They have approach this mysterious person, the “devil”, the “dark oracle” of Russian show business, in so many ways! There were odes, there were denunciations, there were lawsuits and even timelines…And there is nothing worth saying about what came out of the “yellow” press. So we decided to approach the issue in an original way: from an academic point of view. We took advantage of the fact that Ivan had the imprudence to appear at the master class of Artemy Troitsky at the Faculty of Journalism of Moscow State University, and began collecting material.

Ivan Shapovalov as an object of research is of particular interest. He is one of the most successful producers in Russia. But the project that brought him fame gained independence. In this regard, many questions arise: what will happen next with Ivan? What will happen next with t.A.T.u.? What is the fate of the newborn Podnebesnaya brand?

As expert investigators…excuse me, researchers, all the listeners of the “Musical Journalism” master class took part, and Artyom did not stand aside either.

We will give him the floor in order to define our object of research.

Troitsky
All producers operating in Russia can be roughly divided into three types: concert producers, music producers and myth-making producers. Ivan Shapovalov is one of the latter. Ivan looked at which niche in Russian show business was free, and thought that young girls could well occupy it, and that there must be a scandalous connection between them in order to immediately grab attention, distinguish them from the general mass. And then I remembered about the Swedish film “Show Me Lov”e. I suggested that maybe it was this film that gave Ivan the idea for t.A.T.u.

The film takes place at school. Whether it is a Swedish school, a Russian school – it is practically the same thing. None of the guys are interesting: they drink beer, play computer games. And there are two girls who would be friends with the boys, but they are bored with them. And all this by the end of the film pushes the girls towards their first kiss. At the end of this film, during the premiere, many parents began to cry, realizing that everything that happens on the screen is in how things really are.

Shapovalov
I saw this film…but after I made t.A.T.u.

Troitsky
How does a producer-myth-maker work with musical material without being a musician, harmonist, or sound engineer? How is the repertoire created, how is the product created: a song, a record?…

Shapovalov
This is all a myth…The repertoire is also a myth. Real myth-making is when people start to think that music, which I don’t understand anything about, is COOL!

Troitsky
How can you create the appearance of coolness and make people buy into this?

Shapovalov
A myth is an appearance of coolness.

Is Ivan Shapovalov a representative of the Producer species, the Mythotvorets subspecies?

Troitsky
Do you consider yourself a producer?

Shapovalov
No.

Troitsky
Is t.A.T.u. a produced project?

Shapovalov
It’s whatever you want it to be…

Troitsky
I want in to be a produced project.

Shapovalov
Okay, let it be a produced project.

Troitsky
You said that you don’t consider yourself a producer…

Shapovalov
I don’t consider myself at all. Nowhere. In no way. Never.

Troitsky
Have you decided to start creating myths right here and now? Well, what would be interesting for you to tell me about now? Don’t say you’re not interested in talking at all.

Shapovalov
If I hadn’t been interested at all, I wouldn’t have come. You ask – I will answer.

Shapovalov
Is there a definition of “producer”?

Troitsky
A producer is a manufacturer of a certain product, from the English word “to produce”.

Shapovalov
Then a cook is also a producer…

Troitsky
But we’re talking about show business, not about gastronomy or the automotive industry…answer the questions, look how many there are!

What is the role of artificial stimulants in the life of Ivan Shapovalov?

– Ivan, are you under the influence of anything now?

Shapovalov
I woke up today and have not yet smoked. The last time I smoked at 9 o’clock in the morning…

– Do drugs affect your creativity?

Shapovalov
What do you call drugs? Are cigarettes a drug? Are sweets a drug?

And Ivan woke up, as we managed to find out in a private conversation, not long before the start of the master class, at 4:00PM.

Are scandals the main or by-product of Ivan Shapovalov’s life?

– You really are a former children’s doctor…Have you already decided what you will be doing next? Creating scandals?

Shapovalov
What do the scandals have to do with it? What are scandals? Why is everything I do called a scandal ?! This is not a scandal. I do not feel that I am creating any PR stunts…It’s just that when you do something, there is no border for you, but for the rest there is – this is where the scandal begins. The scandal is where the borders lie.

Troitsky
So, everything that you did was absolutely natural for you, and you never thought that t.A.T.u. carrie
d some kind of provocation?

Shapovalov
No, I was just driven by teenagers, and that’s all …

Troitsky
So, Ivan Shapovalov just enjoyed communicating with two cute little girls at once.

Shapovalov
Why with two? Sometimes it was just with one.

Troitsky
Tell me, please, where did this whole lesbian theme come from? The girls constantly say that they are not lesbians, and the suspicion arises that the lesbian story was invented by you…

Shapovalov
I came up with a kiss, and then you called it lesbianism…

Troitsky
But what about the words: “I’ve lost my mind, I need her…”?

Shapovalov
Well, you never know what a madwoman can think of.

What happened to the t.A.T.u. project?

• Is the t.A.T.u. project dead?

Shapovalov
What is death?

• Well, what is death for you?

Shapovalov
For me there is no death …

What is Podnebesnaya today?

IS
In the last episode of Podnebesnaya, which I recently rewatched as part of my duty, there was a phrase that today is of exceptional importance for you. Today we are witnessing the birth of a new brand – Podnebesnaya This is true?

Shapovalov
It is ALREADY born! It has already entered the information space so much…

IS
And what is the relationship between the Neformat and the Podnebesnaya brands?

Shapovalov
From the point of view of public perception, these are not related brands. Podnebesnaya is a separate brand under which you can produce anything you want: cigarettes, water…

IS
Why did you create it? After all, it’s not as if you ditched three months of your one and only “immortal” life to give birth to an idea…

Shapovalov
It’s not true that I spent three months making a brand. It made itself. I just registered it…

IS What will happen to it next?

Shapovalov
We will see…here is an idea for a project when materials from all over the world are sent to Podnebesnaya, a collection is compiled from them, twelve tracks, and sent back around the world. And thus, the Podnebesnaya brand will be transformed into a musical format.

IS
What is the fate of those twelve artists who have already been selected for the first album? Will you continue to work with them?

Troitsky
Are they all different people?

Troitsky
Different.

Troitsky
And they have nothing to do with t.A.T.u.?

Shapovalov
Of these twelve, there is one t.A.T.u. track.

