#Eurovision Party 2005

[eurovision-revisited]

Eurovision 2005 - Number 6 - Helena Paparizou - "My Number One"

Here she is again, and for her crowning moment in Eurovision history. She'd already finished third in 2001 with Antique, and for 2005, ERT had decided that what they needed was a proven success for Greece. To that end, the changed their selection process from a national final to a song selection final in which Helena was to sing four songs and the public got to chose which was the best.

I strongly dislike song selection finals. It's the worst of both worlds. There's already been an internal selection. If they've chosen the wrong artist, nothing can be altered. Then you're relying on the public to chose the best song - and there's a reason several countries are increasingly choosing internal selection. The public can't often be trusted to make a good decision.

In this case, however, Helena is a proven Eurovision artists, who can sing, perform, and who fits perfectly the genre du jour, the girl-bop. She is the boppiest girl around. It had taken a while to confirm her as the selected artists as it seems other names were in contention who had demands that ERT deemed unreasonable. In the end, even if Helena hadn't been the number one choice, she was the correct one.

The song that won the selection was, appropriately, My Number One written by Christos Dantis, Manos Psaltakis and with lyrics by Christos and Natalia Germanou. Three song-writers with some music industry experience but no Eurovision pedigree. It had to beat only two others songs as one of the four songs she was supposed to perform was disqualified before the final. The song-writer had already released a version on Amazon prior the cut-off date, thus breaking the hallowed rules of Eurovision.

In fact none of the songs Helena had been given had any writers with Eurovision experience. The songs had come from an open submission process and were selected not just by ERT, but also in conjunction with Sony BMG. The music industry were continuing to find Eurovision to be an opportunity they couldn't ignore.

There is one other magic factor that led to Helena and Greece's success. The staging. One of the reasons that the girl bops dominated from 2003-2005 was the bopping part. They needed choreography and staging. They weren't content to stand in front of microphones and sing. Dancing, costuming, lighting and camera movement were just as important. Here Greece used Fokas Evangelinos, who had first directed Greece's Eurovision entry the year before. He knew what he was doing and would go on to have a very lengthy career as a Eurovision stage director.

What Helena, Ruslana and Sertab proved was that you needed something else besides just a voice and a song. They could all sing while performing increasingly energetic and elaborate choreography. If you were a rock band and wanted to win Eurovision, you were going need something else, something extra...

The song itself is perhaps the most ideal example of the combination between pop and traditional and ethnic sounds. Here it's not just in the instrumentation chosen, but also the dance moves in the staging. That Helena and Greece share the same name origins only makes it more perfect - even if she is Swedish.

When it came to the scoreboard, it wasn't that close. This was no 2003 with a dramatic conclusion. There had been boos for some acts, but they weren't in the running this year. Greece won its first ever Eurovision maintaining the streak of first time winners that stretched back to 2001.

Helena is Eurovision icon - she's had a long and highly successful career with Europe wide-touring, eleven albums, nearly seventy singles, the most recent two of which were released this year (2024). She has been rumoured to return on other occasions including the possibility that she would have sung Fuego for Cyprus in 2018. She also entered Melfest in 2014.

Here's one of her more recent singles, form 2023, Δε Μου Τα Λέει Καλά. She's still got it.

[lectern-fullcauldron]

Hermits as Norwegian Eurovision Songs (because I do what I want)

this is pretty much 100% on vibes and I'm sleep deprived but let's go!

ZombieCleo - 2013

hot, sexy, will kill. ominous love song. absolute banger. it threatens arson and stabbing and is perfect for Cleo. the whole world is theirs

Joe Hills - 2012

this got no points but it compels me. I love this song it's a banger and I don't know what I'm doing tonight but this rush is taking me higher. it just sounds like Joe to me. maximum effort, no idea why we're here, lets go

Scar and Cub - 1984

This is THE Norwegian Eurovision Song. This is joy incarnate. This is the first win from the country with the most last places. It followed nil points the year before. This is not caring about the results and just having a good time. This is the joy the convex bring when they're together

Xbcrafted - 2000

a chill song for a sweetheart. keralis calls him princess and my heart goes boom! also I want to see xb in these outfits please

Geminitay - 2023

girlboss song for stabbing and killing (Alessandra is a total cinnamon roll off the stage and when she won the national final she sat on the stage and cried with joy)

Iskall - 1968

hehehe this song is called stress but it's got the energy of an iskall noise montage and I love it

Docm77 - 2005

Hello doc put the costume on and scream for me please. I would enjoy it

Ethoslab - 2017

the voice in his head is Cleo btw. My guy is washed up but he's great and I adore his work.

Keralis - 1997

Incomprehensible. Flawless. Boogie woogie. You could pool party to this. Keralis could silly little guy to this (it got no points)

[actuallylorelaigilmore]

2024 Belated Updated Movie Masterlist

every year, i repost my movie watchlist here and set a new goal for movie watching. it is september now and i only just realized that i never did that for 2024!

instead, i tried to chip away at the 2023 reviews i was behind on first, got absolutely swamped by life (which i promise i'm still working on telling you all about) and never kicked off 2024 officially, even as i have been watching movies and keeping track of them to review here.

so, no time like almost-october, right? better than letting all of 2024 be absorbed into a black hole. and i didn't have a goal for this year, since i completely forgot to even kick off the year with a fresh masterpost, but the upside of that is that i don't have to feel bad about never coming close to my aspirational ideals.

also! i finally gave in and created a letterboxd account, though i'm still working on setting things up over there--and i'm going to keep writing my reviews over here anyway, because this is still my online home.

if anybody wants to read my most recent year in review, last year’s list is here, with movies i watched linked to their reviews (and more reviews to come). for 2024 though, behold, my constantly-growing movie list (split in half because tumblr's mad at how many i want to see):

4th man out (2015) 12 years a slave (2013) a family man (2016) a room with a view (1985) a simple favor (2018) a single man (2009) a wrinkle in time (2018) abigail (2024) about time (2013) admission (2013) after yang (2021) always be my maybe (2019) american fiction (2023) american gangster (2007) ammonite (2020) amsterdam (2022) an education (2009) anything’s possible (2022) aquaman (2018) are you there god? it’s me margaret (2023) argylle (2024) arrival (2016) atonement (2007) august: osage county (2013) babylon (2023) bad education (2019) be kind rewind (2008) bedazzled (2000) beetlejuice (1988) beetlejuice beetlejuice (2024) begin again (2013) between the temples (2024) big eyes (2014) billy elliot (2000) blockers (2018) bohemian rhapsody (2018) bowfinger (1999) boy erased (2018) breaking (2022) brideshead revisited (2008) bright young things (2003) burn burn burn (2015) cairo time (2009) call jane (2022) can you ever forgive me? (2018) catherine called birdy (2022) chef (2014) clemency (2019) coco (2017) cold copy (2023) colette (2018) crazy rich asians (2018) creed (2015) creed 2 (2018) creed 3 (2023) crimson peak (2015) crouching tiger, hidden dragon (2000) crush (2022) cuckoo (2024) cyrano (2021) dazed and confused (1993) demolition man (1993) devil’s knot (2013) didi (2024) die hard 2 (1990) die hard with a vengeance (1995) dog day afternoon (1975) drive-away dolls (2024) dual (2022) earth girls are easy (1988) effie gray (2014) ella mckay (?) eurovision song contest: the story of fire saga (2020) fast color (2018) fear street part one: 1994 (2021) fear street part two: 1978 (2021) fear street part three: 1666 (2021) fighting with my family (2019) fly me to the moon (2024) fright night (2011) furiosa: a mad max saga (2024) galaxy quest (1999) girls trip (2017) glass onion: a knives out mystery (2022) gone girl (2014) good luck to you, leo grande (2022) goodbye christopher robin (2017) gosford park (2001) gunpowder milkshake (2021) happy death day (2017) happy death day 2u (2019) happy texas (1999) her smell (2018) his three daughters (2023) hit man (2023) holes (2003) honk for jesus. save your soul. (2022) honor society (2022) how to talk to girls at parties (2017) how to train your dragon (2010) hysteria (2011) i am not your negro (2017) i don’t feel at home in this world anymore (2017) i saw the tv glow (2024) i, tonya (2017) if (2024) if beale street could talk (2018) inception (2010) infinitely polar bear (2014) jackie (2016) jane got a gun (2015) janet planet (2024) jennifer's body (2009) joyful noise (2012) judas and the black messiah (2021) judy blume forever (2023) junebug (2005) jupiter ascending (2015) just mercy (2019) kajillionaire (2020) keeping mum (2005) killers of the flower moon (2023) knife fight (2012) kubo and the two strings (2016) laggies (2014) last holiday (2006) late night (2019) lemonade mouth (2011) little (2019) live free or die hard (2007) logan lucky (2017) longlegs (2024) love, simon (2018) magic mike xxl (2015) magic mike: last dance (2023) mansfield park (1999) marmalade (2024) mars attacks! (1996) mary queen of scots (2018) master (2022) master gardener (2022) maxxxine (2024) may december (2024) me and earl and the dying girl (2015) meet the robinsons (2007) megamind (2010) memento (2000) men in black international (2019) mermaids (1990) midsommar (2019) migration (2023) miss pettigrew lives for a day (2008) miss sloane (2016) missing (2023) monkey business (1952) moonlight (2016) moonrise kingdom (2012) moonshot (2022) mother couch (2023) mothers instinct (2024) moving on (2022) mr. magorium’s wonder emporium (2007) mr. mom (1983) much ado about nothing (2011) muriel’s wedding (1994) musica (2024)

nancy drew and the hidden staircase (2019) nanny mcphee (2005) nanny mcphee returns (2010) national anthem (2024) never let me go (2010) newsies (1992) night shift (2023) no time to die (2021) nope (2022) northanger abbey (2007) not okay (2022) obvious child (2014) omni loop (2024) on the come up (2022) oppenheimer (2023) other people (2016) pacific rim (2013) palm springs (2020) parallel (2024) parasite (2019) paris is burning (1990) passing (2021) penelope (2006) pete’s dragon (2016) pirate radio (2009) please stand by (2017) polite society (2023) pride (2014) pride and prejudice and zombies (2016) professor marston and the wonder women (2016) renfield (2023) return to oz (1985) rise of the guardians (2012) rita moreno: just a girl who decided to go for it (2021) rocketman (2019) roll bounce (2005) rosaline (2022) saving face (2004) say anything (1989) scoop (2024) scream (2022) scream 6 (2023) see how they run (2022) seeking a friend for the end of the world (2012) she said (2022) shirley (2024) shoplifters (2018) short term 12 (2013) sing street (2016) skincare (2024) sleeping with other people (2015) someone great (2019) somewhere quiet (2023) sorry to bother you (2018) soul (2020) spider-ham: caught in a ham (2019) spider-man: across the spiderverse (2023) spider-man: far from home (2019) spider-man: homecoming (2017) spider-man: into the spiderverse (2018) spider-man: no way home (2021) spin me round (2022) spotlight (2015) spy kids (2001) stage fright (2014) step up (2006) talk to me (2022) teeth (2007) the 355 (2022) the age of innocence (1993) the american society of magical negroes (2024) the anniversary party (2001) the batman (2022) the best exotic marigold hotel (2012) the bikeriders (2023) the book of clarence (2023) the breadwinner (2017) the burial (2023) the children act (2017) the craft: legacy (2020) the disaster artist (2017) the divine order (2017) the emperor’s new groove (2000) the eyes of tammy faye (2021) the fall (2006)    the fallout (2021) the fighting temptations (2003) the five year engagement (2012) the gentlemen (2019) the godfather (1972) the godfather part 2 (1974) the godfather part 3 (1990) the great gatsby (2013) the great lillian hall (2024) the hunchback of notre dame (1996) the hunt (2020) the iron lady (2011) the kill room (2023) the legend of tarzan (2016) the lost city (2022) the master (2012) the matrix resurrections (2021) the monuments men (2014) the notebook (2004) the old guard (2020) the outfit (2022) the photograph (2020) the prestige (2006) the prince of egypt (1998) the prom (2020) the queen (2006) the royal hotel (2023) the second best exotic marigold hotel (2016) the secret garden (2020) the skeleton twins (2014) the spy who dumped me (2018) the suicide squad (2021) the thicket (2024) the trial of the chicago 7 (2020) the truman show (1998) the unbearable weight of massive talent (2022) the united states vs. billie holiday (2021) the velocipastor (2018) the way he looks (2014) the woman king (2022) the wonder (2022) their finest (2016) thelma (2024) this means war (2012) tootsie (1982) treasure planet (2002) troop zero (2019) turtles all the way down (2024) twisters (2024) two lovers and a bear (2016) uglies (2024) upgraded (2024) us (2019) v for vendetta (2005) valley girl (2020) velvet goldmine (1998) venom (2018) venom: let there be carnage (2021) venom: the last dance (2024) victoria & abdul (2017) violent night (2022) walk the line (2005) wet hot american summer (2001) what happens later (2023) what we do in the shadows (2014) where’d you go, bernadette (2019) widows (2018) wild target (2010) winner (2024) women talking (2022) yesterday (2019) young adult (2011) zombieland: double tap (2019)

[diamondnightingaleif]

Diamond Nightingale IF

Demo TBA

The Diamond Nightingale Song Contest is Europe's second-largest song competition and closely resembles Eurovision. You and your closest friend have just emerged as winners of the Glass Dolphin, Romania's national selection event. Romania boasts the most wins in the contest, claiming victory in 1999, 2005, 2009, and 2015. You and your friend also competed in the Diamond Chick, the junior version of the contest, in 2010 and 2011, respectively.

As you prepare for the Diamond Nightingale, you and your best friend are filled with excitement and nerves. This is your chance to show the world your talent. But the competition will be fierce, with singers from all across Europe competing for the title. You'll need to bring your A-game and stand out from the crowd with a good song, memorable performance, and stunning stage presence. With the pressure mounting and the stakes higher than ever, can you and your best friend rise to the occasion and become the next Diamond Nightingale winners? Or become Romania’s first Non-Qualifiers?

How will the two of you perform in the semi-final? Will you pass and reach the grand final? Will you be the 11th place, the fan-favorite that didn’t manage to qualify? Or will you crash and burn with the high expectations placed on the two of you?

Choose your MC’s gender, name, stage name, skills, aesthetic, performance, looks, and sexuality.

Choose your duo’s song, name, staging, and genre.

Choose your characters previous history in the music industry and contest.

Interact with fans, journalists and other contestants.

Participate in the pre-parties.

Work on your act for the semi-finals.                

Make different choices that can affect your chances of qualifying, public image, contestant’s opinion of you and many more.

Qualify or fail to qualify for the Grand Final.

Develop romances involving four different characters, including two previous contestants, your friend, and a journalist.

Deal with the aftermath of the contest.

The game offers four romantic options: the charming runner-up from the 2015 edition, the last-place finisher in 2019, your longtime friend, and a journalist covering the contest. Depending on the player's choice, the runner-up can be either João Silva or Joana, who represented Portugal at the young age of 17 and is known for being outgoing, charming, and a bit of a flirt. The last-place finisher in the 2019 Grand Final is Lodewijk De Vries, a former winner of the Diamond Chick in 2010 and a reserved but ambitious and honest person. Only a male MC can romance him. Your friend can be either Sabin Scarlat or Sabina Scarlat, and the two of you have been friends since you met in the 2010 national selection. They are shy, passionate, and critical of themselves, with a deep passion for art. Finally, the journalist is Ilona Mäkinen, a Finnish fan and reporter for the Egg Hunt, the biggest fan news site for the contest. She is known for her curiosity, intelligence, stubbornness, and dry sense of humor. Only female MCs can romance her.              

I've had this idea for a while, and I've been planning to make this game for a while. I'm excited to share this idea with you all, and I plan to start writing the demo shortly after the Eurovision Grand Final. During this period, I will be working on the outline for the game. I hope you all like the idea! I’ll answer any questions you guys have about the IF, Romance options and other things related to the game, like the history of the contest.

[gaymer-hag-stan]

So, I have a list of Eurovision songs from 2004 onwards ranking which entries did the best based on average score.

