We already have the Albanian song, and within the next few hours we'll be able to see what Turkey has lined up for us.
The Turks have already chosen Hadise to sing for them, and tonight, probably just before midnight (UK time) after a 6 and a half hour TV show(!), we'll get to hear the song Hadise will sing in Moscow. The Eurovision season has well and truly begun!
In an interview for the UK TV listing magazine, Radio Times, Andrew Lloyd Webber, composer of the UK Eurovision entry for 2009, has made it clear that his song will not be a 'silly nonsense song'. Asked if this means there will be no boom-bang-a-bangs, the Lord said, 'Sadly no'.
This comes as welcome news here at Eurovision Express. Don't get us wrong - we love traditional uptempo Eurovision songs as much as the next fan, but Scooch's disastrous result in 2007 clearly shows that it's time for the UK to enter something of quality.
The UK begins its quest to restore its Eurovision pride on 3 January with Your Country Needs You. We're looking forward to seeing just what ALW has got up his sleeve.
Part of the interview with Lloyd Webber can be read here.
It's Christmas Day! So after you've stuffed yourself with turkey and all the trimmings or whatever your particular Christmas fare, sit back and enjoy Charlotte Perelli and Tommy Körberg's rendition of "O Holy Night" in Swedish!
So Eurovision 2009 has officially kicked off with the first song chosen for Moscow. As usual, it's Albania who are first to put their hat in the ring. Their selection is an uptempo song called Më Merr Në Ëndërr by the very lovely Kejsi Tola . The song is over 4 minutes long, but then this isn't unusual for an Albanian entry, they always shave a minute or so off it before the previews.
The song is written by the same team that produced the excellent 2004 Albanian Entry - The Image of You - and indeed Kejsi shot to fame in the same talent show as 2004 singer Anjeza Sahini. Më Merr Në Ëndërr (Take me in your dreams) has a very Turkish feel about it and is a good old Euro stomper, but it will need a better presentation if it is to get Albania into the final in Moscow. It's early days, so they have plenty of time to work on the presentation, but overall, Albania have given us a very good start to the season!
If the rumours are true, Ireland may be sending its most famous Eurovision son to Moscow! According to an Irish newspaper, RTE is in discussions with triple-Eurovision winner Johnny Logan (1980 and 1987 as performer, and 1992 as writer) to represent his country at the 2009 ESC.
Could Ireland be hoping that the Logan magic will help their flagging Eurovision fortunes? Eurovision ain't what it used to be in the 80's, so Johnny could have his work cut out to get a good result, if RTE choose him that is!
Having said that ,it would be great to see "Mr. Eurovision" back in the contest and not flogging a McDonalds Eurosaver menu!
The 12 songs vying to represent Finland at next year's Eurovision can be heard here. Eurovision Express has had a good listen, and has a couple of favourites including Sani's Doctor Doctor (below)
We also like Waldo's People's Lose Control - we're not massive fans of rap (unless it comes in the form of Kool Kaj of Denmark 1997 fame...) but this is a pretty decent entry. Judge for yourself below by watching the official video.
What we are grateful for is that Finland seems to have ditched hard rock this year. Hooray!
As reported here, broadcasting legend Terry Wogan has now officially stepped down as the UK's Eurovision commentator.
After three decades of association with the Contest, Terry will now be replaced by fellow Irishman, Graham Norton, who having hosted 2 Eurovision Dance Contests, will also front the new UK selection programme, Your Country Needs You.
Fans' opinions on Terry Wogan have always been split, but there's no denying he's given us plenty of great comments over the years, from 'Big Hand For The Little Lady' (referring to numerous Eurovision participants) to (after Alla Pugacheva's performance in 1997) 'If the Late Great Dick Emery hadn't passed on, I'd have my doubts'...
Looking to the future, let's hope that the UK can put its recent string of dismal results behind it, and find a trace of its former Eurovision glory.
