I shouldn’t be writing. My qualifying homework is due in a week (qualifying in that if you don’t turn it in or get at least 50/100 right, you don’t take the written final or in German: Klausur) and although things are steadily coming along *whew*, I don’t want any *uck ups.

But I can’t escape the apartment just yet. The dishwasher is running and I’m not allowed to leave in fear that the tiny squirrel living behind the dishwasher (or what have you) will gnaw through the waterline and cause havoc for us and our neighbors. Home insurance doesn’t cover absence and mysterious squirrel gnawing activity. So that’s why I’m going to write about my ‘Eurovision Song Contest Finale’ experience. My first and maybe my last.

Alex was down, immune system-wise, on Friday and I caught the drag on Saturday evening. Oh how I wished I spent the evening with seasoned Eurovisioners but I turned down Jul’s invite to a Eurovision bonanza just in case my sore throat was infectious. But I promised I’d watch the song contest with a cup of hot tea. So more or less, my take: (a little late posting but oh well!)

Confusion:

It’s called Eurovision. I’m assuming standing for European television? Yet Israel is a participant. Not that I’m complaining, but isn’t this country technically in Western Asia. And where’s Italy in this contest? Maybe they could extend the contest to India. bollywood would rock!

The Positives:

1. I really like the logo. Sexy. Musical. Way to go Serbia,
2. a great opportunity for a geography lesson. Where’s San Marino? Azerbaijan?
3. who doesn’t like listening to different accents,
4. when a country wasn’t selling out to make a mainstream buck (Greece, Russia) it was really quite enjoyable to hear songs that may even be sung by the actual country folk (or not, Poland or Greece)

The Negatives:

1. this song contest is the epitome of processed cheese in a box,
2. how many poppy, techno songs can you squeeze into an evening? blech,
3. voting for the best song isn’t about the song -it’s based on moronic stuff like national pride. But hey, who cares,
4. Germany should drop out of the contest, permanently. No Angel was horrible. Latvia’s Pirates of the Sea, can you believe it, were far better.

To sum it up:

total weirdness. Russia won with the help of R&B producer Timbaland and Olympic figure skating champion Evgeni Plushenko skating on plastic. France sang a song with only 13 French words in it, the rest in English, wtf. To make up for this fact, the French announcer, who doled out the points tallied in France, spoke in Serbian instead of English. There was a common theme of light versus dark, maybe good versus evil going on (i.e.,Azerbaijan and Georgia), eh, but let me not get any deeper than that. I’m up in ‘nough cheese already.

Who I liked:

• Azerbaijan and Finland’s entries for their eccentricity. But you can’t listen to this music alone without seeing the act. search youtube, it’s there in multiple forms,
• the singer for Denmark was a cutie. He also wants to be a cop. oooh
• and some of my favorites are here for you to listen to: Turkey, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and France

Artist: Mor ve Ötesi
Album: Eurovision Song Contest 2008
Title: Deli (Crazy)

Artist: Laka
Title: Pokusaj

Artist: Sebastien Tellier
Album: Sexuality
Title: Divine