September, 2, 2007

A Tummy is Not a Problem for a Job

t.A.T.u. singers Julia Volkova and Lena Katina make their debut in cinema. They are playing in the movie Finding t.A.T.u.. Irina Borovleva visited the shooting location.

Following the Star

This movie is about how two t.A.T.u. fans - American girl Jenny Soyer (Shantel van Santen) and a girl from Russian province Lana Starkova (Mischa Barton) - got together and decided to find their idols. A big beautiful private residence in a gothic style at Rublevskoe Highway became a movie set for a few days. This place, according to the script, is the house of producer Max (played by MTV VJ Alexander Anatolievich). Everybody's getting boot covers at the house entrance. The floor here (as, actually, everything) is super expensive - you'd better not trample and scratch it.

One Plus One... and Plus One

Between the takes t.A.T.u. girls are changing their lines in the script.
"Len, listen. I would never say, "I like it very much". I would say, for example, "Yeah, cool, good job!" Right? What do you think?"
"Let's go and tell Roland (movie's director - TVweek)," Lena quickly agrees with her friend, because it's useless to argue with her.

Despite her pregnancy (Volkova is five months pregnant), Julia didn't gain weight much and swanks in briefs.

By the way, here on the movie set there are two pregnant women already. Actress Alika Smehova joined Julia. But while Julia's pregnancy had to be included into the script, Alika's tummy is hidden by chunky clothes.

It must be said that this doesn't affect actresses' efficiency. And in these two and half months of filming the movie Julia managed to have two tours. .

In English, Please!

"The director asked me to play one episode during the audition" - Alexander Anatolievich tells, "He watched me closely and was surprised - "Wow, your English is good! We're taking you aboard!" - and he cast me.

Movie characters will speak English and Russian. Some actors had to work hard to get this strong Russian accents. Actress Olesya Sudzilovskaya had the hardest time, "Why are you torturing me?!" She was almost crying, but honestly continued to work on the right pronunciation .

We will appreciate t.A.T.u.'s cinema debut next year. Producers promise the premiere in Cannes 2008.

 

September, 3, 2007
Hello to every-every-everybody!
Want to share with you my impressions from vacations. Well, I had a break for the first time in the last three years. Can you imagine how happy I am??? So, one: When me and my sister arrived, the first couple of days I could not escape the thought that I needed to go somewhere and do something (I mean, interviews, shootings) and every time I realized that in fact I do not need to, I felt so relieved. Finally I’m on my own! By the way, we went to Italy, to Viareggio, little resort town at Toscana Coast. It’s just awesome! The sea, the sun… Two: the day we arrived we went to see “Bohema” by Puccini. It was very interesting to listen to Italian opera… The next day we went to Florence. Guys, it is a wonderful city with great architecture! We saw a lot – baptistery (only from the outside), Cathedral Church, Signoria Square with its beautiful sculptures, Uffizi Gallery, but we were there not that long. We came 40 minute before closing time, but we did see Botticelli and Da Vinci masterpieces. It was just incredible. The paintings almost breathed. I’ve never felt anything like that. Three: I finally visited Pisa and went to Field of Miracles (this is just the way it is named). My god, this is just magnificent. The Tower of Pisa is a real wonder of the world in every way! How’s it standing? On camera’s screen, though, the angle looks smaller for some reason. I’m so full of impressions.

,And I’m not going to tell you how cool it is to toast on the beach and swim in the sea – you know it yourself! Oh, one more cool town Lucca. So little, homely. These tiny streets, this architecture – great! The town inside the town. There’s a circular square there that was an amphitheater in the times of Roman Empire… All in all, I’m happy that I finally had vacations, got some rest and wonderful impressions. Italy is an awesome country. Just go there – incredible fun!
Muah! Your happy and rested Lenka!

P.S. Oh, and what wonderful food and restaurants! Wow! I'll have to work out

t.A.T.u. Has Updated their Blog

In a week Ivan came back with an idea for a commercial. Since R&K branded it's computers Wiener in honor of the inventor of cybernetics Norbert Wiener, the script had this character - professor Wiener. Back then it was a true innovation for Russian commercials to resemble movies. In a few more days Ivan brought photos of the actors to cast main characters - a student and, well, professor Wiener. Three-four options for each character. There were no questions about the student: One of the actors, almost a twin of Jim Carrey, was cast by Shapovalov and Renski unanimously.

To cast Norbert Wiener was a harder case: Among the actors suggested by Ivan there was "a handsome man", a classic professor from movies of Soviet time and an ugly fanatic wierdie (it was unimportant for professor to look like real Wiener, it was not the case). Renski insisted on a classical professor, Shapovalov wanted the third choice. Finally Ivan, failing to find new reasons, said a phrase that later on he took constant advantage of - "...Just trust me, trust me..."

Boris decided that he trusted - and didn't regret about it when the video was ready. I do not know - and nobody knows - if it was good in influencing mass audience, but from the artistic point of view the video, in my opinion, was just fucking awesome. It was one of the first (probably, the first) of Shapovalov's masterpieces. The commercial that you're about to see became a very important step in the future history of creating t.A.T.u....

So let's watch the video. The offscreen voice belongs to the famous Russian actor Oleg Efremov. 

September, 4, 2007
Lena's vacations in Italy - New Photo gallery

September, 5, 2007


and heres video of Lena with her sister vacationing in ITALY !

September, 6, 2007

Hollywood actress Mischa Barton finished the shootings in Moscow

For some reason you immediately want to speak Russian with Mischa Barton. Blond hair, tender blush, big blue eyes - only a bit empty look betrays her. This is usual for foreigners who experience a language barrier. We talk in a trailer on the set of the movie Finding t.A.T.u., where Mischa plays the main character. Her character, a Russian girl from province Lana Starkova comes to conquer Moscow and after overcoming all difficulties becomes a famous singer. Mischa was also "lost in translation" and experienced some inconveniences. But it didn't spoil her impression about the country at all and for sure didn't affect her mood and her efficiency on set.

A year ago a "typically slavish" look of 21-year-old "The O.C." star was appreciated by director Roland Joffe, known to our audience for a movie "Vatel"; he invited her to work with him...in Russia. She agreed offhand and in just two months of shooting confessed that she felt herself "so Russian".

Mischa, by the way, what's the origin of your name? You've probably heard many times that it's Russian, but male.

It was my mom's idea to name me so. She just heard it somewhere and liked the way it sounded. My mom actually thinks that people with unusual name must have an unusual destiny.

What is your strongest impression after being two months in Russia?

Russia exceeded all my expectations. My friend warned me about cultural shock. But I didn't have it. I saw a country with an incredible culture and wonderful people. Russians are very patient and kind. I want to learn a lot from them.

And how about Russian men? Do they have any chance to win your heart?

I like Russian guys, they are very cute (Laughs) I met many attractive men in clubs, where my close friend invited me. And I won't deny that they have chances to get acquainted with me. Especially now, when I don't have a boyfriend.

Why did you decide to take part in this Russian-American project "Finding t.A.T.u."? Do you like the band?

Frankly I've never been a fan of t.A.T.u., but I got excited about the opportunity to work with them on the movie. You can't imagine how interesting Russian bands are for Americans. It's real exotics for us! I chose Roland Joffe's project also because it's an independent cinema. I don't want to be viewed as a "Californian girl" from "The O.C." show. I'm an actress who is able to play many different characters.

And what language do you speak with your partners on the movie set?

I tried to learn Russian, but, oh well, it was unsuccessful! My personal interpreter Lena helps to communicate and to pick up Russian accent. After all I have a complicated task - I must learn to speak English with Russian accent! Now I can understand some Russian expressions. Actually I like this feeling-at-home in Russia. I've recently moved from the hotel to an apartment on Stariy Arbat street.

Your apartment's conditions can be hardly compared to the hotel in Yaroslavl, where you spent two weeks. The conditions were probably "Spartan" there?...

Believe me, my Irish relatives also live quite a simple life. The only problem I had while staying in Yaroslavl is the absence of hot water. We didn't have it in the hotel for two days. But these difficulties helped me to better understand how Russians live. Actually Russia is a country of strong and clever people. And beautiful women.

