EUROMOMENTS

That's not dancin'! And Svetlana certainly knows it, but hell, she's got the demented killer instinct of someone that, taking her artistic inspiration from madge's hard candy, takes the view that i'll do it JUST TO SHOW YOU THAT I CAN. In a contest in which schlager, novelty and even ethnobang have taken an unexpected sudden backseat to the balladeering about peace and love, this will stand out by a mile. It combines the pre-requisite ethno driving beat with the catchiest hook of any song so far. And if the outpouring of moral outrage eminating from a certain popular fansite ("This clip seem to be pure SEX" cries one offended reader) is anything to go by, svetlana will leave nothing if not an impression, favourable or otherwise and svetlana knows full well, lying there bathed in green & blacks finest, that there is no negative marking. How many decent, good quality records have limped to last place in eurovision for faling to inspire and annoy in e...

It's finally here. The Melodifestivalen final takes place tonight, when we shall see the last song to be selected for Moscow, and your entire Euromoments team will be gathering in a certain London Swedish venue to watch events unfold in the company of those who care. It's good to be young, eh? There has been criticism of this year's Melodifestivalen line-up from the Swedish press, who claim that standards have slipped. These people have clearly never seen Making Your Mind Up . However, there have been some bloopers along the way... how did Velvet's The Queen (see below - a riotous Stock-Aitken-Waterman style retro dance number with a giant dress, hotpants, women in drag and great dancing.) not only fail to qualify for the Globen but come in the bottom 3 of her semifinal? I am also saddened that BWO don't have a place in the Globen this evening but that is a matter of personal taste and I managed to stop watching the video on loop yesterday. Sometimes you've ju...

Dear Reader(s?), Please excuse my absence of late - Camp Carlytime has relocated and is currently not connected to the Information Super Highway. I know it's a disaster, but thankfully I have other portals at my disposal. Basically, I chose one of the worst weekends in the eurocalendar to relocate my lair. I have finally gotten around to updating the video bar with entries from Spain, Portugal, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Latvia, Azerbaijan. Even this far into the selection season, amazingly we still don't have a truly awful song in the contest. Israel has unfortunately gone all-out on cynicism, with a mid-tempo 'let's all join hands together around the world' pop song that doesn't do justice to the calibre of the two singers. The Croatian song is very traditional in style and although it is generally pleasant I fear they're a little off the money this year with a male soloist whose live singing isn't up to it. Latvia has put forward a lot of old rope i...

...has been the story of Hungary's national selection for Eurovision 2009. However, it seems that Ádok Zoltán's Dance with me will be the final choice for Moscow. Check out the high-production, high-camp video to this disco ditty in the side bar. In the words of Elitsa & Stoyan (Bulgaria, 2007): We are camming to yeu with piss an lav.

Check out the side bar for the song rumoured to be the Swiss entry for 2009. It takes more than a little from New Order, maybe U2 as well. Not sure what is going on with the lead singer's Irish brogue, but I think this could do well with the juries. A big qualitative improvement on Era Stupendo , but unlikely to be as popular with those fickle little Eurofans. NB this version currently stands at 3:50 so will have to undergo some substantial cuts before May.

Check out the side bar for the results of last night's crucial national final. It feels like all my Christmasses (or rather, Krassimirs) have come at once. Thank you, thank you, thank you Carola for sprinkling your stardust on Bulgaria and making the impossible happen. I might shed a tear of joy.

Sinead Mulvey and Black Daisy. On reflection, I think this is the best result. The live performance was polished, energetic and professional and although I still don't feel confident that Ireland will make it out of the semifinal, they should be able to go to Moscow with heads high and leave with pride intact. A rare treat for Irish Eurosongs in the noughties. The stage presentation really brought it home tonight - Ireland happily makes it nine years late into the 21st Century with one of the most contemporary songs of this year's selection so far. The all-girl line-up makes a refreshing change, with not a little whisper of Vanilla Ninja and just enough campery to keep everyone happy. Good show. For your delectation, the live performance from Sinead and friends.