GLAMORAMA

The exotic news weekly

From September 2007 I have my own little programme on Radio Free Europe called GLAMORAMA, all about current scandals and oddities.

Bret Easton Ellis' novel Glamorama is a satire of our obsession with looks and describes the modern day's musical beat, surreal violence and black humour. GLAMORAMA the radio programme tries to do the same.

GLAMORAMA airs every Saturday at ca. 20:40 Moscow time. Download the programme called ITOGI NEDELI (Summary of the Week) by Dmitry Volchek below and scroll to the 35th minute of the hour to listen :

2010

18 December listen (Several Hollywood Productions on WikiLeaks Underway; Julian Assange Rockstar of the Year According to the Rolling Stone, but Mark Zuckerberg is Time's Person of the Year; Putin's Favourite Gymnast Alina Kabaeva on the Cover of the Russian Vogue)

11 December listen (Hugues Cuénod Dies at 108; Assange Treated Like a Top Criminal for Failing to Wear a Condom; Svetlana Medvedeva Described by Belgian Press as "Biggest Nuisance")

4 December listen (Elton John Editor of The Independent, Russian Rocker Boris Greneschikov Says Musicians Should not have Opinions)

27 November listen (Selective Russian Justice Prosecutes Parliamentary Ashot Yegiazaran, one in Many Allegedly Corrupt Politicians; Presidential Administration Denies Holding USSR-Nostalgia Parties)

20 November listen (Prince William Proposes; The Evening Standard Publishes a List of London's 100 Most Influential People; Putin Asks for Help Naming New Dog)

13 November (Prime-Minister Putin Can "Fire" President Medvedev in a High School Maths Problem; Georgia to Become Major Shooting Locations for Bollywood; Refugee Performance Artist Oleg Mavromati Challenges Critics to Kill him Online)

6 November listen (Julian Assange Says WikiLeaks Will Publish Doc on Russia and China Next; Russian Priest Lectures Young Colleagues on how to Recruit Atheist Wives; Putin's Daughter Katya Possibly to Marry a Korean)

30 October listen (George Soros Supports Cannabis Legalization in CA; Russian Rocker Andrei Makarevich under Fire after Meeting with Medvedev)

23 October listen (Brigitte Bardot Forms Political Party; Failed Spy Anna Chapman Poses Naked for a Russian Male Magazine)

16 October listen (Alexander Rybak's Tour in China Cancelled After Norway Awarded Nobel Prize to Chinese Dissident Liu Xiaobo; Failed Spy Anna Chapman Emloyed by a Bank and Traveling to Bajkonur)

9 October listen (Naked Calendars For and Against the Kremlin; Saudi Prince Accused of Violent Murder)

2 October listen (Kim Jong Un Heir to North Korean Power; Ed Miliband takes after David)

25 September listen (Russian Oldest Puppet Theatre Director Arrested; Movie about Freddy Mercury Announced; Russian Writer Vladimir Sorokin Denies Having Had a Near-Death Experience This Summer)

18 September (President Medvedev Turns 45; Golden Beds for the Russian Interior Ministry)

11 September listen (Tony Blair's Autobiography Popular; Russian Interior Officials Offer a Post to Singer Miraille Mathieu)

4 September listen (Criminal Charges Renewed against Julian Assange; British Foreign Minister Fires Assistant Rumoured to be his Lover; Another British Politician Crispin Blunt Comes Out)

7 August listen (Kremlin Ideologist Vladislav Surkov Authors Another Novel? Interview with The Vampire Author Anna Rice Speaks Against Organized Christianity)

31 July listen (Billionaire L'Oréal Heiress Liliane Bettencourt in Corruption Scandal Involving Sarkozy; Octopus Oracle Paul from Oberhausen)

24 July listen (Russian Conductor Mikhail Pletnev Accused of Pedofilia Allowed to leave Thailand until Next Hearing; Hugo Chavez Digs Up Simon Bolivar Remains)

