Eurovision 2016: The groovy grand final

 Hello!

 After sharing my thoughts on the first and second semi-final and Sweden and the Big 5, as well as my brother's thoughts on the contest as a whole, it is time to finish my Eurovision 2016 round-up with my opinion of the grand final.

 I enjoyed the flag parade - having it double as a fashion show was an interesting twist. I was pleased to see the musicians looking quite relaxed and happy as they strolled across the stage.

 As for our hosts, Petra and Måns... where do I begin? I've heard so many people who aren't even into Eurovision saying that they loved them and they should host every year.

 I found them a breath of fresh air, especially the brilliant Petra. She was even funnier and more charismatic than in 2013, which I hadn't thought would be possible. I love how the crowd chanted her name as she walked onto stage and how moved by it she seemed.

 I think the postcards could have been slightly more innovative. I like how they showcased the artists' countries instead of just Sweden, but I do think they could have jazzed them up a little.

 I did appreciate the cool things they did with the name of each country at the end of each postcard (different fonts and colours).

 I enjoyed Graham Norton's commentary. He seemed a little less bouncy this year, but I guess that could be linked to Terry Wogan's death. I wish he could have spoken over Petra and Måns less, though as he says every time that he has to, I suppose he must. Still, it was frustrating.

 I could very easily have done without Justin Timberlake and his patronising comments to the contestants. He clearly didn't realise many of them were top musicians in their country and internationally, and treated them like they were talent show newbies.

 His performance wasn't amazing either; I've since grown to quite like the song but that rendition didn't catch my attention. Måns and co. on Segways also looked a bit cheesy and clumsy. He can do a lot better than that.

 However, we all know the real interval act that night was Love Love Peace Peace, Måns and Petra's homage to, and parody of, modern-day Eurovision.

 The song itself is amusing, but it was their performance that made it. Especially Petra, considering she is a comedian first and foremost and not a singer like Måns. I've re-watched it more than most of the night's actual entries. Again, I've heard non-Eurovision fans praise it repeatedly.

 I don't think it quite matches Norway's 2010 flashmob, which in my view is the best interval act ever. But it was better than most we've had in recent years.

 I had my doubts about the new way of presenting the votes. However, it worked okay. It certainly made things more exciting - and tense! - at the end.

 I voted for Sweden and was glad to see they got a point from the UK public vote. To be honest, I expected more than one - Frans has a similar style to some artists who are doing well here at the moment, such as George Ezra, Tom Odell and James Bay. 

 Still, one was better than none and I was happy to see Sweden make the Top 5 - just!

 As for the winner, I think musically it was dull but vocally it was amazing and quite haunting. I won't comment on the politics, as is my general policy with Eurovision songs. 

 I would have been happy with any out of Lithuania, Australia, Sweden or Belgium winning - or the UK, of course!

 Overall, this was one of the best-hosted and generally most enjoyable contests I've watched. Sweden has such respect for Eurovision, which plays a big part in their success both as contestants and hosts. 

 I hope future host nations incorporate some elements of Sweden's two recent contests. (But not Justin Timberlake or Segways!)

 I hope you've enjoyed sharing this year's Eurovision experience with me. Here's to next year!

 Thanks for reading.

 Liz x

Eurovision 2016: The fabulous first semi-final

 Hello!

 As my readers know, I am a massive fan of Eurovision. I've been particularly looking forward to the 2016 contest, partly because I've had a super-busy year and Eurovision is a great chance to relax and celebrate, and partly as it is in Sweden again (after they hosted in 2013) and we know how well they do Eurovision. 

 As the first semi-final kicked off on Tuesday, I felt we were in safe hands. Sweden as hosts aren't glitzy or over-the-top, they're just... really good.

 Instead of having, as many countries do, three young presenters that seem slightly nervous and take things very seriously, Sweden gives us the wonderful Petra Mede whose attitude towards the show is just perfect.

 She is joined this year by last year's winning performer, Måns Zelmerlöw, who I feel has been okay at presenting so far, though he is often overshadowed by Petra. But then, it's hard not to be!

 I loved the segment where Måns and Petra pretended to be taxi drivers - it's the kind of low-budget, down-to-earth thing that other countries might shy away from but which the Swedes recognise as being genuinely entertaining. The moment when the two guys realised they were in a cab with Petra was brilliant and I had to re-watch it.

