ALL ABOARD! It's Eurovision time
May. 12th, 2018 09:02 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
olorielI haven't been very good at keeping this place updated, but if one tradition has to survive from the good old LJ days, it's the Eurovision liveblob. If you don't know the drill yet, under the cut will be ongoing (regularly updated) commentary. Probably snarky. Not necessarily respectful. It's ESC time!
-- "All Aboard" is a brilliant theme all around. Clever, unique, concise. Well done Portugal.
-- Are we going to be spared a repetition of last year's song? That would be great.
-- This is arguably the most solemn parade of nations since Eurovision does that.
-- "Add a DJ who does some scratching. In the real world, this is about 30 years old, but in Eurovision, it'll give your song a contemporary feel"
-- The stage design reminds me of those wooden dinosaur puzzles I did as a kid
-- I hope it stays asleep and doesn't wake up from all the music...
-- The four girls are doing their best, but they're already getting on my nerves. To be fair though, nobody will ever beat Petra Mede and Måns Zelmerlöw.
Links to YouTube will follow once the individual videos are up. Done!
Ukraine
MELOVIN – Under the Ladder
The singing is almost unintelligible. Probably due to vampire teeth. Where's van Helsing when you need him? I would say Kill it with Fire but clearly the stage team was thinking the same thing and it's not working.
Spain
Alfred y Amaia – Tu canción
Oh no, Spain, are you trying to be the next Portugal? Don't do that. At least her smile looks genuine, I guess. OK, it's gathering strength. Verdict: not unpleasant but too sticky-sweet.
Slowenia
Lea Sirk – Hvala, ne!
That's an 80s rock voice, not a club voice. Oh well. Not my kind of music, but quite entertaining in its way. This time, the audience animation worked better than in the semifinal...
Lithuania
Ieva Zasimauskaité – When We're Old
She's young and sweet and looks like a bird that fell out of the nest and I feel bad about not being nice to her, but I really don't like the way she breathes her song and I don't like her enunciation (let alone her pronunciation). Blaaah.
Austria
César Sampson – Nobody But You
Beam me up, César! 1980s sci-fi visuals, lovely voice. It's a nice song too. Sounds like something I've heard before though.
Estonia
Elina Netšajeva – La forza
Reminiscent of a Nightwish ballad from back when Tarja did the vocals? Something like "Sleeping Sun" or "Forever Yours". Doesn't have the same drive though. Even the impressive multimedia skirt can't make up for it. La forza is not strong with this one.
Norway
Alexander Rybak – That's How You Write A Song
Sounds legit. Funk is not my thing, but I actually like him a lot more this time around than I did back in 2009. Only minimal fiddling and he actually hits the right notes. Might genuinely know how to write a song?
Portugal
Cláudia Pascoal – O Jardim
Another love song. Appears to be WLW love so I'm gonna let it pass. Better than last year's Emo Alfrid. A bit boring though. So soft that the audience had to hold their breath in order to hear the song, probably.
United Kingdom
SuRie – Storm
Annie Lennox lookalike singing an encouraging song. The singer is super likeable though. WHY DID SOMEONE STEAL HER MIC?! SHE'S SO NICE! :( Fuck you, stage invader.
Serbia
Sanja Ilić & Balkanika – Nova Deca
Looks and sounds like some kind of New Age ritual. Which is possibly what it is. Yep. Pretentious 90s New Age material. Taken the advice about a traditional instrument played by an old man, I see.
Germany
Michael Schulte – You Let Me Walk Alone
OK, I gotta admit that I teared up a bit. Emotional song, emotional reaction. Fair enough. You say 'German Ed Sheeran' like it's a bad thing.
Albania
Eugent Bushpepa - Mall
This is a surprisingly delightful rock song from a country that usually delivers bland Balkan pop. I like. Not sure it's Eurovision material but it definitly goes on my car playlist.
Jörg's guest commentary: "Whitesnake Junior"
France
Madame Monsieur - Mercy
Hypnotic song, toeing the "no politics" line. A bit repetitive. Trying hard to like this but it's just passing me by.
Czech Republic
Mikolas Josef – Lie To Me
I guess it's OK for what is. Hip hop just really isn't my thing and I don't need three young boys with their high school backpacks wiggling their butts at me? Doing a solid job though.
Denmark
Rasmussen – Higher Ground
Pacifist viking dudes singing a really rather lovely anthem. I like the vocals. Also the lead singer has the most BEAUTIFUL eyes. Tempted to root for this one.
Australia
Jessica Mauboy – We Got Love
Sounds like one of those interchangeable Celine Dion pop songs. You've mastered the traditions of Eurovision quickly, Australia, I'll grant you that. At least it's joyful.
