercury going "retrograde" in the sky is that of unexpected delays and frustrations in everyday life routines and in communications. During the (very) approximate 24 day periods when Mercury turns "retrograde" in the sky, astrologers generally recommend delaying of the signing contracts and other important life decisions. It is a time better spent in reflection and rethinking things. Retrograde? For the "uninitiated," a retrograde planet is a planet that (when viewed from the perspective of the earth) appears to have stopped and then temporarily reverses its regular movement through the sky. The planet then goes "retrograde" (backwards). After a certain length of time (depending upon the planet involved), the planet then appears to once again stop and reverse its movement through the sky. The planet then goes "direct" and is back on it's normal cyclic path through the sky. The planet, Mercury, during it's time spent in retrograde is mythologically the grand patron of the "Freudian slip." Here's one of the reasons why... Freudian Slip Greek Mythology relates that "once upon a time," Hermes (the Greek equivalent of Mercury) became interested in gaining the sexual favors of a certain young princess of Crete named Apemosyne. However, the attraction was not mutual. Apemosyne was not interested in Hermes' advances and therefore turned his invitations down. So, one day, Hermes strategically placed several wet, slick animal hides on the ground in a place where he knew she'd be walking. Apemosyne slipped on the animal hides, allowing Hermes to "have his way" with herÖ.. Sadly, as a result of this action, Apemosyne's brother murdered her... Ever had one of your "slips" of the tongue get you in some serious trouble? Thought so... Mercury Retro Time Table January 18, 2002 - February 8, 2002May 16, 2002 - June 9, 2002 September 15, 2002 - October 7, 2002 January 3, 2003 - January 24, 2003 April 27, 2003 - May 21, 2003 August 29, 2003 - September 21, 2003 December 18, 2003 - January 7, 2004 April 7, 2004 - May 1, 2004 August 11, 2004 - September 3, 2004 December 1 - December 21, 2004  nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 08 May 2003 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6019/1/E-ER-Continues-Croatia-Storyline.html  ER Continues Croatia StorylineThe NBC television series, "ER", will continue with a storyline for Dr. Luka Kovac which involves coming to the aid of a 9-year-old boy from Croatia. In the previous episode shown on April 3, Luka received a call from Zagreb, from an old medical school classmate, Gordana. There is a small boy in serious need of surgery which cannot be done where he is. Gordana asked for Luka's help in bringing the boy to America for the surgery and in helping to find a way to defray the expenses. This storyline will continue in episodes 19 and 20, to be shown April 24 and May 1, respectively. nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 07 Apr 2003 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6020/1/E-ER---Tonight-DrLuka-Kovac-and-Croatian-Child.html  Tonight (4/3/03) on ER (NBC) Dr. Kovac tries to bring an ill Croatian boy to the US nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 03 Apr 2003 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6022/1/E-BRAVO-profiles-ROBERT-DUVALL---Premiers-Sunday-Oct-13.html  Robert DuvallHome Team ProductionspresentsBRAVO profiles ROBERT DUVALLPremiers Sunday, October 13, 2002at 7:00 PM EST on BravoProduced and Directed byStephanie Silber and Victor ZimetWritten by Stephanie SilberEdited by Victor ZimetCinematography byRobert Bondy / Ron Hill / Gary MarshAudio Post Production by Nenad Bach nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 11 Oct 2002 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6023/1/E-No-Mans-Land---wwwkinoeyeorg.html   SARAJEVO FILM FESTIVAL Caught in the middle Danis Tanović's No Man's Land (2001) The Sarajevo Film Festival was enraptured by a Cannes-winning film by Bosnian director Danis Tanović. Ilya Marritz witnessed the event and caught up with the director. http://www.kinoeye.org                          Danis Tanović admits he was tense on the warm August night when 2700 filmgoers crowded into an enormous courtyard in central Sarajevo to watch the hometown debut of his film. Tanović is the author and director of No Man's Land (2001), a feature that had recently won the Best Screenplay award at Cannes and which was selected to open the 7th Sarajevo International Film Festival this year. The buzz surrounding the film was considerable, and, with reason, Tanović is not given to modesty. Still, the showing of the film in Sarajevo was a singular occasion. "I was rather excited, even more so than when I was in Cannes," said Tanović. "Here, people have been expecting [the film] for two months and the whole thing kept pumping up more and more and very often when you have this kind of situation, often things just blow up." "[These people] lived through the war. As this is a war story, they have an eye which sees in much more detail and they pay attention to each little detail they see," noted the director, "so they were really a hard public and I think if I survive this, I'm gonna survive any other premiere." Fiction that is true to life Tanović didn't merely survive the premiere, he triumphed. Nearly every audience member I spoke with after the screening spoke glowingly of No Man's Land , praising it for its clever plot and realistic depiction of the war. Many people felt that No Man's Land is special because it is the first film to show the Bosnian war "as it really happened." Strictly speaking, Srđan Dragojević's grisly Lepa sela lepo gore (Pretty Village, Pretty Flame, 1996) might be a truer graphic depiction of the ghastliness of war. But what is really remarkable about No Man's Land is the way Tanović successfully reduces the entire cast and breadth of the Bosnian war to a few characters in and around a little foxhole between the Bosnian and Serb frontlines. Without resorting to stock characters or clichés, Tanović's drama unfolds-a Catch-22 updated for the media age. No Man's Land is the story of three soldiers in an absurd fix. They are Čiki (the beloved Bosnian comic actor Branko Đuric, making a comeback in his native country), Cera (Filip Šovagović) of the Bosnian Army, and Nino (Rene Bitorajac), a fresh Serb recruit. While on a scavenger mission following a skirmish between Serb and Bosnian units, Nino and his commander search a trench for cigarettes or any remaining Bosnian soldiers still hanging on to life. As a joke, Nino's idiotic senior commander drags what he believes to be a dead body over a jumping mine-an insidious device that won't detonate until his comrades eventually come to retrieve his body. From a nearby hiding place, Čiki watches on in disgust. He guns down the Serb commander a few seconds later, letting Nino get by with only a wounded leg.   