RED HEAT (Red Hit)
International Television Music Competition
Eilat, Israel
Is there anyone who doesn't dream of being on the sunny shores of a warm sea in the dead of winter, where palm trees stretch out under the warm sun and the sparkling white sand? Even more desirable is to immerse oneself in this fabulous scenery during the first few days of the New Year. It is usually at this time of the year when TV channels prepare their most «delicious» TV menus, pleasing their viewers with feasts for both the eyes and the ears. The Red Heat International Television Music Competition invites all TV audiences to virtually travel to the shores of the Red Sea, to the city of Eilat, which is rightly considered to be the crown jewel of Israel. To the place where green palm trees and picturesque mountains are surrounded by gentle sea breezes, where sunlight washes down on the coastal coral islands - this is where the first Red Heat International Television Competition will take place.
Nature has generously blessed these places along the northern tip of the Red Sea with exceptional beauty. After a long journey over an endless, colorless desert, the eyes of any traveler, when coming to Eilat, will be quickly delighted with the fantastic landscape. A bright green oasis with verdant lawns along beaches bathed in amber sunlight, sparkling white luxury hotels, the glimmering sea, and multi-colored sails painted with rainbows.
Eilat is the eternal home of the sun. In winter, when snow is busy blanketing Europe, soft summer arrives in Eilat. The significance of Eilat is largely determined by its location on the shores of the Eilat (Aqaba) Gulf, which is the eastern part of the Red Sea. The length of the gulf is 175 km, its width is 13-26 km, while in the northern part of the gulf, where Eilat is located, the width is 5 kilometers. The maximum water depth is 1200 m. The Eilat Gulf is the final, northernmost point of tropical coral reefs. The corals along the Red Sea coastline stretch out to form quite a wide chain.
In 1966, the Eilat coast was declared a nature reserve, and Eilat then became a resort. Only four hours of flying separate Eilat from Europe, with only half an hour to either Tel Aviv or Jerusalem. Major airlines around the world offer regular flights to Eilat. El Al Airlines and Transaero do so on a daily basis, bringing tourists here from Russia. And there is no visa requirement between Egypt and Jordan, so tourists from these countries travel without any border constraints and customs restrictions.
Regular bus service links Eilat with the rest of Israel. One can travel on one's own or via a rented car. Today Eilat is an international, rapidly growing tourist center, with modern infrastructure and a population of about fifty-five thousand people. Every day tourists fill up about seventy hotels, and among these are grand deluxe luxury-class hotels such as Herods, Hilton, Princess, Dan, Royal Beach, Meridian, and others.
The city is home to one of the largest Russian-speaking communities, totaling about eight thousand people. In Eilat one can always meet expats from Russia and the former Soviet Union. Is this not the ideal place for a singing competition?
Russia has always served as a bridge between the cultures of West and East. And in geopolitical disputes, Russia has acted as a peacemaker, helping to find the correct tone for dialogue between Europe and countries in Asia as well as the Middle East.
One of the most acute problems in the world today is, and has been since World War II, the political conflict in the Middle East between Israel and the Arab states. There is a need to hold a regular cultural forum that could truly reconcile these conflicting parties. Therefore, Russia has taken on the role of the organizer of the Red Heat Competition. Preliminary talks with the leaders of Israel have confirmed the seriousness of the intentions of local authorities to offer their hand of friendship to people of all faiths. This country is ready to graciously provide a platform for conducting this grand singing event. And its also ready to be the host of guest representatives from countries such as Russia, the CIS countries, Egypt, Turkey, Jordan, and other lands that are willing to share the idea of developing both cultural and spiritual interaction.
The title of the competition reflects not only its essential element, but it also carries a cultural message. In English the name literally translates as Red Heat. But the word «heat» with its phonetic sound in the Russian language is also similar to the word «hit,» and has long been associated with popular music. The value of this expression is linked to the fact that the most popular songs have long been broadcast on both radio and television and are becoming, indeed, both spicy and hot.
RED means «red», and it is also very symbolic. This color symbolizes not only the Red Sea, whose banks will host the event, but the color red is also firmly connected with new avant-garde ideas, doing away with old stereotypes, and victory! This is the color of both love and passion, challenging the gray of commonness, and symbolizing the highest glow of human feelings and emotions. And, of course, precisely on the very shores of the Red Sea, warmed by the fiery sun, Eilat will greet its guests!
The Red Heat Competition is conceptually different from other such international projects, for example, from the annual Eurovision competition, which in recent years has ceased to be a creative competition, but is instead becoming mainly a get-together for Balkan and Slavic countries. Often enough, in Eurovision, judgment turns into «voting for your own», where friendly states give points to each other. This has become a well-known fact in all languages, and so the competition is often criticized for this. And in addition, Eurovision is not broadcast in most countries throughout the Middle East.
The RED HEAT (RED HIT) project offers a different model for dialogue among cultures. Therefore the system for the selection of participants of the competition, its composition, and the method of voting must all be different. The essence of it should not be as a contest between nations, but rather a show of the achievements of creative workshops from various nations. The objective of the competition is to help people learn from and hear each other, and to overcome any artificial mental abysses that have emerged as a result of years of political confrontations.
The terms of conduct for the qualifying rounds and the competition itself, and the prize fund to be determined by the corresponding Provision have been developed by the International Organizing Committee, made up of representatives of the creative and cultural elite of the participating countries.
The financing of the organization and the conduct of the Red Heat Competition will be implemented via the sponsorship contributions of large corporations and patrons which are interested in the development of the creative and cultural cooperation of the participating states, as well as for the implementation of their respective advertising campaigns.
The RED HEAT (RED HIT) project is a breakthrough in the field of information, being a creative and cultural convergence of states, which can significantly help towards relaxing political tensions throughout the Middle East. In addition to the discovery of young talented artists and a colorful television show, this is also a continuation of the peace-building initiatives of Russia, not only in the political arena but also within cultural spheres. This is a major step towards the convergence of East and West!
The organizational responsibility for the preparation and conduct of the contest have been assumed by experienced personalities in the entertainment industry: Eugeny Fridlyand (Russia) and Semyon Mogilevsky (Israel).
Semyon Mogilevsky, the Deputy Director of the Irkutsk Philharmonic (1981-1989), the Director and Artistic Director of the Kemerovo Philharmonic (1984-1989), and the Director of the Ice Theater of Tatyana Tarasova «All Stars» (1989-1999). From 2000 until today, he has been the owner of the World Stage International Production company (organizing concerts and ice shows throughout 37 countries).
Eugeny Fridlyand, the music producer. He has worked with bands such as Dialogue, Bravo, and Gorky Park. He was the first producer of Valery Meladze, and Nicholai Trubach. In addition, he was one of the organizers and heads of Rice Music (1995-1997), and the organizer of the election campaign tour for B.N. Yeltsin «Vote, or you will lose». He was also the producer of the following television shows such as: the Russia «Pop Idol», and the «X-factor». He is the creator and producer of the following bands: Primier - Minister, and Asortie, and solo singers: Alexei Goman, Alexander Panayotov, Alexei Chumakov, Ruslan Alehno, Boris Moiseev, and Marina Devyatova.
