So So Gay
Well, hello there and welcome to EUROvisual, your one-stop gulp of Eurovision news and views. With exactly two months to go until this year’s contest kicks off in Düsseldorf, Germany, the line-up is almost complete. This is looking like being one of the most exciting competitions of recent years with several previous participants lining up for another bite of the Eurovision apple. Read on!
Dana International is back!
A month ago, EUROvisual reported that 1998 Eurovision winner, Dana International was vying to represent Israel at the contest again. Well, she succeeded and will head to Düsseldorf armed with the song ‘Ding Dong’. Dana International became the first trans contestant, let alone winner, and is hoping to gain Israel its fourth Eurovision victory. It’s not as instantly catchy as ‘Diva’ but may be a grower. What do you think?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUnWY5l-yZk
Turkey urges audience to ‘Live It Up’!
Turkey has fared very well in Eurovision over the last ten years and came second in Oslo last year. A couple of months ago it was announced that the band Yüksek Sadakat would represent their country in Düsseldorf, but we were forced to wait a while longer to hear the actual song. Finally, the track ‘Live It Up’ has been unveiled. Yet again, the Turks have succeeded in selecting a song which is cool and credible, performed by an accomplished singer.
French song and video unveiled
This Eurovision Song Contest is a milestone in that it will be the very first edition with no entry sung in French. France itself has selected a song in Corsican performed by tenor Amaury Vassili. At 21, he is the youngest professional tenor in the world and rather easy on the eye. The song itself is stirring and slightly Andrea Boccelli-esque. In a good way. It could do very well indeed.
Blue premiere ‘I Can’ on Graham Norton Show
As already reported here on EUROvisual, the UK will be represented in Düsseldorf by Blue, that boyband (or should that now be ‘manband’?) that was hugely popular in the early to mid-2000s. Duncan James, Simon Webbe, Lee Ryan and Anthony Costa have reunited and are aiming to seal their comeback with a Eurovision victory for their country. A 20-second snippet of ‘I Can’ was made available on Thursday and Blue performed the track in full on the Graham Norton Show yesterday. It’s modern and catchy; the polar opposite of last year’s effort. Check out the video of Blue performing the UK’s entry below.
….are you sitting comfortably?
No really. Are you sitting down? Our trip down Eurovision memory lane this week is an absolute corker! What do you get if you cross a Bulgarian male with soprano capabilities, bouffant backing singers dressed like She-Ra and two randomers swinging each other around on stilts? You get ‘Illusion’ by Krassimir Avramov, the Bulgarian entry in Moscow, 2009. Needless to say, this now-legendary performance failed to qualify from the semi-finals but it did succeed in providing much entertainment, albeit not necessarily for the right reasons. Watch and enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DrPHqV2h0E
