Poor standard in the first semi-final. The only half-decent songs were Belgium, Iceland and Bosnia. At least they all qualified.
Printable View
Poor standard in the first semi-final. The only half-decent songs were Belgium, Iceland and Bosnia. At least they all qualified.
Well we qualified for the final for the first time from a semi-final for 4 years. Obviously the jury voting is making its mark. Ireland, Portugal, Belgium, and Iceland all made it out of the semi final. Ireland are 10th in the final.Quote:
Originally Posted by DaveyCakes
With all the ballad songs around for the juries to pick from, I don't like most of the songs this year. Albania, Iceland, Slovakia, and Germany are the few highlights for me. Slovakia are already gone, while Croatia and Sweden failed to qualify. The rest are much of a muchness.
I enjoyed Sweden, Azerbaijan and Turkey last night. Our song is the best we've had in years, but I thought it was still pretty dull. Azerbaijan and Germany are favourites.
I enjoyed the Turkish one myself. Was surprised we got through actually, I don't think much of it at all.. How was our entry chosen by the way?
Quite liked Turkey's too myself, rockier than the usual tripe. As for Niamh, there was a Eurosong Late Late in February with five different songs against each other. You'd 6 regional panels and based on the public and the jury, each gave a maximum of 12 points and Niamh got a perfect score of 144. I think this is the second year that the jury's back so shouldn't be as much bloc voting this time.Quote:
Originally Posted by holidaysong
Contest was March 5th, and Niamh walked it.Quote:
Originally Posted by holidaysong
Our song has no appeal for voters, but is manna from heaven for juries. They love ballads, and Eurovision is stuffed with them this year. There's still mass bloc voting, especially with the new rules, it's just nullified more with the jury vote carrying the same power now as the televote. Only Holland, Sweden, and Switzerland of the "Western" countries didn't qualify.
Wait til yez hear the Spanish one. It's absolute dross. The guy is a big ham.
There's been a lot of money on Armenia today. They're joint favourites with their friends and neighbours Azerbaijan now, maybe they'll restart the war if it gets very tense.
The Azeri's have put a massive amount into publicity for their entry (lots on the web). Armenia is a good one, Russia is absolutely tragic - which is what happens when you pick a youtube song! Good luck to Ireland - hopefully top half respectability will be achieved.
:poo:dear god!They'er all ****!
Such a load of ****e, the German girl that won was hot enough though!
You're not going to get top half respectability with that, up against the competition that was out there.
No gimmicks, no choreography, no visuals, just a 42-year old statue singing a flat meaningless ballad, in an ocean of ballads. As usual, our song is 100% focussed on the performer, when you actually need a performance to go with it. And as usual, it doesn't stand out, and it didn't work.
Western countries are back in the contest with a bang now with 3 of them in the top 5, there's the effects of the voting system in operation. Delighted for Lena and the Germans, they've tried for very long, and nothing worked for them until this year. They're the first Top 4 country to win it since televoting started, and ARD will probably fund most of it themselves next year, rather than half as they have done for so long now.
At least the Brits finished last. It's the only consolation we can take from the final.
In the semi final, we finished 9th, level with Cyprus on 67 points. Sweden finished 11th. Swiss juries loved Niamh, as they gave her 12 points. The UK gave us 10, Croatia gave us 3, we gave them one, and handed Lithuania the 12. Again.....:rolleyes:
Terrible bit of aftertiming I know, but I had a look at the betting yesterday around 3 o'clock, and went and listened to the top 8 songs or so, and I picked out Germany as the winner. Course I didn't bother putting money on it though. :(
Discussing the merit of this thing from a musical perspective is akin to discussing the cinematic value of Home & Away but sure anyway
I believe you. The whole of Belgium reckons you're talkin' ****e mind. ;-)Quote:
Originally Posted by mypost
Ah the good old certainty of chance. Good to see that at last Europe gets a demonstration that democracy simply doesn't work too. Worse again giving an untramelled vote to countries from the dismal side of the sadly defunct iron curtain.Quote:
Originally Posted by mypost
She was gracious too -reigning in her victory speech with only half the count in and all that.
I suppose "our" 25 votes affords us some height relative to their 10 -though I fear ****y boots will the reward for attempting to whizz on them. Graham Norton was pretty good tooQuote:
Originally Posted by mypost
Well, at least there is no miming, and no covers, like you get at every other concert. Every song is brand new, regardless of type or country.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lionel Ritchie
Yes, Belgium qualified from the semi for the first time in 6 years. At least they had a guitar. We didn't. Cutbacks and all that.Quote:
I believe you. The whole of Belgium reckons you're talkin' ****e mind. ;-)
I never ever listen to that fruitcake. Since Wogan left, I watch RTE's coverage in the final now. Hamburg will imo, get the gig next year.Quote:
I suppose "our" 25 votes affords us some height relative to their 10 -though I fear ****y boots will the reward for attempting to whizz on them. Graham Norton was pretty good too
Marty thought we were going to win it but once it became obvious we weren't, he almost shut off and became bored and resigned. Instead of focusing on what was happening at the top of the leader board, he just got more depressed every time another null poins came is for us.Quote:
Originally Posted by mypost
I am expecting a few photos at least of that Armenian woman in the Totty Watch thread. I will always think of apricots in the different light in future. They call her the new Angelina Jollie.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74Hcf...eature=related
As ever good entertainment and trying to predict the voting is fun. Cyprus/Greece is always the most obvious and Iceland -> Denmark.
