Okay, he's maybe not my type, and maybe he's a bit too sugar-sweet, but... He's still the winner. He's Dima Bilan! Hooray for Russia's first Eurovision Song Contest Victory!
Here's the video from the semi-finals:
Dima is accompanied by a very expensive violin and a very expensive ice skater. As a Finnish friend of mine put it: "Evgeni Plushenko. Olympic gold, olympic silver, three world championships, five European championships and one Eurovision victory..."
Dima (Дима Билан) was born Viktor Belan, 24 December 1981 in Karachay-Cherkessia. He is of Karachay descent. He has also lived in Tatarstan and Kabardino-Balkaria.
The Karachay people are neighbours and rivals of the more famous Cherkess. They are considered a Turkic people with a close relationship to the Balkars. They were victims of Stalin's large-scale relocations in the 1940's. There's a Karachay diaspora in large parts of the world since persecutions during the Russian Empire, as well.
About us
Tinet - after many years of studying among other things the Russian language and the cultural history of Russia, the Soviet Union and the Middle East, she has moved to one of the many cities of her dreams (Berlin, Germany) and works as a gun for hire for various publishing companies with typesetting, graphic design, translating and writing, besides drawing comics about funny Russians. She dreams of making big fat richly illustrated coffee table books about the images of Central Asian, Caucasian or Russian men from a cultural historic angle.
Ainur - Ph.D. of History at the University of Lund, Sweden, who in her research has focused on nationalism, identity and stereotypes, mainly in the context of Finnish views on Swedes. She also draws historically correct comics about the Jazz age in the 1920's, which also deal with nationalism, identity and stereotypes, in a quite entertaining way.
Tinet and Ainur are sisters, and their ethnic background is as follows: 62.5% Finnish, 25% Mishär Tatar, 12.5% Kale (Finnish Roma).
10 comments:
"Den ryska superstjärnan lyckades med hjälp av en världsmästare i konståkning, en Stradivarius och en låt signerad amerikanska producenten Timbaland knipa förstaplatsen i årets Eurovision song contest.
– Vi sitter här och ler. Men det har vi inte gjort hela tiden. Det har varit en lång hård väg, sa han.
Dima Bilan avslöjade att han mött mycket tvivel när det blev klart att han skulle ställa upp en andra gång i schlager-EM. (Eiks hän tullu toiseks sillon, ku Lordi voitti?)
– Jag tog en risk. Det är många som säger att man inte ska stiga ner i samma flod två gånger."
Aftonbladet
Hieno ääni miehellä!
Joo, se tuli kakkoseksi 2006. Mielestäni myös paremmalla kappaleella. Sitäpaitsi se oli söpömpi ilman partaa... Mutta ihan hauska että viisut on ensi vuonna Moskovassa, niistä tulee varmasti hienot!
Joo, venäläiset on niin ihmeellisen taiteellisia!
ja kuulee ihanaa venäjänkieltäkin toivottavasti ettei vaan tota jokapaikankieltä englantia.
Jihuu, venäläiset saa näyttää missä kaappi seisoo!
Awwww ... My secret Russian nationalist sentiments make me very happy that Russia won, but on the other hand, I liked the performances of Boaz Mauda and Mor ve Ötesi more.
Although, if Dima had sung his song in Russian ... it would have compensated more than enough for the rather cheesy stage show. But maybe he wouldn't have won if he had sung in Russian. :o/
I think he's cute. Karachay people are notoriously handsome (as everyone else in Central Asia, of course). My cutesy but sadly very stupid Romanian ex-boyfriend was partly of Karachay descent.
No, wait, he wasn't specifically part Karachay, but part Cuman, also known as Kipchaks. However, Karachay, as well as Tatars, Bashkirs, Kyrgyz and Kazakhs are completely or partly descendants of Cumans/Kipchaks.
Oh well. In any case - handsome bastards, the lot of them/us. :oP
The Cumans sound like a cool mythical tribe, like the Alans and the Avars...
Not to mention the Rouran...
Rouran!!!
Эх, Алибек проиграл на Олимпиаде ((. А Билан не карачаевец )) он толи казак, толи русский, а может семит )
Да, мне тоже печально ... :o(
Билан точно не карачаевец? Не знаю откуда Айнур это узнавала ...
А он не случайно татарин ...? :o)
Post a Comment