Malta's mammoth selection process to choose its 2009 entry continues. The 3rd semi-final included Jo Zette, a dragqueen, with a nose worthy of the child catcher from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Her song, I'm Me, is kitsch and sung as if Jo Zette were appearing on "Stars In Their Eyes" as Divine. Jo Zette starts the song dressed as a maid, but before long, she nips into Bucks Fizz mode, to whip that costume off, revealing a red dress beneath. Classy! Check it out below.
The best performance in the 3rd heat came from Gloriana Arpa Bell with Love was made of clay (below). Although it's not the kind of song Eurovision Express would normally go wild for, it's certainly going to make it to the final.
Well they did it! Georgia's incredibly strange song won the Junior Eurovision! Well done to the wasps!
Georgia was one of the songs that we thought was in with a chance, although the song we picked to win from the Ukraine came 2nd - a position that country is getting very used to!
So congratulations to Georgia with Bzekebi and their song, Bzz! Enjoy the winner again below.
So the time has come for Eurovision Express to predict who will actually win tonight's Junior Eurovision.
Our money is behind the Ukrainian entry - Matrosy sung by Victoria Petryk. It's a catchy song, confidently performed, with great sailor-themed dance moves. If you want to judge for yourself, take a look at the video below, which we especially love for the shots of the choreographer!
If you want to follow the action tonight log onto www.junioreurovision.tv at 20.15 CET (7.15pm UK time).
Time for another look at those who we think may be in with a chance of winning this Saturday's Junior Contest.
Georgia has a very odd entry, which is pretty much a 'love it' or 'hate it' affair. It's called Bzz, perfomed by Bzikebi, and is an ode to wasps, or at least we think it is. It's totally unmelodic but has something about it that may make it stand out....Judge for yourselves:
Another song in contention is the Romanian entry, Salvaţi Planeta, sung by Mădălina and Andrada. It starts off slowly but then becomes a real Eurostomper. It's first on in the running order and will get the show off to a good start. Take a listen below:
Our next blog entry will reveal who will think will be this year's winner, so keep your eyes peeled.
With only 3 days to go before this year's Junior Eurovision, we thought it high time that we took a look at which songs might be vying for the top spot.
Probably the most sophisticated song in the Contest (and actually probably the best song) comes from Belgium. Sung by Oliver, Shut Up (below) will certainly appeal to teenagers but may not have the 'cutesy' factor that seems necessary to win. And, although Belgium can probably count on 12 points from the Netherlands, they may struggle to gain high marks from the other (mainly Eastern European) countries taking part in Contest.
Having notched up their second Junior Eurovision last year, Belarus can never be ruled out as winners, and this year they have another strong entry - Sertse Belarus, sung by Dasha, Alina and Karina (video below). We think this will come close, but it probably won't be two in a row for Belarus.
More ones to watch over the next two days, and a prediction for the winner on the day itself!
Regular readers of Eurovision Express will know that professional duty drew us to Copenhagen back in 2003 to witness the very first Junior Eurovision. We had high hopes that Tom Morley would carry off the crown with his fantastic entry, My Song For The World. It wasn't to be, but it's still one of the best Junior Eurovision songs ever.
The Junior Contest has changed a lot, with most Western countries giving it a wide berth. From primetime on ITV1, Eurovision Express is now forced to watch the show on the internet.
Last year we were delighted to see Belarus come out on top, especially as we won a few pennies at the bookies!
But who's going to win this year's Contest, which takes place this Saturday in Cyprus? It's difficult to say, as no one song stands out.
Later in the week we'll be announcing who we think will be in the final shake-up, but, for now, why not judge for yourself by clicking on the video below to hear small snippets from all 15 entries.
Last night saw the 2nd batch of Maltese songs presented, with no fewer than 3 entries being written by Eurovision veteran, Philip Vella.
