Results tagged “2009” from Boom Bang a Blog

If you pop in here regularly, you'll have heard mention of the Advent Calendar on my other Eurovision website, Whoops Dragovic. Behind Door 13 of this year's calendar are the first 14 of 42 Top Trumps cards, based on all the entrants of this year's Contest in Moscow. You'll find some examples below.

The remaining 28 cards are split into two sets and can be found behind different doors on the Advent Calendar. Once you have all 42 cards, imagine the fun you and your pals could have for, ooh, about seven minutes before getting bored.

And no, I'm not telling you which doors the other cards are behind. Where would the fun be in that? ;o)

Spain didn't broadcast their allocated semi-final of this year's Eurovision Song Contest live, due to a sporting event. As they were contractually obliged to do so, the European Broadcasting Union has given them a ticking off.

On a more political note, Azeri telly was fined 2,700 euros for blurring the number viewers had to call to vote for the Armenian entry, interfering with the TV signal whilst the Armenian act was performing and then the small matter of the police taking Azeri citizens who voted for Armenia in for questioning after checking their mobile phone details.

Surely that sort of behaviour deserves more than a 2,700 euro fine? And Azerbaijan is being allowed back in for 2010.

It makes you think.

I wasn't actually in to watch the Junior Eurovision Song Contest last night - I was at a cult telly thing in Birmingham - so I am very pleased to report this morning that the winner was the Netherlands. Hurrah! That's the first Eurovisiony thing they've won in my lifetime, their last victory being 1975 in the main event with Teach-In and Ding Dinge Dong.

Ralf wins Junior Eurovision 2009 for the Netherlands with Click Clack.

Just like the Grown Up Contest, the JESC uses both a jury score and the televotes from the public to determine the winner and that seems to have broken the stranglehold Eastern Europe has had on this event in particular - Russia and Armenia tied for second place and Belgium came fourth.

This bodes well for Proper Eurovision, if a country that hasn't had a whiff of the trophy engraver's apron for more then three decades can come out on top again.

You can be forgiven for not knowing that there's another Eurovision going on this weekend - because not many countries seem to want to enter it. The seventh edition of the Junior version of our favourite Contest takes place in the Ukrainian capital on Saturday night but despite the high hopes the EBU had for the event when it began in 2003, just 13 nations will be lining up in Kyiv's Palace of Sports (the same place that Proper Eurovision was staged in 2005) to have a go at winning the trophy, with the majority of entrants coming from Eastern Europe.

Rumours abounded over the weekend that Jade Ewen could be the next Sugababe.

Our Girl in Moscow could put the solo career on hold to replace departing 'Babe Amelle Berrabah according to this report here.

However, according to this report here - the whole story is a load of hogwash.

Interesting stuff - but it's also an indication that Jade's solo career post Eurovision hasn't been much to get excited about. Which is a bit of a shame.

UPDATE: It was confirmed this morning that Jade IS a new Sugababe, but taking over from the only remaining original member, Keisha Buchanan and not Amella Berrabah. What do you think? The Sugababes are getting more and more unpopular with each passing album - is it a wise move on Jade's part to sign up?

You may recall a Boom Bang a Blog post about members of the Azeri populace being taken in for questioning about the fact they cast televotes for Armenia during this year's Eurovision Song Contest.

The European Broadcasting Union investigated the incident, which appears to fly in the face of the spirit of the event, and has released this statement:

The EBU committee responsible for running the Eurovision Song Contest, the so-called Reference Group, examined the matter at a meeting in Oslo on 11 September 2009 and decided to amend the rules of the Eurovision Song Contest to hold the participating broadcaster strictly liable for any disclosure of information which could be used to identify voters*. The new rule aims to ensure that voters' privacy is respected, and if it is not the EBU will be in a position to impose appropriate sanctions on the offending broadcaster.

* The regulations governing the previous editions of the Eurovision Song Contest imposed an obligation on the telecom companies involved in the televoting to respect the privacy of the voters. However, the EBU does not have an ability to impose sanctions on them, therefore the new rule was developed.

So basically, they've been told not to do it again - or next time, there'll be a rule in place to stop 'em.

Your thoughts?

Intriguing news from one of Boom Bang a Blog's Hull-based correspondents.

This year's UK entrant, Jade Ewen, was at this event at the weekend, where the line-up also included recently nodded-to 1979 competitors Black Lace.

