Is it too soon to say this?

We need Iceland to pick this first, admittedly, but if they do, could Yohanna go one place better than her 2009 success, being Eurovision runner-up to the runaway Rybak?

This is rather marvellous. I've no idea what it's about, except that the title must mean 'Night'. What matters is that, five minutes after playing it once, the song is on loop in my head. This is what you need to win Eurovision. It all bodes very well. And, to be honest, I really, really want Iceland to notch up their first win at some point in my lifetime, even if Reykjavik is completely unaffordable.

Labels: Eurovision 2010, Iceland, Yohanna

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Consider the evidence:

The first ever 'artist album' that I owned was Remember You're A Womble, by... do I really need to say? On Christmas Day, it was announced that Elisabeth Beresford, creator of the Wombles, had died on Christmas Eve.

Then, after watching Boney M. on Christmas TV and having conversations about Bobby Farrell and his tight trousers, he died last week, on the anniversary of Rasputin's death, in Russia. You couldn't have scripted a better ending. I'd like to think his final words were, "Oh, those Russians!". 'Nightflight to Venus' and 'Oceans of Fantasy' (gatefold sleeve versions) were both early purchases in my albums collection.

Today, in a shocking double whammy, the grim reaper has moved on to my singles collection, starting with the first single I ever bought. That's 'Night Owl' by Gerry Rafferty, who has died today. That's it in the middle of my picture (below). It has the number 6 on it because I used to label each single I bought and the first five singles I owned were all presents. Gerry Rafferty was the first recipient of my own money. It's no coincidence that it charted at the time of my thirteenth birthday.



The other singles above are all by Japan (Ghosts, Nightporter, Life In Tokyo and Cantonese Boy). Bassist Mick Karn has died today, after a fight with cancer. I couldn't help wondering if his cancer treatment made him lose his eyebrows, given that he was known in the '80s for shaving them off and drawing on new ones with eyeliner pencil.

RIP to all four of the above, who all brought me a lot of pleasure in my childhood and teens.

Labels: albums, Bobby Farrell, Boney M., Elisabeth Beresford, Gerry Rafferty, Japan, Mick Karn, singles

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Dear BBC,

I am outraged about last night's Eastenders. I didn't watch it, but as a few thousand people have complained about the cot death swap today, I thought I would join in. When I first heard that Samantha Janus had done something unspeakable on BBC TV and horrified the nation, I thought they'd shown a rerun of her performance in 1991's Eurovision Song Contest:



But no, she has done something almost as bad. She has taken part in a fictionalised drama about cot death. How dare the BBC take a situation that happens to thousands of people in real life and make a drama about it?! I can't imagine any other TV drama doing this. And fancy only giving people about six weeks since revealing the storyline. How is that enough time for people to remember to turn off their TVs if they might be upset? Down with this type of thing! Eastenders should apologise and then be discontinued.

By contrast, I watched an excellent drama last night and tonight, also on BBC One. You know, the Silent Witness story about the violent murder and necrophilic rape of a young girl. It was much more fun than that nasty Eastenders (which I didn't watch). You don't see people complaining about Silent Witness, do you?

Yours,
Indignant of Middle England

Labels: double standards, Eastenders, Silent Witness, TV

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Goodness only knows why Romania chose New Year's Eve to hold their televised musical extravaganza to select their song for Eurovision. Perhaps it's because they don't have Jools Holland or (many) Scottish people, so their Hogmanay is a bit shite. But they're not the only country in Europe lacking those New Year essentials, so who knows?

So, last night, while most of us* were knocking back copious amounts of Jim Beam bourbon, playing the hat game and receiving generic text messages from people we barely know, Romania chose this up-tempo song for Düsseldorf. Well, actually, the population of Romania chose a different song, putting this in second place, but the jury chose to ignore the public's choice and put this top instead, allowing it to win through the combined totals.

Eurovision 2011 - Song #3

Romania - 'Change' - Hotel FM



Now here's where it gets interesting. The band calling themselves Hotel FM (not the best name for a band, or indeed a radio station, unless you are actually a radio station in a hotel chain) has a singer from quite a remote part of Romania. So remote, in fact, that it's in County Durham. Yes, we have our first UK act in Eurovision 2011, as Romania's singer is from Newton Aycliffe. Davidius Bryanescu... sorry, David Bryan immediately elevates himself to become one of the town's most famous people, beaten only by fellow Eurovision entrant Cliff Richard, who lived there as a child when he moved from India, and Dr. Harold Shipman. These two have both committed serious crimes against humanity, so David stands a good chance of being better PR for the town. He was sent to Romania in 2002 as part of a cultural exchange with the UK, in which we got to keep the Cheeky Girls.

Here's a google map, showing the route that he almost certainly took from County Durham to Romania:




Hurrah for this exciting development, I say! We had a Welsher representing Cyprus last year. Why not an Englishman for Romania? (Not that it did Cyprus or Jon Lilygreen any good, as the UK gave him only 4 points in the semi-final and a big, fat nothing in the final.) But, the song's chirpy, upbeat and catchy, even if it could easily have been in the UK's A Song For Europe contest in the 1970s. David Bryan looks good, even in lilac braces. There aren't many men who can carry off that look. His voice, if that was really live in last night's show, must be very strong. We wish him all the best and, in the words of the still sadly unknighted Brucie, "You're my favourite"**.

* Actual experiences may differ from those shown.

** Of the three songs chosen so far.

Labels: David Bryan, Eurovision 2011, Hotel FM, Romania

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