Russia's revived Soviet music contest to take place in September
MOSCOW (AFP) — Russia will hold its "Intervision" music competition in September, organizers announced on Wednesday, after authorities revived the Soviet-era competition that was meant to rival Eurovision.
Moscow has been banned from taking part in the Eurovision Song Contest over its Ukraine offensive and President Vladimir Putin earlier this year ordered for the USSR-version of the contest to be held in Russia this year.
The Intervision Song Contest — mainly made up of the Soviet Union and Eastern Bloc states — was held in the 1960s and 1970s to rival the West.
Organizers said that Intervision 2025 will be held in Moscow's LIVE Arena on Sept. 20, promising artists from "various continents" and "unforgettable emotions."
The European Broadcasting Union, the organizer of Eurovision, banned Russia after its February 2022 offensive in Ukraine, meaning it cannot enter or broadcast the contest.
Russia has in previous years been a serious Eurovision contender, and took part in the contest since 1994, winning it in 2008.
Putin issued a decree in February setting out a plan to hold the alternative contest.
The Intervision Song Contest was held in the 1960s and 1970s, before being replaced by the Sopot International Song Festival, held in the Polish Baltic coast city of Sopot, and drawing artists from the Soviet Union and Eastern Bloc.
Alla Pugacheva, Russia's most famous artist considered as the country's pop queen, won the competition in 1978.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Korea Herald
3 days ago
- Korea Herald
Amsterdam honors its own Golden Age sculpture master
AMSTERDAM (AFP) -- Imposing but delicate marble sculptures of Graeco-Roman-style figures grace the vaulted corridors of a huge palace. But this isn't Florence or Rome. This is Amsterdam. As part of celebrations to mark 750 years since the founding of the Dutch capital, the city is unveiling from Wednesday an exhibition dedicated to Artus Quellinus, the 17th century "sculptor of Amsterdam." Virtually unknown outside Flanders in present-day Belgium where he made his name, the city has Quellinus to thank for the decorations on the Royal Palace that dominates the city's iconic Dam Square. Quellinus "lifted our sculpture to a new level" with a fresh style, Dutch art historian Bieke van der Mark told Agence France-Presse. Born in Antwerp in 1606, Quellinus sculpted with marble, as well as ivory and clay. His style, heavily influenced by Flemish baroque painter Reubens, was a complete novelty for the Protestant Netherlands, used to a more sober style at the time. His subjects -- mythological figures, chubby angels, and animals -- are perhaps a nod to the great masters he would have seen while an apprentice in Rome. "Like (17th century Italian master Gian Lorenzo) Bernini, he masters the way the flesh looks, and hands," said Van der Mark. "It's really fantastic," said the 46-year-old, pointing to a statue of the God Saturn devouring his son, whom he holds in his huge veiny hands. Organized by the Amsterdam Royal Palace and the Rijksmuseum, this is the first-ever retrospective devoted to Quellinus, displaying more than 100 of his works from national and international collections. "We spent quite some time to select and to collect, to bring together all these very special works ... to show Quellinus at his best," said curator Liesbeth van Noortwijk. "Because I think he's an artist that deserves that." "We dare to call him the Bernini of the North ... And I think this is no exaggeration," she told AFP. The decorations of Amsterdam's Royal Palace, built as a town hall between 1648 and 1665, remains Quellinus's statement work, with an iconic figure on the roof of Atlas bearing the world on his shoulders. Now, nearly 400 years on, the city hopes the show will raise awareness of the hitherto unrecognized "sculptor of Amsterdam."
Korea Herald
11-06-2025
- Korea Herald
SBS sets sights on Asia's version of Eurovision
Titled 'Veiled Musician,' the pan-Asian vocal contest to highlight regional talent and cross-cultural artistry Asia is getting its own take on the Eurovision Song Contest. Apparently, 'Veiled Musician,' an upcoming global audition show from leading South Korean broadcaster Seoul Broadcasting System, was made with the world's longest-running television music competition in mind. Featuring participants from 13 countries — Korea, Japan, China, the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Mongolia, Cambodia, Singapore, Malaysia, Myanmar and Laos — the show, slated to premiere later this year, will kick off with local competitions in each participating nation. The top three finalists from each territory will then advance to the grand finale, which will be staged in Korea. The show will be broadcast across major local networks in the participating countries and on SBS. Adding a layer of meritocracy, 'Veiled Musician' will strip away personal identifiers, such as contestants' faces and nationalities, focusing solely on vocal talent. The show stands out not only for its scale but also for its production setup. Unlike previous cross-border projects where broadcasting formats were simply licensed, 'Veiled Musician' is a co-produced venture spearheaded by the participating nations, alongside South Korea. 'In fact, there aren't really any broadcasters in other countries that actually do co-productions," claimed Kim Yong-jae, chief revenue officer at SBS' Prism Studios, the entertainment production division of the broadcaster, during an interview with The Korea Herald. "They've only ever bought the format. ... Co-producing like this is probably something that has never happened before,' Kim said. Kim, a veteran of the Korean entertainment industry, whose career includes stints as a producer and deputy head of SBS' entertainment division and who is widely credited with exporting the popular Korean variety show "Running Man" to China, where it became a megahit, is helming the production of "Veiled Musician." According to Kim, 'Veiled Musician' will serve as a powerful platform for cultural diplomacy and create music industry connections across Asia. 'If we do well together with this kind of content, it's an amazing opportunity to really elevate our national image. Also, the show's judges and contestants may even collaborate on producing an album. Our music market could expand as a result as well. For example, a song like 'The Way Back' (translated) could be produced in 12 different versions and exported, creating a powerful ripple effect,' said Kim. Kim emphasized that for him, a win-win structure was key from the outset. For Season 1, he said SBS is waiving format fees and offering financial aid to select nations. 'For the first season, we're essentially offering support. In fact, we're planning to provide 100 million won ($73,000) each to countries like Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines, since they (the broadcasting companies) are struggling financially.' Going forward, as SBS' head of globalizing K-content, Kim said he has identified Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand as key growth markets. 'Among them, Indonesia is the best — it all comes down to population size. For example, the Korean film 'Miracle in Cell No. 7' made 20 billion won in Indonesia." Kim is also strategically focusing on Myanmar, where Korean content previously held strong cultural sway. 'Before the coup, Hallyu was really strong in Myanmar. Why? Because they aired Korean dramas from Monday to Thursday right before the 9 o'clock news. As a result, a lot of young people there can speak Korean. And the country is quite large geographically, too." He added: 'Anyway, we need to move quickly and localize ourselves in these Asian countries — be on the ground with them. We need to support them, not just for 'Veiled Musician,' but also by helping develop their music industries while promoting ours. That's how they come to think positively of Korean content and Korea as a whole."