Despite Jade bursting forth onto the world stage with It's My Time via Your Country Needs You, Ms Ewen didn't perform it at the show (fair enough, she's not obliged to), but introduced the song she did perform, My Man, as her first single.

This single has never been on general sale to the public.

First? First? Are we missing something here? This sounds more like a record company banning Jade from mentioning the 'E' word than anything else, but then again, a fair few of the crowd that day would have turned out to see her based on that brief sojourn to Russia four months ago.

If her Twitter feed is anything to go by, Jade Ewen's follow-up single to My Time, called My Man, hasn't made it onto the Radio 1 playlist.

If that's true, it's a bit of a shame, considering her rise to fame is a product of a talent show organised by ther very corporation which runs the station in question.

This does sound like yet another 'don't touch a Eurovision singer with a bargepole' approach that the UK is particularly notorious for. A bit of a shame, as the song is a million miles away from her Andrew Lloyd Webber-penned Contest entry - but stills sounds very MTV-friendly. Perhaps if My Man climbs the charts, they'll change their minds.

Long-term readers of Boom Bang a Blog will remember Chris Knight, who filed some rather good reports and interviews from Belgrade in the run up to last year's Eurovision.

As well as liking song contests, Chris is also dead keen on the great outdoors and BBaB is happy to report that the group Mr Knight is a leading member of, Outdoor Lads, won the Best Float trophy in the parade at this year's Pride, held in Manchester over the Bank Holiday weekend.

Chris is in the safari suit colours in the middle of this photo. Well done to him and all the other Outdoor Lads. You can find out a bit more about the group, an outdoor pursuits group that's just for the boys, here.

Boom Bang a Blog was also at Pride this year. Tragically, I didn't have a float from which I could proudly wave a 12ftx12ft placard of John Siddle standing next to Alexander Rybak while dressed as Katie Boyle, although I did see the woman who plays Lilian in Shameless having a chat with Anthony Crank on the big stage - and danced to Bucks Fizz after too many shandies.

So, a fairly successful day all round, then.

If this report about Azerbaijanis who voted for the Armenian act (pictured below) during this year's Eurovision being taken in for questioning by the authorities regarding their national loyalties is true, it's a disgrace.

Despite its ridiculous songs, nonsensical lyrics, questionable fashions and over the top choreography, the one thing Eurovision gets so right each year is that it makes 200 million people sit down in front of the gogglebox for three-and-a-half hours and be nothing but entertained.

To use it to prove a political point isn't just completely aginst the spirit of the thing, its downright ludicrous.

What next? Everyone who voted for Ireland must automatically be a member of the Daniel O'Donnell fan club?

We didn't see it, but apparently, 2009 UK entrant Jade Ewen sang the national anthem ahead of the Chelsea/Man U charity shield match at Wembley today.

Hope our girl didn't get prodded by stray violin bow during her latest big moment.

Long-term Boom Bang a Blog checker-innerers will remember John Siddle (pictured, right), Southport muso and football fan who is responsible for the very successful Siddle's Sandgrounders blog.

I'm incredibly grateful to Mr Sidders for thinking about BBaB while on holiday in Stavanger. Taking a quick break from his trip, he managed to record an interview with 2009 Eurovision Song Contest champ, Alexander Rybak.

Find out how he felt as those 12s came rolling in for his self-penned song - Fairytale - from every corner of the continent, what tips he has for the UK to win again - and listen as he learns what 'in at the deep end' means.

You can hear John's interview as a streaming file in the player below.

Or download it, so you listen to Alexander's musings as you stroll about town with your MP3 plugged into your lugholes. Boom Bang a Blog does urge you to watch out for incoming traffic if you choose this course of action.

Download the interview here (right click and save)

THE European Broadcasting Union has released the full details of the split between the jury votes and the public televotes at this year's Eurovision Song Contest.

Jade Ewen and the UK finished fifth overall, but that's a combination of the juries having My Time in third place out of the 25 songs - but the public only placing it 10th once all the phone votes were added up.

Winners Norway came out top with both the juries and the public, but there are real discrepancies with France (4th with the juries, 17th with the public) and Israel (9th for the juries and 25th/last with the public).

However, big thanks from the UK to the juries in Greece, Portugal, FYR Macedonia, Serbia, Spain and Albania. The wise folk in each of these gave Blighty the full 12. Aren't they nice?

The full article on the official Eurovision webpage is here for you to have a closer look at who liked what - and if any politics did indeed come into play.