Nino extends a hand to a relucant ally Minutes later the body on the mine comes to life-it is Čiki's friend Cera recovering from shell-shock. Čiki throws himself as gingerly as possible over his comrade's body to prevent a movement that will blow them all up, while holding his weapon in such a way as to keep Nino in check. This is the kind of physical comedy that propels the film forward: it's not quite slapstick, but it feels alright to laugh, because if Čiki and Nino really hated one other enough to kill, one of them would have been dead long ago. For much of the film, Čiki and Nino will play a game of cat-and-mouse for supremacy in the trench, while a growing number of United Nations and media personnel arrive on the scene, waiting for a mine expert to be found. All the while, Cera lies bravely still on a bomb, barely able to crane his neck to see the storm gathering around him. Tanović relies heavily on humor to defuse the tension and highlight the ironies of the situation. When, in a scene set a few hundred meters away from the trench, one soldier puts down his newspaper and shakes his head, telling the second soldier that things are getting really bad in Rwanda, the audience roared at the joke. Inside the trench, Čiki and Nino sometimes seem like squabbling brothers. Čiki compels Nino at gunpoint to admit his side's guilt in the war. When the tables are turned minutes later and Nino has a gun and Čiki doesn't, Nino, with a wry smile, extracts the same admission of guilt from Čiki. Again, the audience guffawed. "I often say that this is a serious film with a good sense of humor," said Tanović. "I didn't want to make a film that is very tough to watch and that nobody wants to go see. I wanted to make a film which is tough but which everybody will go to see." A foreign production, but a Bosnian result   The media home in on a good story A handful of scenes in English and French will make the feature-which already has distributors in the United States and most of western Europe-go down even easier with foreign audiences. Having spent much of the post-war years in Paris with an American-born wife, Tanović was well aware that, to make his film and be taken seriously, he needed to get foreign backing and direct a film that could also be shown outside of Bosnia. A French-Belgian-Italian-Slovenian co-production, No Man's Land wasn't even filmed in Bosnia-it was shot in Slovenia and Italy-but it will be Bosnia's submission for Oscar consideration this year and is indubitably more "Bosnian" than anything else. The enthusiasm generated by the film in Bosnia is reflective of the satisfaction Bosnians feel for at last gaining recognition for their cultural achievements-even when those achievements relate directly to the war that made their country infamous. Probably no one feels this satisfaction more than the Director of the Sarajevo Film Festival, Mirsad Purivatra. "Culture is usually the last on the list [of areas] supported by the government and it's not so easy," said Purivatra, who is in his second year as Festival Director, also noting that: Danis has already produced very good energy among young filmmakers. It was so important to show young filmmakers that, in spite of the lack of support [from Bosnia's government], the film could be made. I think he made a great picture of Bosnia, and I think also a very important picture. We will see this, I think, in the coming years as a big antiwar film but also [a film that has] very strong opinions regarding the facts about some of the people who started the war. A film about his people, a story for the world   Speaking in plain language No Man's Land is actually fairly reserved about the people who started the war. At first glance, Tanović seems to direct most of his anger about what happened in Bosnia at the United Nations command. In a mansion far from the conflict, the cynical, sex-obsessed general played by Simon Callow is primarily concerned with giving the appearance of getting things done rather than actually accomplishing anything-and indeed, he unapologetically admits this towards the end of the film. Far more sympathetic is the French sergeant who arrives on site to take control of the situation (George Sitiadis) and finds his efforts thwarted by Callow. To provoke the UN to do something, the sergeant makes a discreet alliance with an idealistic British television journalist (Katrin Cartlidge), who, speaking a language the general will respond to, threatens to report the UN's inaction. In contrast to Callow's character, the hapless, bespectacled Nino-who early on extends his hand to Čiki, only to be disdainfully rebuffed-lacks the general's extreme jadedness. Content as he is to be fighting on the Bosnian Serb side, Nino is a pleasant enough picture of Serbian moral indifference. There are, of course, a few jokes at the expense of Serbs-including some cheap homophobic humor-but Tanović's personal bitterness about the war really only becomes apparent when you speak with him in person.   Director Danis Tanović "Today nobody needs to explain that Jews were victims in Second World War. So why the hell should I explain again and again that Bosnians were victims?" said the director, when asked about his film's political message. "Everybody who wanted to know what was happening in Bosnia knew that Bosnians were victims of this war. So I didn't want to insist on it." When war first broke out in Bosnia, Tanović went to the front lines, eventually spending two years filming with the Bosnian Army. Encouraged by his reception at Cannes, and now in Sarajevo, Tanović is optimistic about his film's chances to reach a wider audience: I think I managed [to make my point], because after the Cannes projection, there were some people coming to me from Bangladesh who just told me, "You know, we have the same kind of problems in our country. And there were some people from Pakistan who were saying he same things. And then the Japanese went to see the film, and MGM/United Artists bought it. So you know, I think everybody understood the message. They certainly understood it on opening night in Sarajevo. After the screening, however, many filmgoers were shocked to hear a series of ear-shattering explosions above them. Their fears were allayed when they looked up and saw a beautiful fireworks show. Perhaps not a tasteful tribute, but a fitting