Flying Emirates
As I mentioned on the podcast yesterday morning, I write a weekly column for the English-language daily newspaper in Abu Dhabi, The National.
I write about Hollywood, about the life of a screenwriter. It's often a more expounded version of my weekly commentary on the local NPR station here in Los Angeles -- which is sort of an inside view for local listeners -- but what I like about the National gig is that it encourages me to read actually read the paper, to read something else at least once a week, to break out of the NYT-WSJ silo that I often lapse into. It's an interesting and well-written paper, and often has surprisingly sophisticated international coverage.
And full disclosure: I only agreed to write the column because I was promised 2 things. The first, business cards with English on one side, Arabic on the other (I thought it'd be cool). And the second: at least one expense-paid junket to Abu Dhabi in one of the first class Emirates Air mini-cabins I've seen advertised in The Economist.
Neither one of those things has come to pass. But I'm patient.
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Comments:
Re: Flying Emirates
That was a very enjoyable piece - I'll try to get it some more eyeballs by linking at the cities blog I'm running. It somehow brought to mind the opening scenes in The Party, where they're shooting on location for a period piece and the director is furious that the Peter Sellers character is wearing a modern watch.
May '10
Re: Flying Emirates
Rob, I would pay the $10.50 admission price for any film that used Iowa City as Las Vegas.
May '10
Re: Flying Emirates
Isn't it time to cut the cord with these evil people? If anyone in Congress didn't get a promised junket, there would be a little rider on an appropriation bill within a month ordering the EPA or FCC to investigate the company that reneged.