Hacksaw's Eurovision Wonderland
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roy_d_hacksaw's LiveJournal:
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| Thursday, May 22nd, 2008 | | 4:48 pm |
| | 12:41 pm |
Semi 2 business
Now then, who were good and who were poor from yesterday's first run through?
Well you would expect that Ukraine are a given. The act gets better and better with each new performance, and the gal's got to be in there at the death for a pop at the winner's gong.
Croatia too are looking good, as we'd expected, but Bulgaria are increasingly looking the form act in this heat. Like so many acts this year, they chuck the kitchen sink at it, but do it in an ordered and logical manner, leaving it look like a dead professional three minute stint. And after the huge intro, the unmassed crowds let out a collecive sigh of 'wow!'. One to watch for a top five I fancy.
Keep an eye out too on Lithuania - the song that nobody has given a hope to. He's clearly the best singer in the whole dang contest, and his understated control could well trawl in the votes of those startled by all the bombast and boombangabang. He'll only sneak in at the bottom if he does get through, but don't be surprised if you see him there.
Sweden though are looking strong but dated, and I fear this will all but sneak though - to be met with an ignominious fate in the final. Where next for the Swedes if this is the last days of schalger, I wonder? Iceland too is looking in danger. It's not necessarily done anything wrong, but listening to all the crowd faves at Euro Cafe last night, I noted the low finishing position and qualifying rate of all the floor fillers - and this could be the next to suffer the 'close but no Saturday night fun' award.
Turkey's borderline, it's great and confidently staged, but we is wondering where the votes are coming from. Hopefully cool folks who are saving up to go out on Saturday! And Latvia, I hate to say, is looking more doom flavoured by the minute. It's the curse of me having money on it, I suspect, but I'll still be waving the pirate flag like a loon this evening.
More news from the next rehearsal as it happens from the boys, and from the hall's eye view afterwards! | | 12:31 pm |
Some tittle tattle
Good morrow good reader!
Many apologies for the paucity of entries in the last 24. Yesterday's semi 2 rehearsal was followed by a mad rush to a dinner appointment, a migrane, the Champion's League final and some afterwards frivolity. Heck, you wouldn't expect your mum to work 15 days striaght, 18 hours a day, so do allow us a half day off once in a while.
But some rumours and stories from the last couple of days.
We are reliably informed that the ten that went through on Tuesday were the real actual top ten, with the jury vote coming from somewhere as yet unspecified within them. I have a suspicion that will be the case in most semis under that system, but it also does away the the excuse for whatever poor soul may have missed out.
Yesterday they unveiled a new perpetual trophy that will be presented to the winners every year. The first and last winners, Lys Assia and that bloke from last year had a lovely photo opp with it at the EBU press conf.
The interval act from Tuesday did a show in the Sava Centar auditorium, in the same building as Euroclub yesterday, and it threw up a few spots of interest. Firstly, it was where this very contest would probably have been held if the Arena hadn't been built. Of recent years it probably harks back mostly to Israel 99, being an traditional lark theatre. And the seats were lovely and comfy too.
Secondly, Hind did a run through of her so-nearly tune with a 56 piece Balkan orchestra. Turns out she went to school with the guy that did the singing and pipe playing and used to sing back up for him!
Lastly, the fella was a bit miffed that the interval act wasn't actually shown in Serbia, and cited 'political censorship'. So if anyone's got any further info on that I'd be interested to hear.
Aside from all that, we watched the Champion's League in a nice little bar, and were doing alright mucking about with the locals, until one fella tried to buy us a drink after hours, the barman refused and he chucked a complete garrity and started trying to attack him with a bottle. And we're still not entirely sure why!
So we retired to the Euro Cafe, where we met Jari, the drummer from Teräsbetoni, who was a smashing bloke, and we blathered on about football and ice hockey until nearly light. I think he was relieved to have a conversation about something other than Eurovision with people who knew a bit about metal - and to be honest so were we!
More laters serfs,
RDH | | Wednesday, May 21st, 2008 | | 1:12 pm |
Welmed
Not over welmed, neither under welmed. Just welmed.
It was weird sitting in a semi and not going "EH?!?!?!". A couple of shrugs of "Ooh!" but now major protestations of the oofness. Has the new format killed the Serviette of Death? We'll reserve judgement until tomorrow night - which after all seems a much trickier animal to predict.
