Blogs are handy in the way that you can back date posts, as when you’re busy doing those activities you are blogging about, you rarely find time to write about them at the moment they happen.
Of course, there are downsides, one of them being that browser users may miss them, while their feed-reading counterparts will see them the next time they log in to their favoured reader.
So, as the events in the Paris posts happened three weeks ago (and I’ve posted since then), here are the links for those browser-based readers who may not have seen them:
She was robbed. I suppose second place is good enough, but its not first, is it? Ani Lorak did Ukraine proud, though, and with her light box men, silver dress, and energetic performance, captured the hearts of many Eurovision voters; just not enough of them.
Ani Lorak wowed the crowds with her Eurovision 2008 performances
Up against Dilma Bilan – who emerged as a front runner late in the day – no-one really had a chance, as it turns out he’s big over in Eastern Europe. Was it the ice skater that scuppered everyone else’s chances? Whatever it was, the Russian entry didn’t deserve to win, but with a 42-point lead, it stole neighbouring Ukraine’s thunder.
Even our Eurovision party jury had voted Ani Lorak top of the tree, 20 points ahead of her nearest rival. She gave it her all in Belgrade, and with 230 points, just sneaked 12 points ahead of third-placed Kalomira from Greece. Personally, it was a good hit rate – two of my favourite five came in the top three, but I would have liked to have seen Lorak crowned queen of the 2008 contest.
I would have liked to have seen Charlotte Perelli’s entry placed higher, too. It certainly didn’t deserve to be languishing down the leader board in 18th place. France was equally low, the eccentric (and non-rehearsed) camera angle behaviour of Sébastien Tellier taking his song to nineteenth.
My other tip, Malta didn’t even qualify, but there were plenty of other god songs in 2008’s entry list, which all point to a bit of a vintage year in Eurovision terms. Yes, Slovenia didn’t qualify either, but Rebeka Dremelj’s Vrag Naj Vzame should have been in the final on Saturday, and at the expense of at least a handful of poor and novelty efforts.
What else appealed on Saturday night? I’d forgotten how likeable Armenia’s Qele, Qele by Sirusho was (finishing fourth), and also Disappear by No Angels, fielded by, of all countries, Germany. Norway’s Maria rounded off the top five finishers with Hold On Be Strong, 90 points shy of Bilan.
Diana Gurtskaya’s gutsy performance of Peace Will Come (with an equally brave and clever costume change) kept up the high standard of her fellow Georgian compatriot Sopho from last year, while Iceland’s This Is My Life from dance duo Euroband brought a clubby hands in the air vibe to proceedings.
Casting the tactical voting aside, this year’s contest proved that good music does exist outside of Western Europe, none of which would be heard by Western ears if Eurovision didn’t happen. It didn’t help Ani Lorak win, though, and I’ll always remember 2008’s competition as the one in which the best entry was kept in the shade.
So, my tip for the top. I liked this from the moment I first saw Ani Lorak’s video on a preview night, with its Girls Aloud and Xenomania sound. Like the Kalomira and Charlotte Perelli entries, it’s one of the gems of Eurovision 2008, and a contemporary pop masterpiece.
Catchy, memorable, and modern, I like Shady Lady for much the same reasons that Russia’s entry by Serebro was a favourite of mine last year. It just goes to show that Eurovsion’s not all Boom Bang-A-Bang; modern pop entries like these show the competition still has some worth.
Ukraine artist Ani Lorak is a best-seller in her home country, and if all of her songs are similar to this, it’s easy to see why. With a killer tune, slick production values (a stand-out fact in recent Eurovision entries), an even slicker video, and a stunningly simple but effective stage show, she’ll be battling Charlotte Perelli for the Eurovision 2008 crown. But which diva will win?
She did enough to qualify last night, but can she do enough to win the contest?
Charlotte Perrelli who is representing Sweden has been crowned Eurovision champion before – in 1999 – and she has become the favourite to walk away with her 2008 song Hero. An anthemic pop song with a searing chorus, it’s another one of those Eurovision surprises, and although the almost regulatory key change and song composition are obvious, they don’t detract at all.
A BBC poll in which Eurovision fans from every competing country picked their top 10 songs saw the Swedish entry finish first, 62 points clear of Ukraine’s Ani Lorak, who has also been tipped for the top. Perelli’s song is so strong, though, you can almost see its performance ending in a flourish of pyrotechnics and glitter.
But, will Hero come to the rescue of Charlotte Perelli tomorrow night, or will the shady lady from Ukraine defeat the former Eurovision champion?
I’ve found that in recent years, Eurovision has thrown up some surprisingly good pop songs. Looking to clubs, dancefloors and the charts over Europe for inspiration, there are more than a handful in this year’s contest, too. Malta’s entry is just one of those, and with thumping beats it’s bound to get the crowds going in Belgrade.
Commercial-sounding thumping beats don’t always win Eurovision, though, and Morena and her song Vodka have to qualify tonight in the second semi-final to take to stage in Belgrade on Saturday. She’ll be battling it out against two strong songs from Sweden and the Ukraine which could well top the charts if they were commercially released, so the island’s track about a Russian drink has its work cut out.
Going on previous champions, many of the votes for the contest’s winning song seem to depend on the stage show, and it’s where this one could be poured away. The promo video is a big budget spy thriller affair, but how will Morena transfer that to the stage?