Unfortunately the ears of Eurovision Express weren't especially turned on by Mr Vella's compositions. Our two favourites came from former Maltese entrant, Georgina, who sang for her country in 1991. Her 2008 song, To Be Myself, is an old-fashioned ballad, but we quite like those here at Eurovision Express headquarters.
However the best song of the night, and of all 14 so far revealed, is another ballad - Promises by Vittorio and Dorothy (below), which we're certain will make its way into the Maltese Final with no problem.
The answer to our Birthday Quiz was.....the Eurovision legend herself - Ms. Linda Martin.
Thank you to all those who entered, we had a huge response, and the lucky name out of the hat was..............
LIZ RUSSELL from IRELAND
Congratulations Liz, you have won:
- Corinna May (DE02)Press Pack and CD from 2002! - Kenan Dogulu (TU07) DVD pack from 2007 incl "Shake it up" video! - Max Mutzke (DE04) CD and Press Pack from 2003! - Birgitta (IC03) CD and Press Pack from 2003! - and various other Eurovision cd's!
Our plucky runners-up were the Schlagerboys who will receive a special prize from our collection of Eurovision CDs, most probably 'The Best Eurovision Ballads Ever', which Eurovision Express is sure they will treasure!
Time to pop the champagne now for our glitzy glam Birthday Party! No hangers-on please, invite only! Cheers!
If you haven't guessed who our Eurovision participant is by now, here is one more clue to help you....
I have entered the ESC twice, and won it once! I also called in my country's televotes in 2007
So that was our final clue. You have until Friday 15th November at 23:00CET to enter the competition. Only emailed answers will be entered into the draw, please do not post your answer as a comment. We will publish the winner of our Eurovision treasure trove on Sunday!
Time for our second clue in our Birthday Quiz! Can you guess who the Eurovision star is? If so, email us and you might be in with a chance to win some Eurovision CD's and Press Packs!
Clue no.2:
Before Eurovision, I sang as part of a group in the 70's and early 80's but my Eurovision success was as a solo artist.
Any ideas yet? If not, don't worry, the last clue will be tomorrow. You then have until Friday 15th November at 23:00CET to email your answer. The winner will be announced on Sunday.
Want to win some Eurovision goodies? Then enter our 1st Birthday Quiz. We will give you three clues to the identity of a Eurovision star and if you think you know who it is, then email us the answer.
We will enter the correct answers into a draw on Saturday and the winner will be published on Sunday. So the first clue is:
I was born in 1947 and my natural hair colour is blonde, but it wasn't blonde at Eurovision.
Eurovision Express celebrates its first birthday this week and as well as sporting a new look blog, we're giving away a prize to one of our lucky readers!
Each day between Tuesday and Friday this week, we will give you a clue as to the identity of a Eurovision participant and you have to guess who it is. All correct answers will be entered into a draw on Saturday and we will reveal the winner here on the blog on Sunday!
What's the prize I hear you cry....well it's a Eurotastic goody bag of cd's and press packs we've accumulated over the last few years. Contents include:
- Corinna May (DE02)Press Pack and CD from 2002! - Kenan Dogulu (TU07) DVD pack from 2007 incl "Shake it up" video! - Max Mutzke (DE04) CD and Press Pack from 2003! - Birgitta (IC03) CD and Press Pack from 2003 - and various other Eurovision cd's!
So, keep watching the blog for our Birthday Quiz, we would like to thank you all for supporting Eurovision Express over the last year and hope you visit us many times in the upcoming Eurovision season!
Malta have kicked off their Eurovision selection with the first of their 8 semi-finals. The TV show Euro Showbox played host to the first batch of 7 songs.
Ludwig Galea (who along with Julie represented Malta in Istanbul in 2004) started the semi with a very disappointing song with a wailing woman in the backround! It didn't get any better until song 3 when the golden duo of Eurovision songwriting - Ralph Siegel and Bernd Meininger (under the pseudonym of John O'Flynn) had their song - Tonight at the Opera - sung by Classic Rebels. This was a good old fashioned Eurosong and was one of the better efforts in a rather lacklustre semi final. The only other decent song that we heard was from Rosman Pace who sang One Million Ways. Despite the cringeworthy lyrics, this was one of the better songs of the night.