IS
“Zaschischatsya Ochkami”?

Shapovalov
No, another one.

What is t.A.T.u. today?

• Do you still have the rights to the t.A.T.u. name? i.e. can you make a duet: two boys or, for example, a boy and a girl, and give them the name t.A.T.u.?

Shapovalov
Anything is possible. But why?

• The second part will still be interesting to people …

Shapovalov
There WILL BE the second part anyway! What’s the difference what the name is?! In the case of t.A.T.u., these are two specific girls, specific relationships. They cannot be replaced.

Is a birthday a holiday?

IS
May I ask an intimate question?

Shapovalov
Let’s go!

IS
Since you are not the only hoaxer – Mansky also sins with this – I am very curious, although this is not my business – did you congratulate Julia on her birthday, even though “not a single camera recorded this”?

Shapovalov
You saw everything on TV! But what difference does it make whether you wish someone a happy birthday or not?!

IS
The difference is in the ostentatious change in the relationship between you. From a touching friendship to…

Shapovalov
Yes, I may even not even with you a happy birthday and I may forget about mine!

IS
So this not an indicator of a change in your relationship with Julia?

Shapovalov
Of course not. If we celebrate our birthday every year, then every year we should also celebrate the day of death, right?

Ivan’s relationship with literature

• How many books have you read in your life?

Shapovalov
A lot. I had enough. Why are you asking about books?

• I wonder where these thoughts come from…

Shapovalov
Certainly not from books. I had to read a lot of books to understand that there is nothing to understand in books…

Why is music more interesting than politics?

Troitsky I think that Ivan came here because I asked him to. I asked him because he was interesting to you. I would like to actually take the reins into my own hands and ask Ivan a few questions. Aren’t you bored with this whole story? After all, there are areas of creative activity that are no less interesting and much less energy-intensive than music?

Politics, for example…

Shapovalov
Music, as something that has no meaning, will always be more important…You see, what is more important is that which has no meaning. Everything else is subject to some kind of logic. If I don’t make music, then I don’t know what to do. Read lectures?

• If nothing makes sense, then does nothing need to be done?

Shapovalov
No, you just have to do what you want…Music helps with this.

What will happen next? – research prospects.

Troitsky
Are you interested in what you are doing now? What are you being pulled towards?

Shapovalov
Well, you see that I have come here, so that means I am being pulled towards Moscow State University…

IS
And then where?

Shapovalov
Then to Podnebesnaya

Troitsky
I believe that you are cunning now. About the fact that everything does not make sense, PR does not matter…It is very easy for you to say that right now. Since you, Ivan Shapovalov, are a legendary person, and no matter what you say – anything – people will think about it, they will figure out what it means…But remember what happened two or three years ago. Then you were really thinking about PR, thinking about creating a product, thinking about promoting it, thinking about contracts…You did all this yourself, and then you were absolutely sane, you were not in Podnebesnaya, but stomped on the ground, right? Tell me, what happened to you that you suddenly ceased to give yourself an account of your actions and be responsible for them?

Shapovalov
I just went further than you can understand, that’s all. I walk on the ground and went into there…Where? It raises questions…So I am answering them now. I got out of there.

Troitsky
You created a myth that now works without you, but you can, like such a dark oracle, blurt out something somewhere: one word, two words…But in fact, everything is spinning without you. Yes? Are you still participating in some meaningful process or not? Or have you already gone completely crazy and entered the place where everything is already spreading in all directions?

Shapovalov
Well, a meaningful process remains as long as you remain in this life…Life is a meaningful process.

Shapovalov
Schemes do not give people the same opportunity to understand the crazy, the scum, as they do to understand those who are in prison for life. How cab you understand them?! Schemes do not make it possible to understand these people and so society is isolated…I don’t understand this…

The study was conducted by Ilya Stechkin

Episode 13 – February 28th,

The Beginning
December 31st – New Year’s Eve at Podnebesnaya. Ivan Shapovalov is hanging out with Mankskiy and the girls, having fun and enjoying life.

New Year’s wishes from Manskiy:
“Happiness, health, love, new songs”.

Manskiy: “I want to wish that you record a new album this year, the coolest one in the history of mankind”.

The album, of course, will be recorded. And maybe in Podnebesnaya. But, alas, not by t.A.T.u.

Ivan: “Do you want to wish anything else?”

Vitaliy: “I wish that everything happens and I will drink to that”.

Julia: “Everything will happen, Vitaliy! Everything has ALREADY happened! We met. Now we won’t separate”.

Ivan about the freedom of the singers: “You are two grown up women”.
Julia: “And you are a grown up man. Happy New Year!”.

From January 1st on the 13th floor in Podnebesnaya t.A.T.u. was supposed to proceed with the recording of the new, second album. Instead, the singers are trying to explain the phenomenon that is their producer:

Julia: “Ivan is impossible to explain…”
Lena: “The relationship between us is deeper than anyone can imagine”.

The journalists are distracting from the work…

-Are you going to be part of history? Do you have such a goal?
Ivan: “That is a question for my descendants. I don’t make goals at all”.

-What is your relationship with religion?
Ivan: “Any religion is based on fear. It stems from the fact that there is death”.
Ivan: “If someone says “generally”, do not believe it! There is only here and now”.

-And what about the fact that the church condemns same-sex love?
Ivan: “It means a person who loves all people is bisexual?”

But everyone is convinced that the album will be released on time:

Julia: “March 13th our album will be released”.

On February 28th 32,127 letters with lyrics were mailed in.

January 17th t.A.T.u. In Podnebesnaya has started on STS. The main characters began to write a real life scenario.

At the end of January not one song has been recorded.

Julia: “I cannot sing today, it’s not my destiny”.

It seems that it’s not just today…
March 13th, 2004 – Instead of the new album you will see t.A.T.u.’s best hits. As events unfold, extra releases of t.A.T.u. on STS are possible.

To be continued…

Episode 12 – Sunday, February 22nd

There are 21 days until the announced release date of the album.

Regardless of the public announcement about the singers leaving Ivan authors continue to write songs and visit Podnebesnaya.

February 20, 2004 – Julia turns 19.

