"I'll just hide behind my sunglasses while you do the talk, Marte"
"OK", NRK thought to themselves one day. "What can we do now that our fab presenter for MGP is all knocked up? Someone should cover our favorite hobbit, so we really do need some replacement quick as MacGyver. Well, we don't have time to ponder. Let's ask the sister with the pretty face, Anne Rimmen.
Sports and musical entertainment - pretty much the same, isn't it?"
GEE lingers on the glorious 80s looking across the border to our neighbors in this Sunday's retro flashback.
Tommy Nilsson has a great voice and he sure knew how to sell this powerful rock ballad. The whole song is just like one long chorus, with no verses in between, it sounds like he starts singing towards the end of the song and just jumps straight to the grand finale with no build up whatsoever. It makes you really miss the live orchestra with the trumpet and all, and the guy in a tuxedo doing his guitar solo, how fab is that? And the backing singers, wow, you gotta love it! Especially the guy to the far left, he is really singing his heart out. We suggest the Swedes take a rewind on a bunch of their old entries before they consider sending another bleak teenager to the ESC stage. Cause this is hard stuff the way we like it!
We can really recommend checking this out, as a trip down memory lane for our Norwegian readers and as a treat of 70s and 80s nostalgia for all you International readers out there. And for a good laugh, be warned of crazy pastel outfits, killer shoulder pads, big hair and funky kick ass synth drums peeps!
One of our retro favs, the runner up from 1984, Beate Jacobsen with "Strand Hotel":
Remember fab Ola Innset from My Little Pony, interviewed by us last week? We told you they covered the Spanish winning entry from 1968, Massiel's Lalala. It was actually at a festival in Spain in 2008, where Massiel was the guest of honor while celebrating 40 year since Spain's first Eurovision victory. Now Ola has proved himself to be some darling and sent us the video of it all. Thnx, hon!
"It doesn't matter if it's from Eurovision or not as long as it is a good. We like to interpret other people's songs, and would be happy to play more previous Eurovision entries if they are good enough", Ola says. Now that would please GEE almost as much as if My Little Pony took part in ESC themselves. In the meantime, please take a look at this sweet little thing. If that doesn't bring out the love in you, nothing ever will.
Lots of lovely ballads in the Retro Sunday column lately, so it's about time to crank up the pace a notch or two and give you Belarus' most successful entry so far:
Dmitry Koldun's sticking resemblance to the late Lady Di is given an extra dimension due to that fact that his mother apparently is the founder of Princess Diana's Belarusian fan-club. In Helsinki back in 2007 we could enjoy the sight of this sizzling hot (well at least according to some peeps) male Lady Di equivalent. With this James Bondesque soundtrack given to him by the ESC-wizard Philipp Kirkorov, and an intricate sliding doors routine on stage the white Russian showed us that he mastered the format fully and understood what ESC is all about. The lavish promo video for this entry is also a sight for sore eyes and worth checking out on YouTube. And best not to think about where all the money on Belarus' promo budget comes from... One might argue that Dmitry's singing voice is pretty average, but we choose to see this as a minor detail and focus on the positive sides!
So did you think we'd shut up about the second chance contenders? Oh no, not us. Here's our ruthless reviews:
The entry from Russia is the breathless Antonello Carozza. We think the song Senza Respiro suits the current situation in Moscow pretty darn well, but apart from that, what does it suit exactly? Safe to say all things Italian make GEE girls pop, but this is a bit too much of the language in one blow. We keep wondering when the fellow is gonna catch his breath and actually sing. That part is kinda nice, but we only really enjoy Carozza's flirty glance and how he makes us miss Italy (not Russia) in Eurovision. Hop back on your carriage, man.
Since Eurovision, the record Giorgos Alkaios gave us has been spinning at every party. Guess no one could have beaten the Opa! in the Greek final, but couldn't they at least have maxed the envelope? The boring piano, stiff moves and whiny look of Giorgos Karadimos just makes us bored out of our senses. Would have been much cooler to see the cuties of Melisses getting a second chance than this robocop.