This year's Loreen, Käärijä, Noa Kirel and Marco Mengoni all made the list

1. Norway - 2009 - Alexander Rybak - Fairytale - 78.6%

2. Sweden - 2015 - Måns Zelmerlöw - Heroes - 77.9%

3. Portugal - 2017 - Salvador Sobral - Amar pelos dois - 77%

4. Sweden - 2012 - Loreen - Euphoria - 75.6%

5. Ukraine - 2022 - Kalush Orchestra - Stefania - 67.4%

6. Austria - 2014 - Conchita Wurst - Rise Like a Phoenix - 67.1%

7. Ukraine - 2004 - Ruslana - Wild Dances - 66.6%

8. Sweden – 2023 – Loreen – Tattoo – 66.5%

9. Finland - 2006 - Lordi - Hard Rock Hallelujah - 65.7%

10. Russia - 2015 - Polina Gagarina - A Million Voices - 64.7%

11. Serbia and Montenegro - 2004 - Željko Joksimović and Ad-Hoc Orchestra - Lane Moje - 62.6%

12. Bulgaria - 2017 - Kristian Kostov - Beautiful Mess - 62.5%

13. Italy - 2015 - Il Volo - Grande amore - 62.3%

14. Denmark - 2013 - Emmelie de Forest - Only Teradrops - 61.6%

15. Finland – 2023 – Käärijä – Cha Cha Cha – 60%

16. Greece - 2004 - Sakis Rouvas - Shake It - 60%

17. Italy - 2021 - Måneskin - Zitti e Buoni - 57.4%

18. Russia - 2006 - Dima Bilan - Never Let You Go - 55.8%

19. Netherlands - 2014 - The Common Linnets - Calm After the Storm - 55%

20. France - 2021 - Barbara Pravi - Voilà - 54.7%

21. Serbia - 2007 - Marija Šerifović - Molitva - 54.4%

22. Ukraine - 2016 - Jamala - 1944 - 54.2%

23. Russia - 2008 - Dima Bilan - Believe - 53.9%

24. Germany - 2010 - Lena - Satellite - 53.9%

25. Russia - 2012 - Buranovskiye Babushki - Party for Everybody - 52.6%

26. Israel - 2018 - Netta - Toy - 52.4%

27. Australia - 2016 - Dami Im - Sound of Silence - 51.9%

28. Netherlands - 2019 - Duncan Laurence - Arcade - 51.8%

29. Bosnia and Herzegovina - 2006 - Hari Mata Hari - Lejla - 51.5%

30. Azerbaijan - 2013 - Farid Mammadov - Hold Me - 51.3%

31. Greece - 2005 - Helena Paparizou - My Number One - 50.4%

32. Sweden - 2014 - Sanna Nielsen - Undo - 50.4%

33. Russia - 2016 - Sergey Lazarev - You Are the Only One - 49.8%

34. United Kingdom - 2022 - Sam Ryder - Space Man - 49.7%

35. Italy - 2019 - Mahmood - Soldi - 49.1%

36. Spain - 2022 - Chanel - SloMo - 49%

37. Azerbaijan - 2011 - Ell and Nikki - Running Scared - 48.4%

38. Ukraine - 2007 - Verka Serduchka - Dancing Lasha Tumbai - 47.7%

39. Switzerland - 2021 - Gjon's Tears - Tout l'univers - 47.3%

40. Ukraine - 2013 - Zlata Ognevich - Gravity - 46.9%

41. Sweden - 2022 - Cornelia Jakobs - Hold Me Closer - 46.7%

42. Turkey - 2004 - Athena - For Real - 46.4%

43. Belgium - 2015 - Loïc Nottet - Rhythm Inside - 46.3%

44. Ukraine - 2008 - Ani Lorak - Shady Lady - 45.6%

45. Iceland - 2009 - Yohanna - Is It True? - 44.3%

46. Serbia - 2012 - Željko Joksimović - Nije ljubav stvar - 43.4%

47. Cyprus - 2018 - Eleni Foureira - Fuego - 43.2%

48. Greece - 2008 - Kalomira - Secret Combination - 43.2%

49. Malta - 2005 - Chiara - Angel - 42.1%

50. Russia - 2007 - Serebro - Song #1 - 42%

51. Azerbaijan - 2009 - AySel and Arash - Always - 42%

52. Norway - 2013 - Margaret Berger - I Feed You My Love - 41.8%

53. Australia - 2015 - Guy Sebastian - Tonight Again - 41.8%

54. Italy - 2011 - Raphael Gualazzi - Madness of Love - 41.4%

55. Iceland - 2021 - Daði og Gagnamagnið - 10 Years - 41.4%

56. Israel – 2023 – Noa Kirel – Unicorn – 41.3%

57. Sweden - 2011 - Eric Saade - Popular - 40.5%

58. Cyprus - 2004 - Lisa Andreas - Stronger Every Minute - 40.4%

59. Sweden - 2004 - Lena Philipsson - It Hurts - 40.4%

60. Armenia - 2014 - Aram Mp3 - Not Alone - 40.3%

61. Italy – 2023 – Marco Mengoni – Due vite – 39.9%

62. Ukraine - 2021 - Go_A - Shum - 39.9%

63. Latvia - 2015 - Aminata - Love Injected - 39.7%

64. Armenia - 2008 - Sirusho - Qélé, Qélé - 39.4%

65. Romania - 2006 - Mihai Trăistariu - Tornerò - 38.7%

66. Russia - 2019 - Sergey Lazarev - Scream - 38.5%

67. Sweden - 2006 - Carola - Invincible - 38.2%

68. Russia - 2013 - Dina Garipova - What If - 38.1%

69. Moldova - 2017 - SunStroke Project - Hey Mamma - 38%

70. Switzerland - 2019 - Luca Hänni - She Got Me - 37.9%

71. Turkey - 2010 - Manga - We Could Be the Same - 37.2%

72. Belgium - 2017 - Blanche - City Lights - 36.8%

73. Lithuania - 2006 - LT United - We Are the Winners - 36.4%

74. Norway - 2008 - Maria - Hold On Be Strong - 36.1%

75. Turkey - 2009 - Hadise - Düm Tek Tek - 35.9%

76. Romania - 2010 - Paula Seling and Ovi - Playing with Fire - 35.5%

77. United Kingdom - 2009 - Jade Ewen - It's My Time - 35.1%

78. Sweden - 2017 - Robin Bengtsson - I Can't Go On - 34.9%

79. Ukraine - 2011 - Mika Newton - Angel - 34.8%

80. Sweden - 2019 - John Lundvik - Too Late for Love - 34.7%

81. Romania - 2005 - Luminița Anghel and Sistem - Let Me Try - 34.6%

82. Norway - 2019 - Keiino - Spirit in the Sky - 34.4%

83. Austria - 2018 - Cesár Sampson - Nobody but You - 33.9%

84. Italy - 2017 - Francesco Gabbanni - Occidentali's Karma - 33.9%

85. Germany - 2018 - Michael Schulte - You Let Me Walk Alone - 33.7%

86. Israel - 2005 - Shiri Maimon - HaSheket SheNish'ar - 33.7%

87. Latvia - 2005 - Walters and Khaza - The War Is Not Over - 33.5%

88. Serbia - 2022 - Konstrakta - In corpore sano - 33.3%

89. Greece - 2013 - Koza Mostra feat. Agathon Iakovidis - Alcohol Is Free - 33.3%

90. Turkey - 2007 - Kenan Doğulu - Shake It Up Şekerim - 33.1%

91. Hungary - 2014 - András Kállay-Saunders - Running - 33.1%

92. Finland - 2021 - Blind Channel - Dark Side - 33%

93. Denmark - 2010 - Chanée and N'evergreen - In a Moment like This - 32.6%

94. Ukraine - 2006 - Tina Karol - Show Me Your Love - 32.6%

95. Moldova - 2005 - Zdob și Zdub - Boonika bate toba - 32.4%

96. Bulgaria - 2007 - Elitsa Todorova and Stoyan Yankoulov - Water - 31.7%

97. Azerbaijan - 2010 - Safura - Drip Drop - 31.7%

98. Serbia - 2008 - Jelena Tomašević feat. Bora Dugić - Oro - 31.7%

99. North Macedonia - 2019 - Tamara Todevska - Proud - 31.7%

100. Azerbaijan - 2019 - Chingiz - Truth - 31.4%

Full YouTube playlist

Semi Full Spotify Playlist because some songs are just not on Spotify 😭😔😞

[betweenthetimeandsound]

Jelena Tomašević -- Jutro (Evropesma 2005)

"Hej, suzice, brojanice more ti je postelja prošao si sve stanice, samo meni više doći nećeš..."

"Hey, little tears, my rosaries, the sea is your bed now, you have passed all the stops, but only to me you will never come..."

If you remember my 250, you might recognize Jelena with her song Oro in 2008. It's a haunting, melancholic gem, with beautiful imagery and sadness about Jelena's lost love. I thought I would be put off it, but it grew on me, and became my winner.

Jutro, on the other hand, was love at first listen.

Using oceanic elements instead of those based on wheat, it's a lament about a lost love. From the flow of the melody, it feels like Jelena was waiting for her love to come, before realizing her lover has drowned in the waves, and probably died herself "my breasts hurt like sails/for my life has come to an end". (Strange imagery, but it gets at the angst.) Combined with Zeljko's composition, it makes for a heart wrenching tale.

Jutro was also involved in one of the most controversial NFs ever (every Evropesma ever), in which Zeljko might have gotten too cocky and planned a party prior to the final, both sides accused the other of blanking songs from the other broadcaster, and it ended up a total mess which would mark the beginning of the end of Serbia-Montenegro as a country.

The winner, Zauvijek Moja, came in seventh at Eurovision 2005 (and became the basis of Love Love Peace Peace's melody eleven years later!). However, I think Jutro has a bit more power to elevate the country to the top five again, though I'm not sure if it would've won. Especially in a year filled with ethno-influenced music in 2005.

But, who knows?

[anxiouspotatorants]

The monster is unleashed, time for part two of my Gilmore Girls x Eurovision nonsense with Name Your Gilmore Girls Character’s Favourite Entries:

Lorelai: “Diva” by Dana International (1998), “Waterloo” by ABBA (1974), “Wild Dances” by Ruslana (2004), “Papa Pingouin” by Sophie & Magali (1980), “Diggiloo Diggiley” by Herreys (1984), and “Shady Lady” by Ani Lorak (2008)

Rory: “City Lights” by Blanche (2017), “De Diepte” by S10 (2022), “Push The Button” by Teapacks (2007), “Goodbye to Yesterday” by Elina Borg and Stig Rästa (2015), and “Euro Neuro” by Rambo Amadeus (2012)

Luke:  “Trenulețul” by Zdob și Zdub and the Advahov Brothers (2022), “Nesto Sto Ke Ostane” by Next Time (2009), and “Mall” by Eugent Bushpepa (2018)

Lane: “Shum” by GO_A (2021), “Hard Rock Hallelujah” by Lordi (2006), “Stefania” by Kalush Orchestra (2022), “Crno I Belo” by Kaliopi (2012), and “Euphoria” by Loreen (2012)

Dave, Zack and Brian: “Zitti E Buoni” by Måneskin (2021), “We Could Be The Same” by maNga (2010), and “Midnight Gold” by Nika Kocharov and Young Georgian Lolitaz (2016)

Gil: “In My Dreams” by Wig Wam (2005)

