His antics on the highly popular improv comedy show, KVN, were what Eastern Europe were first introduced to, until that is, his name became synonymous with entertainment and Oleksandr Pushnoy could soon be seen as host, comic, showman, you name it. Wanting another challenge, he thought he might try his hand at music; something it turns out he’s actually pretty good at. So coming to Kyiv for the first time ever, this man, along with the Dzhankoy Brothers are a few very good reasons to make sure you’re in town.

Art Kyiv Contemporary first began in 2006 and from its very beginnings was able to bring together some of the most talented Ukrainian as well as international artists. Fairly called one of the most prominent events in the Ukrainian art world, visitors get the opportunity to see what is going on in the world of artistic haute couture as well as the chance to meet those responsible for creating these marvels of design. Previously held in Ukraininskiy Dim, this year, art fans of this art fair will find themselves among the halls of the Mystetskiy Arsenal.

This music fest is in dedication to the rich artistic traditions of the Ukrainian people and their land, and in particular the Buh River. In the hopes that this third annual Verkhobuzh festival might attract attention where the river’s water and its resources are concerned, there will be a number of ethnic singers, poets, and dance ensembles by day, and by night Cool Baba, Mad Heads XL, TNMK, DJ Andriy Fanya and MC Denis Govorun will help you get your groove on.

Making it big with her chart-topper, From Sarah with Love, this German sensation later came back with another big album, Unbelievable, for which she received much acclaim on the European continent. She has been seen most recently with the hunky Italian, Enrique Iglesias, where their new song Taking Back My Love is taking over the music industry! Coming to Kyiv with a bang, you’ll want to make sure you’re among those with tickets to be part of it.

Still Loving You, Rock You Like a Hurricane, When Love Kills Love, Send Me an Angel, Wind of Change and many other classics are what have made this hard rock German band the musical icons they have become. The name of this latest and what unfortunately sounds like their final world tour is Farewell.

Together with the Galleries of Ukraine Association, Soviart Gallery is holding a great exhibition of photos taken by press photographers from all over the world. As the fourth event of its kind, the previous exhibit, held in February of this year, brought in eight thousand people, and as this next showing will be here for only a few short weeks, make sure you get in to find out why it seems to be so popular.

Formed in 2008, Extreme Dance Life have found their niche in the creation of performances that incorporate classical technique with modern choreography, the Brazilian art form Capoeria and acrobatic stunts. And with the premiere of the dance circle’s long-awaited performance from this same theatre, Tunnel will be breaking new ground with its clever tale about love and fantasy. Incorporating the use of a corridor that separates this world with the next, the question they ask with their choreography has to do with whether you would walk through it or not...

Those in attendance last year won’t have forgotten the solid sound and hard core performances of rock legends Motorhead, Tarja Turunen, Kreator, My Dying Bride and Crematory. Which makes the line-up for this year’s hard rock event even more impressive, as it includes famous, and at the same time disturbing, names like Manowar, Oomph!, Cemetery of Scream, Rotting Christ, Preternatural and many others. To see whether Global East Rock Festival 2010 has outdone itself, grab yourself a ticket and get rocking.

Following the teachings of techno guru Kris Liebing, up-and-coming DJ and producer Monoloc is a definite professional when it comes to upbeat contemporary techno. Initially finding popularity after his first record Anger Me hit the shelves, his more recent album Monoloc – Black Pot has made his name world-famous, which is due more or less to his penchant for bumping up current techno hits with bits and blips.

Georgian opera bass Paata Burchuladze will be performing at the National Philharmonic this autumn where excerpts from Verdi, Boris Gudinov and much more can be expected. Born in Tbilisi, he has since been all over the world performing at well-known venues such as Covent Garden, the Salzburg Festival as well as the Met, so while this may be his first time to Kyiv, we’re quite sure he’ll be moving audiences to their feet.

