National finals have been held all over Europe for a few weeks already, and the same here in Norway. We've had four semi-finals and will have one wild-card final this Saturday. We're voting on our Eurovision Song Contest finalists February 19th. Yes, it's a big thing in this household. My family loves the circus, the glam and glitter, the kitch, the seriousness, and the plain, old fun of it all. This year's Norwegian field is somewhat eclectic to be honest. We have the usual singer/songwriters with their pop and rock songs. Then we have a valkyrie who stole the hammer of Thor. Serves him right if he can't look after the thing. We have a hard-rock band urging us to dance like a pink flamingo. A man with a big voice in a very big, gold dress. And a hype called Subwoolfer (not a typo) with the message that you ought to give that wolf a banana before he eats your grandma. I'm slightly worried we're sending that last one to the European finals. It's a far cry from cutie Alexander Rybak and his fiddle who won the show in 2009. It's also one of those weird performances that, despite not giving any meaning, sticks in your brain. I have been singing about grandmas and bananas for days, I have started to learn the dance moves, and I'm suffering. I don't like suffering alone, so here's the YouTube video for your enjoyment: P.S.: Nobody knows who they are. That's one of the reasons for the hype.
@Droopy When I lived in Sweden I remember the yearly celebration of the kitch around selecting their Eurovision entry. It was fun to observe
I can very well imagine! Sweden is a big Eurovision nation, and they have lots to prove every year since ABBA in 1974. It's even more fun to be a part of it, or so they keep telling me. I've never been to a live show. I suffer enough watching it on the telly. Did you know the Australians love this spectacle? They were invited to join in 2015 because they are such big fans of this show.
Knew about Australia. I took that as an attempt to start branching it out to make it a global contest but it didn't work out. That awkward moment when Ireland sent a puppet to represent us...
So, we had our national Eurovision finals yesterday evening. My fear came through. This year we're sending two yellow wolves and an astronaut DJ to the Eurovision song contest. They will have to qualify in a semi-final on Tuesday, May 10th, and then we might see them in the Grand Finale that will be held in Turin, Italy Saturday, May 14th. (I have no faith in them, so I'll root for another song.) The Netherlands is in the same semi-final. Good luck to them!
I had no idea that the Netherlands were this far. If they have been talking about it on the telly, I completely missed it. I have not heard who will be representing us. Normally there is a great deal of promotion but it seems less this time. Sorry that you are not fond of your candidates this season.
That's because yours isn't released yet. Guess you'll hear about it when it is. I have to root for someone, though, so I'll have a listen and find a favourite. Maybe Greece. The woman representing them is half Norwegian.
Haven't watched Eurovision in decades. Too much "tactical voting" and the songs have never been up to much for decades either. The presentation is often more like Cirque du Soleil.
Yes, it's a circus alright. The rest of my family loves the show, so I join them and enjoy it. The tactical votes annoy me too, and you're right about the quality of the entries. But now and then there's a pearl, and more often than not at least we get the circus.
