The “Hello Boys” Wonderbra ad from 1994 featuring Czech supermodel Eva Herzigová has recently been voted the best poster ad that has appeared on UK streets in the past 50+ years. The poll was run by the Outdoor Media Centre and attracted a lot of attention from the public.

Eva Herzigova’s Wonderbra ad tops Outdoor Hall of Fame

The Outdoor Hall of Fame

Czech wines excel at international wine contest
- Southern Moravian wines are winning medals

TV makers give Central Europe high ratings
- LCD and plasma television manufacturing big in Czech Republic and its neighbors

Vivaldi’s long-lost opera returns to Prague after 278 years
- missing manuscript completed and performed at Prague Castle

Fake blog caught promoting bank
The curious case of the phantom blogger
- fake blogs also an issue in the Czech Republic

Czechs have all the right moves when it comes to ballroom dancing
Taneční – the tradition continues

Domestic films fuel comeback at cinemas
More Czech moviegoers watching Czech films – a record 32 Czech feature films planned for release in 2008

New York Rangers set to open NHL season in Prague
It’s official – the New York Rangers and Tampa Bay Lightning will be playing each other on October 4 and 5 at the Sazka Arena

Czechs develop vaccine against Lyme disease
A Moravian company worked with Palacký University in Olomouc to develop the vaccine

The Czech artist David Černý created a life-size sculpture of Sigmund Freud, which was originally installed on Jilská Street in Prague. The sculpture was hung on a metal rod over the street from the top of a building. According to an article on the České Noviny (ČTK) website, the sculpture has been shown in Europe and in the U.S. In Grand Rapids, Michigan, the latest city to host the installation, the “Hanging Man” was hung on a seven story building and a number of citizens thought it was was a real person who had taken their own life. The sculpture will make it back to Prague one day, so if you see it here, you’ll know it is just Freud hanging out.

The “Hanging Man” in Prague

The world-renowned fashion designer Blanka Matragi who is Czech by origin and lives in Lebanon with her husband is currently exhibiting her latest collection in the Municipal House in Prague. The exhibition was preceded by an evening fashion show on September 22, the proceeds from which were contributed to the reconstruction of Lebanon damaged in the recent Israel/Lebanon conflict.

The exhibition runs from September 24 to October 15 and has been extremely successful.

We went to see the outdoor photo exhibition at Kampa the other day. It is called Earth from Above and it displays 120 large-format aerial photos of different locations around the world taken by French photographer Yann-Arthus Bertrand. The exhibition will run through October 31, it is open 24 hours a day and admission is free. Go see it if you can. The photos are amazing.

We took a stroll through the Kampa park on the way back. A building covered with grafitti caught my attention…

 …as did a birdhouse that some nice people put up for the birdies of Prague 1.

The Summer Shakespeare Festival at the Prague Castle is in its tenth year. Three plays alternate in the historic, open-air courtyard of the Burgrave Palace, just off of the Golden Lane. I went to see Othello last week and, surprisingly, had a great time. I say surprisingly because I don’t think of myself as someone who would appreciate, let alone enjoy sitting through two hours of a classical drama – I should add that going to the festival was not my idea.

I didn’t sit through Othello. I spent two hours in a state of utmost concentration with my eyes glued to the stage, trying not to miss a word, forgetting to shiver with cold in the chilly, autumn-like evening air. I fidgeted through the seemingly unending intermission, wishing they had skipped it. I left looking forward to next year’s festival and making mental notes on how to better prepare to make the most out of the experience. 1. Definitely get tickets for the first zone, which means 2. Buy tickets at least a month in advance, 3. Arrive an hour before the start of the show to get good seats, 4. Bring a pillow to put on the seat of the hard metal chair for softness and insulation; if the weather’s similar to that of August 25, 2006: 5. Bring a winter jacket, 6. Wear high boots, 7. Pack a blanket to put over my lap.

The festival started on June 21 and will continue through September 10. Plays start at 8:30 p.m. and end around 11 p.m. More info at www.shakespeare.cz.

I just finished reading another book by Michal Viewegh, Účastníci zájezdu (Holiday Makers). It’s one of his earlier novels (he wrote it in 1996) and it turns out to be my second most favorite book by Viewegh so far. There has been a lot of talk about Holiday Makers and the fourth edition of the book was published a few months ago, all in connection with the April release of the movie that was based on the bestselling novel. The film was entered into the Tribeca Film Festival soon after it came out and ended up receiving an award and a special mention to the ensemble cast.

I loved the book. I haven’t seen the movie and am a little reluctant to go see it because a film is rarely as good as the book it’s based on. I’m too curious to see all the characters on the screen though, so I probably won’t resist…

The renowned Prague Spring International Music Festival (May 11 – June 3, 2006) is in its 60th season. It has been going on since 1946 and has attracted many performing artists, symphony orchestras and chamber music ensembles from around the world.

This year the different performances take place in a number of locations, such as the National Theatre, St. Vitus Cathedral, the Estates Theatre, Municipal House, Rudolfinum, the State Opera, Bertramka, several churches, etc.

Some tickets are still available. You can read more about the festival, see the program and find out where to buy tickets at festival.cz.

The weather was nice yesterday, sunny and pretty warm, so Jeff and I went for a walk in the Old Town. The Easter market on Old Town Square was packed with people who were probably as happy as we were to be able to stroll leisurely without having to dodge umbrellas and shiver with cold.

When passing through Ovocný trh, the square behind the Estates Theatre and Myslbek shopping mall, we ran into something peculiar. A multitude of tall, skinny, odd looking sculpture people was filling the center of the square. They stood motionless, patiently allowing live human beings to wind their way among them, stare into their faces and strike funny poses next to their naked bodies to have their pictures taken.

We recognized the sculptures as the unmistakable work of Czech artist Olbram Zoubek. As it turns out, the exhibition has been put up at the occasion of his 80th birthday, which falls on April 21. A selection of 110 sculptures presents Zoubek’s work from 1958 to present. If you think you don’t know who Olbram Zoubek is, just think of the striking Memorial to the Victims of Communism at the foot of the Petřín Hill at Újezd.

You can enjoy the unique open-air exhibition until June 4, 2006. I recommend it. Oh, and it’s free of course. Just don’t touch the sculptures.

Photos © jeffshanberg.com