Russia’s Federal Migration Service is cracking down on good times at high prices. A new policy, currently under consideration, is going to make it much harder for Russian millionaires to invite their favorite singers, rockers, and Paris Hiltons to perform at private parties. Under the new policy, all entertainers entering Russia would need to apply for work visas, and pay the resultant taxes. Needless to say, this is a buzzkill. A work visa requires advance notice and tons of paperwork on both ends, but it's especially irksome for the performer, who must endure "labor" tests and blood work, including HIV testing. Say, this wouldn’t have anything to do with band Björn Again leaking Putin’s affinity for ABBA cover bands to the press, does it? That’ll teach foreigners to open their yappers. It’s called a private party for a reason.

You know, we could have brought this story to you some weeks ago, when the Russian papers were first reporting the possibility of a “superstar tax,” but we were holding out for Russia Today’s take. It was worth it. The Kremlin's Anglophone megaphone lavishes expert coverage on the story, including an interview with Moscow’s "Hollywood Man,” Bob van Ronkel, who laments the fact that superstars like "Al Pacino or Governor Schwarzenegger" might be subjected to the same bureaucratic humiliations we all face when trying to enter Russia. They also interview Deep Purple drummer Ian Paice for the report, and have him saying: “If they have to change immigration law, then that’s just what we’ll have to deal with.” With all due respect, Mr. Paice, we don’t think you’ll have any trouble getting into Russia, considering who your biggest fan is.

RT goes on to explain that the Federal Migration Service isn’t out to punish all superstars for performing official concerts, just those “who cash in on Moscow's nightclubs and the private homes of Russia's rich.” In other words: all superstars. Finally, against a backdrop of Ian Paice drumming loudly, RT drives home the subtext: Russia’s stages should be occupied by Russia’s own stars, stupid!

Playing gigs in Russia to be taxed [Russia Today]
Russia's Medvedev meets Deep Purple [USA Today]

The future of Russian entertainment? Photo courtesy of www.princeton.edu