Norwegian MGP Retro Extravaganza on YouTube

One of our favorite Norwegian bloggers, The Glamourous Librarian tipped us off about a real gem on YouTube. Someone has been so gracious to post all the Norwegian MGP-finals from the late 70s and 80s on YouTube. Oh joy, loads of childhood memories for the GEE girls there, back in the days when Saturday night was spent in front of the telly with our parents, stuffing our faces with Norwegian style homemade pizza with not the slightest resemblance to the real Italian one...

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":

The not so liberated Netherlands. In defence of Cornald Maas

The news of fabulous Dutch Eurovision commentator Cornald Maas being fired by the Broadcaster TROS just hit our holiday infected attention. Apparently Maas was fired over an ironic tweet saying the Dutch Eurovision participant this year, Sieneke was one of The Netherlands’ funny export products along with Joran von der Sloot and the PVV.

We are in shock, to say the least. When did The Netherlands become the country in Europe where the right to speak your mind isn't appreciated? In our somewhat naïve minds, we actually thought The Netherlands was a very liberal country, where you could smoke your pot and do what others could not. Now it turns out you can’t even do what others can.

Some people have taken this occasion to point out that personal messages in media such as Twitter and Facebook are not as private as one might think. Oh really? We’d kinda like to see it the other way around. Maybe it isn’t really the private sphere that is becoming public, but the public sphere that is being privatized? What if it's not the private persons that have to be careful about what views and opinions they share with the world in these so called social media channels, but instead the public that have to be careful about not letting it affect them? Do the people need social media training to make sure they don’t share their opinions with the wrong people or is it in fact the public that needs to get used to the private sphere being so much more accessible to them than before, without them having to access it all the time? We are moving away from a world where everything private was kept from the masses into a world in which the masses themselves have to decide what’s private and public, in our opinion. And where one has to deal with the fact that we are all people with minds and opinions of our own. It’s difficult for some, it seems. At least for the Dutch broadcasters. Maybe because it demands a little higher social intelligence?

Newsflash for you, TROS, social media is here to stay. It’s because people actually like to share their personal life and opinions and can handle others doing the same. We of course get the need to be professional and objective while on duty (except in GEE of course). But we cannot move into a world where journalists, PR people and their likings are shut out from what is rapidly becoming one of the most important social areas in society. Journalists are trusted with one of the most basic and important rights in a free society, the freedom of speech. This cannot only be applicable for their professional lives. Give them a break. At the moment it’s easier being a blogger than a journalist, and we are a bit unsure how healthy this is. But it does allow us bloggers to say this without anyone firing us: You are a couple of dickheads, TROS, and Sieneke's song and performance was so crappy it deserves all the shit it can get, even from her own people. And of course, neither ourselves nor Cornald Maas intend to make this a personal attack on Sieneke, who while in Oslo appeared to be nothing but a sweet and likable girl next door.

So, following our rather long line of thought there, we guess our main point is this: Firing Cornald Maas was very, very stupid, TROS. Please take a minute to consider the damage done by keeping this cool, funny fellow away from the Dutch people. In the meantime, we think back on meeting this man in Oslo after hearing about him from our friend Lex. We wish to catch up with Cornald in Germany next year. If TROS doesn’t take him back, we would love to hire him for NRK. He sure is a lot better than the various boring fellows trying to do the same job in Norway.

We support you, Cornald. Don’t you worry about your old fashioned, puritan, calvinist ex-employer. Just put a flash light under your chin and say you’re son of sin. And since TROS like to play kings, here’s a little something we thought might suit the situation:

Well played: Fabulous frocks

There were some fabulous frocks on display on the Eurovision stage this year. And if you show up representing your country with a grandiose and pompous ballad it's simply demanded of you to go for a glamourous prom dress. This can be all wrong with an up-tempo song though, and it's basically about choosing an outfit that matches both the song and your own personal style. So why 18 year old Sieneke chose to appear on stage looking like a frumpy middle aged housewife is better left unmentioned...

Sofia Nizharadze from Georgia looked absolutely stunning on stage. Before the final the Georgian delegation went to Paris to sort out the choreography and sent Sofia on a shopping spree in Milan to find the perfect dress. This really paid off in Oslo as the whole act was a sight for sore eyes, with Sofia as the centre of attention. GEE were skeptical towards the busy gymnastics routine in the beginning, but Sofia and her crew proved us wrong and pulled the whole thing off with style and grace. Well done!

