#BIRTHDAY: Magdi Rúzsa from Hungary is 35 today We miss Hungary. There, we’ve said it. Putting politics aside, they’ve put in some memorable stuff since that début in sunny Ljubljana in 1993. It’s not all been plain sailing, but without Hungary, it would be a far poorer contest. […]
HALLOWE’EN: Eurovision goes bump in the night Hallowe’en and Eurovision. Does it scare you? Do you tremble on 31 October when you get a sinister knock at your door? Are you relieved when you find out it’s only the local kids going trick-or-treating? Or do you leave the […]
#BIRTHDAY: Dado Topić from Croatia is 71 today We celebrate all manner of things with our birthdays. The winners, the losers, the ‘also-ran’s. They all count, and you can guarantee that someone out there will like every single Eurovision song. So just occasionally, a song might not quite […]
#BIRTHDAY: Koldun from Belarus is 35 today It can be tough breaking into the elite of Eurovision these days. Some countries try their hardest and often linger in the semi-finals. So imagine how it feels to make that breakthrough into a Grand Final. For what could be an […]
#BIRTHDAY: Kenan Doğulu from Turkey is 46 today Let’s be honest – our friends in Turkey are sorely missed from our favourite TV show. They added that bit of exotica to proceedings, and were gunning for another win when they abruptly stopped coming along in 2012. Over the […]
#BIRTHDAY: Sarbel from Greece is 39 today Our friends in Greece were, to be fair, a country with very little success during the 20th Century. Everything changed in Copenhagen, and that win suddenly came within reach. As we know, Helena Paparizou eventually pulled it off, and a crop […]
BIRTHDAY: Hanna Pakarinen from Finland is 39 today If you were fortunate enough to be a Eurovision performer, would you want to do it in your home country. If you were a participant in 2019, the chances are you were from somewhere colder than Tel Aviv. So going […]
BIRTHDAY: Sabrina from Portugal is 38 today Do you ever wonder what goes through the minds of defeated semi-finalists? Do you think they expect to fall at the semi-final stage? Or are there thoroughly disappointed? Eleventh place must be that most unlucky of positions. You only just miss […]
BIRTHDAY: DQ from Denmark is 47 today Our favourite TV show can be a glamorous affair, and many people just tune in for the costumes. They must just like shiny things. Well that might explain a certain Ukrainian with a star on their head. Of course, there’s more […]
BIRTHDAY: Guri Schanke from Norway is 58 today As you’ll know, Eurovision is a very fickle thing. Just ask Portugal. Or Austria. Or even the Netherlands. You can languish in the semi-finals one year, and then put in a storming performance the next. Our friends in Norway have […]
HALLOWE’EN: Eurovision goes bump in the night Hallowe’en and Eurovision. Does it scare you? Do you tremble on 31 October when you get a sinister knock at your door? Are you relieved when you find out it’s only the local kids going trick-or-treating? Or do you leave the […]
BIRTHDAY: Olivia Lewis from Malta is 41 today Think of a rock. A big happy rock. Perhaps one in the sea. A sea bounding Europe to its south. Then think of how this happy rock would celebrate if it actually won our favourite TV show. Back in 2007, […]
BIRTHDAY: Verka Serduchka from Ukraine is 46 today Occasionally, a song comes along that gets under your skin. It’s not one you really like, as there are far better ones around. But You just can’t help yourself humming it in the shower, or at other inappropriate times. Back […]
BIRTHDAY: Stevan Faddy from Montenegro is 33 today It’s another débutant today. Not, strictly speaking, a from a nation treading the boards for the first time, but nevertheless a début. Why, do you ask? Montenegro had first been part of Yugoslavia, and then part of Serbia & Montenegro. […]
BIRTHDAY: Hayko from Armenia is 46 today Second to do something isn’t always that bad. It’s true that first gets all the publicity, but second can do their stuff without less pressure, as first has done all the groundwork. In 2006, we saw Armenia take part in our […]