Eurovision Express is a big fan of Malta at Eurovision, but our verdict on this first semi-final: Could do better!
It looks like the Maltese are keeping the best for the next semi finals - including the big hitters of Claudio Faniello and Chiara! You can see the full list of all of the 2009 Maltese semi-finalists here.
In the meantime, here is the Siegel/Meininger offering...
It was a unforgettable evening in Warrington, UK, as Eurovision fans descended on the Cheshire town this weekend to select the best national final song of 2008 that never made it to Belgrade.
This was the 20th running of the "ConSong", previously known as Eurovision Network Convention Song Contest, where the best non-winning national final song from 24 countries was selected and voted on to give us the alternative Eurovision winner for 2008. As well as the main event, we were also treated to a rerun of Song For Europe 1983, a retrospective of Ireland at Eurovision, and a look back at the other 19 ConSong winners.
Hopes were high for Sanna Nielsen with Empty Room and also for Man Meadow with Viva La Musica to take the crown, but in the end it was La Casa Azul from Spain that won the contest.
But that wasn't all. The best EVER ConSong was then voted upon. It was a tough choice as so many marvellous songs were there over the last 20 years, but the old reliable drag queens from Norway - Queentastic - narrowly beat the others to take the crown with Absolutely Fabulous from the Norwegian MGP in 2006.
Eurovision Express was delighted to be part of the ConSong and a huge thank you to the organisors/hosts and presenters who can now get their lives back as they must have spent all their spare time on preparing this marvellous evening! So, it's Belfast 09 for ConSong 21, and we'll be there!
Let's hear the fabulous La revolucion sexual one more time.
EUROVISION fans in Manchester are getting ready to dance the night away to all their Eurovision favourites at Boom Bang a Bang the Disco.
The event, on FRIDAY 28th NOVEMBER, is organised by Eurovision fan Paul Marks-Jones who has said the demand and response has been overwhelming and follows the "mega-success" of May’s pre-Eurovision party held in the city.
Paul who runs events organising company Eventuality said: "At previous events people have just wanted to dance dance dance and the feedback I received indicated that Manchester is ready for its first Eurovision disco."
"In many respects it underlines just how many Eurovision fans there are outside of London which already enjoys several events per month. On the night we are just going to have lots of fun and wave lots of flags, drink a few cocktails and dance to Eurovision tunes a plenty. But the beauty is you don’t need to be a Eurovision fan to come – the music is so far reaching and familiar you’d be surprised at how many of the entries you know!
Paul is holding the Manchester event at Bacchanalia, Chapel Walks (off Cross Street). Attendees can enjoy special offers on food and 2 for 1 cocktails all night.
Tickets are now available at £5 or £7.50 on the door and are available from eurovision@eventuality.com or by telephoning Eventuality on 0870 300 9510. But hurry – they are selling FAST!
Eurovision Express favourite Chiara is in the list of the final 56 songs that have been selected by the Maltese broadcaster. From November the songs will be whittled down to 20 for a national final on 7 February.
Chiara, of course, came 3rd in the 1998 Contest with The One That I Love, and then went one better in 2005 with Angel. So fingers crossed that it could be third time lucky with her 2009 entry which is entitled What If We. The song is written by 2 Belgians - Gregory Bilsen and Marc Paelinck, the latter of whom wrote Belgium's Eurovision entries in 2002 and 2004 - Sister and 1 Life.
Other familiar names amongst the composers are Eurovision legends Ralph Siegel and John O'Flynn (aka Bernd Meinunger), who have no fewer than 3 songs in the running. We quite like the sound of Tonight at the Opera.