The contention that music is peripheral to this entire competition was further enforced when it was announced you could start voting before you heard any of the songs!!!!
This competition also serves as a reminder that we have far more in common with Britain than remotely anywhere else.
Forgive the gross generalisation - but the rest of Europe are on an entirely different wavelength to us.
MyPost I enjoy your posts, but please tell me you dont seriously actually like the Eurovision for its music???? I only watched the voting part, in a pub - and it was fun and a bit of craic guessing who woud vote for who - but thats all it is - a joke!!!
And Wolfie is right, Europeans are a strange bunch........................
But then on the other hand I suppose we did give the world Westlife, Boyzone, Chrystal Swing and Jedward!
In the early years, I used to just watch the voting, but it's now so predictable, that I prefer watching the songs.
The Europeans put everything into the contest, and get the rewards. They're much more sophisticated and organised than us. We and the Brits do sfa for it, and get nothing.
A somewhat bizzare statement. I don't doubt that some of the countries you seem to be referring to (we're Europeans too btw) put everything into it -too much some would say. But I'm not sure where they "get the rewards" you speak of. Only Ireland, Sweden and Norway have won the thing more than once in the last two decades. That fairly even spread of winners means all these other countries, including the one-time winners, who bust a gut for it every year actually have very little to show for it relative to their outlay.Quote:
Originally Posted by mypost
Little wonder in that scenario that Italy, Czech, Austria, Luxembourg and more to follow have decided there's no percentage in it and have walked.
According to a colleague of mine in Germany (a German based NL fan can confirm this) but Lena is going to sing again next year for Germany! It was a smooth move to get an emo-pop-Brit-Yank type to sing a quirky Lily Allen punk song. It was a great performance from her. The Russian girl who sang for Armenia lost alot of East European votes because she looked too well. While the Azeri favourite just flopped on the night. Next year in Germany will be good, I'm considering paying it a visit. I was at Moscow last year and the buzz was amazing. The funniest part of all (in a darky comic way) was a gay pride march getting battered into oblivion by OMON officers (OMON in Russian script is OMOH, there's quite a good laugh to be had when you see a reflection in a shop front).
Eurovision is one of the rare chances some of the Eastern countries get to get noticed. If they win, they get a huge boost in general interest and tourism the following year.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lionel Ritchie
Of course, if you don't put the effort in as we generally don't, and treat it as a joke, you'll be the ones that end up getting laughed at instead.
Y'see I don't buy this. I know of absolutley no country that got a tourism bounce as a result of winning Eurovision. Having won 3 years straight -we should've have had a measurable mid-90's peak if such a bounce existed. I know the event itself creates a flurry of economic activity in and around the host town as opposed to host country but that's about the size of it.
Also, and I'm just curious, when approximately do you think RTE and whoever else is involved in the thing here stopped putting the effort in? Do they put less in now than when Ireland was winning it four years in five? Or has the nature of the show changed so uttlerly that it's just not possible to justify the outlay needed when the dividend is so intangible? I mean -back in the "good old days" of Irish dominance it could've bankrupted RTE. They weren't rolling in cash over it for sure.
You only have to look at Millstreet to see how Eurovision reflects on it. It is world-famous because of one thing and one thing only, it hosted Eurovision.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lionel Ritchie
RTE put in some effort a couple of years ago. Now it's amateur hour again. The process to select the representative is held on one night on a talk show, not remotely like the massive stage used in the event itself. The pre-promotion of the songs consists of a broadcast on an afternoon radio show the day before, while the performers get one day to rehearse their performance.
Unlike us, very very few other countries use panellists views after their performances during the selection process. Most leave the viewers to make up their own minds instead. Kavanagh's song was lauded and practically driven over the line by RTE's panel, before a vote was cast for it last March. I for one, didn't like it, and feared it would get lost in a sea of ballads. European voters agreed.
Once it's chosen, little promotion work is done, sometimes not even a video is shot for it. The stage at the event is usually bare, the choreography is a shambles at best, if there is any, and the performer is usually poorly dressed. All minnowism, and the results reflect it on the night. That's all RTE's responsibility. It looks a joke, because it's treated as a joke.
As regards the outlay, it's the same as everything else. If you try, you might get something. If you don't try, you get nothing. Germany, Denmark, and Belgium finished in the top 5 this year, so RTE can't blame the usual Eastern bloc-voting excuse for the result this time.
