This Zelensky has family ties to Putin
One Zelenskyy is Ukraine’s president, fighting against the army of Russian strongman Vladimir Putin. The other Zelensky is allegedly the father of Putin’s granddaughter. Russian ballet master Igor Zelensky has been in a long-term relationship with Putin’s second daughter, Katerina Tikhonova, 35, reports Meduza, a Russian-language website based in Latvia.
Zelensky was until recently director of the Bavarian State Ballet in Munich. He resigned in early April, after refusing to publicly condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Now, there’s speculation that Zelensky will head a new state theater the Russian authorities are constructing in Crimea — a project announced by Putin himself in 2018.
Zelensky, 52, is divorced and the father of three.
Tikhonova, who heads a Moscow-based nonprofit, divides her time between Russia and Germany. A former acrobatic dancer, she was previously married to Kirill Shamalov, once Russia’s youngest billionaire.
Putin’s 4-year-old granddaughter is said to be named Igorevna, which would correspond to Igor Zelensky.
“Putin thinks media makes his family a target and is furious that it’s becoming public,” said a source.
The couple met when Katerina went to the ballet and Zelensky would accompany her to her seat.
“Being her baby daddy has numerous advantages like private planes and a huge salary paid by the Russian government,” my source said.
Besides another daughter with his first wife, Putin has five children with Olympic gymnast Alina Kabaeva, and another 19-year-old daughter with Svetlana Krivonogikh, who is now living in Monaco.
It is said Putin is emulating Czar Nicholas II, who had five children.
Leonard Cohen, subject of the new documentary “Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, A Journey, A Song,” suffered from stage fright.
When Judy Collins coaxed him onstage to perform “Suzanne” (which she recorded in 1966), he walked off mid-performance.
“His knees were knocking together,” said Larry “Ratso” Sloman, who became a lifelong friend after interviewing Cohen (below) for Rolling Stone.
“Everybody went nuts,” Collins said. “They demanded that he come back. And I demanded; I said, ‘I’ll go out with you.’ So we went out, and we sang it. And of course, that was the beginning.”
“He was always uncomfortable performing,” Sloman said.
The low point came in 1984 when the head of Columbia Records, Walter Yetnikoff, declined to release Cohen’s album “Various Positions” in the States.
Yetnikoff told him, “Well, Leonard, we know that you are great, we just don’t know if you’re any good.”
Cohen, able to conquer his stage fright, toured nonstop in his late 70s after his manager stole his life savings.
Sony Pictures Classics is launching the documentary Sunday at the Beacon Theater with Collins and Clive Davis. Sloman is bringing Michael Imperioli and director Jim Jarmusch.
Eric Demarchelier, brother of late fashion photographer Patrick Demarchelier, will show a new collection of paintings at the Demarchelier restaurant owned by his daughter Emily in Greenport, L.I., on June 25.
The new works are based on Patrick’s photographs of some of the world’s most beautiful women including Keira Knightley and Cindy Crawford.
The paintings will be displayed side by side with Patrick’s photographs and will be available for sale.
Patrick died of cancer on March 31 in St. Barts and had a quiet memorial service there, leaving many of those he photographed over decades unable to pay tribute in person.
Eric, who has an art studio in Shelter Island and has been operating restaurants in NYC since the ’70s, is paying tribute to his brother with his paintbrush.
Dorinda Medley — asked if there were fights among the eight women who spent eight days taping “The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip” — said, “Of course.”
“You take eight women, lock them up in a manor ... what do you think is going to happen.” And alcohol was involved.
The show on Peacock was shot at her Blue Stone Manor in Great Barrington, Mass.
“They took a week to set it up with drones and port-a-potties,” she said. “I thought, ‘Are we doing a TV show or Coachella?’ ”
The Guinness World Records has inducted beauty entrepreneur Sudhir Gupta for having the largest collection of rare, oversized perfume bottles.
Christine Schott Ledes, president of the American Influencer Association, hosted the celebration in Bergdorf Goodman’s restaurant BG, where over 300 bottles are on display.
Pop princess and actress Selena Gomez has racked up over a million views on TikTok demonstrating how she uses 24-karat gold eye patches by Peter Thomas Roth to add a youthful glow to her face before she goes to red carpet events.
The skincare mogul has given the “Only Murders in the Building” star (above), 29, a year’s free supply of the beauty treatment as a thank you for demonstrating the skin care regimen to her millions of fans.
Daymond John of “Shark Tank” will unveil his portrait by photographer Udo Spreitzenbarth and talk about the artist’s work at Carlton Fine Arts on Madison Ave. on June 16.
The exhibition will spotlight a collection of black and white photos of Tyra Banks, the Jonas Brothers, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Meg Ryan.