Finland
Saara Aalto – Monsters
Man, I had such high hopes when I saw her in that outfit! And she has a really good rockin' voice too. Instead, she does a song that sounds like Balkan pop. Stop singing about monsters, Finland, bring them back on stage!
Bulgaria
Equinox - Bones
Solid, but not all that exciting. Instantly forgotten, in fact.
Moldavia
DoReDos – My Lucky Day
Balkan pop meets LaLaLand. Entertaining show elements. Points for effort.
Sweden
Benjamin Ingrosso – Dance You Off
George Michael called, he wants his sound back. Michael Jackson called, he wants his moves back. Justin Bieber called, he wants his looks back. Writing you off.
Hungary
AWS – Viszlát Nyár
Angry Hungarian Hobbits... singing/growling... about the end of summer? I think? No clue what's going on but I'm headbanging like there's no tomorrow so that's fine.
Israel
Netta – Toy
The bookies love it. It's super catchy. She's doing a great job technically. The message is good. I just don't know what the chicken moves and the maneki neko have to do with it all. Putting the "fun" back in "Funky Chicken" I guess.
Netherlands
Waylon – Outlaw In 'Em
Pleasant country song. Howdy, Netherlands. And here we thought the ESC allowed us to drown out the USA for a night.
Ireland
Ryan O'Shaughnessy - Together
Another lonely boy with a guitar. The homoromantic love story/breakup dance in the background tries to give it the depth lacking in the singing. Decent song, but it would be entirely unremarkable without the dancers.
Cyprus
Eleni Foureira – Fuego
This is one of the bookies' favourites. IDK why. Must be the sexy dancing because it can't be the trite song. For a song about fire, this is leaving me very cold. Really hope this won't win.
Italy
Ermal Meta e Fabrizio Moro – Non Mi Avete Fatto Niente
Another hypnotic song about war and refugees. Better than the French one but still v. repetitive.
Oh crap, Emo Alfrid is back.
Look, I respect him as a person and I'm glad the surgery has helped him but I still can't stand his "I'm a serious aaaahtist" spiel. Spare me.
Why is he crawling into the piano?
Wow, Germany temporarily made it to third place... why all the votes for Sweden and Cyprus? I'd understand it if it were the audience votes but these are supposed to be the experts. Just goes to show what to think about last year's "appreciate REAL music blah blah". Bullshit.
Oh please, not Cyprus. GO ISRAEL!!!
Phew. Israel made it. Not Cyprus. Not Sweden. Congrats, Chicken Lady!
Seeing the stuck-up Portuguese artist handing the trophy to Netta and then running off stage may have been the best show of the evening. Well! Next year in Jerusalem, then!
-- "All Aboard" is a brilliant theme all around. Clever, unique, concise. Well done Portugal.
-- Are we going to be spared a repetition of last year's song? That would be great.
-- This is arguably the most solemn parade of nations since Eurovision does that.
-- "Add a DJ who does some scratching. In the real world, this is about 30 years old, but in Eurovision, it'll give your song a contemporary feel"
-- The stage design reminds me of those wooden dinosaur puzzles I did as a kid
-- I hope it stays asleep and doesn't wake up from all the music...
-- The four girls are doing their best, but they're already getting on my nerves. To be fair though, nobody will ever beat Petra Mede and Måns Zelmerlöw.
Ukraine
MELOVIN – Under the Ladder
The singing is almost unintelligible. Probably due to vampire teeth. Where's van Helsing when you need him? I would say Kill it with Fire but clearly the stage team was thinking the same thing and it's not working.
Spain
Alfred y Amaia – Tu canción
Oh no, Spain, are you trying to be the next Portugal? Don't do that. At least her smile looks genuine, I guess. OK, it's gathering strength. Verdict: not unpleasant but too sticky-sweet.
Slowenia
Lea Sirk – Hvala, ne!
That's an 80s rock voice, not a club voice. Oh well. Not my kind of music, but quite entertaining in its way. This time, the audience animation worked better than in the semifinal...
Lithuania
Ieva Zasimauskaité – When We're Old
She's young and sweet and looks like a bird that fell out of the nest and I feel bad about not being nice to her, but I really don't like the way she breathes her song and I don't like her enunciation (let alone her pronunciation). Blaaah.
Austria
César Sampson – Nobody But You
Beam me up, César! 1980s sci-fi visuals, lovely voice. It's a nice song too. Sounds like something I've heard before though.
Estonia
Elina Netšajeva – La forza
Reminiscent of a Nightwish ballad from back when Tarja did the vocals? Something like "Sleeping Sun" or "Forever Yours". Doesn't have the same drive though. Even the impressive multimedia skirt can't make up for it. La forza is not strong with this one.