The after show was a tad meh as well. The artists were slow to arrive, and few and far between. Loads of people thought they saw nice little San Marino, but I think they were mistaking them for any number of scraggy-haired boys in wescots. Moldova were sat together looking mopey on the stairs. I gave them a slight shrug of "ah well", which herself reciprocated with a lonely smile. I thought it a bit mean to ask for a pic. The tall Estonian with a quiff didn't seem too bothered, and was dripping with the ladies every time I saw him, and just as we shuffled off into the night, Isis Gee was holding court in the foyer, gushing through her Barney the Dinosaur teeth in a tiny aquamarine dress cut so low you could see her knees through the cleavage.
On reflection I'm dead chuffed Finland and Bosnia got through, peeved that I took Israel and Greece out of my serviette of death at the last minute, and feel sorry for Ireland and Estonia, which were both cracking ideas that didn't tap into the zeigeist on the night.
And as for many of the reactionary blatherers hooting on about Russia having bought the draw... bunging it directly after the hosts - the possibly the only tune likely to garner a huger hall reaction - strikes me as castrating its chances just a tad. If Lorak of Croatia get drawn around 17th this could make things most interesting - and Spain's draw ain't looking half bad at all.
Hmm, we shall see! | | Tuesday, May 20th, 2008 | | 3:31 pm |
| | 12:15 pm |
Belgrade Photos and ting May I take this opportunity to invite you to have a stroll around my tatty little Flickr account, to see the wonders and excitent of Eurovision and the wider Belgrade environs... http://www.flickr.com/photos/24867668@N08/There's a lot of nonsense on there, but also much fun to be had. And it might even give you a slight feel of what it's like over here. We do it so you don't have to. I believe that's the form... | | 11:34 am |
Semi Final 1 - the possibles
After watching last night's show I'm still less the wiser, but a few thing began to become apparent. Here's how they all looked from my jaded eye...
Montenegro - Drab, chorus free and doomed
Israel - Getting better all the time, but not terribly instant
Estonia - Love it mucho mucho, but borderline qualifier
Moldova - Very dull, but outside bet for surprise of the night
San Marino - Sweeping, bright and consigned to the pit of first time failures
Belgium - Children were dancing in the hall, folks clapped spontaneously. Hmm...
Azerbaijan - Cluttered, but its narrative string saves it from confusion.
Slovenia - nThis one's got Oxenryd written all over it. Everyone's 11th favourite...
Norway - Can't call this. Well performed, if not a little generic. May qualify low down.
Poland - Suddenly fell off the edge into the chasm of the damned. Not sure why.
Ireland - Too busy, and you can hardly pick out the wee fella's gobble.
Andorra - Ludicrous headgear kills of its meagre chances.
Bosnia - I don't care how this does, it's just a special big moment that I love!
Armenia - I'm underwealmed by this, but it's inexplicably popular so may sneak though.
Netherlands - Another tricky to call song. Good performance, smashing gal - folks may forget to vote.
Finland - Works far better than I could have imagined. Even the grans were headbanging!
Romania - Of the ballads, this is humble enough to be the banker, I feel.
Russia - Quite horrible, over mannered and twitchy - the only guaranteed qualifier.
Greece - I really hope folks see this for the squeaky poo it really is. I don't think they will.
So my guess for the serviette of doom?
Estonia
Belgium
Azerbaijan
Norway
Bosnia
Armenia
Finland
Romania
Russia
Greece
Although I'm only confident on about three of those. Heck this is hard, despite our Franko's protestations! | | Monday, May 19th, 2008 | | 6:18 pm |
| | Sunday, May 18th, 2008 | | 6:29 pm |
I heart Sebastien Tellier
Best answer to an inane press conference question ever.
"So Sebastien, do you have any plans for after Eurovision?"
"Oh, zee usual. I get a boat. Prostitution. Cocaine."
I heart Sebastien Tellier! | | 4:52 pm |
Once again, in full Joke Book Jury stylee..
Iceland: Hit
Sweden: Hit
Turkey: Maybe
Ukraine: Hit
Lithuania: Maybe
Albania: Miss
Switzerland: Miss
Czech Republic: Miss
Belarus: Maybe
Latvia: Maybe
Croatia: Hit
Bulgaria: Maybe
Denmark: Maybe
Georgia: Miss
Hungary: Miss
Malta: Maybe
Cyprus: Miss
FYR Macedonia: Miss
Portugal: Maybe
Oh bum, once again I've got eleven in my Hit or Maybe list. Who shall I shave off then? Hmm... | | 4:45 pm |
Germanory, what's the story
Y'see, what my fellow correspondents are failing to tell you, cos they're listening, but not watching, is that there appears top be some weirdness on the Germanic front. Three of the gals were all dolled up in their fineries (fine being a decidely relative term in this case), but onwe, who may or may not have been the last member, was not. More to the point, she shuffled around stage awkwardly in a vest and skirt combo, singing only occasionally, and not looking like she was emant to be there. When she did finally get a couple of lines to herself, the massed rank Germans hooted and hollared, like they were in on some joke the rest of us knew nought about.