But ultimately for Eurovision Express it's all about Chiara. Valetta 2010? Yes please....
Here at Eurovision Express, we knew that Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber had submitted an entry to the UK Song For Europe before, and we always thought it ended up in Jesus Christ Superstar. However, mistakenly, we thought it was I Don't Know How To Love Him.
In fact it turns out that it was a song called Try It and See. We're still unsure if this was entered in 1967 or 1969 (reports differ), but after it failed to make it to the UK national final, it became - with different lyrics - King Herod's Song from the afore-mentioned hit musical.
Here's a version of Try It and See by Rita Pavone:
Eurovision Express distinctly hopes Lord Webber will be entering something a little less oom-paa-paa, and has its fingers crossed for a big ballad!
So it looks like the rumours are true....musical theatre superstar, Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber is to write the UK entry for 2009! According to various sources, the Lord will appear on TV tonight to encourage people to put themselves forward as singers to represent the UK in Moscow in 2009.
It looks like the BBC is really getting its act together, as we're also promised a 'major event show' fronted by Graham Norton called Your Country Needs You to select the act who the Lord will be writing for.
So, it looks promising for the UK. Maybe after years in the bottom half of the scoreboard they stand a real chance of a decent position.
The names of 28 of the 32 songs competing in Sweden's Melodifestivalen (MF) have been revealed, and the headline news is that composer Thomas G:Son - the king of Schlager is back. After having had no songs in the 2008 MF Thomas was forced to sell his wares elsewhere, with national final entries popping up in Spain and Belgium.
Other familiar names in the list of composers and lyricists announced today by SVT include Fredrik Kempe, Bobby Ljunggren and, a Eurovision Express favourite, Ingela 'Pling' Forsman.
The names of the artists have not yet been made public, but rumours suggest that Alcazar will be back, and ex Junior Eurovision hopeful, Molly Sanden will debut. Others tipped for a return include Mans Zelmerlow and Sarah Dawn Finer.
4 wilcard entries will be made known in due course.
Oh cripes - Slovenia is bringing back the so-called expert jury to the EMA, the competition used to choose its Eurovision entry. In the past the jury has been responsible for ensuring that some fabulous songs haven't made it to Eurovision.
The most outrageous situation was in 2006 when poor Sasa Lendero and the fantastic Mandoline was clearly the Slovenian public's winner, but, 'thanks' to the jury, Anzej Dezan and Mr Nobody was sent to Greece. For Eurovision Express, there has only been one more disappointing national final choice - when Scooch somehow beat Cyndi in the 2007 UK final.
Let's just hope the jury don't scupper things in 2009, as we'd quite fancy a Eurovision Song Contest in Slovenia....!
Here's the song Slovenia should have sent in 2006. Sasa was robbed!
Eurovision Express has just arrived back after another fabulous OGAE(UK) "Eurobash" event in Birmingham. And what a day and night it was.
The sold-out event included a competition to choose the best ever song that sang in 2nd position, a Eurovision Quiz and meeting the legendary Bill Martin who wrote Congratulations and Puppet on a String...what a great character he is! Equally exciting was meeting the lovely (and pregnant) Gemma from Jemini, who has clearly recovered from the 2003 disaster and was happy to joke about her experience. Both guests were keen to mingle with fans.
But the best was yet to come....probably the best EVER Eurovision karaoke competition -"Stars in their Eurovision Eyes"- co-hosted by the Euro-tastic Nicki French. 10 acts not only sang their hearts out, but looked incredible as they emulated their Eurovision heroes. Acts included: Julie and Ludwig, Doris Dragovic, Ani Lorak, Wolves of the Sea and Mary Hopkin, but the crown was taken by an uncannily accurate Duo Datz singing the Isareli entry from 1991 - Kan. To refresh your memory here are the originals:
After this, it was onto a superb Eurovision Disco that didn't finish until nearly 3am! One attendee clocked up the equivalent of 7 miles on the dancefloor according to his pedometer! Quite a Eurovision workout! Phew!
