I am just about to fly out of Sydney and over to the lovely (and for this year, rather inexpensive) London for a quick spot of shopping prior to Oslo.
I touch down in Oslo on 18th May and rest assured I'll be blogging every day from then on.
In the meantime, part 2 of my personal Eurovision reviews...
Azerbaijan - the other favourite of this years contest does just a little more than conjure images of Rihanna. Safura has lost her umbrella, the delegation hired Beyonces choreographer and Michael Jackons filmmakker, and what do we have? A rather middle of the road, American sounding piece of r'n'b style pop. The reason it is favourite is quite obvious - Azerbaijan WANT to win and they will pump all sorts of money into doing so. Problem I have with this is that the song doesn't have any 'douze points' moments in the singing. Its all 'drip drop, drip drop' inoffensive and unremarkable chorus - lyrically the chorus lets it down. I am certain it will look great on stage, but the song is nothing special. Additionally, American-styled songs have never fared well on the Eurovision scoreboard. Its gonna qualify, its going to do well, but it wont win for a whole heap of reasons.
(I could also get on my little platform and state why I hope Azerbaijan don't win this year as I believe it could set the future of Eurovision back, but thats for another time when I'm drunk and rambling).
Armenia - Azerbaijans neighbours have sent Eva to sing to us about her 'Apricot Stone', and story behind the lyrics aside, I think this is the type of ethnic pop that I think has improved the Eurovision in the past few years. Eva is not a dancing-type, but her voice more than appears to make up for this. The song builds nicely, and by the end I can see the whole arena up on their feet dancing. Its gonna fly through to the final and I expect a top 10 position at ease.
Slovakia - 'Horehronie' is, as many fans have already said, 'Wild Dances-lite'. Not so much for the music, but for the presentation. Kristina will be clad in a leather-ethic-nature style dress, whilst leather men stomp around her. So whats the failing considering that I'm comparing it to a Eurovision winner? Its the fact that the song is more about the presentation than the song. Kristina sings well, but I dont think we'll be thinking that during the show, we'll be too busy watching the busy presentation. More style than substance. It has its fans, it will qualify, but I do think this will one for the 2nd half of the leaderboard at the final.
United Kingdom - I'll be honest, as a UK fanclub member who went to great lengths to make a UK flag dress this year, this song had me thinking about burning the dress. Pete Waterman is a classic songwriter/producer, and I still listen to his 80s work to this day. I had high expectations. What redeeming qualities this song had that recalled those golden Waterman years (the dancebeat and tempo) have been lost in the cd version of the song - slowed down to become no better than millions of artists out there trying to get a break. You'd never see it in the charts outside of Eurovision (or indeed in). Josh sings capably, but honestly, he's been handed a stinker to perform. If it wasnt for automatic UK qualification, this would come nowhere near the final.
Romania - this is my runner-up for the most underrated song of this years bunch. Paula and Ovi are in my eyes, this years Aysel and Arash (and more than just beyond it being a male female upbeat duet). They have provided the summer pop dance hit that I most expect to hear on the radio after Eurovision during my travels. The leather catsuit Paula will (hopefully) wear onstage is set to gather the votes of the hot-blooded straight men out there, and boy does she have a set of lungs on her! The chorus is catchy, memorable and will stick in the minds of voters. Also like the double ended piano/keyboard onstage - very eyecatching and easy to recall. Just last week I saw 180/1 odds on it to win - expecting those to shorten significantly once rehearsals start. Very very good chance for an each way (top 5) bet.
Serbia - I want to hate this so much, and I certainly did on the first listen. 'Ovo Je Balkan' draws upon folk, gypsy and balkan influences and Milan Stankovic is nothing if not eyecatching (for all the wrong reasons - his impossibly blonde bowlcut still scares me on the screen). But then the introduction draws me in, and by the time we reach the chorus I'm screaming 'Balkan Balkan Balkan'. Thus, it will be the song people will have in their heads and want to get out. I do think it is going to be a favourite amongst the other Balkan countries, but wont gather high votes elsewhere. That will mean its a definate qualifier, and I predict that thanks to some neighbourly voting, will finish mid-range in the table for the final.