Was she a stand in? And if so, what's up with t'other one? And if she was who she is supposed to be, what's up?
These are the probing questions the other kids miss, innit!
;-) | | 2:59 pm |
It's party time again!
The first party I attended was a big one - although I suspect I was the only ESC-ite there. I trotted off across town to go see some football and catch Red Star on their last home game of the season. Teresbatoni (or hooeva itz spelt) were there too. It all seemed most exciting when Red Star scored in 35 seconds, but then got so dull that even the cavernous and empty inclines of the giant stadium couldn't keep my attention. So at half time I skipped over the road to watch Partizan nip Hadjuk by a sing goal to claim the title. And heck it were a proper atmosphere! And there were proper police there too - first time I've ever seen a tear gas launcher in real life - although fortunately they never got to use 'em.
Then I skipped back to the centre, via a police enforced roundabout route, only to bump into Statto, Stanton and the East Midlands mob and head to the Irish do. A proper old hoedown in the Three Carrots pub. This was how Irish shindigs should be. Rawkous, irreverent and a heck of a lot of fun! The booze was free all night, as was the lovely Irish pizza - and the old bird himself did a cracking turn - and at some point we all tried to have a dance or a frottage with the Czech delegation, who seemed a little scared by it all in the corner.
Racing swiftly on then to the Ukrainian do at Euroclub. Heck these kids know how to party. Where the Russian lad's was all stern and over formal, this 'un rocked with big nobs on. Lorak herself did a couple of stints, interspered with a good dozen turns from this year's contestants (to varying levels of success), and puzzling appearance by that Belarussian wot did that Mama thing a couple of years back, and some old bird doing what they called a Russian Fusion version of Phantom of the Opera. Dana Int shrieked a few bars too. Oh, and it was all rounded off smashing by a proper gig from last year's nearly triumphant Verka Sedushka. It seemed to go on for about a year, and I'm sure we must have heard shady lasy about a dozen times, but it were a reet cracker too be sure.
Rumour then had it that the Slovene party was the place to hit. The gal herself had promised free booze till 5am, and was with that in mind that we finally rattled through the doors with a good three hours drinking time left, only to find a broken down stage, a fair bit of splattered cake, a slightly musty smell and napkins littering the place like confetti. I guess the Uke party may have stolen some of its thunder, but all the same, we felt proper diddled out of three hour's free bozzin' time! Bah.
But we heard a bit of bouncy noise going on upstairs, so we followed our ears to find the most curious scene. A turbo folk trio were pelting out a right lively racket to an excitable gaggle of shirt-clad gangster boys and polyester molls, while girls danced in cages and napkins were being chucked around like it was the last night on Earth. Ordinarily I'de have been up for a bit of that. Quite a lot of that, actually. But sensory overload was tipping up into the red bit, and my feet were beginning to resemble bubble wrap, so we mosed our way home, past scenes of Beogradian last night joy and bewilderment, and curiously nocturnal museum opening.
The party season might have taken a while to git goin' but it's finally kicked off good and proper. It's the curiously titled opening party tonight. Well, curious for us lot who've been here for over a week now. And with outdoors temperatures knocking the 31 degree mark, it could be a lovely shiny one, too! | | Saturday, May 17th, 2008 | | 11:07 am |
Big Party Little Party
So we all trudged off round the back of the castle, but for once not to see some puppies with a nice man in a car, but to witness the big old Legends & Sensations party.
I'd guess there were around 10-15 thousand happy locals there, plus a smattering of grumpy acreds, not to mention the hundreds littering the edges of the castle's stunning ramparts a couple of hundred feet above. The settingwas stunning, and so was the opening act - a stomping Azeri drum act from a bloke who appeared to have eight fingers on each hand, so fast was he whapping them skins.
Then to the ESC flavoured jamboree. That Harry potter bird who won last year tootered about for three songs in an ill-fitting shirt, but when she finally got to the hit and let the punters sing it for her, well that were a fine goosebumpy moment. Then followed a couple of blips from this year's show. Bosnia kind of left 'em stunned, while Slovenia went mostly unnoticed. Then this year's boyish host walked on to ear-bursting screams and shrieks from the girly element. This boy am popular in these shire, and the whole danged place was lit up by mobile phone screens filming his every move.