17 July listen (The Mel Gibson Tapes as Recorded by Oksana Grigorieva; The "Barefoot Bandit" Arrested)

10 July listen (Russian Conductor Mikhail Pletnev in the Middle of Pedofile Scandal in Thailand; Nepalese Prince Working as Pizza Delivery Man Accused of Raping a Client; Russian Failed Spy Anna Chapman Can Cash in on Her Disclosure)

3 July listen (Iceland's Prime Minister Johanna Sigurdardottir Enters Gay Marriage; Legal Steps to Ban Crucifixions from Italian Schools)

26 June listen (Swedish and Monegasque Monarchs Going for Sporty Types; Lady Gaga and the Russian Businessman; Putin and Medvedev at the Gay Pride in Berlin)

19 June listen (Russian Sales at Christie's; Abramovich's Eclipse Delivered with Flaws; The World Goes Vuvu, Vuvuzelas)

12 June listen (Berlusconi's Attempts at Gagging Press; Belorussian "Moral Council" vs. Elton John; Israeli Participants Banned from the Madrid Pride)

5 June listen (Marina Abramovic is Present at MoMA; Women Appeal to Pope to Allow Catholic Priests to Marry)

29 May listen (Kim Jong-un the Next North Korean Dictator? Russian Police Officials Reveal their Official Incomes)

22 May listen (Oligarch in Exile Mikhail Gutseriev Returns to Moscow from London; "Refrigerator King" Arrested in China on Corruption Charges)

15 May listen (Oligarch Oleg Deripaska Witness in a Russian Mafia Case; Police Tried to Ban 18-year-old Ellis Drummond from Wearing his Trousers so Low You Could See His Underpants)

8 May listen (Moscow's Officials Publish their Incomes, but their Spendings Largely Exceed those Figures; Will the Moscow Gay Parade Take Place?)

1 May listen (Many Russians Find that Film Director Nikita Mikhalkov has Betrayed His Talent to Serves the Regime; "The MuMugate": Russian Opposition Leaders Caught in the Haneytrap, Katya Gerasimova Nicknamed Mumu)

24 April listen (No One Can Pronounce "Eyjafjallajökull", the Vulcano's Effect on International Politics; Nick Herbert, a Top Gay British Conservative Party Politician, Campaigning Against Homophobia in Poland)

17 April listen (Another Foreign Adoption Scandal Turned into Russian Patriotism Propaganda, Artyom Saveliev; The Pope Protected Pedofile Priests?)

10 April listen (Sarkozy Says Gossip on his Adultery is an Anglo-Saxon Conspiracy; The IPad Hype)

3 April listen (Ricky Martin Comes Out; Russian Esquire Magazine Advertising Campaign Stalked As Insulting to the Ruling Party)

27 March listen (Sara Palin to Host Reality Show; Heathrow Worker Warned Over 'Naked' Scanner Abuse; Jo Biden's 'Big Fucking Deal')

20 March listen (Russian Rapper Posts Video Against Oligarch Lawlessness on Russian Roads; 70s Soviet Pop Star Becomes a Hit in the US as 'The Trololo Man')

13 March listen (Piotr Nalich Will Represent Russia at the Eurovision 2010 Contest; Senator Opposing Gay Rights Comes Out)

6 March listen (Mikhail Prokhorov Loses a 39m Euro Deposit on World's Priciest Villa; KGB-agent Turned Media Tycoon Alexander Lebedev Buys Independent; Kremlin's Anti-Western Propaganda Earns Top British Media Advertising Award)

27 February listen (The Olympic Games in Vancouver: Figure Skating Scandals)

20 February listen (British Director of "Four Weddings and a Funeral" to Film a Thriller about Litvinenko; French Novelist Screens His Book about a Hypnotised Stalin)

13 February listen (Designer Alexander McQueen Hangs Himself; German Gangsta-Rapper Repeats Robbery from his Musical Video in Real Life)

2 January listen download - an hour-long radio show on 2009's most interesting Glamorama subjects (Berlusconi, Chichvarkin, Podrabinek, Michael Jackson and Mexican Flu )

