Eurovision / Making Your Mind Up 2007

[Dave Tudor]

It seems Malta is calling for the phone voting system to be scrapped:

Ding Ding-a-Dong!

Their twelve points to the UK was a protest vote!!

[Simon R]

The blonde bird from Scooch said she cried her eye lash off when they got the 12 points from Malta.

I know how she felt.

[P-Bal]

I'm not sure you can do a protest televote to be honest!

There's a lot of crap being spouted at the moment, and much good truth.

The semi-final doesn't in anyway enhance your chances of winning - if you're going to win you will win. Helena stormed to victory in 2005 without being in the semi, with Chiara being right behind her as a non-semi contestant in second place. Similarly, Ukraine and Russia in the top three this time were already in the final.

But the politics did destroy it this year, there's no doubt. When you accept that Yugoslavia is now three billion nations the size of Cardiff all giving each other points, there's little to be given to anyone on the merit of their song.

Quite a few countries have every right to be disgusted at the results, not least the UK and the other big four (Germany and Spain deffo deserved better), plus others such as Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Malta.

It's not a courtroom drama.

[WhiteCrow]

It seems Malta is calling for the phone voting system to be scrapped:

Ding Ding-a-Dong!

Their twelve points to the UK was a protest vote!!

Why on Earth would any TV program these days do away with a lucrative phone-in aspect to the show? I mean even ITV aren't letting go of that one - bastards.

I bet as well we pay more for our votes in the UK than some of those Balkan countries.

[Dave Tudor]

One thing that must said, though, was that this year's event was certainly very well staged. Tel mentioned it several times, and he's right: the two presenters were, for once, very good, the set and the production were excellent, and the half-time entertainment was impressive, too.

Christ knows what that strange blonde woman from the "audience" was all about, though!

[P-Bal]

I agree that the staging and production and wotnot were top class.

And we all join in on the zig-a-zig-ah!

[WhiteCrow]

I agree that the staging and production and wotnot were top class.

Problem is what makes Eurovision are the songs and the showmanship - very little of which was on show this year.

Every year you watch it for those one or two acts who really grab you and are something different, the most memorabe of recent years have been Ruslana (who I think was probably the best act on Eurovision of all time in my living memory), last years Heavy Metal group, the two "Wings of Love" singers, and of course Dana International.

I'm not always behind the UKs song because it's the UK. I thought our famous nul point several years ago "Cry Baby" was very bland and absolutely strangled to death when they sung it on stage. And as I've said I think we've fallen into some very samey songs being entered. However last years rap song was good, and I thought Skooch put on a really good show this year, far better than their ranking would believe.

Maybe in 2017, when Eurovision is held in East Europe for the 10th year running, with the final made up of only East European countries, the rules might be changed to make the competition a little fairer than it currently is. I mean this year for the first time in living memory I enjoyed Frances entry!

[Simon R]

Maybe next year we need to try something a bit more serious. Both Scooch and Daz were a little OTT and almost novelty songs so maybe we should try something less silly.

The trouble is then we stray in to dreary territory like James Fox.

[WhiteCrow]

Maybe next year we need to try something a bit more serious. Both Scooch and Daz were a little OTT and almost novelty songs so maybe we should try something less silly.

Well the problem also is they are also very British songs about British culture - not really going to sell abroad are they? Mind you I hate it when you hear ballardy songs about world peace on Eurovision, because it always feels a bit cynical.

It's a shame songs like "My lovely horse" or "Piff paff poff" never made it to Eurovision.

[Si Hunt]

It's really depressing to wonder if a less fun and more dreary song (like Cyndi) might have fared better. But then you watch Scootch's performance, which was so full of fun and so excitingly LIVE that you just think we can't get any better than that really, in terms of presenting a show-stopping, enjoyable song and performance for the rest of Europe. That's what's depressing about this year - last year at least you could understand people not warming to sleazy Daz, but our entry this year, by the time it had ingrained itself and been fully staged, was faultless. Poor old Scootch.

Si.

[WhiteCrow]

That's what's depressing about this year - last year at least you could understand people not warming to sleazy Daz, but our entry this year, by the time it had ingrained itself and been fully staged, was faultless. Poor old Scootch.