Captions:

Hollywood actress Mischa Barton spent the whole day on a yacht sailing in cold water of Moscow Canal, where Finding t.A.T.u. was filmed. Moscow impressed Mischa not less than her character - Lana Starkova, who according to the script, came to conquer the capital.

"I feel myself much older compared to my age mates because I usually among older and more serious people on movie sets".

In a crowd on Kazansky railway station one could hardly recognize either a Hollywood actress, or just a foreigner in this pretty young woman.

September, 07, 2007

Exclusive interview with a man, who saw 99% of "Finding t.A.T.u." video pieces

September, 10, 2007

While filming Finding t.A.T.u. Mischa Barton found time for doing Teen Vogue. The background of this shoot (St. Basil's Cathedral, Historical Museum) shows that the photos were taken on The Red Square of Moscow Kremlin. The Movie Finding t.A.T.u. in October '07 issue featuring a story "Young Hollywood".

September, 12, 2007

Fairy Show from t.A.T.u.

The movie Finding t.A.T.u. created a stir long before the premiere planned in Cannes 2008.  August, 15 t.A.T.u. played a mini-concert that will be crowned with immortality in the film.

Lena and Julia not only performed their greatest hits, but also sang two new songs from the upcoming album - Little People and You and I. The singers were a bit nervous before the show. First, the closest fans came to the gig, and it is twice more important to be good. Second, it's always not easy to premiere new songs. And third, Julia Volkova was 5 months pregnant  - which is quite serious! She was  not sure for a long time if she should demonstrate her tummy. But both Lena Katina and Parviz (Julia's boyfriend - NEON note) said that it's very beautiful. So Julia's appearance on stage was so touching and at the same she looked sassy - as always. The gig was spectacular!

September,14, 2007

Lena in Italy / OK! magazine

September,17, 2007

The Reel Russia

Despite the movie business's reputation for waste and excess, there are few places more ruthlessly scheduled, more efficiently choreographed than a film set.

Unless that set happens to be in Russia.

On a recent morning in Moscow, the crew for You and I, an English-language movie directed by British filmmaker Roland Joffé, huddled listlessly around a candy-red Ferrari in the shadow of the Hotel Ukraine. The Ferrari scene was critical to the story, a coming-of-age drama about two young women caught up in Moscow's high life, but the crew's idleness was now stretching into hours. The shoot required a police escort that had been approved well in advance. But the Moscow city police on hand seemed bent upon giving the moviemakers yet another real-world lesson on the inexplicable, infuriating and often interminable delays endemic to Russia. The making of You and I, the third film produced in Moscow for a Western audience, has been awash with such cultural exchanges, Russian obliqueness grating against the time-is-money priorities of Hollywood. For the foreigner, Moscow can be a maddening place to do business, with a professional culture seemingly predicated on aggravation and obfuscation. "We have Western ambitions, but the process used to achieve those ambitions is Russian," says Joffé, the Oscar-nominated director of The Killing Fields and The Mission. "It's like being given Lada parts and being expected to make a Maserati."

Still, the film business here, like many industries in today's Russia, is booming, with the domestic box office growing from $25 million in 2000 to, by some estimates, nearly $600 million last year. Whether making movies for the Russian market or shooting on location for an international audience, Hollywood studios and talent are getting involved, keen to exploit local knowledge while helping to revive a system that once produced some of the world's finest films by directors such as Sergei Eisenstein and Andrei Tarkovsky. Soviet cinema collapsed when state funding disappeared at the close of the communist period. A great bulk of filmmakers migrated to advertising and television, which adjusted more organically to capitalism. The result was a tattered film industry: in the mid-'90s, Russia produced little more than a dozen feature films per year. Mosfilm, the oldest movie studio in Russia and the former center of Soviet cinema, is gradually rediscovering its identity. It has partnered with a grouping of independent studios and producers, welcoming onto its lot such outfits as the Moscow-based Russian American Movie Company (RAMCO), which is making You and I. "For the last 15 years, Russian movie production has been at a very low level," says Sergei Konov, RAMCO's general director, holding forth in his Mosfilm office. "Right now it's trying to renovate, but it's very complicated."