2009

1 august listen (Pope Condemns Bisexual Bible Exhibition, Bruno Challenges Muslim Fundamentalists, Mexican flue parties)

25 July listen (Berlusconi's Private Conversations Published, Turkmen President Performs Surgery, Honduras Coup)

18 July listen (Michael Jackson's Death Blamed on His Doc, Chinese Spy Who Lived Disguised as a Woman Dies in Paris, The Great Sberbank Robbery)

4 July listen (Russian Oligarch Telman Ismailov Falls out of Favour, Nigaz – Gazprom's Clumsy Shot at Political Correctness, Watslaw Havel Turns to Cinema)

27 June listen (Berlusconi's Private Conversations Recorded, Dmitry Medvedev's Guard Accused of Sexual Harassment in Amsterdam, What Russian Millionaires Purchase during the Recession)

13 June listen (Berluconi Continues Discussing Divorce with His Wife in the Papers, Drunken Party On Board Revolutionary Ship Aurora in St.Petersburg, Finnish Diplomat Helps Father Kidnap Son from Russian Mother)

6 June listen (Rosneft Oil Giant Executive's Son Kidnapped; Commotion Around Sandra Zarubina Continues: Russian Immigrants in Portugal Demonstrate in Support of the Girl's Foster Family; Susan Boyle As a Victim of Public Demand for Quick Makeovers)

30 May listen (Ludmila Putina Back in the Spotlight; 6-year-old in the Middle of Russia's Campaign to Restore National Pride)

23 May listen (Moscow Hosts Eurovision but is Terrified with Gays; Do Russian Media Have the Right to Know Vladimir Putin's Marital Status?)

16 May listen (Georgian Outcast Sond Don ' t Wanna Put In Banned from Eurovision in the British Top 25; Gunther von Hagens Exhibits Copulating Corpses in Berlin; Instructions on how to Apply Gordon Brown's Make-Up Found in a London Taxi)

9 May listen (Berlusconi's Wife Wants Divorce; Was It Paul Gogen Who Cut Van Gogh's Ear Off? Blogger Stephan Zelinski Creates Swine Flue Hemagglutinin Blues)

2 May listen (Religious Cult Leader Convicted for Paedophilia Escapes from French Jail on Réunion by Helicopter; Further Government Involvement in the Russian-French Custody Battle ; Annual Sunday Times Rich List Speaks of Heavy Losses Among the Rich)

25 April listen (South Africa's New Polygamous President Jacob Zuma to Choose First Lady; Queen's Day Posters with Putin Taken Down in Amsterdam; National Geographic Films Cloned Embryos in Woman's Womb)

18 April listen (Media Circus Around Russian-French Child; Pro-Kremlin Youth Movement NASHI Sues Senator for Comparing them to Nazis; Obama's Dog)

11 April listen (President Medvedev Photographed Next to a Possible Criminal While Skiing; Russian Senator Claims His Daughter Almost Kidnapped; Russian Functionaries Reveal Their Incomes)

4 April listen (Swedish Pop Angers Russian Diplomats; Legendary Graffiti Erased from Berlin Wall as Part of its 'Restoration'; Russian Astronauts No Longer Allowed to Share Meals and Bathroom with Americal Co-Pilots)

28 March listen (Yet Another Russian Art Collector's Heir Demands to Give His Great-Grandpas'Belongings Back; Brigitte Bardo Admires Putin's Actions to Protect Baby Seals; Reality Death Show - Jade Goody)

21 March listen (Jozeph Fritzl Convicted; Actress Natasha Richardson Dies from Skiing Accident)

14 March listen (Georgian Song Banned from Eurovision, Possibly for Mentioning Putin's Name)

7 March listen (Facebook and iPod Among New Things Forbidden During Lent; Italian Doctor Claims to have Cloned Humans; Jeff Kuns to Create World's Most Expensive Art Object)

14 February listen (Rumours About Putin Ordering a Secret ABBA Cover Concert Denied by the Kremlin; American Musicians Rap About Financial Crisis; Angela Merkel paper Doll Released)

