It's yet again Sunday, which calls for our weekly Eurovision retro fix. Estonia is one of our favorite countries when it comes to giving us bittersweet melancholy. Which kinda fits our blue mood today.
What an odd couple this is. It's such a beautiful song, but we must admit it feels kinda awkward watching this 16 years old girl singing a love duet with this rather.. erm elderly gentleman. At least the stylist dressed her up to look like she's at least 40. Perhaps Sieneke picked up fashion tips from this YouTube clip before entering the stage in Oslo earlier this year? It sort of hits us when we watch old stuff from the 90s, this is pretty much how we must have all looked like back then. We think we'd rather stay in denial on that one. Thank God no-one yet had thought of digital cameras and Facebook.
Anyways, at least this song is still as lovely as ever. So we'll just close our eyes and listen.
Showing posts with label Estonia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Estonia. Show all posts
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Friday, June 18, 2010
Well played: Some guys well suited
Eurovision 2010 turned out to be a suited competition among the male contenders. We're like ok, when did we enter the funeral of Mr USA? Not exactly Tom Ford all of those guys. But still, there are some bright stars on the tailored heaven. Let's take a closer look.
The well groomed pretty boys were fighting for attention in dark suits this year. As previously mentioned, Didrik went all accountant unchick for the big final. It's best left without further comments. UK Josh tried at least a little bit harder, but still, way too preppy and safe for our taste. And some of his outfits at other times just made us lose faith completely. We really do recommend Josh to stay away from light grey and his father's closet for the next twenty years.
Seriously, Josh, how can anyone respect you when you make an old woman in purple look better than you? No more grey and untailored for you, please.
One man, however, managed to nail us all to the wall. And thank you Didrik and Josh for showing us how hard suiting a suit could be. For Israeli Harel Skaat, stylist Gal Apple was all successful. We love the combination of an open shirt and a tight suit. It balances perfectly between relaxed and sharp. And the suit itself is just perfect and need we say very lucky, clinging to Harel's great body. He did indeed sound kind of proud of the design by Yossi Katzaw when we interviewed him the other day. And now we get it. There is really nothing more to say. Just keep watching.
Yes, man. This IS the way to suit a suit. And ripping off that shirt is very hard not to do.
Then there were a couple of more independently suited men. Spain's Daniel Diges decided to bring us something tiny in something shiny. Have to say this is not math class, so two bad things does not equal one good. The curly Spaniard fascinated us for some other reason: His ability to look absolutely amazing in photos while not looking very good at all in real life. We mean, of course we get the concept of being photogenic, but that was the extreme version. We kept holding the picture taken a minute ago up to his face to see if it really was the same person. It was creepy. Either we need glasses, or we need a class or two from this guy. Come pick him up, Tyra!
"Well, who cares how I look? Jimmy Jump is supposed to cover me"
Still, Daniel's suit didn't even look good in photos. Space age ended at least ten years ago, man, and how is it even possible to make such a shiny suit look so beyond casual? Please, get a new stylist and stay in the image. But hey, this was supposed to be about something good, and something good really did come out of Estonia this year. Malcolm Lincoln's Robin Juhkental really did know how to look fantastic while remaining true to his real self. Well, of course he wasn't even born in the 70s when this style was popular, but we do appreciate him bringing old glory into life. Everything is just so right about his velvet jacket, his purple scarf and his sassy loafers. What a fine dandy. Too bad we didn't see him in the final, but we're sure we'll see a lot more of him in the years to come as Malcolm Lincoln just released a fantastic record. How very suitable.
"Is he from London?"
"Nope. He's from, hold on, Estonia!"
"Well, from the 70s, then?"
"Nope, wasn't even born in the 70s"
"Looks like he knows how to dress"
"Yup, sure knows how to dress"
"Well, GEE blogger girls should love him"
"Yeah, you got that right"
The well groomed pretty boys were fighting for attention in dark suits this year. As previously mentioned, Didrik went all accountant unchick for the big final. It's best left without further comments. UK Josh tried at least a little bit harder, but still, way too preppy and safe for our taste. And some of his outfits at other times just made us lose faith completely. We really do recommend Josh to stay away from light grey and his father's closet for the next twenty years.
Seriously, Josh, how can anyone respect you when you make an old woman in purple look better than you? No more grey and untailored for you, please.
One man, however, managed to nail us all to the wall. And thank you Didrik and Josh for showing us how hard suiting a suit could be. For Israeli Harel Skaat, stylist Gal Apple was all successful. We love the combination of an open shirt and a tight suit. It balances perfectly between relaxed and sharp. And the suit itself is just perfect and need we say very lucky, clinging to Harel's great body. He did indeed sound kind of proud of the design by Yossi Katzaw when we interviewed him the other day. And now we get it. There is really nothing more to say. Just keep watching.
Yes, man. This IS the way to suit a suit. And ripping off that shirt is very hard not to do.
Then there were a couple of more independently suited men. Spain's Daniel Diges decided to bring us something tiny in something shiny. Have to say this is not math class, so two bad things does not equal one good. The curly Spaniard fascinated us for some other reason: His ability to look absolutely amazing in photos while not looking very good at all in real life. We mean, of course we get the concept of being photogenic, but that was the extreme version. We kept holding the picture taken a minute ago up to his face to see if it really was the same person. It was creepy. Either we need glasses, or we need a class or two from this guy. Come pick him up, Tyra!
"Well, who cares how I look? Jimmy Jump is supposed to cover me"
Still, Daniel's suit didn't even look good in photos. Space age ended at least ten years ago, man, and how is it even possible to make such a shiny suit look so beyond casual? Please, get a new stylist and stay in the image. But hey, this was supposed to be about something good, and something good really did come out of Estonia this year. Malcolm Lincoln's Robin Juhkental really did know how to look fantastic while remaining true to his real self. Well, of course he wasn't even born in the 70s when this style was popular, but we do appreciate him bringing old glory into life. Everything is just so right about his velvet jacket, his purple scarf and his sassy loafers. What a fine dandy. Too bad we didn't see him in the final, but we're sure we'll see a lot more of him in the years to come as Malcolm Lincoln just released a fantastic record. How very suitable.
"Is he from London?"
"Nope. He's from, hold on, Estonia!"
"Well, from the 70s, then?"
"Nope, wasn't even born in the 70s"
"Looks like he knows how to dress"
"Yup, sure knows how to dress"
"Well, GEE blogger girls should love him"
"Yeah, you got that right"
Saturday, May 29, 2010
How hard is it really? Part 8 in which Marcin is the hardest
My hard is yours. That's the grand message from Norway this year. But how hard is it really? Follow us as we check up on some of the hottest men of Eurovision and give you our hard verdict.
Mirror, mirror on our Facebook wall, who's the hardest of them all? We are proud to present Marcin from Poland!
So, he didn't make it to the ESC final. But he made his way into our hearts the moment we met him. Marcin Mrozinski from Poland is just the most charming, funniest, hottest bloke around. While being one of the contestants with the largest career outside of Eurovision, he is not behaving like a star at all as he walks around talking to everybody, feeding us chocolate cake, complimenting our dresses and hugging every person in Euroclub like they were his best friends. Mind you, they might all be and we don't blame them.
We are some demanding women in Good Evening Europe, and therefore it's so nice to meet someone who meets all our requirements. After checking out some of the hardest men of Eurovision, we have encountered some good stuff. Our favorite Norwegian bloke, Alexander Stenerud, of course kicked Didrik's ass, and could have won if he was actually in the final instead of the boring and bored car mender from Porsgrunn. We will be devastated if Alexander doesn't participate next year. Then we would keep Per Sundnes off any stupid ideas. Harel Skaat from Israel is some pretty boy, but also quite boring and we wouldn't like his take on the Israel-Palestine conflict. We are excited about his announced bungee jump, though. Giorgios from Greece looked the best with his hat on and was a tough, cool dude. But a bit broke for our taste. Then Robin Juhkental from Estonia turned out to be some funny bunny who could have won if he didn't miss his girlfriend too much.
So in the end Marcin's hardest challenge was Jurgis from Lithuania. He also represents very much of what we want from a Eurovision man. Although we were a bit disappointed we didn't see him and his friends in so many parties and that his fellow band members pretended not to recognize us the times we did. He's one good runner up, though.
