Team USA 1 performs in the free skating competition at the World Synchronized Skating Championships in Zagreb, Croatia, on Saturday, April 3, 2004. Team USA 1 won fourth place while Finland 1 won the Championships title with team Sweden 1 placing second and team Finland 2 placing third. (AP Photo/Filip Horvat)
 

Sava,Taraand Kupa

Grizzly bear mother Ursina parades with one of her three new born cubs in the Parc du Mont d'Orzeires, near Vallorbe, Switzerland, Tuesday April 6, 2004. The three little bears are named Sava, Tara and Kupa, after three rivers in Croatia, where father bear Georges is from. (AP Photo/Keystone, Flash Press)
 

Preskar in Madison Square Garden, April 17

Preskar won by a KO
at 2:09 in the first round against Herman Gipson

Mario Preskar, 20 year old (6'1" 216 lbs) Heavyweight boxer
from Zagreb is fighting this Saturday, April 17 at Madison
Square Garden. Last Saturday, April 10 Preskar won by a KO
at 2:09 in the first round against Herman Gipson on the
undercard of Lamon Brewster-Wladimir Klitschko and Cory
Spinks-Zab Judah at Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas. Preskar is 2-0
and won both fights with a first round KOs.

Saturday, April 17, 2004 at Madison Square Garden Preskar
is on the undercard of:
1.IBF Heavyweight Championship Fight between Chris Byrd
37-2 (20 KOs) and Andrew Golota 38-4 (31 KOs)
2. WBA Heavyweight Championship Fight between John Ruiz
39-5-1 (27 KOs) and Fres Oquendo 24-2 (15 KOs)
3. WBC Cruiserweight Championship Fight between Wayne
Braithwaite 20-0 (17 KOs) and Louis Azille 18-2-2 (15 KOs)
4. WBA Welterweight Championship Fight between Ricardo
Mayorga 25-4-1 (23 KOs) and Jose Rivera 37-3-1 (23 KOs).

There are 11 bouts with first fight at 5:30 pm.

For tickets priced at$45, $100, $200, $350, $600 call
TicketMaster at: 212.307.7171, 201.507.8900, 631.888.9000
or 914.454.3388

 

Israelis lose rough one to Croatia in hockey

Apr. 16, 2004 0:17
By LIONEL GAFFEN

The Israeli National hockey team was crushed 7-0 defeat at the hands of Croatia on Thursday, in their third match of the International Ice Hockey Federation Division II World Championships, Group A round robin series being played in Jaca, Spain.

But the team is keeping the loss in proportions.

"Actually, given the circumstances, the team played quite well against Croatia," Sergei Matin, president of the Israel Ice Hockey Federation told The Jerusalem Post from Jaca, shortly after the game ended. "We managed to keep them down to a 1-0 lead after the opening period, and considering the strength of their team, that was an accomplishment in itself.

"We had a serious lapse during the second period between the 8th and 12th minute, and in all, allowed five goals to be scored against us. However, we managed to keep them at bay in the third period, and only allowed one more goal, and managed to skate with them. This will be good for us in our next two games, against Australia and then Luxembourg."

Israel is playing short-handed, without top-scorer Sergei Zak who was unable to renew his passport, the Eisenman brothers who are abroad on scholarships, and Max Birbrayer whose season in the NHL minor leagues has yet to end.

Israel lost its second game to China, a tough match against a former Division I team by a 5-0 score. An early goal , followed by two tough goals when Israel was short-handed due to penalties in the first two periods, set the pace for China, which outshot the Israeli team by a 36-13 margin. Two more goals near the end of the third period completed the scoring.

In the other completed matches on Tuesday, Croatia cruised past Australia by an 8-2 count, while Spain walloped hapless Luxembourg by a 16-0 margin.
The weekend games against Australia, with the series ending match against Luxembourg, will determine whether Israel will be demoted to Division III next year, or will manage to remain in Division II and be able to regroup during the coming year.

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1081998818118&p=1006953079949

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.

-Marko


Bill Rancic An American Television Success for a 32-year old Croatian

A Splicanin in the finals of Donald Trunp's Reality Show

Next 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 $250,000

Bill 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.asp


BILL RANCIC AMERICŒKI TELEVIZIJSKI USPJEH 32-GODISNJEG HRVATA
Splicanin u finalu reality
showa 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 dolara

Splicanin 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.

