Eurovision Song Contest

[PBI]

Best competition in years. Can't remember the last time UK finished in the top 5. Nice to see we can actually get some points if we make an effort (and shamelessly exploit a national icon).

Norway definitely the best song in the competition.

[Sigurd]

Alright.. I am going to make a real contribution in this thread. Sorry about calling Greece grease, but it was kind of payback for calling Norway Norwat.

I don't know how other countries in the extended Europe chose their entries, but here in Norway the concept is about the same as in the main event with semifinals. I guess there is a pre-screening of the entries which reduces the total entries to 21. they compete in 4 semifinals for 8 places in the final. I tend to think that the better songs will win in this system as the people voting have a chance to get to know the songs better.

Anyway - the fairytale won with quite a margin over the other entries. The closest one, a local girl got 600 000 points less then Rybak.
I don't think Fairytale is the better song, but the multilayer package that comes with Rybak makes him a winner.
This is an immigrant kid from Soviet (Belarus) that plays the fiddle.
Fairytale is based on some national romantic riffs from Norway - esp the violin parts.
He has a dance group dancing some traditional Halling dance.
His character is very sympathetic and his persona is taken straight out of the traditional fairytales of Norway with Askeladden (the hero), a poor kid who always get the princess and half the kingdom for bravery and heroism.
He is just too likeable and I guess the rest of Europe thought so too.

We could not vote for him in the European contest as his home nation. I usually don't vote in such contests, but I thought the Swedish song vote-worthy.
I like classical music and I know Elena Ernman from the Opera world. She has a crazy personality which I find so funny and she can be quite the clown. She is not a Diva, but quite sympathetic. She is a great mezzo-soprano.

[Vuk]

Alright.. I am going to make a real contribution in this thread. Sorry about calling Greece grease, but it was kind of payback for calling Norway Norwat.

I don't know how other countries in the extended Europe chose their entries, but here in Norway the concept is about the same as in the main event with semifinals. I guess there is a pre-screening of the entries which reduces the total entries to 21. they compete in 4 semifinals for 8 places in the final. I tend to think that the better songs will win in this system as the people voting have a chance to get to know the songs better.

Anyway - the fairytale won with quite a margin over the other entries. The closest one, a local girl got 600 000 points less then Rybak.
I don't think Fairytale is the better song, but the multilayer package that comes with Rybak makes him a winner.
This is an immigrant kid from Soviet (Belarus) that plays the fiddle.
Fairytale is based on some national romantic riffs from Norway - esp the violin parts.
He has a dance group dancing some traditional Halling dance.
His character is very sympathetic and his persona is taken straight out of the traditional fairytales of Norway with Askeladden (the hero), a poor kid who always get the princess and half the kingdom for bravery and heroism.
He is just too likeable and I guess the rest of Europe thought so too.

We could not vote for him in the European contest as his home nation. I usually don't vote in such contests, but I thought the Swedish song vote-worthy.
I like classical music and I know Elena Ernman from the Opera world. She has a crazy personality which I find so funny and she can be quite the clown. She is not a Diva, but quite sympathetic. She is a great mezzo-soprano.

I'll agree and disagree. I think it was definately the whole package that made Alex so irresistable, but I also think his song was better than anything they had there. No offense, but I think that local girl is horrible. :P And the Swedish woman sounded like a guy. :P Not just the song and his singing though, he put so much life into it even with the way he held himself, he seemed such an honest, likeable character. The dancing of course though was half of it imho. Unlike a lot of the entries, they danced with the song, not against it.

[HoreTore]

Dear Citizens of Europe, Friends and Fellow Humans:

Let me be the first to apologize. We went too far this year. In our defense, we can only say that it was never our intention. We tough it harmless, we were proven wrong.



Now somebody, anybody, please BREAK THAT BLOODY FIDDLE BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1111

Seriously.



Also, did anyone notice that the further east you go, the more the women look like street prostitutes of the rather cheap kind? Did the eastern block countries host auditions in brothels, or what?

[Sigurd]

Now somebody, anybody, please BREAK THAT BLOODY FIDDLE BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1111

A severe case of applying the law of Jante or is it plain envy of this chick magnet?

[Sarmatian]

Europe's cultural output, in the form of monuments,museums,galleries etc should be seen as a motivating factor for travelling. Eurovision on the other side is Europe's un-cultural output...

Any excuse for traveling and broadening one's horizons is good in my book. The more we learn about each other the easier we'll get along...

[HoreTore]

A severe case of applying the law of Jante or is it plain envy of this chick magnet?

Chick magnet? With a unibrow the size of the chinese wall? I think not.

As for Jante, well... I really don't care how many cd's pop-artists sell, their music is still utter crap. The entire genre is crap.

[Centurio Nixalsverdrus]

Dear Citizens of Europe, Friends and Fellow Humans:

Let me be the first to apologize. We went too far this year. In our defense, we can only say that it was never our intention. We tough it harmless, we were proven wrong.



Now somebody, anybody, please BREAK THAT BLOODY FIDDLE BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1111

Seriously.



