Russian Deputies Accused Tatu in the Propaganda of Drugs. (Gazeta Stolichnaya - Russia)Time of publication: 01.02.2004 |
Tele-project “Tatu in Podnebesnaya” can end in a scandal. Deputies of the Moscow City Council are planning to file an query to the office of public prosecutors of the capital to investigate the popular pop-group Tatu. The reason for this actions of the deputies was show “Tatu in Podnebesnaya”, which is shown on STS during the weekends. According to the deputies, in one episode Julia Volkova [The second episode was replaced by “Anatomy pf Tatu” – translator’s note.], member of Tatu, was promoting the usage of drugs.
From the beginning of January, Tatu’s reality show “Tatu in Podnebesnaya” was shown on STS. On the Saturday night, the chairman of the city council’s commission of health-care and protection of public health, Lyudmila Stebenkova, happened to tune into STS and was deeply shocked:
”There is an episode,” said Ms. Stebenkova to “Stolichnaya”. “where the dark girl, Julia, says that «when I was little I was in a circle of friends who all used drugs, so I tried to… and nothing happened, I didn’t get addicted”. This is a hidden promotion of drugs. The children take in the words of their idol as truth, as though taking drugs is nothing.”
What was seen to the deputy started a sequence of actions that might lead to criminal charges against the duo and the makers of the film.
”Together with Inna Svyatenko, who is the vice-president of the city council’s commission of legislation and safety, we are currently working on a report to the office of public prosecutors.
Producer of the group Ivan Shapovalov is not worried though:
”The girls and I are inviting these ladies to “Podnebesnaya” to answer all their questions. As to the complaints, they should be addresses to the maker of the film – Vitaly Mansky.”
The STS channel is not worried either. The producer of the entertaining programs of the channel Alexander Tsekalo is not a lawyer, but he is certain that he is right:
”You can also accuse the Beatles of promoting drugs, there is a film about them in which one them is using light drugs. I think, forgive me for my words, that the deputies just want some attention to themselves.”
Tatu sold over 7 million albums before January 2004. The profits of the group, according to some sources, have reached 300 million dollars.
UK’s child foundation Kidscape accused Tatu of working for the old men and earning money from their manipulative pseudo-lesbian image. At the same time the music video for «All the things she said» was banned from UK’s hit-music channels BBC1 and CD:UK. According to the management of the channels, some of the materials in the video are too dissolute to show.
One of the leading light in Russian television, Vladimir Pozner, also doesn’t understand what the scandal is about.
"I don’t understand, why is the office of public prosecutors involved. I don’t think any legislation laws were broken in this case. Of course it is forbidden to show programs on TV that promote drugs, and so non are. But when some phrases from the context that mention drugs are used in specific scene, there’s nothing wrong.”
But, the promotion of drugs is not the only thing that the deputies want to take off the TV screens.
”This project was funded by sex-business,” predicts Lyudmila Stebenkova. “The project is promoting homosexuality. Russian has problems with demography, not to mention homosexuality among children. There is not native population in countries that promoted it, take Holland for example. Of course, if we want the whole country to be filled up with Chinese people, this kind of relationships are exactly what we need.”
Natalia Abakumova, Alexandra Podchenko
28.01.2004
Gazeta Stolichnaya
Translated by katbeidar for TatySite.net
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