Results tagged “2010” from Boom Bang a Blog

The view outside my window at about 8.20 this morning

It wasn't a pretty sight in our spare room at two minutes to eight this morning. There I was in my dressing gown nervously clicking the 'book now' link on the webpage of the Norwegian agency looking after the tickets for this year's Eurovision Song Contest final.

I was advised by fellow fans in the pub yesterday to take the first tickets you're offered as there's no guarantee you'll be offered any others in the 10-minute-ish window they're available. It took a fair few clicks and a lot of patience to get to the booking page, but by jove, I made it. A few credit card details later, and our four-strong expedition to Oslo will all be sat in the same block (which has a fantastic view of the stage!), but not quite all together.

So, that's flights, accommodation and tickets to the actual shebang sorted.

For the first time in seven years, I have a Contest to go to.

Chanée & N'evergreen. A Bardo for the 21st Century

Tonight's national finals have drawn to a close. In the end, I watched Norway choose its song as there's not much point watching Melodifestivalen until the night of the final, which is still five weeks away. Well, I don't wish to sound boastful, but Didrik Solli Tangen did win in Norway (as predicted) and Hera Bjork brought home the bacon in Iceland, which was another Boom Bang a Blog tip from this morning (see the post below to hear the songs).

The only one not called in spot-on fashion was Denmark. The web favourite Bryan Rice finished in second place, letting the poptastic antics of Chanée and Tomas N'evergreen fly the red-and-white flag in Olso with the song In a Moment Like This. Boom Bang a Blog has to confess to developing a real affection for this from just the first listen, it certainly has the *something* that Hera's Je Ne Sais Quoi is unlikely to ever have. I still think ole Did' will score the highest out of everything chosen tonight, though. What do you think?

Good morning Boom Bang a Bloggers. I've had my porridge with blueberries in and sweated buckets whilst attempting lunges and torso twists on the Wii Fit so here I am, relaxed and refreshed with news of the treats coming your way this evening - and how to see them over the web.

Yes, this very night, Iceland, Denmark and 2010 hosts Norway will choose the songs which will go forth to the Eurovision stage in late May under each nation's respective flag. Not only that, but the biggest national final of them all - Melodifestivalen - has the first of its five weekly qualifying rounds in Sweden tonight. In around six weeks, we should know the full line-up for Eurovision 2010. But before all that, here are Boom Bang a Blog's predictions.

The songs taking part in many of the national finals of the 39 competing countries in Oslo are now becoming known. One of the more interesting choices is this one from Romania.

Luminita Anghel finished third in the 2005 Contest and is joined here by Tony Thomas and Adrian Piper for a song called Save Their Lives (In Memoriam Michael Jackson).

Would it be cruel to suggest that this is a cynical way of earning votes from the many, many Jacko fans dotted across the continent if this gets picked for Norway - or is it genuinely written from the heart?

This is one of the latest pieces of perfest pop by UK group The Ultrasonics.

And on their Facebook page today the pair hinted at a secret meeting at the BBC, involving Pete Waterman, Terry Wogan and a lot more that they couldn't say.

Considering Terry's not involved anymore, are they taking the proverbial? Or is this rather heartening news for the U of K?

Finland 2010: And doesn't it just scream 'winner' at you?

The Finnish national final finished last night and the band Kuunkuiskaajat, fronted by sisters who bring to mind thoughts of those dreadfully tuneless twins for Your Country Needs You last year, will be giving it laldy in Norway with the rather unusual number Työlki Ellää.

It starts off rather folky, as though someone's decided to get an especially lacklustre wedding reception going with a bit of a sing-song round the accordion and there are certaimly signs of it having the desired effect among the audience members.

But is it a winner? Or even a song which will qualify to the final itself form the semi? There are still too many songs to be picked to make any concrete predictions, but let's just say that after clicking 'save' on this particular blog entry I won't be dashing to ladbrokes.com for a cheeky flutter.

And they look like such charming young ladies as well. So cruel.

It was announced by the BBC this morning that successful record producer Pete Waterman, the man who steered Kylie, Rick Astley and Steps - among others - to chart success will be behind this year's British entry to the Eurovision Song Contest.

