Okay, so with less than a week to go, I thought I'd make you aware of an important duty, which is that the UK votes on which 10 countries progress to the final of the Eurovision Song Contest.
The first Eurovision Semi-Final will be broadcast on Tuesday 12th May on BBC Three (with ace commentary from Sarah Cawood and Paddy O'Connell). As a big country we automatically get through to the final, but we still help to choose who our competition is in one of the two semi-finals. With 42 countries in total, there are 21 in each semi-final, and it has to be said, the better songs are in the second one.
The following countries are performing, and here's a brief review of the songs. If I like them, I'll post the video, to try and convince you, but links of the country names will take you to the BBC page if you're curious about something I've missed...
Montenegro / Crna Gora
Andrea Demirovic - Just Get Out of My Life
This is a delightful euro-camp-fest, but it's a little "Pop Idol - Disco Week". Look out for the male dancer onstage who the Schlagerboys call "a big dancing jessie".
Czech Republic / Česká republika
Gipsy.cz - Aven Romale
"Come on Gipsies!" - you'd be forgiven for pulling a face at that title, and you'd be right to, cos this song is not a grower.
Belgium / België / Belgique
Copycat - Copycat
An Elvis-A-Like croons out this Fifties-style song, but the "cat-call" that starts it off makes me want to switch off.
Belarus / Беларусь
Petr Elfimov - Eyes That Never Lie
It's all a bit earnest really, and he looks a bit of a fool with that bizarre straightened blonde fringe.
Sweden /Sverige
Marlena Ernman - La Voix
Oh Sweden, you never let us down! Opera + Popdance beat can't fail can it? It's got the traditional key-change for the last verse, and a dance routine involving masks. Brilliant.
Armenia / Հայաստան
Inga & Anush - Jan Jan
This song is brilliantly mental - "We are dancing NOR PAR" - what does that even mean?! And they look so completely oblivious to how astonishingly ridiculous they are throughout. It's awful, but I keep getting drawn back.
Andorra
Susanne Georgi - La Teva Decisió (Get A Life)
Oh poor Andorra. I do feel a bit sorry for them, so tiny, but this song captures "90's single woman singer-songwriter" for me and it's not my bag.
Switzerland / Schweiz / Suisse / Svizzera
Lovebugs - The Highest Heights
This was produced by U2 and I think it shows. I quite like this song, which is so different from the rest of Eurovision it sits apart - which might mean it does very well.
Turkey / Türkiye
Hadise - Düm Tek Tek
This is pretty catchy, danceworthy and has a little "arriba" noise 2/3 through which does it for me. Plus I like the "Düm Tek TEK!" chorus a bit too much.
Israel / יִשְׂרָאֵל
Noa and Mira Awad - There Must Be Another Way
It's one of those "meaningful" songs - and I can't be bothered this year. Plus I don't think Hebrew was designed with singing in mind, there's something about hocking at the back of your throat that kind of kills the mood.
Bulgaria / България
Krassimir Avramov - Illusion
This is so OTT it's not even funny. There's only so much high-pitched wailing I can take from a man, even one as built as old Krassimir.
Iceland / Ísland
Yohanna - Is It True?
A plain ballad from Iceland - a bit disappointing really, like one of those X Factor acts who is pleasant enough and you continue to like when you know deep down they should have been voted off weeks ago.
F.Y.R. Macedonia / Македонија
Next Time - Neshto Shto Ke Otsane [Something That Will Remain]
Just a simple no here. Though the boys do have nice perms.
Romania / România
Elena - Balkan Girls
"The Balkan girls they like to party like nobody" - it's all pleasant enough.
Finland / Suomi
Waldo's People - Lose Control
This is excellent, a bit Bomfunk MC (which is perhaps not surprising, given both acts are Finnish).
Portugal
Flor-de-lis - Todas As Ruas Do Amor
This has the dubious honour of being my most played Eurovision 2009 song. I like that whilst many countries have opted to sing in English, Portugal remains steadfast in only using Portugese in this folky song. Portugal has participated in the Contest for longer than any other without securing a win, and I wouldn't mind if this were to do it.
Malta
Chiara - What If We
Chiara seems to enter Eurovision every other year and always with a yearning ballad. Same old, same old...
Bosnia and Herzegovina / Bosna i Hercegovina
Regina - Bistra Voda [Clear Water]
Now I actually quite like this one, but maybe because I have a soft spot for Bosnia. It's got sweet lyrics and I like the tinkly bits at the start.
Georgia / საქართველო
Georgia were due to take part but withdrew following that war with Russia, where, incidentally, the contest is being held this year. Then they came back, with a song called "We don't wanna Put-In", a barely veiled reference to Russia's Prime Minister, so they got banned. Oops.