Omg, who on earth will pay the bill after our party in the Opera-house?








Portugal's Filipa Azevedo was every 10 year old girl's princess dream in her beautiful evening gown. The scenography was a real princess worthy and she was just so pretty and her vocal was flawless. She kinda deserved a ticket to the final even though GEE fell asleep twice, both at the semi-final and the final during her performance.

Wake up GEE blogger girls, I'm singing my heart out here!






We did of course know beforehand that the prettiest girl in Oslo during ESC would be our very own Haddy N'jie. Regardless, we were gobsmacked from the moment we saw Haddy on stage in the first semi-final in a creation by Leila Hafzi. She filled her role as host to perfection and even though she would probably look amazing wearing a potato sack, her beautiful outfits were the icing on the cake. Haddy for President and a cherry on top of that!

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's prettiest girl here in the hall?
















Yup, that's me all right!

Well played; Sweden and Bosnia & Herzegovina

It really makes sense to us to have an award for the worse dressed participant in this competition. We don't mean to sound all negative here, quite on the contrary, we love watching men and women from all over Europe, belting out their sorrow or joy or love or whatever on the ESC stage, while being wrapped in what looks like Queen Elizabeth's latest stationery supplies or a wallpaper the Queer Eye guys could kill for. In fact, we wish there could be a whole range of categories so more than one contestant could win a Barbara Dex Award every year.

On the other hand, there are always quite a few contestants who look absolutely stunning on stage and we love watching them just as much. And after all it's better to get a "wow" from the audience either in admiration or disgust, than an indifferent... "meh".

A couple of those who receive thumbs up and a pat on the back from GEE are the rocker dude Vukašin Brajić from Bosnia & Herzegovina and rocker chick Anna Bergendahl from Sweden. Before ESC, there were much media attention in Norway on our very own Didrik's embarrassing attempts to pick up this sweet Swede. Well, who can blame him for trying, but he should have realized that boring and bourgeois is not Anna's cup of tea. Rebellious and red-hot are probably more Anna's flavors and she would make a cute couple with Vukašin.

Their laidback appearance matches each other perfectly and even though we did find both their songs to be ridiculously boring, we compliment these youngsters for their sense of style and for choosing outfits that fit with their personalities and their performances on stage. It looks edgy yet effortlessly cool, and Anna was brave to stand her ground and insist on keeping her worn out Converses, while there probably were plenty of stylists trying to convince her to go for a pair of killer heels or something more "presentable".

Looking sharp while presenting the latest weather report.

The sweetheart from Sweden is barely visible behind gigantic guitar.

Get Up and Dance!

Half way trough the Eurovision weeks, it's time to take a recap on everything that's happened so far. Do you think there were only one hot guy in Lithuania? Nope there's five more of them. We had a chat with our favorite Lithuanian blokes in InCulto and got a taste of what the famous and fabulous Eurovision stars make out of this experience.

"We haven't done nearly enough partying so far!" Jurgis Didžiulis exclaims almost before we have managed to sit down in the hotel lobby this beautiful and warm morning in Oslo. Jurgis and his fellow band members look a bit tired so we just assumed there had been some massive partying going on lately. "Actually we have stayed here in our hotel keeping the other guests awake while rehearsing", Jurgis continues. And come to think of it we do receive quite a few gloomy, tired stares from other guests passing us in the lobby, which we really can't understand, we would gladly give up sleeping to be entertained by these guys.

Talent in abundance
"Besides, surprisingly enough, we were not even invited to Belarus' engagement party in EuroClub, and we heard that there were no shortage of vodka", the band members adds, but they don't look too sorry for missing out on that one. In this pink, happy go lucky Eurovision bubble we live in at the moment you can sense there is some seriousness behind it all, and even if InCulto presents one of the more funny and foolish entries this year, don't be fooled to believe that this band has nothing on their minds. "People might think that this is just a project put together especially for Eurovision, but we have been going at it for many years as a band", Jurgis explains.

We can't help but envy people who seem to have so much fun with what they are doing, and according to the band their motivation when they started was to get away from their day jobs and manage to live off their music. So far so good, however we should mention that Laurynas Aurimas plays the trumpet in the Philharmonic Orchestra and Sarunas Kirdeikis is an esteemed dancer and choreographer back in Lithuania with his own Dance Studio. This tells us something about how talented and versatile these funny bunnies on the ESC stage really are.