Playing around with various classical arrangements and the loud, screaming notes he is now famous for, people first took notice of Vitas after he released the song, Opera 2, where elements of these two very different genres could be heard together. Wanting to expand his repertoire, however, he moved from this psychedelic style to something a little bit more patriotic and mainstream making him an absolute icon in China. With 11 albums out and a monument erected in his name in Beijing, this should be one of those evenings you don’t see all that often.

Up-and-coming Italian DJ and producer Angy Kore has been involved in the world of techno since the age of 14, and since he’s still got the same free-spirited sentiment about him, the title for this next event – Fresh Cut – is a pretty good one. Quickly becoming one of the main components of Italian electro, and constantly releasing new tracks for his fans to enjoy under the Spidermix music label, he’s here tonight for your listening – and dancing – pleasure.

Made famous not only for its month-long club event, Kazantip is also the place to head for the great pop-rock festival, Sosedniy Mir. Every year, bands from all over Ukraine, Russia and other European destinations flock to the south where rock, pop, funk, indie, Brit-pop, punk and ska music can be heard for miles.

Cool not only in name but in spirit as well, she’s Yolka (or Christmas tree in English) and she’s a pop singer who likes to poke a little fun at those who so enjoy living the glamorous lifestyle. Making it big with songs, Devochka Studentka (Girl Student) and Malchik Krasvachik (Cute Boy), her songs are funky and her performances are live, and as she rarely spins into Kyiv you should catch her if you’ve got the chance.

As frontman for the hard-rock band Shyva, Zakhar Mai is your average bad boy playing some ‘bad’ music; swearing and cussing from track one right through to the end. Caused by his brief residence in the US or simply ‘cause he’s just bad to the bone, his at times shocking behavior has most certainly contributed to the eleven albums he’s released so far.

Keep the kids busy, tired and happy this summer and get them in the water! There are tonnes of places to take them for various level of excitement. There is one, however, that we recommend that will keep them entranced for hours! For kids from 3 – 14 and adolescents from 15 – 20, these camp sessions (a new one each week) teach kids the basics behind wakeboarding and water-skiing, and all behind the most up to date speedboats while taking the utmost precautions with safety.

This next exhibition of photographs in one of Kyiv’s best camera-friendly galleries is by a man who has been snapping in many parts of the world. His works impress not only because of their vivid images of nature, architecture and all that surrounds both these spheres, but also because many of them question the place human beings have in each.

Coming up on its 11th year, Metal Heads’ Mission is an annual metal music fest organised by the Ukrainian brutal death metal band Mental Demise. With an estimated 3000 metal heads flocking down to the sandy beaches of Crimea each year, this is a good opportunity to mingle with bands from all over Ukraine and Russia as well as a few from as far away as Finland, (Full Scale Conflict), the UK (Naplam Death and Sworn Amongst) and even the US (Cannibal Corpse).

Rishelyevskaya St. 59, Odesa, 29 July – 1 August 

With the second international Tango d’Amore festival held here in Ukraine, there is no better time than now to polish up your skills, while learning a few more, and having a whole lot of fun doing it. Especially since Alper Ergokmen, Selen Surek, Jose Almar and Stella Misse will be leading the workshops. You also can’t go wrong with the Soledad Orchestra or DJ Tangess who will be keeping you musically in time.

Usually held in the region of Lviv, this year Svirzh moves just outside the capital where more than 60 concerts on three stages are planned for the programme. Folk, rock and spiritual music, hundreds of various master classes of ethnic and not-so ethnic dance, plenty of craft exhibitions and lots of contests will be awaiting visitors where fans are more than welcome to tent in the outdoors.

With 32 entries from many different countries, the eight annual Irpen Film Festival will be an ongoing entertainment option for the entire month of August. The competitive programme includes footage from Iran, Azerbaijan, Germany-Singapore, Sweden and Spain, while the Student, Amateur and Independent entries come from Russia, Ukraine the UK and the US. There will even be a couple of Ukrainian premieres, so if flicks are what you’re into, grab a car, nab some popcorn and head on over to Irpen.