So my favourites to hopefully make the Final are: Montenegro, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Romania, Finland, Portugal & Bosnia-Herzegovina. What are yours? We'll find out in week.
Monday, 4 May 2009
Sunday, 3 May 2009
Thursday, 30 April 2009
Eurovision Hotties
Whilst I continue to blast out this years Eurovision entries on YouTube, here's a little diversion as we take a little look at the boys on offer this year...
Zoli Adok (Hungary/Magyar)
Zoli was Hungary's third choice for Eurovision (two others dropped out), but luckily for us, we get to see his dance & acrobatic skills in Moscow. Plus, he dresses up as a sailor in his video and isn't shy of sequins or glitter it seems...
VERDICT: Take Me To Your Heaven
Niels Brinck (Denmark/Danmark)
Not bad for a ginge, though what is that neckerchief all about huh?
VERDICT: You're my lover, undercover
Alexander Rybak (Norway/Norge)
Little Alexander plays away on his violin during his song, and I think he's pretty cute.
VERDICT: Boom Bang-A-Bang!
Regina (Bosnia & Herzegovina/Bosna i Hercegovina)
Regina are a Bosnian rock band made up of Aleksandar, Bojan, Denis & Davor who have reunited, Take That style, for Eurovision 2009. I'm pleased they did.
VERDICT: Ooh, aah, just a little bit
Petr Elfimov (Belarus/Беларусь)
Underneath that astonishing hair "style" Petr might not be so bad... oh who am I trying to kid, he'd scare blind children away. And once he started singing, the deaf ones would be of too.
VERDICT: Save All Your Kisses For... someone else
Igor Cukrov (Croatia/Hrvatska)
I think he won the Croatian equivalent of Fame Academy, and his smile is cute enough. I quite like his Croatian swarthiness, even if his song is a bit of yawn-fest.
VERDICT: Every Way That I Can
Sakis Rouvas (Greece/Ελληνική)
I think pictures speak a thousand words here.
VERDICT: This Is Our Night
And, lastly, it's not always the main act that you should be watching...
Svetlana Loboda (Ukraine/Україна)
Whilst Svetlana isn't my bag, Ukraine has a good history of having some great backing dancers, and costumes aside, this year doesn't dissappoint...
VERDICT: Go Go Wild Dancers!
Zoli Adok (Hungary/Magyar)Zoli was Hungary's third choice for Eurovision (two others dropped out), but luckily for us, we get to see his dance & acrobatic skills in Moscow. Plus, he dresses up as a sailor in his video and isn't shy of sequins or glitter it seems...
VERDICT: Take Me To Your Heaven
Niels Brinck (Denmark/Danmark)
Not bad for a ginge, though what is that neckerchief all about huh?
VERDICT: You're my lover, undercover
Alexander Rybak (Norway/Norge)
Little Alexander plays away on his violin during his song, and I think he's pretty cute.
VERDICT: Boom Bang-A-Bang!
Regina (Bosnia & Herzegovina/Bosna i Hercegovina)
Regina are a Bosnian rock band made up of Aleksandar, Bojan, Denis & Davor who have reunited, Take That style, for Eurovision 2009. I'm pleased they did.
VERDICT: Ooh, aah, just a little bit
Petr Elfimov (Belarus/Беларусь)
Underneath that astonishing hair "style" Petr might not be so bad... oh who am I trying to kid, he'd scare blind children away. And once he started singing, the deaf ones would be of too.
VERDICT: Save All Your Kisses For... someone else
Igor Cukrov (Croatia/Hrvatska)
I think he won the Croatian equivalent of Fame Academy, and his smile is cute enough. I quite like his Croatian swarthiness, even if his song is a bit of yawn-fest.
VERDICT: Every Way That I Can
Sakis Rouvas (Greece/Ελληνική)
I think pictures speak a thousand words here.
VERDICT: This Is Our Night
And, lastly, it's not always the main act that you should be watching...
Svetlana Loboda (Ukraine/Україна)
Whilst Svetlana isn't my bag, Ukraine has a good history of having some great backing dancers, and costumes aside, this year doesn't dissappoint...
VERDICT: Go Go Wild Dancers!
Tuesday, 28 April 2009
Saturday, 28 March 2009
Thursday, 19 March 2009
Ottowa Senators 4 - Buffalo Sabres 2
Giving the best of British Luck to the Sen(ator)s on Saint "Patty"s Day.
Monday, 16 March 2009
Saturday, 7 March 2009
Eurovision is coming
Eurovision 2009 is coming and so clearly I'm started to get a little too excited. This year, the contest is taking place in Moscow, Russia, and there will be 42 countries taking part in 2 semi-finals, with the best 20 joining Frace, Spain, Germany, the UK and hosts Russia in the Final.