one-and a powerful reminder of the simple pleasure of being able to sit outside on a warm summer night and watch a good feature film. Ilya MarritzSource: http://www.kinoeye.org/01/02/marritz02.html  nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 28 Jun 2002 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6024/1/H-Dogodilo-se-na-danasnji-dan.html DOGODILO SE NA DANASNJI DANMoj HThinet - http://moj.hinet.hr http://moj.hinet.hr/sarhiv.asp?dan=14&mjesec=5&time=Potra%9Ei&sercat=vremeplov - 1998.: Umro Frank Sinatra1998. američka pjevačka i glumačka legenda Frank Sinatra, jedan od najvećih pjevaća ovog stoljeća, preminuo je u 82. godini života od srčanog udara. Sinatra je bio živuće utjelovljenje američkog "Showmana", ali i prilično kontroverzna ličnost izvan pozornice. Sin talijanskog emigranta, rođen je 12. prosinca 1915. u radničkoj obitelji. Kao mladić počinje se baviti glazbom, prvo u maloj skupini, a zatim samostalno. Postepeno niže uspjehe i privlači milijune djevojaka. No, procvat rocka zadaje ozbiljan udarac njegovoj karijeri. Sinatra tada kreće u filmske vode i dobiva ulogu u filmu "Odavde do vječnosti", za koju osvaja Oscara za najbolju sporednu ulogu 1953. Od tada se paralelno bavi glumačkim i pjevačkim poslom. Autor je stotinjak albuma, a nastupio je u 58 filmova. Poput prave "zvijezde" čitavog je života punio stranice žutog tiska svojim brakovima, avanturama, navodnim vezama s mafijom i svojom sklonošću piću. - 1974.: Umro slikar Ljubo Babić1974. umro je hrvatski slikar Ljubo Babić. Slikao je portrete, kompozicije, pejzaže, studije i mrtve prirode, primjenjujući raznovrsne slikarske i grafičke tehnike. Vrijedan je doprinos dao i kao scenograf zagrebačkom kazalištu, ostvarivši nekoliko stotina scenografskih postava u drami, operi i baletu. Opremio je i ilustrirao mnogobrojne knjige, radio nacrte za plakate, interijere i predmete umjetničkoga obrta. Ljubo Babić rođen je 14. lipnja 1890. u Jastrebarskom. - 1944.: Rođen redatelj George Lucas1944. u Modestu u Californiji, rođen je George Lucas, najznačajnija pojava u američkom filmu osamdesetih godina 20. stoljeća. Komentirajući svoj film "Američki grafiti", Lucas ga naziva avangardnim ostvarenjem koje je, srećom, postalo hit, pa je zahvaljujući tom uspjehu, mnogim drugim redateljima dopušteno raditi takve male filmove. Za Lucasa je važno spomenuti i to da je on jedini holivudski redatelj koji je, nakon što je dobio golemi postotak od zarade "Američkih grafita", pozvao sve članove ekipe i podijelio im čekove u znak zahvalnosti na njihovom trudu. Isto je učinio i nakon uspjeha "Ratova zvijezda", čija čarolija neće izgubiti snagu niti u 21. stoljeću.- 1940.: Razoren Rotterdam1940. stotinjak njemačkih bombardera okomilo se na nezaštićeni grad Rotterdam, zasulo ga razornim bombama i pretvorilo ga u ruševine i pustoš. Nizozemska se vlada potom premjestila u London i objavila da nastavlja rat protiv Njemačke, unatoč tome što je nizozemska vojska kapitulirala pred nacističkim snagama. - 1922.: Rođen državnik i povjesničar Franjo Tuđman1922. u Velikom Trgovišću rodio se Franjo Tuđman, državnik i povjesničar. Od 1941. sudjeluje u antifašističkom pokretu u sjeverozapadnoj Hrvatskoj. Početkom 1945. odlazi u Beograd gdje radi u "Glavnoj personalnoj upravi Ministarstva narodne obrane", u Generalštabu JNA i uredništvu "Vojne enciklopedije". U Beogradu završava i studij na Višoj vojnoj akademiji. Potkraj 1960. promaknut je u čin generala, ali 1961. na osobni zahtjev napušta aktivnu vojnu službu da bi se posvetio znanstvenom i spisateljskom radu. U Zagrebu 1961. osniva Institut za historiju radničkog pokreta, a 1965. doktorirao je povijesne znanosti. Od 50-ih objavljuje veći broj rasprava i članaka iz povijesnih znanosti, vojne teorije i međunarodnih odnosa. Njegovi tekstovi s područja vojne doktrine o osvajačkim i oslobodilačkim ratovima, u kojima je, polazeći s gledišta da svaki narod treba imati svoju oružanu silu, zastupao koncepciju naoružanog naroda i teritorijalne obrane, postali su predmet kritike pobornika centralističko-hegemonističkih shvaćanja i optužaba zbog nemarksističnosti i nacionalizma. Protivljenje nametanju kompleksa krivice hrvatskome narodu zbog NDH u 2. svjetskom ratu s obzirom na antifašističku borbu, te kritika preuveličavanja jasenovačkih žrtava izložile su ga političkim, a zatim i sudskim progonima te zatvaranjima.1989. osniva Hrvatsku demokratsku zajednicu i postaje njezinim predsjednikom. Nakon pobjede HDZ-a na prvim demokratskim izborima, u Saboru je 30. svibnja 1990. izabran za predsjednika predsjedništva tada još Socijalističke Republike Hrvatske. Nakon donošenja novog demokratskog Ustava Republike Hrvatske (1990.) u kolovozu 1992. izabran je za predsjednika Republike Hrvatske. Umro je 10. prosinca 1999. - 1686.: Rođen fizičar Gabriel FahrenheitU Gdansku je 1686. rođen njemački fizičar Gabriel Daniel Fahrenheit. 1714. usavršio je termometar napunivši ga živom umjesto alkoholom. Fahrenheitova termometarska skala ima 180 stupnjeva, dok je po Celzijusu podijeljena na 100 stupnjeva. Ta se skala općenito upotrebljava u Sjedinjenim Američkim Državama i Engleskoj. Fahrenheit je umro 1736. - 1643.: Umro kralj Louis XIII1643. umro je francuski kralj Louis XIII. Kralj je bio od 1610. Do punoljetnosti, 1617., regentkinja je njegova majka Marija Medici. Od 1624. politiku zemlje vodi Richelieu, a od 1643. Mazarin. Louisa XIII naslijedio je Louis XIV, koji je 1643. imao samo pet godina, a Francuskom je vladao tek od 1661., nakon Mazarinove smrti. Louis XIII. rodio se 1601.  nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 14 May 2002 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6026/1/EH-Follow-the-mouse---Slijedi-misa.html nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 19 Apr 2002 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6025/1/EH-Test-Your-reflexes---Testiraj-svoje-reflekse.html Test your Response time!Testiraj svoje reflekse!Click on "Start" first, and wait until the background color changes. As soon as it changes, hit "stop"!Kliknite "start" i cekajte dok se pozadina u kutiji ne promijeni.Cim se promijeni kliknite "stop" nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 19 Apr 2002 00:00:00 -0700 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6027/1/E-Two-thousand-fans-greet-Oscar-award-winner-in-Sarajevo.html  Two thousand fans greet Oscar-award winner Danis Tanovic in downtown Sarajevo Fri Apr 5, 2002  SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina - Some 2,000 people gathered Friday on Sarajevo's main downtown square to cheer Danis Tanovic, the writer-director who won Biosnia's first Academy Award.     "I'm happy and calm because I came back home. I simply came back home to my parents, my friends and my people," Tanovic said, taking his Oscar out of his backpack and holding it up for the crowd to see.  Tanovic, 33, whose film, "No Man's Land," won this year's Oscar for best foreign-language film, arrived in his hometown to accept on Saturday the city's annual "April 6" award - given to citizens who make distinguished contributions to society. The "April 6" award is in honor of the city's liberation from Nazi Germany on that day in 1945.  "No Man's Land," a satire of the 1992-95 Bosnian war that devastated the country, won a total of 42 film awards, including a Golden Palm award at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival (news - web sites), before being nominated for the Academy of Motion Picture's Oscar.  The violent war satire is about enemy soldiers - one Bosnian and one Serb - trapped together in a battlefield trench. It captures the absurdity of the war, the cruelty of ethnic hatred and the ineffectiveness of United Nations (news - web sites) forces during the conflict.  The dlrs 1 million budget film was shot on location in neighboring Slovenia, as filming in postwar Bosnia proved too risky. The film's lead roles were played by Branko Djuric, a native Sarajevan, and Rene Bitorajac, who was born in Zagreb, Croatia.  Tanovic left Bosnia in 1994 and now lives in Paris.  Op-ed Few days ago, I spoke with Cedo Kolar, producer of the film from his studio in Paris. He sent his greetings to CROWN subscribers. Support the film in few months, when it comes out on DVD  Nenad Bach  Distributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, please delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know!  nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 05 Apr 2002 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6028/1/E-Chicago-World-Music-Festival.html  http://www.ci.chi.il.us/WorldMusic/  Department of Cultural Affairs Chicago Cultural Center 78 E. Washington Street Chicago, IL 60602 Attention: World Music Festival: Chicago 2002  World Music Festival hotline: 312-742-1938  Chicago Cultural Center hotline: 312-744-6630  To email festival organizers: WorldMusic@cityofchicago.org For email regarding this website, please include "website" in the subject line.  For information about educational programs, email Melissa Bauer, Education Coordinator: melbauer@rcnchicago.com  For sponsorship information, call Eileen Friestad, Development Director: 312-744-5905  Op-ed We should be present on such festivals, not just in the audience but ON THE STAGE. nb   Distributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, please delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know!  nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 26 Mar 2002 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6029/1/E-Bosnia-Herzegovina-Wins-OSCAR.html   Danis Tanovic Wins Oscar !The lead roles were played by Branko Djuric, a native Sarajevan, and Rene Bitorajac, who was born in Zagreb, Croatia.'No Man's Land' Claims Foreign Oscar Mon Mar 25,12:09 AM ET By ANTHONY BREZNICAN, AP Entertainment Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) - Bosnia-Herzegovina's violent war satire "No Man's Land" claimed the Academy Award for best foreign language film Sunday, an artistic triumph for a nation still recovering from its devastating ethnic civil war of the 1990s.The movie, about enemy soldiers - one Bosnian and one Serb - trapped together in a battlefield trench was the only film produced by that country last year. It upset France's feel-good "Amelie," which was considered the favorite with five Oscar nominations, but won none."Wow," said writer-director Danis Tanovic, who trained on the front lines of the 1992-95 war as a documentary filmmaker. "This is for my country. To Bosnia."Tanovic has said he wanted to highlight the absurdity of the war, the cruelty of ethnic hatred and the ineffectiveness of United Nations (news - web sites) forces during the conflict.The movie was shot over six weeks in Slovenia because filming in Bosnia was too risky. The lead roles were played by Branko Djuric, who was born in Sarajevo, Bosnia, and Rene Bitorajac, who was born in Zagreb, Croatia.Yugoslavia began to unravel along ethnic lines during the reign of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic (news - web sites).Bosnia-Herzegovina voted for independence from the former Yugoslavia in March 1992, but Serb and Croat militias fought Muslims to contest the vote; on Nov. 21, 1995, the Dayton accords ended the war. The new state is made up of two statelets - the Croat-Muslim federation and a small Serb republic.Other foreign film nominees were Argentina's "Son of the Bride," Norway's "Elling" and India's "Lagaan."Bosnians Exult in Oscar Win Mon Mar 25, 8:13 AM ET By AIDA CERKEZ-ROBINSON, Associated Press Writer SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) - Like most Sarajevans, retired electrician Zijo Sahovic went to bed long before the Academy Awards (news - web sites) ceremony was over."Nothing nice ever happens to us," Sahovic, 64, said fatalistically.But Monday dawned with big news for Bosnia: Writer-director Danis Tanovic won the Oscar - and the admiration of a nation - for best foreign-language film for "No Man's Land," a satire of the 1992-95 war that devastated the country."I knew it! I knew it!" an exultant Sahovic told his neighbors as they headed to work in a heavy spring snowfall."No, you didn't. You just hoped, like everybody else," came the reply.Tanovic was the talk of the town on the streets of Sarajevo, where people seemed eager for some good news in a city still struggling to recover from years of bloody conflict."I'm so happy, as if I received the Oscar," said Dzemal Kovac, 40, who sells vegetables at one of the city's open markets. "It's time for the world to see that not all Bosnians who go west are refugees, but that there are some good and successful people here."Tanovic's violent war satire is about enemy soldiers - one Bosnian and one Serb - trapped together in a battlefield trench. It captures the absurdity of the war, the cruelty of ethnic hatred and the ineffectiveness of United Nations (news - web sites) forces during the conflict.His father, Mevludin Tanovic, and mother, Hatidza, watched the Oscar ceremony live on Bosnian state television, and reporters massed outside their home in the morning."Danis fulfilled all of our expectations," Mevludin Tanovic said. "We invested everything we had into his education. That education, along with an empty suitcase, is all Danis took with him