 Måns's performance and the part with the Pippi dancers were okay. They are clearly gifted dancers and I think they could have been used better to show off their potential. Plus, though I do love her, Pippi was referenced in the 2013 contest, and they could have had something new this time.

I like this year's dandelion clock theme, but some of the dandelion graphics are rather psychedelic. I like how they use jazzy fonts for the names of the countries. The postcards, like many elements of this year's show, feel simple and serviceable, which I like.

 Okay, on to the music! I've given each song a mark out of 20. I'll comment on the voice, performance, staging, etc, but the mark is mainly for the song itself.

 1) Finland - Parts of this sounded like a recent-ish pop song, I think possibly by the Swedish House Mafia. I found it pretty average, and the constant "Bruh, bruh"-ing a bit annoying. Not a great start to the show, although at least it was energetic. 7/20

 2) Greece - I wasn't sure whether this was supposed to have some political connotations or not, and as a result feel slightly uncomfortable commenting on it lyrically. Musically, I found it quite ordinary and very typical of Greek Eurovision entries. 10/20

 3) Moldova - I liked her dress! The song felt clichéd but I felt she had a strong stage presence. I liked the silver and blue-themed staging.  8/20

 4) Hungary - Ah, the drums, the drums! We couldn't possibly yet a Eurovision year go by without them. I felt this song had lots of good ingredients but they never really came together. 8/20

 5) Croatia - I liked the staging and the way it built up to the end, with the falling sparks. Her first dress just didn't work even as a decoy for the second, proper one - her hair was too short for it and it swamped her. Had her hair been longer it may have worked. The song was on the good side of average and she sold it well. 12/20

 6) Netherlands - More country from them! I'm not complaining; it was a decent song, though it's hard to match the Common Linnets (whose success I imagine they're trying to emulate with this year's entry). One of the backing band reminded me of Mick Jagger. The staging seemed to swamp the lead singer at first but he settled into the performance. 14/20

 7) Armenia - Hmm! I don't know where to begin on this one. She looked like Nicole Scherzinger. Her voice and the song were both decent. But the over-dramatic camera work and cutting on this were awful and fitted a music video better than a Eurovision performance. It really was hard to watch. 13/20

 8) San Marino - The lyrics and the way he sang them came across as a bit odd. The horrible graphics in the background combined with his garish outfit were very hard on the eyes. 4/20

 9) Russia - Most clichéd lyrics yet - "Thunder and lightning, it's getting exciting." The staging was very reminiscent of both the Austrian and Swedish winning songs from the last couple of years, but it was quite good all the same. At the end it became hard to watch due to all the strobing. 10/20

 10) Czech Republic - The staging was nice but strobey. The lyrics were very repetitive but the song quite pleasant, and I liked her dress and the way she let her hair down at the end (quite literally!). 13/20

 11) Cyprus - As Scott Mills, commentating for the UK, declared, this really sounds like Somebody Told Me by the Killers. It was all just a little bit over-the-top, what with the flashing lights, moody glazes, blue smoke and howling. It was something different, however, and that is always welcome. 11/20

 12) Austria - She looked like a Disney Princess! She also reminded me of Amanda Seyfreid in Mamma Mia. It was all a bit too cutesy and high-pitched for me, and it seemed to go on for a long time. She didn't seem to be doing much and the background graphics got a bit annoying. 12/20

 13) Estonia - More chess in the postcard! Horses and chess were the recurring themes this semi-final! This guy reminded me of Nick Henderson from Big Brother. I personally don't like songs based heavily around a theme unless they're really good. The theme of playing cards totally dominated this performance and staging and it was too intense. I was relieved when it was over! But he is kind of endearing and I can understand why people seem to like him. 11/20

 14) Azerbaijan - I wasn't keen on the outfits here! However, it was a decent song and performance. Azerbaijan have been fairly consistent in recent years, sending songs that aren't amazing but are very solid. 14/20

 15) Montenegro - Scott Mills really didn't like this! I thought it was okay - it was certainly striking. It's a shame there were more silly jump cuts and angles; this time it felt like we were watching a festival set instead of a Eurovision performance and I feel the song itself, which was all right, was drowned out by the theatrics. 14/20

 16) Iceland - I liked what she did with the shadows staging-wise. The song was cheesy but good. 14/20

 17) Bosnia and Herzegovina - Scott and Mel Giedroyc joked about the tin foil outfits but I actually liked them! I wasn't keen on the "Ey, ey, ey," at the end. Overall it was very Eurovision. 10/20

 18) Malta - Another nice dress! She gave a very confident performance and I liked the background. The song is okay - a bit of an earworm. 13/20

 Overall, I enjoyed the show. I feel this was the weaker semi-final - the one on Thursday had more stand-out songs for me. However, this one was very watchable and Måns and Petra - especially Petra - did an excellent job.