It's just that no one can really beat our wonderboy from Poland. We like the fact that Marcin is so good at communication, both in person and in social media. His sincerity, sense of humor and openness are also things we approve of. And if you look at that smile, we think you get the picture. Marcin can put on a simple white t-shirt and still look like the prettiest man in the room. Mind you, we have now given him a cooler t-shirt as a reward for winning our "How hard is it really?" contest.
So how can you make his hard yours? We don't know, but we recommend everyone to feed him an apple. Oslo will be a sadder place when this man is not here to hug and entertain us anymore. But so long, honey, so long.
One lucky GEE girl got to give Marcin his hard. Watta cute couple they make.
Mirror, mirror on our Facebook wall, who's the hardest of them all? We are proud to present Marcin from Poland!
We are some demanding women in Good Evening Europe, and therefore it's so nice to meet someone who meets all our requirements. After checking out some of the hardest men of Eurovision, we have encountered some good stuff. Our favorite Norwegian bloke, Alexander Stenerud, of course kicked Didrik's ass, and could have won if he was actually in the final instead of the boring and bored car mender from Porsgrunn. We will be devastated if Alexander doesn't participate next year. Then we would keep Per Sundnes off any stupid ideas. Harel Skaat from Israel is some pretty boy, but also quite boring and we wouldn't like his take on the Israel-Palestine conflict. We are excited about his announced bungee jump, though. Giorgios from Greece looked the best with his hat on and was a tough, cool dude. But a bit broke for our taste. Then Robin Juhkental from Estonia turned out to be some funny bunny who could have won if he didn't miss his girlfriend too much.
So in the end Marcin's hardest challenge was Jurgis from Lithuania. He also represents very much of what we want from a Eurovision man. Although we were a bit disappointed we didn't see him and his friends in so many parties and that his fellow band members pretended not to recognize us the times we did. He's one good runner up, though.
It's just that no one can really beat our wonderboy from Poland. We like the fact that Marcin is so good at communication, both in person and in social media. His sincerity, sense of humor and openness are also things we approve of. And if you look at that smile, we think you get the picture. Marcin can put on a simple white t-shirt and still look like the prettiest man in the room. Mind you, we have now given him a cooler t-shirt as a reward for winning our "How hard is it really?" contest.
So how can you make his hard yours? We don't know, but we recommend everyone to feed him an apple. Oslo will be a sadder place when this man is not here to hug and entertain us anymore. But so long, honey, so long.
One lucky GEE girl got to give Marcin his hard. Watta cute couple they make.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Robin Juhkental met Rufus Wainwright
Robin Juhkental from Estonia's Malcolm Lincoln was the luckiest Eurovision contestant alive yesterday as he got to interview the great Canadian pop artist Rufus Wainwright for Estonian TV. Have to say we were a bit jealous, but just so happy for our good friend Robin. -I was a bit starstruck, but it was good fun and went really well, Robin told us afterwards.
We learned that not only is Rufus Wainwright a great artist, he has great taste as well. Because it was Rufus who requested to meet Robin, since Malcolm Lincoln's Siren is his favorite Eurovision entry this year.
Yay to two great men hooking up!
Friday, May 21, 2010
How hard is it really? Part 6, in which we attend an Estonian Birthday Bash
My hard is yours. That's the grand message from Norway this year. But how hard is it really? Follow us as we check up on some of the hottest men of Eurovision and give you our hard verdict.
There's something about those Estonians. They don't make much ado about themselves, but when they go ahead and put Robin Juhkental on the ESC stage, they are bound to get attention whether they like it or not. We happily accepted the invitation to come and celebrate what turned out to be Robin's 22nd birthday with the Estonian embassy.
"It is really a coincidence that I am standing here now as Estonia's participant in ESC, I'm not that into the Eurovision stuff at all", Robin tells us. "5 months ago, no one knew who I was and I was just a road engineering student", he continues. Our background check up on him reveals that he has participated in various talent shows back in Estonia, so we suspect he is being a bit modest with us, but his big break is definitely connected with forming the duo Malcolm Lincoln with bassist Madis Kubu. The duo hooked up with the vocal group Manpower 4 (the Estonian version of Backstreet Boys according to their publicist), and together they went ahead winning the Eesti Laul 2010 earning them the right to represent Estonia in ESC.