Iceland - "volcano-permitting" has become the catch-cry of Europe for the past month. And it applies to this tune as well. Funny how world events affect the voting of Eurovision, but I expect the anger some people harbour towards Iceland for the volcano ruining their recent travel plans will affect the placing of Hera Bjorks song. Add to this the fact its practically the same music as their entry 2 years ago - Eurobands 'This is my life', with less catchy lyrics and that Hera wont be nearly as energetic on stage, I cant see this doing brilliantly. Perhaps Heras great voice, the songs dance beat and huge amount of gay fans will probably pull her through to the final, but it will end in the 2nd half of the final scoreboard.
Moldova - welcome to this years Waldos People - 'Run Away' is a track that sounds brilliant on cd, loads of commercial potential, and falls flat on the live stage. Its starting to get tipped quite highly but I fear people havent seen the national final footage where Olias voice boomed and screeched through the chorus. It will look energetic and colourful enough to some votes, and thanks to a opening place at the 1st (and weakest) semi it will waltz through, but at the final it will die horribly if its sung out of tune. This song also reminds me of Guru Josh (maybe its the saxophone, maybe its the fact it sounds like its stuck in the raves on the late 80s), and thats never a great thing.
Lithuania - I'll be honest this is MY favourite entry of the year. I'm not saying I want it to win, but its the most joyous song on offer at this years competition. Jurgis and his boys now how to entertain the crowd, and with a funny catchy upbeat ditty like 'Eastern European Funk' it will sail through to the final. Add to that, reasonably good looking guys, a little bit of humour, some poking fun in politics, and a little bit of flashing leg and sequinned hotpants, we have a top 5 contender for sure. Don't agree? Think back to 2006 and LT Uniteds' 'We are the winners'... it was the highest result Lithuania has ever received at Eurovision, and it had the element of good natured fun to it. Incultos entry is better both musically, lyrically and in presentation. In a far more average Eurovision year. The likes of the UK and Ireland will vote in droves for it (and not just because of diaspora). I took a each way bet on Lithuania 380/1. I expect to be rich this time in 15 days even if they only come 4th.
Friday, May 14, 2010
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
3 days to go, and things are looking up
SBS have:
1. Fixed the error. Yes, its Chanee and N'evergreen now!
2. Been in contact with me to arrange an interview in Oslo
Its also 3 days till I leave Australia and head for the Eurovision city of Oslo - touching down in Eurovision town on 18th May till 30th May.
I'll be updating the blog as much as possible whilst there with photos and reviews, and prior to that, I'll finish my reviews.
See you in Oslo!
1. Fixed the error. Yes, its Chanee and N'evergreen now!
2. Been in contact with me to arrange an interview in Oslo
Its also 3 days till I leave Australia and head for the Eurovision city of Oslo - touching down in Eurovision town on 18th May till 30th May.
I'll be updating the blog as much as possible whilst there with photos and reviews, and prior to that, I'll finish my reviews.
See you in Oslo!
Monday, May 10, 2010
Day 5
Still not changed. And they have started advertising the site without fixing it up.
Also spotted 'Believe Me' instead of 'Believe' by Dima Bilan. Not as bad as getting the whole act wrong.
Also spotted 'Believe Me' instead of 'Believe' by Dima Bilan. Not as bad as getting the whole act wrong.
Friday, May 7, 2010
Nothing has changed.
Day 2 - still the wrong entrant on the site for Denmark.
Starting to believe that it will stay that way.
Starting to believe that it will stay that way.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Personal thoughts on the 2010 acts...
