National promoter, SFXski announced that it has inked a deal with Glastnost Distilleries. The strategic alliance calls for Glastnost’s most popular product, Mr. Taterhead Vodka, to be the official liquor at all amphitheatres across Siberia, the official soft drink at all sports arenas and the official salty snack at all outdoor stadiums. It is hoped that the synergy will result in enough hard currency to lure The Jeff Healey Band and Chicago to Siberia in time for the summer season, scheduled to start on August 8th.

The practice of corporate naming continued last week with Verizonsky Wireless snapping up naming rights for the Catherine The Great Equestrian Center and the Joseph Stalin Humanitarian Arena for a total price of $500 in U.S. currency, plus nine barrels of heating oil, four pairs of Levis and two pigs. Officials from both venues hope that the hi-tech renaming will entice Yes, Curtis Salgado and Merl Saunders & His Funky Friends to reconsider playing the venues during the busy winter season, which starts August 9th and runs through August 7th, 2002.

What would you do for tickets to see The Eagles in Moscow? That was the question posed by One Channel Radio, as the gigantic Russian broadcasting conglomerate held contests all over Europe and Asia to find the most dedicated Eagles fan. After many outrageous stunts, including the man from Chernobyl who glowed in the dark while using sock puppets to mime the band doing “Hotel California,” the winners were our neighbors to the south, the Chinese, whose capture of an American spy plane took top prize.

And that is all the news we are told to print. This is Pollstar.com’s Siberian correspondent, Igor Petrov, signing off with this special message for the Chinese: Your tickets were mailed out yesterday, so you can give the plane back.