What to Buy: Pop Culture Souvenirs

Given that my stated interests on this blog are pop culture and travel, it should come as no surprise that I’ve picked up a bunch of souvenirs related to TV, film and literature. A plush Krtek,  the popular Czech cartoon character, currently sits on my shelf next to a coloring book of The Little Mermaid with captions written in Italian. It’s meant for 3-year-olds but incidentally, that’s the level of Italian that I can read.

A recent article in Vagabondish has a few great tips for buying souvenirs that won’t create clutter and collect dust only to end up in the rubbish bin in a few years. They suggest buying souvenirs that are practical, small and educational which got me thinking about the types of souvenirs I buy. My penchant for pop-culture tchotchkes doesn’t follow these rules, but my favorite souvenirs, books, certainly do. They can be a bit heavy in your bag, but they are great company on a long flight. My bookshelves tell the stories of my travels – the mystery novel I read on the train from Amsterdam to Paris, the book of short stories I picked up at a hostel in Riga (didn’t even have to pay for that one!)

Harrods. Photo by Ryan Kilpatrick on Flickr.

On my first trip to Harrod’s, I knew I wanted to buy something to get a carrier bag, so I decided the best option was the bookstore. I picked up a tome by British national treasure Stephen Fry. Whenever I see the spine on my shelf, I remember my trip to London. (Ironically, the book is In America, which chronicles Fry’s road trip across the US. If you’re interested in traveling the US, I highly recommend it!)

The books you can pick up while traveling can be reflective of the place you’re in, written by a local author, written about that place, or they can just be something you read while on the plane or lying on the beach. Buying books abroad is one of my favorite ways to keep those memories in view.

My other quick tip for souvenirs is not pop culture related, but is very cheap and easy. In every city I visit, I buy a postcard and write the dates and the names of my travel buddies on the back. You can keep them in a box and flip through at your leisure or display them in your home. If you do go the display route for postcards or trinkets, Apartment Therapy has some great suggestions.

INXS in Prague: Never Tear Us Apart

Heartfelt lyrics and a sexy sax solo make INXS's "Never Tear Us Apart" one of my favorite songs. As such, my ears perked up when hearing it as the soundtrack to a great routine on the last season of So You Think You Can Dance and I was super excited to hear that Adele will be covering it on her next album. So how had I never seen the music video?

I'm not sure how I've just stumbled across the video now, but since I have, I figured I'd share it. It's a beautiful video for a beautiful song and it's set in my beautiful, beautiful Prague.

The City of a Hundred Spires was my home for two years and I miss it tremendously now that I'm not there. The "Never Tear Us Apart" video takes me right back to the gray days of late November along the Vltava river. Filmed in 1987, when the Czech Republic was still behind the Iron Curtain, the city was slightly depressed but longing for more. It was the perfect setting for Michael Hutchence's lovely, angsty anthem.

The evocative video is also a virtual starter kit for a Prague newbie. All the classic tourist hotspots are included; Charles Bridge, Old Town Square, the banks of the Vltava and the Old Jewish Cemetery all make appearances. As Hutchence strolls the cobblestone streets, telling his beautiful love story, the viewers get a chance to fall for the Golden City.

Fun Fact #1: INXS's videos for "New Sensation" and "Guns in the Sky" were also filmed in Prague, but don't have the same views of the city.

Fun Fact #2: Jason Mraz's video for "Lucky" was filmed in Old Town Prague in 2008, giving a more modern take on the city. (The Colbie Caillat's section of the video was filmed on the island of Kauai in Hawaii.)

Wordless Wednesday: Port Douglas, Australia

Photo by emmettanderson on Flickr.

Exporting Television

Where’s the great big “Mission Accomplished” banner when you need it? Now that Afghanistan is getting their own version of The Office, perhaps our work there is done. Time to bring the troops home.

I’m being glib of course, but it’s certainly a step forward, albeit a kind of funny one, for this country to have sitcom. And to have that sitcom being poking fun at the government (the office in question is based on a Ministry of Garbage, instead of a paper company as in the original) would never have been possible in Afghanistan 10 years ago.

It doesn’t seem like Ricky Gervais is involved as he has been with Office versions in the US, Germany, Chile and China among others, but then again, it’s not a straight up recreation of The Office. But I think that makes it a more interesting glimpse into Afghani culture that way. The NY Times has gotten an insider glimpse at some of the episodes and offers a more complete review, pointing out the ways in which this program is a landmark for its nation.

Of course, exporting TV formats is not a new situation. Endemol, a Dutch company, pioneered reality and game shows like Deal or No Deal and Big Brother and sold the concepts worldwide. Selling formats is how many TV production companies make their big bucks. Singing competitions and fly-on-the-wall reality shows are easily translatable when you insert a cast native to the country.

But what happens when the show you’re exporting is distinctly American? That’s the problem Phil Rosenthal, executive producer of Everybody Loves Raymond, struggled with when he was a consultant for a Russian version of his successful show. With little knowledge of Russian humor or culture, Rosenthal tried to make his show with its quintessential American family and flavor for an audience he didn’t understand at all. He made an award-winning documentary about the experience called Exporting Raymond. As you'll see, in Russia, TV makes you. (Ok, that was a horrible joke - please excuse it, but I couldn’t resist.)

Exporting Raymond was released on Blu-Ray and DVD on August 2nd.

Jersey Shore in Florence: To Watch or Not to Watch

Florence, Italy is my first great love - at least as far as foreign cities go.

Florence Skyline. Photo by Putneypics on Flickr.

Before I even applied to college, I knew I wanted to study abroad in Italy and I waited patiently for my junior year to spend a semester in Florence. The city won me over immediately. Art and history around every corner, hiding in corners where you least expect it. Sumptuous food and wine, some of the best meals I've ever had in my life. Long dinners over several bottles of vino, darting in to see Michelangelo's David on the way to the grocery store, getting lost with friends and discovering some stunning hidden architecture. My memories of the city are sacred and it will always hold a special place in my heart.

So when I heard that MTV's Jersey Shore was filming in Florence for their fourth season, I had mixed feelings.

I've never been one to buy into outrage over entertainment for the most part. After all, I'm Italian-American and from New Jersey and I've always found Jersey Shore to be a delicious guilty pleasure instead of an appalling reflection of my ethnicity and state. So why am I apprehensive about seeing them in Florence?

It has something to do with the cast confirming the ugly American stereotype, to be sure. In the trailer alone, you can see some really appalling behavior from Pauly D and the gang. But that's nothing new and I've enjoyed watching it for the past 3 seasons (except for the Sammi/Ronnie drama, let's be honest.) So if I ask myself honestly, why this season of JS bothers me, I don't have to dig too deep to realize it's simply that I'm jealous. Why do these fools, ignorant of the wonders of Florence, get to be in my magical city and I don't!? They get to live in a gorgeous suite, only a block from where I lived as a student, and drink Chianti while I have a small room in Brooklyn and drink Two Buck Chuck. They get to sit in my beloved Piazza della Repubblica everyday while I sweated it out on the subway. I'm green with envy and it's petty, I admit.

After going back and forth for awhile, I've decided I will be watching this season and salivating over the scenery the whole time. And no matter what offenses these idiots commit, Florence is a very old city and has survived plagues, floods and Savonarola. It can survive Snooki.

Piazza della Signoria. Photo by untipografico on Flickr.

Season 4 of Jersey Shore premieres on MTV on August 4.