Eurovision! *g*
As a reward for finally finishing in my much-delayed snarry_games story, I treated myself to a quick youtube.com voyage through this year's crop of Eurovision Song Contest finalists. Heh. Yes, that's what I do for entertainment, so you can just imagine what I do to punish myself. :)
Fellow non-Europeans need only know that this is a yearly event (popular for fifty years or something now) in which all the European countries send off their "best" (*koff*) song/singers of the year to compete with the representatives of other countries. Mostly over-produced and never cutting edge, the ESC has come up with some familiar names amongst its winners (Lulu and ABBA and Céline Dion, for example), but mostly? Quickly forgettable.
Here are my reactions to this year's finalists
Belarus - Blue Man Group meets Bauhaus meets Ninjas. Also...sung in English, which might not have been the best choice ("Yes ah'm weeling!")
Bulgaria - Kate Bush meets the Highland Drum Brigade...and yet, strangely appealing.
France - Over the top, but in what looks to be a kind of charming, tongue-in-cheek way (at least as far as the video is concerned). If I'm just imagining the ironic tone, then I take my vote back. :)
FYR Macedonia - the swelling music at the start scared me! Is it a folk song? Is it "Don't Cry For Me, Macedonia?" No idea. Karolina looks cute in hot pants, though.
Georgia - Not the worst ever, but neither the song, nor the video knows what it's supposed to be.
Germany - The swinging retro love child of Frank Sinatra and Wayne Newton, wearing a too small hat. Half a thumb up.
Hungary - Hunh. It sounds really strange to hear the blues coming from a woman with a Hungarian accent, but God, what a nice change to hear something that isn't chirpy pop. Plus, points for the video!
Latvia - If I were an RPS kind of person, I'd be slashing them. Seriously, they're not exactly setting the world on fire in terms of being current (*g*), but they've got lovely voices (and they're the only ones I listened to a second time). Listen to "Questa Notte" here.
Moldova - Political and the vocalist sounds sincere and all, but it has a very late-seventies arena anthem feel to me without having anything really special to recommend it
Serbia - Terrible outfit, nice voice. Definitely a case where I wish I knew what the lyrics were (in English). Anybody know what Marija Serifovic's song "Molitva" is about?
Slovenia - Phantom of the Opera meets the soundtrack from a never-released 1960's James Bond film. Brrr.
Spain - A boy band (although I use the term "boy" advisedly, as these guys look like they left boyhood behind a while ago). The song isn't very interesting, but the guys are kind of cute, and I suspect they'll be getting votes for that alone.
ETA Sweden - I don't know how I missed these guys, but they're wonderfully campy in a sort of T Rex meets Eddie Izzard meets Edison Lighthouse meets Elvira. :)
Turkey - Sorry, baby... I could not watch you "Shake It Up" for another second. The comments suggest that you have fans, though, so...good for you.
United Kingdom - "Scooch - Flying the Flag." OMG. I don't know whether to giggle or be appalled. How could that possibly be the British entry? Even the parts where they're trying to be risque are laughable. Sorry, UK. I vote no.
Now if only tomorrow night's finals weren't pre-empting Doctor Who! (grrrr)
Fellow non-Europeans need only know that this is a yearly event (popular for fifty years or something now) in which all the European countries send off their "best" (*koff*) song/singers of the year to compete with the representatives of other countries. Mostly over-produced and never cutting edge, the ESC has come up with some familiar names amongst its winners (Lulu and ABBA and Céline Dion, for example), but mostly? Quickly forgettable.
Here are my reactions to this year's finalists
Now if only tomorrow night's finals weren't pre-empting Doctor Who! (grrrr)