Marin Drzic: Dundo Maroje

THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA
Department of Drama
Presents


Directed by Naum Panovski
Translated and Adapted by Roland Reed and Naum Panovski

This classic renaissance comedy from Marin Drzic “Croatian Shakespeare” evokes the charm of the Mediterranean world with bitter sweet wit and laughter. In the streets of Rome a greedy father and his dissolute, partying son tussle over money and misunderstandings amidst a host of hilarious characters
all manipulated by an ever-hungry, crafty servant.

with generous support from
The Embassy of the Republic of Croatia,
Croatian House and AMAC Washington, D.C.

You are cordially invited to join us for the performance on

FRIDAY, APRIL 23
at 7:30 p.m.

Hartke Theatre
3801 Harewood, N.E. Washington, D.C. 20064

*r.s.v.p. at 202-319-5363
General admission $12.00
For reservations call box office at 202-319-4000

MARIN DRŽIĆ - HRVATSKI DRAMATIČAR I PJESNIK

Rođen: 1508. u Dubrovniku
Umro: 2. svibnja 1567. u Mlecima
Bio je svećenik i orguljaš u rodnome gradu, 1538. otišao je na studij u talijansku Sienu, a vratio se u Dubrovnik nakon 7 godina. S austrijskim grofom Rogendorfom putovao je u Beč i Carigrad, a između 1548. i 1558. napisao je i s različitim družinama izveo sve svoje dramske tekstove - među kojima su najvažnije komedije Dundo Maroje, Skup (prema Plautovu predlošku) i Novela od Stanca, pastorale Tirena i Grižula te tragedija Hekuba nastala prema Euripidovu djelu.
Poznavajući nacionalne literarne prethodnike, strica Džoru, Vetranovića i Nalješkovića, iznimno upućen u sve zakonitosti talijanske eruditne komedije i kazalište nastalo na njezinim temeljima, Držić je stvorio djelo kome u to doba nema premca u Europi. Držićeve komedije i pastorale dovode na pozornicu lako prepoznatljiv, a ipak tako osebujan svijet našijenaca, vila i satira u kome se često, kao u izokrenutom zrcalu, prepoznaju sve značajke njegova vremena. U poetološki iznimno zanimljivim predgovorima svojim djelima Držić se pokazuje misliocem o vremenu koje živi i o prilikama koje ga okružuju, a na pozornici su njegovi likovi predstavnici svih slojeva dubrovačkoga društva čiji humor stvara nezamjenjivi prostor propitivanja gotovo svih aspekata tadašnjega i budućega života.
Organizator kazališnog života u Dubrovniku i tvorac zlatnoga desetljeća hrvatskoga renesansnoga glumišta, Držić je ubrzo nakon premijere Hekube 1559. napustio rodni grad, živeći u Firenci i Mlecima. Od tamo je 1566. pisao toskanskom vojvodi Cosimu I. Medicejcu pet pisama, moleći ga da mu pomogne srušiti vladajuću dubrovačku oligarhiju, čin koji još do danas nije dobio jednoznačno tumačenje. Bijaše to posljednje što je taj pjesnik očajnik ili urotnik napisao, gdje je pod još uvijek nerazjašnjenim okolnostima umro i pokopan u zajedničkoj grobnici crkve Sv. Ivana i Pavla.
Od 1938., godine prve izvedbe Dunda Maroja u 20. stoljeću, u adaptaciji i režiji Marka Foteza, na pozornici HNK u Zagrebu, Držić postaje jednim od najizvođenijih hrvatskih dramatičara, ne samo na domaćim pozornicama i festivalima, već i u svijetu, a književnopovijesne, i ne samo takve interpertacije njegova djela, tvore danas zamašnu knjižnicu.

 

Could this be a sequel to Lord of the Rings? No, it is Plitvice Lakes

CROATIA'S PLITVICE FOREST ON PBS TV,

SUNDAY, APRIL 18, 8 p.m. (EST)
(Check local listings)

http://www.thirteen.org/pressroom/release.php?get=1116

NATURE: LAND OF THE FALLING LAKES

A 'DEVIL'S GARDEN' REVEALS AN ENCHANTED WATER WORLD IN CROATIA'S PLITVICE FOREST, WHEN THIRTEEN/WNET'S NATURE PREMIERES LAND OF THE FALLING LAKES, APRIL 18 ON PBS

Nestled in a cluster of lush mountains is a mysterious ancient forest known
as the "Devil's Garden," where the olm, edible dormouse, capercaillie and
diced snake live together in an enchanted world of thunderous waterfalls,
cascading lakes and subterranean caverns. Not long ago, mankind nearly
destroyed this land with warfare. But nature has found an ingenious way to
rejuvenate the Garden, almost as if by miracle.