And when it comes to their upcoming performance in the Semi-Final on Thursday they are on schedule. "I'm not feeling too well at the moment, and struggle with a sore throat, but I reckon I will feel better soon", Jurgis tells us. "Apart from that we must say that so far the rehearsals in Telenor Arena have gone down well, and we are impressed by how skilled and professional everybody who's working there are" he continues. It is however difficult for the Lithuanian guys to really rehearse the actual show. "It's difficult to get the same energy and adrenaline rush when rehearsing in front of a few journalists", the guys agree. That's why they have decided to hit the streets of Oslo and perform spontaneously.

InCulto coming to a street near you
A piece of advise from GEE to our readers in Oslo is to look out for a bunch of guys dressed up in swanky disco hotpants playing on inflatable instruments. "We charge our batteries by doing this kind of stuff, it's fun and rewarding to create a good energetic feel and we wish to show people that this comes from our hearts", Jurgis states to explain this rather peculiar behavior.

Well guys, we are happy to help you out stocking up on energy before the performance in the Semi-Final, so we watched InCulto perform "Eastern European Funk" exclusively for us. And OK, we'll share the moment with all of you:



And if you can't get enough of these fab and glitzy men, you can catch them perform at Hard Rock Cafe in Oslo on May 25th, Tuesday night, or of course on a street near you!

Aus der reihe…

Now, there’s a substantial difference between the Eurovision Schlager and the good ol’ Deutche Schlager. The single most important difference to us is that we love the first one and detest the latter. In our opinion any German Schlager could be used as torture during interrogations (we’ll give this piece of advice away for free to the CIA), and we cannot for the Love of God understand why we should be bothered with this crap while we sip our glüwein in some glamorous ski resort in the Alps.

This makes us wary of what the German decides to bring to the table in ESC and in all honesty, let’s admit that there has been a lot of weird stuff going on over the years. They just seem so out of sync with the rest of us, and often there’s this “so last year” feeling about it, like last year (lol, pun unintended) when they showed up with Alex Swings Oscar Sings all the while Lou Bega did his thing with Mambo No 5 a decade earlier. We’re sorry to break it to you guys, but Dita did not tease us into unintentionally casting our televotes. And then there’s the language issue. We’re like “Wadde hadde dudde da?” Excuse me? "Man gewöhnt sich so schnell an das Schöne". Hello? It’s just a fact of life that these things sound better in Italian or French or even English for that sake.

Needless to say, our expectations are always at an absolute minimum when it comes to Germany and damn, it sure feels good to be taken so completely off guard. Lena Meyer-Landrut rocks! Who would have thought that Germany had such a cool, natural, quirky, charming, witty and adorable ace up their sleeve? Here’s the Nellie McKay of Hannover, the German Lilly Allen, so fresh and real. And yet, she’s not a copycat, she adds her unique style to the whole thing as she stumbles around the stage and introduces her very own British sounding accent. It just feels like the complete opposite of the fabricated, artificial and calculated Safura machinery that will roll all over us in not too long.

Yes, now we’re talking, Germany, you’re really on to something this year. But will Europe vote for you? We dunno, but you better do so, or else we’re afraid that an obsessive, 18 year old German school girl will hunt you down!

Eurovisual hints: Oslonights.no on how to get your look straight

When Oslo invites all its ESC friends from all over the world over for the biggest party of the year in May, we´re guessing a lot of the party guests wonder what to wear. If you´re one of them, have no fear, Good Evening Europe have taken the task upon ourselves to do some research into this matter, to give you the best insider’s tips on what to wear, where to appear and the basic do´s and don´ts of Scandinavia´s Tiger Town.

In Eurovision, what to wear or what not to wear is essential. The artists’ style, or perhaps rather the lack of it, is often what people remember better than the actual song itself. Also the audience, whether you invite your friends over for a party to watch the final on the telly, or you’re one of those lucky enough to be in the arena where it all happens, spend hours choosing the perfect outfit for the big event.

We had a talk about this with Rut Helen Gjævert and challenged her to give us some advice on how to go about finding our Eurovisual look for the year. She is one of Oslo´s coolest fashionistas and shares her passion for design, trends and style through her role as chief editor for the website oslonights.no.

Mesmerized by Carola
"Carola from 91 with "Fångad av en Stormvind" was amazing", Rut Helen Gjævert exclaims, and we are positively surprised by the enthusiasm she shows for Eurovision. "Carola was the quintessential 90´s babe with her fluffy hairstyle, Robin Hood vest and stretch pants, she really made a big impression on me back then as a little girl", Rut Helen continues with a big smile.