I've got some time to make up, as I've not blogged during the selection process. With all the songs decided, these are my thoughts 10 acts for this year (in no particular order, the other 29 to follow):
Germany - its the favourite. I have a love/hate relationship with it. Nothing would make me happier than a Berlin 2011 Eurovision, and I think 'Satellite' is the catchiest song on offer this year. Its stuck in my head permanently, and I've now even been caught singing it aloud at a Eurovision tv event. Lena is a confident performer with a real personality and she'll pull off an excellent performance. However, Lenas voice despite being memorable grates on me. There's no need for her to imitate our Lisa Mitchell, an act who also grates on me with this nonsense mockney accent.
Switzerland - I'm still not understanding the appeal of this song... Michael von der Heide has a lovely voice, but maybe its the fact that I don't speak the language that makes it hard for me to enjoy the tune. Or it could be that I can't see beyond his ears and gold jacket. The Swiss have had far stronger entries in the past few years, and they didnt make it to the final. With the Swiss being in the stronger 2nd semi as well, I can't see 2010 being their year to qualify.
Estonia - I adore this tune. Malcolm Lincolns 'Siren' is one of the few songs I want to actually buy from this years lineup. Its a cool alternative song, harking back to my favourite era - the early 80s, with songwriting that I think compares with that of Squeeze. BUT its not a Eurovision song. Falling in the 1st semi, it stands a good chance to make it to the final, but it will be lost amongst the ballads and dance tunes. Shame.
Poland - 'Legenda' has one major failing for me - its so mixed up in style. One minutes its all Polish folk, then a touch of opera, then power ballad. Marcin has a wonderful voice, however the song is mess. I don't think it deserves such a bad form betting (last - 250/1 for most bookies), but its too hit and miss to make it to final unless some sympathy voting comes into play.
Latvia - look at Aisha, isn't she adorable? She is certainly the cutest female in the contest this year and votes for that. But 'What For?' was appauling in the Latvian final. She sang off key, the presentation featured washerwomen for no apparent reason I could see, so it looked like it belonged as a scene in Oliver. Where's the cast of Glee when you need them? The actual filmclip was very moving and kudos for that, but its the live sphere that matters. Again, its a 1st semi contender so there's a chance for final, but if so, 2nd half of the leaderboard at the final.
Bulgaria - ahhhh Miro. He's a hidden talent this one, and the song 'Angel si ti' is a corker of a dance tune. I can already picture myself at Euroclub singing 'woaaaaaaaaaah oh woah woaaaaaah woaaaah wo wo wo'. Great lyrics. He can sing, he can dance, he looks great on stage. And his filmclip goes down as my favourite for this year. There's nothing at all wrong, but at the same time I don't feel winner. I wish I felt differently, but he's in the 2nd semi and its a very borderline qualifier in my eyes. Rest assured Miro, I'll still cheer for you.
Albania - Juliana Pasha is THE most underrated act of 2010. From the moment I heard the song I disagreed with the majority of people - I knew 1. she was a very strong singer, and 2. in English, this song would really work. Juliana worked on her pronounciation (peoples most common complaint) and the lyrics are good. After the Netherlands Eurovision in Concert, it seems people have finally worked it out. It will be the song everyone will be dancing to in the Eurocafe over and over again. She'll be at least a top 3 qualifier from semi 1. This girl has the potential for top 5 in the 2010 final.
Turkey - MaNga were winners of Best European Act at MTV Awards last year. Fans seem to forget they already have a following and thus can't be discounted. Its a good tune, well performed, made even better by the recent remix. Only problem, rock rarely works at Eurovision (unless you are dressed as orcs). I think its good for an each way bet.
Sweden - they have this amazing history of great pop tunes, and yet in 2010, they give us this song by Anna Bergendahl - or as I think of her - Jewel-lite. The song in itself is inoffensive and pleasant enough, Anna can sing, but it goes nowhere. There's no highlight finish, there's no real presentation from Anna. It seems that Sweden have been so desperate this year to show they can do something different, and in doing so, lost the way completely. I wish I felt differently, but there were better songs than this at the Melodifestivalen that could have guaranteed them a top 5 finish in 2010.
