I'm a reluctant Eurovision watcher. My kids sucked me in years ago, and my wife and I continue to watch it, even if it lingers past our bedtime with the voting. I tried my hand at The Guardian quiz but only mustered a 13/26 score. Obviously not a hardcore fan ; )
Most of the acts follow a tried and true formula, the result of which is many songs sound the same, but there are a few that stand out, like this novel one from Serbia, in which Konstrakta ponders the question, "What is the secret to Meghan Markle's healthy hair?" Showing once again that a little bit of humor goes a long way. Not sure what Meghan thinks though.
The Lithuanian entry isn't half bad this year. Not my type of song, but Monica Liu cuts a stunning figure and managed to get past the first round. I give her credit for coming up with the song herself. Most of these acts hire writers to craft catchy Eurovision ballads, so it is always refreshing when a performer takes her own stab at it. Lithuania had a really good act a couple years ago but sadly COVID wiped out Eurovision that year. They had to settle for an internet voting consolation prize.
The worst part is when acts try to copy what won the year before, as if our memories are so short. Such was the case with Achille Lauro, a San Marino act, who offered this audacious performance but failed to qualify for the final round. It proved that Lithuanian judges were right in not awarding Lolita Zero the top spot.
What made Maneskin fun to watch is that their gender-bending performance was organic. Not that this is my type of music either, but I enjoyed the energy they brought to the stage. They weren't simply trying to shock the audience. They've since gone on to be an international sensation with one of the best performances at Coachella. They will be in Vilnius this summer.
This year's emotional favorite is Ukraine, but their group isn't as good as last year's entry Go_A, who I thought were great! They really showed what you could do with a folk song. This year's entry tries to do the same but Kalush Orchestra is nowhere near as mesmerizing to watch as Kateryna Pavlenko.
No Russia or Belarus this year, for obvious reasons. Russia had always done strongly because they put up one of their top performers each year, who has a lot of appeal in Eastern Europe and the Caucuses. It would be the same as UK putting up Ed Sheeran or Harry Styles. Most countries use Eurovision as a talent show for rising talent, with lengthy competitions, as they do here in Lithuania.
Still, Eurovision isn't immune to politics. They try to tamp down the more overt expressions, but more subtle references seep through. The judges were upset over Jamala's 1944 song, ranking her near the bottom in 2016, but audiences were so enthused by the Ukrainian singer that they vaulted her all the way to the top. This year, there seems to be no references at all to the Ukraine war.
I can't say I really have a favorite this year, although I'm leaning toward Konstrakta. I imagine Ukraine will win. Can't for the life of me see what so many persons see in Cornelia Jakobs, other than a young Bonnie Tyler, who didn't fare so well when she participated in 2013, which is why many established performers choose not to participate. Who needs that kind of heartache? I liked the Dutch singer much better. But, who is to say? The voting rarely goes as I expect it to, even when I try to put myself in the minds of the judges.
We still share our thoughts with our children. I even bought a Maneskin vinyl for our youngest daughter. Finally able to find a copy under 50 euros from an Italian distributor on Discogs. He wrapped it so tightly in multiple layers of cardboard, craft paper and tape, that it took what seemed like an hour to open it, but left a very nice message inside, telling me how much he valued me as a customer. I haven't brought myself to play it, so it is still in mint condition. Not that they are overly interested in Eurovision anymore. Our son none at all. It has become one of those guilty pleasures, which mercifully takes place over one week, rather than stretching out weeks on end like the ubiquitous talent shows.
.......
As usual, the final evening was not without controversy, and I took the low jury scores for Ukraine much too seriously, shouting at the television. It seemed it took forever and a day to count the votes, and I was growing tired and frustrated. There was only so much of the gab between the hosts that I could take.
The Ukrainian group couldn't resist a shout out to those trapped in Mariupol and it seemed many judges penalized them for this "political gesture." Given the situation in Ukraine and that the group had been given special permission to travel to Turin, you'd think judges would understand, but quite a few Western European national juries scored Kalush Orchestra a zero. However, the audience vote more than made up for it, catapulting the Ukrainian group over UK, Spain and Sweden, which had earned the juries' favor.
This isn't the first time there has been such a vast discrepancy in voting. Judges tend to be far more biased than the audience in this regard, and seemed to be trying to make up for having scored the UK a zero last time around, as Sam Ryder simply wasn't that good. Chanel of Spain was more interested in showing off her well-toned butt than anything else, but apparently had a lot of people dancing backstage. Hard to recall what she actually sang. This year the German entry, Malik Harris, scored a zero from the national juries. He didn't do much better with the audience, but avoided the dreaded "double nul," which the British singer, James Newman, got last time around. It seemed largely over Brexit.
Ryder came in as one of the favorites thanks to a massive Tik Tok following, but once again this social media support didn't translate into audience votes. He finished well below Kalush Orchestra and other acts among the telephone vote. Judging by his look of anticipation, all that talk about peace and love and that it didn't matter what he scored seemed rather phony. He was clearly looking for the victory but there was no way he was going to come up with 330 points at the end of night, forced to settle for 183.
Anyway, we survived another Eurovision.
Comments
Post a Comment