when he left Bosnia. I think Danis achieved a global idea which everybody could recognize, from Cannes to Berlin to Los Angeles.""Your anti-war movie ... represents a message for all of us living here," Bosnia's three-member presidency said in a statement congratulating Tanovic for "the biggest success in the history of our filmmaking."Bosnian Foreign Minister Zlatko Lagumdzija sent a letter to the filmmaker, who got his start making documentary films on the front lines of the war, expressing Bosnians' pride that "No Man's Land" has won international acclaim."The crown came with the Oscar, and Tanovic is an example of talent and determination never having lost a battle," Lagumdzija said.Tanovic, who left Bosnia in 1994 and now lives in Paris, made the film on a budget of $1 million, tiny by Hollywood standards. It was shot over six weeks in Slovenia because filming in Bosnia was too risky. The lead roles were played by Branko Djuric, a native Sarajevan, and Rene Bitorajac, who was born in Zagreb, Croatia. nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 25 Mar 2002 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6030/1/E-Suzana-Peric-and-Oscar-for-the-Lord-Of-The-Rings.html   As I am writing this Howard Shore is receiving an OSCAR for Original Score in the film "Lord Of The Rings"  Guess who co-produced the CD? Our Suzana Peric from New York.  Congratulations Suzana ! You deserve recognition.  Nenad   Distributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, please delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know!  nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 24 Mar 2002 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6031/1/EH-Winners-of-the-Crni-Macak-awards-named.html  Izvor: http://www.online.hr/_clanak.asp?id=63973&kategorija=659  subota, 23.03.2002 10:02:07 Objavljeni dobitnici nagrade "Crni macak" NOVINARSKU rock-nagradu "Crni macak" za najbolji album godine "Sonic Bullets - 13 From The Hip" dobila je grupa "The Bambi Molesters", za najbolju pjesmu godine "Put ka sreci" Goran Bare i Placenici, a dodijeljene su im sinoc na rock spektaklu u športskoj dvorani "Andrije Hebranga" u Bjelovaru.  Rijecka grupa "Let 3" najbolji je rock izvodac, dok je najbolji hip hop izvodac grupa "TBF".  Pobjednik u kategoriji izvodaca elektronske glazbe je "Boxer", a u kategoriji vokala Jadranka Bastajic - Yaya.  Najboljim instrumentalistom proglašen je Krunoslav Levacic.  Nagrada za najbolji omot za album pripada autoru Ivici Baricevicu za album "Sonic Bullets - 13 From The Hip", dok je najbolji glazbeni producent Edi Cukeric za isti album.  U posebnim kategorijama bile su dodijeljene nagrade za najvecu nadu koju su osvojili "Yammat", a najbolji web site ima grupa "Pips Chips & Video Clips".  Nagrada savjetodavnog vijeca "Stari macak" dodijeljena je Piku Stancicu.  Nagrade su dodijeljene nakon dvoipolsatnog koncerta na kojemu su uz nominirane nastupili i "Hladno pivo", "Psihomodo Pop", Urban, "Mile i Putnici".  Za atmosferu i dobro raspoloženje pobrinuo se ovogodišnji Master of Ceremony, poznati hip hop izvodac El Bahattee. Nagradeni su, uz kipic "Crnog macka", dobili i bonus - po gajbu piva.  "Crni macak" ove je godine dodijeljen peti put, a prijašnje su dodjele bile u Cakovcu, Varaždinu, Rijeci i Zagrebu.  O pobjednicima tradicionalno je odlucivalo glasacko tijelo sastavljeno od novinara, a glasovali su za najznacajnije izvodace rock i ostale urbane glazbe, za njihova izdanja objavljena u Hrvatskoj, kao i za ostala dostignuca s podrucja hrvatske rock i urbane kulture.  U prepunoj bjelovarskoj dvorani, uz brojne novinare i kulturne djelatnike bili su, medu ostalima, gradonacelnica Bjelovara Ðurda Adlešic, ministar obrane Jozo Radoš i ministar vanjskih poslova RH Tonino Picula.   Saturday March 23, 2002  The recipients of the Crni Macak Award Announced The media's "Crni Macak" (Black Cat) rock-award for the year's best album "Sonic Bullets - 13 from the Hip" went to the Bambi Molesters, and for best song went to Goran Bare i Placenici "Put Ka Sreci", and were awarded during last night's rock spectacle in the Andrija Hebran Sports Arena in Bjelovar.  Rijeka's "Let 3" was awarded best rock producer, while the best Hip Hop producer went to "TBF".  The winner for best producer of electronica went to "Boxer" and best in the vocals category went to Jadranka Bastajic - Yaya.  Krunoslav Levacic was awarded best intrumentalist.  The award for best album cover went to Ivica Baricevic for the album "Sonic Bullets - 13 from the Hip", while the award for musical producer went to Edi Cukeric for the same album  In other categories, awards went out for the best hope, won by Yammat, and to Pips Chips and Videoclips for best website.  The advisory council's "Stari Macak" award was given to Pika Stanicic  Awards were handed out after a two and a half hour concert in which Hladno Pivo, Phihimodo Pop, Urban and Mile i Putnici performed along with the nominees.  This year's Master of Ceremonies, well-known Hip Hop producer, El Bahatee was responsible for the good times and atmosphere. The winners, along with the "Crni Macak" statue, also received a bonus - a crate of beer.  This year the "Crni Macak" was awarded for the fifth time, and previous ceremonies were held in Cakovec, Varazdin, Rijeka, and Zagreb.  The winner is traditionally decided by a voting body comprised of journalists, who voted for the best rock producers and other urban music, for their works released in Croatia, as well as other achievements in Croatian rock and urban culture.  In the completely full Bjelovar sports arena, along with numerous journalists and cultural persons, among whom were the mayor of Bjelovar, Durdica Adlesic, Defense Minister Jozo Rados, and Foreign Affairs Minister Tonino Picula  Translated by Marko Puljic   Distributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, please delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know!  nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 23 Mar 2002 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6032/1/E-For-Oscar-the-accents-on-box-office.html   For Oscar, the accent's on box office Wed Mar 20, 4:10 AM ET By Adam Dawtrey  LONDON (Variety) - Forget arthouse: For the past three years, the foreign-language Oscar has been won by a global blockbuster.     So history would suggest that French romantic comedy "Amelie," with a worldwide gross of $134 million, will follow the path to the podium previously trodden by "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and "Life Is Beautiful."  From the U.S. perspective, this year's other four contenders -- Argentina's "Son of the Bride," Norway's "Elling," Bosnia's "No Man's Land" and India's "Lagaan" -- look like weaklings by comparison. Yet in the context of their own countries, they're all box office behemoths, too.  War-ravaged Bosnia, for example, hardly has any cinemas left, so the $215,000 earned there by "No Man's Land" is an extraordinary achievement.  In Norway, "Elling" is the all-time No. 1 local picture. "Son of the Bride" was Argentina's biggest local movie in 2001. "Lagaan," despite its daunting 223-minute running time, came in at No. 3 in India.  These four still have some distance to go on their international travels, and therefore much to gain commercially from an Oscar victory. For "Amelie," it's just a matter of pride.  Writer/director Jean-Pierre Jeunet's movie has already traveled wider than any other French picture. Its boffo figures in Germany and Spain ($14 million and $7 million, respectively) might not have beaten the record for a Gallic pic set by "Asterix and Obelix versus Caesar," but Jeunet's charmer also wowed the crowds in territories where Asterix never managed to get his passport stamped -- the U.S. ($29 million), the U.K. ($7 million) and Japan ($8 million). It also has opened in countries such as Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines, territories where few French pictures ever open.  "Amelie" achieved its success despite being snubbed by the Cannes Film Festival (news - web sites) last year. It was the French theatrical release in April that set the tone.  In contrast, Cannes was the making of "No Man's Land," which earned an eight-minute standing ovation and the script prize. "Cannes created this film and this director," said Paris-based producer Cedomir Kolar.  Nonetheless, it's a tough movie -- an ironic drama about the war in Bosnia -- and its box office beyond home turf reflects that.  The French-Italian-Belgian-British-Slovenian co-production won a Cesar Award in France for best first film; in Belgium the prize for best Belgian film; and in Italy it has been adopted as the country's Oscar standard-bearer after Nanni Moretti's "The Son's Room" failed to secure a nomination.  "We say that 'No Man's Land' is really no man's film," laughs Kolar.  The French release, on Sept. 19, was overshadowed by the events of Sept. 11, but the film still ended up with a healthy $900,000. In Italy two weeks later, however, its thunder was stolen by the remarkable run of Afghan movie "Kandahar," and "Land" bagged $400,000.  "The Oscar nomination has probably helped us sell the film in smaller territories, such as Portugal, Singapore, Malaysia and Taiwan," said Joy Wong of sales agent the Works. "Box office figures have been O.K., not fantastic, for this sort of film."  Except, of course, in the former Yugoslavia, where the movie is set. It has broken records in Slovenia and Serbia as well as Bosnia itself.  The only blip -- an ironic legacy of the conflict that is the subject of the film -- was Croatia, where it grossed just $16,000 even though both lead actors are local boys.  "The distributor was great, but nobody else followed," said Kolar. "I think it was jealousy of the neighbor, the former brother."  "Elling" has yet to open anywhere beyond Scandinavia, where it has put in the best-ever performance by a Norwegian movie, grossing a combined $5.9 million across those territories.  After topping the charts in Argentina last year, "Son of the Bride" is now running strongly, with a $4 million gross in Spain, where Latin American movies routinely fail. The picture's Spanish takings surged 60% higher in the weekend after the Oscar nominations. Sony Classics opens the film March 22 Stateside.  Which just leaves "Lagaan." The Indian picture -- a kind of Bollywood-Merchant Ivory hybrid -- has played strongly both in India and in Bollywood theaters in the U.S. and U.K., but has yet to cross over to a non-ethnic audience. Sony Classics has picked it up for a Stateside re-release, and the studio will roll it out across the rest of Europe in May.  Reuters/Variety   Distributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, please delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know!  nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 21 Mar 2002 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6035/1/E-Croatian-singer-Tajci-Tatiana-on-TV-Sunday.html  Tatiana Cameron formerly Matejas, along with her husband Matthew and her sister Sanja will be on EWTN this sunday at 11pm ET or 8 pm PT on channel number 261 DISH NETWORK SATELLITE Television network. EWTN is also on some cable networks or on the website: EWTN.COM on live streaming video. The program is called Life on the Rock, this is Mother Angelica's Catholic network. She sings with her sister during the show and her 18 month old son Dante is also on for part of the 1 hour long program.  Distributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, please delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know!  nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 15 Mar 2002 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6034/1/E-Go-Support-Harrison-Flowers-THIS-WEEKEND-Why-Read.html  Dragi Nenad,  Pozdrav iz Los Angelesa. It is great that you guys put this story: - (E) An American in Vukovar in "Harrison's Flowers"- on the CroWorld site.  I work for Universal Pictures and Universal Focus who is doing North American distribution of the movie "Harrison Flowers". The movie is rather properly balanced regarding the Serbian aggression and horrors of Vukovar. I asked our publicity here also to link an offical web site of the city of Vukovar to the film's official site which they did. You can check the film's official web site at http://www.harrisons-flowers.com/ and Vukovar's site is under Links and News section. The movie is opening on 500 screens this weekend and who ever goes to the film's web site would be able to get to the Vukovar's web site and see original Croatian perspective... Bog,  Igor Kovacevich Universal Pictures/Universal Focus Acqusitions   Distributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, please delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know!  nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 15 Mar 2002 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6033/1/E-MUST-SEE-THIS-WEEKEND-Harrisons-Flowers.html  I noticed the submission from my friend Igor Kovacevic to go see Harrison's Flowers. Well, I just got back from a 10pm Friday night showing at a multiplex that is a 10 minute drive from San Pedro (where nearly 30,000 Croatians live) and aside from my wife and I there were only 4 other people in the theater. I implore all Croatians to go support this film. I must warn you that it can be a difficult and emotional film for us to watch, but it will be a crying shame if we choose to ignore this film -- especially in light of the fact that we are consistently frustrated by how the media has depicted the war.   