Could this be a sequel to Lord of the Rings?

No, it is Plitvice Lakes National Park and World Heritage Site, the oldest
national park in Europe, located in Croatia's Dinaric Mountains. Enter this
secret fairyland when Thirteen/WNET New York's Emmy and Peabody
Award-winning NATURE series premieres Land of the Falling Lakes, Sunday,
April 18 at 8 p.m. (ET) on PBS (check local listings).
 

Hrvatski festival Djece i Mladih New York 2004
CROATIAN CHILDREN'S AND YOUTH FESTIVAL
YORK COLLEGE IS PLACE TO BE ON APRIL 17 & 18

TIME IS RUNNING OUT - MAKE RESERVATION FOR CROATIAN CHILDREN'S AND YOUTH FESTIVAL - JUST CALL ROSE MARACIC 516 365 9628 OR KATE ROSA ON 646 201 6702 OR PURCHASE YOUR TICKETS AT CROATIAN ADVERTISED PLACES

Croatian Youth Festival: Saturday, April 17, 2004 @ 7:00pm
Croatian Children's Festival: Sunday, April 18, 2004 @ 4:00pm

York College 94-45 Guy R. Brewer Blvd. Jamaica, Queens


www.crofestivalny.com  check details
RZubovic@aol.com
 

'Spartacus' Revolutionary leader is played by Goran Visnjic,

born in Croatia, not too far distant from Thrace, birthplace of the real Spartacus.
 

Saturday, April 17, 2004

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Best known as Detective Baldwin Jones on ABC's "NYPD Blue," Henry Simmons exchanges his badge and gun for a net and spear to play gladiator slave Draba in USA Network's version of "Spartacus."

"Henry is extremely believable. He was the big surprise to me how well he melted into that old world," says Robert Dornhelm, who directed this adaptation of Howard Fast's novel about a slave revolution against the Roman empire.

"Draba ignites the revolution by his sacrifice," Dornhelm explains. "Being able to kill Spartacus but deciding not to -- knowing that it means his own death -- is the ultimate spark."

The title role of the revolutionary leader is played by Goran Visnjic, born in Croatia, not too far distant from Thrace, birthplace of the real Spartacus.

"Goran has that sad, suffering expression, quite useful for a man who has idealism on his side ... but knows it's a no-win situation," says Dornhelm, whose four-hour miniseries airs Sunday and Monday (8 p.m. ET).

Visnjic is most familiar to audiences wearing a white coat and stethoscope as Dr. Luka Kovac on NBC's medical drama "ER." Here he wears far less and carries a sword and shield.

"I wish I had the sword. He had the easier time," laughs Simmons, who adds it was difficult learning to throw his net without getting it tangled around himself rather than Visnjic.

After rehearsing their climactic fight sequence, Simmons discovered "there is a certain rhythm, a dance to it. It became so much fun after a while. It was like I was a child in makeup and play gear."

Goran Visnjic plays the title role in "Spartacus."
He was less at ease with his costume. When he first joined "NYPD Blue" in 2000, the actor was called on to take "more than my shirt off" in love scenes. But those sequences were brief and filmed "in some kind of security on a closed set." On "Spartacus," he was "out there in this skimpy outfit fighting in front of hundreds of people."

Shot in Bulgaria, the lavishly produced miniseries features throngs of extras and co-stars Rhona Mitra as Spartacus' love interest, Varinia, and the late Alan Bates -- in his final role -- as the world-weary and wise Roman senator Agrippa.

Stanley Kubrick first brought "Spartacus" to the screen in 1960, with Kirk Douglas in the title role. But Dornhelm says his production is more "in the spirit" of author Fast than Kubrick's "quite melodramatic" interpretation.

"It hits the nerve ... of greed, exploiting your fellow neighbor in order to have a nicer house or whatever," says Dornhelm, whose TV movie credits include "Rudy: The Rudy Giuliani Story," "RFK," and "Anne Frank: The Whole Story."