Ireland - the welcome return of Niamh Kavanagh. Stunning voice and striking red hair, and a beautiful ballad that also marks the return of good Irish tunes at Eurovision. I like it, and its my choice of the female ballads this year. But Niamh is drawn amongst much younger and prettier artists in a strong semi, which makes me worry it wont qualify. If it was a year devoid of ballads (it isnt) then it certainly would. And its no longer the 1990s where it was all about the song. Being a winner once at Eurovision also no longer guarantees you'll do well again. My fingers are crossed firmly however for qualification to the final.
Germany - its the favourite. I have a love/hate relationship with it. Nothing would make me happier than a Berlin 2011 Eurovision, and I think 'Satellite' is the catchiest song on offer this year. Its stuck in my head permanently, and I've now even been caught singing it aloud at a Eurovision tv event. Lena is a confident performer with a real personality and she'll pull off an excellent performance. However, Lenas voice despite being memorable grates on me. There's no need for her to imitate our Lisa Mitchell, an act who also grates on me with this nonsense mockney accent.
Switzerland - I'm still not understanding the appeal of this song... Michael von der Heide has a lovely voice, but maybe its the fact that I don't speak the language that makes it hard for me to enjoy the tune. Or it could be that I can't see beyond his ears and gold jacket. The Swiss have had far stronger entries in the past few years, and they didnt make it to the final. With the Swiss being in the stronger 2nd semi as well, I can't see 2010 being their year to qualify.
Estonia - I adore this tune. Malcolm Lincolns 'Siren' is one of the few songs I want to actually buy from this years lineup. Its a cool alternative song, harking back to my favourite era - the early 80s, with songwriting that I think compares with that of Squeeze. BUT its not a Eurovision song. Falling in the 1st semi, it stands a good chance to make it to the final, but it will be lost amongst the ballads and dance tunes. Shame.
Poland - 'Legenda' has one major failing for me - its so mixed up in style. One minutes its all Polish folk, then a touch of opera, then power ballad. Marcin has a wonderful voice, however the song is mess. I don't think it deserves such a bad form betting (last - 250/1 for most bookies), but its too hit and miss to make it to final unless some sympathy voting comes into play.
Latvia - look at Aisha, isn't she adorable? She is certainly the cutest female in the contest this year and votes for that. But 'What For?' was appauling in the Latvian final. She sang off key, the presentation featured washerwomen for no apparent reason I could see, so it looked like it belonged as a scene in Oliver. Where's the cast of Glee when you need them? The actual filmclip was very moving and kudos for that, but its the live sphere that matters. Again, its a 1st semi contender so there's a chance for final, but if so, 2nd half of the leaderboard at the final.
Bulgaria - ahhhh Miro. He's a hidden talent this one, and the song 'Angel si ti' is a corker of a dance tune. I can already picture myself at Euroclub singing 'woaaaaaaaaaah oh woah woaaaaaah woaaaah wo wo wo'. Great lyrics. He can sing, he can dance, he looks great on stage. And his filmclip goes down as my favourite for this year. There's nothing at all wrong, but at the same time I don't feel winner. I wish I felt differently, but he's in the 2nd semi and its a very borderline qualifier in my eyes. Rest assured Miro, I'll still cheer for you.
Albania - Juliana Pasha is THE most underrated act of 2010. From the moment I heard the song I disagreed with the majority of people - I knew 1. she was a very strong singer, and 2. in English, this song would really work. Juliana worked on her pronounciation (peoples most common complaint) and the lyrics are good. After the Netherlands Eurovision in Concert, it seems people have finally worked it out. It will be the song everyone will be dancing to in the Eurocafe over and over again. She'll be at least a top 3 qualifier from semi 1. This girl has the potential for top 5 in the 2010 final.
