BIRTHDAY: Michalis Rakintzis from Greece is 62 today Things got a little odd at the turn of the century. We were trapped in Nordic/Baltic Europe after time in the eastern Med. Countries were taking it in turns to be relegated. And we had some interesting acts. When we […]
BIRTHDAY: Molly Smitten-Downes from the UK is 32 today We had a birthday of someone from a country that would love to win. And I’d love to see them win. Today we have a country in the same doldrum-like predicament. They try in a very nonchalant sort of […]
BIRTHDAY: Sieneke from the Netherlands is 27 today It’s no April Fool that some countries have probably done a lot worse than they’ve deserved to over the years. I’m thinking of those countries that perhaps haven’t won in a long long time. The one I have in mind […]
YOUTUBE: How is your favourite doing? 25-31 March Every year, we look at which songs are the Youtube favourites. Last year, Netta’s Toy was the favourite, and we know what happened to her. So will this year’s most-watched official video suffer the same fate? The figures for 25 […]
BIRTHDAY: Nuša Derenda from Slovenia is 50 today Have you noticed that some song titles have been getting shorter? There are a few this year where they’re only known by one word. Replay, Heaven, Limits, Truth. Is it that the printers are running short of ink? It’s always […]
BIRTHDAY: Hera Björk from Iceland is 47 today We had a crowd pleaser yesterday, and we have another one today. Thursday’s was a soaring opus. Today’s is the good old floor filler. We know Iceland desperately wants to win our favourite TV show. Maybe even more than Malta […]
BIRTHDAY: Bettan from Norway is 61 today I’ve got a real treat for you today. A legend of our favourite TV show. A massive name in singing circles, particularly in the Nordic world. And a former winner. And it’s definitely not Carola. Today’s birthday girl Elisabeth Gunilla Andreassen […]
BIRTHDAY: Polina Gagarina from Russia is 32 today There’s often an air of inevitability about some results. A certain republic surrounded by Italy will do badly. A country on the Caspian Sea often does well. And then there’s a certain very large country that straddles Europe and Asia. […]
BIRTHDAY: Debbie Scerri from Malta is 50 today Everyone likes the winners of contests, but we all like those that try, try, and try again. Even if they don’t always quite get that illusive victory. I’m taking about Malta. It’s the Mediterranean’s happiest rock and will be there […]
BIRTHDAY: Rita from Israel is 57 today Unless you’ve been on Saturn’s biggest moon, or some parts of the USA, you’ll know that the Eurovision circus will be heading to sunny Israel in May. So it’s nice when an Israeli birthday comes up. Some will associate Israeli songs […]
YOUTUBE: How is your favourite doing? 17-24 March Every year, we look at which songs are the Youtube favourites. Last year, Netta’s Toy was the favourite, and we know what happened to her. So will this year’s most-watched official video suffer the same fate? The figures for 17 […]
BIRTHDAY: Franco Battiato from Italy is 74 today You wait ages for a duet, and then two come along almost once. But they are duets done in very different styles. That probably happens for any two things 29 years apart. When we saw the Georgian duet, it was […]
BIRTHDAY: Zoli Ádok from Hungary is 43 today Our favourite TV show is a singing contest. Well, actually it’s a songwriters’ contest. But our performers don’t just sing. Many of them have other talents too. The prime one we often see – besides the singing – is dancing. […]
BIRTHDAY: Sopho Gelovani from Georgia is 35 today Songs get some by performers in many forms. I like soloists as they can put everything into their singing. I also like groups as they can share the load and bounce off each other. And then there are duets. Duets […]
BIRTHDAY: Lucie Jones from the UK is 28 today What do you think of the Big Five? Should they get an automatic place in the final, or should they have to go through the semi-finals like the rest of us? It’s true that the Big Five do have […]