Weekend Music Thread music thread #09 In Russia, Christmas music sings you!

Actually, it is still around
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexandrov_Ensemble
It had to be reformed in 2016, but that was after 63 members were killed in a plane crash.

I’ve somehow lost the gemini chat explaining it as a personification. I went back and got these

If you are hearing the phrase “Auntie Oksana” (Тетя Оксана) specifically in the context of Russian weather or “temperature,” it is almost certainly a reference to popular internet memes or urban slang rather than a professional meteorologist.

In the Russian-speaking internet (Runet), “Auntie Oksana” has become a shorthand for a specific kind of unreliable or overly dramatic “neighborhood” source of information.

yokay, let me give you some more transcript

Now that I see the full context, the mystery is solved! This is a classic case of Speech-to-Text error.

The word isn’t “Оксана” (Oksana); the reporter actually said “заставляют” (zastavlyayut), which means “force” or “make”.

The Corrected Phrase

The transcript should read:

“…цифры на термометре заставляют: на улицу ни ногой!”

“…the numbers on the thermometer force [you]: don’t set a foot outside!”

Why it sounds like “Oksana”

In fast Russian speech, the word заставляют (za-stav-lya-yut) can be mumbled. The middle “stav-lya” sounds can get swallowed, leaving something that sounds like “za-ya-yut” or “sa-na,” which the computer AI then “corrected” to the common name Оксана.

I puzzled far too long over the phonetics and I don’t see how the last one could be possible. Let’s try that again

When she says “Auntie Oksana” (Тетя Оксана) at [00:09], she is referring to Oksana Fedorova, as discussed previously. Here is the breakdown of why she says it in that specific context:

• The Joke: The reporter is describing a record-breaking cold snap in Moscow. She says, “The numbers on the thermometer, [Auntie] Oksana, say don’t you dare step a foot outside” [00:08].
• The Persona: She is addressing her “anchor” in the studio. In this comedic setup, Oksana Fedorova is imagined as the news anchor.
• The Cultural Irony: In Russia, Oksana Fedorova is the quintessential “Auntie” of television because she hosted the famous children’s show Good Night, Little Ones!. By addressing the news anchor as “Auntie Oksana,” the video is poking fun at the cozy, domestic nature of Russian state TV, contrasting it with the “deadly” freezing temperatures being reported.

Well, the woman in the video resembles an Oksana Federova, but if she’s an auntie, I’m Batman. Here she is
https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=3b5cf2041e18d574&sxsrf=AE3TifP1ZrjiDImMWsmg-_tQH7vGKnlIvg:1766481139030&udm=2&fbs=AIIjpHxU7SXXniUZfeShr2fp4giZ1Y6MJ25_tmWITc7uy4KIeqDdErwP5rACeJAty2zADJgeXKnD4z7v_UXM32TmNnj1yxfQDJKRFuKsiopx1kXI2HeCwSiMz_r_cLw9z-Mtg7tSmcI7MYFK_I8uSxj7ZdznMQoypHL9PYUQVEywwdBJtoqMFqGEmQsJQqv8HLDXTUeS3OS-&q=Oksana+Fedorova&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi0hK2Gr9ORAxXEf_UHHcdJAecQtKgLegQIChAB&biw=1382&bih=1075&dpr=2

She could be the reporter in the video, but it isn’t in her imdb

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1185905/

If should probably come as no surprise that Trump can lie continuously, given that the goal of AI seems to have been making a machine that can lie to use continuously.