Joe Mikulec collected 50,000 signatures, among them of six former American presidents Nathan Raab (USA) and Viktor Šimunić (Croatia) in Philadelphia in 2025, by the book in which Josip Joe Mikulec (1878-1933)…
Category: Entertainment
Marko Perkovic Thompson 2025 Zagreb: the largest ticketed concert in history – more than half a million people
The music of Marko Perkovic – Thompson represents the fusion of rock and folk, carying powerful lyrics that celebrate Croatian history, nature, and Biblical values. About 90% of the audience were young people. The stage was a towering structure 33 m high and 150 m wide, crafted by experts from Dubai. This was the greatest ticketed concert in history, surpassing Rolling Stones, Micheal Jackson, ACDC,…! Marko Perković – Thompson and his wife Sandra are blessed with five children.
Johnny Mercer, distinguished American singer, lyricist and songwriter, has Croatian roots on his mother's side
Among the best known of Johnny Mercer’s songs are “Moon River”, “Autumn Leaves”, “Days of Wine and Roses”, and “Hooray for Hollywood”. He wrote the lyrics to more than 1,500 songs, including compositions for movies and Broadway shows. He received nineteen Oscar nominations, and won four Best Original Song Oscars. His roots on his mother’s side are Croatia: his grandfather (Ivan Josip Čučević, i.e., John Joseph Ciucevich) was born in Croatia on the island of Lastovo.
Miro Gavran's comedy "The Doll" premiered in India in Shimla
The Doll is the story of an android woman, written by Miro Gavran. It has been premiered in the Shimla Town in India, in the Gaity Theatre. The theatre was founded already in 1887. The story was translated from Croatian into Hindi by Saurabh Srivastava. The play is directed by Kedar Thakur, and the main roles are played by Rupesh Bhimta and Yashvi Bhardwaj. Miro Gavran’s plays have been translated into 42 languages worldwide, and seen by more than four million people.
Oto Reisinger 1927-2016 distinguished Croatian caricaturist
The people of Zagreb remember him as a well-known and charismatic face of the city, who came up with his ideas every day, absorbing the city’s atmosphere by transferring them to paper, he gained world fame. His departure created a void that is impossible to fill, but the goal of the House of Cartoons in Zagreb is to make Oto’s spirit live forever. Except in Croatia, he published his caricatures abroad (in Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and Great Britain): in Quick , Nebelsparter, Panorama, Punch .
Anisha Rosna's father Ivica Adam Kalebic is Croatian
Anisha Rosnah, born in 1994, is the daughter of Siti Mariam Isa and Ivica Adam Kalebic, a Croatian, also known as Adam bin Abdullah. Her name is often written as Anisha Rosnah binti Adam (i.e., daughter of Adam), Anisha Isa Kalebic (containing the second names of her parents). She is very well educated, having completed the University of Bath in the UK. With this marriage she became a member of the Royal Family of Brunei. Brunei is the only sovereign state entirely on the island of Borneo. The remaining part of the island is divided between Malaysia and Indonesia.
PingPongParkinson World Championship 2023 Wels Austria
The PingPongParkinson World Championship 2023 has come to an end. What a tournament it was! New world champions emerged and former champions re-positioned. This was so far the most competitive world championship and with plenty of surprises. We would like to celebrate all players for their determination and congratulate the medalists who took the podium. Global PingPongParkinson movement was initiated by Nenad Bach, on the photo.
Mexican Mariachi music is very popular in Croatia
According to Fulanito Viajero (Mexico), the best ten Mariachi ensembles in the world (after Mexico) arrive from the following countries: Croatia!!! , Japan, USA, Spain, Slovakia, Colombia, USA, Cuba, UK, Poland. Top 10 Mejores Mariachis Extranjeros del Mundo! The best Croatian Mariachi ensemble is Los Caballeros , founded in 1998 in Croatia’s capital Zagreb. They were often accompanied by distinguished Mexican harpist from Ciudad de Mexico. Many thanks to Mrs. Branka Gudelj (Canada, on the photo), for revealing us this surprising facts.
Ana Vidovic incredible classical guitar perfomer and teacher
Ana Vidović, residing in the USA, was born in Karlovac near Croatia’s capital Zagreb, and started playing guitar at the age of 5. At age 7, she gave her first public performance and at the age of 11 she was performing internationally. She became the youngest student at age 13 to attend the prestigious National Musical Academy in Zagreb. In the second half of 2023 she will have solo concerts in Cordoba Spain, Ventura Ca, Girona Spain, Seattle WA, Copenhagen Denmark, Viborg Denmark. She is a wonderful classical guitar teacher, always ready to share her unique music experience with numerous guitar fans throughout the world. Her timetable of solo concerts is filled in for more than a year in advance.
Marija Miletic Dail 1934-2022 filmmaker from "Zagreb Film" Croatia to her "Animation Cottage" USA
Maria Miletić Dail started at “Zagreb Film” in Croatia, continued as animator in Canada and Hollywood, worked upward into the position of director and producer. She was interested in meaningful filmmaking using original ideas. Worked in own “Animation Cottage” studio with twenty artists on ABC network series of specials. Tried to keep all work inside USA. She lectured at UCLA, CalArts and CCLA on animation. For her film “Think Earth” she won Presidential award in 1992. Her husband Sukhdev S. Dail (from India, Sikh) she prepared a few films dealing with Indian themes.
Paul Bradbury: Life as a Croatian Postman on the island of Hvar
Of all the interviews and feature stories that Paul Bradbury has done on his Total Croatia News internet project over the years, few were as much fun as an impromptu interview with his local postman over a beer in the town of Jelsa one day in 2016, as he explained to him the incredible Dalmatian GPS system they used to deliver mail on island of Hvar, Croatia. Mr. Bradbury lives in Croatia since 2003. He has published more than two thousand articles about various aspects of culture, life and bussiness in Croatia.
