Welcome to Eurovision Times: James Mitchell

   James Mitchell TV – The Eurovision Times is proud to announce a new collaboration. Tongue-in-cheek and outspoken video blogger James Mitchell has joined our team and will be entertaining our readers with reviews of Eurovision songs, editorials and more. James Mitchell introduces himself, and tells Eurovision Times readers what he plans to bring to the blog:

Editorial: The UK and Eurovision: Should 1 Become 4?

 

  Editorial – Seeing as this is my first post I thought I’d take it easy and talk about something close to home: The UK in the Eurovision. More specifically, the forgotten countries that seem to be left out of the contest. I just want to clarify before I get started that I am not a separatist and I’m not anti-English; I am, in fact, all for the British Union. I am not calling for complete Scottish independence, merely “Eurovision Independence”.

Reader’s Editorial: The Big 5 Issue

 Editorial – About a week ago we got a mail by one of our reader’s, who criticized the status of the Big 5 in the Eurovision Song Contest. We asked him to write an editorial and he agreed. Here is thus the first reader editorial by JKF Irish! Tell us what you think in the comment section.

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Editorial: How Should the Next German Eurovision Hopeful Be Chosen?

  Editorial – Before the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 had even come to an end, the German press already speculated about the German selection for the next edition in 2013. Since 2010, the public broadcaster ARD and the private network ProSieben had collaborated in choosing the German entrant through a casting show. This year the ratings were disastrous,though. How should Germany select its Eurovision entry for Sweden?

Editorial: The Second Semi-Final

  Editorial – The second semi-final just came to an end and we know the result. 10 more countries have qualified and the Final is thus complete. Here I will write down what is in my head right now and my thoughts during the performances. 100% subjective and 100% my opinion (at this moment ^^). I’m interested in your opinions as well so please comment!

Prediction: The First Semi-Final

  Eurovision 2012 – In less than 24 hours we will know the ten lucky countries that will qualify from semi-final one. In this editorial I would like assess each countries’ chances to qualify(according to yours truly). So here we go:

Eurovision History Chat: Norway

  Eurovision Podcast – Norway has been a Eurovision ever present since 1960 when the beloved Voi Voi announced its presence to the rest of the continent. As you will hear in this podcast, the Norwegians have scaled the heights and plumbed the depths since them. Their FOUR “nul points” have saddled them with a reputation for naffness, this is most unfair. Norway’s public broadcaster is Norsk Rikskringkasting or NRK. Some Eurovision types might argue that the acronym means

Eurovision 2011 Voting Analysis: The Balkan League in the Semi-Finals

Editorial – As with every year, the cries of “bloc voting” called loudly as the winners Ell & Nikki from Azerbaijan were announced the winner of the 2011 Eurovision Song Contest. After receiving votes from thirty countries, nineteen at the level of 8-points or higher, it seemed clear to the roaring fans of Sweden, Italy, Denmark, or Ukraine that if bloc voting hadn’t existed, their entry would have easily overcome the first place entry and taken the crown for itself.

Editorial: Tis’ the season to be Pre-selected!

Editorial – Amidst a packed out stadium in Germany, and with millions of viewers watching from across the continent, Eldar and Nikki took the stage once again to perform their winning song. They’d done it! Beating off competition from 24 other musical acts, Europe had voted them their winner with a total of 224 points, and now, Eldar and Nikki were bringing the contest home to Azerbaijan, and the joy of such an achievement beamed from them as they began the song.

Editorial: Assessing the Swiss National Final

  Switzerland – The Swiss entry to the Eurovision Song Contest in Baku will be the first to be selected in this Eurovision season. The national final is held in Kreuzlingen on December 10 and will see 14 acts from all over the country compete for the Swiss ticket to Baku. In this editorial I have written down my thoughts (quite randomly) while listening to the songs, have assessed their chances at winning the national final and if they were selected, their chances at the Eurovision Song Contest. I don’t mean to hurt anyone’s feelings, tastes can differentiate! So here we go:

Editorial: Harel Skaat’s New Song

Editorial by escadele – Israeli heart-throb Harel Skaat has released a new song. His new single 21st Century is the first song he’s released since his, dare I say it, amazing performance of Milim, representing Israel at the Eurovision Song Contest 2010. 21st Century is certainly different from  what we have seen previously from Harel, but his angelic voice is complimented by this mid-tempo pop song with the violins going on in there. What’s more, is that the song is made from REAL MUSIC! Not that horrible synthetic drums, bass, piano etc (*cough* Jedward  *cough*).

Editorial: OGAE Votes For Camp! What Else Is New?