Konov and his partner, Leonid Minkovski, established RAMCO in 2004. With Los Angeles movie-world relations and political and financial connections in Moscow, they have attracted Western directors and actors to the Russian capital for the first time. RAMCO shot Silent Partner, a political thriller starring Tara Reid, in Moscow in 2005. The company also produced the recently released Captivity, with Elisha Cuthbert, which was filmed almost entirely on a Mosfilm soundstage.

Low production costs are a key incentive for shooting in Moscow. It's a famously expensive city, but cheap Russian labor can make a positive impact on the bottom line. "The unions in Hollywood are worse than the Russian mob," says Minkovski, who reckons it's 25% cheaper to make a film like You and I in Moscow than in the U.S.

That said, RAMCO is still working out the kinks and, so far, Russia's promise as a movie mecca has outstripped what it has delivered. Budgeted for around $10 million, Captivity nearly doubled in cost by the time all reshoots and editing were complete. And super-low costs can't make up for miserable ticket sales: Captivity has earned only $8.5 million in box-office revenue, Silent Partner went straight to DVD, and You and I has yet to find a distributor, though RAMCO hopes to release the film worldwide by next fall. As Konov and Minkovski wrap up for the day, several executives from Warner Bros. (which is owned by TIME's parent company, Time Warner) arrive at the RAMCO offices for an exploratory meeting. Nearly all of the major Hollywood studios have been sniffing around Moscow recently, trying to figure out how and when to get involved in an industry with a potentially massive upside. Twentieth Century Fox, which purchased the international rights to the ethereal Russian vampire movies Night Watch and Day Watch, opened offices in Moscow last year. Paramount and Disney are kicking the tires. And Sony, through its Columbia Tristar division, joined with several American investors last year to form Monumental Pictures, which is producing Russian-language movies for the domestic market. Monumental's general director, Paul Heth, an American, built the first Western-style cinemas in Russia. He and his business partner, Shari Redstone, the daughter of Viacom chairman Sumner Redstone, have watched Russian movies begin to reclaim their own territory. Hollywood films still rule Russian theaters, but a Russian movie has claimed the top spot at the national box office in each of the last three years.

Quality in domestic cinema is gradually reasserting itself. "There was a time when scriptwriting in Russia went away because there were no features," says Heth. Monumental has produced two movies and has four more in preproduction. Drawing on Sony's resources in script development and production has helped raise the level of storytelling and overall professionalism. "Russian talent is every bit as good as anywhere else," says Heth. "They just don't have the experience yet."

What Russia does have is money. Many in the oligarch class have achieved the kind of stability and self-assurance required to relinquish their much-guarded privacy and enter this very public sphere as investors and producers. Entering the offices of Igor Desyatnikov in central Moscow, visitors are obliged to pass through a metal detector, then withstand the menacing stares of several bodyguards. Desyatnikov himself sits behind a large walnut-topped desk, a colonel's sheepskin hat resting on a far corner. Desyatnikov made his fortune in the sale of a private bank in 2004, and he heads an investor group that is putting up roughly $15 million for You and I. He also acts in the movie, playing a rogue named Ivan. Desyatnikov has appeared in several Russian-language movies. He also fronts a rock band, owns a few dairy-products factories, and hosts an outdoor nightclub that features drag racing. "This is my first international experience," he says, running a hand over his shaven head. "I guess I'll never come back to Russian movies. For me, as an investor, it's not interesting. Any guy in the world dreams of being involved in American movies." This is the great exchange: Hollywood cachet for the right to till these new fields of Russian wealth. But the ground can be treacherous. Hollywood producer and consultant Robert Cain spent several years working in Moscow, and though he has hopes for the future, he has little positive to say about the current state of Russian moviemaking. "Russians seems to be good at bringing knowledgeable people to Russia and then ignoring every bit of wisdom they offer up," he says. "And corruption is just an enormous obstacle. A contract in Russia is essentially worthless. If someone decides to misbehave, you have little chance to bring a lawsuit."

