I Predict a Riot
Here's my prediction for the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest: the winner this year is Finland with Hard Rock Hallelujah by Lordi.
I know it's still a little too early to get into the spirit of the contest unless you're a diehard ESC fan. In fact I'm making this prediction without even having heard all the entries for this year's contest. I admit that this is neither very professional nor scientific of me.
I also know that it's unpartiotic of me to predict that Malta's entry may not be the winner at this year's contest. Yet, if you follow the Eurovision Song Contest as I have for the last several years you'll see why I make the controversial prediction that opens this blog post.
Read what Dan Bilefsky from the International Herald Tribune had to say about Lordi at the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest as reproduced in the New York Times. Or take a look at this report in The Guardian from a couple of weeks ago.
There's also more coverage on The Sunday Times (of London) and the BBC World News. To my knowledge, none of these prestigous news sources have published much of anything about any other country's entry at the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest. In my book, that's a very important point.
It seems absurd that a rock band similar in style to the most outlandish aspects of acts like Kiss and Alice Cooper should be in the Eurovision final at all. Then again, this is exactly what the contest needs to test the legacy it has created over more than half a century.
This is where and how anyone who has anything to say about televoting for such contests can make their voice heard. Vote for Lordi from Finland at this year's Eurovision Song Contest. Keep in mind that they first need to make it through the semi-final on the 18th of May.
You can listen to Hard Rock Hallelujah at the official Eurovision website, on Lordi's official website or their management company Monstereo's media page. The video, song and everything else is also on MySpace, of course.
posted by Toni Sant at 3:09 PM
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"...this is exactly what the contest needs to test the legacy it has created over more than half a century."
What legacy Ton?
What are you doing wasting your time on this drivel?
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Good question. I can see that youhave a very different perspective than I do on the cultural worth of this "drivel". It's an issue I'm slowly articulating an argument for...but I'm not there just yet.
I'm not trying to be funny, ironic, or sarcastic. Anything that survives for more than 50 years has a legacy, whether we like it or not!
I try to suspend my value judgement once in a while and it hasn't killed me so far. Still, that's not to say that it won't possibly do just that one day.
Anyway, vote for Lordi!
i don't understand, that's all. i'm trying very hard to, but i just can't.
I'm afraid you have fallen for all the hype surrounding Finland. It is really too bad that such a media event is proving to be nothing but a vehicle for trash. Spare one or two decent songs, there really is little song in this so called song contest.
I find it more difficult each year to stomach how us Maltese really think that this is the bee's knees, the only way to start out in the music industry.
The Eurovision fever that grips us starting from February at the Song for Europe is really the very substance of the full stop at the end of 'We Maltese value crap.'
It just shows how little we think and how little we care, not just about our cultural identity, but in almost everything (but the bottom line).
We are happy to be ignorant, happy to focus our attention on things that do not make us happy as a nation, happy to sing along to cheap songs year after year, songs written by people who have no heart and are in it for the competition. Happy to honor celebrities and ignore artists.
And still the nation will proudly sing... 'I do I do I do I love you like a fool!'
What will follow will be the low season of local broadcasting. An endless line of TV adverts as so called experts discuss the proceedings and our placing on the night, where everybody is a winner and everybody gets a 'prosit', five times over..... then we turn our attention to the world cup, summer barbies and then the budget.... the song for europe carnival..... carnival....local councels...... finger pointing...... Toni Zarb..... Alfred Sant..... Gonzi please..... Eurovision ease....
mela ton,
when you have your argument ready:
i would be really interested to know how the legacy of the eurovision justifies the budget it does in malta. especially vis the need to set up a proper music export office which every self-respecting country has - except for malta.
mind you i wouldn't care about the euro if there were both. buts it clear that one is to the detriment of the other.
Jekk dawn in nies veru jifmu fil muzika jista' xi hadd minnhom ifemni ghaliex dahlu lil dak il backing vocal please jekk xi hadd jaf ghax niddubita jekk xi hadd mil board jafx li gejna l-A H H A R. Fabrizio messu mar bid-diska li kellu hawn malta mela b'diska ohra li hadd ma jaf come on qumu fuq takom ta mux imbilli tlajtu kollha.
no good song no first place.
u jekk jogobkom ivvutaw sew il-maltin mux tajna 12-il punt lil svizzera u huma ma tawna xejn irridu nitallmu ghax ma jistax ikun nibqaw naqaw ghaċ-ċajt.!!!!!!!!!!!!
I do not agree that there is a trend in winning the song (if this year we place in high position, then the next year we gain a bad result).
I think that the EUROVISION song consists of two types: the traditional Ballad and the pop/ techno/ rock/ jive/ any other upbeat song.
Both types have to be original in the way they are presented. ORIGINALITY IS THE WINNER.
A ballad has to be sung by someone like our Chiara - having a voice that reaches. The original thing about Chiare was that she was on her own on stage - very courageous and self controled. This (apart of her incredible voice) brought the admiration of all.
An upbeat song has to have a choreography. Without it, it will not win.
I'm going to give a number of winning songs which were very original in their presentation:
'96: The Voice (a beautiful soaring voice/ singer dressed up like an angel descended from heaven) - The following year we sent Debbie Scerri dressed like her!!. However I have to say that the song was nice and she placed 9th.
'98: Diva - Dana International. The originality in this song was that it was sung by a transexual and the costumes - wonderful (the song very catchy too)
2002: Marie N - I wanna. The song very catchy and the choreography excellent (the singer was dressed in a white suit and hat, and on stage she changed into a spanish flamenco dancer!) Since then every country has tried to imitate the style, including us.
2003: Turkey's Sertal was quite an imitation to the previous winning song of 2002 (regarding choreography, using lots of material surrounding the singer). She won due to the arabic/ turkish rhythm which is not normal in Eurovision songs.
2004: Wild Dances of Ruslana - again till then, none of the songs ever presented, were like this. Apart from a catchy song, the costumes and choreography - unique.
2005: Number One - a beautiful catchy song, and a choreography unique as well (one of the dancers served as a violin for Helena, by ulling some cords from his back).
2006: This year's maltese song with all respect, although catchy as it might be, did not offer the spectator the show expected by a rythmic song, and a sexy singer. Although Lordi's song is not catchy at all, the costumes caught everyone's attention.
Even Lithuania's song (although it was booed in the hall) it recieved good points, placing 14, though being accused of arrogancy, it is very daring.
This is my point of view.
Proset Toni It-Tlieta fuq bondi plus.'Ehe Inti mhux qed taqbel mieghi' lol pure class.
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