You Row Viz Shone

[Tom]

  Yes!!! It's that time of the year again!!! (Well, it will be on Saturday night...)
I'm besides myself with excitement!!!

It's the international songfest that has more Marmite factor than ...er, Marmite! The contest that costs an absolute fortune to put on! The contest that springboards many people to celebrity status in three minutes!

With a bizarre mix of folk, rock, folk-rock, ballads, raps, screams, whispers, haunting melodies, boom-bang-a-bang, disco-pop, anthems, and virtually every other type of 'sound' you can think of - and not necessarily in the same song - there is something there that should appeal to everyone. Add in some subtle political and neighbourly voting (see if you can spot it) and two or three (dare I say it) wooden word-perfect presenters, with rehearsed jokes that kind of miss their timing every year, this is Eurovision. Still going strong after fifty-five years - that says something.

I'm rootin' for Le Royaume Uni, Iceland and Ireland (as I do every year) and Belgium, Albania, France, Cyprus and Azerbaijan make up my top eight favourite songs this year. I've watched the two semi-finals this week and loved them. I'm a bit saddened that not all of the good songs made it through to the final, but only ten from seventeen could get through each night, and I've recorded the semi-finals anyway so I can see them again any time I want to.

Anyway, what are you doing on Saturday night? Do you like Eurovision? Which country's flag will you be flying during the contest?

Not long now... not long now... 

[Roger Kettle]

Oh, Tom.

[Diane CBPFC]

That song along with the skirt stripping from Bucks Fizz still haunts me.

[Tom]

Oh, Tom.

Roger, don't tell me... you're shocked as you've only just realised it's on on Saturday, and you've made other plans. That happened to me once.

[Tom]

That song along with the skirt stripping from Bucks Fizz still haunts me.

Here they are fully clothed...

[Vulture]

Yes!!! It's that time of the year again!!! (Well, it will be on Saturday night...)
I'm besides myself with excitement!!!

It's the international songfest that has more Marmite factor than ...er, Marmite! The contest that costs an absolute fortune to put on! The contest that springboards many people to celebrity status in (surely this should be for) three minutes!

With a bizarre mix of folk, rock, folk-rock, ballads, raps, screams, whispers, haunting melodies, boom-bang-a-bang, disco-pop, anthems, and virtually every other type of 'sound' you can think of - and not necessarily in the same song - there is something there that should appeal to everyone. Add in some subtle political and neighbourly voting (see if you can spot it) and two or three (dare I say it) wooden word-perfect presenters, with rehearsed jokes that kind of miss their timing every year, this is Eurovision. Still going strong after fifty-five years - that says something.

I'm rootin' for Le Royaume Uni, Iceland and Ireland (as I do every year) and Belgium, Albania, France, Cyprus and Azerbaijan make up my top eight favourite songs this year. I've watched the two semi-finals this week and loved them. I'm a bit saddened that not all of the good songs made it through to the final, but only ten from seventeen could get through each night, and I've recorded the semi-finals anyway so I can see them again any time I want to.

Anyway, what are you doing on Saturday night? Do you like Eurovision? (Nope! It's not the same without Terry's pithy comments!)  Which country's flag will you be flying during the contest?

Not long now... not long now... 

[Tom]

Yes, Vulch, you're right. For three minutes is fair comment for some of them. Others are good though.

And I agree about Terry - it isn't the same without him.

[Tarquin Thunderthighs lll]

Well, I'm a little embarrassed and mystified, having just checked the official Eurovision site. After flagging up the elimination of Sweden in the semi last night, I now see that they are indeed in tomorrow's final, and I've no idea how that happened, especially as the live transmission last night closed with the UK commentator reeling, as I was, after the shock, and proclaiming it to the world (or at least the UK).

But I'm pleased. The fragrant Anna Bergendahl will do well, and is my tip for the gold medal, with Romania's Ovidiu Cern?u?eanu and Paula Selling in with a good shout. But the dark horse for me is Cyprus's makeshift entry, performed by a band that Cyprus found on the Internet (money was tight for so many this year), led by that well-known 22 year-old Cypriot musician, Jon Lilygreen... from Newport in Gwent.

Can't wait!

[Tom]

Tarks, I don't think Sweden are there, I'm sorry to say... That is unless someone's pulled out and they've stepped in. I haven't seen anything about that though (although I could be wrong)

Here's the final list from www.eurovision.tv:

1   Azerbaijan   Safura   Drip Drop
2   Spain   Daniel Diges   Algo Pequeñito (Something Tiny)
3   Norway   Didrik Solli-Tangen   My Heart Is Yours   
4   Moldova   Sunstroke Project & Olia Tira   Run Away   
5   Cyprus   Jon Lilygreen & The Islanders   Life Looks Better In Spring   
6   Bosnia & Herzegovina   Vukašin Braji?   Thunder And Lightning   
7   Belgium   Tom Dice   Me And My Guitar
8   Serbia   Milan Stankovi?   Ovo Je Balkan
9   Belarus   3+2   Butterflies      
10   Ireland   Niamh Kavanagh   It's For You   
11   Greece   Giorgos Alkaios & Friends   OPA   
12   United Kingdom   Josh   That Sounds Good To Me   
13   Georgia   Sofia Nizharadze   Shine   
14   Turkey   maNga   We Could Be The Same   
15   Albania   Juliana Pasha   It's All About You      
16   Iceland   Hera Björk   Je Ne Sais Quoi   
17   Ukraine   Alyosha   Sweet People   
18   France   Jessy Matador   Allez Olla Olé      
19   Romania   Paula Seling & Ovi   Playing With Fire
20   Russia   Peter Nalitch & Friends   Lost And Forgotten   
21   Armenia   Eva Rivas   Apricot Stone   
22   Germany   Lena   Satellite   
23   Portugal   Filipa Azevedo   Há Dias Assim   
24   Israel   Harel Skaat   Milim   
25   Denmark   Chanée & N'evergreen   In A Moment Like This   

[Tarquin Thunderthighs lll]

Thanks, Tom. You're quite right. My fault - the slightly confusing official website (it still has results from last year) listed the full 39 countries when I clicked on the the finalists link, and the final 25 were listed further down the page.

I'm back to being disappointed again - she was a lovely lass with a haunting voice, and I thought she was in with a good shout. Oh, well, that means it's Romania and Cyprus for me now. Pete Waterman's UK entry has absolutely no chance, not even with a new coalition government.

Still can't wait!

[Joan]

Good lord!  They're actually showing the semi-final here tonight and the final tomorrow night.  They used to run it about 3 weeks after it was aired in the UK.  Feel free to talk about who wins.  If I watch, it will be purely for the entertainment value as outlined by Tom above. 

[Roger Kettle]

While Tom and Tarks are curling upon a girly couch with a glass of white wine and a box of chocolates, I will be surfing the channels, looking for some more manly programming.
I think "Sleepless in Seattle" is on.

[Tarquin Thunderthighs lll]

I think "Sleepless in Seattle" is on.

Oh, b*gger! Thanks, mate - what do I do now? The VCR packed in years ago. >:

[Tom]

And I've forgotten the chocolates! Thanks from me too, Roger - I've still plenty of time to get them!

[Tom]

Wow.

Now on to the scoring...