When media pundits and politicians want to sum up everything that is wrong with Russian culture in two words, those two words are often Ksenia Sobchak. The blonde It-girl hosts the TNT reality show "Dom-2," whose vacant-eyed participants have to shack up with each other to boost their votes. She also stars in her own reality show, "The Blonde in Chocolate," where she bickers with stylists, shows off her endless wardrobe and complains about her lack of breasts.

But something happened last Thursday. Blonde hair flew on formerly staid Mayak radio station when Sobchak faced up to radio host Katya Gordon in a live interview, and, quite frankly, won.

Gordon is the pretty, blonde ex-wife of Alexander Gordon, a well-known radio and television host who is loved by the Live Journal commenting classes for his ironic sense of humor and general integrity. The front page of Katya's web site describes her as a "writer, Mayak presenter, starting director, popular blogger and poet." Like many pretty, blonde wives, or ex-wives, she always has to face accusations of having had a leg-up in her career.

I missed the show on Thursday night, but the full transcript is available on Mayak's web site, and it is a brilliant read. It began with a little mild ribbing, but then Gordon moved in with a vaguely insulting joke. "For me, you're a media mystery," she said. "In each of us, there is a little Ksenia Sobchak." Sobchak was not amused: "Don't flatter yourself," she parried.

Gordon tried to make the peace, saying "we have different business projects, in different niches," but this only inflamed Sobchak. "At least agree with me that my business project is more successful so far," she sniffed, calling Gordon a "pseudo-intellectual."

Then Sobchak got down to brass tacks. "You know what your main complex is, it's that you're not enough of a star," she said bluntly.

Here Gordon brought up her charity work and called Sobchak a "media neurotic." But Sobchak already had the upper hand, and she began to goad Gordon, commenting on her nervousness and gesticulations. "Don't chew gum on air, it's unprofessional," she added.

"You're just a national boor," Gordon retaliated. But she was already getting hysterical, and asking why Sobchak "screamed swear words on some channel." Sobchak told her she was shouting "like someone selling tomatoes at the market," and asked, "Haven't you had a man for a long time?" Then Gordon just lost it, telling Sobchak to "get off the air."

The final line of the show — which ended prematurely — is Sobchak telling Gordon that "all you need is a good man and everything will be all right."

The show was unedifying enough, but Gordon felt the need to continue the fight in her Live Journal blog, where she said she had simply been too polite to defend herself. "Even if you know why Ksenia didn't get married, and you have a whole arsenal of questions about her personal life and appearance, you shouldn't say it. Even if the guest sits in three layers of makeup and disgusting beads and even if she has a nose like my knee, you shouldn't say it on air. It's vile, it's disgusting," she said. Quite.

She then brought up the reason why the "hideous" Ksenia didn't get married: Her boyfriend found her in a hotel on the eve of the wedding, apparently. Oh, and Sobchak got her TV work because of a "request from on high."

Anyway, it's an ill wind that blows no good. Tvoi Den writes that Mayak bosses have now rethought a decision to fire Gordon and she has been offered television work, too.