Anthony F. Lucas the father of Petroleum Engineering entering into the history of cooking
Anthony F. Lucas (1856-1928), born in the city of Split, Croatia, discovered the first major gusher in 1901, in Texas, Spindletop. He is the father of Petroleum Engineering. An excellent illustration of the possibilities of this petroleum was provided at a dinner given at Port Arthur, Tex., in 1901 to the directors of a large producing and refining company. A special salad was served with some show of ceremony and, after the guests had partaken of it, the toast-master asked them for their gastronomic opinions. The verdict was favorable — unanimously so. They then were informed that the oil used on the salad was not a ‘ ‘Lucca oil,” but a “Lucas oil”.
GAVRANFEST in Augsburg in Germany 17-19 March 2022 in Sensible Theater
The thirteenth GavranFest will be held 17-19 March 2022 in Senseble Theater in Augsburg, Germany. It’s an international theatre festival with plays by Miro Gavran, Croatian writer. The festival selectors and organizers Anne Schuster i Sebastian Seidel invited five theatres from three countries, Romania, Germany, Croatia with theatres from Bucharest, Augsburg Munich and Zagreb. Along with theatre performances, there will also be a presentation of Gavran’s collection of plays in German called ONE DRAMA AND FOUR COMEDIES in translations by Tihomir Glowatsky, Ljerka Orešković Herrmann and Ludwig Steindorff.
Marinko Marco Radakovic to appear in the film "Don't Look Up"
Marinko Marco Radakovic (left) will appear in the new film “Don’t Look Up” an upcoming American satirical science fiction black comedy film written, produced, and directed by Adam McKay. It stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence as two low-level astronomers attempting to warn mankind, via a media tour, about an approaching comet that will destroy Earth. The film is set to receive a limited theatrical release on December 10, 2021, prior to streaming on Netflix on December 24, 2021.
PingPongParkinson photo-monograph by Warren Rosenberg with Nenad Bach, illustrated by Ignasi Blanch
This wonderful photo-monograph prepared is dedicated to every person who has Parkinson desease. It describes how playing table tennis can help each such person. Due to Nenad Bach, the PingPongParkinson has become a world-wide movement, as shown on the pages of the book. There are currently more than hundred chapters in numerous countries throughout the world.oran Primorac, Olympian and Ping Pong Parkinson advisor, said: “I’m honoured and intrigued to be part of this progressive idea that has the potential of helping millions of people diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.”
Radoslav Lorkovic inducted to the Iowa Blues Hall of Fame on October 17, 2021
Born in Zagreb, Croatia in 1958, Radoslav moved to the United States at age six. In the late 1990s Radoslav took his blues and accordian stylings to numerous Yupa ik Eskimo villages throughout SW Alaska. This memorable, mid-winter visit also included community concerts and class presentations in nearly twenty villages. Drawing from a multitude of influences ranging from elegant classical and jazz styles to the rawest, most basic blues, country and soul, Radoslav Lorkovic has taken on an unusually broad musical spectrum and refined it into his distinctive piano style. He has played with Odetta, Shawn Mullins, Greg Brown, Jimmy LaFave and others.
Toni Kukoc enshrined to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021
Toni Kukoč was, alongside with late Dražen Petrović, the best basketball player that Croatia ever had. Toni, nicknamed Cookie, was often compared with Pink Panther, due to his specific elegance in the basketball game. He was born in the city of Split, one of the most beautiful cities on the Mediterranean, known for outstanding talents like Blanka Vlašić (highjumper), Ivano Balić (handball), Dino Radja (basketball), Branko Cikatić (martial sports), Anthony F. Lucas (Antun Lučić, the Father of Petroleum Engineering), Marko Marulić (the most famous Croatian Renaissance writer), …
Happy Easter 2021 to all and to your dearest!
We present Easter customs by Croatian greeting cards from the mid-20th century (Zdenka Sertić – on the photo, Andrija Maurović, Zlatko Šulentić, etc.) to contemporary photos from 2021 (Snježana Božić). A variety of customs refer to Easter eggs, blessing of food, kissing of cross, etc. Most of the cards were provided by HKD Napredak (Croatian Cultural Society Advancement) of Bosnian Croats in Zagreb, as well as by Mrs. Snježana Božić and her father, who are using an interesting technique brought to Croatia by their grand-parents from Slovakia.
Yoko Nishii and Snjezana Bozic connection via Easter Eggs tradition
Yoko Nishii has published two nice videos describing in detail a technique for creating beautiful Easter Eggs, with elements of Croatian and Japanese culture. Her informer was Snježana Božić from Croatia, who learned this decorative art from her father, of Slovak roots (his mother is Marija Galko). Decorations include interlace patterns and Croatian Glagolitic Script, as well as elements of traditional Japanese art. Yoko Nishii had as many as 50 soloist concerts in 24 Croatian cities.
Sjecanje na Velu Luku a song by Branko Zuvela Dodo interpreted in Czech translation from Croatian
Branko Žuvela Dodo is the author of Croatian song “Sjećanje na Velu Luku” (Remembering Vela Luka), that almost every Croatian knows. Most of them think that it is a folk song. Vela Luka is a lovely Croatian town on the island of Korčula, where the author of the song was born. It is interesting that there exists a Czech version of the song (Krasne s tebou žit). This version was published on YouTube by late David Byler (on the photo), collaborator of the CROWN, who prepared the accompanying video.