A great day and night was had by all! There was certainly a Buzz in Birmingham yesterday. Keep your eyes peeled for details of the 2009 Eurobash on the OGAE(UK) website.
With the OGAE UK Eurobash just a few days away, Eurovision Express continues its preview of what's certain to be a fun-filled day.
This year OGAE UK celebrates the 10th birthday of 'Stars In Their Eurovision Eyes' in which 10 plucky contestants will become their favourite Eurovision celebrities. Whichever act sings and looks the best should win....well that's the theory anyway!
In 2007 'Bacarra', singing 'Parlez-vous francais', went home with the crown. This year's entrants are a closely guarded secret, but competition is likely to be fierce!
The event will be co-hosted by none other than Nicki French, who demonstrated her skill at keeping everything in order at the Eurovision Winners' Tour when it visited the Scala Club in London earlier this year. Let's take a peek at Ms French in action at the Song For Europe 2000
OGAE UK - the British Eurovision fanclub - is holding Eurobash 2008 - its annual get-together this Saturday (4 October) in Birmingham. Over the next few days we'll preview what's likely to be on offer.
The first event will be a special contest - The Number 2s! As every Eurovision fan knows, no song has ever won the Contest after performing 2nd in the running order, so this contest will give 12 of the best songs to have been on 2nd, a chance for victory. The line-up hasn't been announced, but Eurovision Express certainly hopes Sonja Lumme's Elakoon Elama will be in the running. Enjoy the song again below, and look out for more Bash previews through the week.
After 11 years, Slovakia has decided to return to the Eurovision family and has confirmed that they will be participating in Moscow 2009!
This will only be the fourth time that the central european country has entered the contest, previous entries being in 1994, 1996 and 1998.
Here's the last entry...whom Eurovision Express remember very well from Birmingham in 1998. Katarína Hasprová was a formidable lady and plied everyone in the Press Centre with Slovakian drink during her stay in the UK! You did not dare refuse!
The Netherlands are quick off the block with their Eurovision entry for 2009. They have chosen "De Toppers" - a male trio which includes 1988 entrant Gerard Joling - to carry the hopes of Les Pays-Bas in Moscow.
De Toppers are a very popular act in The Netherlands and regularly sellout to huge audiences. You can learn more about the trio here.
Perhaps the new voting system will finally benefit a Dutch act and we may even see De Toppers at De Top of the scoreboard! Well, one can hope!
The EBU has announced that the Eurovision format is to be exported to other parts of the world, and in 2009, the first Asiavision Song Contest will take place.
This will involve countries such as China, Cambodia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Macao, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. If they cast their net wider, perhaps the Eurovision-loving Australia can join also?
Let's hope Asiavision is as successful and enduring as our own Eurovision. Good luck to all countries involved!
News from the reference group meeting in Moscow is that the jury will have a say in the final of the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest!
In 2008, the jury only had influnce in the semi-final results (famously "saving" Charlotte Perrelli in the semi-final) but now the EBU have confirmed that the much-criticised neighbour/diaspora televoting that occurs in the final will be dampened by an expert jury vote, in some shape or form!
The actual details have yet to be decided upon, but we welcome this move, it is definitely a step in the right direction.
Nowadays the words 'United Kingdom' and 'winner' don't appear that frequently in Eurovision circles, so Eurovision Express is delighted to hear that le Royaume Uni has won the Retro 1981 Contest.
Every year fans from across Europe vote in a Second Chance Contest, giving a whole bunch of national final songs the opportunity to compete against each other.
Second Chance began back in 1987, so a few years ago a bright spark decided it would be a nice idea to give those songs from 1986 and backwards their own 'retro' contest, so this year it was the turn of 1981, and Liquid Gold with Don't Panic emerged victorious!
