Eurovision - Where's the Popcorn?

This blog entry will take a side track from the usual serious stuff.

I just wanted to make a comment on the once a year TV fest I do when I make pop corn and sit in front of the TV and watch the Eurovision Song Contest.

This is where all the countries in Europe and even some parts of the former Soviet Union, Turkey, and Israel compete for the best song. (Israel has won this contest at least three times, once, twice in a row.)

I usually like to sit and watch the glitz and fanfare, and the thousands of people in the audience with their respective flags waving. But MOSTLY, while watching the performances, I sit and laugh with my family and give them NEGATIVE points. Most of the songs are pretty awful, and some of these languages sound really funny when you are not familiar with them. Ok, I know they don't have a fair advantage because most of Europe prefers English or French, but it is funny seeing ballads, pop, punk-rocker and heavy metal songs sung in Turkish or Slavic languages.

This year the contest was held in Helsinki, Finland, because their entry from last year's contest won. I wrote about their winning song in a previous blog entry. This year, Israel was nixed from the competition. We didn't make it to their finals, and there was also a big scandal about our song being too 'political' because it's lyrics spoke about the terror and nuclear threats against Israel.

This year's winner was from Serbia. The entry was called, Molitva or in English, "Prayer". The only problem is, I couldn't figure out if the lead singer was a man or a woman. (Look at the bigger photo above, the one in the suit with the mic in the hand. You tell me.... Hard to tell, man or woman?


I at first thought it was a man, only afterwards when I found out the singer's name was Maria (Maija) did I understand this was a woman.

I just don't know... now that I know this is a woman, I think she looks like a 'manly' Rosie O'Donnell .
Don't you think?
I have to say, that I usually sit and have fun giving points to countries, but I wasn't committed this year to the yearly fanfare.

1) Israel was not in the competition, so it wasn't as interesting.

2) The singing was pretty bad this year. The songs may have been ok, but I think the singers were nervous. They held the contest in a giant stadium, and it seemed like their whole population was there.

Finland has a smaller population than Israel. From Wikipedia -- "Finland currently numbers 5,282,583 inhabitants and has an average population density of 17 inhabitants per square kilometre.[1] This makes it, after Norway and Iceland, the most sparsely populated country in Europe.


A lot of the lead singers must have been very nervous singing in front of the large audience. They were real 'pitchy - off tune'. I kept thinking what Simon Cowell would say after their song was over. And so I went to watch America Idol which was on at the same time here in Israel, as the Eurovision broadcast. American Idol has a lot better singers than the BEST of Europe's entries in Eurovsion.

I think we need Simon Cowell to produce the Eurovision Song Contest. It needs some real good critic's eyes, and it would be a lot more entertaining. I think he would beat me on giving out negative points! Hey, where's the popcorn? To watch the video of the Winning Song from Serbia, click HERE.

Oh, and for just some self-depreciation - cause this WAS funny,,,, a cartoon someone sent to Tovia, who (of course) sent it to me - to give me a 'dig'. But I think it is brilliant! It shows the 'score board' of how many times Tovia is right vs yours truly. Of course, his tally is wrong, (He only gave me two points) but in reality, I am the one who is always right on that show, (wink) but I loved the effort of this fan. Oh, and thanks Tovia!!!!

Cartoon by: David Espurvoa, and he signed his email: Goy Christian in Muskego
Thanks David!

UPDATE! (May 15, Tuesday)

A listener of ours at Israel National Radio, Dan. L from Israel, sent this 'revised' cartoon. He claims he has writer's block, and can't think of anything funnier.... so I am opening up the comments for YOUR additions. MAKE up a caption for this cartoon below... (Fill in your quote for the text-bubble). It can be either pro-Tovia or pro-Tamar.

I will send the winner for the BEST NEW caption a free music CD of Jewish and Israeli music. I will post the winner on this site, so check back in a few days.

MAKE up a caption for this cartoon!