Although the smart money (based on tabloid and supposed insider rumour) before the official press release was let loose into the ether had either Gary Barlow, Cathy Dennis or even Elton John pencilled in for the job, there is already some confusion over whether Pete will actually be writing the song, or collaborating with another composer/s and putting some studio expertise and polish on their work. It sounds a bit like the way Andrew Lloyd Webber worked with American songwriter Diane Warren on It's My Time last year.

UPDATE: Sorry, everyone. The BBC won't be revealing any news until 'early on Friday morning' now. I do hope the composer isn't getting cold feet...


First Andy Murray gets through to the final of the Australian Open and then someone on BBC Eurovision's twittering team announces that today's the day we learn the details of the UK selection for the 2010 Contest. What a sterling morning's work for Le Royaume Uni.

Past experience has led Boom Bang a Blog never to get all that excited about these announcements. Don't forget, the year we could have had Morrissey, we ended up with Scooch. However, with Your Country Needs You looking a certainty for this year's selection process once more - it's likely the identity of a well-known composer who's agreed to take on Mission Oslo will be the thrust of the imminent press release.

BBaB has its fingers crossed for Gary Barlow or Cathy Dennis. BBaB is also hoping and praying that the job hasn't gone to a former Big Brother contestant who knows how to hum quite well, or someone who last had a hit before Britain went decimal.

As soon as it's announced, we'll bring you full details and a personal reaction. Time's a ticking down...

He really does sound genuine. Hmm...

A big thank you to Anita Kinky for this tip off; Hirsute Bristolian Justin Lee Collins appeared on the legendary Irish programme The Late Late Show last week to discuss his (serious) quest to represent said nation at this year's Eurovision Song Contest.

This has been mentioned on Boom Bang a Blog before - Justin is working on a documentary for channel Five in the UK about representing a country at Eurovision and in a real case of hedging his bets he's been all over the place trying to ease his way onto the shortlist for a national final. Estonia and Andorra were two of the countries he visited - but Estonia has published its final shortlist of songs and it is definitely a Lee Collins-free zone, while Andorra won't even be in Oslo due to monetary concerns.

What do you think? Would you give Justin a go? I'd especially like to know what readers in Ireland think...

Popstar Queen - disqualified from the Spanish preselection. Tsk.

As you may remember from a previous blogpost, Spanish TV invited potential acts for this year's Eurovision to submit potentail winners online, which the public will then whittle down from the 313-strong (yes, that's 313) longlist via an internet vote to the 10 songs which will be performed in Spain's national final soon.

This is the same process that they've used in the past two years, one producing a comedy song about chickens and the other a run-of-the-mill pop thing which finished way down the bottom of the scoreboard in Moscow.

But in the past 24 hours, four songs have been eliminated from the preliminary round for not playing by the rules. Naughtiness has its price - and these cheeky singers are paying.

Pavel Turcu's Imm Eurovision. He really did just send in a photo with the song in the background.

Eurovision 2010 has created its first superstar. And the irony is, he'll probably wind up far more well-known and wealthy than whoever lifts the trophy at the end of the voting in Oslo on May 29. When Moldovan television put out the call for anyone - absolutely anyone - watching to submit a song for this year's national final, they received one video audition which has created a national sensation. Pavel Turcu is the security guard who is being called Moldova's answer to Susan Boyle after his effort for Oslo , Imm Eurovision, spread like wildfire over the web.

Swiss representative Michael von der Heide revealed his entry on live TV last night. The Swiss Music Awards gave him the opportunity to perform Il Pleut de l'or to an expectant crowd for the first time - and give a clarion call to all those with telephones to put Switzerland into the Eurovision final for the first time since 2006.

As you may have noticed in the comments section of Boom Bang a Blog (thanks to Closet Eurovision Geekette) Il Pleut de l'or does indeed translate as 'The Golden Shower'.

It's best I don't dig any deeper there, but I can't help but think a title/lyric tweak might be on the cards when word gets around about the potentially embarrassing translations any English-speaking commentators will be making on the night.