We did love Milan this year, but we have to say Emina Jahović helps him keep Serbia on the Eurovision throne. She perhaps should have picked up a few clothing hints from her male challenge, but she sure can swing her hips. And swinging your hips is hard not to do to at this Easter European festa. We applaud the sentence "love is moussaka", feel like smashing a few plates and go all sh sh sh and ding dong ding dong from now on. Please give us more of this, Serbia. Plenty more. And can someone please tell us if maca really means pussy? In that case there's extra points for vulgarism.
Despite our despise of bagpipes, Coral from Spain also deserves some attention. She is a pretty lady singing a pretty song that follows all the Eurovision rules. Kinda Rocky Jr 2 and a bit to much screaming towards the end, but still good. It sure is a weird thing Daniel was the one to catch the Jimmy Jump award, but maybe just as well?
Two fine ladies and two not so fine men here, then. We'll give you more later, but our favorite this far is without doubt the reds:
In Norway it’s time to look forward as broadcaster NRK is advertising for applicants for MGP 2011. Rumor has it that Per Sundnes plans to put Helene Bøksle on the ESC stage for Norway next year. Miss Bøksle is lovely and all that, but not exactly our cup of tea. So we decided to ask ourselves the following: “In a country with so many great artists, why can’t we show Europe some decent music? What makes our best artists and songwriters stay away from such a great audience? And how hard can it get next year?” Follow us as we challenge our favorite song writers to join and let them carry on the challenge to their favorites.
Pics by Sigurd Fandango (Ola on the far left)
Remember when you were young and a piece of the My little pony heaven was all you could dream of? Forget it. We have found the ponies you really want to ride. Here's Ola Innset from My Little Pony - the band, not the brand.
In our personal quest for good songs to the Norwegian MGP finals, time has come for the best indie pop music Norway can offer you. GEE was very exited when song writer and lead singer Ola Innset from My Little Pony agreed to an interview. Could we get them to participate?
“I think many serious artists stay away from MGP because they don't want to end up helpless in an empty circus of gossip magazines, jamba ring tones and Per Sundnes”, Ola says. Regardless, he doesn't rule out participating himself and ensures he do enjoy Eurovision. “I would like to write a song, but due to strict demands about the song not having been performed before, it has to be sometime in the future”, he says, making us regret the fact that we didn't contact him earlier. Ola would only participate with a very good song in a song writer contest, and the good songs he has written recently are all for the album to be released this fall.
Well, we can hardly wait for that new album. There is hardly anything cuter in Norway than the five twenty-somethings from My Little Pony, a band that quickly was starred in our Spotify lists. Their mix of good quality pop music with soft voices, acoustic instruments and a certain country music feel really hits our spots. One should love a band that makes a tribute song to the one and only hero, MacGyver. But what do they think about Eurovision?
“MGP and Eurovision can be great entertainment on a Saturday night. Those points are fun, but the bad quality of shocks you”, Ola nags on. “Luckily it's not exactly the best song from each European country that is presented, or I would have been sad. A more serious competition containing things like art and culture, and not just cynical commercialism, would have been more interesting for me. Probably some would find that less interesting, but I think Eurovision is underestimating its audience”.
“Yes, communist”, we'd add if we didn't agree just a little bit. Could Ola nonetheless see some perks of participating in MGP for a band like his, in spite of the Per Sundnes circus? “It would be good if you could maintain some sort of control of your exposure”, Ola thinks. He would love for a good PR strategy to present his band to a large audience without compromising their own style and goals. Apart from that, he thinks Spain is a little ahead of Norway when it comes to Eurovisional quality. “Several Spanish bands we know have participated in the local finals. La Casa Azul even came third in 2008. The pop music community is very large there, and many bands make great pop music without wanting to hit the middle pages of glossy magazines”, Ola adds, with a clear reference to the more streamlined commercial bands of Norway.
So, Ola is not so keen on MGP being used to extend what he classifies as “the not so very threatened ecological system of lower ranked Norwegian celebrities”. Although we think My Little Pony would deserve all the attention they could get, we do get their fear of not being taken seriously in a competition based on commercialism. “Guess the only way to help change this, would be to participate ourselves, though. I'm just not sure we are pioneers enough for that”, he explains.
Another thing that makes GEE love My Little Pony, is their open, inclusive texts. Like their own version of Brokeback Mountain, "The Ballad of Johnny Diesel", about the boy who comes out as gay to his father. What does Ola think about the inclusiveness in Eurovision? “Well, I do like fun parties, not just artistic expressions”, he guarantees. “And Eurovision is successful in being the party everyone can participate at without having to hide who they are or who they want to sleep with. But it can be a bit too much for those who want to sleep with people of the same sex, but not participate in the whole gay subculture. Maybe some gays hate Eurovision because they have to act 'gay'. Ideally you should be able to be who you are both to yourself and others. If Eurovision can help someone to achieve that and others to accept all kinds of people, that's nice”, Ola believes.
Quite a speech there and, although ambivalent, we do sense a certain faith in Eurovision being able to change away from the things Ola doesn't like about it. After all he tells us he diggs the old Eurovision music, especially from the 60s. And we know My Little Pony covered Massiel's Lalala (Spain 1968) once while touring Spain. If he were to write a song, he would start out with the concept of simple songs with a certain alternative structure that he uses for My Little Pony, but maybe move a little bit more towards a radio hit structure of verse-bridge-chorus. Well, we think a song from Sir Innset would be perfect for a Eurovision audience not underestimated, so could we at least hope? “The deadline is not far away, but I'll let you know if I get in the mood and record a super song before the 15th of September”, he promises us.
OK, that almost satisfies us, but since we are who we are and Ola is who he is, we need one small question more: “Since all you need to know about us is online, Ola, do you really love us or are we just in your network?”
Ola’s answer will remain in our dreams for a long time: “I really love you”.
Our hard verdict:
These are still the cutest ponies around. Only now we know they've got brains too. We desperately need something like that in Eurovision, so we do hope Ola comes to his senses real soon. Even a bad song from him would be better than most. Plus for a critical sense, having covered lalala and for trashing Per Sundnes while loving us and MacGyver. Minus for a bit overstated anti capitalism, but hey, we've all been young and idealistic once and we all know how that went.
Up next: Einar Stubhaug
So, it's time for us to leave Ola Innset and let him pass on the challenge. Who would he like to write a song for MGP? "It's a not so well kept secret that Einar Stubhaug from the skate punk indie pop band Nomber 5s is one of this country's best song writers. He should really write a song for MGP. And his cover of the French song from 2008, 'Divine', is worth listening to", he encourages.
Good idea, we'll try contacting him. And while we wait for Ola to hit his mood, let's hear it for My Little Pony and their MacGyver blues
Ok, ok, we can't help ourselves from dwelling a little bit longer on this year's Eurovision edition, so please bear with us!
If you're member of a national OGAE fan club, you might have gotten an invitation to cast your votes in the Second Chance Contest. This is where a finalist from the various national selection finals is chosen to represent its country and get a second chance to win fame and glory. To see which entries are in the running this year, you can check out this website. The voting has now closed and the winner will be revealed in late August. We will of course keep you updated!
GEE keep our fingers crossed for a decent result for A1, Norway's representative this year who we think might stand a fair chance. Sweden could have gone with a number of strong contenders, like Eric Saade's "Manboy",the biggest floor stomper at Euroclub this year, or the amazing runner-up Salem Al-Fakir with "Keep on Walking". Instead they chose to send Anna and her vanishing guitar to Oslo and give Timoteij a second chance...
Meanwhile we can ponder upon the fact that the Swedes prevented us from seeing this fabulous man on stage in Oslo:
To prove our point on what we said about Maria Haukaas Storeng in our previous post. According to vg.no the Diva is now ready for yet another challenge in the limelight as a participant in the next season of Dancing with the Stars here in Norway. Now it's starting to sound like we don't like her, but we do honestly, she's great, and we think she could do very well as a dancing diva. But, yeah, sometimes less is more Maria! Previous seasons have showed that swinging your feathers on the dance floor can be a smart career move, so we wish her the best of luck, however we have reached a point where seeing her pretty face on screen just makes us wanna switch off the telly…
We apologize for not posting very frequently lately, but even ESC-bloggers have to take some time off now and then to recharge the batteries and enjoy the Nordic summer nights. Now it's back to work and busy days in the office battling a jam packed inbox. So much for recharging the batteries... Oh, well, as a way of fighting post vacation blues we can recommend putting some of your favorite Eurovision tracks on your playlist and turning up the volume to the despair of your colleagues. Cheerful Schlagers from the 80s works best.
Summertime isn't exactly peak season when it comes to Eurovision Extravaganza, but it is actually possible to catch a glimpse of some of your ESC-favorites both live and on the telly as many artists go on tour and appear on various summer shows and events. Say, if you happen to be near Mysen south of Oslo on the 28th of August, you can see Norwegian MGP-stars like Heine Totland (MGP-semifinalist 2010), Venke Knutson (MGP-finalist 2010), Åge Steen "Glam" Nilsen (ESC 10th place 2005 with Wig Wam), and ESC-diva Maria Haukaas Storeng (MGP-finalist 2010 and ESC 5th place 2008) as well as Ovi (who sat Telenor Arena on fire this year and landed a well deserved 3rd place for Romania) perform at Momarkedet. If you're not in Mysen, like most of us, you can catch the show on Norwegian TV2. We will most likely not tune in, since we’ve seen Maria perform like a gazillion times over the past few months. She is everywhere all the time, and we're starting to grow a bit tired of her shiny happy face. That girl really knows how to make the most of it for what it’s worth… Good for her!
There's no such thing as over exposure. Or is it?
We are starting to look forward to a new ESC-season and in September it will be revealed where next year’s shenanigans will be at. We know it’s somewhere in Germany that’s for sure. And rumor has it that the comeback kid Austria will be among the first to select their entry for next year. Hurray!
Every Sunday we give you some of our favorite old entries to cheer you up a little extra and make you miss the glorious old days. Today's trip down memory lane features one of the strongest ballads in ESC history:
Why Europe preferred Finnish orks over this is almost incomprehensible. This is Balkan Mellon Collie and Infinite Sadness at its finest sung by a man with a divine voice and a remarkable stage presence. A perfect heart warmer on a rainy day when glorious Eurovision extravaganza somewhere in Germany still seems so far away!
Every Sunday we give you some of our favorite old entries to cheer you up a little extra and make you miss the glorious old days. And since we earlier this week received the great news of Austria returning to the competition next year, lets celebrate by giving one of the best Austrian entries of all times a well deserved replay:
Thomas Forstner had it in the bag, everyone thought back then. This was in the late 80s and everything about him, the song, the outfit, the piano lineup in the background complete with mullet haircuts and funky mustaches was just perfect. The composer behind this massive ballad was even Dieter Bohlen from Modern Talking. What went wrong? one might ask, and well, the overeager head nodding is not exactly doing him any favors... But hey, welcome back Austria, we approve of your return with happy, nodding heads!
Astrid and Guri have shared their passion for Eurovision for years. They both grew up in the beautiful middle of nowhere, and as kids, the annual Eurovision final was their only share of glamour. Life has later become somewhat more glamorous, but still nothing can beat the extravaganza of the Eurovision grand final.
Eurovision moments are, as this years slogan is telling us, meant to be shared. With this blog we give you our thoughts on the songs, the artists, the show, the costumes, the drama and everything else which makes this contest so absolutely wonderful!
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