You may already know about the world famous Testicle cookbook by a Serbian chef, but do you know about the testicle cooking championship? Read the report in Guardian and NPR. I don't know why it's considered a Serbian specialty, I personally never tried it, nor do I know anyone who has, but hey -- maybe I just don't know the right people. Have you tried it? (comment on Testicle cooking championship)
Jim Jarmusch is making a movie about Nikola Tesla - I can tell already now that it's gonna be a must-see. Plus - it's not just a movie, but an opera! In case you missed it, check out this old article where I argue that Tesla is one of the greatest mad scientists of our time, if not the maddest of them all. (comment on Jim Jarmusch making a movie/opera based on NIkola Tesla)
Teofil Pancic, columnist of "Vreme" and several other watchdog journalism medias, was attacked last night by two men in a bus to Zemun. He is recovering from injuries made by metal bars, his head and arm are injured but his life is not in danger. The list of suspects is long, since Pancic has been known for criticizing all sorts of nationalists, and religious fanatics, and Serbia is unfortunately full of both kinds of assholes. Read more reactions from Serbian bloggers on Global voices. Also, read more about this topic on google news or twitter. (comment on Teofil Pancic attacked)
Maybe it's just some of Macy's ironic quips, I don't know - in a recent interview to London's tube paper Metro, she stated that Belgrade "wasn’t so good. It was very racist and behind the times. The streets were full of fat, ugly people;" I mean, racist - ok, it could be that something unpleasant happened to her, so she was upset. And yes, we can be behind the times sometimes. But the streets full of fat and ugly people? Hmmm. (comment on Macy Gray unimpressed with Belgrade)
History and break-up of Yugoslavia are difficult enough to comprehend for the locals, and we always have a tough time explaining it to the curious foreigners (usually drunk at parties). You would say that those actually studying Balkans would know a great deal about it, but it seems it simply is a subject beyond mere mortal's comprehension. Take a look at some of the student thoughts on Yugoslavia collected by Florian Bieber from the University of Kent. Enjoy! (comment on Yugoslavia Was One Big Mess)
Srdan Golubovic, Serbian director known mostly by his previous movie The Trap, managed to secure funding for his next project, a movie entitled "Circles" (Serbian: Krugovi). What's interesting about the movie is that it's inspired by the heroic deed by Srdjan Aleksic, Bosnian Serb soldier who lost his life while trying to protect a Bosniak civilian [belgraded article here]. The movie will focus on the aftermath of the murder and follow life paths of those involved in the tragic event. [via @ieishah] (comment on Srdan Golubovic to film a movie inspired by Srdjan Aleksic)
Gerard Butler is filming in Belgrade these days, and when he is not listening to the director Ralph Fiennes' orders, he having a typical tourist time. He already managed to wind up in a hospital because of too much Serbian food and alcohol, he's visiting sport matches, and he's a frequent nightclub partygoer. The only thing that sets him apart from the other average Belgrade male tourists (that and the presidential suite in Hyatt) is that women are chasing him, and not vice versa. First one that managed to actually catch him is a certain Martina Rajic, local model [pic] (comment on Gerard Butler as a Belgrade tourist)
I already mentioned Boogie the photographer on this website before. Boogie has recently moved to Serbia and he takes some great pictures of his neighborhood, while setting up a studio in Belgrade - take a look, explore it and enjoy. Be sure to check out his other blog too. (comment on Boogie: from Brooklyn to Belgrade)
Ksenija Pajcin (32), Serbian turbo-pop singer and dancer and her boyfriend Filip Kapisoda (22), Montenegrin model have just been found dead in her apartment in Vozdovac, part of Belgrade. So far, there is a lot of speculation, but the theory that has been confirmed so far is that Pajcin was killed by Kapisoda who committed suicide afterwards. What is interesting about the case is that both of them were very young and that this could be the first such case of Serbian celebrities (albeit minor ones) who ended their lives in such a manner. Other rumors suggest drug overdose, as well as the possible double murder, because of Pajcin's rumored former affairs with people involved in drug trade in Serbia.
Subscribe to the site feed to get future updates on culture, society and politics from Belgrade and Serbia. (comment on
Ksenija Pajcin and Filip Kapisoda found dead)
One of Belgrade's off-landmarks, the fast-food stand Loki was forced to shut down it's operation two days ago. David Dowse posts a fitting farewell to this charming fast food joint. I must say that I can't really feel sorry for Loki's demise, because the owner could have prevented it if he really tried. Not to worry, I'm sure another Loki will eventually pop out somewhere soon. Until then, here's a 360 panorama to remind you how Loki looked like. (comment on Loki is no more)
Bekim Fehmiu (born 1936), one of the most famous Yugoslav actors, committed suicide today in his apartment in Belgrade. Reasons behind the suicide are still unknown.
Mr Fehmiu stopped his acting career back in '87 as a sign of protest against rising anti-Albanian sentiment.
These are the words of his son, Uliks Fehmiu:
"The breakup of Yugoslavia, the horrible fratricidal war, the destruction of Vukovar, the bombing of Dubrovnik, the long-running siege of Sarajevo, the war in Kosovo, the bombing of FR Yugoslavia have made my father withdraw even more. He gave up the words which are the strongest and most beautiful means for an actor. He gave them up and turned them into silence – into protest."
This video clip shows legendary scene from Skupljaci perja with Fehmiu, Bata Zivojinovic and Olivera Katarina. The singing scene starts at 1:50 mark.
Zastava, the car maker that invented yugo had some really cool advertising back then. And no, the name of this car isn't Christine - it's Zastava 101, more famous in Serbia as "kec" or "stojadin".
UPDATE: I've just been told that he was chosen as one of the models for Dolce and Gabanna campaign. Here's the link, check it out.
Read the translation of the lyrics below.
Loose translation to English:
Kuca poso
Home To Work
Here I am living in New York city
Living, working, but mostly working,
ref:
Home to work, work to home
home to work, work to home
That's all I know,
I know nothing,
And how would I?
Hoy New York, the darkness looms over you
since you let the women rule
Dogs and concrete all over the place
Battalions of women roaming the streets
[ref]
Hoy New York, let the light back in,
Forbid women to work,
Before they loose their kids and their properties,
Hoy New York, you big city you
Serbian:
Evo živim u Njujorku gradu,
Živim radim, a i samo radim,
Kuća poso, poso kuća
Kuća poso, poso kuća
Eto šta znam, ništa ne znam
A dje da znam.
Hoj Njujorku ubila te tama
Što dozvoli žena da vam vlada
U tebi je pas do pasa, beton do betona
Kroz ulice žena bataljona
Hoj Njujorku budi svjetili grade
Izbaci sve žene što rade
Izgubiše djecu to imanje
Hoj Njujorku ti veliki grade
Today at 12:00, one of the last symbols of the Yugoslavian era, if not the last the .yu (dot yu) national top level domain ceases to exist. It was supposed to be gone for some time already, but as it happens with a number of things here in the Balkans, they just refuse to obey. To mark the occasion, it seems appropriate to hear the old Yugoslav anthem, as performed by this veteran military band. Enjoy.
In order to fully comprehend the awesomeness of this performance you have to know that the award ceremony itself, "Beogradski Pobednik" is a very unglamorous occasion primarily aiming at middle-aged housewives as its target audience. Having said that, I invite you to hit the play button and enjoy this subtle S/M-ish song "Domino dama" [Eng: domino lady] by the very unknown Dunja Ilic. (possibly NSFW) via Tracara.com