From Eurolaul to Eesti Laul
After doing badly for many years in a row, the public interest for ESC was declining in Estonia. That's why they decided to change the format of the national selection process and the Eesti Laul was introduced, Robin tells us. They set out finding new talents, but unlike other comparable concepts like Idol and X-Factor it was not about finding a pretty face being good at sounding almost as good as some other pop star. The Estonians went ahead and swam against the stream searching for new and fresh music. A brave choice we think, but so far it has paid off. Last year they succeeded with Urban Symphony and the song "Rändajad".
"I have no idea how Europe will judge our song. We can end up in the bottom 5 or perhaps even the top 5", Robin answers when we ask him how he thinks he will do as the Estonian participant this year. "At least I hope I don't get beaten up in a bar, like Estonia's contestant in 2003 did", he mentions casually. Excuse me, come again? Apparently that actually happened with Vaiko Eplik after having entered the ESC as a joke and doing horribly bad. This didn't go down well with the at the time spoiled Estonians. We can't imagine this ever happening to Robin, who looks so innocent, honest and lovable that we would trust him with our lives and no questions asked.
We really do have a taste for this birthday boy. His style, his looks and his unpretentious attitude suit each other perfectly. And Estonia should be proud having chosen such a strong and different song for Eurovision this year, regardless of what happens in the semi final next Tuesday. According to Robin, "Siren" is a very simple song. "The lyrics are kind of surreal, anyone who listens to it can give it a new meaning", he states. As for his stage performance he stresses that he likes to be unpredictable. "I don't plan my moves on stage, I like to be impulsive. You should see me when I do electronic music. Then I am really crazy", he adds. So prepare yourselves for movement you have never seen before. During the mini concert we attended at the reception yesterday we saw something similar to an Estonian moonwalk, as well as a variation over the Norwegian ESC King Jahn Teigen's split jump and Robin trowing the microphone cord around like any other cowboy.
Our hard verdict
When seeing how polite and modest Robin is in person, it's actually quite surprising to see how outgoing, silly, quirky and funny he is on stage. We love his mod rocker style and the fact he don´t seem to take himself so seriously, has a great sense of humor and just tries to be a regular down to earth guy in the ESC craziness he has gotten himself into. And we are of course suckers for talented men like him who writes his own music and has a voice which gives us goosebumps when he hits the highest notes.
It adds to the hardiness that Robin likes our favorite Lithuanian men in InCulto, and German Lena, which shares the same indie touch as this fellow. Minus for missing his girlfriend, which is kind of sweet, but also a bit on the soft side while being surrounded by all the Eurovision divas in Oslo right now. Just show up on any party, and we'll take very good care of you, Robin.
There's something about those Estonians. They don't make much ado about themselves, but when they go ahead and put Robin Juhkental on the ESC stage, they are bound to get attention whether they like it or not. We happily accepted the invitation to come and celebrate what turned out to be Robin's 22nd birthday with the Estonian embassy.
"It is really a coincidence that I am standing here now as Estonia's participant in ESC, I'm not that into the Eurovision stuff at all", Robin tells us. "5 months ago, no one knew who I was and I was just a road engineering student", he continues. Our background check up on him reveals that he has participated in various talent shows back in Estonia, so we suspect he is being a bit modest with us, but his big break is definitely connected with forming the duo Malcolm Lincoln with bassist Madis Kubu. The duo hooked up with the vocal group Manpower 4 (the Estonian version of Backstreet Boys according to their publicist), and together they went ahead winning the Eesti Laul 2010 earning them the right to represent Estonia in ESC.
From Eurolaul to Eesti Laul
After doing badly for many years in a row, the public interest for ESC was declining in Estonia. That's why they decided to change the format of the national selection process and the Eesti Laul was introduced, Robin tells us. They set out finding new talents, but unlike other comparable concepts like Idol and X-Factor it was not about finding a pretty face being good at sounding almost as good as some other pop star. The Estonians went ahead and swam against the stream searching for new and fresh music. A brave choice we think, but so far it has paid off. Last year they succeeded with Urban Symphony and the song "Rändajad".