We totally agree with her. In Eurovision history, Carola is a true icon, no wonder this is one of the first memories that pops into Rut Helen’s mind! But what about today’s artists in ESC, do they dress as sharply as back in the good old days? we ask. Rut Helens needs to think for a few seconds before she continues. "In my opinion, the focus is now more on costumes rather than design and personal expression. I suppose this is fun and part of the whole package, but personally I would have liked to see artists choosing something more contemporary and cutting edge, and also with a personal twist. With the right outfit they can feel comfortable on stage and really get the message of their song across", she argues. And our man Didrik, how’s he doing? "I like him", Rut Helen smiles. "He has an outfit that fits the music he represents. But he could be brave and step it up a notch further, like perhaps choosing a full white suit instead of black trousers at times, and also add some details".

                                                 From Oslonights.no (Photo: Rut Helen Gjævert)

Be aware of your visual expression
It’s pretty clear to us that this gal knows her fashion stuff, why this interest for design and trends? "I have always been fascinated by how one can express one´s personality through the visual. You always communicate something by how you look and what you wear", Rut Helen explains. "Norway has barley any traditions for this mindset, but we´re moving in the right direction, and that´s why I decided to start the website oslonights.no, where we simply show up at all the coolest parties, events and hot spots in Oslo to take pictures of people with style and great attitude".

Rut Helen herself is definitely one of those people you can imagine getting her photo taken at every event she attends, with her relaxed and clean, yet edgy Scandinavian style. It makes us wonder if she´s at all interested in the Eurovision extravaganza that will show up on her doorstep in only a few weeks time, and we have to ask if she finds it tacky and just look forward to the day it all will be over. "Oh no, not at all! I am a music lover too, so I can hardly wait for the Eurovision show to begin", she answers. "Oslonights.no plans to join the party and we will be there with our cameras to catch a glimpse of the most outrageous and glorious outfits. I am sure you will find some pictures of ESC fans on our webpage too, it´ll be inspiring to see new faces with different looks", Rut Helen concludes.

Good Evening Europe finds it inspiring to visit Oslonight’s fab website and can definitely recommend ESC fans to check it out to get a feel of Oslo’s vibrant night life and tips on where to hang out with the city’s most stylish party crowd. And if you meet Rut Helen with her camera during Eurovision in Oslo, remember to strike a pose and smile!

Wanna party with these guys?

So do we! As we told earlier we have hooked up with Club Latter for the best partying possible. Now to be more specific we hooked up with successful producers Mads Rogde and Fredrik Havstein - just the right people to make this classy joint your fav hangout throughout ESC week.

Both fans and artists are invited to Club Latter at Aker Brygge, where Norwegian and International stars will entertain you five nights in a row, kicking off what they have named Eurovision Festival on Tuesday 25th. Save your energy for Wednesday, though, because that is the night of our fabulous Good Evening Europe-party.

Some of the artists that are confirmed to perform is Icelandic Euroband, Bobbysocks, Charmed, Queentastic, Birgitte Einarsen and Christine Guldbrandsen.

"These are all artists that have been popular with Eurovision fans the latest couple of years", producer Fredrik Havstein says. "The semi finals and finals will be shown on the large screen, followed by party and entertainment. Then the Good Evening Europe-party on Wednesday and the party of esctoday.com on Friday", he continues, stressing that all of the nights are open to everyone.

Now, party for everyone is something we in Good Evening Europe understand the concept of, and we also feel certain long time artistic director of NRK's MGP (the Norwegian national finals of ESC) knows what he is doing.

"The city will be packed with people ready to have a ball, and we couldn't find a better club to offer our International guests - right in the heart of the city, with excellent service and handsome bartenders", Mads says enthusiastically.

Yup, Mads and Fredrik will rapidly become some of our favorite blokes during this contest. They promise everyone a fair share of fun, extravaganza and surprises, whether being a hardcore fan from Malta or a more relaxed hunk from...let's say...Israel. They invite us all, so don't you miss out.

Now, did we mention the Good Evening Europe-party on Wednesday 26th? Go book your table of champagne!

Hurray for Bobbysocks!

Today it’s exactly 25 years ago since Norway took its first victory in Eurovision. During that glorious night in Gothenburg we went from being the nil points in the bottom to 1-2-3 points on top of the podium. We just couldn’t believe it, our nation exploded with joy! Thank you Bobbysocks for giving us one of our best childhood memories, we love you always and forever.



Ask any Norwegian and he or she can probably tell you a story from the night this happened back in the good old 80s. To celebrate this 25 year anniversary, let’s take a trip down memory lane and share our Bobbysocks moments.

Astrid:
I sat completely mesmerized in front of the telly back at my parents’ house trying to catch every second of the final. It was not easy to concentrate as it was my big brother’s Confirmation the 5th of May and focus was more on trying to get everything ready for the celebration the next day rather than what went on in Gothenburg. That’s why I will always remember Bobbysocks on stage in a big blur mixed with baby blue 80s style napkins, silver cutlery, myrtle flower decorations, china dishware, stressed out parents and one embarrassed brother wishing the whole shabang would just go away all together.

Guri:
I remember Bobbysocks winning when I was only five years old, but even more I remember the day Bobbysocks played in my hometown a while after. That was the day I was just so mad at my dad for not letting me go and see them play live while my mum was actually hanging around then concert venue, on duty as a journalist. When we dropped by to pick up my mum, Bobbysocks were just finishing their set. My dad felt so sorry for poor little me by then, he actually managed to take me backstage to say hello to Hanne and Elisabeth as they were leaving. That was pure bliss, and my friends could just sit there and brag about their concert experience, because I was the only one who actually met them. I loved both Bobbysocks and my dad after that, and have never stopped since.

Where were you when Bobby played everyone’s Socks off?

Thank you for the Finns

In case you haven't noticed, blonde, beautiful and happy Finns that you don't understand, works in most cases. Also in Eurovision.

Finland is the country you never quite get the hold of. Even as Nordics we can't really grasp what the Finns are up to or what they are saying about it. A lot of weird stuff originates from Finland. But we don't care. No, we actually love and cherish their mysteriousness and quirkiness so perfectly portrayed by people like Aki Kauismäki. That is if the Finns don't pollute Eurovision with not so ok reaggae, hard rock or some weirdo rap stuff. We have been much greater fans of Tipi-tiis, Yayayayays, Yamma, Yammas and something we don't catch anything of, but still also love.They all make us realize how Finnish is the funniest language to sing in ever.

Oh yeah, those Finns can make us laugh. And the amusing princesses of 2010 are the most fun of them all. We love, love, love people who party on stage while staying true to their ethnic heritage and singing in their own language. And men that are only hired to switch places and clap their hands ever so often. They build us up into bundles of joy and helps us digest all the boring ballads and self conscious Danes served to us in a never ending first course. This is the best thing on the menu. We will dance with them, laugh with them and party with them. We will tilt our head from side to side, clap our hands and check out if they can ever stop smiling. We certainly can't as long as they are present.

Thank you Finland for feeding this to us. We do hope Europe gets you this time.

Albanian Cougar Town

Albania tends to do best when they send cute, young girls to defend their flag's colors and we like them best when they include ethnic sounds and sing in their native language, like sweet sixteen Olta Boka did with "Zemrën e lamë peng" in 2008. 

From this point of view is this year's entry miles away their usual recipe. Juliana Pasha is an old lady, turning the whopping age of 30 during Eurovision week, she sings in English and there's not one peculiar ethnic string instrument in sight! Still, after listening to it a few times, we have decided to like it. We don't love it, but it's not that bad. Juliana has a cool attitude, a good voice and a groovy song. But is it just us, or doesn't she look a bit ... old for her age? Don't get us wrong, she looks like a million dollars, but we can't help but think in a sort of cougarish way. After all that's a bit early when you have barely turned 30. Oh well, we suppose there's nothing wrong with acting all grown-up and mature when that's in fact what you are, there's enough teenage girls in this year's competition already.  

Albania is always one of the first countries to select their ESC entry and in hindsight it was a really smart move for them to select an up beat party song which will stand out in Balladomania. Should be fairly easy to proceed from Semi Final 1, we predict.

Party Swedes - welcome!

Get ready for Eurovision's sweetest disappearance act! Here comes Sweden.