1981 was obviously the UK's year, as, of course, Bucks Fizz won the real contest too.
Looking ahead to Retro 1980, Eurovision Express fully expects for Maggie Moone to keep up the good work and sweep the board with Happy Everything.
You can find out more about Second Chance and the Retro Contest here
Whilst other Scandinavian broadcasters (namely Norway and Sweden) only allow their own nationals to submit entries for ESC, Denmark has decided that it will allow foreigners to submit songs for the Danish Melodi Grand Prix (scheduled to take place on 31st January).
However, there still needs to be some Danish input into their 2009 entry, as DR has decided that either the composers or the performers of the entries for DMGP 2009 have to be Danish.
Meanwhile, over in Norway, NRK will be keen to repeat the success of Maria Haukaas Storeng's high placing in this year's ESC for 2009. They seem to have found a recipe for success and we look forward to another great MGP season in Norway from January.
According to Estonian newspaper postimees the Estonian Culture Minister - Laine Jänese - has hinted that her country may boycott the ESC 2009 in Moscow as a result of Russia's actions in Georgia.
Furthermore, she wants to enlist the support of her Baltic neighbours - Latvia and Lithuania - in the boycott.
Estonian Television Chairman - Margus Allikmaa -wants to start a public debate on the issue before any plans for the national ESC selection - Eurolaul- is announced.
Rumour has it that Irish comedian and TV host Graham Norton will be the BBC's replacement for Terry Woagn at next year's ESC.
The two men have quite a bit in common - they are both Irish, they are both popular tv presenters and they have both been involved with Eurovision - Norton being the host of last year's Eurovision Dance Contest, and also the host of this year's event in Glasgow.
Norton is known for his irreverant wit and obviously the BBC see this as an essential part of any Eurovision commentator's brief. Word has it that the BBC will be organising a "glitz and glam" national final next year with Norton at the helm!
Is this a new era for the UK at Eurovision? Time will tell!
UK Eurovision legend, Terry Wogan, has confirmed that he is stepping down as BBC commentator for the Eurovision Song Contest after 37 years!
According to The Daily Telegraph, Wogan said he was stepping down from the job, in an interview with UK TV guide Radio Times.
This will please some people, as they blame Terry for the low esteem that the contest is held in the UK. But, on the other hand, it was Wogan's commentary that consistently brought high viewing figures for ESC in the UK.
So, who will replace Terry....? Will it be Graham Norton, Jonathan Ross or even Eamonn Holmes...all have been rumoured? Who knows?
Looks like tickets to the Eurovision Dance Contest can be bought now for the princely sum of £10 or £15. Click here to visit the SECC site to secure your seats.
Eurovision Express were guests at the inaugral competition in London last year, but, alas, won't be able to make it to Scotland this time round.
According to Greek TV and our friends at www.oikotimes.com we have our first 2009 ESC artist....Sakis Rouvas!
Sakis, former ESC presenter and one of Greece's biggest stars, will represent his home country in Moscow next year with a song written by Dimitris Kontopoulos.
Greece came so close to victory this year with Kalomira, they are now bringing out the big guns to get Eurovision back to Athens or maybe Thessaloniki in 2010.
As Belgrade becomes a distant memory in Eurovision circles, we move on to the next Eurovision contest in the calendar - Junior Eurovision 2008. This year it's from sunny Cyprus.
Some countries have pulled out of the contest, whilst others have joined, leaving the JESC looking mostly like an eastern and central european gig! There are no members of the Big 4 taking part this year, as Spain (one of the most popular JESC countries) has decided not to return after last year's absence.
We were very impressed (financially too) with the little chappie from Belarus who won the contest last year! We also picked the winners (Tomalchev sisters) from Russia in 2006, so we look forward to making it a hat trick this year.
You can visit the JESC website here. The conest takes place on 22nd November.
One of the highlights of the UK Eurovision calendar is happening again in 2008!
