Balkovision Song Contest 2007

[Lenny]

Sorry, I meant "Eurovision Song Contest".

I think I can get away with putting this in Music... hopefully.

Anyway - this way was actually alright. Compared with past years when it's been, quite frankly, awful, a large number of the entries this year were quite... musical. There was a wide range of acts - from, erm, pink French, jazzy Germans, gothic Finnish, awful Brits, Status Quo wannabee Sweden, and punk goth Russia. As well as the comic relief of the night, Ukraine - my personal favourite, I might add.

The voting, as usual, was centred around the Balkans (far too many Eastern European countries), and there were some quite surprising voted for the Balkan countries from Western European countries. Then again, they weren't too bad, these Balkan countries, and we Western Europeans are well known for voting for music rather than neighbours.

Anyway... thoughts?

[pyan]

Well, it's never going to get back to voting for the song, rather than your friends around Europe, is it?
Better to forget the "competition" and just listen and watch the amazing "music" that's written for it, these days.
Personally, I was rooting for Ukraine, with the Timmy Mallett lookalike - and laughing my head off at the Irish entry!

[Lenny]

You never know, though. Every now and then, a Western European entry is a song and a half, and it wins, simply because people do vote for the song.

And I swear I've learnt half of my knowledge of proper Geography from watching Eurovision for the past decade. It's also interesting how much you learn from doing a modern History course - for example, I've just done a course on the Balkans and causes of the First World War for one of my course essays in A-Level History, and just with that I was able to predict a lot of the Balkan votes... either that or I've got a good memory of previous years voting.

[pyan]

The thing that really annoyed me was the sheer idiotic cheek of the BBC to run a teaser clip for next Saturday's Doctor Who just before the ESC!

[Lenny]

You must admit though, it definitely looks like something to look forward too.

Though why they couldn't have shown Dr. Who instead of that daft "Any Dream Will Do" rubbish I don't know. ITV have copied the BBC, you know - they've got one running to pick cast members for a West End production of Grease!

---

I thought the voiceover before ESC was good - "You provide the cheesy nibbles, we'll provide the cheesy music".

[HappyHippo]

I voted for Germany, and I think it was Latvia, with the six-part Il-Divo alikes.

Ireland was a quality giggle; archipelagic icicles!

Didn't get the Ukraine at all...

But, Lenny, you haven't mentioned Sir Tel; the only thing that made the evening worth watching! (Speaking about Serbia winning) "Maybe she'll have found time to tuck her shirt in, now." (ABout Russia) "These girls are obviously convent educated!"

All hail Sir Terry Wogan; King of Europe!

[Lenny]

Hail!!

I don't think there was anything to get about Ukraine, to be honest. Just some fella's dressed up in sparkly costumes and sailor suits. The reminded me of an old German band called EAV.

He's a great one, is Terry. So cynical and sarcastic! Some of the comments he made were comedy gold.

Oh! And those mini-videos between each song. I quite liked those. Absolutely no point to them whatsoever, but quite nice.

[HardScienceFan]

I won't tell you then,what I thought of it.I saw about twenty minutes of it,before going to bed.I only saw the voting,Finland giving 12 points to Sweden,I believe.

[Lenny]

Ben! You missed the best song!!

YouTube - Ukraine 2007 Verka Serdyuchka - Dancing

There you go. The Ukrainian entry!

I've just been searching YouTube, and the guys who did it are an actual band. They've got quite a few other songs, all rather strange.

YouTube - Verka Serduchka - "Horosho Krasavitcam"
YouTube - Verka Serdyuchka "Gulyanka"

This one could have been the 2005 entry for Ukraine, but the organisers were scared the band might win, and pulled them out!

YouTube - Verka Serdjuchka - "Hop, hop" | Вєрка Сердючка - "Гоп гоп"

EDIT: And here's a song from the German band EAV - "Ding Dong Ding Dong".

YouTube - EAV Ding Dong

[HardScienceFan]

Thanks Len.
I will refrain from any puns on Ding Dong

[HoopyFrood]

At the risk of being lynched, Terry Wogan annoys me. Mind you, I couldn't really hear many of his comments last night, as everyone in the tv room was shouting too loudly (including myself )

I was rooting for Ukraine as well. Although I also liked the French one as well

For actually talent, the German entry was quite good.

[HardScienceFan]

Germany and the Ukraine were the best??

[Lenny]

The Greek entry was quite good, too.

[Connavar]

Many of the songs in the top ten was horrible i mean Armenia,Turkey,Romania,Moldova etc They got alot of points they didnt deserve cause of them having so many neighbouring countries voting for them.


Serbia was alot better than everyone and deserved to win as she did.

I voted for her THREE times

Ukraina had the best show and deserved getting its second place.


Sheesh many of the western songs like Sweden,Germany,Ireland,Finland didnt deserve so low points just cause they werent eastern.

Its lame how the voting went beteween the eastern countries.

Before it was about the songs and not where you are from....

[Lenny]

Can I ask how the procedure to choose your countries participant is in somewhere like Sweden?

Over here we have televised events and what not, with the general public voting (well, the really general public). Same in Sweden?