The Great Big Eurovision Experiment 2009 – Russia April 21, 2009

Step forward the host nation, represented by Anastasia Prikhodko….

You’ll represent Russia at Eurovision Song Contest, what do you feel?
Eurovision is a serious contest and I understand all the responsibility resting on me.  I’d like to believe that I’ll be able to do well. At the moment this is the most important thing in my life. I’m happy and now I’m living in anticipation of this contest.

What are your ambitions?
To sing my song in such a way so that the viewers understand it even without knowing Russian or Ukrainian.

As for us, viewers, what shall we expect from your performance? Probably, you’re planning to surprise everyone with some glamorous setting of your act?
It’s still a big secret!

Have you ever been in Moscow before and would you like to go there?
After Kiev Moscow is my second home, I love this city.

Have you heard the songs performed by other participants? Can you name those of them that impressed you most?
As for the songs of other participants, I’m listening to all of them. I liked Alexander Rybak from Norway. Jade, for sure – I was lucky to have a chance to see her  live performance. She was a guest of the Russian national selection show. Jade has a fantastic voice and she’s incredibly beautiful. As for Andrew Lloyd Webber who wrote a song for her, he is a legend in Russia. The fact that he wrote a song for Eurovision Song Contest made a splash here. Learning about his participation in this project, many Russian musicians, critics and producers said: “If the song is written by Lord Lloyd Webber, we’ll vote for Great Britain”. Here I must say that I’m glad that no country can vote for its participant. Otherwise I’m afraid that all “my” votes will go to Jade. (laugh)

Which of the songs ever performed at Eurovision Song Contests do you like most? And if it’s Russian or Ukrainian song – which one?
“Never Let You Go”, performed by Dima Bilan in Athens. “Prayer” – by Maria Sherifovich. In Turkey Sakis Rouvas had a real hit. And no doubt “Waterloo” is a hands-down winner.

What do you think about widespread notion that at ESC countries are voting for their neighbours?
I think that if everything were decided by politics we wouldn’t have some of the winners. No doubt that such a thing as ‘neighbouring voting’ exists at ESC but all the same. I believe that talent is winning over politics. I’m sure that if an artist is really great he/she will get 12 points not only from neighbours.

This year a winner will be determined by 50/50 televoting and jury voting. What do you think about that?
I believe that televoting is more democratic. On the other hand a winner of this year ESC will know for sure that his/her performance was marked very high by both – viewers and professionals. And it’s really worth it.

Can you explain the secret of the Eurovision Song Contest popularity, which is over 50 years old?
To my mind the secret of ESC popularity is the same as that of the Olympic Games. It’s a contest, competition for the artists and for viewers it is excitement, passion and a possibility to get together and root for their country. And for those who are interested in politics it’s a chance to say afterwards “we surmised as much”.

Another Great Big Round-Up! March 9, 2009

There’s been such a recent flurry of activity on the national finals front that we just can’t keep up with it all. So let’s just round up some more of the entries into one handy, easy to manage post – beginning with Israel’s effort from renowned chanteuse Noa and Israeli Arab singer Mira Awad:

‘Pleasant’ is the word which springs immediately to mind, and we’re not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing, but the partnership is certainly an interesting one. Whether or not this gets lost in the mix on the night is another matter entirely.

We doubt, however, that the Ukrainian entry from Svetlana Loboda is likely to be forgotten in a hurry…..

Now it could be just us but we’re trying to decide whether this is a complete work of genius or a total crime against Eurovision. Either way there is so much to enjoy about it – the comedy moustaches, the seemingly spontaneous drum solo, Svetlana’s ridiculously OTT outfit, the way in which one of the backing dancers is holding her upside down over his shoulders like some latter day caveman – that we’re prepared to overlook the fact that for all intents and purposes it is a tuneless wail of a song. We are, however convinced that only a Eurovision country as popular and successful as Ukraine could possibly get away with something like this – in other words Andrew Lloyd Webber, don’t even think about doing something similar in 2010…..

And onwards to host nation Russia, this year represented by, er, a Ukrainian, Anastasia Prohodko:

Now a friend of Team Eurovision reliably informs us that this is “very Russian” – which is all very well except it will have a hard time appealing to anybody west of Kiev. Are the Russians trying really hard to ensure that they don’t have to host again next year or are we beng a tad cynical?

And so, onwards, to the first Slovakian entry in years, a duet sung by Kamil Miculcik and Nela Pociskova:

And the less said about that one the better. Except possibly that Kamil looks scarily like the kind of actor you used to see in,er,special 1970s movies for the single gentleman. On that note, let us move swiftly on to Estonia’s Urban Symphony:

Now we quite like this, and think it could even be the song to drag Estonia kicking and screaming out of semi-final doldrums for the first time ever. Our only reservation is, that since we already have Norway and Slovenia strutting their stuff with fiddles, could this be one violin too many? Hope not, because we actually think this deserves to qualify.

And finally, we have recent winners Serbia, this year fielding twosome Marko Kon and Milan Nikolic:

And, er, frankly we’re speechless.Yes, it’s certainly nice to see the Serbs letting their hair down a bit after a run of very serious songs, but there are ways of lightening the tone and, er, ways of lightening the tone. And we’re not convinced that entering a gruff-voiced Michael Moore lookalike (albeit one who appears to have stuck his finger in a live socket before coming on stage) accompanied by some random bloke playing the accordion is how to do it. Let’s just say it’s “catchy” and leave it at that, shall we……..?