Paris: “Amar Pelos Dois” by Salvador Sobral (2017), “Há Um Mar Que Nos Separa” by Leonor Andrade (2015), and “Siren” by Malcolm Lincoln (2010)

Richard and Emily: “Let Me Be The One” by The Shadows (1975), “Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu” by Domenico Modugno (1958), “Requiem” by Alma (2017), and “Voilà” by Barbara Pravi (2021)

Jess: “Viszlat Nyar” by AWS (2018), “Soldi” by Mahmood (2019),  “Goodbye to Yesterday” by Elina Borg and Stig Rästa (2015) and “Boonika Bate Doba” by Zdob și Zdub (2005)

Miss Patty: “OPA” by Giorgos Alkaios and Friends (2010), “Dum Tek Tek” by Hadise (2009), “Miss Kiss Kiss Bang” by Alex Swings Oscar Sings! (2009) and “Flying the Flag” by Schooch (2007)

Babette: “OPA” by Giorgos Alkaios and Friends (2010), “Congratulations” by Silvía Nótt (2006), “I Can’t Go On” by Robin Bengtsson (2017), and “In Your Eyes” by Niamh Kavanagh (1993)

Logan, Finn and Colin (yes, collectively): “Run Away” by The Sunstroke Project ft. Olia Tira (2010)

Dean: “Outlaw In ‘Em” by Waylon (2018), “Slow Down” by Douwe Bob (2016), and “Something” by Andrius Pojavis (2013)

Liz: “L’Enfer Et Moi” by Amandine Bourgeois (2013) (because she’d think she looks like her)

TJ: “Alcohol is Free” by Koza Mostra ft. Agathon Iakovidis (2013) (no he has not looked up the translated lyrics)

Sookie: “Too Late For Love” by John Lundvik (2019), “Fly On The Wings Of Love” by Olsen Brothers (2000), and “Party for Everybody” by Buranovskiye Babushki (2012)

And last but not least, the only European here - Michel: “My Number One″ by Helena Paparizou (2005), “Just A Little Bit” by Gina G (1996), “L’Essenziale” by Marco Mengoni (2013), “Molitva” by Marija Šerifović (2007), and (of course) “Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi” by Celine Dion (1988)

[aykutiltertr]

Habibi - Azis - АЗИС - Хабиби ✩ Rhythm Karaoke Original Traffic (Bulgari...  Ayrıcalıklardan yararlanmak için bu kanala katılın: ( Join this channel to enjoy privileges.) ✩ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqm-5vmc2L6oFZ1vo2Fz3JQ/join Şarkının Orijinal Versiyonunu Linkten Dinleyip Ritim Karaokesiyle Çalışabilirsiniz. ✩ https://youtu.be/DtoM41TH7HM Aykut ilter Ritim Karaoke Kanalıma Abone Olun Beğenip Paylaşın. Habibi - Azis - АЗИС - Хабиби ✩ Rhythm Karaoke Original Traffic (Bulgarian Music) Vasil Troyanov Boyanov (Bulgarian: Васил Троянов Боянов; born 7 March 1978), professionally known as Azis (Bulgarian: Азис), is a Bulgarian recording artist of Romani ethnicity. Хабиби Изпълнител: Азис Текст: Азис Музика: Азис Изпратил: The_son_of_rage_and_love E     Am Хабиби, спиш ли добре? Завиват ли те? G Храниш ли се? Защото аз не! F По дяволите, обичам те бе! E Умира ми се! Хабиби, псуваш ли ме? Влачиш ли се? Пиян през нощтта - защото аз да! За лудница съм, на дъното съм! За никъде съм!    Am Малко кученце ти подарих.       G Красиво, меко, пухкаво.   F Но видях го днес изхвърлено.   E Като мене същото.. Само по улиците скита се. Гладно, болно, мърляво.. Ти го гониш, то обича те. Като мене - същото! Хабиби, спиш ли добре? Завиват ли те? Храниш ли се? Защото аз не! По дяволите, обичам те бе! Умира ми се! Хабиби, псуваш ли ме? Влачиш ли се? Пиян през нощтта - защото аз да! За лудница съм, на дъното съм! За никъде съм! Като един нещастник чакам те! Да видя теб от някъде.. Без да знам ще ме погледнеш ли. Или подминеш ти.. Онова момченце бедното, кървящото, раненото.. То не спря да иска само теб. Удряй ме, обичам те! Хабиби, спиш ли добре? Завиват ли те? Храниш ли се? Защото аз не! По дяволите, обичам те бе! Умира ми се! Хабиби, псуваш ли ме? Влачиш ли се? Пиян през нощтта - защото аз да! За лудница съм, на дъното съм! За никъде съм! На човек без тебе не приличам! Във едно и също се обличам. Но за кого да съм красив? Но човек ли съм изобщо питам? Като куче съм от теб изритан.. И за кого да бъда жив? Хабиби, спиш ли добре? Завиват ли те? Храниш ли се? Защото аз не! По дяволите, обичам те бе! Умира ми се! Хабиби, псуваш ли ме? Влачиш ли се? Пиян през нощтта - защото аз да! За лудница съм, на дъното съм! За никъде съм! Azis Article Talk Read Edit View history Tools From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia This article is about the Bulgarian musician. For other uses, see Azis (disambiguation). In this Bulgarian name, the patronymic is Troyanov and the family name is Boyanov. Azis Азис Background information Birth name Vasil Troyanov Boyanov Also known as Azis Born 7 March 1978 (age 46)[1][2] Sliven, Bulgaria[2] Genres Chalga, pop-folk Occupation(s) Singer, musician, writer, activist, television show host Instruments Vocals Years active 1999–present Vasil Troyanov Boyanov (Bulgarian: Васил Троянов Боянов; born 7 March 1978), professionally known as Azis (Bulgarian: Азис), is a Bulgarian recording artist of Romani ethnicity.[3][4] Azis initially rose to prominence in Eastern Europe performing songs mostly in chalga, a genre which can be described as the Bulgarian rendition of pop-folk. Azis has collaborated with other Bulgarian pop-folk singers, such as Gloria, Malina, Sofi Marinova, Toni Storaro, and with Bulgarian rap artists – Ustata and Vanko 1.[5][6] Other than that, his repertoire includes duets with singers from the former Yugoslavia, including Indira Radić, Marta Savić, Jelena Karleuša and Severina. Boyanov performed "Let Me Cry" at the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 with Mariana Popova, staying in the semi-finals.[7][8] Other than his acclaimed career as a vocalist, he competed unsuccessfully in the 2005 Bulgarian parliamentary election as a member of the Euroroma party.[9] Azis remains a prominent figure in the Bulgarian music scene. Biography Azis was born Vasil Troyanov Boyanov in Sliven, although his childhood was spent in Kostinbrod and Sofia. In 1989, after the fall of communism in Bulgaria, he moved with his family to Germany. There, his sister, Matilda, and brother Ryan were born. Azis married Nikolay "Niki Kitaetsa" Petrov Parvanov on 1 October 2006. Their marriage is not legally recognized under Bulgarian law.[10] Azis' daughter was born on 5 August 2007 and was named Raya. Her mother is Azis' longtime friend, Gala.[10] In 2008, Azis and Parvanov separated amicably.[11] Controversies In late November 2007, Boyko Borisov, then mayor of Sofia, censored billboards of Azis kissing Niki Kitaetsa, which pictured both men shirtless[12][13] on the basis they were too graphic in nature. The picture was then censored in other cities in Bulgaria.[14] In 2021, Azis was scheduled to perform at the Balkan Fair in Kestel, Bursa, Turkey, but the performance was cancelled after a campaign by Islamists targeting Azis' LGBT identity.[15] Appearances In 2007, Azis and Kitaetsa appeared in the VIP Brother 2 edition of Big Brother Bulgaria. Azis left the house voluntarily after nineteen days.[9] Azis was interviewed in the second episode of Michael Palin's New Europe.

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 4.6 (after 1940)

1941 – World War II: Nazi Germany launches Operation 25 (the invasion of Kingdom of Yugoslavia) and Operation Marita (the invasion of Greece). 1945 – World War II: Sarajevo is liberated from German and Croatian forces by the Yugoslav Partisans. 1945 – World War II: The Battle of Slater's Knoll on Bougainville comes to an end. 1947 – The first Tony Awards are presented for theatrical achievement. 1957 – The flag carrier airline of Greece for decades, Olympic Airways, is founded by Aristotle Onassis following the acquisition of "TAE - Greek National Airlines". 1958 – Capital Airlines Flight 67 crashes into Saginaw Bay near Freeland, Michigan, killing 47. 1965 – Launch of Early Bird, the first commercial communications satellite to be placed in geosynchronous orbit. 1968 – In the downtown district of Richmond, Indiana, a double explosion kills 41 and injures 150. 1968 – Pierre Elliott Trudeau wins the Liberal Party leadership election, and becomes Prime Minister of Canada soon afterward. 1970 – Newhall massacre: Four California Highway Patrol officers are killed in a shootout. 1972 – Vietnam War: Easter Offensive: American forces begin sustained air strikes and naval bombardments. 1973 – Launch of Pioneer 11 spacecraft. 1973 – The American League of Major League Baseball begins using the designated hitter. 1974 – In Brighton, United Kingdom, ABBA wins the 1974 edition of the Eurovision Song Contest with "Waterloo", the first of a joint-record seven Swedish wins. 1984 – Members of Cameroon's Republican Guard unsuccessfully attempt to overthrow the government headed by Paul Biya. 1985 – Sudanese President Gaafar Nimeiry is ousted from power in a coup d'état led by Field Marshal Abdel Rahman Swar al-Dahab. 1992 – The Bosnian War begins. 1994 – The Rwandan genocide begins when the aircraft carrying Rwandan president Juvénal Habyarimana and Burundian president Cyprien Ntaryamira is shot down. 1997 – In Greene County, Tennessee, the Lillelid murders occur. 1998 – Nuclear weapons testing: Pakistan tests medium-range missiles capable of reaching India. 2004 – Rolandas Paksas becomes the first president of Lithuania to be peacefully removed from office by impeachment. 2005 – Kurdish leader Jalal Talabani becomes Iraqi president; Shiite Arab Ibrahim al-Jaafari is named premier the next day. 2008 – The 2008 Egyptian general strike starts led by Egyptian workers later to be adopted by April 6 Youth Movement and Egyptian activists. 2009 – A 6.3 magnitude earthquake strikes near L'Aquila, Italy, killing 307. 2010 – Maoist rebels kill 76 CRPF officers in Dantewada district, India. 2011 – In San Fernando, Tamaulipas, Mexico, over 193 victims of Los Zetas were exhumed from several mass graves. 2012 – Azawad declares itself independent from the Republic of Mali. 2017 – U.S. military launches 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles at an air base in Syria. Russia describes the strikes as an "aggression", adding they significantly damage US-Russia ties. 2018 – A bus carrying the Humboldt Broncos junior ice hockey team collides with a semi-truck in Saskatchewan, Canada, killing 16 people and injuring 13 others.

[videoteca-internacional]

Dançar na Televisão

Esta é uma lista de programas de televisão que apresentam a dança como atividade ou tema central

1940

Let's Rhumba (1946-1947) Television Dancing Club (1948-1964)

1950

Come Dancing (1950-1995) The Arthur Murray Party (1950-1960) American Bandstand (1952-2002) The Dotty Mack Show (1953-1956) The Milt Grant Show (1956-1961) Let's Dance (March to September 1957) The Buddy Deane Show (1957-1964) The White Heather Club (1958-1968) The Clay Cole Show (1959-1967)

1960

Bandwagon (1960-present) Hollywood a Go Go (1965-1966) The Groovy Show (1967-1970)

1970

Soul Train (1971-2006) Future Shock (1976-1979) Disco Step-by-Step (1977-1980) Dance Fever (1979-1987)

1980

Solid Gold (1980-1988) Star Search (1983-1995) This Week's Music (1984) Eurovision Young Dancers (1985-2017) Dancin' to the Hits (1986-1987) Dance Party USA (1986-1992) Club MTV (1987-1992) Showtime at the Apollo (1987-2008) Street Party (1989-1992)

1990

The Party Machine with Nia Peeples (January to September 1991) The Grind (1992-1997) International Come Dancing specials (1996-1998)

2000

30 Seconds to Fame (2002-2003) Star Search (2003-2004) Fame (2003) Strictly Dancing (2004-2005) Strictly Come Dancing (2004-present) Dancing with the Stars "Australian" (2004-2015, 2019-2020, 2021-present) Strictly Dance Fever (2005-2006) Ballando con le Stelle (2005-present) So You Think You Can Dance (2005-present) Shall We Dance? (2005-2010) Dancing on Ice (2006-present) America's Ballroom Challenge (2006-2015) Dance Revolution (2006-2007) Pop It! (2007) Eurovision Dance Contest (2007-2008) Dance on Sunset (March to June 2008) Dance Machine (June to July 2008) Ballet Chancers (November to December 2008) America's Best Dance Crew (2008-present) Quiero Bailar (June to July 2008) Dance Your Ass Off (2009-2010)

2010

Dance Academy (2010-2013) Dancing on Wheels (February to March 2010) Pineapple Dance Studios (February to December 2010) The Ultimate Dance Battle (2011-2012) Se Ela Dança, Eu Danço (2011-2012) Live to Dance (January to February 2011) The Dance Scene (April to May 2011) Everybody Dance Now (2012) Got to Dance – Tylko Taniec (2012-2013) BBC Young Dancer (2015-2022) Showtime at the Apollo (March to May 2018) The Greatest Dancer (2019-2020)

[beardedmrbean]

Following the announcement on Wednesday by Prime Minister Sanna Marin (SDP) and her husband, Markus Räikkönen, that they will divorce, the media has been filled with reports on the subject and speculation about Marin's past and future.

Iltalehti political editor Marko-Oskari Lehtonen writes (siirryt toiseen palveluun)that Marin's and Räikkönen's separation did not come as a big surprise to those who have been listening to the rumours circulating in political circles recently. The split, he says, was generally considered "certain".

Is the prime minister's divorce a private matter?

"It is not," states Lehtonen.

He points out that the prime minister is the most influential person in the country whose every move is monitored, and whose every word or omission is viewed through a magnifying glass.

"The prime minister is the biggest wielder of power in Finland, and any matter that may affect her ability to perform her duties is inevitably the subject of public evaluation—and interest," he notes. "If the prime minister's spouse, who has previously been alongside his wife, is suddenly not there, it raises questions."

Marin and Räikkönen's wedding at the prime minister's official residence, Kesäranta, was major news in 2020.

"Why wouldn't the divorce of the couple three years later be?" Lehtonen asks.

Marko-Oskari Lehtonen points out that Sanna Marin is not the only prime minister whose divorce became the number one news in the country. When other PMs, Paavo Lipponen (SDP) and Matti Vanhanen (Cen) separated from their spouses, it was big news in 1997 and 2005.

Health tax gains more backing

The Uutissuomalainen news group reports the results of a poll (siirryt toiseen palveluun) showing that a growing number of Finnish voters back the introduction of a "health tax".

The National Institute of Health and Welfare (THL) and the Social Insurance Institution Kela have proposed a health-based tax, which would be levied, for example, on foods containing a lot of salt, sugar and fats.

The Uutissuomalainen poll found 44 percent of respondents supported the idea of introducing a health tax and 38 percent oppose it. In a similar poll in October 2021, 48 percent opposed the idea.

Responding the the results, Mikael Kirkko-Jaakkola, the chief economist of the Taxpayers' Association of Finland, considered it surprising that a health tax has such wide support.

"It is quite rare that such a large segment of Finns support rather than oppose a tax increase, since usually all increases are opposed in principle," he pointed out. "It's known that the state economy needs to be adjusted in some way. Perhaps tax increases would rather be accepted on unhealthy food than, for example, on work," Kirkko-Jaakkola said.

According to Tuomas Kosonen, a research professor at the VATT Institute for Economic Research, the high level of support may be due to the fact that a health tax was talked about in a positive tone this spring, and especially the National Coalition Party brought the tax up before the parliamentary elections.

A thousand voters responded to the survey carried out by the pollster Tietoykkönen between 18 and 26. April. The margin of error for the overall result is 3.1 percentage points in each direction.

World's biggest cruise liner

Ilta-Sanomat (siirryt toiseen palveluun)was among the papers taking a look at the Icon of the Seas, a vessel being constructed at Meyer's Turku shipyard and billed as the biggest luxury cruise liner ever built.

The ship is scheduled for competition on 26 October of this year, and its first cruise is planned for early next year. Royal Caribbean, which ordered the ship from Meyer's Turku shipyard, showed it off to the media for the first time on Wednesday.

Ilta-Sanomat features photos of the still to be completed, but clearly impressive interiors. The Icon of the Seas is 365 metres long, boasting 20 decks.

Eurovision everywhere

Aamulehti reports (siirryt toiseen palveluun) that excitement over the upcoming weekend's Eurovision Song Contest final, and the performance by Finland's Käärijä, is reaching fever pitch.

A "Käärijä boom" has exploded on social media, the paper says.

Among the postings Aamulehti has noticed are photoshopped images of Helsinki's Lutheran Cathedral decked out with Käärijä's trademark green bolero on the church's social media accounts. The cities of Tampere and Helsinki are meanwhile doing the same with their trams, and the Pirkanmaa rescue service is showing off a fire engine sporting the same green bolero.

The city of Tampere is also illuminating Hämeenkatu street and the Tammerkoski rapids with green lights.

Boleros have also been seen added to municipal coats of arms and landmarks. Finnair CEO Topi Manner joined in with a photo of the more familiar blue and white wings of one of the company's airliners wrapped in a green bolero.

The Eurovision frenzy has not gone unnoticed by the nation's parties either. Aamulehti reports that several have modified their own logos to show support for the Finnish entry.

[eurovision-revisited]

Eurovision 2005 - Number 61 - Helena Paparizou - "Let's Get Wild"

One of the two song selection competitions for 2005 was called Eurovision Party - and it was something of a celebration. It included performances by other non-Greek Eurovision entrants including the Dutch and Andorran representatives for 2005, Alcazar from Sweden and last year's runner-up Željko Joksimović from Serbia and Montenegro. The latter was also doing double duty as one of the judges.

Greece and ERT seemed to be really going for it this year. After last year's third place, they wanted more. A new strategy was unertaken. They were going to select the artist and give them some songs. The public would choose which one. There were a number of contenders, but in the end they selected Helena Paparizou, former lead singer of Antique, who scored one of Greece's joint best finish in Eurovision 2001. She was specifically selected because of her Swedish background and the desire to appeal to 'northern voters'.

There were four songs, but one was disqualified at a late stage when it was discovered that one of the songwriters had made it available on German Amazon in 2004, breaking the submission cut-off. That left three songs for Helena - including Let's Get Wild

It's by Douglas Carr. Not a name that is associated with Eurovision and he's probably not hugely well known outside Sweden, but he was one of the founders of Cheiron Studios alongside Denniz Pop. He's started as a song-writer but became a producer and remains one of the big figures behind the scenes of Swedish music. On Discogs, he has only one release, but 645 writing and production credits to his name. He's only ever written two songs for Eurovision national finals - and this is one. The other was Matt Blxck's Banana from 2024!

It's a full-on girl bop with some ethnic elements and thus exactly on brief for a Eurovision entry hoping to go places in 2005. Following on from Sertab and Ruslana, anything with danceable, up-beat pop sensibilities, a strong vocal delivered confidently, preferably with some Eastern European musical accents was in with a chance. It's a polished production as you'd expect with Helena's assured performance.

However it failed to set Greece on fire. The jury place it second - just. Only two points above the song in third place. The Greek public were more fickle and did not respond. It finished a long way down the televote rankings in third place and thus Let's Get Wild didn't make the cut. That televote by the way, was huge. Over 250,000 calls were made to choose the winning song. Greece definitely had Eurovision fever.

There'll be more from Helena later, so for now, let's leave her at the Eurovision Party getting wild.

[actuallylorelaigilmore]

2023 Movie Journey: Masterlist

if you’ve known me for any time at all, you should know by now that i will not watch very many movies this year. i’ll aspire to, i’ll think it’s a good idea, but it’s just not that likely to happen. however, that shouldn’t stop me from the fun of trying! 

my goal was to average one movie a week so by year’s end i’d have seen more than 50. that didn’t come close to happening, but i’ll keep reviewing them here and check them off my watchlist as i go. (this list just keeps getting longer but i enjoyed updating it for 2023.)

last year’s list is here, with every movie i reviewed linked now, in case anybody wants to read those and hasn’t before. 

4th man out (2015)

12 years a slave (2013)

80 for brady (2023)

a family man (2016)

a haunting in venice (2023)

a man called otto (2023)

a room with a view (1985)

a simple favor (2018)

a single man (2009)

a wrinkle in time (2018)

about time (2013)

admission (2013)

after yang (2021)

all the bright places (2020)

always be my maybe (2019)

american fiction (2023)

american gangster (2007)

ammonite (2020)

amsterdam (2022)

an education (2009)

ant man (2015)

ant man and the wasp (2018)

ant man and the wasp: quantumania (2023)

anyone but you (2023)

anything’s possible (2022)

aquaman (2018)

are you there god? it’s me margaret (2023)

arrival (2016)

atonement (2007)

august: osage county (2013)

babylon (2023)

bad education (2019)

barbie (2023)

be kind rewind (2008)

bedazzled (2000)

begin again (2013)

big eyes (2014)

billy elliot (2000)

blockers (2018)

bohemian rhapsody (2018)

bowfinger (1999)

boy erased (2018)

breaking (2022)

brideshead revisited (2008)

bright young things (2003)

burn burn burn (2015)

cairo time (2009)

call jane (2022)

can you ever forgive me? (2018)

catherine called birdy (2022)

chef (2014)

clemency (2019)

coco (2017)

colette (2018)

crazy rich asians (2018)

creed (2015)

creed 2 (2018)

creed 3 (2023)

crouching tiger, hidden dragon (2000)

crush (2022)

cyrano (2021)

damsel (2023)

daughter of the bride (2023)

dazed and confused (1993)

demolition man (1993)

devil’s knot (2013)

die hard 2 (1990)

die hard with a vengeance (1995)

dog day afternoon (1975)

dual (2022)

earth girls are easy (1988)

effie gray (2014)

ella mckay (?)

elvis (2022)

eurovision song contest: the story of fire saga (2020)

fast color (2018)

fighting with my family (2019)

fright night (2011)

galaxy quest (1999)

girls trip (2017)

glass onion: a knives out mystery (2022)

gone girl (2014)

good luck to you, leo grande (2022)

goodbye christopher robin (2017)

gosford park (2001)

gunpowder milkshake (2021)

happy death day (2017)

happy death day 2u (2019)

happy texas (1999)

heart of stone (2023)

her smell (2018)

holes (2003)

honk for jesus. save your soul. (2022)

honor society (2022)

how to talk to girls at parties (2017)

how to train your dragon (2010)

hysteria (2011)

i am not your negro (2017)

i don’t feel at home in this world anymore (2017)

i, tonya (2017)

if beale street could talk (2018)

inception (2010)

indiana jones and the dial of destiny (2023)

infinitely polar bear (2014)

jackie (2016)

jane got a gun (2015)

joyful noise (2012)

judas and the black messiah (2021)

judy blume forever (2023)

junebug (2005)

jupiter ascending (2015)

just mercy (2019)

kajillionaire (2020)

keeping mum (2005)

knife fight (2012)

kubo and the two strings (2016)

laggies (2014)

last holiday (2006)

late night (2019)

legally blonde (2001)

lemonade mouth (2011)

little (2019)

live free or die hard (2007)

logan lucky (2017)

love, simon (2018)

m3gan (2022)

ma rainey’s black bottom (2020)

magic mike xxl (2015)

magic mike: last dance (2023)

mansfield park (1999)

mars attacks! (1996)

mary queen of scots (2018)

master (2022)

master gardener (2022)

me and earl and the dying girl (2015)

meet the robinsons (2007)

megamind (2010)

memento (2000)

men in black international (2019)

mermaids (1990)

midsommar (2019)

migration (2023)

miss pettigrew lives for a day (2008)

miss sloane (2016)

missing (2023)

monkey business (1952)

monuments men (2014)

moonlight (2016)

moonrise kingdom (2012)

moonshot (2022)

moving on (2022)

mr. magorium’s wonder emporium (2007)

mr. mom (1983)

much ado about nothing (2011)

muriel’s wedding (1994)

nancy drew and the hidden staircase (2019)

nanny mcphee (2005)

nanny mcphee returns (2010)

never let me go (2010)

newsies (1992)

no time to die (2021)

nope (2022)

northanger abbey (2007)

not okay (2022)

obvious child (2014)

on the come up (2022)

oppenheimer (2023)

other people (2016)

overboard (2018)

pacific rim (2013)

palm springs (2020)

parasite (2019)

paris is burning (1990)

passing (2021)

penelope (2007)

pete’s dragon (2016)

pirate radio (2009)

please stand by (2017)

polite society (2023)

pride (2014)

pride and prejudice and zombies (2016)

professor marston and the wonder women (2016)

return to oz (1985)

rise of the guardians (2012)

rita moreno: just a girl who decided to go for it (2021)

rocketman (2019)

roll bounce (2005)

rosaline (2022)

saving face (2004)

say anything (1989)

scream (2022)

scream 6 (2023)

see how they run (2022)

seeking a friend for the end of the world (2012)

she said (2022)

shoplifters (2018)

short term 12 (2013)

sing street (2016)

sleeping with other people (2015)

someone great (2019)

sorry to bother you (2018)

soul (2020)

spiderman: far from home (2019)

spiderman: homecoming (2017)

spiderman: into the spiderverse (2018)

spiderman: no way home (2021)

spin me round (2022)

spotlight (2015)

spy kids (2001)

stage fright (2014)

step up (2006)

talk to me (2023)

teeth (2007)

the 355 (2022)

the age of innocence (1993)

the anniversary party (2001)

the batman (2022)

the best exotic marigold hotel (2012)

the breadwinner (2017)

the children act (2017)

the color purple (2023)

the craft: legacy (2020)

the disaster artist (2017)

the divine order (2017)

the emperor’s new groove (2000)

the eyes of tammy faye (2021)

the fall (2006)  

the fallout (2022)

the fighting temptations (2003)

the five year engagement (2012)

the gentlemen (2020)

the godfather (1972)

the godfather part 2 (1974)

the godfather part 3 (1990)

the great gatsby (2013)

the hunchback of notre dame (1996)

the hunger games: the ballad of songbirds and snakes (2023)

the hunt (2020)

the iron lady (2011)

the kill room (2023)

the legend of tarzan (2016)

the little mermaid (2023)

the lost city (2022)

the marvels (2023)

the master (2012)

the matrix resurrections (2021)

the menu (2022)

the notebook (2004)

the old guard (2020)

the outfit (2022)

the photograph (2020)

the prestige (2006)

the prince of egypt (1998)

the prom (2020)

the queen (2006)

the royal hotel (2023)

the second best exotic marigold hotel (2016)

the secret garden (2020)

the skeleton twins (2014)

the spy who dumped me (2018)

the suicide squad (2021)

the super mario bros. movie (2023)

the trial of the chicago 7 (2020)

the truman show (1998)

the unbearable weight of massive talent (2022)

the united states vs. billie holiday (2021)

the velocipastor (2018)

the way he looks (2014)

the woman king (2022)

the wonder (2022)

their finest (2016)

this means war (2012)

tootsie (1982)

treasure planet (2002)

troop zero (2019)

two lovers and a bear (2016)

us (2019)

valley girl (2020)

velvet goldmine (1998)

violent night (2022)

venom (2018)

venom: let there be carnage (2021)

victoria & abdul (2017)

walk the line (2005)

wet hot american summer (2001)

what happens later (2023)

what we do in the shadows (2014)

where’d you go, bernadette (2019)

widows (2018)

wild target (2010)

wish (2023)

women talking (2022)

wonka (2023)

yesterday (2019)

young adult (2011)

zombieland: double tap (2019)

[skellizo]

Some comments for the eurovision house party episode one:

🇱🇻- I love them and their song like theyy are both so fun and this performance was so much fun

🇮🇪 - I actually really like her voice here?? Like before I was a bit unsure during her national final performance but this is pretty good :D

🇸🇲 - Not his eurovision song but his 2019 Sanremo song?? Interesting outfit as well…It’s an alright song :)

🇫🇷 - Oooh accoustic version :D I really like when they all sing at the same time just sounds really nice

🇲🇰 - Mhm very nice version :D I normally don’t like this song all too much but them three together makes me lime it more??

🇲🇩 - IT’S THEM :D Their song from 2005 also nice :) I’m so excited to see them at Eurovision this year

🇨🇭 - Personally I think the song is fine just…not a Eurovision song, but like this I kinda like it

🇱🇹 - Ooooh Retro vibe! I am confused but also intrigued…but I do prefer her eurovision song while I truly appreciate how her voice gets to shine here

🇩🇪 - Our boy! While I don’t think we will do particularly well, I do like him and seeing what came third (oh god what a disaster that would have been) I am glad we chose him. Oooh I like this?? MALIK WHAT HAPPEND WHY DIDN’T YOU CHOOSE A SONG LIKE THIS

🇸🇪 - I appreciate Sweden sending a different type of song but personally I don’t see the hype…but her voice is very pretty and the song is alright

🇸🇮 - I find them so charming like they are just this teenage garage band that now is gonna go to eurovision!! Also oh man I really like this song…guys I’m actually gonna go listen to more of their stuff and add this song to my playlist like…I want them to qualify so bad

🇫🇮 - THAT’S THEIR SONG?? DUDE THAT SONG IS SO OFTEN ON THE RADIO?? Oh wow I didn’t know that…yeah I think this song is alright (but like mister please go back a little bit from the camera)

🇵🇹 - So this is a traditional portugese song not one of hers did I understand that right?? But still this sounds so pretty especially it being acapella

🇳🇴 - SUBWOOLFER IS SINGING FAIRYTALE?? ICONIC BEHAVIOR LIKE 👀 Oooh I like this autotune bit actually…I love those two moon wolves and their astronaut friend so much. Also….Keiths voice was really good

I have a feeling after we have seen the first rehearsals als if not during the actual show my ranking of the songs will change quite a bit

[asweethistory]

Mamma Mia

Ligonberry Ouzo Triple Citrus Sunrise Ice Cream topped with White Ischoklad and Blue Sugar Sprinkles 

In 1972, four performers, made up of two couples, formed the musical group, ABBA. The bands name was created by using the first letter of each members’ first names: Agnetha Fältskoa, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. 

Both Benny and Björn were in separate rock groups as teenagers. Called the Swedish Beetles, Benny’s band, the Hep Stars, recorded a song that was written by Benny and Björn, who had began to regularly collaborate. In 1969, Benny submitted a song to for the Swedish Eurovision entry. While he didn’t win, he met Anni, who also had participated in the festival. Anni, along with Björn’s partner, Agnetha, would join the men in the recording studio as they worked on their first album together. Anni and Agnetha had their own successful music careers when they began singing backing vocals for Benny and Björn.

In April 1970, the two couples vacationed in Cyprus and what begun as singing for fun on the beach turned into an impromptu live performance, leading to a stage act back home named Festfolket, meaning Party People. Surprisingly, the act garnered negative reviews, causing the foursome to put their ideas of working together on the back burner. 

It wasn’t until 1971 after “Hej, gamle man,” a song credited to Björn & Benny but one that all four created was released and found popularity, that they began working dedicating more time to collaboration. By 1973, the group started officially going by ABBA, even negotiating with a Swedish fish-canning company for the rights to the name. In 1974, ABBA was chosen to represent Sweden at Eurovision with the song “Waterloo,” and they won the international contest, which led to a European tour. ABBA’s next single “Honey, Honey,” reached number 27 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and even though in 2005, Eurovision declared “Waterloo” to be the best song in its history, overall there was worry in the 70s that ABBA would be a one-hit wonder. Slowly but surely, ABBA’s music gained popularity and “Mamma Mia” reached the number one spot in the UK. A couple years later, “Dancing Queen,” was number 1 in the US. As they became one of the most popular bands in the world, Björn and Agnetha went through a divorce. The media was convinced that the breakup would affect the band. However, their sixth studio album, topped charts in 1979. 

However on December 11, 1982, ABBA performed for the last time, and while they didn’t make an official announcement, this performance was viewed as the end. Benny and Björn continued to work together, specifically writing songs for musicals. In 1983, they met producer Judy Craymer who believed their songs had theatrical potential and 14 years later, Craymer commissioned Catherine Johnson to write a book for a musical inspired by ABBA’s discography. 

Mamma Mia! opened on April 6, 1999, and told the story of Sophie, who invites three men, who could all possibly be her father, to her Greek wedding behind her mother, Dona’s, back. The musical not only provided ABBA fans with nostalgia, but promoted the strength of single motherhood, female friendships, and female sexuality. Almost a decade later, the musical was adapted into a movie with a star studded cast, including Meryl Streep playing Dona, Colin Firth and Pierce Brosnan playing two of the fathers, Amanda Seyfried as Sophie, and Julie Walters as one of Donna’s friends. The cast filmed on the island of Skopelos while drinking large amounts of Ouzo. Despite the movie receiving mixed reviews for its campy feel and for the actor’s varying singing skills, it became a beloved classic. So much so that 10 years later, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, brought the cast, now including Cher, back together for a continuation of the story. The sequel, which also is a prequel, celebrates the reopening of the Hotel Bella Donna in honor of Donna’s recent passing, and explores Donna’s early experiences on the island including her meeting of the three fathers. The film was a box office hit, further popularizing ABBA’s music and planting the band and the film franchise in the hearts of many. 

Before the release of Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, ABBA unexpectedly reunited and recorded two new songs. “I Still Have Faith in You” and “Don’t Shut Me Down” were released as singles in September 2021. Voyage, ABBA’s ninth studio album will be released in one month, on November 5th 2021 and will be followed by a concert residency complete with virtual avatars of the band. 

[sole-cuore-amore-e-droga]

Croatia brings no men in a hamster wheel to Rotterdam 2021

Now could this be the teddy bear uprising invasion Muse has warned us about 12 years ago?

And LITERALLY, these review series make me feel like Croatia is openly taunting me - I watch the days go, I’m losing track of time, and when another day comes, I’m screaming “oh no I forgot to publish a review sooner than wanted!!”. Guess I’m for one glad there’s a time related song this year, hum?

ARTIST & ENTRY INFO

Repping the Adriatic coast nation that got all the sea instead of Bosnia & Herzegovina is some 22 year old Albina Grčić, who first popped up on X Factor Adria back when that was a thing, and got lumped into a girlgroup in later stages, but to that she said “hvala ne” and moved on with her life, getting eliminated just like that. Queen <3 She did get her second chance to compete as a soloist and make a more prominent mark on her career when she ended up on The Voice in Croatia. She did well, placing third overall in the season, but somehow, during the duel stage, her coach initially favoured her fellow Dora 2021 contestant Filip Rudan:

Her Voice success landed her a record deal with the Croatian division of Universal Music, she released a debut single, sometime later ended up on Dora, and here she is now, on Eurovision.

“Tick-Tock” is the song, a standard upbeat pop song, and one of the ones that talks about a girl leaving a terrible relationship and being so well over it that she “found [her]self and [she’s] finally free”, and the “tick-tock” here is used to represent the time passing by, not the sound of her heart, unlike a fellow ESC entry of a similar title. The tune (or its lyrics only) is co-authored by some dude you might’ve heard of from France’s 2018 preselection Destination Eurovision, and that is Max Cinnamon - some half-English guy with a half English song about love (”Ailleurs”) that did moderately averagely in the final... I don’t even know if his influence shows, I just love how 2021 has sort of become revenge of the NF flops but they’re writing other entries instead (Suzi P, “Adrenalina”).

REVIEW

I often don’t really fully vibe with female bops in Eurovision as much as I want to, like, for the most part they’re overhyped, and I let the “yass queeeeen” audience gorge on the everything their favourite bops give them. But this year there are plenty of great ones to choose from, as I think that it’s safe to say that most, if not all, are tucked in somewhere inside my top 20, top 25 at the very minimum. Croatia managed to even do the impossible and land into my top 10.

Why?

Well, the answer is that the song is just so damn good.

