Category Archives: Popular Culture

Ukraine War Day #438: A Fish Story

Posted on May 7, 2023 by yalensis

Dear Readers: Okay, this one is just for fun! I couldn’t resist. In yesterday’s post I had to explicate one of the reporter’s utterances by alluding to a Russian fairy tale called “The Magic Pike“. A pike being a species … Continue reading →

Posted in Humor, Military and War, Popular Culture, Russian Literature | 31 Comments

Ukraine War Day #382: Zelensky Will Not Be Hosting The Oscars This Year

Posted on March 12, 2023 by yalensis

Dear Readers: In America, tonight is Oscar Night. To find out what was going on, I googled this. In truth, I have not seen a single one of these movies, I have no time to watch movies any more. So … Continue reading →

Posted in Celebrity Gossip, Military and War, Popular Culture | Tagged | 17 Comments

Ukraine War Day #321: From The World Of Show Business

Posted on January 10, 2023 by yalensis

Dear Readers: I have a couple of stories here with a common theme: “There’s no business like show business!” While also riffing on our previous topic, which was the theme of Brother vs Brother. In this case we have the … Continue reading →

Posted in Celebrity Gossip, Military and War, Popular Culture | Tagged , , | 14 Comments

Ukraine War Day #313: Out with the Old, In with the New!

Posted on January 2, 2023 by yalensis

Dear Readers: More than any other cultural phenomenon, Russian television this year showed the dramatic watershed line drawn between pre- and post-Ukrainian war. In Russian popular culture, since Soviet times, it has been traditional for families and friends, on New … Continue reading →

Posted in Military and War, Popular Culture, Russian History | Tagged , , , | 23 Comments

Russian Teenagers Winning TikTok War

Posted on February 11, 2022 by yalensis

Dear Readers: I am probably not the most qualified blogger to report on TikTok “trends” since I avidly avoid all social media, with the exception of blogging itself. Nor do I have the slightest clue what TikTok actually is, or … Continue reading →

Posted in American History, Military and War, Popular Culture | Tagged | 12 Comments

TV Series Review: La Casa de Papel – Part II

Posted on November 23, 2021 by yalensis

Dear Readers: I probably should have preceded Part I of my review with the words SPOILERS ALERTS! It may be too late for some innocent readers who learned a few crucial plot secrets before watching the show. I am thinking … Continue reading →

Posted in Popular Culture | Tagged | 2 Comments

TV Series Review: La Casa de Papel – Part I

Posted on November 20, 2021 by yalensis

Dear Readers: My excuse for writing this review is to pretend that I am a serious intellectual analyzing a political and cultural phenemenon. In reality, I’m just a dopey fan who loves this particular TV show, despite my better judgement! … Continue reading →

Posted in Popular Culture | Tagged | Leave a comment

Movie Review: The Death of Stalin

Posted on May 19, 2021 by yalensis

Dear Readers: The film “The Death Of Stalin” came out in 2017, but I only got around to seeing it this past weekend. Well, nobody could ever accuse me of writing timely reviews, but hopefully my review is good, if … Continue reading →

Posted in Popular Culture, Russian History | 52 Comments

TV Review: The Queen’s Gambit

Posted on January 1, 2021 by yalensis

Dear Readers: I begin this 2021 New Year (Happy New Year, everybody, by the way!) with a review of a popular TV mini-series on Netflix.  Netflix, I know, I know… they’re the imperialist running dogs who promoted the Al Qaeda … Continue reading →

Posted in Art Criticism, Celebrity Gossip, Popular Culture | Tagged | 8 Comments

American Rapper Accuses Russians Of Racism – Part II

Posted on February 29, 2020 by yalensis

Dear Readers: Today ending Black History Month on a positive note and concluding this analysis by Russian reporter Stanislav Borzyakov.  Who, I believe, is right on target in his take on American race relations; on the relationship between the U.S. … Continue reading →

Posted in Celebrity Gossip, Popular Culture | Tagged | 3 Comments