"I have no idea how Europe will judge our song. We can end up in the bottom 5 or perhaps even the top 5", Robin answers when we ask him how he thinks he will do as the Estonian participant this year. "At least I hope I don't get beaten up in a bar, like Estonia's contestant in 2003 did", he mentions casually. Excuse me, come again? Apparently that actually happened with Vaiko Eplik after having entered the ESC as a joke and doing horribly bad. This didn't go down well with the at the time spoiled Estonians. We can't imagine this ever happening to Robin, who looks so innocent, honest and lovable that we would trust him with our lives and no questions asked.
We really do have a taste for this birthday boy. His style, his looks and his unpretentious attitude suit each other perfectly. And Estonia should be proud having chosen such a strong and different song for Eurovision this year, regardless of what happens in the semi final next Tuesday. According to Robin, "Siren" is a very simple song. "The lyrics are kind of surreal, anyone who listens to it can give it a new meaning", he states. As for his stage performance he stresses that he likes to be unpredictable. "I don't plan my moves on stage, I like to be impulsive. You should see me when I do electronic music. Then I am really crazy", he adds. So prepare yourselves for movement you have never seen before. During the mini concert we attended at the reception yesterday we saw something similar to an Estonian moonwalk, as well as a variation over the Norwegian ESC King Jahn Teigen's split jump and Robin trowing the microphone cord around like any other cowboy.
Our hard verdict
When seeing how polite and modest Robin is in person, it's actually quite surprising to see how outgoing, silly, quirky and funny he is on stage. We love his mod rocker style and the fact he don´t seem to take himself so seriously, has a great sense of humor and just tries to be a regular down to earth guy in the ESC craziness he has gotten himself into. And we are of course suckers for talented men like him who writes his own music and has a voice which gives us goosebumps when he hits the highest notes.
It adds to the hardiness that Robin likes our favorite Lithuanian men in InCulto, and German Lena, which shares the same indie touch as this fellow. Minus for missing his girlfriend, which is kind of sweet, but also a bit on the soft side while being surrounded by all the Eurovision divas in Oslo right now. Just show up on any party, and we'll take very good care of you, Robin.
Our night: Thursday of Estonia and Norway
Today we have been to a reception with the Estonian embassy and the Estonian participants Malcolm Lincoln, followed by a Norwegian party at Ballroom. Here's a couple of hightlights:
Malcolm Lincoln had a small selection of people, among them us, over for a concert. How lucky were we to see glorious Robin Juhkental swing the microphone over his head and even another couple of hotties in the back there. We now love the Estonian song even more.
-I wanna be a fool, not cool, Robin said as this picture was taken. We thought it was a tremendous idea. Check out our interview tomorrow.
At the Norwegian party, Alexander Rybak did an amazing performance and swung his fiddle like only he could do it. Whatta man he is.
And here's another fantastic fiddler, Moa Meinich. Even though Alexander sings about loving her in his new single, he claims they are not a couple. But won't you look at that connection? We think Alexander should get around to this very sweet girl if he hasn't already. Because we love you Moa.
Not bad connection here either, as buddies Alexander Rybak and Didrik Solli-Tangen dreams away the Everly brothers way.
Didrik did the final version of My hard is yours - with choir for the first time. It did wonders to the song, and we are starting to believe Norway might have a good chance in the final.
And yay, there's Michael von der Heide, the Swiss Sweetheart! He told us that Switzerland might consider withdrawing from ESC if the country fails to qualify for the final again. Now we can't have that happening, can we. We will cast a vote for the Golden Boy next Thursday!
Posing effortlessly with our buddies from Eurovisionnorway.com. Lookin pretty fly with their glasses on!
Malcolm Lincoln had a small selection of people, among them us, over for a concert. How lucky were we to see glorious Robin Juhkental swing the microphone over his head and even another couple of hotties in the back there. We now love the Estonian song even more.
-I wanna be a fool, not cool, Robin said as this picture was taken. We thought it was a tremendous idea. Check out our interview tomorrow.
At the Norwegian party, Alexander Rybak did an amazing performance and swung his fiddle like only he could do it. Whatta man he is.