Forgetting about the annoying opera chick that couldn't keep her secret last year, Sweden has a long and shiny history in Eurovision. Considering all the noisy, self conscious, trashy Swedes that tend to overpopulate Oslo's restaurants, shops and bars, it is actually amazing how much we love Sweden when it comes to this contest. Guess all the great folks stay at home. There is Ola Salo and the rest of the glam rockers in The Ark, the ABBA people, Lill Lindfors, Lill-Babs, Kikki Danielson, Charlotte Nilsson/Charlotte Perelli and their likings. No one knows how to party like them and no one knows how to make a better Eurovision performance. And then of course there is the queen of wind machines Carola - she has after all delivered some of the best performances ever with Främling and Fångad av en stormvind. Too bad she went all wacko, but we choose to leave that story out of Eurovision and just never invite her back again.

This year's Anna Bergendahl is probably one of the cutest contestants with her blond curls, intense eyes, blushy cheeks and sweet dress quirkily paired with a pair of red converse. We like the bluegrassy feel of this song and her deep voice. We did like the fact that she played an acoustic guitar too, but hey, where does it go after the first verse? We haven't got a clue, but can't wait to see this happening live. Disappearing guitars are after all more rare than disappearing skirts at these parties. Anyways, we think Anna has a great voice, but the song is probably a little bit too boring and repetitive to reach the highest scores. Being a Swedish diva has been proven to work before, though.

One of the most famous graffiti tags in Oslo is a message telling all Party Swedes to go home. We, however, wish you welcome - because we know you have some good people for us, and we can't wait to meet them.

Romania is back in the game!

Romania was on to something in ESC a few years back, making top 5 two years in a row with "Let Me Try" and "Tornerò" in 2005 and 2006. And we thank them for bringing the Italian language back into Eurovision, we so wish that Italy would return to the competition, but that´s a completely different story. Since then Romania seem to have lost their way a bit, but this year they´re back with a vengeance!

For us Norwegians there´s so many countries to cheer for this year, and Romania is one of them because of Ovi, the Rumanian/Norwegian guy from the paradise beaches of Jæren, on the southwestern tip of Norway. Surfs up! Ovi has joined forces with the fab Paula Seling and what a team they make. This pair will set Telenor Arena on fire with their sassy bloke vs chick duel, and we love the double black ´n white grand pianos. Whatever you do Ovi and Paula, please keep these grand pianos for your performance in Oslo!

Hurray for Romania, and welcome to the final!

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!

Let Balkan entertain you!

Finally - a group of people that will only make you gay. This is Balkan!

Balkan has a great Eurovision history of bringing the entertainment. From Serbia we've had greatness from Mako Kon last year and the quiet lesbo in 2007, who strangely enough also was kinda entertaining. Not bad for a country in it's fifth year of participation. And is there more yet to come!

You just have to smile from the first glance of lead singer Milan Stankovic.He just looks so strange and cool and sweet and beautiful and happy that we want him to be the most honored guest at every party from here to eternity. The music fits him perfectly. First you think it is a little bit too weird, too much of a circus, too much of a clash of styles. But then it stops and you just want to watch it all over again. And again. And again. In fact you are so hooked on it you just ask yourself how much alcohol was really in the milk you had for breakfast. Just add fantastic dancers that remind you of Rybak's Frikar, and happiness is fulfilled. Oh, what joy that someone puts on their national costumes and do the real show with rapping and singing and crazy dancing and Balkan orchestras and bending of the knees while looking as happy as Sesame Street Big Bird on speed. It only makes us gay in any sense of the word.

This is Balkan. And we love you, Balkan. We just do. Let's go all go to bed and stay there.

Existentialism is the new black

Latvia’s journey trough Eurovision history has been a rocky road. In a decade they have given us everything from a winning act in 2002 to the most appalling rubbish with their pirates back in 2008. We don’t care much about Marie N’s latino flirt, but wouldn’t mind flirting with Renārs Kaupers from Brainstorm or the cutiepies Walters and Kazha, some of our all time ESC favorites!

This year Latvia has decided to shed some light on the big questions in life. The kind of questions you ask yourself when you wake up on New Year’s Day with a huge hammer inside your head and ski jumping from Garmisch-Partenkirchen on the telly in the background. Nothing can feel more meaningless than to watch Poland’s second best ski jumper reach 112.5 meters on a day like that. So does it really make more sense to watch Aisha on stage with her crew doing the laundry? In our opinion yes! You see, we kind of have a thing for artists who manage to take domestic chores to a higher level. Bosnia Herzegovina did the same on stage in 2008 and we can hardly wait to see someone doing the dishes or showing us some decent hoovering. Apparently, Aisha has announced that there will be changes to the performance before Oslo so we can only hope for something spectacular, the suspense is killing us!

