Photo: Courtesy of Universal Music Group.The MTV Video Music Awards are known for creating spectacles (see: Miley Cyrus), so you might recall that time Russian duo t.A.T.u invited nearly a hundred schoolgirls to join them during their performance of "All The Things She Said" and "Not Going To Get Us" in 2003. There was enough gratuitous making out to put Rihanna and Shakira's new video to shame.
In a total huh? move out of Russia, t.A.T.u's Lena Katina and Yulia Volkova have been named as performers for the Olympic Games Opening Ceremony in Sochi on Friday. Which is weird, considering Russia's discriminating anti-gay laws (including one that makes even uttering pro-gay statements a crime). They've had almost as much coverage as any actual sport in the weeks leading up to the Games.
Maybe the organizers didn't have much of a choice when it came to performers: The duo's song did land at #1 on the U.S. dance charts and #7 on the U.K. charts, making them one of the country's better known musical exports. And, neither is actually gay, which we're sure unfortunately pleases Russian legislators.
Sadly, we won't get to see how far the girls are willing to push the envelope in their home country — they'll be performing at a warm-up show that won't be broadcast internationally. But, we will get to watch the Russian team enter the Olympic stadium as "Not Going To Get Us" plays. We doubt their uniforms will be any kind of homage to t.A.T.u's VMA performance. (Wall Street Journal)