Turkey - MaNga were winners of Best European Act at MTV Awards last year. Fans seem to forget they already have a following and thus can't be discounted. Its a good tune, well performed, made even better by the recent remix. Only problem, rock rarely works at Eurovision (unless you are dressed as orcs). I think its good for an each way bet.
Sweden - they have this amazing history of great pop tunes, and yet in 2010, they give us this song by Anna Bergendahl - or as I think of her - Jewel-lite. The song in itself is inoffensive and pleasant enough, Anna can sing, but it goes nowhere. There's no highlight finish, there's no real presentation from Anna. It seems that Sweden have been so desperate this year to show they can do something different, and in doing so, lost the way completely. I wish I felt differently, but there were better songs than this at the Melodifestivalen that could have guaranteed them a top 5 finish in 2010.
Ireland - the welcome return of Niamh Kavanagh. Stunning voice and striking red hair, and a beautiful ballad that also marks the return of good Irish tunes at Eurovision. I like it, and its my choice of the female ballads this year. But Niamh is drawn amongst much younger and prettier artists in a strong semi, which makes me worry it wont qualify. If it was a year devoid of ballads (it isnt) then it certainly would. And its no longer the 1990s where it was all about the song. Being a winner once at Eurovision also no longer guarantees you'll do well again. My fingers are crossed firmly however for qualification to the final.
Just because I can...
I'm gonna count how many days it takes SBS to actually correct the mistake of having Brinck up as this years entrant for Denmark.
Consider the fact that I posted something for their blog over 24 hours ago telling them to correct it (either its an oversight for their web team just copying and pasting info from last year, or the researcher is SERIOUSLY wrong).
So its been 1 day so far.
Not being nasty, its just part of providing an accurate service for Eurovision fans in Australia.
Consider the fact that I posted something for their blog over 24 hours ago telling them to correct it (either its an oversight for their web team just copying and pasting info from last year, or the researcher is SERIOUSLY wrong).
So its been 1 day so far.
Not being nasty, its just part of providing an accurate service for Eurovision fans in Australia.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
SBS brings Eurovision fever to Australia
Just under a fortnight ago I had the fortune to attend a SBS filming for "The A to Z of Eurovision" - a preview and history show of sorts for Eurovision screening the week prior to the final.
This is part personal review and preview of what you'll see on your screens in a fortnights time...
The show is hosted once again by the wonderful Julia Zemiro (star of 'Rockwiz' and original cast member of 'Eurobeat') and Sam Pang.
Don't expect personal insights from these two however, or loads of secrets to be revealed from their first venture into Eurovision land last May.
This show is purely scripted, and stuck to the formula of "A is for... Australia", etc
The good -
Admittedly "A is for Australia" sounded rather silly considering we can't actually be part of Eurovision - but it served as a segue for an interview with 'Mr Eurovision' Johnny Logan, 3 time winner for Ireland, who was born in Frankston. Ahhhh yes, Australia DOES have a relationship with Eurovision! Even if only 10 people in the audience remembered the words to "Hold Me Now", it was a much appreciated appearance.
There are other pre-recorded, out of studio interviews scattered amongst the show. These include Gina G (another proud Aussie) who represented the UK in 1996, and also Dima Bilan, winner for Eurovision in 2008, who just proclaimed how excited he was in his limited English (a nice little piece of filming from Dimas recent Aussie tour).
One of the 'moments' was the inclusion of Bjorn Again, both in mimed performance and also as reviewers of some of this years entries. It appears they did more research and knew more than their hosting counterparts.
And also Meow Meow (who?), burlesque dancer, giving fashion tips was funnier than anything on the show (made all the funnier by what she was in fact wearing as fashion). At the end she turned out to be THE highlight of the show, performing a wonderful rendition of 'Poupée De Cire, Poupée De Son' - the winning song from Luxembourg in 1965 sung by Frances Gall.
