Saturday, May 20, 2006

Eurovision

Goodie Goodie Gumdrops, Steli's top-notch blog is saved!
It was always there, only cached, a word I like because cache' means "hidden" in French.
So now you really do have to go there.

And now, on to the Eurovision:

In the past I have voted for Bosnia & Herzegovina because I like their authenticity. I thought the Greeks would have liked the number by Hari Mata Hari because it resembles their love songs too, with a man singing with all his heart.
The line "And now I go because I have loved the one who could never be mine." brought me close to tears.

Despite my bias, I do not choose Greece, even though I've been listening to Anna Vissi for years. She is singing in the western style. Pah! But Terry Wogan said it was the first time he heard the audience singing along. Impressive, that is.

It must be slightly discomposing (oh, haha) for veteran artists like Anna and Mata Hari to compete in such an amateur competition full of youngsters who sing out of tune, but it seems there are more and more of them these days. A far cry from the day when Nicole sang Ein Bisschen Frieden for Germany in 1982. (I owned that single, it was on a 78 rpm record, who remembers those?!?!?)

I bet loads of Greeks were jealous of Croatia's folksy ni nana nai nai number and line dance, showing just how closely related the Balkans really are. (I swear, I already own and can sing a Greek ni na nai nai nai wedding song!)
I liked Ukraine too, with the Cossacks.

OK, Olivia, shut up...I like authentic music and that's that. It seems to colour the way I watch Eurovision.

So, shame on me for not yet having step foot in the land of my ancestors!
My eyes are full of the promo videos shown between songs, and even Terry Wogan couldn't find much to criticise. I remember last year he was so acid I hated him.

But this year he talked about the new Greek confidence since the Olympics, winning the World Cup and Eurovision last year. 2005 was the year of the Greeks.

OPA!

On the other hand, Finland's Klingon-KISS lookalikes were out of place and I used their slot to wash the dishes and make my tea.
Israel with a black gospel band, who knew.
Germany with an Aussie singing country in a group called Texas something or other?
Iceland's display was different as always. Look out, Bjork!

The halftime show was great, those Greeks really know how to put on a show, I mean - remember the Olympics?

And...Finland won.
Heathens...!

8 comments:

Max and Me said...

hey girl! you have changed your profile pic...very nice. were you in the mood for change?

Olivia said...

Yep, but this is nothing - I changed the whole colour scheme and background wallpaper on my 20six blog!

Olivia said...

Oh Steli - and sometimes I feel like you are one-third of my audience.

I must remember to link to you more often, here as well as on 20six. I have at least 15 regular readers there and loads more visitors who don't comment.

Steli, you can watch the Eurovision webcast online, I am sure!

MattJ said...

Hehe. you're gonna hate me. The only reason I ever watch eurovision is for Wogan, love the way he predicts the votes that countries are going to give eachother. Am gutted I missed it purely because I would have loved to see that death metal band win it!

I just can't take the competition seriously, I'm sorry! :s I was over hte moon when i Read that Lordi won, it's the only time I;ve regretted missing it

Olivia said...

Matt - I know, it was like a revolution.
Oh well - I mean, Lordi were good at waht they did, but they were so bloody over-made-up.

Maybe they've raised the bar and from now on it will be all rock with no pop, no traditional sounds. And then in a few years there may be a reaction the other way. It's the way the pendulum swings.

MattJ said...

I loved the make up, it's like a GWAR revival group lol! Who can forget such classics as 'SLaughterama', 'Sick of You', 'Vlad the Impaler' and 'Boris the Spider'? hehehehe

Miss Dallas said...

Ohmygoodness... is this like the European music olympics, only entirely subjective with no standards other than to do the best performance whilst wearing the least-embarassing costumes?

Olivia said...

Luna - don't make me laugh! If you haven't seen Eurovision, then you haven't seen embarrassing costumes!
They seems to chronically sing out of tune too, unless they're pros.