Retrospective: How Indie is Qatar Airways?!

Contrary to the prim apearance of these cabin crew, Qatar Airways is actually down and hip. Maybe not with regard to aesthetics, but certainly when it came to their inflight entertainment. Their available 'Best Albums Ever' collection could have been plucked staight from pitchfork.com - including such greats as 'Is This It?' by the Strokes, several Radiohead and Blur releases, more than one Beck album, 'Melody A.M.' by Royksopp and an album 'Welcome to Mali' released by West African sensations Amadou & Mariam (their song 'Sabali' is #15 on pitchfork's best tracks of 2008, they were earlier produced by Manu Chao and now Damon Albarn - aka hottest man alive - has his fingers in their pie. AND I had never heard of them - thanks Qatar).

Apart from addressing my numerous shortfalls in music knowledge, I also spent many hours watching films and television. Copying Jenna, I have rated the shows/ movies.

• The American Office - I
• Flight of the Conchords - I
• The Doha Debates - *****
• Vicky Cristina Barcelona - ****
• Nine to Five - *****
• Mamma Mia! - ******

I = Irrevelant. You all already know it.

***** = fantastically entertaining and awesome. May I make a special mention of Nine to Five starring: Dolly Parton, Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda. First of all - best casting ever, and secondly - most hilarious, insane, third-wave feminist film I have seen in my life.

**** = entertaining and interesting. Woody Allen's new film with, of course, Scarlett Johannsen. Also: Penelope Cruz. Now, these are two actresses with whom I am not enamoured (especially Cruz who is beautiful but stupid) but this was actually good (and embarrassingly filled with steamy sex scenes... I kept thinking I caught people looking at my screen).

****** = so bad it's good. Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan singing ABBA songs to eachother. In Greece.

So if you are taking an indie sweetheart on a trip overseas and are afraid of them spending the entire 15 hour flight scoffing at the lame music and film choices available, safe yourself an earache and book a flight with Qatar. But remember: skinny jeans are not sensible wear for flights longer than two hours. I wore: grey tights and my cute green puff dress from Hanoi.

xo.

p.s. Photos/ rants/ etc coming up about Germany.

p.p.s. Big question: Is it that Qatar Airways is hip or is it that we are getting so old that we are now the 'young professionals' that major corporations are aiming at? Are we the new powerful group? Will airlines soon be playing the soft sounds of Sufjan Stevens while we board the plane?!

A terrifying thought.