Julia celebrated her birthday with a small group of family members. No one invited her to Podnebesnaya…

Ivan Shapovalov: I wouldn’t get it if Julia invited me somewhere for my birthday…

A year ago Ivan gave Julia his portrait as a gift – “Something which you cannot be without”. 18-year-old Julia. Ivan struggled with picking out a gift for Julia: “I do not want to pick anything. And I am sure that she does not need anything except for expression of love. I’ll go and buy a frame and give my portrait to her as a gift. I do not want anything else. A computer – sure. That is a gift from Neformat”. I want to give her my photo. I have a feeling that most of all she needs me…It is hard to give gifts. Why? Maybe because I don’t love Julia enough? But how can you not love a person for whom you have done as much as I have. t.A.T.u. is a phenomenon. You cannot change anyone there. You can only part ways. To close the project. How can you change a child? For money? I have enough”.

This was a year ago.

After a year passed by Julia found her photo behind Ivan’s, which Ivan hid a year ago.

Julia (to her father): The way he gave it to me is how it should stay. Leave it alone. It’s his gift. I always worried about him…a huge thank you to him for making us into such a band. He is great. It’s a shame, of course, that everything turned out how it did for him…Dad, the ideas are all Ivan’s…He did everything.

On her birthday Julia was invited to a taping of a television show. A question arose: is Julia planning a solo career?

Julia: “We have a duet: Lena and I”.

In the studio the guys from SMASH wished Julia a happy birthday.

Yulia is congratulated even from prisons … And from her fans. “She talks to us like normal. We hang out with her…”

At Podnebesnaya Katya Nachayeva meets with the contenders of t.A.T.u. Ivan never called to wish Julia a happy birthday. In any case, this was not recorded by any television camera.

t.A.T.u. In Podnebesnaya has come to an end. The administrators of the Pekin Hotel officially notified Ivan Shapovalov about the need to leave the Podnebesnaya studio rented by him before March 1, 2004.

What will happen on March 14th? No one knows.

Episode 11 – Saturday, February 21st.

“If they don’t want to be here, they can sing anywhere else!” – Ivan Shapovalov invites Julia and Lena to sing the material that he has gathered FOR THEM after all!

On February 14, 2004, t.A.T.u. was invited to Singapore for the MTV Asia Awards. They are nominated for the Best Breakthrough of the Year!

Julia categorically refuses to attend the ceremony, Lena is preparing for the flight.

Julia: “20 hours to fly is insanity! You have no idea how much you torment your body! I absolutely do not need it now!”

To fly or not to fly? That is the question… Wouldn’t it be better to send a tape instead of yourself? Just in case, Julia and Lena are filming a video-greeting to Singapore.

Julia is annoyed by the need to use English in the welcome video: “This is how we are going to do it now: everyone speaks English so t.A.T.u. will speak English! I don’t want to say “thank you!” Lena: “Well, I will say it.”

Maybe the whole point is that Julia does not know English?

“Hello, we are t.A.T.u.! Unfortunately, for personal reasons we will not be able to attend this ceremony …” Julia’s line in the video.

At this time in Podnebesnaya.

Ivan Shapovalov gives an interview to Dasha Pushkova, BBC correspondent: What is happening with t.A.T.u. now?

Ivan: Is it interesting for the British?

Dasha: It’s still interesting.

Ivan: What’s going on with them? Well, there’s an album that has been recorded. It must be sung. There is some kind of delay in order to sing it. Parts of the songs are roughly sung. Parts are not sung at all. Why isn’t it sung? Ask the girls why they don’t sing! I think maybe they are resting…The album has been recorded – it needs to be sung. I mean, I can sing it too. What will they do next – we’ll see …

Dasha: Any other production plans similar to t.A.T.u.

There is t.A.T.u. … Why make something similar?

After long and painful thinking …

Lena decides to fly to Singapore.

Julia: “She really didn’t want to fly. Poor child! Just a mockery of the artists!”

On the way to the airport, Mansky talks with Lena. Vitaly Mansky: “Why are you going alone?” Lena: “How should I know? Ask Julia why she didn’t go! Vitalik, I beg you, get the camera off me, it’s annoying me right now!”

Following Lena’s advice, Vitaly asks Julia a question: Vitaly Mansky: “Julia, why didn’t you go?”

Julia: “Because I don’t want to. Because that’s not how it is done. First, we are not going, and then 5 hours before departure, we are informed that we are going. Why go there if you’re not in the mood.”

Neformat” appears at the airport. Almost as a complete team, announcing that Lena will be paid double for traveling: for Julia and for Lena.

Lena before leaving: “I will build my life! Everyone has pissed me off! My whole life was ruined!”

At this time in Podnebesnaya.

DJ Groove visiting Ivan Shapovalov demonstrates his new mix, which uses the girls’ lines that can be heard on “t.A.T.u. V Podnebesnoy”.

In Singapore

Lena behaves courageously and smiles. She is greeted by a crowd of fans. And she wants to go home!

At this time in the “Celestial Empire” …

…watching the ceremony.

Ivan: I am not yet decided which of the songs that I have selected for them that I will give to someone else…Well, perhaps I will sing some of it myself, in order to show them…

And he sang …

In the Volkov’s apartment…

…Julia gives Pasha a manicure.

In Singapore after the ceremony.

Lena: Daddy, Mommy…I am with you with my heart and soul, not in Singapore. I want to be with all of you. Yes, Julia, hello to you too. I know that you will watch this and feel sorry for me.

Katya Nechaeva in Podnebesnaya.

Katya Nechaeva: There is no point in leaving Ivan and continuing t.A.T.u…There is no rear…

Julia about Katya: She copies me as soon as she can! I really don’t like her!

Lena (calling in to Podnebesnaya): Ivan Nikolaevich! I am reporting the situation. We received the Best Breakthrough award. Are you glad?

Some are sorting things out, others are getting awards…

The TV project “t.A.T.u. V Podnebesnoy” has entered the home stretch. Shapovalov’s creative thoughts do not stand still…

The conflict between the girls and the producer continues. There are no new songs, no new authors. Lena and Julia refuse to go up to Podnebesnaya and meet with their guests in a restaurant on the 3rd floor of the hotel.