The wonder of YouTube means freaks like me can preview the songs in advance, and so here are some of my "favourites"... I'm using that term loosely to describe both songs I actually like as well as ones that are just plain awful.
So here they are... The Good, The Bad, The Ugly and... well just the plain Gay...
Finland/Suomi
Waldo's People: Lose Control
Official video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoYAPyBAo9U
Live:
I really like this song and love how Finland always enter a song that that would be popular in Finland.
VERDICT: Good
Bulgaria/България
Krassimir Avramov: Illusion
Here is a prime example of a singer who completely and utterly goes for it just that little bit too much.
VERDICT: Ugly
Norway/Norge
Alexander Ryback: Fairytale
I don't want to like this but it's a bit of a grower and he's a little bit cute.
VERDICT: Good
Slovenia/Slovenija
Quartissimo feat. Martina: Love Symphony
I'm loving all this OTT singing going on, but she keeps you waiting doesn't she? They guys playing violins also really need to either be fitter or do something vaguely interesting, given that instruments aren't actually live at Eurovision. I was waiting for them to rip their suits off revealing sequins or do some acrobatics, but no. They just jig about. A bit. Needs work boys!
VERDICT: Ugly.
Spain/España
Soraya: La noche es para mi
This is my favourite song, and it's one of the favourites to win. I like how she keeps doing Tyra Banks style poses in all her close ups, as well as how much grease seems to be in the hair of her backing dancers.
VERDICT: Good
Albania/Shqipërisë
Kejsi Tola: Carry me in your dreams
This is the most unbeliveably crap video you have ever seen, look out for her jogging-style dancing in front of the bluescreen! Plus her entirely bored face throughout. I think she really wants to win.
VERDICT: Bad Bad Bad
Greece/Ελλάδα
Sakis Rouva: This is our night
Sakis is a Greek heartthrob, and has both sang at and presented Eurovision in the last 5 years so might do pretty well. But there's something a little odd about a 30-something year old belting out disco numbers... hence...
VERDICT: Gay
Montenegro/Crna Gora
Andrea Demirovic: Just get out of my life
This song is the musical version of a gay break-up, all mock drama with ridiculous lyrics to a dance beat. It's also my clear winner for best (i.e. most sexually suggestive lyrics) with:
"Just get out of my, out of my, out of my head;
Just get out of my, out of my, out of my bed"
VERDICT: (most definitely) Gay
Cyprus/Κύπρος
Christina Metaxa: Firefly
Nice song, let's see if she can work on those tuning issues (i.e. a lot)
VERDICT: Ugly
Sweden/Sverige
Marlena Ernman: La Voix
What is it with the blinking violins this year? Russia had one in their winning entry last year so Slovenia, Norway, Estonia and now Sweden are following suit in glorious disbelief that Europe loves violins. Let's see shall we. Anyway, Sweden, who normally churn out some fabulous Europop have left me a little confused this year. It's opera with a disco beat. WTF?
VERDICT: Good? Bad? I'm undecided.
Azerbaijan/Azərbaycan
AySel & Arash: Always
All things considered, Azerbaijan aren't that bad and this song does get in your head. There's a little too much wailing at the end and the guy could lay of the sleaze but I bet this will make the final.
VERDICT: Good. Ish.
Malta
Chiara: What if we
This is Chiara's zillionth attempt at Eurovision and she still hasn't lost any weight, you'd think the stress might have some effect. Perhaps she just needs some better make-up. In any case, I like the particularly imaginative video concept: Just. Standing. In. Front. Of. A. Microphone.
VERDICT: U.G.L.Y.
Netherlands/Nederland
The Toppers: Shine
Sounds a bit like Katrina in the Waves, so maybe this will do well, given that it's all about "loving the one we hate" and "letting the darkness fade away". Loving the return of the hand-torch though, as debuted by Slovenia a year back. Great lyrics include "...love will make us glow in the dark".
VERDICT: Gay
Hungary/Magyarország
Zoli Ádok: Dance With Me
This came third in the Hungarian national selection, but the first and second place withdrew for some spurious reason, leading to this hidden gem of camp-ness featuring the lyrics "disco fantasy" and sailor costumes. F. A. B.
VERDICT: Gay = Good
And lastly, but not least, our own, home-grown entry. It's certainly no Scooch (I'll leave it up to you to decide if that's a good thing or not)
United Kingdom
Jade Ewen: My Time
This is very Andrew Lloyd Webber (funny that... given he wrote it) and you can't deny that she belts it out pretty well. Whether I actually love it is another question, but I think I like it. Maybe a Top 10 finish this year after all?
VERDICT: Good (surprisingly)
Well, that is all for now. I may well add in some more gems as they come through. And for those of you in the know, keep May 16th free, I might well be doing something...!
The wonder of YouTube means freaks like me can preview the songs in advance, and so here are some of my "favourites"... I'm using that term loosely to describe both songs I actually like as well as ones that are just plain awful.
