Gradusy (Градусы; “degrees”) is a Russian pop band from Stavropol, founded in 2008. It consists of Dmitry Bakhtinov (Дмитрий Бахтинов, bass guitar), who organized the group, Roman Pashkov (Роман Пашков, vocals, guitar), Ruslan Tagiev (Руслан Тагиев, vocals, DJ), and Viktor Golovanov (Виктор Голованов, percussion). Their first hit was the 2009 single “Director” (“Режиссёр”), which was […]
Blestyashchie (Блестящие, “the bright ones”) is a Russian all-female pop group. It was formed in 1995 by the producers Andrey Grozniy (Андрей Грозный) and Andrey Shlykov (Андрей Шлыков), and their original lineup consisted of Olga Orlova (Ольга Орлова), Polina Iodis (Полина Иодис), and Varvara Koroleva (Варвара Королева). Its membership has changed often over the years—seventeen […]
Mitya (Dmitry) Fomin (Митя/Дмитрий Фомин) is a Russian singer, songwriter, and VJ on MUZ-TV from Novosibirsk. Mitya, the name he goes by professionally, is a common shortened version is full name, Dmitry. He knew from an early age that he would one day become a performer. He went to medical school in Novosibirsk first, though, […]
Office Romance: Our Time (Служебный роман. Наше время) is a 2011 Russian romantic comedy, a remake of the 1977 Office Romance, a highly beloved Soviet film directed by Eldar Ryazanov, one of the most popular and famous Soviet film directors. The film is about a financial firm led by Lyudmila Kalugina, a hard-nosed businesswoman whom […]
Pregnant (Беременный) is a 2011 Russian comedy directed by Sarik Andreasyan, who also directed Office Romance: Our Time (Служебный роман. Наше время). The film is about Sergey, a TV host on a music channel, who is skeptical of anything new or trendy. He and his wife, Diana—played by Anna Sedokova, a popular Russian singer and […]
A Kitchen in Paris (Кухня в Париже) is a 2014 Russian comedy. It is a sequel to the third season of the popular Russian television series Kitchen (Кухня), which played from 2012 to 2015 on STS. The TV series told the story of a French restaurant, the Claude Monet (and then known as Victor, starting […]
Corporate Party (Корпоратив) is a 2014 Russian comedy by Oleg Asadulin, who also directed Dark World: Equilibrium (Тёмный мир: равновесие). The film was produced by the company Enjoy Movies, which seeks to specifically make domestic hits about Russian everyday life so that audiences have viewing options apart from Western imports. In the filme, Igor, the […]
Loves Me, Loves Me Not (Любит не любит) is a 2014 Russian romantic comedy. In the film, Lyosha, a successful businessman, has just gotten engaged to his girlfriend, Alyona, his boss’s daughter, when he meets well-known journalist Irina. She introduces him to a new, exciting, chaotic life, and suddenly he can’t choose between Irina, who […]
Eight New Dates (8 новых свиданий) is a 2015 Russian comedy, the sequel to the 2012 Eight First Dates (8 первых свиданий). The film’s director, Marius Weisberg, was also responsible for the romantic comedy trilogy Love in the Big City (Любовь в большом городе). In the film, Vera, a popular TV host, and Nikita, a […]
Polina Gagarina (Полина Гагарина) is a Russian singer and Russia’s entry into the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest, where she placed second in a difficult, politically charged atmosphere. Gagarina was interested in music from her childhood, often giving loud, heartfelt performances to her parents. The turning point for her was hearing Whitney Houston perform on TV; […]
Ivanushki International (Иванушки International) is a Russian band founded in 1994 by producer Igor Matvienko. The original members were Andrey Grigoryev-Apollonov, Kirill Andreev, and Igor Sorin. The name of the group came about when, after they had performed under several different names, someone in the studio where they were recording a song said, “What kind […]
Stanisława Celińska is a Polish theater and film actress born in 1947. She graduated from the State Higher School of Theater in Warsaw in 1969 and began acting professionally even before her graduation, debuting in Aleksander Fredro’s A Great Man for Small Matters (Wielki człowiek do małych interesow). Her first film was 1970’s Landscape after […]
