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Currently getting involved in the wacky and wonderful world of Eurovision, which awakes from its slumbers on Tuesday with the first semi final (Final is on Saturday). My current favourites are Belgium (Elvis Presley impersonator), Switzerland (produced by Richard ‘U2’ Rainey), and Denmark (written by Ronan Keating).
Darren – AngloGerman
________________________________________‘The Hungarian’s going hell for leather’ – Jim McGrath
Good man, Darren!
Can’t have a bar of the UK entry this year – a fairly wooden performer, and a song Leona Lewis’s people wouldn’t let her anywhere near if presented with it.
Can’t help thinking this year’s contest will be all the poorer unless someone out there has a song as majestic as the 2008 French entry. For those of you who have forgotten it, shame on you;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vz58Hw9hldw
Terrrific live performer, too.
gc
Adoptive father of two. The patron saint of lower-grade fare. A gently critical friend of point-to-pointing. Kindness is a political act.
Aren’t Norway supposed to be pretty well unbeatable this year? Why oh why are we so rubbish at Eurovision? and would anyone vote for us even if we weren’t? a time of year that makes me quite paranoid….
Wont be the same without Terry Wogan doing the commentary.
Our song is awful and not worth betting on.
And the though of having Andrew Lloyd Webber behind a piano playing on stage is just to dire to contemplate.
Good man, Darren!
Can’t have a bar of the UK entry this year – a fairly wooden performer, and a song Leona Lewis’s people wouldn’t let her anywhere near if presented with it.
The UK song does nothing for me, but it is getting rave reviews in Moscow, and with the change to the voting this year, it could do very well indeed.
Can’t help thinking this year’s contest will be all the poorer unless someone out there has a song as majestic as the 2008 French entry. For those of you who have forgotten it, shame on you;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vz58Hw9hldw
Terrrific live performer, too.
gc
Ah, Sebastian Tellier! ‘Divine’ went on to be a major hit in most of Europe (I actually heard it on the radio in Muelheim last weekend), and the song was used over here for a Renault TV ad.
Incidentally, this years French song is performed by the legendary Patricia Kaas, who has sold about 20 million records worldwide – she’s actually from a French suburb of Saarbruecken, and she’s a legend in Germany. Not sure if she’s right for Eurovision though – I prefer ‘The Belgian Elvis’!
Darren – AngloGerman
________________________________________‘The Hungarian’s going hell for leather’ – Jim McGrath
Aren’t Norway supposed to be pretty well unbeatable this year?
According to the bookies they are, but is a violin playing Harry Potter lookalike really a recipe for Eurovision success? I don’t mind the song – it’s quite catchy, but Alexander doesn’t have the greatest singing voice, and although I think it’s a top 10 finisher, I don’t think it’s a winner.
Why oh why are we so rubbish at Eurovision? and would anyone vote for us even if we weren’t? a time of year that makes me quite paranoid….
The voting for the final is different this year (the two semis are still televoting though), so if they can get to the final, the Western European countries have, in my opinion, got a really good chance of winning. I can see the UK doing much better this year than they have in the last couple of years.
Darren – AngloGerman
________________________________________‘The Hungarian’s going hell for leather’ – Jim McGrath
Wont be the same without Terry Wogan doing the commentary.
You’re right. In that respect alone it will be greatly improved.
gc
Adoptive father of two. The patron saint of lower-grade fare. A gently critical friend of point-to-pointing. Kindness is a political act.
Who is doing it? They haven’t brought Katie Boyle back, have they?
Not the lovely Katie, no. (I met her at the 1998 Eurovision in Birmingham, one of the most charming people I’ve ever met!). Graham Norton takes over from Terry this year, whilst, as usual, Paddy O’Connell will handle the semi finals.
Darren – AngloGerman
________________________________________‘The Hungarian’s going hell for leather’ – Jim McGrath
Not overly impressed with any of them on first listen although I can see why Norway are favourites.
Have made a pretty consistent profit over the last few years although last year was only on Israel qualifying for the final – no mean achievement as the country probably rivals ourselves in the popularity stakes.
France should have won with Natasha St Pier and Louisa Baileche and I don’t think they take it too seriously anymore.
Our entry is incredibly ordinary and the way it chosen – fodder for Saturday night entertainment – sums up the way we treat the competition.
Favourite all-time Eurovision ‘Trains Of Tozeur’ which should have won in 1984.
Only a little each-way on Iceland tonight. Fortunately only the Czech Republic are upholding the tradition of the joke entry. Bosnia is by far the more appealing of the two favourites (also well supported in the outright market from 33/1 to around 10/1). The Turkey entry is typical of the kind of thing Turkey and Greece produce every year.
I managed to get on Germany before the big gamble….I think you can still get 33s….but i got in the 100s to win….26s first 4, and 9s top 10. For those of you that dont know the entry from Germany will have Dita Von Teese dancing / stripping next to him as he sings….. Europe loves Dita Von Teese……
I love the Bosnian song, and, although it’s not my cup of tea I thought Iceland were brilliant..a slow ballad that wasn’t boring [Andrew Lloyd Webber take note]. the Turkish song makes me want to jump on a plane and go on holiday and listen to it whilst sipping wine at a bar on the beach.As for the Norwegian song, I only heard a snippet of it last night but wanted to hear more. Wonder if Iceland might just pull it off though; whales versus bulesque..know what I prefer, but I’m not a bloke.
I managed to get on Germany before the big gamble….I think you can still get 33s….but i got in the 100s to win….26s first 4, and 9s top 10. For those of you that dont know the entry from Germany will have Dita Von Teese dancing / stripping next to him as he sings….. Europe loves Dita Von Teese……
Not sure about the gamble – you can still get 66/1 – or Dita Von Teese. What I do know from listening to the rehearsal is that it is a shocking song by a very average performer. Only the gimmick would give it any chance of finishing top ten.
Iceland was the clear top performance last night and Bosnia the only other possible winner. In terms of ‘quality’ the second semi-final is much weaker.
The overall betting does not reflect song quality. Norway isn’t so bad but it is very short primarily because the singer is the pin-up (I think we are all expected to think ‘isn’t he cute’ rather than notice his relatively weak performance) of the competition. Greece and Turkey are only there because of the expected fanatical support (you know however rubbish they are they will get enough votes to finish top ten) and the UK is shorter than it should be because the prices are being offered by UK bookmakers.
Got to see/hear the Norwegian song on utube and Alexander is damn cute, and any fiddle playing is a winner with me [Levellers fan]. A song that gets you tapping your feet and clapping your hands withing seconds of it starting is pretty good. On hearing it for the second time, the Bosnian song wasn’t quite so good, but a really good performance on the night could win it for them..there’s something about those drums that stirs the blood and makes me want to sign up to fight in the Crimea
.I’m sorry, Darren, but your German Elvis lookylikey is awful
. Saw a much better Elvis at Rolls Royce Social Club a few years ago.
I’m sorry, Darren, but your German Elvis lookylikey is awful
. Saw a much better Elvis at Rolls Royce Social Club a few years ago.
Do you mean Belgium? To be honest, there were three songs that I was cheering on last night, and all the performers actually had the flu – Belgium, Switzerland and Finland. A mate of mine is in Moscow for the Eurovision, and he told me that Patrick (the Belgian Elvis) was looking quite ill after the semi final last night. A real pity that Patrick wasn’t able to deliver the performance he’s capable of really.
Darren – AngloGerman
________________________________________‘The Hungarian’s going hell for leather’ – Jim McGrath
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