World Famous where now? When Millstreet is Googled - "Millstreet Recycling Center" is offered as an auto-complete ahead of the Arena. ...and check out their state of the art websiteQuote:
Originally Posted by mypost
http://www.millstreet.ie/green%20glens/greenglens.htm
So you'd like Song For Europe or the National Song Contest back? I'm pretty sure they got rid of that or decided to give it a piggy-back on the Late Late due to lack of interest/low viewership ...and in the current era where half the broadcast output is a lack-of-Talent Show of one form or another then the National Song Contest -which essentially surrendered the airwaves to showband refugees and uppity wedding singers, would die on it's hole.Quote:
Originally Posted by mypost
Again that just "reduces it" to yet another version of Irelands Got Fame the Musical. Every Tidy Towns committ-ee out there will row in behind their local prize pig regardless of ability or hope. There'll be posters, flyers and ads everywhere. Equity will be released by doting parents to fund the shot of some delusional spoilt brats that this is their big chance. It's been tried before and Ireland sent the milky bar kid and his mutant sister -and on another occasion cantankerous fifth-columnists of my ilk voted for Dustin to torpedo it below the waterline before it got out of port.Quote:
Originally Posted by mypost
Videos cost a fortune -and again it's down to what return can reasonably be expected. Eurovision WINNING songs often don't sell well. Non-winning songs are tatty bread by sundown on the night of the competition.Quote:
Originally Posted by mypost
But there's no runners-up medals. I dunno what Denmark or Belgium spent -but it's dead rubber. No one but fetishists will pat them on the back for a top 5 finish. They lost.Quote:
Originally Posted by mypost
I think we should send Dustin again next year - treat this farce with the contempt it deserves.
Consider it a final Harrrrumph, as we exit stage left, finally removing ourselves from this pantomime of a pathetic collection of zany Krauts, feudal headbangers and Marty Whelan.
Was at a comedy gig last monday and the Eurovision was reffered to as the Special Olympics of Singing, which sounds about right to me
Satellite which won this year, went straight to No. 1 in Germany upon it's release. Since then, it's gone triple-gold. The winner came from a talent show.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lionel Ritchie
For the first time in years, the Germans took it seriously, promoted their singer and song, produced a video, waltzed direct into the final, put on a good show for the crowd, and walked home with the prize.
With "jokes" like in the above post, you see the attitude why we came 3rd from last place.
theres only one solution for this national shame.
Get J-Lo back.
In the second semi-final, Ireland got 43 points by televoting and 84 from the juries. The combined 13th and 6th place rankings, got us 9th spot so without the juries, we would have gone home early again.
In the final, we got 15 points from the televoters, putting us in 24th position. 62 jury points meant we were 16th best in their eyes, but not enough to drag us higher than 23rd place overall.
In contrast, with a single performance, Germany swept the boards to claim the victory, while the Brits got the sweeping brush, finishing last in both scoring systems.
So Pete Waterman won't be on their judging panel next year.
http://www.esctoday.com/news/read/15973
Don't know why I thought of this today but we're about half way between the last one and the next. Damn -this young wans been choppin' wood in her first 6 months as queen of Eurovision ...no. 26 in Austria!
Quite a career launcher this Eurovision malarkey. Must be why she's going back for another try next spring. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lena_Meyer-Landrut
She's also been No. 1 in 6 countries. With an English-language song, that got to No. 2 in Austria.
...six months ago. The follow up stalled at 26 in Austria, somewhere in the teens in her native Germany and they don't appear to have even bothered releasing it in 5 of the six countries she topped the charts in -or anywhere else for that matter. Impressive no?Quote:
Originally Posted by mypost
Sorry punctuated that badly ...Impressive? No.
But everyone doesn't get a medal in the Eurovision.Quote:
Originally Posted by bennocelt
So?Quote:
Originally Posted by Lionel Ritchie
The fact the first song reached No. 1 in so many countries, shows the broad appeal it has. She will defend her title in Dusseldorf in May.
So this amazing career launcher has once again given someone a career that's dead in the water before all the leaves are brown. The only people who go at Eurovision a second time are those who are down to their last card. She wouldn't be touching it with a bargepole otherwise.Quote:
Originally Posted by mypost
There is so much inherently wrong with this annual farce of a competition that I wouldn't know where to begin.
Its certainly well beyond taking seriously, that's for sure.
Don't agree with any of the above. Two of our previous winners won at their second attempt. Another one had another go this year. Greece's last winner won it at their second attempt as well.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lionel Ritchie
All artists get a low chart ranking at some point. Even the most successful.
Wwwhaaaa?? it's not like she took a few years off to go back to college, see the world and start a family -It's her second single! The follow up to her all conquering Eurovision success and surely basking in the warm afterglow thereof.Quote:
Originally Posted by mypost
As for previous winners from Ireland who went back -Logan was dropping his pants for spare change by the time 1987 rolled around. Linda Martin was back doing wedding gigs and Niamh Kavanagh was back behind the counter in the bank a long, long time ago -possibly needing time off on the first anniversary of her win.
Jedward will be representing Ireland in this years Eurovision qualifiers, perfect Mickey Mouse act for Mickey Mouse show :D
The song: