Eurovision.

[Big King Sanctaphrax]

Looking forward to it, although I only watch it for Wogan slamming the politicised voting blocks and getting progressively more insulting as the evening wears on.

There's also a Eurovision drinking game you can play which is good for a few laughs.

[Gaius Scribonius Curio]

I'm also looking forward to Wogan's antics.

There's also a Eurovision drinking game you can play which is good for a few laughs.

Details?

[InsaneApache]

Summat to do with national drinks IIRC.

IE; Vodka=Poland, Brandy=France, Whiskey=Ireland, Geneva=Netherlands, Raki=Greece.......etc etc.

[Centurio Nixalsverdrus]

Looking forward to it, although I only watch it for Wogan slamming the politicised voting blocks and getting progressively more insulting as the evening wears on.

That's nice. Our commentator in Germany is called Peter Urban and he finds everything fantastic. It's a real shame, the cowardly over-correct not-wanting-to-hurt-anybody idiocy.... I think I'll watch the final, but I will regret it I know, as the slavo-tartaric-scythic-communist block of fivehundred hundredthousand-inhabitant-countries will pass the points just between themselves. Same procedure as every year.

[cmacq]

Strange??? Dat bard dinna' luk na Polish?

[Centurio Nixalsverdrus]

Strange??? Dat bard dinna' luk na Polish?

Woas redst doa, i hob nie wos gsagt...

The bad thing is that the only abroad-Germans are in Oberbayern (that Oberbayern on Mallorca I'm talking of), and so the only ones who vote for us are "the brave Spaniards".

[cegorach]

If you are thinking that those people abroad have so much interest in Eurovision and in voting for their countries, I am afraid it is not really true.

Just think why Poland didn't qualify to the finals for last three years despite supposedly huge number of dedicated supporters abroad.

I cannot speak for other nations - but at least with us there was no difference seen of felt in any results, especially when the migration was at its peak - now it is no more so large.

Of course that just give some people another excuse to see a conspiracy and dirty tricks everywhere. I recall the rumours in Russia why Ukraine won some time ago - because Ukrainians abroad voted for their country - which proved, yet again to be completely not true.

[Centurio Nixalsverdrus]

I don't recall exactly the results of Poland, and I won't deny that the voting behaviour has at least something to do with the music. But I'll give the following hint: The biggest foreign communities in Germany are Turkish, then Russian and Polish. And Turkey always gets 12 points from Germany (wonder why the native Germans always like the Turkish songs best, hehe), followed by one or two of these nations, depending on which had the nicer song.

I think East Europe and West Europe should perhaps make each their own song contest. So each group could stick to its favourite style of music, the easterners to their polka / lonesome goat herder / steppe dance music, and the westerners to their usual poppy fancy dance übergay music. Not that I like either one these types.

[cegorach]

I think East Europe and West Europe should perhaps make each their own song contest. So each group could stick to its favourite style of music, the easterners to their polka / lonesome goat herder / steppe dance music, and the westerners to their usual poppy fancy dance übergay music. Not that I like either one these types.

I didn't knw there was any favourite style we could find - I believe that the poorest and most popular Czech music is equally popular in Germany and Austria so perhaps they also should make their own competition who sucks more ?


And where is the supposed border between both parts of Europe ?

Legacy of the Roman Empire includes half of former Yugoslavia, Bulgaria and Romania.

Christianity all except Turkey and Albania.

Catholic-Protestant area would exclude only the said two states + the orthodox countries.

Latin alphabet, renessaince, baroque, democratic traditions, political systems, free market economy, EU membership, NATO, Ottoman conquests, beer vs wine ?

In any of those something critical is missing.

Of course unless of course you are going to rebuild the Iron Curtain because what is exactly a difference between Irish sheep herders and Bulgarian sheep herders now - both sing equally badly after a couple of drinks whatever...





The show is bad and I have stopped watching it since the time English could be chosen as the singing language, but voting is still something I enjoy and you personally have a problem with ex-Yugoslavia voting for each other i suggest to split like they did.




I for once really enjoy Balcan folk music - when it appears I suppose it is a nice change from the generally poor show offered by virtually everyone in this competition.

[cegorach]

That's nice. Our commentator in Germany is called Peter Urban and he finds everything fantastic. It's a real shame, the cowardly over-correct not-wanting-to-hurt-anybody idiocy.... I think I'll watch the final, but I will regret it I know, as the slavo-tartaric-scythic-communist block of fivehundred hundredthousand-inhabitant-countries will pass the points just between themselves. Same procedure as every year.

OH no it is not. The single thing I like about this gross show is the voting - it is a quite good representation who likes who.

Poland for example traditionally votes for Italy, Hungary finishing with Ukraine which often gets 12 point, especially after 2004.
Recalling the 2005 voting I must say it is affected by political conflicts to a large degree - Ukraine which traditionally gets a decent number of votes from Russia got much less and it was boooed by the audience (the competition was in Ukraine).


And when it comes to your griefs, well... nobody really likes Germany, but at least you are not like the poor British who often end up only with some charity votes from Ireland and Malta.


Plus, you can rejoice this year since Poland with our American singer of Polish roots (she has a powerful voice, not such a terrible song and is orange) got to the finals and you already know you should vote for*.


For some reason the people we are sending to this nonsense competition are always getting a large number of votes from Germany - realy hard to understand that sometimes.

[PBI]

And when it comes to your griefs, well... nobody really likes Germany, but at least you are not like the poor British who often end up only with some charity votes from Ireland and Malta.

Indeed, although given some of the terrible songs we enter I would be ashamed if we were to do well. I was actually quite pleased the year we managed to get nil points, quite a hard achievement nowadays with so many countries in it.

I do think we should take a leaf out of Yugoslavia's book, however, and enter as the home nations (England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland), thus quadrupling our voting power overnight.

Regarding drinking games, last year we tried drinking every time a country gives points to a neighbouring country. This is not recommended.

But then again, I really wouldn't want to try and watch the thing sober.

[cegorach]

Indeed, although given some of the terrible songs we enter I would be ashamed if we were to do well. I was actually quite pleased the year we managed to get nil points, quite a hard achievement nowadays with so many countries in it.

I do think we should take a leaf out of Yugoslavia's book, however, and enter as the home nations (England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland), thus quadrupling our voting power overnight.

The problem is that if you are REALLY going to follow their example you would have to go through the entire war experience as well...
Celtic vs Rangers and similar clashes do not really count I am afraid.

[cmacq]

The problem is that if you are REALLY going to follow their example you would have to go through the entire war experience as well...
Celtic vs Rangers and similar clashes do not really count I am afraid.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe they did go through the entire war experience thing; several hundred years of it? You know; to quell the savage Scots, wild Picts, warish Welshers, Billy-Wallace, Orange-Billy, the Jacobites, and all that sundry rubbish?

[Lt Nevermind]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe they did go through the entire war experience thing; several hundred years of it? You know; to quell the savage Scots, wild Picts, warish Welshers, Billy-Wallace, Orange-Billy, the Jacobites, and all that sundry rubbish?

Correct, but now they would apparently have to reverse this long process to get something alike with that in SE Europe, right?


Anyways, I find the contest more than enough entertaining, espescially if you compare it with the average reality-TV show on the next channel. What could be better than mostly rubbish music combined with sparsely dressed artists (ok, not ours for that sake...) with a nice who-likes-whom-and-who-has-the-most-neighbors voting session afterwards as saturday night entertainment? Nothing!

[Andres]

The single thing I like about this gross show is the voting - it is a quite good representation who likes who.

Apparently, nobody likes Belgium