Sunday 15 May 2022

Ukraine wins Eurovision. Who'd have guessed it? Everybody!

 ..........and with a song I'd have ranked around 10th out of the 25 finalists. However, to be fair to the winners, even before the Russian invasion it was being talked about as a leading contender to carry off the prize. At least it blows Russian President Putrid another raspberry if, as increasing evidence suggests, he is playing out the terminal stages of his ignominious life (Parkinson's? AND thyroid cancer? Cancer of the blood? All triggered by excessive use of steroids?) And all as if his country having been banned from even entering this year's contest wasn't hurtful enough to someone who sets such store on international prestige! 

Turin was the host for this year's consp-icuou-sly gay extrav-aganza, Italy having won the contest in 2021 - and with the usual indifferent (to me) entry. 

Other than the winners, the main headline was that the U.K. entry, Sam Ryder, took our country out of its habitual laughing-stock zone of finishing last - even attaining the dreaded nul points two years ago - by now finishing second, even though I rated his song 'Space Man' (with its 1970s-ish Bowie-esque title) worthy of ending in around 20th place. 

It's 20 years since we attained even 3rd place and it was 1997 when we last won outright, so this was a most welcome result. This entry, sung entirely in high-register voice, actually came out top when the first round of voting was announced, that being the verdict of each of the 40 countries' music jury, so there must have been something special about it, though that merit escapes me - possibly an 'age thing'?

Ukraine's winning entry ('Stefania' by the 'Kalusha Orchestra') was in no way bad - just unexceptional to my ears. It merely ticked the requisite boxes.



Third came Spain, one to run to the kitchen and make a mug of coffee. 





Fourth, Sweden and fifth, Serbia - the latter with its curious continuous hand-washing act, the singer being attended to by a group of male, bearded acolytes with towels at the ready to hand to her to dry before she dipped her hand in the washing bowl again. A strange offering among several oddities! 





The event's presenters Alessandro Cattelan, Laura Pauosoni and that brief 2007 sensation, the British-Lebanese,  Mika (yes, that one, 'Grace Kelly' and all that - so impressive at the time that I actually bought his first two albums! I wondered what had become of him - but he's apparently still a celebrity in Italy, among other places).

Complete with the ever-maddening "Now, are you ready!" - when we'd been yelling at the telly "Jeez, just get on with it!!!" for the previous 20 minutes - she in the middle was by far the most gratingly irritating, and being well known in Italy, just had to start the show with not one, but a medley of four of her hit songs in Italy - and all when there were no less than twenty-five competition songs to get through! Sheeesh! It was nearly 20 minutes in before we heard the first entry proper. Then in the pre-results hiatus Mika himself gave a selection of his own songs, which was better and, at least, more familiar and less jarring. 

My own three favourite entries were not supported by results corresponding to my opinions. 

I put Lithuania top - a song for which commentator Graham Norton expressed surprise that it had got into the final, so what do I know? A gentle, unshowy foot-tapping number sung by the sleek Monika Liu in slinky dress, entirely alone with no distracting dancers or visual fireworks. I thought it was the best by a mile.  It finished 14th. 


Then I placed the happiest entry - from Moldova, even if it was about a railway line! They seemed so darned cheerful and were having a whale of a time performing it, and lifting my spirits.
 Finished 7th.

And then in third place I'd have put the dottiest entry, Norway's 'Give that Wolf a Banana' by Subwoolfer (in yellow wolf-masks). Daft, but original, funny and compelling. Finished 10th.



A few curiosities - I was disappointed that Israel didn't get through to the final as I thought it the campest of all the turns........


Then Australia, which did make it to this final, coming 15th, featuring one Sheldon Riley singing tearfully how he, as a young boy, felt 'different' and his coming out as gay - all the while dragging a heavy train of white plume behind him which must have been ever so uncomfortable - and he looked like it was!  

San Marino, ditched in the semi-finals, had ended with a man-man kiss. But the song wasn't 'special' enough - as weren't over half of those that actually did make it to the final.

This year's wooden spoon prize went to Germany, just below France - two of the biggest financial contributors to the contest taking the bottom two places.

And what about the voting? We'd always been used to beng allowed to cast just the one vote by telephone (now plus computer and other modern means of communicating) - but obviously not for one's own country. This time the presenters twice said "You have twenty votes at your disposal!" "WHAT?" I thought. Yet Graham Norton went on about voting for your favourite song/entry - emphatically in the singular! Did he not hear them? Didn't he know? Did it mean that we could, if we wished, vote for up to 20 countries which we liked? I can't have been alone in noticing this. If it meant that we, perhaps along with other countries, were deprived of registering all our likes, then surely the final results will have been skewed, to some unfavourably, to others in their favour. I await someone else pointing this out - and the verdict thereon. 

