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.
Tags: Eurovision, Music