EUROVISION SONG CONTEST 2008

[nomizo31]

GREECE!!! hahaha Kalomira is not the best singer in the world by far hehe but i think she commands attention well - if we get lucky we might do okay hehehe

but i will watch of course! ^^

[Kaiouforever]

I'm rooting for Greece too! Kalomoira has a great personality, I hope she can do a great performance! ^_^ A lot of the entries sound good this year, I'm expecting a lot from this year's competition!

[XFER]

Did anyone watch the first semifinal? Obviously San Marino deserved to pass to the finals, but what did we get? Horrible Armenian song, Bosnia and Norway qualified?? Horrible!

[*Petit*]

^
LOL many people posted those songs as their favourites.

Personally I think greece was catchy and it may win. I like the armenian song better though, much less traditional and much more catchy. I'd love to hear it in a club.

[xLuna&1LOVE]

I saw our Hind, she ever was third of the Idols competition... But I hate this song..
And that puppet and Poland were... too bad..
I guess I don't like someone...
Well, Greech had the best song.

[Cyria]

Huh, Finland is in the finals. I thought we'd never manage it again, especially not with a song that's in Finnish.

[Foxxy_Fuyumi]

No one likes Portugal - Senhora do Mar?
Cause I dont LOL
Here in Portugal in the finals there were such amazing artists and then the winner was Vania.
BLERGH

[LizBrazil]

I watched it too. I liked the first two songs, Finland and the one with the bridemaids & the laundry (the act was stupid, the song rather catchy).
Like every year, we weren't selected.
Really - no offence - but the last years it are always the East-European countries that go to the final. I think Eurosong has become more the playground for politics than for chosing a good song.
But, I liked the song that won last year. In my country, people didn't like it "because it's sang in a language they don't understand". If a song isn't sang in English or their own language, then they don't like it.
I always listen to the music and to the way that the voice fits the song (eg: sweet voice with a love song, ...) first and then I decide if I like the song or not. When I find the lyrics (in English) afterwards, then - most of the time - I like the song even better, like "Love in the Ice" (TOHOSHINKI) and "Together when..." (Ayu).

[zoomzoom]

Originally Posted by YUIAyuNamieUtada

Really - no offence - but the last years it are always the East-European countries that go to the final. I think Eurosong has become more the playground for politics than for chosing a good song.

I'm pretty tired of all western countries excusing their horrible songs with "the eastern mafia" who vote for each other. Fact is that the Eastern countries just take it more seriously and send better songs. Most of the time, the western countries don't even try and send the biggest crap of the whole contest.

[LizBrazil]

Originally Posted by zoomzoom

I'm pretty tired of all western countries excusing their horrible songs with "the eastern mafia" who vote for each other. Fact is that the Eastern countries just take it more seriously and send better songs. Most of the time, the western countries don't even try and send the biggest crap of the whole contest.

I'm not saying that the eastern countries get all their votes by these politics, but I think most of it. Western countries do the same: my country, for example, always votes for "The Netherlands" and they always vote for us, "Belgium". Do you think that all the people in Belgium would vote every year for the same country and always giving 12 points? I'm pretty sure that people vote for other countries instead, but they (The Netherlands) always get the 12 points. I mean, when you watch the results, you know before who is going to give 12 points to who (Russia to Belarus and Belarus to Russia, etc.) Eurovision is just game of these politics and not of chosing the song that whole Europe likes.
Alright, Dustin the Turkey was crap and wasn't serious, but not every western country sends a crappy song (like Finland).
I'm not defending the song of my country, I like it, but other people in my country think it's crap; it depends on your taste in music.
I gave up on European and especially on American music a year ago, when I started to listen to Japanese music. Like I said before, there ARE eastern songs that I like (like the first two and the laundry one), but you can't deny that the whole eurovision contest is a game of politics; just like most things in our lifes that are controlled by politics but we don't know of.

[zoomzoom]

Originally Posted by YUIAyuNamieUtada

I'm not saying that the eastern countries get all their votes by these politics, but I think most of it. Western countries do the same: my country, for example, always votes for "The Netherlands" and they always vote for us, "Belgium". Do you think that all the people in Belgium would vote every year for the same country and always giving 12 points? I'm pretty sure that people vote for other countries instead, but they (The Netherlands) always get the 12 points. I mean, when you watch the results, you know before who is going to give 12 points to who (Russia to Belarus and Belarus to Russia, etc.) Eurovision is just game of these politics and not of chosing the song that whole Europe likes.
Alright, Dustin the Turkey was crap and wasn't serious, but not every western country sends a crappy song (like Finland).
I'm not defending the song of my country, I like it, but other people in my country think it's crap; it depends on your taste in music.
I gave up on European and especially on American music a year ago, when I started to listen to Japanese music. Like I said before, there ARE eastern songs that I like (like the first two and the laundry one), but you can't deny that the whole eurovision contest is a game of politics; just like most things in our lifes that are controlled by politics but we don't know of.

I think the right song won the past 5 years, and pretty much thought the ones in the top 5's were deserved. Are you saying they only got there because of their neighbors?

I seriously don't think people watch it and vote for a country regardless of the song. There is some neighbor voting, but only because a lot of neighboring countries have same tastes.

