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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Euro 2008 starts today, with not one of the five British Isles teams taking part. England joins Bulgaria, Denmark and Latvia as the four countries who took part in Euro 2004 but haven't qualified this time around.

The BBC, inevitably, given the amount of money they've invested in covering the tournament, has been plugging it by asking who people will be supporting. But you can't answer the TV and radio trailers, so let's ask the same question here. I'm curious to know what affects people's choices in a competition that's devoid of British and Irish players. Are you supporting a country because a player from your club team plays for them? Are you supporting the team of your parents' country, or digging even deeper into your family ancestry to find a link with another nation? Are you supporting a team based on who has the better looking players? (As if we would ever condone anything so shallow!) Are you taking the Wogan-in-Eurovision line and just having an unfounded prejudice against all of the Eastern Europeans? Or are you just not bothering with Euro 2008 because your country's not in it?

In order to explain who I'll be supporting, I present this highly technical version of my family tree:



So, due to being 1/8 French, I will be supporting France. Allez les bleus!

The only fly in the ointment is that I drew Romania yesterday in the work sweepstake. Unfortunately, France and Romania are both in Group C, the group of death. I softened the blow of drawing the team that will probably finish last in the group (with Italy and the Netherlands also above them) by using it as an excuse to blu-tack this picture of Vlad, my very favourite Romanian in the whole wide world (sorry Cheeky Girls), to the side of my monitor at work, next to the Romanian flag. It will make work just that little bit easier to have his lovely face looking down at me for the next three weeks.

Who are you supporting in Euro 2008, and why?

Labels: Euro 2008, family history, football, Romania, Vlad

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Romania - 'Pe-o margine de lume' - Nico & Vlad

But never mind the song, check out the talent! I had the pleasure of chatting to Vlad at the London Scala party, and made no jokes at all about impaling. Such restraint. He was utterly charming (as was she, Nico). See for yourself in the mini interview below. Swoon.

Labels: Eurovision 2008, Nico, Romania, Vlad

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'Bun venit' to Romania!
'Dobre doshli' to Bulgaria!

Please feel free to come and live here in your thousands, if only to piss off the Daily Mail, but please bear in mind that in order to fit in with your fellow low-paid workers, you will need to learn the language. The language is Polish.

Labels: Bulgaria, EU enlargement, Romania

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