Baba Valya: Michael Jackson Super-fan, Dancing Granny, Engima
This dancing granny from Minsk might be Michael Jackson's most sincere fan... or just loaded.
Belarussian Multimedia Magazine 34 recently produced this mini video profile of Valentina Mileshka of Minsk. Seen here fearlessly flailing in a smooth-n-spastic Jackson imitation behind a bunch of "Thriller" revivalists, Baba Valya shares her love and compassion for the late pop star, wishing him a happy birthday and, in a true babushka way, "health, health, health!" So she's not up on the news, but grandma's got heart.
"I love the music, adore it, " says the lively oldie. "From what I've read, he's had so many operations... he is sick," she shakes her head in empathy. But Baba Valya seems to be in good health, high-kicks and all.
Her extra good spirits, excited rambling-offs and just a tint of red-face makes you wonder though. Could Baba Valya really be such an anachronistic delight or is this reportage some well-timed Herzog-style puppeteering? It's not fair to accuse every dancing elderly Jackson fan of being a drunk, so let's not. Dance on, grandma, dance on.
“Russian Madonna” Hoping To Become “America's Russian Madonna”
by Katya Tylevich
Russia’s music sales fell 21 percent in the first half of last year, so you can hardly blame the crisis for their continual slump. It may be a quality issue. But there’s also the little matter of piracy: most CDs sold in Russia are unauthorized copies. And Russians paying for downloading an MP3? Ha! So the country's artists rely on live performances to make bank. As they say, though, mo’ rubles, mo’ problems. Now more than ever, Russia’s artists are trying to break into Western music scenes. Perhaps no one more fervently than Valeriya, the 40-year-old Forbes-honored Russian singer whose PR people insist — just insist — on calling her “the Russian Madonna.”