After two very successful "Birmingham Bash" events, OGAE (UK) are organising the re-named Eurobash 2008, taking place on Saturday 4 October in Birmingham.
Eurobash 2008 is open to all members and friends of OGAE(UK).
The event will include: · A contest to find the best song that has performed in that most unenviable of positions – 2nd in the running order · The Big Eurovision Quiz · A special ‘Guest spot’ · Stars In their Eurovision Eyes · A Euro Disco – where you pick the songs
Details:
Saturday 4th October 2008 Jury’s Inn Hotel, Broad Street, Birmingham From Noon
This event usually sells out, so if you are interested, click here
What a marvellous moment...all four members of Super-Eurovision group ABBA appeared together in public for the first time in years. Bjorn, Benny, Agnetha and Frida reformed for one night only to attend the movie premiere of Mamma Mia in Stockholm.
Stars of the movie including Meryl Streep and Christine Baranski were also there to see the fab four. We're lookng forward to seeing the movie very very soon!
Perhaps ABBA will make more appearances together in the future...any chance of a new album guys? Well, we can hope!!!
Rosa, who represented Spain in the 2002 Song Contest, is making a Eurovision comeback - this time as one of Spain's dancers for the upcoming Eurovision Dance Contest, due to be held in Glasgow on 6 September.
To our knowledge the UK has yet to announce its participants, one of whom must be an amateur dancer. Maybe Javine, DJ Daz or Gina G might fancy giving us their fandango?
Anyway here's Rosa doing a cover version of that Euroclassic, "La, La, La"
So , following a meeting in the Russian capital between Russian TV and the EBU, it has been announced that Moscow will be the host city for ESC 2009!
The Olympiysky Arena pictured above has been suggested as the most likely venue.
Today's meeting in Moscow was attended by representatives of the Russian government, Director of Channel One Konstantin Ernst and Eurovision Song Contest Supervisor Svante Stockselius.
Svante said: "Moscow is an interesting host city for the Eurovision Song Contest, it is a great and big city and there is a great interest in the Eurovision Song Contest in Russia."
Thinking of going? Better start saving now..... Read what Lonely Planet has to say about the Russian capital here
As Ireland rejects the Lisbon treaty, we wonder how much the Irish public were influenced by their own European reject - Dustin the Turkey. The countries of Europe didn't vote Dustin into the ESC final in Belgrade, and Irish voters have not voted for the EU treaty today!
Apparently Dustin appeared on posters for the NO campaign with slogans: "They didn't vote for us. Get them back. Vote No to Lisbon." and "The new EU won't see you, won't hear you, won't speak for you."
Well it appears the Irish have taken Dustin's words seriously and thrown the EU into crisis!
After many years at the Globen in Stockholm, the Swedish National Final (it's so much more than just that!) Melodifestivalen may be on the move to Malmo.
A new state-of-the-art auditorium is currently being built in Malmo, Sweden's 3rd city, and rumours are rife that this will showcase the MF final in March 2009.
A new project manager has been appointed by SVT to oversee the MF2009 - his name is Ronnie Lans who has been involved in their Pop-Idol programmes. Could Melodifestival be heading in a new direction?
Eurovision Express is back from seeing Eurobeat - the Eurovision musical, which this week plays in the Eurovision city of Birmingham. And what a laugh we had!
Although of course nothing can ever touch the real Eurovision for entertainment value, this tongue-in-cheek musical is great night out for any who does, or indeed doesn't, love the Eurovision Song Contest!
The writers obviously know the Contest pretty well, with most of the 10 songs on offer really sounding like they could be Eurovision entries from that country. Our favourite song was Estonia's Together Again by Toomas Jerker and The Stone Hard Boys (pictured above). And, after some nailbiting voting (now sadly absent from the real Contest) it won! How often does your favourite song win now?
If the show comes to a venue near to you (check out the website here), then buy yourself a ticket!
.jpg)
.jpg)
