An American in Prague

"Life is change...death is dwelling on the past, or staying in one place too long."

Tuesday, February 27, 2007


In 2007, I find myself in a very unusual position. So I actually can't say that I'm in any position to take any legitimate stance on this year's Academy Awards. I haven't seen most of the nominated films or performances, so there wasn't a particular film or actor that I was rooting for; I didn't view the ceremony (which actually airs on HBO here in Europe -- isn't that strange?) and I've had to rely on E! Online just to view the fashions.

However, I can offer a personal commentary on several films I've recently seen.

1. Saw Helen Mirren in The Queen. The movie was great and she was absolutely, absolutely knock-your-socks-off incredible -- she faithfully captured EVERY mannerism of the British matriarch.

2. Anyway, I know all of you were expecting the Curtis Michael Resident Musical Theatre Dork Wong to go see Dreamgirls in its opening weekend in Europe -- however, I opted against it. It wasn't like Chicago -- in which case I'd seen the Broadway revival, had loved it and was absolutely on the edge of my seat for the film version. In fact, I do own the original Broadway cast of Dreamgirls soundtrack -- and the CD has generally taken the place of an expensive drink coaster in my music collection --which is to say that I don't care for the soundtrack. Despite what I'd read, most of the people who'd actually seen it had given me mediocre-at-best reviews...so I opted out.

3. You all know my thoughts on The Devil Wears Prada (yes, I own the DVD) and Meryl Streep's fabulous performance. I'm happy to see her nominated...but really? I dunno...part of me thinks an actress like Meryl would've been able to phone in that performance.

4. Go see Little Children if you haven't already. I love, love, love me some Kate Winslet. OK, given that I can be a true cheeseball (at least I can admit it), I'll admit that I didn't notice her until Titanic -- however, in retrospect, I think that was one of her weaker performances. I've since loved her in every single movie I've ever seen her in, even if the movie itself wasn't stellar (note The Holiday and The Life of David Gale). Certainly her performances in movies that ARE actually stellar are even more astounding (note Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind). Hopefully she gets her Oscar due in the future!!! She was the US Weekly2006 choice for the "Ultimate Libra Woman" (yes, Curtis admits he knew that) which only furthered her likability in my "Ultimate Libra" opinion.

So, given my admiration for all things Kate -- I opted for Little Children instead of Dreamgirls. A feel-good movie was not in the least what I was expecting from this, based on director Tom Field's prior film, the depressing In the Bedroom (starring another actress whose altar I worship at, the incredible Sissy Spacek). And I didn't expect to leave the cinema feeling the need to break into song. However, the movie is simply superb. In most domestic dramas, the characters drift through their worlds allowing things to happen to them without taking any responsibility for themselves. Kate, playing basically THE original desperate housewife, screws up, makes bad decisions, acts irrationally. But -- like Helen Mirren in The Queen -- she creates sympathy for (what is stereotypically) an unsympathetic character.

5. On a final note -- I shouldn't fail to mention that Kate's love interest Patrick Wilson is an absolute DREAMBOAT.

Keepin' up as best as possible


So it's taken me two days, but with the help of E! Online and People.com, I've finally caught up on my Oscar fashions. My verdicts -- Nicole Kidman: fantastic; Reese Withersoon: absolutely, absolutely exquisite, even without Ryan; Anne Hathaway: what the hell was she thinking?!?!?

Sadly, however, no one in our little ex-pat community cares. I get a lot of rolled eyes and the statement, "Curtis, you have too much time on your hands...we hate that celebrity shit." Now, don't get me wrong - I wouldn't argue that any of this is by any means a highbrow or intellectual pursuit. But I swear if I was rattling off baseball statistics or football trivia, everyone would think I was really cool!

If there's one thing I dislike about being an ex-patriate, it's this sense of intellectual entitlement (for lack of a better definition) that many people seem to create. Now, I'm not talking about EVERYONE here, but it does seem to be a general trend. Clearly, I stick out like a sore thumb amongst a group of soul-searching, intellectual hipsters who rely on angst, inside jokes and dark clothing.

I generally have nothing to hide -- I have a low tolerance for alcohol, like take-out coffees, enjoy a good chick flick now and then, and like nothing more than reading glossy magazines with lots of pictures of pretty people on a Sunday morning. Sure, I like European history, but I may never be able to take a legitimate stance on why the ideology of Karl Marx works on paper but not in practice. If given the choice, I generally don't listen to Bob Dylan. If that makes me "uncool," "shallow-minded," and not "a dark and tortured ex-capitalist who hates Westernized culture," then so be it! And hey, I've read Chuck Palahniuk too, ya know!

Somewhere...someday...I will meet someone who loves pop culture as much as me, and together we will pore over issues of GQ, Vanity Fair, Entertainment Weekly and (OK, I'll admit it) InStyle and US Weekly over large cups of take-out coffee...and love every minute of it!

Wednesday, February 21, 2007

A new wind in my sails, hopefully

Why is positive thinking -- particularly about careers -- just a generally difficult practice overall? And why is it so hard to give yourself credit for the things you can do before you throw yourself into an overdramatic tantrum over the things you can't do? After a series of minor panic attacks and at the request of my friend who studies Eastern thought as well as my family, I'm trying my best to think positively...and this blog is partly a result of that.

I've recently decided two things -- first off, that my primary career objectives still exist outside of the TESOL industry. Even with its ups-and-downs, teaching has been (and remains) a good time overall, but I'm coming to the conclusion that one can only do it for so long. As part of this, my biggest 2007 goal is to get some additional non-TESOL experience to put on my resume so that I'm not completely unemployable wherever I go next (which, for the record, has yet to be determined). So, my objective is to re-build my portfolio and get as much freelance work published as possible. That journalism degree from UConn set me back 40,000 bucks...and although I do hope to get my master's degree, I'm still determined not to let my BA gather dust on a shelf while I get shoved back into the depths of some corporate job.

As many of you know, I've been working (on my off-teaching time) for Provokator, an avant-garde Czech-based culture magazine, since July of last year. My initial story pitch was my Do-It-Yourself: Salzburg tour, and since then they keep giving me assignments each month. In recent issues, I've covered nightlife, sexual fetishes (those were some interesting interviews, let me tell you), the Museum of Medieval Torture Instruments, the Petrin Hill funicular railway as well as previews for music festivals in Cesky Krumlov and Ostrava. My next piece will be about the increase in Chinese studies. I also have a piece on "Hidden Prague" in the March issue of Packed Magazine, a German and Austrian-based travel magazine which is published out of Berlin and Salzburg, and that comes out next month -- and will even include a headshot of Yours Truly!

Finally, after hemming and hawing about it for several months, I just pitched a story to the E.I.C. of The Prague Post, which is the primary English language newspaper here. We had a meeting early on Monday and I believe that it went well. My first story is due next Monday.

Positive thinking, Curtis...positive thinking...

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