It is a must see picture for Croatians!  Aside from a couple of references, this film would be accused of being Croatian propaganda if it were made by one of our filmmakers (the director is French). The West never wanted this type of story told. It somehow better suited them to paint us all with the same brush as they sat on the side and made smug comments about how equally barbaric we all were.  It is interesting because it has become so politically correct in Western media to keep a balanced perspective with regard to the war that I was actually shocked by some of the images of Serbian atrocities and by comments of the film's characters regarding Serbian brutality. Funny, I am never shocked when a film depicts Nazis in this way. How gratifying and courageous for a filmmaker to put aside political correctness and show the true aggression perpetrated by the Serbs in Croatia.  Bravo to Harrison's Flowers and shame on us if we don't support it!  Op-ed  I saw the movie last night. There were few viewers at 9:35 at night in New York. Film DESERVES our FULL SUPPORT. Period. If we couldn't make such a film (and that is criticism to our  film industry. Big one. Big failure so far), then GO and Support someone's else effort. There are few sentences that we would like to edit, but the film is THE BEST so far. Vukovar and what really happened there. We are forgetting it with the speed of light. It is only 11 years and not 11 centuries since it happened. Nothing big happening on the WAR REPARATION front. Not to go too deep into the subject: Please invite your friend and go to support the film. Through poetic love story, we see the worst and the best of the human race.  I will go to see the film AGAIN, inviting others. Not that it was easy to get up at 9 pm, when you want to rest at home with the family. Believe me. But if we all do not take AN EXTRA MILE, nothing will happen in our lifetime.  All Croatian RADIO STATIONS should promote the film. All Croatian NEWSPAPERS as well as TV stations. Plus we should do more to thank the creators of the film and the actual heros who went through the hell of war, for us to be able to live to this moment to see some truth on the screen.  best,  Nenad Bach Editor in chief CROWN   Distributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, please delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know!  nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 15 Mar 2002 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6036/1/E-An-American-in-Vukovar-in-Harrisons-Flowers.html   An American in Vukovar: "Harrison's Flowers" by Elie Chouraqui   With this movie, which has now been released, the French film director Elie Chouraqui is presenting the first feature film with a plot unfolding on the background of the war which engulfed Croatia in 1991, and more particularly in the environs of Vukovar which was taken by the Serbian army and militias after a terrible siege that had lasted for three months. Although this is fiction, the film director has nevertheless managed to reconstitute the war scenes with gripping realism. An informed public will no doubt recognize the imposing documentary and reconstructive work that would have been needed in the making of the movie.   In the fall of 1991, at the beginning of Serbian aggression on Croatia, Harrison Lloyd (played by David Strathairn), an American photographer employed by Newsweek, disappears in the environs of Vukovar, leaving behind him two children and his wife Sarah (Andie MacDowell) who refuses to believe that he is dead. She flies to Austria, rents a car, crosses the frontier and joins a groups of press photographers who are covering the conflict, among them Kyle (Adrian Brody), a friend of her husband's. Yeager Pollock (Elias Koteas), another colleague, soon joins them. Together, passing through all kinds of hardship, they visit the ruins of the Croatian martyr city that had been besieged, pounded, and soon invaded by the Belgrade army and Serbian militias. That is the stage setting.   It is on this background that Chouraquie weaves his story, in which he brilliantly depicts the difficult profession of war correspondent. Concerning his choice of the war in Croatia, he explains: "Indeed, I took the example of Vukovar to show the hysterical folly of man. (...) In 1991, Vukovar was the first European city bombed out of existence since World War II. The Serbs pounded it for 80 days. They were obstinate in razing this 17th century city, so that the Croatian architectural genius would disappear from the face of the earth. The Serbs indulged in summary executions, in multiple atrocities, in extermination by grenades, in killing the wounded in the hospital. Everything shown in the movie appears in the report of the United Nations (...)". And in effect, the meticulousness that the film director shows in his effort to reconstitute faithfully the apocalyptic atmosphere reigning in the "Croatian Stalingrad" is truly disconcerting.   Harrison's Flowers is nevertheless fiction, as its creator rightly points out. Those who were hoping finally to see on the screen the epic of the famous "battle of Vukovar" will be disappointed. There is no trace of the heroic and by now legendary resistance of a small group of some thousand men crushed under the bombs, who succeeded, contrary to all expectations, to keep at bay an enemy that was vastly over equipped and numerically far superior. Certainly the script, already excellent, would without doubt have been even better for it. There are however moments where the director makes use of some historical references, albeit secondary ones, with precision and very realistically. Thus he has us experience again the capturing of the sadly famous Vukovar hospital by the Serbs, but without showing the deadly fate that was awaiting its two hundred wounded who later got buried some distance away, in the mass grave at Ovcara.   