"Novaya Gazeta No 30 (Moscow)": "It would Be a Miracle"
It would be a miracle if our leaders followed the example of US President Barack Obama.
It was reported the other day that US President Barack Obama appeared on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno on NBC, becoming the first US President to sit on a late night chat/comedy show.
I must tell you I was impressed, because Russia's current and former leaders have never changed the petrified system of talking with the electorate. Of course, Dmitry Medvedev's talks with journalists from federal channels are a revolutionary breakthrough compared to Vladimir Putin's online question and answer sessions, where specially tutored people ask specially selected questions.
I don't think our leaders will soon follow the example of Obama, but they should start searching for a suitable format already now. Since there are two top leaders in the country now, they should operate in different formats.
Let's begin with the highest-profile shows. Can Medvedev and Putin figure skate in a show with a highly significant name, The Global Warming (previously The Ice Age)? The skating technique is not important, as Tatyana Tarasova, the main arbiter in the project, will adore them anyway and will say, "Inordinate! Passionate! Unforgettable!"
While the jury ponder the marks, anchors Zavorotnyuk and Basharov will glide to the contestants. As soon as Medvedev starts talking about his upcoming meeting with Obama, "Nanny" Zavorotnyuk will say in a perfect sitcom language: "I don't believe this!"
No, I think we should better try the Two Stars show, since singing is more impressive and respectable than skating. But there may be a problem with the choice of songs, as Putin could choose a song from the Lyube repertoire, whereas Medvedev loves Deep Purple. In this case, we could encourage them to sing Russia's anthem.
But the trouble is that the anchors are Ksenia Sobchak and Tina Kandelaki, the girls who are so immersed in themselves that even the presence of presidents will not save the show. A miracle is always possible, though. They could stop pulling the blanket on themselves. Ksenia could become less aggressive to her enemy, Tina, while Tina could stop shooting a thousand words per minute, which will be a blessing because the audience will at last understand what she is saying.
We may also hear the answers of the country's top leaders to the two key questions: When will the crisis end? And when will Ksenia get married?
But then, we should look in the other direction. Such important persons should appear on a talk show, such as ParisHiltonSearchlight. They had Mickey Rourke as a guest star the other day. Rourke had a shot of vodka and a toothpick. He loved the funny guys, he joked and laughed at his jokes.
The guys were not at their best, though. Indeed, such jokes as "You tell us who killed JFK and we'll tell you how old Kharatyan is" will not win a seat even on the Comedy Club show. Butt the daring! Sergei Svetlakov, inspired by Mickey Rourke, read out the "news": "Four cartoon penguins are running for president in Madagascar."
The ParisHiltonSearchlight is good, but it has no opposition flavour, which means that Putin and Medvedev's talent for polemics will be left unused.
We must admit the bitter truth: there is no opposition flavour in any of our shows. A new attempt has recently been made to add colour to the analytical palette with the Red Corner show. Nikolai Svanidze and Alexander Tsipko meet in the "red corner" every week to discuss if "the best is the enemy of the better." Life looks nearly wonderful in their interpretation no matter what they discuss, be it corruption or foreign workers. If they invite Medvedev and Putin, it will be like milk chocolate marshmallows.
In short, we will have to seriously consider possible formats. On the other hand, we have two men, and so formats for them will be found, sooner or later. Take Valentina Matviyenko, who is not your minor official. She decided to share her opinions of the arts and did so with a flourish in the show, "The Mystery of Life: Artist Ilya Glazunov."
Poet Ostrovoi once said: Write a poem about love and close the issue. In the same way, the St Petersburg Governor closed the issue of illustrations for Dostoyevsky's novels. She said: "I think there can be nothing better than Glazunov's work." To drive the last nail into the coffin, she added: "Glazunov is a great Russian patriot."
Obama's appearance in a late-night show also had an economic aspect. If Medvedev and Putin decide to open up to the people, by creating a positive image of power without the assistance of their troops from the state-owned media, they will deprive the budget of a considerable part of revenue.
According to Kommersant, state allocations to the above-mentioned media will be increased by 12 billion roubles this year. Should we take the money from children and healthcare for such unseemly goals? The state-controlled media are working hard to turn the future into the past.
Today's TV heroes are: Stalin, Kashpirovsky, teenage band Laskovy Mai, Priest Tikhon (Shevkunov), who is advocating another sobriety campaign, and writer Sergei Minayev, who asks the people in his Honest Monday Show: "To squeal or not to squeal?"
In a word, Medvedev and Putin should take a calculated risk. Maybe they should appear on the Anshlag comedy show?
"The state-controlled media are working hard to turn the future into the past."
By Slava Taroshchina