Saying that, I've listed to Il Pleut de l'or a few times now and it just sounds like a very weak Bond theme. What do you make of it, BBaBers?

Snowed in? Got a reliable internet conenction? Like Eurovision? If that sounds like you, then Boom Bang a Blog has something which will warm your cockles in this very brrrr-y weather.

Tonight sees the first round of Melodi Grand Prix, the national final of reigning Eurovision champs, Norway. Held in the main aircraft base of Ørland, seven songs will be fighting for the two available spots at the grand final in Olso on February 6. The songs in third and fourth place will go into a second chance round.

It's a right mix of songs and styles, with snippets of the septet available to listen to on NRK (Norwegian TV)'s website.

Happy New Year Boom Bang a Bloggers! What with the festive season and everything to be getting along with, it has become apparent that some bits of breaking news in the World of Eurovision have been neglected. For that I can only apologise. And now rectify.

Someone's had their Britney album on repeat.

The Albanians must be cursing the quick-off-the-mark Dutch. It has now become traditional for Albania to be the first to announce its entrant for the coming Eurovision via its long-running Festival i Kenges, always held in late December.

However, Juliana Pasha's Nuk Mundem Pa Ty is the first fully-formed Eurovision entry for 2010 to which we can allow our lugholes to become accustomed. This was by no means the favourite to represent Albania. Last year's entrant, Kejsi Tola, was back in the line-up but faded to seventh, while Albania's inaugural singer at the Contest back in 2004, Anjeza Shahini, was the hot favourite to take the ticket but wound up with silver.

Boom Bang a Blog did watch a bit of the festival via the internet, but to be honest, I switched it off when Cranford started.

According to this report in the Metro today, former Never Mind the Buzzcocks host, most amusing comedian and accomplished musician Bill Bailey would love to represent the UK at Eurovision.

He submitted a song for the 2009 competition (which would have been pointless, as it was made clear very early on that Andrew Lloyd Webber was writing it) called Put the Light Out Mr Hodges, an eco-anthem about climate change. The BBC rejected it, calling it "too silly" (at least they've learned since Scooch).

He need only have read the Bluffer's Guide to Eurovision 1990 to realise he was onto nothing with that theme. However, his comment about his song being better than the load of old nonsense the UK usually sends and comes last with is a bit pointless now. Blighty was top five in Moscow.

I saw Bill perform one of the funniest live shows I have ever seen at the Edinburgh Festival in 2000. He is, let's make no bones about it, one of the funniest men in Britain. But Bill, just as I would not take a chainsaw to the musical instruments you cherish so dear, please don't enter this Contest just because you want to make it an extension of your act.

However, if you really must - can you please use your considerable musical acumen to compose a song that isn't a mickey take?

Some very, very original ideas are bubbling away in the minds of television companies across the continent in the run-up to the 2010 Eurovision Song Contest.

For a start, the Spanish have just launched their search for a song which will end 40 years of Eurovision heartache. It's called Tu País te Necesita and for the non-Spanish speaking among Boom Bang a Blog's readers, that translates as Your Country Needs You.

Where did they get that idea from?

Belgium has joined Bulgaria in being another country beginning with 'B' to announce its entrant for Eurovision 2010. Carrying the hopes of a nation on his shoulders is a young chap by the name of Tom Dice, who was runner-up in his homeland's version of Pop Idol. We don't know much else about Belgium's plans so far - but if you want to hear Tom in action, this link will take you to his version of Leona Lewis' Bleeding Love.

But isn't that a girl's song?

It has been reported in at least one British tabloid today that Take Thatter Gary Barlow (secret husband of Deidre) will write (or co-write) the UK entry for the 2010 Eurovision Song Contest in Oslo.

Mind you, the same report suggests he's writing it for former Blue member Duncan James, but since he'll be in a West End musical on the same dates that Eurovision is taking place and a casting company has already been inviting people to audition for Your Country Needs You II, there are no guarantees that this particular piece of speculation will realise itself in reality.

But if it is true, and Gary is reading this - something like Shine would be brilliant Gary, something like Love Ain't Here Anymore less so...