On the other hand, while the fact that the film director deliberately chose to give the rank of characters only to the Western reporters undoubtedly serves to maintain a certain distance from the conflict, it nevertheless affords a better grasp of it a posteriori. The suggested identification with the main character, forcefully played by Andie MacDowell, is only made easier that way. Paradoxically, the rawness and the astounding realism of the war scenes are probably going to surprise the Western public, which generally remembers from the "ex-Yugoslav" war only the siege of Sarajevo, to which may have been recently added the NATO intervention in Kosovo. But the harshness of certain scenes reminds us in a brutal fashion, to what an extent the violence of the Serbian military campaign in Croatia, which took place already ten years ago, should not be considered as a simple foretaste of the Bosnian conflict, although the media did not pay as much attention to it.   Still, some stereotypes seem to be tenacious. Certain commentators, for whom the movie apparently did not really clarify things, even presented it as taking place in Bosnia, or even Serbia... Thus we were able to read recently, from under the circumspect pen of a movie critic, that Chouraqui erred on the side of excess, since, according to this critic, the war in Croatia "never reached" the intensity shown in the movie. When one knows that Vukovar, after only three months of shelling, remains the city where destruction has reached a degree unequaled in the entire region, one should have one's doubts about this.   Beyond its undeniable esthetic qualities, the great merit of Harrison's Flowers is perhaps precisely its success in mixing adroitly the fiction and the realism, where documentary endeavor advantageously provides substance for an original scenario loosely inspired by Isabel Ellsen's novel The Devil Prevails. While highlighting the risks that war correspondents face daily, Elie Chouraqui also chooses to remind us of the exorbitant price that a nation had to pay, at the dawn of the third millennium, and in the heart of Europe, in order to defend such legitimate and fundamental rights as independence and democracy.   Translated from the French by Ivana Jeric and submitted by Hilda Foley.     Op-ed Andie MacDowell just promoted the film on David Letterman show tonight (March 12, 2002) nb   Distributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, please delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know!  nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 12 Mar 2002 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6037/1/E-A-fun-project-to-promote-Croatia.html  I visit a website called the International Movie DATABASE on a regular basis and which is located at www.imdb.com. If I see an actor on TV or the movies I can pull up information on what films and shows they have worked, maybe read their bio see pictures, etc. This website gets a couple MILLION visits a month.  What if we began a project to find all actors and actresses of Croatian origin, and submit to the database people an e-mail saying that person is of Croatian heritage. What if we could go further and provide biographical information. We could read the submission details for photos, and submit some thus filling out the database.  Case in point:  Tiger Joe Marsh (Joe Marusic) was a wrestler, actor and the original model for Mr. Clean. On the International Movie Database it lists his name, place and date of birth and place and date of death, and no mention of him being Croatian: http://us.imdb.com/Name?Marsh,+Tiger+Joe Vladimir Novak published an article about him in Matica. We have it on our website: http://midwest-croatians.org/archives/mrclean.html What if we could get Mr. Novak to forward his article to the editors of the website, so his biography is online.  The same goes for John Northpole: http://us.imdb.com/Name?Northpole,+John I think Vladimir Novak wrote something about him in Matica too...  On a positive note, there's also someone we know in the movie database: http://us.imdb.com/Name?Bach,+Nenad It does mention his Croatian homeland :)  Finally, look at some of our neighbors:  http://us.imdb.com/Name?Malden,+Karl http://us.imdb.com/Name?Davidovich,+Lolita http://us.imdb.com/Name?Bogdanovich,+Peter  The point is, we can promote Croatia anytime, provided we keep our eyes open for the right opportunity. It does not and would not take a lot of effort to send e-mails, in this case saying an actor/actress is of Croatian heritage. Even those few words can help a lot!  -Marko    Distributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, please delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know!  nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 27 Feb 2002 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6038/1/E-Visnjic-TONIGHT-on-ABC-in-Practical-Magic.html  Goran Visnjic is appearing as Nicole Kidman's abusive boyfriend in the dark comedy "Practical Magic" 1998 playing on ABC TV tonight, Feb. 25th, at 9 pm Eastern Time.    Distributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, please delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know!  nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 25 Feb 2002 00:00:00 -0800 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6021/1/E-Fun-for-Goran-Visnjic.html  If brooding Luka lacks direction, Visnjic does not.From Newsday. John Kraljic*************************************Bad Blood Gives Life to 'ER' DocBy Robert KahnSTAFF WRITERFebruary 19, 2003Bad times for Dr. Luka Kovac mean fun for Goran Visnjic.After fading into the background in the early part of "ER's" ninthseason, Visnjic's sullen physician has, in a short span, met a hooker,lost a patient and nearly killed a med student."Bad news for Luka is good news for Goran, as an actor," the 30-year-oldVisnjic said the other day in Manhattan as a group of women at theRihga's hotel bar tried to pretend they weren't looking at him."Luka's really misplaced now and he's looking for answers in the wrongplaces - sex and drinking, that kind of stuff," Visnjic says. "At thebeginning of the season, there were a lot of episodes which were notvery interesting for me. So this is a real payoff."If brooding Luka lacks direction, Visnjic does not.He knows what he wants to do when his "ER" contract is up in two years:Direct theater in Croatia, where most of his family still lives. And heknows how he wants to spend his spare time now: horseback riding,catching up with TV documentaries about space exploration and supportinghis pet causes, like animal rights.He's featured in an ad for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animalsappearing in Eastern Europe, with his pug, Bugsy. The caption on the ad:"If you wouldn't wear your dog, please don't wear any fur.""That ad has provoked a lot of people, which is great," he says. "Hey,you can't hate my dog." nenad@nenadbach.com (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 22 Feb 2002 00:00:00 -0800