Among the guests, Artemy Troitsky was noticed, who repeated what he told us about the girls behind their backs right to them: “A production project cannot live long. In pop music, Lena and Julia have achieved absolutely everything. Now, in the place of your parents, I would send you…to the Financial Academy or Moscow State University….Build your career. There is a second option: forget about your lesbian legend and marry good guys. I would consider this chapter finished. “

However, Ivan Shapovalov, together with Lena, continue to work with lyrics. And the atmosphere is quite friendly.

One gets the impression that Ivan is quite ready to work, and the sing are ready…to be capricious! Both of them?

Julia Volkova: “I won’t scream anymore!”
Ivan Shapovalov: “I will scream …”

Enthusiastic fans came to Ivan Shapovalov with banners “Ivan, I want to have children with you!”

Julia was persuaded to come to Podnebesnaya for negotiations. To no avail. Negotiations are hampered by independent and objective reasons: Julia has serious problems with her voice. She even has to see a doctor. And now she is forced to say that “first of all she thinks of herself” in order to hide her weakness. The physical examination showed that Julia is better, the ligaments are already closing, but her main medicine now is silence…

So, Julia wants to work, but can’t?

Shapovalov is convinced that if the second album is the same as the first, it will not only fail to win a new audience, but also lose the old one…

Julia had a fight with the guard. Bodyguard Juris was fired after 30 minutes of working with t.A.T.u. without pay.

Due to the fact that the conflict between the producer and the group continues, the recording of the album is temporarily suspended. In episode 6, director Vitaly Mansky transferred the audience to Eurovision-2003.

In Episode 7, you will be able to see fragments of Star Chat from t.A.T.u. from Podnebesnaya! Maybe your question will be heard on the air! Do not miss it!

Saturday, February 14th. There are 29 days left until the announced release date of the album. The action begins in Podnebesnaya.

In this series, we were able to OBSERVE how Ivan Shapovalov, General Director of Neformat LLC, receives a notification from the singers of t.A.T.u. about termination of the contract. Ivan Shapovalov suggested “to go get wet.” To which his partner, Martyn Martan, said: “You don’t love the girls, but the girls don’t bloom without love…” Ivan Shapovalov: “Nobody is holding them back! If you want then sing, if you don’t want to, you don’t sing…What happened is gone. Love is shit.” February would have marked 6 years of Lena working with Ivan. Ivan Shapovalov: “Six months ago I proposed to end the t.A.T.u. project.”

Then we find ourselves in the office of the general director of STS, A.E. Rodnyansky. Alexander Rodnyansky: “A man made a band and he was dropped…” Alexander Tsekalo: “There was a lot for Ivan, now there will be a lot for the girls…”

And now – a complete exclusive! The action takes place in Julia’s bedroom! Oleg Volkov, Julia’s father: “The girls raised up the producer just as he raised them up…There will be a second, third, and fifth album. I have already spoken about this. But not with Ivan.”

Fathers and children…Whose word is the last?

Sergey Katin, Lena’s father: They are already old enough…But the producer is everything!

Maybe Universal will take a new t.A.T.u. CD?

Now we hardly know…But it is possible that Shapovalov was “shot” on takeoff. However…Some lawyers argue that it is impossible to break the contract with a notification letter…What will happen next? And will it happen?

Julia Volkova: A producer can only have one success. That is what my opinion is.

Ivan Shapovalov: “I don’t see t.A.T.u. with other members…”

Roman Trakhtenberg: “F* War” – I gave a standing ovation!”**

Ivan Shapovalov: “There are three albums in the works at once.” And all three – without t.A.T.u.

Roman Trakhtenberg told a joke about “t.A.T.u.” * :

• I did t.A.T.u. yesterday…
• Really? Where?!
• At home. Both…

Ivan Shapovalov: “This is the last joke about” t.A.T.u. “

Sunday, February 15th. There is 28 days until the announced release date of the album.

Vitaly Mansky recalls his trip to America. And Julia’s boyfriend is talking to Van Damme. Fragments from the film “Anatomy of t.A.T.u.”

Is your service both dangerous and difficult?
(Materials to help the investigation).

As practice shows, scandals concern not only the people TV …

“This week, a group of deputies of the Moscow City Duma sent an appeal to the metropolitan prosecutor’s office to determine whether the documentary film “Anatomy of t.A.T.u.” really contains drug propaganda. In particular, the representatives of the Health and Public Health Commission were interested in the individual statements of the duet members and their producer. In the event that the prosecutor’s office experts confirm the fact of drug propaganda, the STS channel, which showed the film as part of the “t.A.T.u. V Podnebesnoy” reality show, faces criminal prosecution. And attempts to compensate a small audience with a scandalous image will end with the suspension of the license. ([https://web.archive.org/web/20050427102706/http://www.rbcdaily.ru/news/market/index.shtml?2004/02/11/51103](https://web.archive.org/web/20050427102706/http://www.rbcdaily.ru/news/market/index.shtml?2004/02/11/51103))

To help our native prosecutor’s office, within the framework of the Star Chat project, on the STS website, we held an interrogation with the singers of t.A.T.u., Lena Katina and Julia Volkova!

**Let’s turn to the “transcript”:**

You are almost always involved in some kind of conflict …
**Lena Katina:** We are generally conflict-free 🙂

The legend about your non-traditional sexuality is no longer relevant?
**Julia Volkova:** Who knows about my orientation? How do you know about it?
**Lena Katina:** Oh God! This is my personal business, who said that I am gay???

So you like guys?
**Lena Katina:** Do I like guys? Ueah! I even have a boyfriend!

Do you believe in love?
**Lena Katina:** Yes, I believe in love!

Tell us about your bad habits.
**Lena Katina:** Smoking: I’m going to quit, but I’m not ready yet. But you all should quit! As a smoker, I beg you to quit 🙂
**Julia Volkova:** Quit smoking! I, for instance, have already quit!!!!

Do you drink often?
**Lena Katina:** We don’t drink often.

How do you feel about legalizing marijuana?
**Lena Katina:** I am against the legalization of marijuana!

What happened to Lena in Tokyo?
J**ulia Volkova:** In Tokyo Lena just overstrained herself.

What is your attitude towards profanity?
J**ulia Volkova:** We don’t always swear…
**Lena Katina:** About swearing, I don’t use foul language at all.

How do you feel about the gossip that is being spread about you?
**Lena Katina:** Gossip – we don’t give a damn.