In Kubrick's movie, Woody Strode played Draba. Simmons didn't watch that film, but read extracts from Fast's book and histories of slaves and gladiators in the Roman era.

He says Draba is someone "with a strong spiritual belief, yet someone weary of life who had lost hope of ever seeing his family again and was ready to lay down his life for a cause."

He also tried to give "my character a tremendous amount of dignity and hold to that sense of pride -- although I am a slave, I am someone who will be respected."

Simmons, 33, thinks his love of acting stems from classic films starring actors such as James Stewart and Gary Cooper that his father encouraged him to watch as a child.

And he recalls acting in a school play about the founding fathers: "I think I was Thomas Jefferson or someone like that, but I was so nervous I just froze and the kid playing George Washington had to whisper my lines to me."

http://edition.cnn.com/2004/SHOWBIZ/TV/04/17/apontv.spartacus.ap/

'Better be good': 'Spartacus' star was warned by dad

JUDITH S. GILLIES; The Washington Post
 

•"Spartacus" airs at 8 p.m. Sunday and Monday on USA Network.

When actor Goran Visnjic told his father he was playing the lead role in "Spartacus," his dad simply said, "Better be good."

That's because he was not only playing "one of the most important humans in the whole world history," the actor said, he also was tackling a role made famous by Kirk Douglas in a 1960 film that has a history of its own.

The new "Spartacus" is a miniseries about the slave who was trained as a gladiator and led a bloody revolt against Rome more than 2,000 years ago. Executive producer Adam Shapiro said he realized he was opening himself up for criticism by remaking a famous film, "but it occurred to me that so much of the story hadn't been told. By doing a miniseries we would have more time to develop the characters."

And the '60 version, "while a great film, hasn't been seen by a whole generation. I think it's a story worth retelling," Shapiro said.

"The struggle is a true story," he said. "Here is a guy born in a world where slaves are part of the environment ... but something sparked him to set the world on fire, the thought that humans deserve more dignity than this."

Visnjic, who plays Dr. Luka Kovac on NBC's "ER," said he thinks of Spartacus as a human being who had to adapt after being thrown into gladiator school - where slaves were trained to fight for the amusement of crowds. "To keep alive, he had to kill another human being in the arena. But then there is the turning point in the film, the fight scene with Henry Simmons as Draba. And Spartacus decides to change."

The story is often a violent one. "Still, we hold back a lot. They were much more brutal than we are showing," Shapiro said. The miniseries is not recommended for children younger than 14.

The miniseries is a love story as well as an adventure and an epic, Shapiro said. "We were very careful that his wife is telling his story, thereby keeping it alive."

Rhona Mitra plays Varinia, wife of Spartacus and mother of their child. Their story is one of mutual respect, Mitra said, "and a belief in what is fundamentally right and the freedom in belief of who they have the right to be."

Mitra approached the role, not as a warrior princess, she said, but as a woman of inner strength.

The movie benefits from "the grace of Alan Bates," she said. Bates portrays Lentulas Agrippa, a Roman senator who opposes an aristocratic regime being pushed by Crassus, another Roman senator, played by Angus Macfadyen.

"What (Bates) brings to the story should resonate with everyone," she said of the knighted actor who died in December. "Spartacus" provided his last film role.

The miniseries was filmed last year in Bulgaria, only a couple hours drive from the birthplace of the real Spartacus, Shapiro said.

"We scouted quite a few locations to get the look of the countryside that is unspoiled" and looked like southern Italy of about 72 B.C.

Both the 1960 movie and the new miniseries are based on a book written by Howard Fast, who had been blacklisted and worked on "Spartacus" while he spent several months in prison in 1950 for refusing to cooperate with the House Un-American Activities Committee.

The 1960 movie, directed by Stanley Kubrick, was nominated for six Oscars and won four, including best color cinematography and costume design.

The screenplay was by Dalton Trumbo, who also spent time in prison because he had refused to "name names" of alleged communists at HUAC hearings.

During the '50s, Trumbo - who also was blacklisted - had written under pseudonyms. "But Kirk Douglas said no way, give him credit," Shapiro said.

Viewers who have seen the movie will notice that the ending is different in the miniseries, Shapiro said.

"The movie has more of a Hollywood ending. For the miniseries, we went back to the book." •"Spartacus" airs at 8 p.m. Sunday and Monday on USA Network.

(Published 12:45AM, April 17th, 2004)