Norway
Alexander Rybak – That's How You Write A Song
Sounds legit. Funk is not my thing, but I actually like him a lot more this time around than I did back in 2009. Only minimal fiddling and he actually hits the right notes. Might genuinely know how to write a song?
Portugal
Cláudia Pascoal – O Jardim
Another love song. Appears to be WLW love so I'm gonna let it pass. Better than last year's Emo Alfrid. A bit boring though. So soft that the audience had to hold their breath in order to hear the song, probably.
United Kingdom
SuRie – Storm
Annie Lennox lookalike singing an encouraging song. The singer is super likeable though. WHY DID SOMEONE STEAL HER MIC?! SHE'S SO NICE! :( Fuck you, stage invader.
Serbia
Sanja Ilić & Balkanika – Nova Deca
Looks and sounds like some kind of New Age ritual. Which is possibly what it is. Yep. Pretentious 90s New Age material. Taken the advice about a traditional instrument played by an old man, I see.
Germany
Michael Schulte – You Let Me Walk Alone
OK, I gotta admit that I teared up a bit. Emotional song, emotional reaction. Fair enough. You say 'German Ed Sheeran' like it's a bad thing.
Albania
Eugent Bushpepa - Mall
This is a surprisingly delightful rock song from a country that usually delivers bland Balkan pop. I like. Not sure it's Eurovision material but it definitly goes on my car playlist.
Jörg's guest commentary: "Whitesnake Junior"
France
Madame Monsieur - Mercy
Hypnotic song, toeing the "no politics" line. A bit repetitive. Trying hard to like this but it's just passing me by.
Czech Republic
Mikolas Josef – Lie To Me
I guess it's OK for what is. Hip hop just really isn't my thing and I don't need three young boys with their high school backpacks wiggling their butts at me? Doing a solid job though.
Denmark
Rasmussen – Higher Ground
Pacifist viking dudes singing a really rather lovely anthem. I like the vocals. Also the lead singer has the most BEAUTIFUL eyes. Tempted to root for this one.
Australia
Jessica Mauboy – We Got Love
Sounds like one of those interchangeable Celine Dion pop songs. You've mastered the traditions of Eurovision quickly, Australia, I'll grant you that. At least it's joyful.
Finland
Saara Aalto – Monsters
Man, I had such high hopes when I saw her in that outfit! And she has a really good rockin' voice too. Instead, she does a song that sounds like Balkan pop. Stop singing about monsters, Finland, bring them back on stage!
Bulgaria
Equinox - Bones
Solid, but not all that exciting. Instantly forgotten, in fact.
Moldavia
DoReDos – My Lucky Day
Balkan pop meets LaLaLand. Entertaining show elements. Points for effort.
Sweden
Benjamin Ingrosso – Dance You Off
George Michael called, he wants his sound back. Michael Jackson called, he wants his moves back. Justin Bieber called, he wants his looks back. Writing you off.
Hungary
AWS – Viszlát Nyár
Angry Hungarian Hobbits... singing/growling... about the end of summer? I think? No clue what's going on but I'm headbanging like there's no tomorrow so that's fine.
Israel
Netta – Toy
The bookies love it. It's super catchy. She's doing a great job technically. The message is good. I just don't know what the chicken moves and the maneki neko have to do with it all. Putting the "fun" back in "Funky Chicken" I guess.
Netherlands
Waylon – Outlaw In 'Em
Pleasant country song. Howdy, Netherlands. And here we thought the ESC allowed us to drown out the USA for a night.
Ireland
Ryan O'Shaughnessy - Together
Another lonely boy with a guitar. The homoromantic love story/breakup dance in the background tries to give it the depth lacking in the singing. Decent song, but it would be entirely unremarkable without the dancers.
Cyprus
Eleni Foureira – Fuego
This is one of the bookies' favourites. IDK why. Must be the sexy dancing because it can't be the trite song. For a song about fire, this is leaving me very cold. Really hope this won't win.
Italy
Ermal Meta e Fabrizio Moro – Non Mi Avete Fatto Niente
Another hypnotic song about war and refugees. Better than the French one but still v. repetitive.
Oh crap, Emo Alfrid is back.
Look, I respect him as a person and I'm glad the surgery has helped him but I still can't stand his "I'm a serious aaaahtist" spiel. Spare me.
Why is he crawling into the piano?
Wow, Germany temporarily made it to third place... why all the votes for Sweden and Cyprus? I'd understand it if it were the audience votes but these are supposed to be the experts. Just goes to show what to think about last year's "appreciate REAL music blah blah". Bullshit.
Oh please, not Cyprus. GO ISRAEL!!!
Phew. Israel made it. Not Cyprus. Not Sweden. Congrats, Chicken Lady!
Seeing the stuck-up Portuguese artist handing the trophy to Netta and then running off stage may have been the best show of the evening. Well! Next year in Jerusalem, then!
no subject
Date: 2018-05-12 07:30 pm (UTC)(On a side note, I've been to a dripstone cave today, and THEY HAD A TINY MIDDLE EARTH IN DRIPSTONE SCULPTURES!!!! I saw Minas Tirith, die Puckelmänner (how are they called again in English?), Amon Sûl, some bits from Star Wars, various Númenorean vestiges and so on. Awesome!)
no subject
Date: 2018-05-12 07:33 pm (UTC)How awesome is that! I hope you took a lot of pictures! :D I think the "English" name was Pukelmen. That's the word I seem to rememeber.
(Hah! I had an icon much like yours on my travel LJ back when I was in Japan! :D)
no subject
Date: 2018-05-12 07:40 pm (UTC)But TBH I'm no longer really keen about the ESC, at least not following the actual event, but rather be writing tonight. ;-)
Thanks! I took a lot of pics, with my phone - managed to pack the wrong lens for my big camera for this trip and only took the one! *headdesk*
When I first came to London in 1986, or a year later, there were these posters of "The Tate by tube" hanging everywhere with this cool design. I bought myself a poster I took with me until it fell apart, and took a pic of it for my icon. Tate by Tube
no subject
Date: 2018-05-13 01:27 pm (UTC)Looking forward to seeing them! (Speaking of which, a lot of the pics on your journal seem to be blocked somehow?)
Heh! Mine was simply a particularly confusing snippet of the Tôkyô subway map:
no subject
Date: 2018-05-18 09:04 am (UTC)Edit: I checked with a mod account that has access to my journals, and found a couple of the most recent ones; I still don't know why they didn't work any longer (I check very carefully when posting them if the pics also show in another browser where I'm not logged in), but Google also provides horribly long links which might be an issue here. I updatedt them and hope they'll work now. May I trouble you to check again if you remember ones you couldn't access before, and let me know? I'd be really grateful.
I confess the Tokyo one would be confusing as heck to me anyway since I can't read anything of it; I don't even know how it's called (Kanji?). I'm using my "tube" icon mostly for posts with a somewhat technical content, or confusing content, or for all the colours or so, or because I'm having fond memories of London. *g*
no subject
Date: 2018-05-18 09:45 am (UTC)It was confusing as heck to me back then, too, even though I can read (some of) the Kanji! XD In fact, that was part of the point. Navigating the Tokyo subway (which is run by several different companies, to make matters worse!) took a lot of getting used to, so next to travelling stuff, I used it for confusing content and "lost in translation" type situations as well. ^^
no subject
Date: 2018-05-18 10:11 am (UTC)Hmmm, if you could see it on the phone but not on the PC it must have been a mistake by me, as you're probably logged into google onto your phone and have seen them for that reason. Google Foto has some weird extra step in their gallery software, and I obviously haven't been as careful in checking as I thought. So sorry!
I hope it's fixed for the moment, but I really need to look into my hosting issue ASAP.
One of the features I love about LJ and DW is the possibility of using so many different icons. I finally treated myself to a paid DW account so I could use more after so many people migrated to DW, so the different icons would actually be seen. *g*
I'm totally in awe of everybody going to live abroad - or even travel individually - everywhere with completely different languages and scripts. I've travelled some myself and also lived abroad, but in a country I already spoke the language fluently, and still it was sometimes difficult as heck to make certain things work. (Signing up at Uni for example, or getting a phone landline (that was before people had mobiles) or electricity as a non-native...) But last year, I've been to countries/regions for the first time where I couldn't even guess the meaning of words, Lapland with Finland in particular, although I had it easy because we were mostly in officially bilingual areas, where any important sign was also either in Norwegian or Swedish. My Swedish is very basic, but enough to understand most info given in such cases.
no subject
Date: 2018-05-18 12:27 pm (UTC)The icons are the best. I'm really missing the mass of icons I had on my Permanent LJ account, even if DW is more generous than LJ was when I started using it. They're almost like body language, adding a more or less subtle additional level to the writing!
I probably wouldn't have dared to spend three months in Japan if I hadn't been studying Japanese for six years. Not that I was ever good at it, but it was enough to get by! Now that I've actually been there, I know that I could as well have gotten by with English and a traveller's phrase book. Japan is - well, different from our own culture, but similar enough to move in. And most Japanese people are so kind and polite and helpful that at some point you stop being embarrassed or worried and just accept that you're a big, blundering baby and it won't get you killed. Stories from my parent's youth, OTOH - just taking my mom's Suzuki and driving all the way to Morokko or Afghanistan with only a tent, two sleeping bags and a working knowledge of French and some English - are horrifying to me! How did they ever survive?!
no subject
Date: 2018-05-17 11:32 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-05-18 08:15 am (UTC)