I'm against having guests on a show about something that have no relationship to the topic or benefit to the momentum of the show, but Miow Miow certainly met the criteria a thousand times over. Unlike...
From good to just not good enough -
Les Murray singing 'Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu'. Not that Les was a bad singer, far from it. But one expects that they would at least ask the star PRIOR to filming whether he has any memories or relationship to Eurovision rather than during the filming and it looking awkward. Do we really want to talk about the World Cup on a Eurovision show? hmmm... a little potential audience research might say no...
Also, don't expect to see all of this years acts previewed on the show. There were a scattering of clips including the favourite Germany, and other favourite (ummm... since when!?!?) Armenia, short snippets of Belgium, Denmark, France, Romania, and the obligatory Greek entry, 'the crying girl from' Latvia, the 'so bad its brilliant' Lithuania, and 'the one to laugh at 'Serbia' (not my thoughts by the way, but how they were represented on the night).
From not good enough to the downright tacky -
All was looking good in terms of entertainment, detail and quality until the introduction of "The Eurovision dancers" about 1 minute into the show. The 6 dancers looked like they just stepped straight out of the 50th Eurovision anniversary, which was a cringeworthy experience even back then. They danced along to various classic songs, in no way representing anything original or referencing the original act.
There are also discussions on dancing, how to run a Eurovision drinking game and voting procedures. All good things to discuss in regards to Eurovision, but for me, this is where the show REALLY falls down. The somewhat self-proclaimed 'Eurovision Expert' featured managed to spend 5 minutes discussing the voting process and got it wrong. Surely if you are an expert you would get it right?
I know the details dont matter to most how voting occurs (especially in a country that cant vote), but talking about it like you are the authority on the subject and getting it all wrong is not on.
OVERALL -
This show will be a great piece of education and entertainment for the more casual Eurovision fan or SBS watcher, but there's nothing new to really be gathered here for the more avid fan apart from building up to the actual event. The representations given by the hosts were straight out of BBC/Terry Wogan witticisms book. They didnt go as far as to claim that Eurovision is all about sequins and political alliances (and thank god for steering clear of that stereotype), but it didnt exactly make it look like the professional and report it as the world biggest song contest either. They found the middle ground - Eurovision is fun, which for 99% of the viewership, it is.
It would be nice if SBS could take it a little more seriously though as one of their biggest rating shows every year. They have already laid the foundations - its own coverage rather than taking the BBC coverage we had for years. That was a huge step, introducing its own commentary rather than Wogan which really drove many people to watch it here for years. Wogan leaving was a godsend, and the opening for Australian viewers to get a more local flavour on the shows. So bravo to SBS for that. The next step, move away from the comedy side of things... let's give it some respect on our screens. If thats too much of a risk, perhaps hire a Eurovision expert to be part of the commentary team alongside the comedian? One who knows the facts and figures without an autocue and has something to say about the history and entries?
Or at least an expert Eurovision researcher that gets the facts right for the commentators to read (rather than straight off a press release)?
I'm waiting for your call SBS.
At least then you wouldn't need to be told to take Brinck off your website as this years entrant for Denmark.
This is part personal review and preview of what you'll see on your screens in a fortnights time...
The show is hosted once again by the wonderful Julia Zemiro (star of 'Rockwiz' and original cast member of 'Eurobeat') and Sam Pang.
Don't expect personal insights from these two however, or loads of secrets to be revealed from their first venture into Eurovision land last May.
This show is purely scripted, and stuck to the formula of "A is for... Australia", etc
The good -
Admittedly "A is for Australia" sounded rather silly considering we can't actually be part of Eurovision - but it served as a segue for an interview with 'Mr Eurovision' Johnny Logan, 3 time winner for Ireland, who was born in Frankston. Ahhhh yes, Australia DOES have a relationship with Eurovision! Even if only 10 people in the audience remembered the words to "Hold Me Now", it was a much appreciated appearance.