7 February listen (Yet Another Russian Businessman on the Run: Yevgeny Chichvarkin in London; The "American Salo" Campaign)

31 January listen (Johanna Sigerdardottir the World's First Openly Lesbian Head of State; Russian Animator Konstatin Bronzit Nominated for Oscar; Tiho Brage's Death May Have Inspired Shakespear to Write Hamlet)

17 January listen (Obama Inauguration Helps Americans Earn Some Cash; President Medvedev's Blog; Circus Director to Elect Russian Patriarch)

10 January listen (Obama Inauguration Online and Live; Americans Don't Recognize Jo Biden at the Movies; John Travolta's Son Dead)

3 January wma mp3 text - an hour-long radio show on 2008's most interesting Glamorama subjects (Sarkozy, Obamamania, Sara Palin, Financial Crisis as a Source of Inspiration and the Russian Pop-Patriotism)

2008

20 December wma mp3 (Bernard Madoff and fraud of the history; Shoe-attack as Farewell Kiss to Bush in Iraq; Miss World - Russia Continues Reaping Patriotic Wins)

13 December wma mp3 (Golden Globe and other Pre-Oscar Nominations and Awards; Gay Rights Protest Failed in the US; Austrian Actor Slits Own Throat on Stage, his Knife Switched)

6 December wma mp3 (American Top Executives Switching from Jets to Wheels and Millionaire Fair in Moscow; Abramovich Saves Guus Hiddink's Salary; J.K.Rowling Presents New Book The Tales Of Beedle The Bard)

29 November wma mp3 (Emmy for Dutch Big Donor Show; Hollywood Film about Black White House Butler Eugene Allen; Switzerland to Decriminalize Cannabis)

22 November wma mp3 (Berlusconi's Jokes and Blunders; Michael Kackson Sued by Bahrein Sheikh; Nokolas II (Romanov) Documents and Photos at the Bukowskis Auction in Stockholm)

15 November wma mp3 (Suha Arafat to Return to Palestine; Nicole Kidman to Play the First Operated Transsexual Einar Wegener in The Danish Girl; Irina Abramovich Speaks; Miriam Makeba Dies)

8 November wma mp3 (How Did Hollywood Vote? Abramovich Wealth Published on 134 Pages; Yma Sumac Died)

1 November wma mp3 (Wall Street Becomes an Art Venue; Oleg Kulik's early Works Arrested in Paris)

25 October wma mp3 (Financial Crisis Inspires Artists; Sara Palin's Expensive Suites and Accessories; Major Restoration Project of the Berlin Wall 'Frescoes')

18 October wma mp3 (The Art World's 100 Most Influential People; James Bond in Moscow; Guillaume Depardieu Died)

11 October wma mp3 (Auction Houses and Their Revenues; Obama as a Clothing Ornament; New Bond Film Traumatic)

4 October wma mp3 (Russian Mafia Involved in Russian Football Victories? Nobel Prize Academy Member Criticizes American Literature; Sharon Stone Loses Custody of Son after She Tries Treating Him with Botox)

13 September wma mp3 (MTV Video Music Awards Turn to Politics, Thai Prime Minister to Leave on Culinary Charges, Damien Hirst the First Artict to Ignore Art Galleries)

6 September wma mp3 (Sara Palin)

The rest of August's Glamoramas were cancelled due to the Russian-Georgian conflict

2 August wma mp3 (Badri Patarkatsishvili's Wives, Naomi Campbell In Love with Russian Vladislav Doronin, Obama's Glamour)

26 July wma mp3 (Russian Authorities Wage War on Emo's and are Afraid Eurovision is Gay, Abramovich Did Not Buy Zemfira but Bought a Roman Cafe)

19 July wma mp3 (Elena Baturina Buys Second Largest Mansion in Britain, Caviar Magnate in Hostage and his Thrilling Escape, Ron Wood Drinking Vodka with Russian 18-year-old)

12 July wma mp3 (Forbes Rating of Most Popular Advertising Characters, Che's Diaries Published Uncensored, Carla Bruni's Musical Album Online Featuring Houellebecq's Lyrics)

5 July wma mp3 (Russian Model Ruslana Korshunova's Death in NY, London Mayor Boris Johnson - the Only Politician Prosecuted for Iraqi War? No Mixing Cannabis with Tobacco in Dutch Coffeeshops)

21 June wma mp3 (Russian Bloggers Family Prosecuted for Slander, The Vatican Forbids Ron Howard to Shoot in Roman Churches, Russian Organized Mafia Arrested in Spain Connected to Ex-KGB?)