And last years Heavy Metal Hallelujiah really did blow away the competition, but only just managed to pip Russia and the block voting to the post.

[P-Bal]

Ballardy is good in my opinion.

The winner has been for the last few years, fairly deserving. This year's is a bit on the crappo side (though the cheesy cheapo dance mixes are a treat), but I can see why in general they have won.

I disagree entirely about British songs not selling abroad as statements of British culture. I mean tell it to Coldplay and Robbie Williams and wotnot. Or even Melanie C!

This year's result was 110% on the politics of it all.

I'm not sure where we go from here.

But it's not UK specific, Belgium last year and Switzerland this year faltered at the semi's when they should have been riding high in the final. Indeed Kate's song outsold the winner in Europe, but didn't make the final.

Helena Paparizou is a shining light of how a winner should be. Commanding, visually stunning, a storming song, smooth presentation, and possibly my all time favourite winner.

Bless her and all who've sailed in her.

[Milky Tears]

Christ knows what that strange blonde woman from the "audience" was all about, though!

She's a Finnish "stand up comedian":

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1335597/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krisse_Salminen


No wonder the suicide rates are so high over there.


She ain't no Catherine Tate.

[Si Hunt]

I have a problem with ballads. Because "ballad" has come to mean simply a slow song, and slow means unexciting, and usually a turgid exercise in vocal gymnastics that is no fun to listen to. You tend to forget that a ballad can be moving emotionally, because so few of them are. In my opinion, anyway.

Si.

[Captain Tancredi]

It did occur to me that winning the semi-final might give you a slight edge in that keen Eurovision-watchers have already heard your song once or twice therefore it's in people's minds.

The one thing that did occur to me is that you could be more specific about the style or form of the song- set the first line of the song or the chorus, or give the entrants a set theme, and every country has to create their entry around that.

[Trudi G]

Looking at the top two - we've either got to put a seriously good song in, or a completely over the top daft one in...

[P-Bal]

Or up sticks and slip in between Serbia and Montenegro.

[Simon R]

I think we need a really good strong female singer next year. P Bal has suggested in the past that Dina Carrol would be a good candidate and someone like her or even Gabrielle might know how to work a ballad. I think next year we need to at least show to Europe that we're taking it seriously. I liked Scooch but I think it was perhaps too intentionally daft.

[P-Bal]

Cast Rayner out!

Pelt him with stones!

I smell an unannounced group split!

[Si Hunt]

Don't look at me, I've outsold Madonna in Portugal.

Si.

[Dave Tudor]

Smelua is the key - believe me.

(Don't hate me.)

[P-Bal]

She'd get points from Georgia at least.

[michael]

ok so was looking for some new song to go on my i pod and have add
Dancing Lasha Tumbai (Ukraine) and think it not bad it a very happy song
and as well Frauen Regier'n Die Welt (Germany) a good song

[P-Bal]

Get the French version of Flying The Flag (For You). Or the Italian, Spanish, Bulgarian, German, Danish version.

Or the mass of gay nrg mixes!

SMELL THEM!

[Simon R]

Borat" screenwriter Dan Mazer and "History Boys" producer Damian Jones have struck a deal with Working Title Films to make a comedy movie about the Eurovision Song Contest.
The idea for "Eurovision: The Movie" was originated by Mazer and Jones, who will produce with Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner for Working Title.

This annual TV songfest brings together pop acts from 42 countries to compete for its grand prize, with the winner decided by votes from national juries. Cheesy, kitsch and often inadvertently hilarious, it's one of Europe's most-watched TV events.

Although it occasionally creates international pop stars, such as Celine Dion and Abba, its winners typically rapidly fade into obscurity.

The 52nd edition of the contest, organized by the European Broadcasting Union, took place Sunday in Helsinki, Finland. One of the fest's traditions is that the winning country hosts the next year's event. The 2006 contest was won by Lordi, a band of Finnish Goth rockers dressed as orcs

http://www.variety.com/article/VR111...goryid=13&cs=1

It's an idea.