The crowd was frightened by Kirkorov’s condition on the set of a musical TV show: he was looking at one point

In 2018, I found myself on the set of “Blue Light,” where Philip Kirkorov, paired with Nikolai Baskov, performed the song “Ibiza.” There was an inflatable pool in the middle of the hall. The artists joked, laughed, and teased each other. The crowd sang along: “Ibiza: and the heart began to beat faster.”

Oh, how much water has flown under the bridge since then. And where is that Ibiza now?

And Philip is no longer the same…

But first things first.

“I heard that it will be cancelled”

Filming of the musical TV show took place in the Mosfilm pavilion. Within a couple of days, those responsible for gathering extras published an announcement in the chat: payment for spectators – 900 rubles, VIP – 1200. By “VIPs” they meant young and beautiful.

At the appointed time, people gathered at the film studio in the “Bureau of Passes” booth.

— Kirkorov will definitely be there? – I addressed a group of pensioners.

“They promised, where would we be without him,” one of the women nodded confidently.

“And I heard that it will be cancelled,” added the second. – There are various rumors…

The lady did not voice the details of the rumors.

The Kirkorov topic was quickly closed. To be fair, few people here were interested in the fate of the artist. People shared painful things.

“Can you imagine, I didn’t get on “The Voice”, they didn’t hire me, I didn’t come out with my snout,” lamented a plump man of about 30 in a hat with earflaps and a worn-out sheepskin coat.

– What are you talking about? – a woman of about 60 squealed. – You have such a young face, what didn’t please you? Okay, don’t be upset, the filming there lasted until night, I wouldn’t have made it on the metro.

A woman of retirement age joined the conversation and carefully prepared for the shoot: she outlined her thin eyebrows, applied pink lipstick to her lips, and glittery shadows on her eyelids.

“I recently went to Zhanna Arkadyevna’s show, I think she’s giving in,” a crowd participant shared her impressions. – I won’t go again.

“And I was lucky, I got on “Hello, Andrey!”,” her friend boasted.

“They didn’t take me there, it seems there are only our own people there,” complained the same guy in the earflaps who didn’t pass the casting for “The Voice.”

“Come with me to Tsiskaridze’s “Tonight”,” a pensioner with string eyebrows slapped him on the shoulder. – They need a dancing couple there. Will you be my date?

The man nodded reluctantly.

– Just don’t let me down. I’ll write to them now that I’ve found a couple…

Five minutes later: “They’re silent for some reason. Maybe we don’t need couples anymore?”

– They are always silent. Or am I just unlucky…

– Listen, you starred in the TV series “Sklifosovsky”. I looked and didn’t find you there.

— I was filming season 12, it hasn’t come out yet. If they don’t cut it out, you’ll see…

Those gathered wondered whether they would pass the casting for “The Mask” or whether they would be turned away. The women preened as they walked.

“Tell me, don’t I look very old?” a fragile, gray-haired pensioner with bright blue eyeliner turned to me. – Maybe I should tint my lips brighter? Because of my age, I often don’t qualify…”

“Now the selection will begin, let’s get ready, smile,” they shouted in the crowd.

We went outside. They lined up. The casting manager, represented by an obese man, was handing out passes.

“If they don’t take us, we’ll go to Volgogradsky Prospekt, there’s also filming there today,” the extras actress encouraged the old people.

— Don’t you want to go to the sports program? – suggested a man over 60.

— I heard out of the blue that today we need to recruit 200 people, there don’t seem to be that many of us. Look, we’ll all get there,” the pensioner reassured the company.

As a result, everyone got to the event – old, young, pretty, and not so pretty.

“The filming will last until two in the morning, you won’t have time by metro,” the organizers warned in advance. — You hand over your phones, you’ll get them when it’s all over. Those who are not satisfied, go straight out.

The people were alarmed: “Will you give me your phone during breaks?” The answer is negative.

“You can risk walking with your phone, but filming is strictly prohibited,” the young man whispered. — If we post it on social networks, it is considered a violation of copyright. They may be fined and blacklisted. Filming actors in the corridor and taking selfies with them is also prohibited. It is not recommended to even approach them.

In fact, the rights of extras end as soon as they cross the threshold of Mosfilm. All that remains is to obey the commands: sit/stand in the indicated place, go to the toilet on the clock, during filming, clap loudly and shout enthusiastically on command.

“It would be better if I went to Volya”

While we were waiting for the performance to start, people were talking about anything, but not about why I came here.

… “It’s a weekday, and so many slackers have gathered,” a man with a receding hairline of about 40 tried to humor.

– We have every right. “We’ve already done our part, it’s up to you to plow and raise the children,” responded the older lady.

— Which children should we raise? “I wish I could stand on my own feet,” the man retorted.

“We survived in the 90s, it’s easier for you now,” the pensioner began to teach the younger generation about life. — When we were young, could we imagine that you could go to concerts of stars for free, and even pay.

In another company, the masses were preoccupied with lunch.

– Will they feed us? — the young man with glasses was interested.

– No, you had to bring it with you.

– I didn’t take anything…

“Well, you’re young, you can’t eat for 2-3 days,” the grandmother giggled with a pink backpack on her back.

– Eh, it would be better if I went to Volya, served there for three hours, received the money and was free.

Someone was worried about how to get home after the metro was closed. Experienced people explained: “They allocate money for a taxi. One car for three or four. You need to look for travel companions who live in the same area as you and negotiate in advance.”

– And I live outside the city. I won’t find any travel companions. I’ll walk to the Kievsky station, there on a bench I’ll wait for the metro to open,” the woman joined the conversation.

Hmmm, clearly no one here cares about Kirkorov.

My interest was supported only by the women who gave me the keys to the boxes where the extras put their phones.

“Last time we saw the Kirkorovs up close,” one said. — He’s so modest, thin, he came with his daughter. Five of his fans came here, all wearing pink blouses. After filming ended, the girls approached him. He spoke politely to them. As for the extras, people whispered about him, saying, “I went through the wrong door,” but they didn’t bother to get to the bottom of the artist.

A woman in a pink dress stopped next to us.

– Lord, no one here gives a damn about Kirkorov. We came here for money, not to discuss artists. I’ve been going to extras for many years now, I’m already sick of the stars…

A couple of hours later we were allowed into the hall. The youth were seated in the stalls. The old people were hidden away from the stage so that they would not appear in the frame.

“I wanted to blend in with the crowd”

Kirkorov’s appearance on stage did not cause much excitement. We greeted the artist on command.

“Hands up, let’s clap,” shouted the girl who was in charge of our part of the stalls.

Compared to many of the stars who were present on stage, Kirkorov looked modest. He was wearing a formal purple suit, a black shirt with a bow tie, and classic patent leather boots.

Philip seemed to want to blend in with the crowd. Even his voice became quieter. I didn’t hear any laughter or jokes from him.

While the artists shared their emotions, Kirkorov froze and looked at one point.

TV channel employees approached him, said something, and he nodded. Then he waved his hand and went backstage.

… – Break! – they shouted to the extras after the first part of the program.

People ran out for a smoke break. No one was in a hurry to discuss Kirkorov and his current place in show business. However, people still noted his sad state. “I’m even scared for him!” the crowd, who were generally indifferent to what was happening on stage, shared their emotions.

I didn’t wait until nightfall.

The next day I contacted one of the crowd members, who promised to follow Kirkorov.

“Philip was polite, he didn’t say any vulgarities, he didn’t even have anything to say,” the interlocutor reported.

On social networks, the channel’s employees posted a short video from the part of the filming where I left. Kirkorov was wearing a black wig, glasses and a dark suit.

Do you remember this Kirkorov? Me not.