14 June wma mp3 (Anna Ivanovic Back in Belgrade, Gay Marriages Allowed in California, Chavez's Ex Marisabel Rodríguez Challeges His Power)

7 June wma mp3 (Lion Court Won't Return Mikhail Prokhorov's Girls' Honour, Brigitte Bardot and Sharon Stone Speak Too Much? British Writer Jan Morris Remarries Partner of 58 Years, No Matter the Sex Change)

31 May wma mp3 (Dima Bilan as a Political Symbol, Nepal No Longer Kingdom, Asian Social Art Rises in Price)

24 May wma mp3 (The Mysterious Buyer of Sotheby's Freud and Bacon is Roman Abramovich, Neighbours Don't Allow Russian Millionaire Valery Cohan Build Gigantic Mansion in the US, Russian Scientist Svetlana Zheludyova Died a Strange Death)

17 May wma mp3 (Speculations on Rozhetskin's Disapperance Continue, Freud's Grandson Most Expensive Living Artist, Doris Lessing's Provocative Statements)

10 May wma mp3 (Russian Photographer Yevgeny Khaldey and British Historian Martin Allen - the Great Manipulators of the WWII Records, Lennon's Give Peace a Chance Becomes an Auction Lot, Russian Version of I Got a Crush on Obama Released Featuring a Medvedev Fan)

3 May wma mp3 (London Hearings Berezovsky vs. Abramovich Resumed, Michel Houellebecq's Mother Published her Side of the Story, Legendary Gay Pornographer Jean - Daniel Cadinot Dies)

26 April wma mp3 (Russian Art at NY Auctions, Gordon Brown Pairs with Shakira (for a Good Cause), Anna Abramovich's Sweet 16)

19 April wma mp3 (Putin Divorced and to Marry a Sports Star Turned MP? President Medvedev Will Popularize Yoga, Vladimir Sorokin's New Book The Sugar Kremlin)

12 April wma mp3 (Carla Del Ponte's Scandalous Book, Chelsea Clinton, Berlusconi Offended by Italian Cartoonists)

5 April wma mp3 (Surrealist Monument Not Allowed on Famous KGB Square in Moscow, Formula 1 Boss Max Mosley in Fascist-Related Video, Mikhail Youzhny Becomes the Star of YouTube for Bashing Himself with a Racket)

29 March wma mp3 (Russian-American Media Magnate Rozhetskin Disappeares, Medved Caricatures, Poetic Play About Medvedev's Cat and Putin's Dog)

22 March wma mp3 (McCartney vs McCartney, Anthony Minghella Dies, "Nevsky Mascarade" as the Euphemism for New Political Regime in Russia)

15 March wma mp3 (Putin's Alleged Castle in SanTropez, Religious Activists Attack Russian Cartoon Channel, Complains around Russian Eurovision Selection)

8 March wma mp3 (87 Billionaires in Russia, King of Soho Dies, Russia's Future First Lady as the Engine Behind Medvedev)

1 March wma mp3 (The Quiet Oscars, Bjork Devotes Declare Independence to Kosovo, Oligarchitecture)

23 February wma mp3 (Former MI6 Chief Reveals His Name and Denies He Killed Princess Diana, Danish Cartoonist Kurt Westergaard Expelled from his Hotel, London Is Where It's Happening Says Variety's Editor)

16 February wma mp3 (Deep Purple and Tina Turner Perform for Gazprom: I'm a Private Dancer, Russians Say UN Is No Forum for George Clooney, Young Activists Arrested at the Opening Night of a Spy Turned President Movie)