Korea Herald
11-06-2025
- Korea Herald
Combs defense seeks to show ex-girlfriend had agency
NEW YORK (AFP) — Sean Combs's defense lawyers on Tuesday began questioning a woman who dated the music mogul up until his arrest, and who has testified in agonizing detail that he pressured her into drug-fueled sex with escorts. In the initial hours of questioning, defense attorney Teny Geragos sought to demonstrate that the woman speaking under the pseudonym Jane had agency throughout her relationship with Combs — an attempt to show that what prosecutors deem to be sex trafficking was in fact consensual. The defense exhibited loving messages and voice notes the pair shared, and also asked Jane about her "jealousy" regarding Combs's "polyamorous" lifestyle that involved other girlfriends. Geragos elicited testimony from Jane in which she said she gravitated to men who were "successful." The witness, who told jurors she still loves Combs, also testified that at points she felt "very loved" by him, and that he was her "baby." Attorney Geragos spent much of the afternoon prompting Jane to read lengthy, lewd texts aloud. During the uncomfortable, painstaking process Jane repeatedly emphasized there was an "undertone" to the messages in which she felt compelled to write what Combs wanted to hear. Jane was largely calm and confident throughout defense questioning, but one particularly tense exchange saw her patience wane. Pressing her over jealousy related to the gifts Combs gave other women, Geragos asked her if he ever gave her a Chanel bag. "No, I only got trauma," Jane responded. "What is a Bottega bag?" Geragos then asked, referring to another luxury accessory that Jane had previously said she received from Combs. "I'm sure you have one," Jane quipped, before the lawyer asked her how much a Bottega bag costs." Jane clapped back: "How much does my body cost?" Violent outburst Jane previously told jurors how the final year of her relationship with the artist known as "Diddy" exploded into violence in June 2024. At the time Combs was already under investigation by federal authorities, and the now-infamous security footage of him assaulting his ex-girlfriend Casandra Ventura in a hotel was public. Jane, who began seeing Combs in early 2021, detailed how she had longed for a more traditional romantic relationship with him. But she said 90 percent of their time together resulted in sometimes days-long sex parties that saw Combs direct her to have sex with male escorts while he watched, even as she told him the encounters made her feel "sleazy" and "disgusted." Jane told jurors Combs paid for her rent at the time and still does, and he covers her legal expenses. She previously testified at length that she felt "obligated" to participate in the so-called "hotel nights" for "fear of losing the roof over my head" that Combs was bankrolling. A June 2024 date-turned-argument escalated when Jane said she pushed Combs's head onto a marble countertop in her home and began hurling candles — acts of "built-up" anger, she testified. Combs was livid: Jane said he kicked down doors and ultimately put her in a chokehold. She ran out, but upon return Combs kicked and punched her until she had a black eye and "golf ball" sized welts, she said. Combs instructed her to ice the injuries and prepare for a hotel night with an escort. "You're not going to ruin my fucking night," she said Combs told her. When she said she didn't want to participate, he stood closely to her face as he asked in a "forceful" tone: "Then is this coercion?" Jane ultimately complied: "I just felt like I wasn't even in my own body," she said. Sexual trauma When Ventura — who last month testified of physical and psychological abuse in similarily excruciating detail — filed her 2023 civil lawsuit that opened the door for a federal investigation, Jane said she "almost fainted." "There was a whole other woman feeling the same thing," Jane said. "I feel like I'm reading my own sexual trauma. It makes me sick how three solid pages, word for word, is exactly my experiences and my anguish," she messaged Combs, in text records read in court. The 55-year-old faces life in prison if convicted of racketeering and sex trafficking. Jane's story was not in the original indictment against Combs, but she was added after receiving a subpoena requiring she testify in November 2024 before a grand jury. Jane has not filed any civil suit against Combs, and testified she has no plans to do so. She is expected to stay on the stand through Thursday.
