Archive for the ‘Entertainment’ Category

The final voting for the Miss World pageant took place at the end of September this year. On September 30th in Warsaw, the title went to a Czech woman, with a representative from Romania chosen as first runner-up, and a representative from Australia chosen as second runner-up. Throughout all of September the young women, in the company of reporters, photographers, and the event’s organizers, visited Poland. Each year the demands on these young women increase. It’s no longer enough to be beautiful with a flawless figure and long legs; each contestant must also show intelligence and knowledge. Musical, vocal, and physical talents like dancing are also important qualities.

After arriving in Poland, before the final contest, the contestants for Miss World received a version of an English text of a Polish song, composed especially for the occasion. The best renditions of „Beautiful World” would be recorded on teledisk and make their way to other countries, but the words of the song would relate to Warsaw. In this way beauty would not only be seen but also heard.
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I read A. Foremska’s article in the last issue about Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code with great interest. The author made several challenges and theological arguments against Brown’s book. In the case of such a sensational book, the question of whether we should engage in an apology of the Christian religion by use of such refined exegesis is a cause for discussion. In the end Foremska admits that the book is banal propaganda, with a simple mystery thrown in. (more…)

On October 22, 2005, the Polish-American Cultural Center hosted a performance of a play “Helena – Thing About Modrzejewska”. Even now, while I write these words, I am unceasingly impressed by the magnificent one-person play. This particular perception was caused by two factors –  the content of the play and a deep interpretation of the monodrama by Maria Nowotarska.

The author of this biographical play, Professor Kazimierz Braun, put into this text almost everything about the life and work of the diva of the Polish and American theatrical scene, Helena Modrzejewska, who used the name Modjeska (1840-1909) outside of Poland. The text of the monodrama described Modrzejewska’s earlier and later problems. She was an illegitimate child, a mother of an out-of-wedlock son, and a poor actress learning her trade in traveling troupes. In time, her work brought her great stardom and her marriage to an aristocrat, Karol Chlapowski, assured her social status. (more…)