9 February wma mp3 (New York Fashion Week 2008, Sexy Sadie Dead in Holland, Anna Netrebko Pregnant and Getting Married)

2 February wma mp3 (New Russian Military Uniform - Mix of Soviet and Nazi Esthetics, Damien Hirst Sells AIDS Pills, Daniel Edwars and Oprah Sarcophagus, Julie Christie Secretly Married)

26 January wma mp3 (In Memory of Heath Ledger, Danish Princess Mary in the Army, St.Petersburg Governor Matvienko Sells her Painting at an Auction)

19 January wma mp3 (Sarkozy Got Married? Naomi Campbell and Hugo Chavez in Love? Donatella Versace Shares her Impressions of Moscow)

12 January wma mp3 (Sarkozy, President Bling Bling: Glamorizing Politics, Mr. Blackwell's Worst Dressed List, Karel Gott's First Mariiage at 68)

2007

22 December wma mp3 (Carla Bruni Sarkozy's New Red Herring? Verka Serduchka in Europe, CyberLover Whore Bot Best Sample of Artificial Intelligence)

15 December wma mp3 (Sculptor Tsereteli Says Putin Brought Freedom for the Arts, Writer Akunin Says Russia Is Turning Into a Puppet Theatre and Potyomkin Village, A Novel Written by Computer Published, Forbes Rating Richest Cartoon Characters)

8 December wma mp3 (Thai King The King of Swing, Russian Oligarchs Invest in Mainstream Cinema, Turner Prize a Political Victory)

1 December wma mp3 (Irina Abramovich Distinguished by Russian Orthodox Church, First Megahit on Russian YouTube, Millionaire Fair in Moscow)

24 November 2007 wma (Chinese Authorities Call Sexual Positions in Ang Lee's New Film Dangerous, Steven Seagal Granted Kalmyk Citizenship, Norwegian Cartoon about Mishandled Russian Elefant)

17 November 2007 wma (Astrid Lindgren and Modern Pop-Culture, Programs as Supernanny Potentially Harmful, In Memory of Ira Levin)

10 November 2007 wma (La Possibilité d'une Michel Houellebecq, Bratski Rating of the Richest Russian Girls, Anna Netrebko and the fashinable Opera)

3 November 2007 wma (Louis Vuitton Makes Political Ad with Gorbachev, The Singing Presidents, Paris Hilton Visits Moscow)

27 October 2007 wma (Au Secours, Pardon, It's Frédéric Beigbeder, Albus Dumbledore Gay, Moscow Mayor Forbids Lip Sync)

20 October 2007 wma (Nicolas Sarcosie's Divorce, Ukrainian Singer Not Banned in Moscow after Russia Good-Bye Song, Allen Delon Sells his Art Collection)

13 October 2007 wma (Berezovsky and Abramovich Fight in Hermes Boutique, Sofi Loren to Star in Nine the Musical, Drunken Employee Damages a Monet at Musée d'Orsay During Nuit Blanche )

6 October 2007 wma (Footage of Diana's Last Hours Published On-Line, Famous Directors to Save ?inéma George Méliès, Russian Actor Alexander Abdulov Fighting Cancer)

29 September 2007 wma (Oliviero Toscani Makes Anti-Anorexia Ads, Kevin Spacey Visits Hugo Chavez, Google Creator Sergey Brin rated 5th in Forbes Top 400)

22 September 2007 wma (Criminologist Manfred Riße Publishes a Book on Cannibal Armin Meiwes, Pete Doherty Cries on Courtney Love's Shoulder, Does Kid Nation Exploit Kids?)

15 September 2007 wma (Luciano Pavarotti's Friends Speak Out, In Memory of Anita Roddick, Russian Writer Vladimir Sorokin Hit by a Truck)

8 September 2007 wma (Who Baught Airbus A 380, Finance Magazine's Rating of Russia's Richest Heirs, Cristiano Ronaldo and Ethics)