From then and striaght onto Ruslana, who gave it plenty o'large with loadsa new choons from her Wild Spirit album - although to be honest they all sounded a bit similar to her last two. A touching moment indeed though when she dedicated a song to that Tose - heck, even she got all acty and emotional.
Next up Dana International, who I thought was throughly fab, but who left most of the punters a touch cold. I guess Svante's directive 431 on overt whoopsyness didn't get through to the organisers. The night was then topped off by the Azeris themselves, who one suspects may have put some cash into putting this on, as the whole thing seemed rather catered toward them. Finally they had their hats and shades off, and they manage to look even camper than ever. The angel appears to have tippexed his entire head, while the devil had so much eye make up and blow dried hair that he looked like one of the beefier members of The Sweet. It were all right, mind - although if rumours that other correspondents may fill you in on more are to be believed, this could be their one and only appearance here...
But they were very nice and bussed us off to their party in a police escorted convoy. We were waving like the royals at the serf like gawping locals - heck, we should have chucked some cake out to keep 'em happy!
The Azeri party itself was at the majestic SKC ballroom, a massive columned hall suited perfectly to this kind of larky. The food, when it came, was mostly meat, but there was some rather nice clump of croquette type jobbies and some rice and pear that went down a treat. And then there was cake. Ah cake. Rich, slightly minty bakalava, and a big try spongey dome with smashing crispy orangey bits in the middle. And them drummers got back and did a pretty decent stint too.
Rumours for tonight's shindigs include a smart looking Ukranian bash, with loads of contestants on, plus the rather marvy Verka herself, and then the Solovenia do, which most importantly promises free booze till dawn! Who cares if she's a stroppy mare if she can provided us with that kind of fun.
But I'm off to go see Tito's tomb, and attend at least one football match this arvo, so the reports may be few and far. But I'm the context man here, it would seem, and I'm quite sure the other gents will fill you in on the sounds and pictures business.
Hold hard and have some fun! | | Friday, May 16th, 2008 | | 4:03 pm |
I'm just a sheep to the followings
Well, seeing as everyone else is doing it, and I suppose I've got to work out my serviette of death sometime soon, here's how the boy Hacksaw sees it at the mo. Although I'm sure it'll change...
In the style of Juke Box Jury, for them olds anong us...
Montenegro: Miss
Israel: Maybe
Estonia: Miss
Moldova: Miss
San Marino: Miss
Belgium: Maybe
Azerbaijan: Maybe
Slovenia: Miss
Norway: Hit
Poland: Maybe
Ireland: Maybe
Andorra: Miss
Bosnia and Herzegovina: Hit
Armenia: Maybe
Netherlands: Miss
Finland: Maybe
Romania: Maybe
Russia: Hit
Greece: Miss
Crikey, tha leaves me with 11 possibles. Hmm, now who to drop... | | 3:28 pm |
The best bit of delegation excess so far... ...and the award goes to them Dutchs with their slightly short term bus arrangement...  Now, what are they going to do with this bus in a fortnight? Are they going to scrape her lovely mug off the side come Monday morning, or will its livery remain, dusty and scrapified, to be witness by those of us who come back to the city when the hosts win it again in a decade or so time? Answers on a postcard... | | 3:11 pm |
Oh go on, everybody else is doing it...
Russia then...
I'm sitting somewhere inbetween the three stools of my On-U Sound Sistem collegues.
I'm not glad the ladder's gone, but only because I thought its inclusion would lessen his appeal and up the guffaw ratio.
But for me this was an over-mannered and twitchy to the extreme. He was hard enough work last time, but now he's gorn all rock-star-in-me-head, and for me it was pretty difficult to watch. Come Tuesday it's entirely down to whether the folks back home think, ooh hello, here's a boy who know's how to perform the bejabers out of a song, or, who the heck does this posturing nit wit think he is. I favour the latter - but they like their bombastic gestures out this end of the continent, so that could just drag him over the line.
Not remotely convinced, but it's the hardest of hard ones to call. | | 12:31 pm |
Tonight's shindiggery pokery
Now there's a massive party for all planned tonight in the shadow of the massive Kalemegdan fortress, with it says here, Legends and Sensations of Eurovision. In actual fact this means, Ruslana, Dana I, Zeljko, Marija and them Azeris, although we are promised "Super surprise expected!!!" - which we hope means Lordi or Riva, but which we expect with only be her wot songs for Serbia this year.