What qualities do you value in people?
**Lena Katina:** Qualities that I value are the best ones like kindness, sincerity, understanding, honesty…

A few words to those who are worried about your fate and watching your life Podnebesnaya.
**Lena Katina:** Those who worry about the show – everything will be OK, don’t worry!

Based on materials from Star Chat.

Did you watch the show closely last weekend? Are you sure? Do you remember the last shots of the Sunday broadcast?! No?! Too bad! For the most forgetful, here is a reminder:

URGENT MESSAGE FROM PODNEBESNAYA

On February 8, Ivan Shapovalov received an official notification of the termination of the contract with him and the singers of t.A.T.u.

But what happened before that…In the seventh episode (February 7, 2004) Elena Kipper, author of the hit “Ya Soshla S Uma” and Ivan Shapovalov went down memory lane. And we arranged a Star Chat with Julia and Lena, where, whenever possible, we answered the most burning questions from the fans.

In the eighth episodes there are memoirs again. Memories of a failed tour in London. Artemy Troitsky joined the nostalgia on the third floor of the Peking Hotel, who t.A.T.u. invited over as compensation for the tickets he bought them for the first time in 20 years for a cancelled concert.

A.K. Troitsky about Ivan Shapovalov: “He knows very little about music.”

What will happen next? Will there be a continuation?

See this weekend!

And here is Lena Katina.
Ivan Shapovalov: I remind you once gain: t.A.T.u. won’t be on today!
Offended president: good evening
SOVIK: Hi all!
YuGoSlAvIa: whata fak iz going onnnn
LunaticGirl: t.A.T.u. said themselves that they seem to listen to Zema there
Yves: hi guys whats up here? tatu chics are here?
suzylux: my kneee is bruised and my lip is bleeding but i’m still her! 😀
=Kisa=: Hi all!
Dorgar: where are the Angels… hm?
vlado4ka: Hi, t.A.T.u.!
lukki: You’re right, it’s a complete scam!
A poet’s dream: To all: t.A.T.u. – V Podnebesnoy!
r.O.m.A: Ivan Shapovalov: are you real?
suzylux: here even
tatuecuador: is taty here?
blow69: I personally believe Shapovalov – why would he lie?
gal Т.A.T.U.! YOU ARE THE BEST!
Dahenzi: Ivan Shapovalov: who are you? are you Ivan Shapovalov?
Bondarev: Ivan Shapovalov: :))))))))))))
BOOMERsha: PEOPLE WHERE IS TATUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU
2djavolica: I wonder when they will show up?
Angel_ina: zdn: hello hello!
braziliangel: are they here?
Tatuchile: hi LENA, hi JULIA 🙂
Offended president: impostor
Lidochka: TATUUUUUU!
tatuecuador: can someone tell us please?!
2djavolica: I wonder when they will show up?
Anna09: Ivan: ty Ostap Bender, velikii kombinator? (Are you Ostap Bender, the great con man?)
Tom201184: anyone here speak english? or type for that matter
Red_Sakura: Ivan Shapovalov: and where did you get this information?
obana: Ivan Shapovalov: and why?
Vikky125: Ivan Shapovalov: How will we know that it is actually Ivan Shapovalov?
Aniki: guys, is Ivan Shapovalov here?
Drujnaya: And where is t.A.T.u.?
Big Bug(tm): HORRIBLE !
xwpalliance: SHAPOVALOV, WHERE ARE YOU?
Kotja: Greetings to all gathered chatlans and our special guests!
shpendik: t.A.T.u. why are you quiet? Fans are waiting!
LeKa2005: guys, as far as I know, the real t.A.T.u. have the inscription t.A.T.u. under their nickname, so don’t bother Ivan Shapovalov =)
r.O.m.A: A poet’s dream: where?
corduroy: Tom201184: i think it’s thier names
Mishka!: Ivan Shapovalov: Ivan, is that actually you?…stupid question, but still…
BelYI: Hello to all, will t.A.T.u. not be on?
tatuecuador: PRIVET LENA, PRIVE YULIA YA TEBYA TATY! (HI LENA, HI JULIA I LOVE YOU TATU!)
Lena Katina: Eves: everything’s great!
=Kisa=: Poet’s dream: WHERE?
Offended president: Shapovalov is an impostor
kokoszka: so tell us when they gonna be , tomorrow or something?
Lena Katina: Regarding Shapovalov – ours is NOT here!

Bondarev: Aniki: здесь все скоро Кипер подойдет 🙂
Tatuchile: HI LENA KATINA
xwpalliance: В ЧАТЕ СЕДИТ ЛЕНА КИПЕР!
raaz: Gde je TATU! Vsem privet!

Down the stairs, the host goes up
Recently, together with Sergei “Hermes” Ivanov, the webmaster of STS, have climbed all the way to Podnebesnaya itself! Those who do not believe can see the photo gallery. Among other things, we understood how to watch “t.A.T.u. V Podnebesnoy”!

So, Part 1. At the foot of Podnebesnaya
We went to Mayakovsky Square and there we were overtaken by an insight! In the first episode, the aesthetic viewer should look forward to meeting the heroines of the show. He must wait for this moment, enjoying the fact that every movement of the camera brings him closer to the idols. We, at least, enjoyed the process of the ascent to Podnebesnaya no less than the communication within. The feeling of participating in something big and new is as intoxicating as a “screwdriver” (alcoholic drink)! But more on that later.

Everything that happened to us, starting from Triumfalnaya Square, was recorded on a dictaphone. We offer you a somewhat ordered stream of our heated consciousness as an accompaniment to Sergei Ivanov’s photo essay.

Attention, the recording has started!
It is now twenty minutes past nine, we are on Triumphal Square and slowly but surely approach the holy of holies of the “t.A.T.u. V Podnebesnoy” project. Of course, the “holy of holies” in relation to t.A.T.u. sounds funny…In the Podnebesnaya forum, for example, they have already called it “Devilish”, in honor of Ivan Shapovalov. By the way, on the way here came across a whole two references to the project – at the exit from the subway and at a huge stand next to the Peking Hotel.

It’s snowy outside, but not cold. We, as it should be, are worried…True, Hermes claims that he is absolutely calm, but “I am tormented by vague doubts” about this. Still, it is very difficult to get used to the fact that there is an opportunity to look behind the TV screen and see what is really going on. We approach the entrance. The editor of the show, Tatiana Shavrova, should be waiting for us there. You, of course, remember her from the first episode. However, judging by the fact that the road is “not a fountain”, she has every right to be slightly delayed. Now I will attach the microphone and try to pretend that I have forgotten about it.

We are trying to find a camera that “flew” around the hotel, filming general shots. In theory, it should be visible from here. But, alas…maybe they were filming from a helicopter? It is unlikely, because it seems that helicopters are prohibited from flying in the Moscow sky without special necessity.

Later we found out that the camera had already been disassembled and was resting on the 11th floor.

The Podnebesnaya security officers loom menacingly at the entrance. Under their unfriendly glances a reasonable person feels as comfortable as in the crosshairs of a sniper eye…We immediately remember the opportunity to call Tatiana and find out our future fate. We call:

-We are at the spot!
-I’ll be there soon, in about five minutes…
-Okay, we’re waiting at the hotel entrance.

We now have five more minutes to explore the area. It was striking that the fans of t.A.T.u. do not swirl at the foot of the Podnebesnaya I wonder why? Few fans or bad weather?

Several days passed and the fans appeared…And they staged a whole rally in support of…Ivan Shapovalov! See details in new episode of “t.A.T.u. V Podnebesnoy”!

Part 2. The Ascent

Tatiana drove up. And very much in time supplied us with magic paper-passes, otherwise the security service would definitely tries to punch our teeth in…We passed the first hallway and calmed down…But in vain! On the way, in the elevator, it turned out that Joseph Kobzon had come to visit. Didn’t wait for anyone and…

But the elevator has already carried us to the 11th floor, the threshold of Podnebesnaya. Here is…Another security post, and behind it – the first mystery of the filming process – the studio, it is also the control room. Vitaly Mansky’s creative laboratory.

A few days later we repeated the ascent to Podnebesnaya, this time accompanied by Mansky himself and without the slightest of romance. We had a job – preparing the Star Chat with t.A.T.u. and we coped with it successfully!

We were introduced to the team, were called intermultimedia-ers and were sent to freely bread, to survey the technical space. We see boxes…Many boxes with letters and parcels of lyrics, CDs and cassettes. Ones that have been read and listened to. And those that have just been brought in. We could not resist – we ceased the process of giving them an initial listen. Take a look! And we, so naive, thought that we had a lot of material…

Podnebesnaya is visible in the control monitors. There is a recording. “Screaming, squealing and screeching,” as someone around commented. And we get deported from heaven to earth for another half hour, to a bar on the first floor. But before that, we manage to find out the details about the fate of the camera. The one that was used filmed the outside of Podnebesnaya. It turns out that it was installed on a platform that rode across the balcony. A balcony surrounds the entire floor. Now the disassembled camera is resting here.

We discuss strategy and tactics in the bar. Everyone is poisoned in their own way.

On the way back we lose our passes, write up new ones. And, without stopping this time on the 11th floor, we immediately find ourselves on the 13th, in Podnebesnaya.

Part 3. Inside Podnebesnaya

We are in a huge white room. It can be conditionally divided into three parts – a working platform (the one on which Ivan Demyan sang songs in the first episode), a resting corner (this is where Bogdan Titomir sat when Demyan sang) and a bar – the place that is usually not show. We get settled in Bogdan’s place. He is not in today, but Demyan is. He sits there and drinks…Apparently, tea, because all the bottles look depressingly empty.

Julia has finished recording and is walking towards us. Lena is just starting to work. We have a difficult task ahead – to sign the first nine T-shirts – prizes for the winners of online contests. And, if possible, chat with the girls about life and love…on the Internet. Well, also give the first batch of lyrics that came to us by e-mail.

Later, during the next visit to Podnebesnaya, we handed over four more CDs with audio tracks.

The branded “t.AT.u. in Podnebesnaya” t-shirts, inside of Podnebesnaya, are being used with exceptional success! So for the fans of t.A.T.u. there is one more reason to compete for prizes by participating in online contests!

While Julia was looking for kefir, Lena finished recording and joined us. But at that moment Julia ran away. She is cuddeling with ****this has been censored for reasons of preserving the image of the duet.

Lena is drinking tea. And cries about a slight coldsore.

-I woke up this morning, and I have a coldsore on my lip. *-And what time is morning? -*For me 1AM – this is the morning. -And how many hours did you work? -Until half past twelve…

She asks not to take pictures of her. We console her as much as possible, give her a t-shirt.

-Oh, thank you very much! *-It’s my pleasure… -*Is there a smaller one? -Unfortunately, only two sizes were printed…(guilty). -Well then – this is a new nightie! (threateningly). -Agree, not the worst application… -Still, you should have made smaller ones…

Julia’s phone rings. Andres from Berlin. And she’s busy again. Ivan Shapovalov crawls out to the table. He also has a smoke break. In the literal sense of the word. It devolops into a light tea and sausage dinner.

Julia returns. There is a chance that now we will know how t.A.T.u. feel about the internet.

-Lena, how do you feel about the internet? -Lena: Me?! I don’t feel any way! I’m not friends with a computer, I don’t even know how it turns on…No, I, of course, know how it turns on, but I’m clearly not friends with it! -Julia: And I learned here! When I was searching for cars. I myself was looking for a car on the internet. -Lena:I can only download pictures there. This I can do! They connected a wire for me, I connect a digital camera to it and they are downloaded for me… -Have you tried to communicate on the Internet? -Together: Why is that necessary?! -Lena: In general, my head hurts from the computer, and it hangs right in front of me. -Hermes: A mutual dislike… -Lena: I don’t like computers, I cannot stand them! -What about studio computers? -Lena: Do you think I’m looking there?

I wonder how our computers will survive the meeting with Lena and Julia? I would like to believe that without consequences…But if anything – forgive me generously!

Ilya “PistoletOFF” Stechkin

Девок мне жалко, продюсера мне жалко…

I feel bad for the girls, I feel bad for the producer…

Several idle thoughts on the “t.A.T.u. V Podnebesnoy” project and the future destiny of the duet were shared, while walking, ONLY for our website, by the famous musical critic A.K. Troitsky:

“I feel very bad for t.A.T.u.”. These are two young girls, who were used first by a domestic producer and then by a Western record company. The Western record company, as it seems to me, has already written them off. And the big international career has come to an end. Since their producer does not have anyone left who he can make money on, he will do everything he can to prolong their local agony, which is what they are, in fact, doing in “t.A.T.u. V Podnebensoy”.

I do not think the agony will last long… So I feel bad for the girls, I feel bad for the producer… You always feel bad for a person whose main event in life took place at a time when they were still very young. This is fraught with suicide. Because when your whole life becomes an echo of your own wild adolescence, it is, of course, unpleasant for an adult.

What is Podnebesnaya?
Silently and simply, Heaven rules the world, manifesting itself in rain and sunshine, heat and cold, the breath of the wind and the change of seasons. Heaven takes care of the people of the Celestial Empire (Podnebesnaya) and takes part in their fate through the natural course of nature. Heaven expresses its will in the voice of the people, overthrowing bad rulers and exalting the worthy.

Our reference: traditionally, “Podnebesnaya” is the name for China. Beijing is the capital of Podnebesnaya. The STS channel and t.A.T.u. are breaking traditions! Our Podnebesnaya is the penthouse of the “Peking” hotel in the very center of the Russian capital!

Creativity
What is creativity? The sages of the Celestial Empire teach this: heaven above, heaven below. The deepest success. It comes through persistence (Book of Changes).

Virtue
Kun Fu-tzu (Teacher Kun, known to European readers under the name Confucius), one of the greatest sages of the Celestial Empire, named five simple and great virtues that underlie the order and harmony in people’s lives:
Ren – humanity, mercy, kindness.
Yi – loyalty to duty, integrity, honesty.
Li – tact, courtesy, balance, etiquette.
Xiao – filial piety and respect for an elder brother.
Zhi – wisdom, knowledge, intelligence.

These are the qualities that a junzi (noble man) should have. We are about to find out what virtues the young ladies of the Celestial Empire should have!

The noble man is opposed by a petty man. This is a man who neglects public interests in the name of personal ones. This is a man who cannot go beyond his selfish material interests, and thus violates the general order, violates the law of Heaven (Tao). The Celestial Maidens are opposed by… The Russian band t.A.T.u.

Благородному мужу противостоит мелкий человек. Это человек, пренебрегающий общественными интересами во имя личных. Это человек, который не может выйти за грань своих эгоистических материальных интересов, и этим нарушающий всеобщий порядок, нарушающий закон Неба (Дао). Девицам Поднебесной противостоит… Российская группа «T. A. T. U.»!

Management
How should the Celestial Empire be governed? “Management should be done by honoring the five excellent qualities and eradicating the four vile ones.”

Five excellent qualities: “A noble man is not extravagant in kindness; in forcing to labor, he does not provoke anger; in desires, he is not greedy; in greatness, he is not proud; in commanding respect, he is not cruel.”

Four disgusting qualities: “If you kill people instead of educating them, that is called cruelty. If you fail to warn them and then express dissatisfaction after seeing the results, that is called rudeness. If you insist on finishing work quickly after first giving instructions to take your time, that is called robbery. If you promise a reward but are stingy in giving it, that is called greed.”

A Team
Family and team are of paramount importance in the Celestial Empire, nowhere else expressed to such a degree.

Wisdom of the Celestial Empire
The natural order of things is the natural order of nature. Just as nature controls the sun and the moon, rain and snow, the changing of the seasons, so should people build their relationships with each other. The relationship between human nature and the way of Heaven. Harmony connects man with the cosmic processes of life and creation. The harmony of yin and yang, as the unity of two principles that fills and penetrates each other: male and female, light and darkness. Ritual transforms the human heart prone to error. The unity of the world, which is like a perfect family. The whole world is a family. Wisdom gives man the opportunity to live in harmony with the world. The wisdom of the ancients is embedded in tradition, and following it is the acquisition of wisdom. “I state the old and do not create the new.” It is not one’s own thought that is the basis of understanding, but what is heard, absorbed and conveyed in the spoken word.

Naturalness
Natural naturalness and its sacredness, the education of an official and his place in a large patriarchal family define the entire everyday logic of life. People’s behavior must correspond to the natural order. Rulers must set an example for their subjects. The idea of ​​consent – decisions of the majority, condemnation should be avoided. The decision should be made as if by itself, no one should lose face. Education and persuasion, not violence and power. The duty of everyone is to strive for agreement and, in the name of agreement, forget about themselves in the interests of all, and not insist on their own. The core of life is the family with the almost absolute power of the head of the family and filial piety of children, with the hierarchy of seniority prevailing. The community and the state should follow the same order and try to avoid interfering with the established order of things. The status (rit) of each person determines his place in the community, and he must strictly follow it.

Hotel Peking
One of the largest in Moscow, located on one of the central squares of Moscow – Triumfalnaya, at the intersection of Tverskaya Street and the Garden Ring. Across from the hotel is one of the oldest cinemas, Khanzhonkov’s House, and to the right is the P.I. Tchaikovsky Concert Hall, the Satire Theatre, and the Mayakovsky Theatre. Two minutes walking are Patriarch’s Ponds, celebrated by Mikhail Bulgakov in his novel “The Master and Margarita”, and his house with the famous apartment .50. Next to the hotel is the Mayakovskaya metro station, which is considered by many to be the most beautiful station of the Moscow metro. The hotel has 120 rooms of various comfort categories, capable of satisfying the most sophisticated needs. There are suites on a separate floor. The other floors are dominated by cozy and spacious European-standard rooms at affordable prices. High ceilings, marble staircases, parquet floors, and pure wool carpets define the style of discreet aristocracy, strict order, and soft comfort that has been characteristic of this hotel for many years.

The Rules of the Podnebesnaya Guest
A guest of the Peking Hotel is obliged to comply with fire safety rules (It is forbidden to use kettles, heaters, etc. in the rooms), keep the hotel property intact, and not invite guests: if it is a double room, then there should be two people in it, no more!

The attendants on the floors carefully check the rooms after guests have checked out. In case of damage to property or other violations of the hotel rules, the guest is obliged to pay a fine.
A visitor to the Peking Hotel may be denied accommodation if he is blacklisted, i.e. was caught violating the rules during one of his previous visits to the hotel, as well as in the event of a lack of vacancies.

January 17th on channel STS – the first episode of the cult realty show “t.A.T.u. V Podnebesnoy”.

