Host's View
Who, I'd like to
know, is the PR guy for Australia? I mean, first there were the
Olympics. Now it's "Survivor Two," set somewhere in the Outback.
Ever since Crocodile Dundee, that country has captivated Americans.
Everything Australian these days is cool -whether it's movies,
beer, wine or slang. I think the country appeals to America's
love of anything larger than life. And Australia's laid-back,
apparently devil-may-care ethos doesn't hurt either.
Want a sure way
to make a lot of money? Take a page from those who have become
wealthy writing about a couple of places Americans love: Provence
and Tuscany. Move to Australia, maybe to the wine country outside
Melbourne. Refurbish a farmhouse and then write about your idyllic
life for an American audience. I thought Peter Mayle had mined
that vein out with "A Year in Provence." But then along came Frances
Mayes with her best selling book, "Under The Tuscan Sun," doing
the same thing-renovating a farmhouse and finding peace amidst
sun-dappled vineyards...only in Italy. Mark my words-Australia
is next. And if you don't go and write that bestseller, I just
might.
{ Rudy's View: 1999 Archive
| 2000 Archive }