 Watch this space for my thoughts on the second semi-final!

 Thanks for reading.

 Liz x

Cats, Kennedys and Austrian delights

 Hello!

 So, I am home for the French Easter holidays - though it is long after Easter! Spring has sprung in Wigan and everything is lovely.

 I don't think I have mentioned on this blog that our cat, Murphy, died quite suddenly in September.

 For a couple of months before Murphy's death a stray young cat - barely a kitten - had been spending a lot of time in our garden.

 We let him - we were told it was a he - sleep in the little kennel we have in the garden and when firework season started, we let him sleep in the kitchen. Our attempts to see if he had an owner came to nothing so in the end we adopted him.

 We had always called him "the kitten" so he became Kitt. Then the vet announced that he was actually a she! Luckily, Kitt works just as well for a girl.

 Here she is:

***

 The latest big excitement for me was going to the 21st birthday party of one of my oldest friends. It was a great night and I re-discovered this song: "Style" by Taylor Swift.

 I had heard it on the radio ages before and hadn't really been impressed by it. Hearing it at the party, however, I  knew it was going to become my "song of the moment" - it sounded sompletely different and I loved it.

 I also really love the video and feel it lifts the song from being pop-y like her other hits to being slightly deeper and more poetic. I like how nature is incorporated and how the guy has heterochomia.

 I've always found heterochromia interesting due to my general fascination with genetics and because a cat used to visit out garden when I was little who had one blue and one brown eye.

***

 There are two major musical excitements coming up in May.

 The first is seeing the wonderful Kennedys, Pete and Maura, again. I'm not yet sure where I'll go to see them; perhaps Southport as the last two times I've seen them there (in October 2013 and June 2014) have been wonderful.

 They are doing a UK tour to promote their three new albums - one each solo and one as The Kennedys.

 I am really looking forward to getting my hands on a copy of West, their album as a duo, as it features the first Kennedys album version of John Stewart's "Queen of Hollywood High," which Maura performed live in 2008 with the John Stewart Band in tribute to the late singer.

 It's just such a joyful performance. I listened to it in France whenever I fancied some familiar music. Five minutes well spent - both creating this glorious thing, and watching and listening to it.

 Maura's new album consists of poems put to music, which naturally fascinates me as a writer. Pete's solo album is a song cycle about New York City. 

 I really can't wait to see them again and to hear all these new songs which cover three quite different genres and come, it seems, from three quite different places both musically and spiritually.

***

 The other big musical event approaching is, of course, Eurovision.

 The Sixtieth Contest will take place in Vienna and we are busy thinking up Austrian foods to have at our annual family Eurovision party! 

 I've been looking through the early Chalet School books for inspiration. It would be good, however, to represent different parts of the country rather than just the Tyrol. Let me know if you have any ideas!

 I recently watched the "Eurovision's Greatest Hits" on the BBC, presented by Graham Norton and Petra Mede. I loved Petra's hosting of the 2013 Contest in Malmö, so I was really glad to see her return to the Eurovision stage. She and Graham worked off one another well.

 Highlights for me included Herrey's singing "Diggi-Loo Diggi-Ley" with real gusto and great charisma. Here is the original winning performance from 1984 as YouTube won't let me embed the Greatest Hits version.

 The Bobbysocks, from Norway, were also full of life and put on a fun, lively performance. Here they are back in 1985.

 I really enjoyed Natasha St-Pier, with "Je n'ai que mon âme" ("All I have is my soul"). Having listened to the studio version, I much prefer it sung live.

 It was also great to see Johnny Logan perform - no Eurovision tribute would really be complete without him.

 Bring on Eurovision 2015! I'm so looking forward to witnessing this historical event.

 Thanks for reading,

 Liz x

Songs: Style - Taylor Swift - 2015

Queen of Hollywood High - Maura Kennedy and the John Stewart Band - 2008

Diggi-Loo Diggi-Ley - Herrey's - 1984

La det swinge - Bobbysocks! - 1985

Je n'ai que mon âme - Natasha St-Pier - 2001

Hold Me Now - Johnny Logan - 1987