I get annoyed when western newspapers whine about "the eastern mafia" when infact, the western countries voted for the eastern countries themselves. Again, eastern countries just take it more seriously and produce higher quality music. Plus, a western country won as early as 2006.

[*Petit*]

^
^

I don't think it's all politics, but also due to the fact that a song from the neighbouring contry is much more accessible to the the general public. It's much cheaper for an artist to tour neighbouring countries, the language is more often than not much more understandable, esp in the german (dutch scandinavian, suiss german etc etc), latin (italian, spanish, french) and sounthern, western and eastern slavic (macedonian, russian, polish, croatian etc) areas, also the popular music also is different in these areas, something a quick youtube search should prove.

I never really "gave up" on western musci, but I will admit that I was sorely looking for good and catchy music when japanese music came along. I didn't have any access to anime, manga or anything prior to listening to it. Simultaneously I discovered chinese and indian music but it didn't appeal to me as much.

About the songs: Yes, it's about taste mostly, but you still can't ignore tha fact that a big portion of them are very very schematic and traditional pop songs without even the slightest attempt of doing something new or standing out. I don't remember all the songs from the first semi final, but there were at least three - five songs falling into the "demi tempo disco verse bridge chorus x2 with a almost below album track melody to back it up" category. They were relying entirely on melody, voice and stage show for people to like it, they didn't even have a proper instrumental hook, something that can make people remember the song. Basically, that makes the song doomed unless people like the melody or the singer has a hell of a lot more charisma than the other (and that's competing against a tough crowd).

I hope this isen't too abstract, but to make an example and a comparison to an ayu song (which IMO has a lot of most of what I mentioned above) that may not have her best and most catchy melody, but has an awesome hook that drives you into it nonetheless and can make you repeat the song untill you are accostumed to the melody as well. I'm thinking of WE WISH, and about 0:22 into the song, the instrumental hook plays. It's a great life saver for any song. THe same type of hook is right at the beginning of the hit of Britney SPears "hit me baby one more time". Soo many eurovision songs lack this feature + like mentioned above features, it's sad.

I think maybe a reason why many of the "eastern" countries are doing better also musically IMO is because they use ethnic sounds incorporated into the song that are really catchy and danceable. Some westrn countries do that as well, but often it turns out very bland compared to those who have it in their blood. Compare the armenian song to the dutch this year and tell me who has the fiercest beat, not matter which song you like the most... Same thing with the "spanish" take of the norwegian song last year.

Music is about taste, but still there are certain ways that make a hit more approachable than others. A great example is the reception of the song "life" off mirrorcle world, it's made to be a B-side, it's got no promotion and a straightforward pretty arrangement.

I could go on about this for ages, but my fingers are exhausted for now. =P

Originally Posted by zoomzoom

I'm pretty tired of all western countries excusing their horrible songs with "the eastern mafia" who vote for each other. Fact is that the Eastern countries just take it more seriously and send better songs. Most of the time, the western countries don't even try and send the biggest crap of the whole contest.

I TOTALLY agree with you. Most of the western countries present songs that bring nothing new to the competiton (either sounding like they've been made by a swedish producer who's been making the same stuf ever since abba) or they have boring melodies and lousy arrangements. IMO this is because very few people care about it anymore in ther repsective countries. In France the competition is practically unheard of and Italy is not ever participating.

[LizBrazil]

Originally Posted by zoomzoom

I seriously don't think people watch it and vote for a country regardless of the song. There is some neighbor voting, but only because a lot of neighboring countries have same tastes.

I think that people can vote how much they want, but the governments have their say in it. Politicians are good in telling tales and making promises to the citizens, but they don't tell everything they do or decide. Believe me, the politics in my country are a mess, but nobody will understand it, even I don't get the whole point. Almost a year after the elections, we got our government. But that's beside the point, isn't it?
Anyway, nobody will ever know the truth behind the votingsystem of the contest, so we don't know if it goes they tell us it works or it goes by politics.
We are both right, okay?

It's good to know that there is still someone who believes in a good world, because I lost my faith in the world and people a time ago (thanks to "my dear friends" or should I say "the ones I thought were friends, but are the perfect exemple of hypocrisy and telling lies". But that's beside the point too).

HAHAHAHHAHAHA OMFG WE GOT BOOED OFF STAGE.

[m-a-z-e]

OMG Bilan Dima was just on TV his english is sooooo cute!!!! XD

He said "UK, hi!" and I was like "HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!" seriously i had such a crazy fanboy moment. <3<3<3

[zoomzoom]

Ok, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Portugal, Greece and Isreal are voted through to the final.

Moldova, Slovenia, Estonia, Montenegro, Belarus, Bulgaria, FYR Macedonia, Hungary, Lithuania and Czech Republic are all left out of the final.


Now all the Western countries can stop whining about the "Eastern Mafia".

^ I know, I was surprised too.

[fanmail]

Macedonia were gooooooood

[zoomzoom]

Originally Posted by fanmail

Macedonia were gooooooood

Haha, that one was so bad it was hilarious. The moves that woman made

[spookshow]

just watched the semi-final (correct?)

my favourites were:
Azerbaijan
Andorra
Armenia
the Netherlands
Finland
Russia
Greece
Belgium

so far, i'm cheering for Greece and Azerbaijan