I mean, what’s NOT to like about it? It’s a catchy and upbeat song that incorporates xylophones (or whatever is it that sounds like them), guitars and synths; has a good bassline in the chorus; and it’s just... a very good composition overall, like, all the instruments in it are just in their right place and uplift the song massively. I also like Albina’s performance on it, both live and studio, it clearly shows that she’s a very good singer (also shown on her cover of the scandalous Oscar award snubbery “Husavik”). Sounds like a song a common pop loving Eurofan could gear themselves towards. Besides, it also has possibly my favourite pre-chorus section of the 2021 year? Oh wait, there’s also Switzerland, scratch that. “Tick-Tock” has one of my favourite pre-chorus sections of 2021. It builds up so well instrumentally and the way Albina sings it is even better. I obviously like to believe Albina heard those voices from far away that helped her to escape, has found herself, and she’s finally free from her “partner’s” bad lovin’ and restraint. Yas queen go be free you didn’t deserve his tomfoolery anyway!  👏 (Also I admire a section that’s not quite the pre-chorus but is still before the 1st chorus, the one that goes “If you pull me down then I'll come around” - literally just a lot of the parts of the song are full of nice vocal performance and I don’t regret ranking this in my top 10 not a second.)

If it has any drawbacks, it’s just that it gets a tad too repetitive after the halfway mark... like, the pre-chorus before the second chorus is the one to be repeated once again, and no new verse, nothing - but it does launch itself into something extraordinary, and that is a chorus in Croatian, which I assume she would perform in Eurovision because there’s no Eurovision version on the song promo bundle, I suppose. Comparatively the Croatian chorus is not as complex in lyrics as the English language one, and flows slightly differently too. But the song still has a long chorus by the end, and song with too many choruses is never a good sign for those that look for a song that’s constructed well, but I guess it’s a good factor for those that value the song’s catchiness. I guess that’s what one of the two Eurovision 2005 hosts valued the most when writing the Ukrainian 2006 entry “Show Me Your Love”, which if you ask me, is straight up 75% chorus, lol.

So yeah my verdict is that almost everything about this song, I like. I’m just a little devastated that in a usually very easily gorged on category of female bops, this just tends to lag behind in love, like a fellow song I really like this year, Israel. Instead people tend to prioritize Cyprus (which I get because they’ve established themselves as a girlbanger nation since Fuego swept Eurovision) and... probably even Azerbaijan? (which I might also get because Eurovision rarely has this thing called an ethnobop anymore, and it has more ethno than “Cleopatra” did, but still unnecessarily underwhelming lol.) Well then, in a year of female bangers, I would just like Croatia to not be swept under the rug come semis I guess. Yeah “Tick-Tock” may not sound like it brings something totally never seen before in a Eurovision environment (foreign language lyrics, themes about a break up, hell even her dancers looked like they were wearing the same hats as Tamta’s dancers), but you got to have a lot in you to sell a worn out idea to the new heights, and Albina does exactly that in my eyes.

Approval factor: Yeah! There is a lot of it in here for me. Follow-up factor: A great follow-up, not so great in regards to panini but musically it’s just going up and up from what we had in the past few years. I’ve actually not minded “The Dream” for the most part but I knew it was a chanceless plodding ballad and Roko harboured heaps of wasted potential working with Jacques Houdek and having wings as part of his performance, uff. *_* And then there’s “Divlji vjetre” which I also like a lot - a much better male ballad winner choice! If the Dora re-up winners keep being decent imo just like this, I have a feeling I will follow it a lot more often than I did just this one time this year. I am just saying that panini-wise, it was a sucky move from HRT for not allowing their last year’s winner promote his new song with Tijana (from Serbia 2017) on the Dora night, so we sadly only heard a pre-recorded opening version of “Divlji vjetre” to start off with :( Otherwise I think it’s not Dora’s fault in itself that Damir himself chose not to even submit an entry this year because he hadn’t found a good one - much like with Diodato for Sanremo (he was NOT rejected, if you think he still was, shush). But aside that, musically, it just keeps going up for me. Well done Croatia, for you’ve used to be a Eurovision country I don’t necessarily care about, that you brought two pretty damn good entries in a row. Qualification factor: I can absolutely trust in Albina bringing in a little bit of her charisma and well-likedness, and on top of that, a great vocal performance, in Rotterdam. Don’t ask me why, I just do. She doesn’t really perform her song live on pre-parties as much as I’d like to hope she would, but you heard girlie on the national selection, she didn’t win for nothing. Yeah yeah there might as well be female uptempo songs hungrier for the last spot, but I’d like to think Albina is one of the ones ready to devour than to be devoured. Go girl! Take us all dancing!

NF CORNER

To be honest with you, “Tick-Tock” winning Dora caught me by surprise. Ever since its re-up, the last two editions were kind of won by male ballads, and maaaaybe the dancey females were doing moderately well enough for themselves, but not overall? But look, juries were very keen on Albina, probably because she can SANG and she creates one hell of a fancy presence on her performance. And somehow she ended up snatching a win out of the hands of 5G conspiracy theorist 2016 representative Nina Kraljić, who was at first too drunk to care, but too unexpectedly sober to yell all over the soc. media how she was robbed and how the contest was rigged against her with her being on first and all that. Which is a shame that she is one of THOSE people, because her NF entry “Rijeka” is kinda nice? We did have the Balkan-esque ballads coming from Croatia in recent memory, but we haven’t had a truly proudly folksy one at that from Croatia for a long while, if not ever. Nina could’ve very well brought that to Rotterdam (and another mismatched wardrobe choice oops). But instead she was the one screaming “oh no, oh no, oh no”.

Actually I regarded Nina as one of my faves pre-show, and Albina was on her way, though she didn’t really cement the personal fav status until after all performances, thus making Nina and Albina switch spots for me. But truly, the one song that was my top favourite, iiiiiiiiiiis

GIMME AN OCEAN! OF LOVE!

2021 made me realize that damn, maybe anything that’s funky is my favourite music genre afterall. Up until then I vibed with entries like “Tonight Again” and “What’s the Pressure?” that had this sort of energetic flair and very rhythmic kinda sound to it, but 2021 just simply cemented it to me that my music world has probably been about nice and smooth and funky all along. I owe so much gratitude to ToMa first and foremost along the lines of more to have come in this year’s lineups - I just can’t not want to dance to “Ocean of Love”, and ToMa is quite alright at selling it live as well. There are small gripes with some instrument usages but that doesn’t detract from the fact that I love love LOVE funky guitar tunes.

Aside from that, I can give shout outs to Beta Sudar, whose song not only was underrated, but also had an underrated meme format throughout its performance:

My other props go to Bernarda, who not only competed in a national selection singing a song about seeing “Colors” while blind (and ironically there was a song called “Blind” in that same NF sung by a well-seeing guy!!), but also for finally putting this every country’s reject to rest. Seriously. That particular song was passed on to everyone in need of a competitive Eurovision bop, from Poli Genova to Helena Paparizou as of recently. Oh well, at least the song died a honourable death - well performed slice of good typical Eurovision pop (maybe even overperformed a little towards the end), that got a good rank with the regional juries, but somewhat murdered in televote, fellow Boris Milanov composition “Chameleon” style.

This one Mia Negovetić chick was promising too! Her song was written by the Debs and you might be tired of them trying to continue infiltrating Eurovision at this point, but a lot of their Eurovision songs are usually something I enjoy, “She’s Like a Dream” is no exception. Nothing but 3 minutes of pastel-dressed Croatian Ariana Grande doing what she does best <3

Oh and also some dudes tried to play chess on stage too I guess. But their song is not worth looking into, because one of the acts on it is apparently also a conspiracist, and maybe because oft this their entry is aptly titled “Sing, for the freedom has arrived!” lol I wonder what exactly is the kind of freedom you’re thinking of my guy

Was this the “better mood game” Laura was warning everyone about? Beats me

NF CORNER (NON-COMPETITIVE)

• It’s still hilarious to me as to how one of the acts this year, Brigita Vuco, was planning to bring in backing dancers, only for them to show a fake COVID test or something and outright BARRED from coming with her on stage. <3 Whatever she intended to do with them dancers, I have absolutely no idea, but at least she committed to her song being about drunken nights visually by having all these blurry shots

• Nina Kraljić’s greenroom shenanigans, from the “1-2-3, 1-2-3, drink” to numb the sadness over some results (and the 8 she got from the region Rijeka for the song “Rijeka” lmao), to whatever she saw on the phone that made her smile or go neutral

• Greenroom reactions in general. I swear, this year had cameramen in every single corner everywhere just to make sure something covers up for a human audience instead of severals of Zoom screens permitted to act as an audience. Random people in greenrooms were doing some sort of emotions after random acts, and also randomly they ended up pointing a camera towards an act that lost, but the act didn’t treat losing as if it were such a big deal <3

• All the other memes the Croatian Twitter might’ve noticed me for:

seriously Bernarda was locked in a bluelight mathematical dice contraption. how fucking cool is that

ANY LAST WORDS?

I just fucking hope that Albina shatters any doubts that people have had about her song come rehearsals, and somehow Croatia AND Israel slip through, because never too many female bangers I appreciate in the final, if they all are the bangers I appreciate, lol.