Putin channels Fats Domino at party

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia, Dec. 13 (UPI) -- Vladimir Putin showed a whimsical side this weekend, taking a stage to play a piano and sing Fats Domino's "Blueberry Hill" in English.

The Russian premier wowed a celebrity crowd including Sharon Stone, Kevin Costner and Goldie Hawn at a children's charity dinner in St. Petersburg, ABC News reported....More

Picture by "new artist" Putin fetches $1.1 million

ST PETERSBURG, Russia (Reuters) – A picture sketched by Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has fetched 37 million roubles ($1.15 million) at a charity auction.

The painting of snowfall seen through a window, finished by a professional artist, features a sprawling "Putin" signature and was introduced at Saturday's auction with the words: "Here is a new artist."

The auctioneer started bidding at 20,000 roubles ($620), the same as the other lots, only to meet cries of "Let's not be penny-pinchers" from the buyers, who demanded a starting price of five million roubles.

A black belt in judo, Putin has cultivated an image of a tough man, lionized by Russian media but so far not known for artistic talent.

An auction organizer said Putin had painted the picture in 20 minutes and then a professional artist filled in the details.

"Of all the paintings presented there, this was the best one," said a spokeswoman on Sunday for "Our Artists," the Moscow-based gallery which bought the painting.

The gallery, located in an exclusive wooded avenue just outside Moscow favored by oligarchs and top officials, said it would exhibit the painting to the public.

(Writing by Dmitry Solovyov; Editing by Michael Stott and Dominic Evans)

Stupid News-Russia's Putin gets tiger cub for his birthday

MOSCOW - There's no doubt what Vladimir Putin's favorite birthday present is this year — a rare Ussuri tiger cub.

State television showed the Russian prime minister affectionately petting the two-month-old female cub on Friday. The tiger weighs only about 20 pounds and sleeps in a wicker basket at Putin's residence outside Moscow.

Putin says a good home will be found for the tiger, presumably in a zoo or wildlife preserve. He hasn't decided what to call her, but is leaning toward Mashenka or Milashka.

Putin refuses to say who gave him the cub for his 56th birthday, which was Tuesday.

The Ussuri tiger is also known as the Siberian, Amur or Manchurian tiger. Fewer than 400 are believed to survive in the wild

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