The “t.A.T.u. V Podnebesnoy” project is thought of as aesthetic, glamorous, modern and also shocking in its honesty.

The basis of the project will be a fusion of a real high-quality “documentary”, which can be compared to a multi-hour video clip (with magnificent shots, numerous rapid-fire scenes, live music) and filming in a “home video” style. Many scenes of the project may seem ambiguous and contradictory. However, this is exactly the atmosphere inside the t.A.T.u. collective – working, partying, democratic, stressful, relaxed – in other words, the life of the group in all its manifestations.

In the “t.A.T.u. V Podnebesnoy” project, the line between a real reality show and a documentary is very shaky. And since the direction and filming process is led by one of the best documentary filmmakers in Russia, Vitaly Mansky, the style, artistic aesthetics and imagery of the project are predetermined.

Vitaly Mansky was born in 1963 in Lviv. In 1982 he entered the VGIK, a workshop of S.E. Medynsky – one of the most famous documentary filmmakers in Russia. He made his debut in cinema in 1989 and has since made 23 films. His films have participated in more than two hundred international film festivals, including forums in Cannes, San Sebastian, Oberhausen, San Francisco, Locarno, Amsterdam, Munich, Montreal, Turin, Tampere, Krakow, Yamagata, Sheffield, Rio de Janeiro, etc. Mansky’s films have been awarded more than 30 prizes. Among them are the European Prize for New Documentary Films, established by the Eurochannel SAT, the winner of the Silver Dove of the Leipzig Festival, the prize for directing (Locarno), Prix court metrage vision du reel – Nyon, Golden Spire in San Francisco, the diploma of the Prize of Europe, the Silver Centaur in St. Petersburg, the prize of the European film clubs “Don Quixote”, nominated three times for the Russian Film Academy “Nika” Laureate of the national prize Laurel Branch and the Prize of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation.

His films have been shown on leading TV channels in Russia, France, Finland, Germany, Italy, Denmark, Sweden, Israel, Norway, Australia, Switzerland and other countries. Since 1995, Vitaly Mansky (together with Natalia Manskaya) has begun implementing a unique project that includes collecting, processing and archiving film footage shot outside state channels between 1950 and 1991 using amateur cameras.

Since 1996, Vitaly Mansky has been popularizing documentary films on television. Over the years of his creative work, Mansky has established himself as a director of scandalous films. His film “Lenin’s Body” (1992) caused hysteria with details of the care of the leader’s mummy. The film “Cuts from Another War” (1995) shocked by the fact that scenes from a porn film were edited into scenes of the war chronicle. However, scandals brought him considerable fame.

The top floor of the five-star Peking Hotel was rented especially for the filming of the project “t.A.T.u. V Podnebesnoy”. The simple hotel premises were rebuilt into fashionable apartments – an apartment and a studio at the same time, from the windows of which a stunning view of Moscow opens up.

On January 17th and 18th, you will see the first two episodes of the project. Ordinary people come to visit the legendary t.A.T.u., bringing their human stories, their poems and their music. The atmosphere, thanks to the generally leisurely mood of the project, is reminiscent of a Buddhist theater, in which the meditative life and work process is diluted with the pilgrimage of numerous aspiring poets and composers. In front of the camera, they talk about life, politics, eternal values ​​- about love, friendship, the meaning of life and other global humanitarian problems. And after all this, they perform their masterpieces. Some of these eccentrics will be luckier!

In the following episodes, you will find out how the girls celebrated the New Year, how they performed a tour program in Tokyo. The famous TV presenter Marianna Maksimovskaya will come to Podnebesnaya, to whom Lena and Julia will openly tell about their political orientation and how they will govern the country in the event of winning the elections.

You will also meet the main person of the project – the producer of the band, Ivan Shapovalov. Without his talent, there would be no t.A.T.u., no “t.A.T.u. V Podnebesnoy” project, no resounding success all over the world, and Julia Volkova and Lena Katina would be simple Moscow schoolgirls. At the beginning of his career, Ivan Shapovalov was quite a successful child psychologist, worked in political PR and PR in various large companies, including foreign ones. But conveyor work and standardized working hours did not provide the required creative realization and did not correspond to Ivan’s rich potential. And he found himself and earned multi-million dollar capital only in show business, which, by the way, he entered practically from scratch: with his own $300, he held a casting and selected Lena Katina for his local star factory.

Ivan Shapovalov’s numerous philosophical remarks will constantly fuel interest in the main mystery: how did a seemingly ordinary person manage to create such a dynamic project as t.A.T.u. A project that, for the first time in Russian history, conquered the West and earned millions of dollars. A project that became a debut and iconic in the history of the entire Russian show business.

The result of the joint work of Shapovalov and Mansky should be dizzying, considering that the producer of t.A.T.u. has prepared delicious, rich material for the gourmet director.

What is the meaning of the event called “t.A.T.u. V Podnebesnoy”?

At the beginning of December, the legendary t.A.T.u. began working on a new album. But this time, the mystery will appear right before your eyes! Several cameras will follow the creative process so that everyone can finally find out how world hits, popular groups and real stars are made.

In the very center of Moscow, on Triumfalnaya Square, high in the sky, in the real Podnebesnaya, a new album of the most hyped, most popular and most scandalous group from Russia will be recorded! And you will finally be able to learn all the musical secrets.

What kind of hits await fans of t.A.T.u.? The main feature of the new album is that in their work t.A.T.u. will use songs of unknown composers. Moreover, this still unknown composer can be anyone, provided that he is capable of writing a world hit.

In real time, the singers and the producer will evaluate the works of musical art sent to them and select the best. In order for the song to reach the band, it must be recorded and sent to: Podnebesnaya, 12300, Moscow, or sent through a special form on our website. Follow the course of events in Podnebesnaya, and you will find out which songs will be selected and, accordingly, who is at risk of receiving millions earned by their own creativity.

It is planned that in addition to composers thirsty for fame and money, ordinary stars of the Russian stage will also come to visit the girls and their restless producer, Ivan Shapovalov. After all, it is so interesting to chat over a cup of tea, discuss the latest show business news, gaze from a bird’s eye view at Moscow and see with your own eyes that world hits and world stars are still born in Russia! Here! Right before your eyes!

Do not miss it!