Oh, the hours of procrastination ahead of us. Russian weekly Russky Reporter [Русский Репортер] has joined forces with MySpace in launching a competition for short films about “real life” in modern Russia. The contest is designed to expose young filmmakers, cinematographers and other “creatives” to the world around them. All entries must focus on something in the public sphere, and must run no longer than 25 minutes. They must contain conflict, characters and a plot, and cannot be “silent” (some sort of text is mandatory). Those last three rules are a tactful way of saying, "Go easy on the art school stuff, kids."

From the producers and composer of the High School Musical trilogy: a bona fide Russian rip-off! First Love: Now That's Music! [Первая любовь: Вот такая музыка!] is premiering in Russian and Kazakh theatres March 5. If it’s anything like the trailer (link with subtitles after the jump), it will be a puberty-charged romp teeming with vibrantly clothed break dancers. The glossiness and skilled promo are pure Hollywood, but the underlying machismo and melodrama? All Russia, baby.

There are only a few days left to vote (via comments right here, on YouTube, or, if you’re a big shot, on the password-protected Snob website) in our Rolling R poll, which will bestow the coveted award “For General Excellence in Acting Russian” on one of the five Hollywood performances of 2008. Let’s see which way the public opinion is leaning in the meantime.