Yes, you've guessed it, the 53rd Eurovision Song Contest is less than 2 months away, and now that all the 43 participating countries have selected their entries, I've been scouring YouTube to see what there is to look forward to... and also where I can have my toilet breaks.
The Contest has changed a little this year - there are now two Semi-Finals on the 2oth and 22nd of May, followed by the Final on Saturday 24th May. And it's all coming from Beograd/Belgrade in Serbia - yes that country on the news all the time at the moment due to Kosovo's little declaration of independance... should make for a calm show huh?
There has been an underlying fear in my mind this year as the Contest has traditionally been held the week before Medical School Finals. Luckily though, the Contest is after my dreaded exams, meaning it's pretty likely our living room will be filled to bursting again this year.
10 countries from each Semi will go through to the final, and so I'm going to show you some of my favourites from each... let's see if my preferences match with those of the totally non-politically biased views of Europe.
Semi-Final 1 - Tuesday 20th May
02 - Israel: Bo'az Ma'uda "The Fire In Your Eyes"
Okay, so perhaps I like this cos Bo'az himself is a pretty picture... I definitely don't think Hebrew lends itself to singing very much.
07 - Azerbaijan: Elnur & Samir "Day After Day"
I always like the new countries' entries, they really go for it. And so here is the Azeri song, which could not be more camp if it tried really - a devil and a bleach-blond angel singing something or other to rock music, it's just brilliant.
08 - Slovenia: Rebeka Dremelj "Vrag naj vazme" (To Hell With It)
As Slovenia is my favourite country in the world, I have to like this song even if it is a bit duff. Well, it's not all bad, but it's safe to say Eurovision 2009 won't be in Ljubljana.
10 - Poland: Isis Gee "For Life"
Well after a quick break during Norway's typically nice entry (read: dull), here is what I think could be a winner actually. This song reminds me of Shiri Maymon (Israel) a few years ago, it's a really beautiful ballad sung by a blond with a good pair of lungs on her (read: a cracking rack). This is quite possibly my favourite song this year.
11 - Ireland: Dustin the Turkey "Irelande Douze Pointes"
This joke entry featuring a turkey puppet (where else but Eurovision?!) is actually alright - I like the name check of all the countries at the end especially.
12 - Andorra: Gisela "Casanova"
Andorra have never made the final... this probbaly won't turn the tide but it is delightfully europop with a ridiculous beat... it sounds like a Cascada album track.
14 - Armenia: Sirusho "Qele Qele"
I think I have a weakness for these Transcaucasian countries.
18 - Russia: Dima Bilan "Believe"
This hottie came 2nd in the Contest in 2006, and whilst this song isn't as good, this guy is an artist in his own right - it's the equivalent of the UK sending someone like Justin Timberlake to Belgrade.
And shockingly, I don't actually like Greece's entry this year... but maybe I'm smarting cos they didn't choose the far hotter Kostas Martakis...
Well, that's the first Semi-Final... and as you can see I like a fair few in it! Which is a bit gutting as it's the Semi-Final the UK doesn't have a vote in (we only get to vote in the second semi on Thursday).
My run-down of the Second Semi-Final in the next blog...
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