Beyond the threat of corruption and bribery, there are countless examples of cultural disconnection. Steven Nemeth, an American producer on You and I, is a veteran Hollywood filmmaker who served as a producer on Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Dogtown and Z-Boys. On this, his first job in Russia, Nemeth had great hopes of engineering an environmentally friendly production. "I got laughed out of the building," he says. "They don't even have places to take recycling." The foreign director of photography on another film became frustrated with the Russian crew and resorted to ethnic insults; soon after, an object fell from the set and hit him on the head, convincing him that someone on the crew was plotting to kill him. Joffé, for his part, showed up to work one day to find that a building in which he planned to shoot had been razed. "You just have to dig in and take the system on on your own terms." Joffé says. "It's quixotic. But if it's not, then you're not making a movie."

At dusk one evening, after shooting has finished for the day, the crew and producers gather for drinks against the red-brick colossus of an abandoned beer factory. A white-haired musician in a Hawaiian shirt plays classic rock. "There is going to be a lot of competition here in the future," Nemeth says. "New money typically wants glory. And there's plenty of new money here. With all due respect to this great city and this great culture, the reason to make movies here - it's the money." Just then, one of the Russian grips goes over the edge of drunkenness, proceeding to attack a nearby parked car. Several of his colleagues attempt to restrain him, but the man is so large that it takes a dozen of them to tackle him to the ground. The grip continues his fight, and after 10 minutes, he is roaming free in his underwear, searching for battle. Nemeth looks on as all of this transpires. "Has it been tough?" he asks. "Yeah. Would I do it again? Definitely."

The big man is on the ground again, but he has the upper hand, flipping one of his colleagues to the blacktop and battering his face with repeated blows. Nemeth darts for the pileup, yelling in indignation, trying to break it up. No one else seems to care, and a Rolls-Royce, painted gold, cruises silently by the set.

September,18, 2007
All fan art moves to the special FanArt Blog!! We've decided that there’re much more possibilities for displaying your art in blogs, guys. All fan art already posted at the official site stays there as history.

Please, read this carefully! Only the best works created by t.A.T.u. fans will be posted in FanArt Blog. The only thing we’re asking you is to do your best creating new fan art. We stop posting stupid collages, photoshopped pictures, senseless cuts from t.A.T.u. music videos. Photo of Julia Volkova and Lena Katina with a heart in between doesn’t work anymore (unless it's incredibly beautiful)! Good fan art must be original and meaningful. Let us remind you that fan art includes but is not limited to drawings, photos, videos, poems, music, ideas, installations, graffiti…

When sending your fan art at info@tatu.ru, don’t forget:

1. To send your picture
2. To write 2-3 sentences about you
3. To tell about you fan art
4. To put in subject line - FanArt – your name

Every month we choose a winner and give a prize -cool stuf from shop.tatu.ru!!
September,19, 2007

Lena Katina (t.A.T.u.)

Miracle of Song's Rebirth

I got serious about remixes after we had to deal with them in our work. Before that I just listened to the music on the radio and didn't question myself if a song was an original track or a cover version. Many years ago, when our songs were not played a lot, we visited some club and heard a remix on Ya Soshla S Uma, which surprised us very much. That moment I realized that any song can be given a second wind with the right remixing.

Copy or Original

Remix is a secondary product and it is rarely as interesting as the original song. A remixed song sounds much brighter and more interesting when it's remixed by a DJ who already has his or her own style and who's able to make this remixed song a self-sufficient music product. For example, the new version of Ludi-Invalidi song made by Vanya Kilar is great work and is perceived as something new. I used to play this remix in my car for quite a while.

About Demand and Different Offers

Usually we work with DJ's through a record label that gets remixes from Russian and foreign professionals. DJ must fix all copyright issues and copyright usually belongs to a record label. But if an artist hears a cool remix that is already done, the remix has all chances to appear on the album. It's cool that there are many gifted arrangers and musicians in this field in Russia now. The important thing for us is the result, and we don't care where this professional comes from.

Who Needs Remixes

Actually any song can be remixed - it all depends on your wish. But still there're songs and artists that are self-sufficient and don't need remixes. The latter is true about real rock bands. Why remix "Chaif" or "Kino" songs (Russian rock bands - blog.tatu.ru)? Many remixes on t.A.T.u. songs have been made. Several thousands of professional and fan-remixes exist. We even have an album of remixes - it's a necessary thing in today's music band's collection.

 

Congratulations to t.A.T.u. fans Peru they have now made a month!!tATuluvers wishes you the best!!