Oh, how I wish ...

... that I could write down my opinions about the London riots. I have several thoughts that I could, theoretically, share with the world. But no. I'm sorry to say this ... and this is nothing personal against any Brits reading this, England is a wonderful place in many ways, and what little I have seen of Scotland is cool too, and you, my potential British reader, may well be a fine upstanding citizen. I have friends who are English, I don't mean to hurt anyone's feelings. Well, that's kind of true. There's no way I could say half of what I really think about this issue without being - not to put too fine a point on it - extremely offensive. My opinions on British society are so very very far from being politically correct that I myself balk at putting them in print. You know that's got to be a bad sign.

Augh, biting my tongue ... ! I SO want to say something. But I won't. La la la. Move it along, nothing to see here.

UNITED KINGDOM 2011 - I Can

It's childish, I know, but the first thing I think about every time I hear or see this song mentioned is always The League of Gentlemen. I can I can't? I can I can't?? I CAN I CAN'T??! I'm a fan, what can I say. They've messed with my mind.

Anyway ... be that as it may ... this post is not about the LoG, but about the UK song for this year. Which, surprisingly, does not completely suck. Who'd have thought it? I certainly needed to see this before believing it. But I would like to go on record as saying that this year I do think that the UK ESC entry does not totally suck ass. It's a step in the right direction for the UK, if nothing else.

Unfortunately, there isn't much else beyond that. The entry is performed by a reformed boy band and it sounds totally like a boy band song. If you like that kind of thing, I suppose it's alright by you, but personally I think it's as dull as dishwater. Most boy band songs are one big yawn - however, they are sometimes annoyingly catchy. This one isn't, though. It's just annoying. This song has something of the same problem as the Irish entry - there isn't much difference between the verse and the chorus, which has the effect of creating a kind of wall of sound impression which makes the song enervating to listen to. I'm not sure I can really explain it, but that's the effect it has. It makes the entire song annoying ... you don't know when it's going to end, there are few signals to let you work out where in the song you are. And if you don't like the verse, there's nothing more to look forward to either, because it all sounds the same. o_O

This song could be a hit for a boy band - in fact I think it already is - but I don't think it has much of a chance in the ESC. It's just too bland. It has zero personality. It doesn't stand out in any way whatsoever. I have no idea how they think anyone will remember this enough to vote for it. Or remember it at all. It's the kind of song that you forget while you're still listening to it. It could work in a different setting, but I don't think at all that this is what ESC audiences are looking for. Maybe they're thinking that the band - I use this term loosely - will bring in votes just for being who they are? I don't know how big they are, and were, around Europe, so I can't really offer any perspective on that. It may work. But I don't think it'll be enough with a song this weak. The UK will probably bomb again, IMO. But see what you think. This is Blue performing I can* by ... some of them and some other guys. A whole bunch of them. This gaggle of guys will compete for the UK on Saturday, May 14th.



Widescreen here.

Lyrics here.

*I CAN I CAN'T!!?

UK 2010 - That Sounds Good to Me

Well, this was bound to happen. The Brits have been floundering in the ESC for years - no wonder since the contest has such a tiny fanbase there, relatively speaking - but last year they hit upon one solution. Get an already very established composer to write the song, then find some unknown kid to perform it (cheaper that way). This actually worked really well for them last year, they ended up placing 5th, which for the UK these days is an amazing result. So this year - different songwriters, but same formula. And like I said, this was bound to happen - Stock Aitken Waterman in the ESC ... !! :-D

Well, almost, anyway. Matt Aitken's not really a bigwig in the music business these days anymore. But Mike Stock and Pete Waterman are the brains ... if that's the word I want ... behind this year's UK entry. Which is ... hmm ...

It's totally SAW, I've got to say that. The kind of thing you might peg as theirs even if you didn't know it. But is that a good thing? I'm really not sure. This song isn't bad, as such, it's just ... it's boring. I'm not sure how they think this song will stand out? It's a totally standard pop song, quality craftsmanship, but there's nothing that makes it shine in a crowd. And this will definitely be a crowd. I'm not at all convinced that this will be noticed much by anyone. Maybe those in my generation who remember the 80s ;-) because this song definitely feels dated. Even the performance. Those girls have got to lose those T-shirts. Ick.

Well, judge for yourselves. This is Josh Dubovie performing That Sounds Good to Me by Mike Stock and Pete Waterman, who will be competing for the United Kingdom on Saturday, May 29th. The UK is also in the Big Four and thus go straight to the final. That will definitely be to the disadvantage of this song.



Lyrics here.

In related news, the Brits - as I'm sure you know, my well-informed readers!! - have an election coming up. Pat Condell made a video about it, here. I love Pat Condell.