Will Latvia reach the final this year? How should we know, ask Mr. God!

Come party with us at Club Latter!

Today, Good Evening, Europe!! has the pleasure of launching some great news! We have hooked up with Club Latter in Oslo to throw the most glamourous and fun party during Eurovision week and you´re invited! So Dear Reader, come join us and get yourself ready for a night of ESC extravaganza on Wednesday 26th of May!

Of course nothing sounds better to us than partying in the most fabulous club at Aker Brygge in Oslo - a house dedicated to champagne, glamour and classy company. We can hardly wait to share the fantastic programme for the night with you, but we will keep it a secret just a tiny tad longer.

Just save the date already and stay tuned on our blog. And in case you are still in doubt - book a ticket for Oslo in May, dig up your finest feathers, your LBD or sharpest suit, and be prepared to say Good Evening to Europe in the most glamorous way possible!

Different strokes for different folks

Moldova introduced themselves to the ESC universe in 2005 with a drumming grandma, and it was love at first sight. Why on earth do we not see more psychedelic, ska funk rock in this competition, we wonder! Since then the Moldovans have been trough an impressive variety of music genres and most importantly given valuable contributions when it comes to costumes and props. They have shown up on stage in bikinis, bridal gowns and thorn up garbage bags, with mohawks, body paint, teddy bears and outfits in the gross color combination orange/purple. You just gotta love it!

This year is no exception, Moldova do not disappoint us. There´s so much action on stage during this number that we could have sworn to have seen at least 50 people there! The lead singer, Olia Tira, shows up in a "skirt" that would probably make even Lady Gaga blush, and there's fiddle and saxophone playing going on like there's no tomorrow. Throw in a couple of b-boys of a rather dubious quality, rotating stage components and a tam-tam gong and you got yourself a smorgosbord to feast on into the wee hours. After scrambling around in an ocean of sulky ballads for quite a while now, this is our party island!

We end up feeling a bit dizzy over the whole shabang, but this is after all one of the symptoms of having sunstroke. Note to self, bring sunscreen and a glamorous sombrero to Telenor Arena, and we should be fine, we recon!

Hot stuff of Israel

Now who would have thought Israelis are the new hotties of this world?

Israel always makes it a little bit hard to silence our political minds in this game. Needless to say, we do not digg their somewhat party pooping government, and their participation did made our young minds geographically confused back in the days. No wonder they have been willing to give us some strong contestants.

Viva la Diva Dana International forever and Amen to being dressed in hippie clothing and singing Hallelujahs in the late 70s. Pushing the button and being ethnochic a la the 80s also worked. Really, there is enough good Eurovision stuff to kill all other tension.

This year's entry makes no exception. Harel Skaat is probably one of our very own Didrik Solli-Tangen's hardest contenders in winning the votes of the UHDE - United Desperate Housewives of Europe. He is even among the hottest guys of Eurovision ever, we'd say, with his relaxed suit, sharp face and intense brown eyes. Just lose the weird necklace and learn the twinkling of eyes from Didrik, and he has us right where he wants. The song is a nice and sweet ballad, and we do like that he sings in Hebrew, but maybe it is a little bit too nice and forgettable. We do also miss some more variety throughout the number.

Still, though, we will for sure enjoy watching Harel in Telenor Arena. We even hope he reaches the final - if only for the chance to enjoy a sight for sore eyes as much as possible <3

It's our kind of funk!

Finally Lithuania defines their eastbound position in the ESC. It's the Eastern European kind of funk, baby!

Lithuania have really delievered some horrible power ballads and Eurotrash pop since they started participating in 1994, but they did also give us fun stuff like "We are the winners" and "Happy You", so we never gave up hoping for better days yet to come.

And boy, did the better day come. If you don't love five hunky men in tight, checkered pants doing their partydance, you are just not made for Eurovision. This is all we need in Telenor Arena: Someone to dance with, sing along with and drool over at the same time. It's catchy, funny and crazy. Playing the kazoo and bright colored instruments while claiming to like it rough is an excellent idea.

So be it that they are not really in sync with their moves or singing. They change from pants to disco hotpants for Christ's sake! This is the Chippendales and the Village People of Eastern Europe. And it is the Eastern European kind of funk. Yay! Why didn't anyone teach us that before?