Lviv Regional Sports and Recreation Complex (Glino-Navaria Lake, Lviv), 5 – 8 August

In addition to the large and in charge open air party with Lviv Djs every day of this event, lessons in how to wakeboard, wakeskate, wakesurf, and water ski are at your fingertips this summer. And riding only the best in water equipment – Nautiques Correct Craft – with instruction from one of Ukraine’s biggest champions in all four sports – Nikita Tkachenko – it’s going to be a breeze.

Marakesh is one of those so-called emotional bands, and rightly so as the feeling and sentiment they send out from the stage can have explosive effects. In 2007, they released their first official EP, from which a couple of videos were shot, and since that time, their gigs in Kyiv clubs have left them with streams of fans trailing their every move.

This last month of summer will kick off with a great concert by Gouache and Lady Arlett. Beginning his career in Kharkiv while studying at theatrical school, Gouache’s lead singer quickly realised that his stage talents included not just acting but singing as well, and so in 2006, he created this new band with the funky name from which we can soon expect a debut album. On this particular evening, Gouache will be playing with another one of Kyiv’s local groups, Lady Arlett, and together, they’re going to keep you rocking despite the heat.

Every month we will be giving away a pair of tickets to any scheduled Ukraine International Airlines destination absolutely free! And these excellent photos from Olga and Ian are now in the running. But do you think you can do better?

Drama, Comedy USA 2009

Starring Paul Giamatti, Armand Schultz, Michael Tucker

In response to shiny, bigger, better American consumerism comes Cold Souls, a metaphysical comedy in which souls can be extracted and traded as commodities. Balancing on a tightrope between deadpan humour and pathos, and between reality and fantasy, the film presents Paul Giamatti as himself, agonising over his interpretation of Chekov’s play Uncle Vanya.

Action, Thriller USA 2010

Starring Angelina Jolie, Liev Schreiber, Chiwetel Ejiofor

Evelyn Salt (Jolie) is a CIA officer accused of being a Russian spy by a defector. In an interrogation by Salt herself, he has been rightly accused of being a Russian spy sent on a mission, but that he is also accusing her of the same sends her into attempts of trying to prove the accusations wrong.

Druma, Biography, France USA 2010

Starring Eric Elmosnino, Anna Mouglalis, Lucy Gordon, Laetitia Casta, Sara Forestier

From visionary graphic artist and director Joann Sfar comes a completely original take on one of France’s greatest mavericks, the illustrious and infamous singer-songwriter and provocateur Serge Gainsbourg.

Family, Comedy, Animation USA 2010

Voices of James Marsden, Nick Nolte, Christina Applegate

The epic struggle for control of planet Earth continues in this sequel to the 2001 comedy that had pet owners all across the world looking at their house pets in a whole new light.

And it seems like we were right. Last week recordings of phone calls between the two, who have now separated and are going through a bitter custody battle over their child, appeared on the internet. And guess what? Surprise, surprise!

In a move akin to that which we might expect of our Mayor Chernovetsky who feels the need to demonstrate his machismo on a regular basis, Putin straddled a large Harley Davidson and cruised around the town and the surrounding countryside with a crowd of tattooed bikers.

The man’s approval rating slumped to the lowest level since he took over as prime minister, and perhaps he thought this show of masculinity might boost his appeal.

Last year we reported on the fun story about an army of foreign experts coming to Kyiv Zoo to cut the toenails of its showcase animal, Boy the elephant. But sadly, a few months later, Boy was dead, apparently the victim of poisoning. Now his friend Samka the Rhino spends most of her days depressed and lonely in her adjacent enclosure.

In an attempt to change these stereotypes a group of young Ukrainians gathered on the streets of Kyiv this weekend to encourage people to smile.

InZero, a US based web security company, set up a laptop in a secure room in Washington D.C. a while back with the intention of using the device as a honey pot for all the world's busy bee hackers. Once the device was in place with all InZero’s security software loaded, the company made it known through the murky world of hacker online chat forums that there was a document on it that they would not be able to access.

They may be able to get to Mars in just 30 seconds, but it’s taken them 12 years to get from LA to Kyiv. Along with his brother Shannon Leto and friend Tomo Milicevic, Jared Leto, well known for his roles in big Hollywood hits Requiem for a Dream, American Psycho, Alexander, Lord of War, and, Mr. Nobody, heads up this band which was originally formed in 1998.

George Pinkhasov was born and raised in Moscow, where early on in his years he knew that photography was going to amount to something very big for him. And he was right. In 1985, Pinkhasov picked up and left Russia for France where he started working for such world famous magazines as Geo, Actuel and The New York Times. Because his works are so incredibly passionate and emotional, he has often been honoured with various awards; those few that he himself is quite proud of include the Bourse de la Ville de Paris, the World Press Photo Award and the Society of News Design Award of Excellence.

This Canadian-born singer has been impressing audiences ever since he made his first appearance as the ugly Quasimodo in the top musical Notre Dame de Paris. And while he’s not the only member of the cast who continues to find solace in the comfort of Kyiv, he is the one who keeps coming back. Having given us a marvelous show last year, this one come the fall isn’t one spectators will soon forget either; especially with his new album, Gentleman Cambrioleur, out just a few month back.

Mixing up heart-warming and playful tunes amongst her three albums so far, pop-diva Tina Karol has become a popular icon since her arrival on the scene more than five years ago. She was picked out by Russian pop queen Alla Pugacheva for her efforts at the 2005 New Wave song contest in Jurmala, Latvia, and ever since, has been an unstoppable force on the Ukrainian music scene.

Up-and-coming Italian DJ and producer Angy Kore has been involved in the world of techno since the age of 14, and since he’s still got the same free-spirited sentiment about him, the title Fresh Cut Event is a pretty good one. He is quickly becoming one of the main components of Italian electro, and constantly releasing new tracks for his fans to enjoy under the Spidermix music label, he’s here tonight for your listening – and dancing – pleasure.

Coming all the way form Belorussia, the songs we most remember by Lyapis Trubetskoy include Golubi (Doves) and Vsem Devchonkam Nravitsya (Liked by all the Girls). That, however, doesn’t mean that there aren’t a tonne more; a reality the only original member of the group, Serhiy Mikhalok, will attest to. On the road for 20 years already, Lyapis’ popularity might not be what it was back in ’00, but bringing it all back to Kyiv this summer, we’re all going to be left wondering why that is...

Going against all the rules, Yuriy Bashmet is a musician who can do just about anything, and does; at least where music is concerned. While the skills of Denis Matsuev are without exaggeration – fantastic! So bringing the two together for one night in Kyiv only, this evening is going to be an unforgettable one, bringing us all back to an era where music was still able to permeate the soul.

Cool not only in name but in spirit as well, she’s Yolka (or Christmas Tree in English) and she’s a pop singer who likes to poke a little fun at those who so enjoy living the glamorous lifestyle. Making it big with songs, Devochka Studentka (Girl Student),  Malchik Krasvachik (Cute Boy), and many more, her songs are funky and her performances are alive, and as she rarely spins into Kyiv you should catch her if you’ve got the chance.

“Expect the unexpected” is what they say whenever anyone buys a ticket to see these guys perform, and as a group that boasts the title of Official Orchestra of Vienna, we’re banking on that being a good thing... Beginning their season on every first of January, this orchestra goes on to tour worldwide, often giving more than 300 performances in any given year! Their show is full of musical anecdotes and melodious humour and bringing prima-donna Marcela Cerno along with dance sensations Rafaela Pagani and Vladimir Snizek to Kyiv this year, they will stop at nothing to tickle your amusement as they play some of the most beautiful music you’ve ever heard.