Coming Soon.....Six of the Best

The Junior Eurovision Song Contest is now just over a week away. In the lead up to the mini singathon, Eurovision Express will be taking a look back at the contest's first four years.

As we speak some of Europe's greatest minds are locked in a room debating which songs are the six best, and we'll be revealing the results from this Saturday.

Stay tuned!

Poll Result: The 80's have it!

Thank you for voting in our poll to find out the best decade for Eurovision. The results were quite close but the 1980's have won! The decade of dubious taste in clothes (see above) was also the decade of Bucks Fizz, Celine Dion, Johnny Logan, to name but a few and has been voted as the golden era of Eurovision by visitors to Eurovision Express.

Here are the results:

1980's - 28%
2000's - 24%
1990's - 21%
1970's - 19%
1960's - 8%

And now to bring us right up to date, please vote for who you think will win the Junior Eurovision Song Contest on 8th December!

Forget Ronald...meet "Johnny" McDonald

Eurovision Legend and two-time winner Johnny Logan's success in his recent award-winning McDonald's adverts in Ireland has grown from strentgh to strength. You can now logon to the McDonald's Eurosaver Menu website and take part in a "Hold Me Now" moment, take part in a Johnny Logan quiz, and even ask Johnny a question about anything...(apart from "Do you want fries with that?").

If you have missed the genius of this advertising campaign, click on this website : http://www.itctest.net/content/index.html or if you can't wait, here are the adverts:

Carola Out, Charlotte In?

So, Carola won't be taking part in Melodifestival 2008, according to Swedish newspaper Expressen. Does this mean that we may see the welcome return of former winner and all-round diva Charlotte Nilsson-Perrelli? With a name like Perrelli, maybe she can follow the Swiss participant's example, and sing in Italian? Maybe not!

But of course, she would have to beat the lovely Linda Bentzing who could snatch the Swedish crown next year?

I think you're pretty safe so far Charlotte!

EuroPotty

Eurovision Express has been playing around with it's pots tonight and has devised what it thinks should be the 6 pots from which the semi-finalists should be drawn. They are:

1. Former USSR countries
2. West Europe and Baltic
3. Nordic
4. Mediterranean
5. Eastern Europe
6. Former Yugoslav countries.

There are a couple of anomalies: Andorra amd San Marino. We have put Andorra in the Nordic block and San marino in the Mediterranean block.
Let's see if this bares any resemblance to reality!

Hail Mary!

16 years on, and she's BACK! Maltese Eurovision diva, Mary Spiteri is through to the next stage in the small island's quest to find a winner. After coming an impressive third in Malmo with Little Child, Mary's got two songs in Malta's 36 strong shortlist - If You Believe and My Last Encore.

Sounds like Malta is making a welcome return to the ballad, which after Fabrizio and Olivia's disastrous results, has got to be a good thing. Eurovision Express would dearly love Chiara to win for Malta, but the next best thing would certainly be seeing Ms Spiteri bringing Eurovision to Valetta. You go girl!

Pussy Punk Down The Pan!

It should have all been so purr-fect for the Hara Sisters tonight but Iceland has spoken and decided that Pussy Punk is OUT and Euroband is IN. The Hara Sisters took to a stage which resembled a beauty parlour, but their voices were anything but beautiful. Perhaps they should have turned up the hairdryers to drown out the meeoowwing.

So, Euroband, with their electric pop song will go to the final. We will have to wait until next week to see if the girls get a second chance.

Oh, by the way there was a 3rd song, but it really is not worth talking about!

Double Delight!

The winners tour to end all winners tours may be coming to a venue near you!

Bucks Fizz and Brotherhood of Man are touring together under the banner "Together In Concert". Apart from their Eurovision wins, they have had some fantastic hits such as "Figaro", "Angelo", "Piece of the Action" and "My Camera Never Lies". Ah, the nostalgia.

Get your velcro skirt out and checkout if they are coming to your area. Visit this website: http://www.abrq49.hemscott.net/Dates.htm

Not sure which Bucks Fizz it is , but it certainly doesn't look like the lovely Cheryl. At least Brotherhood of Man are the original of the species.