So, all in all, a reasonable contest, even if my last point leaves me with an uncertain taste in the mouth. But hey, at least the U.K. is once again one of Eurovision's big league players, and that's no mean thing.



Kyiv next year then? Russian-less and defiantly independent we trust - and by then as much 'repaired' as we can help with. 

14 comments:

  1. This thing is so big and well known, I can not believe I have never seen it! But how nice the Ukraine wins! I agree with you whole heartedly.

    It's also nice to see you post and in good spirits. I took a small blog break myself with some upheaval.

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    1. Thanks, M.M. I'm still finding it tiring being one-eyed all the time. In reading most of all, and writing too, of course. One month today I go for a progress check on my newly 'good' eye and if that's fine I get a date for the other one t be 'repaired'. So still a bit slower than I like.

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  2. Eurovision just isn't a thing over here, and the only time I hear about it is on your blog. So thanks for sharing the news!

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    1. It's become an annual institutional 'event' now, Bob - and like it or loathe it (and there are at least as many of the latter as the contrary, or even more) it can't be ignored, even making our national news bulletins. Never fails to add colour to our lives..

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  3. I have never seen this contest; I am glad you gave it a review that I may get the summary.
    I hope it's a spit in the eye of Putin.

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    1. Oh, I've no doubt the result will have been drawn to Putrid's attention, Dr Spo. In fact I'm pretty sure he'd have been interested enough to find out for himself. A kick in the Gulags for him, I've no doubt.

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  4. There was one year I was able to watch parts of it live-streamed on YouTube, but I tend to miss when it's happening, so I don't even think to look. I do find it interesting.

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    1. I think it needs to be watched live to feel the tensions as the votes are announced, Sadie, which, at times, is almost tangible. Pity that it's padded out with so much needless filling, chatter and inane comments.

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  5. Thanks for the recap. I love a good critic and it sounds like you were on point throughout! I wish it was broadcast here in the states where I could watch it. The whole thing seems a lot more fun than all 20 plus seasons of American Idol!

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    1. Well, it's definitely unique, U., and all the better for being just once annually. Shame that it's not taken by any of the American channels when now it already is transmitted live to Australia - and at a more 'civil' time. (For us it finished around midnight so for eastern Europe it would have been about 2 a.m.!) Maybe your country's not taking it has something to do with an excessive American demand for ad time?

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  6. It was no surprise that Ukraine won as it was well forecast that everyone would give them much needed support. It was also well forecast that we would do well but I was surprised that we did so well. Sam seems like a great guy but the song was a bit high pitched for me although I am getting used to it now on it being played so much. I thought it was a great atmosphere and the most enjoyable for many years. I too liked Norway's song as the most fun, mad and memorable. All in all I think a good result and at last we have got out of the slump of recent years. Your review is excellent as usual and I too am glad to see you back more frequently. It will be good to get a date for your second eye and I hope you don't have too long to wait.

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    1. I've heard the Sam Ryder song more times now than any of the others, Carol, and STILL can't see what was so 'special' about it. Also, like you, his constant high register voice for the entire song with n respite or variety I found hard to take. However, must give him credit for having heaved us out of doldrums.

      Yes, when I go for my 'new' eye to be evaluated i four weeks' time I really do hope I get an early date for the other one to be likewise mended. Although it's great for the 20/20 vision I now have in my left, it's not nice having to cope with being practically blind in the other. Patience, patience!

      Thanks for your visit. Hope all is well at your end.

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  7. I must figure out how to watch this next year (there must be a live online version??). I hear so much about this competition. Hope you are doing well and your next eye fix is coming soon!

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    1. I don't quite know how to watch it live in non-participating countries, Elle - though there's at least one - Japan, I think - which I believe DOES carry it live on one of its terrestrial channels. Otherwise I'd be checking through for some 'pirate' do-gooder to be showing it, but I don't really know if anyone there does.
      But I ought to warn you it is very long watch. Our BBC had, up to last year, allotted three hours to it but because it always over-ran, so this year they allowed it four hours and it STILL over-ran, ending just after our midnight! But if anyone is an enthusiast like me it's a small sacrifice for such an exuberant yet totally maddening annual display.

      I'm fine thanks - and I hope that you are well too. Getting used to being one-eyed, but what incredible vision I have in that single organ! In 3.5 weeks I go to have it checked, and if that's positive, and I have no reason to think it won't pass, I hope to get a date for the other one to be similarly miraculously transformed.

      Thanks for calling by.

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