I grew up in Moreton in Wirral. It had a market called 'Moreton Market'. Imagine my childish glee, therefore, when a band became a global phenomenon in 1985 with a lead singer called 'Morten Harket'. Well, I was only eight years old.

Moreton Market no longer exists (by that name, anyway), but A-Ha and its lead singer most definitely do. Twenty-four years after the still-remarkable Take On Me video, Morten and his two chums are back with a new album, Foot of the Mountain, the title track of which is getting loads of airplay at the moment with its Brit-friendly vibe.

The BBC News website currently carries an interview with the lads. They touch upon the recent success of Alexander Rybak at this year's Eurovision Song Contest - and Morten's own brush with the Concours de la Chanson 13 years ago. You can read all about it right here.

Soraya, Spain's 2009 entrant, who finished last in the final in Moscow

A poll in Spanish newspaper El de Cordoba has shown that 68 per cent of those asked want the country to pull out of the Eurovision Song Contest. Just 20 per cent of those asked think Spanish telly should carry on having a go at the competition and we don't really know what the other 12 per cent thought. Presumably, they're more interested in how the footie team is getting on.

The lack of love for the event appears to stem from Spain's failure to come even close to claiming the trophy since the 1960s. But should winning be the only reason a country continues to enter the Contest? Is it worth staying at home while everyone else goes on a fun jaunt to the host city? If the UK hadn't had a return to form this year - would you have wanted the BBC to withdraw?

As always, we're glad of your comments.

This may seem like an innocuous piece of news, but believe Boom Bang a Blog, it doesn't happen very often. Jade Ewen, the silky-voiced songstress who finished a well-fought fifth for Blighty in Moscow in May is back with her follow-up single. It's rather rare for UK representatives, especially unknowns, to have any sort of new material to come back at the tune-buying public with so soon after their Eurovision adventures.

This couldn't be more different to It's My Time - except both titles do have one word in common. The single is My Man, it got its first play (plus an interview with the lady herself) by Trevor Nelson on his Radio 1 show at the weekend, couldn't be further away than her Eurovision entry in terms of beats per minute - and you can't help but think this is more the type of music our girl wanted to get into the industry to record.

A further report on Jade's latest musical endeavours, plus a link to My Man, can be found here.

What do you think of My Man? Boom Bang a Blog always likes to peruse through your comments, be they good or bad.

There's a really interesting article here about the adventures of digital journalist Ewan Spence at this year's Contest in Moscow and how his reports, tweets and podcasts became preferable to many web users over the official coverage from the BBC.

Maybe it's time Boom Bang a Blog made its way to the Contest proper.

I'll have to ask me mum.

A report here shows exactly how much staging the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest cost Russian television.

Let's hope nobody at the BBC sees it. With the latest news about cost-cutting all round at the Corporation, Auntie will offer Jemini a golden handcuff deal to be our entrant for the next five years to completely avoid any chance of winning.

It's murder on the dancefloor. Well, not quite, but Boom Bang a Blog must share with its readers the grave(ish) news that the 2009 edition of the Eurovision Dance Contest has been cancelled.

With the UK staging the event's first two editions, but not doing especially well on the scoreboard in either of them, the keenest new member of the Euro family - Azerbaijan - was set to welcome everyone to Baku in September for the third edition of the competition.

There's just one problem. The Dance Contest just hasn't caught on in the way the EBU bosses hoped, so the organisers weren't able to get enough participant countries signing up to justify the show going ahead.

Word is the Azeris will still host the show, albeit next year, with a major shake-up of how the dancing edition of the Contest is executed worked on in the interim.

But don't be surprised if the idea gets executed altogether.

Well, who'd have thunk it. This year's Eurovision winner, Fairytale performed by Alexander Rybak, has made the UK Top 10. The pixie-faced fiddler was at number 10 on the official Radio One chart, announced yesterday.

The trophy scooper is wedged between Lady GaGa and Ironik fetauring Chipmunk and Elton John (how nice for him), while Jade Ewen managed number 27 with It's My Time - not bad for a song more suited to the Contest than the charts.

That's two Eurovision entries in the UK top 30. As far as Boom Bang a Blog is aware, you'd have to go back to the event's salad days of the 1970s to find songs from the Contest migrating from the scoreboard into the British charts. The peak was 1974, when the top three songs from the Contest held in Brighton (winners ABBA, Italy's runner-up Gigliola Cinquetti and Mouth & McNeal for the Netherlands) all made the UK Top 10.

We're not quite back to those days, but it's an encouraging sign for any UK songwriter who wants to have a bash next year.