Sing-a-long-a-secret-garden

Looking for a great Christmas present? Well pop over to Oslo (or online) and order yourself a copy of Secret Garden's new album, Inside I'm Singing. Rolf and Fionnuala have called up some of their showbiz mates to create new 'singable' versions of their back catalogue. Previous Eurovision contenders Tommy Korberg, Niamh Kavanagh and Brian Kennedy are included, as is Barbra Streisand. Maybe she'll be in MGP in 2008?

Goodnight Vienna!

It's a sad day indeed now Austria have chosen to say goodnight to Eurovision (for the time being anyway). They have given us some wunderbar entries over the years - who can forget Boom Boom Boomerang in 1977, Weil Der Mensch Zählt in 2003 with the marvellous Alf Poier, and of course, Für den Frieden der Welt in 1994.

ORF programme director Wolfgang Lorenz also hinted that Austria may withdraw from the contest indefinitely, stating "ORF has no desire to send more talent out of Austria to a competition where they have no chances...Should the situation change, we'll be happy to take part again."

Let's hope they don't stay away too long!
Merci Autriche!

Ou Est San Marino?

Wo ist San Marino? Donde esta San Marino? где - Сан-Марино? San Marinoはどこにありますか?

The good people of microstate San Marino have decided to join the Eurovision family. Hooray! If they win, they can always use their country as a Press Centre for 2009. So, who will be next, Vatican City, Isle of Man, Madeira, Rockall!!? Can't wait!

The 2-week Eurovision has arrived

According to eurovision.tv the two-week rehearsal period for the Eurovision Song Contest may be happening in 2008. Rehearsals are scheduled to begin on Sunday 11th May eventhough the final doesn't happen until the 24th!!.

All those poor stressed-out journalists surviving on coffee and snacks for two whole weeks, attending the press conferences, getting the interview scoops, listening to the cd's, partying the night away in the euroclub. All in the name of Eurovision. Phew! Poor things will be exhausted by the end of May!

Ah, remember the days when it started on Monday and ended on Saturday? Halcyon days!

Pussy Power resurfaces in Iceland

Hold onto your handbags - things are about to start hotting up in Reykjavik. This Saturday's semi-final sees the Hara Sisters take to the stage with a song written by Gerard Borg of Maltese Song for Europe fame. With a ditty called I Wanna Manicure and a musical style described as Pussy Punk, this should make Silvia Night look tame. What would Mrs Slocombe say?

Will Daz Unite Nations in 2008?

Good old Daz Sampson is hoping to bring some more rat-a-tat-tat-to-the-chat back to Euroland by calling on the services of Uniting Nations, the groovy popgroup he forms part of. Apparently the song's already written, and UN are hoping to get someone European to sing it.

By 'European' they presumably mean not British. Guys, remember what happened when Ralph Siegel had a bright idea of creating the European supergroup - Six4One? Where did they end up? Nowhere!

Anyway EurovisionExpress wishes Daz and his pals well. We're hoping for a soaraway ballad, although on UN's past experience this is as likely as a British win.

I'm Vicky Leandros...Get me out of here!

Vicky Leandros made a special appearance recently to officially open the German Christmas Market in Birmingham City Centre. She took to the stage (well, the tiny bandstand actually) to treat the tens (!!) of onlookers to some German Christmas songs. It must have been a bit different to the sold out Athens arena two days previously.

What greeted Vicky was a load of Brummies tucking into Red Sausage and knocking back Gluhwein and wondering who this bird on the bandstand was! Poor Vicky, they were more interested in the local radio DJ's who introduced her! She couldn't get off the stage quick enough. After a less than receptive applause and several German songs, she trolled off stage and no doubt was whisked off to Birmingham International Airport toute suite!

Wait until her agent gets a phone call when she returns to Germany. Oh well. at least we got a glimpse of a true Eurovision Legend!

Arriving on Platform 1.....Eurovision Express

Fans from all across Europe arrive at Eurovison Express HQ for the launch party of the latest EuroBlog, treating us to a sing-a-long to "Kroller Eller Ej". It was a star-studded evening with a plethora of Eurovision artists mingling with the fans!

The hosts worked the room with trays of cheese and pineapple on sticks and gallons of Creme de Menthe. A good time was had by all!

Watch this space for all the news from Euroblogger. Please feel free to leave comments. Welcome onboard!