London 2010: Around and about

Here are some glimpses from London last week. I'm making several videos, the others are more specific ... from our visits to the Dickens House Museum and to the National History Museum, for instance. This is just the random glimpses that don't fit anywhere else. :-) Still, might be fun to watch. There's, let me think ... the Hungerford bridge across the Thames, the bust of Nelson Mandela by the Southbank Centre, a bagpipe player on Trafalgar Square, wall decorations at Charing Cross station, some singers in Covent Garden ... This and that. :-) Enjoy. :-)

Contrasts

Yesterday ...

Today ...

Home sweet home ... :-)

I'll be gone for a few days ...

... starting Wednesday morning, painfully bright and early. Actually, not bright - it'll still be dark for hours when I have to leave on Wednesday. Argh. But it'll be worth it ... it'll be so worth it ... !! :-D

Because, guess what, I'm going to London! Yay! Actually, not that much yay ... London really isn't my favorite city. At all. Not even favorite in the UK, nowhere near. I don't know why exactly, it's just too big, there's too much of it. It's exhausting just being there. :-) But this time there's something there I want to see ... namely the theatrical production of Pterry's Nation, at the National Theatre. It's C. and I who are going there to see it, because we're both major Pterry fans and ... it'll be fun. Plus of course there's someone in London that I want to see - we'll be staying with my friend Sol and of course it'll be great to see her again too. :-) And you, Crispin, of course ... !! :-D

So ... from Wednesday through Saturday I probably won't get online much. A quote may pop up on Saturday, I suppose. Something clever not said by me. ;-) But apart from that, probably not much. Here's hoping I'll have some good shots to post on Sunday, though ... !! :-)

And just to keep somewhat on topic: Keanu's been in London too, look ... I'm almost willing to bet I'll get to see more of the city than he did that time. (The Lake House premiere weekend.)

Carcassonne 2009: London Zoo, part 1

I mentioned that I travelled to France via England, and met up with Anne Ida in London. I spent a day in the city on my own before meeting up with her and our friends that she was staying with, and I decided to spend that day at the zoo. :-) I'm not a big fan of London and I wanted to find just one place where I could spend the whole day and just more or less relax ... so I picked the zoo. Where of course I took lots and lots of pictures. :-)

From the Aquarium ... which is the oldest of its kind in the entire world, in fact. Many pretty waterscapes. :-)

And some very pretty fish, like this one. I love the colors ... and it also had a gorgeous iridescence that doesn't really show up in the photo ... but it was quite beautiful.

Some really wonderful setups to be seen ...

Raja, the zoo's Komodo dragon, Varanus komodoensis. Paz, he seems a bit lazy, doesn't he? ;-)

The zoo has added three Gálapagos tortoises, Geochelone nigra, to their collection this year as part of their celebration of the Darwin bicentennial.

Zaïre, the matriarch of the zoo's troop of western lowland gorillas, Gorilla gorilla gorilla. She was eating something and quite busy with that, so seeing her up close was out of the question.

But Effie, the other adult female in the troop, was sitting by the glass watching us watching her. Oh, look at her face, it breaks my heart. :-( I do enjoy zoos if they're well constructed and maintained, but deep down I always know that it just isn't right. :-( Except at the Nordic Ark ... :-)

A lazy tiger, Panthera tigris sumatrae. In fact they have two. :-)

Some ... pigs ... of some kind ... Wild boar from somewhere. I honestly don't remember exactly what these were. :-) But this is a pretty good shot. And it's interesting to think that our domesticated pigs probably were something like this once ... :-)

An eastern white pelican, Pelecanus onocrotalus, grooming itself.

Adult large flamingos, Phoenicopterus roseus ...

... and a flamingo baby. Aww. :-)

Feeding time in the penguin pond. The one getting all the attention is Ricky the Rockhopper ... I already posted a picture of him. He was just too cute. :-)

I mean, just look at him. :-D

This twolegs seems to be in possession of MAH BUKKIT!!!

Romania, United Kingdom, Finland, Spain

Romania:
This song is so annoying ... but even if it wasn't, it'd still be ruined for me by the fact that the sylvan nymph theme of the presentation has nothing whatsoever to do with the song.
Boo, Romania!! And it's especially disappointing since Romania has sent some really great songs in the past.

United Kingdom:
Now, this is apparently the song we make use of to bring out the cake ... :-D
Another song that is just mystifying ... I can't believe that this is a favorite. That's got to be just something the betting agencies are making up. Aren't they mostly British owned? >:-)
Argh, our commentator is so stupid ... she says she thinks this song is a serious contender, and why? Because the 'musical craftsmanship and quality' of Lloyd Webber's work will stand out. Umm, yeah ... cause we all know that craftsmanship and quality is what the ESC is all about!! Duh.
I think people may be very surprised by how badly this song ends up doing.