Now I took a little wander round the fortress last night, and for anyone in town looking for the gig hall, it's a massive festival style stage right round the back of the ramparts, on a nice flat bit of land by the river. And by the size of the grounds measured out around it, there expecting huge crowds. I copped a look at their rehearsals and it would appear that them very hosts themselves will be, erm, hosting it. So hopefully, if real people are involved it should be an absolute cracker!
And better still, immediately after we're being shipped off en masse to the legendary SKC club for the Azeri party - and judging by both the way debutante parties have gone of late, and the amount of effort and pence the fire folk have put into this thing so far, it's going to be flippin' fab!
This thing's finally got going - hoorah! | | 12:24 pm |
Russian Party Ennui
It is with great sadness that I have to report that last evening's Russian party was, well, a bit pump.
Usually these events are debauched bacchanals, stuffed with indecypherable meat products and slightly too long performances by the featured act. But here we were dealt, as aformentioned by the Big F, tiny bits of gristle served on candle lit platters by grumpy looking men in dickie bows.
The lad himself was flouncing about, in that, 'I'm the star here' manner of his, so we were expecting some gig shaped business from his part - and he may well have done that very thing, delighting us with his collection of hit from past and now. But he came on stage, rolled his shoulders about in that way of his, looked a bit cocky, waws cajoled into talking some Englished shaped syables at us, and then introduced a hefty opera bird doing a big of Carmen. Now me and Mrs Hacksaw have been collecting performances of Carmen from round the globe, but this wouldn't make the final draught - although it might rate high on the obscure locations list. And when another warbling crone tottered on stage in ill-advised heels and taffetta we looked at each other in that "shall we go?" way and skidaddled.
And it wasn't as if we were too early or owt, as we'd arrived halfway through (after the Dustin's superlative press conference do), only to find a smattering of folks cowering in the corner of the cavernous airline departure hall that is the Euroclub. It'll be fab for the later big-time party fun, but it's not ideal for the smaller delegation dos.
I'll ask some folks how the Makadonskian party was and get back to you on that one. It's almost as if yous was here with us, innit! | | 11:57 am |
Things that happen in the outside world Unlike many of the pale and pasty hacks from the other blogs, we like to get out and about and do a little bit of what the locals like to do. So it was with that joy that I popped off to the gnarly catacombs of Beograd's Akademija club to watch a couple of slabs of the local gnarly punk rock fun. The evening kicked off with the rather special Concrete Worms, an acts with a tasty rock'n'roll punk flavour, whose all out barrage of heads down, wundoofrivour chunky punk got the punters going bouncy bonkers. And this is how they look...  Then came the headliners, Red Union - clearly a pretty popular act round these Balkan shires, judging by the amount of excitable punters mouthing every word. They were more of the melodic anthemic street punk ouevre, and had the kids punching the air in delight, and jumping on stage to sing along with almost every tune. And they kinda looked a little this way... | | Thursday, May 15th, 2008 | | 6:37 pm |
The uppers and downers
So now that we've seen most of the apparently polished turds today, who's looking better and who's starting to get a little dog eared around the edges?
Well among those who've excelled th'day are them Norweges, who I alluded to earlier, Estonia, who I love despite the brick bats, and Belgium. Everyone walked out of the hall for lunch singing the ditty, and I reckon the gal herself is going ton be a right gran pleaser. nd she might even please the dads if her lally falls out again!
Even Israel upped a notch, although it's still lagging behind the pack.
No change for Montenegro and Moldova, who are still dull - albeit slightly better presented dull. Poland too was pretty much the same, although her frock makes her look far older than perhaps she'd like to admit to.
But today's less fortunates included the plucky but slightly weak San Marino, the unnecessarly cluttered and shrill Slovenes and the far too busy, let's squeeze a whole oepra into three minutes pomposity of the Azeris.
I'm coming round to the received wisdom that not too many of this half of the draw are going to make it past Tuesday. Ireland's still hilarious but still trying to crowbar far too much in, and Bosnia and Andorra are yet to have a go.
Hmm, perhaps my thousand pound comedy bet with our Phil that the winner will come from semi 1 and not semi 2 is starting to look a little shakey...
On the other hand... nah! I'm going to beat that suckah to death in the face with a hand scrawled betting slip! Boo Yaa!
Unless anything spectacular occurs, and who knows, it just might, I might be flitting off to the Russian party before you hear from me again. And after that, it'll eb some local punk rock at the Academija Club, in the company of Red Union and Concrete Worms.
See you tommory kids! |
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