And here's another fantastic fiddler, Moa Meinich. Even though Alexander sings about loving her in his new single, he claims they are not a couple. But won't you look at that connection? We think Alexander should get around to this very sweet girl if he hasn't already. Because we love you Moa.
Not bad connection here either, as buddies Alexander Rybak and Didrik Solli-Tangen dreams away the Everly brothers way.
Didrik did the final version of My hard is yours - with choir for the first time. It did wonders to the song, and we are starting to believe Norway might have a good chance in the final.
And yay, there's Michael von der Heide, the Swiss Sweetheart! He told us that Switzerland might consider withdrawing from ESC if the country fails to qualify for the final again. Now we can't have that happening, can we. We will cast a vote for the Golden Boy next Thursday!
Posing effortlessly with our buddies from Eurovisionnorway.com. Lookin pretty fly with their glasses on!
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Semi-Final 1
The rehearsals for the semi-finals have kicked off and with this, the speculations around which countries will proceed to the big final. We find the prediction game rather mind wrenching, and with the 50/50 jury and televote system it makes it even harder to guess the lucky 10 in each semi-final.
That's why we will settle for choosing our personal favorites which according to our opinion, in a perfect world without war, global warming and Dutch schlagers, would snatch a ticket to the final. Amazingly we agree on most entries. We suppose we have brainwashed each other and have pretty much morphed into one person by now. Ok, nuff said, here’s our pick for Semi-Final 1!
Which are your favorites from semi-final 1?
That's why we will settle for choosing our personal favorites which according to our opinion, in a perfect world without war, global warming and Dutch schlagers, would snatch a ticket to the final. Amazingly we agree on most entries. We suppose we have brainwashed each other and have pretty much morphed into one person by now. Ok, nuff said, here’s our pick for Semi-Final 1!
- Albania
- Belgium
- Estonia
- Finland
- Greece
- Latvia
- Moldova
- Poland
- Serbia
- Slovakia
Which are your favorites from semi-final 1?
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Whatever happened to our judgment?
Sometimes, listening to a song many times can make it better, while other times it just burns an irreplaceable hole in your head. So, after giving you our honest opinion about the entries, and then listening to them for like a million times more, has anything changed? A little for some of the entries. Here's the latest news from our changing minds, after the rehearsals have kicked off in Oslo.
Russia
We hated Russia. Kinda still do. But then we've hated it so much it has reached the level of something similar of a cult status with us. "What are you doing, man?" will certainly be a party one liner for the next couple of weeks and we will almost remember it when looking at a photo. At least this song has something quirky and funny about it, and that's more than we can say about the other boring stuff.
Cyprus
There is something about Jon Lillygreen. He is really sweet and his voice sticks with us. We think this can be a popular song in the finals. Because after all, now it's spring and everything looks a little better.
Serbia
Disappointment from here to eternity after watching Milan Stankovic's first rehearsal in Norway. The man is still glorious, but what happened to his glorious dancers? Looks like he switched two of the women for boring men. And the fantastic ethnic show gone as well? Shame, shame, shame, Serbia. You are in vain. We hope you're fooling us, and will reveal the most ethnotastic show ever in the later rehearsals to come.
Sweden
Sweden's entry is working a little bit like their H&M clothing - nice, but wears out really quickly. Anna is still lovely, the song isn't.
Estonia
We're loving the Siren of Estonia even more each day. Robin Juhkental is just so fine and dandy standing there bending his knees, moving in interesting ways and pointing his microphone everywhere. The song is a pearl that grows on you. Too bad the majority of the televoters don't have time for that.
Poland
We're so easily charmed it's embarrassing some times. Poland's happy joy joy singer running around loving his family and making video blogs is just so super charming we're actually reconsidering the song and liking it a little bit more. So much for being tough critics.
France
Oh, God. We wish we didn't like this tiring song. But there's something about it that makes us want to play it every once in a while. We need music like this from time to time. And Jessy is still lovely. Really looking forward to seeing how this works live at least.