Finland:
Meh. I've heard this song umpteen times before and I'm sure pretty much everyone in the audience has too.
Too unvaried a melody, too repetitive.
I don't get why this song is in the final.
No chance.

Spain:
And kind of the same with this. Another favorite. I don't think it has any serious chances, though, because it's not very original. It's a typical example of its genre. But it has great energy. And the singer's great, I like her a lot.
A great slot. But I don't think it'll be anywhere near enough.
A good melody, a good beat, but ... no, I don't think so.
Good way to end the show, though. :-)

UNITED KINGDOM 2009: Jade Ewen - My Time

Jade Ewen will perform for the UK in Moscow. The entry was chosen on January 31st in the final of the talent show Eurovision - Your Country Needs You! on BBC One.

Ah, the eternal second. Although, if truth be told, they haven't come anywhere near to deserving that title for years and years now. Unfortunately. The British have gotten themselves stuck in a vicious circle when it comes to the ESC - it's gotten a bad rep in the UK as being ridiculous and not worth the bother for serious performers (thanks for that, Terry Wogan) and so the real talent steer clear of it. So they send shitty songs and do very badly and that enhances the contest's negative reputation. And around and around we go. This year they're trying to change that, though - the preternaturally talented gnome king of the musical world has tried his hand at writing an ESC entry and the British people (or TV audience, whichever; I suspect the two may be largely interchangeable these days ;-) have picked a singer for him. So where will they end up this year??

The UK, being one of the Big Four, is assured a place in the final, so we will of course see this song there. Will it do well? I think, depending of course on the competition, which still is not quite clear, that it might. Apart from her unfortunate appearance in the lip area, Jade is a pretty girl ... and maybe the balloon lips will work in her favor as they may help her stick in viewers' memories. ;-) She has a very good voice. The BBC are clearly not afraid to dress her up in spectacular gowns. The song has sincerity, which will be in its favor if she can communicate it in her performance. The lyrics are sadly predictable, but as most of the audience won't understand English anyway, it will hardly matter. ;-) I like this song, but I am a huge Lloyd Webber fan, so that's not surprising. This isn't his best effort though, the song isn't a standout like some of his other work. But it's certainly quality craftsmanship, although not overly original. Trying to put my personal opinion aside ;-) I think that this is the best entry the UK has sent for years, and it has the potential to do quite well. It's not the winner though, that would surprise me very much. But it can do well, but that depends on the competition as well. This year though I do honestly wish the UK the best of luck. :-)

So, this is Jade Ewen performing My Time, written & composed by Diane Warren and Andrew Lloyd Webber who will be competing for the United Kingdom.



You can find the lyrics here.

Romania, United Kingdom, Albania, Germany

Romania:
A song that gets better every time I hear it. Though it would have been better with just him, she kind of ruins the song a little bit for me.
She's changed her dress, a silver dress, what a surprise!! :-D
A good song. They'll do well.

United Kingdom:
A perfectly alright song, and the singer's really good. Good stage presence, good voice, puts a lot of effort into it, and I love the light effects. :-) But they'll do badly - because this song is 20 years old. Stock/Aitken/Waterman could have produced this in 1988. This poor guy is totally wasted on this song. A shame, actually.

Albania:
A good song! She's sweet and she has a really good voice, and the song is a beautiful ballad. It won't take much to make this Albania's best result ever, they've never placed higher than 16th. They deserve to do well with this IMO. A lovely entry.

Germany:
Blech.
These women look like drag queens at a distance.
Awful costumes. Awful presentation.
The song itself isn't that bad, the entry could have been much better. But hopefully they will do badly with this.

UNITED KINGDOM: Andy Abraham - Even If

Ah, the Eternal Second ...

At least they don't have to worry about the bitterness of ending up in 2nd place yet again ...

This is so old-fashioned!! It's not in itself a bad song. Just rather bland. But it sounds so old! It sounds like something Stock/Aitken/Waterman could have produced in 1988. Are they trying for nostalgia ... ??

He's a pretty good singer, he could have done so much better with a better song. And he's pretty goodlooking, that can't ever hurt. ;-) I think the UK may do better with this than they have in recent years, since Westerners may like it, but it may be too anonymous to make much of an impression on audiences.

Unfortunately for the UK, they have drawn almost the worst starting slot imaginable - they're starting second. Which may cripple their entry's chances before it even gets on stage. :-(


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raXV1PuD4Kc