OGAE – The traditional annual OGAE vote has started again. OGAEs from every country imaginable will announce their votes in the coming weeks. One thing is clear already: Camp will rule and the actual final result on May 14 will be as close to the OGAE result as Moscow is to Lisbon and as Dana International is to winning Eurovision again. Already in the lead: Sweden. What a surprise! Who would have thought that hundreds of  Eurovision dance-lovers would vote for a handsome guy dancing to campy music and singing about getting popul… oh wait…. Of course they vote for that!, they always do! Last

Editorial: The Language Issue

Editorial - After the usual „this is the worst ESC year ever“ cries on certain platforms, we now realize that 2011 is not that bad at all. There is a development tough that is deplorable: Of the 43 entries this year only 8 (Spain, France, Bulgaria, Poland, Macedonia, Serbia, Cyprus and Portugal) will perform their entry entirely in a language other than English.  France’s decision to perform its operatic song in Corsican means that this year will not have a single entry in French (except one sentence in Lithuania’s chorus). After the contest was dominated by

Editorial: ‘Estonia up there again’

Estonia – As the year moves on, many countries start showing out their big guns for the year. Let’s say this right away, countries depend on the level quality sent to them. Unless they go for an internal selection (in which case and in this case only can they bring big names to the Eurovision stage, except in Scandinavia), the countries are doomed to go for whatever they are given. Latvia for instance can have a great NF one year and a terrible year the following year (and to say the least, 2010 is going to be terrible for them). As expectations

Eurovision 2011: The Curse Of Winning

Editorial – As Eurovision 2011 approaches, artists are picked and songs are selected for Düsseldorf, the competition increases. Who will win and therefore host the Eurovision Song Contest in 2012? Fans of each country are desperate their country wins – national pride mainly, but it also makes it cheaper to go the next year! Others want their favourite country to win so they have a good excuse to go on holiday there.

But what about the broadcasters?

Editorial: Italy’s Eurovision return is historic

Italy – Yesterday was a historic date for the Eurovision Song Contest. After 13 long years one of the biggest European countries announced it’s return to Europe’s most favourite TV-show: Italy. The return of the Mediterranean country came as a big surprise to me. After the final of X-Factor (whose winner was reported to go to Eurovision 3 months ago) passed without a single word being uttered about a possible Italian Eurovision return, I was 99% convinced that 2011, just as the other 13 years before, would not have an Italian entry. I would not have bet a single euro on their return. Yesterday eurovision.tv said they would disclose news that no Eurovision fan would forget in his lifetime and we won’t because Italy’s return signifies much more than just an additional song in the running:

Editorial: ‘Another great year for Finland’

Finland – Morgan is one of the most loyal readers (and now writers) of this blog. Here is his take on the Finnish national final “Euroviisut 2011″ (The songs were published yesterday) : Anyway as every year I hear around the net “not so good this year from Finland” which if you think about it implies retrospectively that the year before it wasn’t that bad… Actually, I draw a fine line of what is good and not good based not on music talent only but also on the average esc level… Maybe old Euroviisut

What a surprise… NOT

Israel – The big news on ESCToday tonight is that Harel Skaat, Israel’s entrant in Oslo this year, is coming out of the closet. But what revealed our Harel’s sexuality? Is it his picture in a black leather jumpsuit with sparkling glitter, showing half of his (nice) chest? No! Is it the fact that he participated in the gayest of all television events? No! Is it the power ballads he sings with so much passion? No! Or is it just the fact that he looks just a little too good to be straight? No!

Explaining Eurovision to Americans

USA – Yesterday I discovered an article at the website of the “Bygone Bureau” by a Norwegian, trying to explain to Americans what exactly the Eurovision Song Contest really is. Now, explaining Eurovision to Americans might be as hard as explaining to the French what retirement at 67 feels like. Nevertheless, the author manages to sum up the positive aspects, the slight craziness and extravaganza that is the Eurovision Song Contest. “It’s responsible for some of the most ridiculous songs and costumes in the history of the world.” To support this impression he

Personal opinion: Thank you Lena!

“You are a total freak” ; “Are you crazy?”, “What is wrong with you” … These are just some of the reactions you get when you have your “coming out” as a Eurovision fan in Germany (and I’m pretty sure in quite a number of other countries as well). I’m a Eurovision Song Contest fan for 12 years now. My first contest was 1998 when Guildo Horn revived the competition in Germany. I watched it with my family and was immediately impressed by its idea and also the voting procedure. Over the years my love for the contest grew (Only missing the 2002 one for a reason I can’t remember), but you could never tell anyone