Also, did anyone notice that the further east you go, the more the women look like street prostitutes of the rather cheap kind? Did the eastern block countries host auditions in brothels, or what?

Finally someone with the guts to speak the truth.

[Vuk]

Finally someone with the guts to speak the truth.

lol, Rybak is absolutely fantastic. If I thought otherwise, trust me, I would have the guts to say so.

[Sigurd]

Chick magnet? With a unibrow the size of the chinese wall? I think not.

As for Jante, well... I really don't care how many cd's pop-artists sell, their music is still utter crap. The entire genre is crap.

As this is a question of subjective opinion, I can't disagree with you.
In the case of popularity you CAN use Argumentum ad populum.

[HoreTore]

lol, Rybak is absolutely fantastic. If I thought otherwise, trust me, I would have the guts to say so.

Give it a couple of months. After hearing it all the freakin' time for some time, trust me, you would rather saw off your own testicles with a rusty spoon than listen to that crap one more time.

[Vuk]

Give it a couple of months. After hearing it all the freakin' time for some time, trust me, you would rather saw off your own testicles with a rusty spoon than listen to that crap one more time.

lol, you have an...interesting mind. FYI, I have been playing it over and over non-stop, all day long since I first heard it a few days ago...and am listening to it right now.

[Andres]

*** throws rusty spoon at Vuk ***

[Vuk]

*** throws rusty spoon at Vuk ***

Sure, in a minute, I am listening to Fairytale right now.

[The New Che Guevara]

Is it me... or does no one like their own country's song?

I dont like Jade and Webber... despite my theory of the mental webber,
Horetore doesn't like Fairytale. which I've now downloaded

I dont think that Peeverland entered this year. Was it financial reason reasons Vuk?

[Vuk]

Is it me... or does no one like their own country's song?

I dont like Jade and Webber... despite my theory of the mental webber,
Horetore doesn't like Fairytale. which I've now downloaded

I dont think that Peeverland entered this year. Was it financial reason reasons Vuk?

peverland* is NOT in Europe. Not to mention, that we would not join anyway, because it would hardly be fair. Our hippie trash rock would put everyone to shame.

[HoreTore]

Is it me... or does no one like their own country's song?

I dont like Jade and Webber... despite my theory of the mental webber,
Horetore doesn't like Fairytale. which I've now downloaded

I dont think that Peeverland entered this year. Was it financial reason reasons Vuk?

I don't like any of the Eurovision songs.

[Furunculus]

congrats to norway, it seems the best song won.

i was also pleased to note a reduced degree of bloc voting this year, and given that i use eurovision to judge the political maturity of the continent i can now conclude that the euro electorate are no longer entirely infantile.

congrats to 330 million people in fact!

[PBI]

Unfortunately I suspect much of the reason for the lower degree of bloc voting this year is the change to the voting system, in that this year each country's vote was split 50/50 between televoting and a jury, as opposed to 100% televoting.

[Furunculus]

ah well, there's always hope for the future.

[Ironside]

I don't like any of the Eurovision songs.

The good news is that there's an indication of broadening of the genres. Then again, the odds of a winner in a smaller genre is questionable.

For the Fairytale imo, mediocre singing, good music, extremly "hummingfriendly (can't properly translate)". I suspect I'll join HoreTore in a while, when gotten fed up with it. Summer torment warning.

Sigurd, our poor results tell something about the popularity in opera in certain population groups at the moment.

[HoreTore]

The good news is that there's an indication of broadening of the genres. Then again, the odds of a winner in a smaller genre is questionable.

For the Fairytale imo, mediocre singing, good music, extremly "hummingfriendly (can't properly translate)". I suspect I'll join HoreTore in a while, when gotten fed up with it. Summer torment warning.

Sigurd, our poor results tell something about the popularity in opera in certain population groups at the moment.

In certain population groups? Come on!

Nobody likes opera! Please!

except the browser....

[Vuk]

In certain population groups? Come on!

Nobody likes opera! Please!

except the browser....

lol, I love opera! :P Give Placido Domingo over Bon Jovi ANY day of the week! (In fact, give me Placido Domingo over just about any singer any day of the week :P)

[HoreTore]

lol, I love opera! :P Give Placido Domingo over Bon Jovi ANY day of the week! (In fact, give me Placido Domingo over just about any singer any day of the week :P)

Singing just ruins the song.

I want to hear guitar and rythms damnit, not some schmuck strangling a cat.

[Vuk]

Singing just ruins the song.

I want to hear guitar and rythms damnit, not some schmuck strangling a cat.

Weep infidel, weep! Keep your drrned guitars, this is what I want to listen to!

If you do not like this, then you my friend are one of the unfortunate few who were born without their good music appreciation bone. (There is no such thing as your opinion and mine, there is only my opinion and your medical disorder )

[The New Che Guevara]

lol, I love opera! :P Give Placido Domingo over Bon Jovi ANY day of the week! (In fact, give me Placido Domingo over just about any singer any day of the week :P)

I've seen Bon Jovi live... they are awesome... and yes this opinion is biased

[Justiciar]

I liked the Estonian song. The rest were.. well.. Eurovision.

Also UK in 5th? It's a bleeding crime against nature.