Ugh,von Teese? Really?

First Dima brought along his two famous buddies last year,now Germany have got Dita von Teese with them for Miss Kiss Kiss Bang...What's next- will Putin come on with Prihodka to blast the last chorus of Mamo? Seems ESC is turning into a "who has the most famous friends" contest,and it's a bit naff.I think Germany's song is great on its own really.Much better than stuff they'd normally send anyway.Especially as NDR chose it too- NDR who seem to think 24 hour Coldplay and Gabriela Cilmi is what listeners want.

ESC 2009- The excitement begins (at last)

After watching the rehearsals of all the songs that are actually any good in this year's ESC (count them on one hand...),I have concluded that Zoli Ádok is the hottest man on earth at this moment in time a very good singer indeed.Charismatic too.And possibly even more of a discotastic dancing genius than Sergey Lazarev.



According to ESCMalta

Tamas Naray promised to create glamorous costumes for the Hungarian package

Hungarian package- is that what he's known as these days? I look forward to seeing the results.

Speaking of glamorous costumes,I'm loving Malena's dress.Even if La Voix itself has lost quite a lot of its charm with those backing singers,who sound bored stiff.Admittedly the second rehearsal was a bit better,but I really can't see it being Stockholm 2010.I still love Malena though- "the dancers look beautiful and I look like white trash...But this is how I usually dress".Classic :)

Denmark, Finland, Netherlands (Jeroem especially) and Slovenia (how cute are some of those violinists?) all sound great too.And well,actually so do quite a few others.Maybe this won't be quite the rubbish year we thought it would be?

The song I really can't get out of my head though,and have liked since the first time I heard it,is Regina's from Bosnia&Herzigovina.



OK,so some of Davor's moves are quite amusing,and it is a bit nothingy in places.But I think it's beautiful.Yes it's the kind of ethnic ballad that we've all got bored with in the last few years (even if this is doing pretty well at the bookies),but those military-style drums and the San Marinese-esque (remember them?) beepy bits make it stand out from previous ethnic Balkan songs I think.Also,top marks for group pose incorporating wind machine and red flag.

So I think it's time for WYM to swear its allegiance and declare,Jesse's Diets style:

This year,I will be mostly supporting Bosnia and Herzegovina.


It's offical.

You're hiding from yourself

Song of the day:



Been listening to Röyksopp's new album Junior this evening.As I expected,it's pretty damn good.More on that another time maybe.When I've finished listening to it.

You're still there

It's a new(ish) Giusy Ferreri song.She's gone all moody since the likes of Novembre,and is smashing expensive things up with an indestructible guitar and shouting at her boyfriend within close proximity,yet still managing to look completely fabulous throughout.Splendido.



Oh yes,it's called Stai fermo lì and it's the third single from the album- Gaetana.

Be yourself no matter what they say

So there's a new video out for La Voix eh?



I'm loving the black and white,and the fact it's shot in Germany.But it is a little bit odd isn't it? Maybe they should have used this one...

Anyway- and this is true- last night I was thinking how cool it would be if there was a German version of CP's Hero.Schlager is an originally German invention after all.So I was surprised and pleased to find that there is indeed such a thing as a deutsche Version...



Wow,that video...

I might have loved you but you're gone all the same

Continuing my education in French pop (and after reading about him over on PPG),I bought Christophe Willem's album Inventaire today.€7,99 in Virgin,that's probably the best price anyone's paid for a CD in France ever.Anyway,I haven't listened to it all yet,but I do love this song Jacques a Dit (Simon Says).It's rather lovely.And I adore Christophe's voice...

Christophe Willem - Jacques à dit
Uploaded by espritjeune

New album out next Thursday I believe.I look forward to it.

For a few minutes we're the reality

About 3000 years after the event,I remembered that the Bundesvision Song Contest has been and gone.I think I might have mentioned it before,but it's a mini version of ESC where all the German states take part.It was Stefan Raab's idea (remember him?) and it's basically a really good way of finding new German music.There aren't ESC type rules as such- singles can be entered,and have been by lots of famous German bands.Revolverheld sang Freunde Bleiben for Bremen in 2006,Culcha Candela represented Berlin in 2008,the same year that Sportfreunde Stiller represented Bavaria (I didn't know that's where they're from...) etc etc.Last year's contest though,was won by the state of Brandenburg.Subway to Sally's song Auf Kiel (unfortunately nothing to do with the second best city in Germany) beat Thuringia's Clueso by 1 point.

Anyway.This year,Berlin won with quite frankly a pants song with a weird video.Schwarz zu Blau is by Peter Fox and beat the second place song by 30-odd points.And what was that song that came second I hear you ask? :) Well,none other than my favourite band of the moment- Polarkreis 18 (for Saxony)with The Colour of Snow.One of the rules (probably the only one) of Bundesvision is that the lyrics have to be at least 50% in German,so this version is a bit different to the album version.Because it's such a British style of music,it sounds a bit weird auf Deutsch,but it's still very good.



Other songs of note- well,I haven't listened to them all,but I did of course listen to (and love) Schleswig-Holstein's entry, Bis Auf Letzte Nacht (Until last night) by Ruben Cossani.



And then there's our neighbours Niedersachsen.Their song was Du Fehlst Mir (I miss you) by Fotos.It's like,you know,so indie.