Israel
When we reviewed this song, we thought it was a little bit too forgettable and nice. But as we are approaching the finals and taking closer and closer looks at Harel, we realize this is some fine song we will never forget. We've tested it on 2 year olds and mother-in-laws and rock stars and they all like it, so we figure it suits many and is one tough challenge for the rest of the countries this year.
Denmark
We just have to tell you: This song will always remain as horrible as the first time we heard it. For every breath you take, we will despise you even more. It's pretentious, calculating and soulless. Sorry, neighbors. You're a bore.
Russia
We hated Russia. Kinda still do. But then we've hated it so much it has reached the level of something similar of a cult status with us. "What are you doing, man?" will certainly be a party one liner for the next couple of weeks and we will almost remember it when looking at a photo. At least this song has something quirky and funny about it, and that's more than we can say about the other boring stuff.
Cyprus
There is something about Jon Lillygreen. He is really sweet and his voice sticks with us. We think this can be a popular song in the finals. Because after all, now it's spring and everything looks a little better.
Serbia
Disappointment from here to eternity after watching Milan Stankovic's first rehearsal in Norway. The man is still glorious, but what happened to his glorious dancers? Looks like he switched two of the women for boring men. And the fantastic ethnic show gone as well? Shame, shame, shame, Serbia. You are in vain. We hope you're fooling us, and will reveal the most ethnotastic show ever in the later rehearsals to come.
Sweden
Sweden's entry is working a little bit like their H&M clothing - nice, but wears out really quickly. Anna is still lovely, the song isn't.
Estonia
We're loving the Siren of Estonia even more each day. Robin Juhkental is just so fine and dandy standing there bending his knees, moving in interesting ways and pointing his microphone everywhere. The song is a pearl that grows on you. Too bad the majority of the televoters don't have time for that.
Poland
We're so easily charmed it's embarrassing some times. Poland's happy joy joy singer running around loving his family and making video blogs is just so super charming we're actually reconsidering the song and liking it a little bit more. So much for being tough critics.
France
Oh, God. We wish we didn't like this tiring song. But there's something about it that makes us want to play it every once in a while. We need music like this from time to time. And Jessy is still lovely. Really looking forward to seeing how this works live at least.
Israel
When we reviewed this song, we thought it was a little bit too forgettable and nice. But as we are approaching the finals and taking closer and closer looks at Harel, we realize this is some fine song we will never forget. We've tested it on 2 year olds and mother-in-laws and rock stars and they all like it, so we figure it suits many and is one tough challenge for the rest of the countries this year.
Denmark
We just have to tell you: This song will always remain as horrible as the first time we heard it. For every breath you take, we will despise you even more. It's pretentious, calculating and soulless. Sorry, neighbors. You're a bore.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Outside the box from Estonia
Estonia is considered to be the sixth Nordic country and in ESC it´s an honor to be in the same company as this Baltic state. With the exception of a couple of wrong turns the last few years they have consistently delivered strong performances, beating the Swedes in giving us the best schlagers (mind you with Swedish girl power in the lead role, like Sahlene and Sandra Oxenryd) and being the best exponent for the sleek, clean and cool nordic sound. While Norway has rambled away with wannabe latino pop and noisy glam rock, Estonia has given us music like clear water from the glacier, sounding like the rugged, hostile landscapes up north and the legends of the Ultima Thule. Big clichés, but we like it!
This year´s entry is another brave choice from the Estonians. Perhaps the most non-ESC like contribution this year and this probably means a make or brake. We honestly think that Europe won´t get this, which is sad, cause it´s dreamy, poetic, quirky, different and modern. The vocalist´s voice is crystal clear and it´s reassuring to know that this will work live. But the performance is kinda lame, hopefully they will work on that part. And something should be done with the scenography, warm colours are all wrong for this song we think.
Thumbs up for daring to give us something different Estonia!
This year´s entry is another brave choice from the Estonians. Perhaps the most non-ESC like contribution this year and this probably means a make or brake. We honestly think that Europe won´t get this, which is sad, cause it´s dreamy, poetic, quirky, different and modern. The vocalist´s voice is crystal clear and it´s reassuring to know that this will work live. But the performance is kinda lame, hopefully they will work on that part. And something should be done with the scenography, warm colours are all wrong for this song we think.
Thumbs up for daring to give us something different Estonia!
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