Idolator: eurovision

Eurovision Gets Timbalanded

Maura Johnston — Tue, 27 May 2008 09:00:00 EDT

It could be residual inspirational song ear-cheese from last week's American Idol finale, but on first listen I was pretty convinced that Dima Bilan's "Believe," which won the 2008 Eurovision song contest on Saturday night, was an amalgam of this country's Lite-FM staples of the past 12 years—the Enrique Iglesias opening, the bits of Lonestar's "Amazed" and Mariah Carey's various mid-'90s ballads that are strewn throughout. (Although the yoga-ish dancing is, uh, quite original.) Finding out that the recorded version of the track was produced by Timbaland was merely the icing on my "this song would not exist without the songs it is made up of" cake, and it should serve as an ominous sign that the iconic producer has moved on from simply ripping himself off to taking "inspiration" from the songs that his earliest productions provided a radio respite from.

Here's the second-place finisher, Ani Lorak's "Shady Lady":

Those lighted panels are positively Scherzingerian. (As are the vapid "I'm famous, step off" lyrics.) Fellow Americans, we have so much to answer for.

And finally, the French entry, via Sebastien Tellier and his defiant English speaking:

How did this come in 19th out of 25? You can't even blame the whole east vs. west divide, just bad taste.

Russia wins 53rd Eurovision Song Contest [Eurovision site]
Dima Bilan - Believe (Winner Of Eurovision 2008!) [YouTube]
Sebastien Tellier - Divine (Final) [YouTube]

Language purists in France are très malheureuse ...

Maura Johnston — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 15:30:00 EDT

Language purists in France are très malheureuse with Sebastien Tellier because his Eurovision entrant, "Divine," has lyrics en Anglais, a move that was made in part because English-language songs have pretty much dominated the competition. Can't we smooth over any ruffled feathers by reminding the offended Francophiles that Tellier may sing in English, but he's proved his French bona fides via the employment of tasteful nudity? [Guardian]

France To Send Known Breast Man To Eurovision Stage

Maura Johnston — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 11:15:43 EDT

So far, 30 of the 43 countries participating in ~~next week's~~ this spring's Eurovision Song Contest have made their song selections, and while we were going through the list one pick stood out: France is sending Sebastien Tellier, who will perform his song "Divine" (above). The track, which was produced by Daft Punk's Guy-Manuel de Homem Christo, was reportedly selected in part because of Tellier's mastery of the "French touch"; no doubt that part of that "touch" comes from his fine grasp of artistic nudity, as seen in his Marlboro-Man-gone-wild album cover:

Will Tellier give the public one of the breast Eurovision performances ever? Stay tuned! (And sorry.)

Sebastien Tellier to represent France [Eurovision.tv; HT The Determined Dilettante]
Earlier: Sebastian Tellier Presents The First (Slightly) NSFW Entry In The Worst Album Cover Of The Year Race

Ireland Enters Turkey In Eurovision Song Contest, Idolators' Grandparents Roll Over In Their Graves

Jess Harvell — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 11:00:06 EST

Ireland, ancestral homeland of both of your Idolators, has decided on its entrant in this year's Eurovision Song Contest. (Eurovision being the annual extravaganza where every country on the planet, except for stuck-up isolationists the United States of America, selects a representatively kitschy pop tune to battle it out in front of a batshit huge television audience to be crowned the world's cheesiest/best song, former winners including the illustrious Abba, Finnish Gwar jockers Lordi, and Ms. Celine Dion.) And that entrant is... a talking turkey puppet that kinda sounds like Paul Lynde shouting over Eurodisco. Yes, singing TV star Dustin The Turkey will attempt to win the votes of hundreds of millions of viewers when he takes the stage in the Serbian capital of Belgrade this May during the Eurovision finals, but those of us not up on our Irish puppetry might be asking: just who is this bird representing Ireland's more than 4 million residents, not to mention all those expatriates around the world?

A turkey vulture with a thick north Dublin twang, he became a star of national broadcaster RTE's The Den in 1990 alongside fellow television puppet stars Zig and Zag...

But he has always had a talent for warbling, having already released 14 singles and six albums.

His last album - Bling When You're Minging - was released in 2005 and featured a duet with Chris De Burgh.

Ireland has had a poor Eurovision run in recent years, despite having won the contest a record seven times.

The country's 2007 entry, Dervish, came last.

Dustin will be hoping to change all that in Belgrade.

Wait, a Turkey recording his sixth album and giving it a terrible hip-hop referencing title punning on a then-five-year-old Robbie Williams' album, all while scoring a guest spot from soft rock titan Chris De Burgh? Are we 100 percent sure the KLF isn't behind this? A quick Google search for "Dustin The Turkey" + "The KLF" only turns up a blog entry praising Dustin's win, and nearly two decades of success in his homeland suggests the bird's the real deal. But part of me still refuses to believe that when this turkey is eventually crowned the Eurovision winner, we won't find a reunited Jimmy Cauty and Bill Drummond pulling the strings. So to speak.

Fowl Eurovision Entry For Ireland [BBC News]

Serbia Grabs Eurovision Crown In A Knock-Down, Drag-Out Battle

mjohnston — Mon, 14 May 2007 12:50:00 EDT

Serbia, in its first solo appearance at the Eurovision Song Contest, took home this year's prize during Saturday night's competition thanks to Marija Serifovic's Celine-gone-drag-king "Molitva," a big ballad that teeters on the line between completely sappy and sorta dirgey. (The Ukrainian gender-bending entry finished second.) While nine countries gave "Prayer" their best-in-competition votes, even the presence of a pan-flute solo couldn't stop this five-month-old from falling into a full-on drool.

Eurovision Song Contest 2007 Reviewed By A Five Month Old Baby [Freaky Trigger]
Eurovision win boosts Serbia mood after tough year [Billboard]
[Photo: AP]

Will A Ukranian Drag Queen Step Into Lordi's Platform Shoes?

mjohnston — Fri, 11 May 2007 11:00:06 EDT

The finals for the annual Eurovision Song Contest are tomorrow night, and the current favorite to win it all is the Ukraine's entry, a bit of Europop-folk called "Dancing Lasha Tumbai." The song is by comedian Andriy Danylko, who performs under the alias Verka Serduchka, a lot of makeup, and a cloud of drag-fueled controversy; we're still fans of Serebro, but on grounds of pure absurdity, we're hoping Verka takes the big prize—especially now that Switzerland's homage to vampires and Meat Loaf has been eliminated.

Eurovision 2007 Ukraine: Verka Serduchka - Danzing [YouTube, via 17 dots]
2007 Eurovision Song Contest [ladbrokes.com]

Russia's Eurovision Entry Will Really Pump Up Our Workouts

mjohnston — Tue, 20 Mar 2007 16:43:11 EDT

This year's installment of Eurovision isn't until May, and tongues in the UK are already wagging about the country's entry possibly lip-syncing its way to Helsinki. (We're more scandalized by someone in the UK actually wanting to be represented by a band called "Scooch.") But thanks to Popjustice, we've become charmed by Russia's entry, which combines the schoolgirl-Sappho undertones of t.A.T.u., the chorus from "Oops! I Did It Again," the silly double-entendres of mid-period Warrant, and the synth-aided thump of Bon Jovi's "It's My Life"/"Have A Nice Day"-style anthems. And we haven't even mentioned the dance sequence, which will either inspire mass choreography breaking out around Russia or a lawsuit from Justin Timberlake.

~~Serebro - Song #1~~ [MP3, link expired]
Serebro - Song #1 [zippyvideos, via Popjustice]

Finland's 2007 Eurovision Candidate Not Inspiring Much Of A Hard Rock Hallelujah

mjohnston — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 14:30:25 EST

Those of you hoping that last year's Eurovision success of costumed metallers Lordi would usher in a new era of prosthetic-horn wearers representing Finland at the pan-European song contest are going to be somewhat disappointed:

For 2007, the Finnish public has opted to stick with a winning formula, choosing Sony BMG-signed rocker Hanna Pakarinen as this year's entry with her track "Leave Me Alone."

The first winner of Finland's "Pop Idol" TV show, Pakarinen is the country's most successful female recording artist who sings in English, having sold more than 90,000 albums, according to Valtanen.

Footage of Pakarinen singing "Leave Me Alone" is on YouTube; it sounds like a bland cross between Evanescence and Stevie Nicks, with a dash of made-for-TV attitude and a wind machine. While we're all for more female hard-rock frontwomen, we're doubtful that this song will inspire the frenzy that Lordi did last year—unless, that is, Pakarinen can figure out how to work the word "arockalypse" into her performance.

Eurovision 2007 Finland - Hanna pakarinen - Leave me alone [YouTube]
Finland prepares for its Eurovision close-up [Reuters]

Morrissey Hoping To Add Class, Gloom To UK Eurovision Entry

mjohnston — Tue, 09 Jan 2007 09:59:05 EST

The UK's showing in the annual Eurovision Song Contest has been rough lately, and one prominent singer from the country is ready to take action:

Morrissey has hinted his services may be on offer for the next Eurovision song contest, should the organisers be so kind as to ask.

The former Smiths singer said he was "horrified" by the United Kingdom's latest poor result in the competition. Rapper Daz Sampson could only manage a paltry 19th out of 24 countries in the most recent contest, which took place in Athens in May.

As a result of said trauma, Morrissey has been left troubled, with one issue in particular on his mind: "There is one question that I keep on asking: 'why didn't they ask me?' That question keeps going round my head."

As a result it seems that Moz has been in talks with the BBC, who screen the annual caterwauling competition live and must therefore have some say in what goes on.

Because of Eurovision's rules, any older Morrissey tracks are ineligible (so much for winning over the Italian vote with a song from Ringleader Of The Tormentors); may we suggest a collaboration with former Eurovision contestants t.A.T.u.?

Morrissey in Eurovision song contest talks [Guardian]