Behind the Scenes of Showbiz: My Story as a 'Diva' - From Dima Bilan's Rise to Eurovision Shenanigans and More

Hello!

I'm not one to idolize celebrities or keep up with their lives, so I never thought I'd be reading Yana Rudkovskaya's memoirs (she was always pretty irrelevant to me, to be honest). But somehow, in the library, my eye landed on this book, and I wanted to dive into the behind-the-scenes world of show business!

Confessions of a 'starlet', or How Steel Was Tempered. Yana Rudkovskaya📚 ABOUT THE EDITION

Ast Publishing House from 2009Total pages - 320Paper - white, newspaper-typeFont - clear, medium-sized, comfortable to readPrice / Where to buy? I couldn't find the book at 'Labyrinth', but it's probably available at other IMs. I found it in the library, though.Hardcover. The cover is a bit weird (what's with the tiger?). Inside, the book is divided into chapters, and at the end, there's a detailed table of contents:

Book Confessions of a 'starlet', or How Steel Was Tempered reviews📚 ANNOTATIONA pretty detailed description that already gives you some idea of what Yana will be writing about in her memoirs.

Confessions of a 'starlet' by Yana Rudkovskaya📚 ABOUT THE BOOK, MY OPINIONThe most interesting thing is that Yana only mentions her life briefly (about 2-3 detailed chapters about her childhood, marriage, and high-profile divorce, etc.), while she dedicates most of her book to Dima Bilan and his rise to fame (and her own role as his producer, too).

Confessions. Yana Rudkovskaya reviews on the bookI was surprised, but the book hooked me from the very first pages - it's so easy to read that I just couldn't put it down! I finished it in one day without any effort.The book tells a lot about stars and the world of show business in general, covering events from 2005 to 2008. At 30, Yana never thought she'd become part of this world.

Confessions of a 'starlet'First, she tells about her first encounter with Dima Bilan, who was still a relatively unknown artist at the time. It was really interesting to read about this. I knew Bilean well, of course - who didn't listen to him back in the day, or watch Eurovision? I used to enjoy watching those music shows back then, and I followed the contest on TV (like many others). Now, I'm not interested in that stuff anymore, but back then, it was a different time, and all those music shows used to get me excited. A candid look at the book reviews The book has some pivotal moments where Bilan loses loved ones, and he's left alone, not knowing what to do next... Yan had her share of those moments too, but with Dima, they somehow clicked, and that's when it all started. No hint of romance between them, though (although back then, there were all sorts of rumors, since Rudkovskaya and Bilan were always together).

Yan shares some interesting details in her memoirs, like, can you actually buy your way to the top of the charts? How much does a song cost? How much does it cost to record a music video for an artist, promote them, and get them featured on various channels?They were spending astronomical sums in the thousands of dollars! I also found it fascinating to read about how they filmed this or that music video. After some of the chapters, I even found myself wanting to watch these music videos (found them on YouTube, remembered the noughties :)). I enjoyed reading about Dima's love story with model Lena Kuletskaya (they met on a music video shoot and were together for a long time).

The book A candid look at the book reviews But the most memorable chapters were about Eurovision (2006 and 2008). As you know, Bilan came second in 2006 and won in 2008!

You wouldn't believe how Eurovision works and how much effort goes into getting there. You can't find those details online, and Yan shares them in her book. Can you imagine how hard it is for artists, how much they work without weekends?

Did you know that ballerinas refused to perform in that piano for the song "Never Let You Go" and sit there for 2 hours rehearsing, contorting themselves in all sorts of ways? Yan even offered one of the ballerinas $1000 to sit in the piano, and the sum doubled later because no one wanted to do it for $1000! That ballerina who agreed to do it made a fortune for 3 minutes on stage :). And the prima who refused that role was kicking herself. Or another case with ballerinas. During one ceremony (I think it was in England), someone stole all their money and documents from the dressing room! I was also shocked to read about the tricks they played on Bilan during Eurovision in 2008. It wasn't just anyone, but their own people (Russians) who were doing it. They'd turn off the sound and lights during rehearsals, break the ice for the song "Believe" every day, and they'd have to rush-order a new one... It's crazy, and I'm glad I have nothing to do with that world.

A candid confession. Yana Rudkovskaya reviewsAs you'd expect, Yana mostly talks about Dima Bilan's rise to fame, but she occasionally veers off and mentions other artists. For instance, there's an interesting story about Alex (from the factory of stars) and where she seems to have vanished to (it's been ages since anyone's seen her). Yana also mentioned Sergei Lazarev and Vlad Topalov, and even had plans for a group called Smash, but it didn't work out. She also told a bit about Dima Koldun (I'd almost forgotten he was even a singer).Yana often talked about Philip Kirkorov and how obnoxious he is as a person. One story even made me chuckle, picturing Kirkorov's rounded eyes when Yana called Bilan the best Russian singer, without even considering Philip

A candid confession. Yana RudkovskayaOverall, the book really impressed me. It's full of behind-the-scenes drama, jealousy, serious money, and feuds... things you won't find on the internet (or at least, not easily, given that it's been over 10 years since the book was written). I've only scratched the surface of what Yana wrote about

But there were moments that didn't sit well with me, like when Yana came across as a bit condescending. Although, for the most part, while I was reading her memoirs, Yana seemed very kind and driven, with no hint of pretentiousness. But those chapters about clothes, about how her teacher complained to her mom that Yana was dressing too expensively... ugh, it was a bit much

The parts about her feuds with her ex-husband were pretty trashy. You're left wondering who to believe. Of course, Yana's only telling her side of the story, so we only see one side of the picture.

Her story of how she met Eugene Plushenko comes across as a bit too sappy and unrealistic (maybe Yana embellished a bit, but who knows?)

The book A candid confession, or How steel was tempered📚 TAKEAWAYS

"A candid confession, or How steel was tempered" is a very revealing book about the behind-the-scenes world of show business. I'm not exactly close to all this, I don't follow celebrity gossip, and I don't know who's dating whom or who's getting divorced... But I devoured the book in one sitting! Maybe it was the fact that, for the most part, the book focuses on Dima Bilan's rise to fame, and the time period it covers is nostalgic for me.

Even with the parts I didn't enjoy, I decided not to lower my rating, because I really loved Yana Rudkovskaya's memoirs.

A Confession from Behind the Scenes by Yan Rudkovskaya Review✅ Pros:✅It's super easy and quick to readI loved getting immersed in the world of show businessThere are so many interesting details with numbers (how much a song or clip costs, how to get on a certain channel's award show, etc.)It's got a lot about Eurovision 2006 and 2008 (preparation, behind-the-scenes drama, and Russia's long-awaited win)It mentions a lot of 'forgotten' stars and what happened to themIt even made me nostalgic for the 2000s (I even re-watched some of Dima Bilan's old clips)❌ Cons:

The book is from 2009, and a lot has changed since then (including Yan herself, probably)Some parts feel a bit cheesy

A Confession from Behind the Scenes by Yan Rudkovskaya ReviewThanks for reading! ---------------

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