There are other pre-recorded, out of studio interviews scattered amongst the show. These include Gina G (another proud Aussie) who represented the UK in 1996, and also Dima Bilan, winner for Eurovision in 2008, who just proclaimed how excited he was in his limited English (a nice little piece of filming from Dimas recent Aussie tour).
One of the 'moments' was the inclusion of Bjorn Again, both in mimed performance and also as reviewers of some of this years entries. It appears they did more research and knew more than their hosting counterparts.
And also Meow Meow (who?), burlesque dancer, giving fashion tips was funnier than anything on the show (made all the funnier by what she was in fact wearing as fashion). At the end she turned out to be THE highlight of the show, performing a wonderful rendition of 'Poupée De Cire, Poupée De Son' - the winning song from Luxembourg in 1965 sung by Frances Gall.
I'm against having guests on a show about something that have no relationship to the topic or benefit to the momentum of the show, but Miow Miow certainly met the criteria a thousand times over. Unlike...
From good to just not good enough -
Les Murray singing 'Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu'. Not that Les was a bad singer, far from it. But one expects that they would at least ask the star PRIOR to filming whether he has any memories or relationship to Eurovision rather than during the filming and it looking awkward. Do we really want to talk about the World Cup on a Eurovision show? hmmm... a little potential audience research might say no...
Also, don't expect to see all of this years acts previewed on the show. There were a scattering of clips including the favourite Germany, and other favourite (ummm... since when!?!?) Armenia, short snippets of Belgium, Denmark, France, Romania, and the obligatory Greek entry, 'the crying girl from' Latvia, the 'so bad its brilliant' Lithuania, and 'the one to laugh at 'Serbia' (not my thoughts by the way, but how they were represented on the night).
From not good enough to the downright tacky -
All was looking good in terms of entertainment, detail and quality until the introduction of "The Eurovision dancers" about 1 minute into the show. The 6 dancers looked like they just stepped straight out of the 50th Eurovision anniversary, which was a cringeworthy experience even back then. They danced along to various classic songs, in no way representing anything original or referencing the original act.
There are also discussions on dancing, how to run a Eurovision drinking game and voting procedures. All good things to discuss in regards to Eurovision, but for me, this is where the show REALLY falls down. The somewhat self-proclaimed 'Eurovision Expert' featured managed to spend 5 minutes discussing the voting process and got it wrong. Surely if you are an expert you would get it right?
I know the details dont matter to most how voting occurs (especially in a country that cant vote), but talking about it like you are the authority on the subject and getting it all wrong is not on.
OVERALL -
This show will be a great piece of education and entertainment for the more casual Eurovision fan or SBS watcher, but there's nothing new to really be gathered here for the more avid fan apart from building up to the actual event. The representations given by the hosts were straight out of BBC/Terry Wogan witticisms book. They didnt go as far as to claim that Eurovision is all about sequins and political alliances (and thank god for steering clear of that stereotype), but it didnt exactly make it look like the professional and report it as the world biggest song contest either. They found the middle ground - Eurovision is fun, which for 99% of the viewership, it is.
It would be nice if SBS could take it a little more seriously though as one of their biggest rating shows every year. They have already laid the foundations - its own coverage rather than taking the BBC coverage we had for years. That was a huge step, introducing its own commentary rather than Wogan which really drove many people to watch it here for years. Wogan leaving was a godsend, and the opening for Australian viewers to get a more local flavour on the shows. So bravo to SBS for that. The next step, move away from the comedy side of things... let's give it some respect on our screens. If thats too much of a risk, perhaps hire a Eurovision expert to be part of the commentary team alongside the comedian? One who knows the facts and figures without an autocue and has something to say about the history and entries?
Or at least an expert Eurovision researcher that gets the facts right for the commentators to read (rather than straight off a press release)?
I'm waiting for your call SBS.
At least then you wouldn't need to be told to take Brinck off your website as this years entrant for Denmark.
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