So here they are... The Good, The Bad, The Ugly and... well just the plain Gay...
Finland/Suomi
Waldo's People: Lose Control
Official video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoYAPyBAo9U
Live:
I really like this song and love how Finland always enter a song that that would be popular in Finland.
VERDICT: Good
Bulgaria/България
Krassimir Avramov: Illusion
Here is a prime example of a singer who completely and utterly goes for it just that little bit too much.
VERDICT: Ugly
Norway/Norge
Alexander Ryback: Fairytale
I don't want to like this but it's a bit of a grower and he's a little bit cute.
VERDICT: Good
Slovenia/Slovenija
Quartissimo feat. Martina: Love Symphony
I'm loving all this OTT singing going on, but she keeps you waiting doesn't she? They guys playing violins also really need to either be fitter or do something vaguely interesting, given that instruments aren't actually live at Eurovision. I was waiting for them to rip their suits off revealing sequins or do some acrobatics, but no. They just jig about. A bit. Needs work boys!
VERDICT: Ugly.
Spain/España
Soraya: La noche es para mi
This is my favourite song, and it's one of the favourites to win. I like how she keeps doing Tyra Banks style poses in all her close ups, as well as how much grease seems to be in the hair of her backing dancers.
VERDICT: Good
Albania/Shqipërisë
Kejsi Tola: Carry me in your dreams
This is the most unbeliveably crap video you have ever seen, look out for her jogging-style dancing in front of the bluescreen! Plus her entirely bored face throughout. I think she really wants to win.
VERDICT: Bad Bad Bad
Greece/Ελλάδα
Sakis Rouva: This is our night
Sakis is a Greek heartthrob, and has both sang at and presented Eurovision in the last 5 years so might do pretty well. But there's something a little odd about a 30-something year old belting out disco numbers... hence...
VERDICT: Gay
Montenegro/Crna Gora
Andrea Demirovic: Just get out of my life
This song is the musical version of a gay break-up, all mock drama with ridiculous lyrics to a dance beat. It's also my clear winner for best (i.e. most sexually suggestive lyrics) with:
"Just get out of my, out of my, out of my head;
Just get out of my, out of my, out of my bed"
VERDICT: (most definitely) Gay
Cyprus/Κύπρος
Christina Metaxa: Firefly
Nice song, let's see if she can work on those tuning issues (i.e. a lot)
VERDICT: Ugly
Sweden/Sverige
Marlena Ernman: La Voix
What is it with the blinking violins this year? Russia had one in their winning entry last year so Slovenia, Norway, Estonia and now Sweden are following suit in glorious disbelief that Europe loves violins. Let's see shall we. Anyway, Sweden, who normally churn out some fabulous Europop have left me a little confused this year. It's opera with a disco beat. WTF?
VERDICT: Good? Bad? I'm undecided.
Azerbaijan/Azərbaycan
AySel & Arash: Always
All things considered, Azerbaijan aren't that bad and this song does get in your head. There's a little too much wailing at the end and the guy could lay of the sleaze but I bet this will make the final.
VERDICT: Good. Ish.
Malta
Chiara: What if we
This is Chiara's zillionth attempt at Eurovision and she still hasn't lost any weight, you'd think the stress might have some effect. Perhaps she just needs some better make-up. In any case, I like the particularly imaginative video concept: Just. Standing. In. Front. Of. A. Microphone.
VERDICT: U.G.L.Y.
Netherlands/Nederland
The Toppers: Shine
Sounds a bit like Katrina in the Waves, so maybe this will do well, given that it's all about "loving the one we hate" and "letting the darkness fade away". Loving the return of the hand-torch though, as debuted by Slovenia a year back. Great lyrics include "...love will make us glow in the dark".
VERDICT: Gay
Hungary/Magyarország
Zoli Ádok: Dance With Me
This came third in the Hungarian national selection, but the first and second place withdrew for some spurious reason, leading to this hidden gem of camp-ness featuring the lyrics "disco fantasy" and sailor costumes. F. A. B.
VERDICT: Gay = Good
And lastly, but not least, our own, home-grown entry. It's certainly no Scooch (I'll leave it up to you to decide if that's a good thing or not)
United Kingdom
Jade Ewen: My Time
This is very Andrew Lloyd Webber (funny that... given he wrote it) and you can't deny that she belts it out pretty well. Whether I actually love it is another question, but I think I like it. Maybe a Top 10 finish this year after all?
VERDICT: Good (surprisingly)
Well, that is all for now. I may well add in some more gems as they come through. And for those of you in the know, keep May 16th free, I might well be doing something...!
This weekend, i will be mostly...
My season one of 30 Rock arrived this morning so my bad mood from a shitty week now seems long gone!
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