Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

Today's hot news is Canadian CBC/Radio Canada might enter Eurovision song contest. This blogger isn't surprised at all and after initial confusion I can't quite see why not? After all Australia is in already for ten years and even if Australians might be more keen viewers of the contest already for decades the Canadian singers in the Eurovision pout number the Australians pre-participation 9-4 with a quick count. Everybody is aware Celine Dion did Eurovision and won for Switzerland in 1988 but not so many don't remember also Lara Fabian did it for Belgium. For the other internationally known names we have Natasha St-Pier and La Zarra doing ti for France but they are not alone. Read more below. As for the Australians I only remember Olivia Newton-John, double winner Johnny Logan, Gina G and Jane Comerford of Texas Lightning. check them also below. CANADIANS (of birth fully or partly or some other way): Sherisse Laurence - L'amour de ma vie - Luxemburg (3rd) Celine D...

Four Eurovision song contest icons selected randomly to celebrate Paris Olympic games opening tomorrow - with Slimane giving a free concert as warm up show (and I am hoping he will also perform in the opening ceremonies  as well!) ? Not quite so.  Slimane has dueted with all of them, besides co-writing the songs. Let's have a listen! LA ZARRA / SLIMANE - LES AMANTS DE LA COLLINE PATRICK FIORI / SLIMANE - PROMESSE MADAME MONSIEUR / SLIMANE - DIS-MOI QUE JE SUIS PATRICK FIORI / YCARE /CLAUDIO CAPÈO / SLIMANE -  QU'EST-CE QU'ON ÈTAIT BEAUX Slimane has literally dozens of duets with other singers so it's no wonder he has ended up with these previous Eurovision stars. Maybe they have had a word to convince him to do it, who knows?

While the acts in  semi-final two are having their dress rehearsals in Liverpool, which I am not really following in any way let's sit back and have a look at the Big 5  performances by France, Germany and Italy in the first semi-final. Or actually in its Monday evening's second dress rehearsal. How come this is so high in odds? I mean I like the song, and she's fabulous but here it's all very dark really, she does look dramatic rather than looking like she's enjoying the staging that much. Is it that her wonderful personality has enchanted the fandom? I don't quite see the European wide audiences voting for this more than barely Top-10 if lucky. I hope I am wrong. From Lordi via AWS to Hatari and Blind Channel and now Lord of the Lost. Songs in this genre (loosely) have had mixed fortunes but I have a feeling this one is going to end up with the happier finishes. I think fandom is pretty much sleeping on this. Friends and people I know, non fans who only watch ...

Today completed the individual rehearsals when The Big5 and Ukraine had their second rehearsal (20 minutes). From Monday we will have the full dress rehearsals.  Germany apparently uses each and every light there's in the arena at some point of their 3 minutes sporting their the most extravagant costumes since Lordi. Quite fitting as the band feels very much at home in Finland where they record and produce their very Finnish sounding music. And they just also covered Käärijä's Cha cha cha, have a listen here.    Keeping up with the theme blood & glitter France provides more glitter than anyone else. And La Zarra some risky business on top of a disco stick.  Italy or Marco mengoni continues the trend with a new glittery sparkly top (indeed he promised he would wear a different one for each time). There's the moon to add, and two guys or due vite. Fandom is sleeping on this, this is Top-5 finish material.  A minor costume change for Ukraine and we are also don...

The rehearsals started on stage in Liverpool arena for the Eurovision song contest 2023 four days ago and today we got to "see" the Big5 and Ukraine's first 30 minutes rehearsal. As Ebu once again is using TikTok for the short tiny rehearsal clips I'm not going to care much of them. But here is a collection of photos and impressions and observations by your truly of the closed doors happenings. Mind you, I'm all in favor for this closed door policy: the delegations must have a little bit privacy and peace and quiet to polish their acts before they are given to the sharks aka fandom eager to criticize every tiny detail. And also I kinda like the idea we are given as little as possible to watch before the shows so there will be surprises and wow effect - if you have seen it all beforehand where's the fun? The first rehearsal is 30 minutes for each meaning 3-4 run through. After that the delegation gathers to a viewing room and changes are discussed and made for ...

Here it is! The incorruptible, infallible and most reliable Blogilkar's Home Jury made of people in their teens, 20's, 30's, 40's and 50's, mainly Finnish and mainly those who turn into Eurovision only on that one Saturday night, enjoy the show and that's it. Most everyone heard the songs for the first time so this was a true first impression judgement. And thus they had no idea about the fan polls, betting odds and trivial information and expectations. And boy did they turn those pools and odds around mostly, sinking some major favorites and enjoying some real underdogs. I will countdown the full ranking day by day until we have our winner out just before Liverpool is in full swing. This year I publish very few comments or opinions. Just the average score (we voted 1 to 10). In short this year is considered a bit poor by the jurors compared to for example last year and it may show in the somewhat low scores. Anyways: Enjoy! 14. FRANCE - La Zarra - Évidemment  (...

France's La Zarra has presented her song Evidemment for Eurovision song contest 2023 in Liverpool tonight. Read more here .

France came out all of sudden on January 12, 2023 announcing La Zarra will be representing them in Liverpool Eurovision song contest when fandom was still hoping and waiting for a national selection like the past couple of years. Instead, they went internal again. La Zarra or Fatima Zahra Hafdi (25) is a Canadian-Moroccan singer-songwriter so once again we see a Canadian artist at the contest following footsteps of Céline Dion, Natasha St-Pier and others, as well as Moroccan (Loreen, Bilal Hassani....). She's been around since 2016 and has released a few singles and her debut album in 2021, the title track  Traîtrise becoming a hit and collecting a few awards nominations. Her song for Eurovision will be released later, so below is a something to get to know her: