EUROVISION 03 – Gary’s Opinions (as at 27 May 03)

	COUNTRY	PERFORMER/S	SONG	PRE-CONTEST OPINION	SCORE	POS	POST-CONTEST OPINION	SCORE	POS
	01 Iceland	Birgitta	Open Your Heart	Good, modern and catchy song and a lively opener for the Contest. I can see it in the charts and its also has a feel of “Love Shine a Light”…… Has to be top 5 …even a winner!	9.0	04	Ok, it didn’t win, but a great opening song, as expected. I still think it should have been top 5.	9.0	04
	02 Austria	Alf Poier	Weil Der Mensch Zählt (Man is the Measure of all things)	He’s a very popular comedian in Austria and may get some novelty votes, but it’s a bit draining. Eurovision is about first impact though, so it will probably do better than it should.	4.0	26	This certainly got the audience going and deserved some of its points. I am not too sure about 6^th place but hey, it brought a smile to many a euro-face!	5.0	26
	03 Ireland	Mickey Harte	We've got the world tonight	A bit like Denmark’s 2000 winner, but good to hear something a little different from Ireland. They deserve a good position for finally trying something new, but not a win, please!	7.5	16	The Irish Army in the Skonto made themselves heard and he did them proud. Still glad it did not win though.	7.5	17
	04 Turkey	Sertab Erener	Everyway That I Can	Expect a very professional performance, but the song seems to lack a certain something. It sounds a little empty and could do with more use of oriental strings. Will score well though, I think.	7.5	17	Whatever this lacked before the Contest was well and truly there on the night. Excellent and a well deserved winner.	8.5	05
	05 Malta	Lynn	To Dream Again	Can we expect more silver confetti like last year? Too twee and that’s enough to knock it out of the top 10 for me. Bound to be some high scores though.	7.0	23	Glad this flopped. Wet is really the only word for it.	6.0	23
	06 Bosnia	Mija Martina	Ne Brini (Could it be)	Wow! A little like ‘Sex Bomb’ and I love the Ally McBeal “oogachaka” part of the intro. A punchy song and it certainly does it for me… Hope it works when live… Sarajevo 04? My favourite!	9.5	01	Still a huge favourite for me but it really lacked stage presence – this is a song that needs big movement on stage – it was far too static. And folded arms? Not good!	9.5	01
	07 Portugal	Rita Guerra	Deixa-me sonhar (só mais uma vez) (Keep the Dream Alive)	A strong voice for sure, but the song plods along rather than grabbing you. A good performance could sway some votes her way but I don’t see it as a contender – it continues to grow on me though!	7.5	15	Far more beautiful than any photos I have seen, this lady floated through this average song. It was effective but not different enough.	8.0	16
	08 Croatia	Claudia	Vise Nisam Tvoja (I can’t Be Your Lover)	A strange choice this - quite punchy but a little disjointed too. This is a definite grower and could do better than expected. Croatia’s Britney Spears ….	8.5	10	Love this. Its kitsch and the dance is funny to watch – all those little jumps! It sticks in your head too!	8.5	07
	09 Cyprus	Stelios Konstantas	Feeling Alive	Has potential but can’t do as well as last year. Its a bit repetitive… maybe 15^th if he’s lucky.	7.0	19	Looked good, sounded good but the song was never really going to be a contender. Too formula.	6.5	22
	10 Germany	Lou	Let’s Get Happy	Oh dear. Punchy and very 80’s Eurovision but you’d think that after last year they’d try something different…… Oh well, it will be something to get people going, but don’t let it win! Its 2003, not a time for nursery rhymes with a beat!	6.0	25	Sigh of relief! Far too obvious. Far too brash.	6.0	25
	11 Russia	tATu	Ne ver', ne bojsia (Don’t Beleive, Don’t Be Afraid)	What a choice! Great to see someone from outside the UK that the British public will actually have heard of! Good too that they will sing in Russian. Growing on me fast and very chart-worthy. Fingers crossed for a good position.	8.5	07	Ok, so the pseudo-stroppy pair finally performed together. Not the best performance but good to see the attention it brought to the Contest.	8.0	09
	12 Spain	Beth	Dime (Tell Me)	Has to be a contender – great production and an impressive singer. Let’s hope they go for some impressive choreography … Deserves to do well but there are a few songs using a Spanish guitar feel this year….	8.5	08	Great performance, great choreography, great voice …. but the song lacks that something different.	8.5	08
	13 Israel	Lior Narkis	Many Words For Love	Dated! – could have been an Israeli entry 20 years ago! Look out for quick-footed moves (in unison) on stage but I don’t really see it top 15…	7.0	24	Dear God, we could have been back in 1982! Kind of warming though to see inanely-grinning Israeli backing singers again….	6.0	24
	14 Netherlands	Esther Hart	One More Night	Good solid modern song, if a bit predictable. Should be a good live performance and should do well but not a winner I think.	8.0	13	Another great performance by an excellent performer, but another case of the song not being different or strong enough.	8.0	12
	15 UK	Jemini	Cry Baby	Poor performers, but let’s hope they polish up for the night. Not a winner but has chart potential and should be top 10. The studio version is very good – a shame the singers are not.	8.5	05	Dreadful, embarrassing, crass. They seemed to retain the belief that they were good. Naïve? Stupid? Brainwashed? Or just Bizarre and in denial? We totally deserved this, and let’s hope for better things next year. No more Jemini / Jemani / Tricity though, PLEASE! (still like the studio version though – just goes to show you don’t need to be a good singer to make a record!)	8.0	10
	16 Ukraine	Olexandr Ponomaryov	Hasta La Vista	Their first entry and making an effort! A little predictable but I like the subtle opening and the general build of the song. It’s simple and catchy and that can be enough sometimes!	8.5	06	Could have done without the woman in the box, but this song got everyone going too. I really do like this and it’s always good to see new countries join the fun.	8.5	06
	17 Greece	Never Let You Go	Mando	Very different from Greece! Another solid modern sound and a great voice. They could go close with this… very laid back. Can they afford Eurovision and the Olympics in the same year?!	8.5	09	Ah, the one with the boobs! Another one where the singer is better than the song. She did it well though and it’s a solid little number.	8.0	15
	18 Norway	Jostein Hasselgård	I'm Not Afraid To Move On	A bit Barry Manilow, but the only one that I thought, on first listen, had winner written all over it. A lovely melody, which could well stand out amongst all the “noise”….	9.5	03	Good to see him in the top 5 and rightly so. This is a lovely song and very different to most of the liveliness.	9.5	03
	19 France	Louisa	Monts et merveilles (The Moon and the Stars)	I find this song depressing and I don’t know why. I can see that it’s got something and its very French but has nothing uplifting or fresh about it. My finger goes for the fast-forward every time I hear it!	7.0	21	Much better feeling about this now, especially the rift in the middle. Still does not have anything special though.	7.0	20
	20 Poland	Ich Troje	Zadnych Granic (No Frontiers)	Good, dramatic and powerful. Topical too. Can see the torches swaying already! Maybe too ‘germanic’ for pan-european appeal, but I do like it.	7.0	18	Came over so well in the Hall. After the Friday rehearsal, I was down to this or Turkey to win. I guess his image and voice would have put off a lot of people, but it was complemented well by the female lead.	8.0	13
	21 Latvia	F.L.Y.	Hello From Mars	This always makes me smile and I hope it’s up there on the night. Simple sing-along but polished and fun. Could even make it two in a row for Latvia! The New Seekers for the New Millennium!	9.5	02	The only huge surprise of the night for me. Its still one of the best songs in it for me and I will never understand its low score. Latvia deserved better!	9.5	02
	22 Belgium	Urban Trad	Sanomi	I don’t like the use of a made-up language and I can’t see this doing too well. Its not bad but would fair better if in French, I think.	7.0	20	Didn’t see this coming and still unconvinced of its top 3 position, but they did perform well and it was a little different.	7.0	19
	23 Estonia	Ruffus	Eighties Coming Back	Strange choice for Estonia but they won with a strange choice in 2001. I really can’t see this in the top 10 though. It’s OK but a bit too repetitive and not really my kind of thing.	7.0	22	I think my earlier comments have this about right. Not a great entry and overall a disappointment from Estonia.	7.0	21
	24 Romania	Nicola	Don't Break My Heart	You couldn’t get much further removed from their past entries! Very up to date and chart-worthy. Not sure of its winning potential but it’s a good one.	8.5	12	Messy performance on stage but the song is still one of the better ones.	8.0	14
	25 Sweden	Fame	Give Me Your Love	A shame they have gone for the same formula. Solid Swedish Eurovision stuff and I would imagine top 10 without thinking! They look like the UK pair but with more class, style and professionalism! Abba again though.	8.5	11	Abba-Automatons of the new Millennium beware – this is the style to bring to ESC if you want to finish 5^th. Solid, formula stuff.	8.5	11
	26 Slovenia	Karmen Stavec	Na Na Na	Starts off sounding like Shania Twain but then slips me into 80’s euro pop. I do like it though and it could have a good performance.	8.0	14	Not a very good performance at all – very boring to be honest. And I would always advise making sure your backing singers are not better looking than you. I much prefer her songs from EMA 02 and 01.	7.0	18

COMMENTS ON RIGA 2003

A fantastic city, a fantastic Eurovision, a fantastic stage and a fantastic winner…… what else is there to say?! Well done and thank you Latvia!

COMMENTS ON THE UK ZERO

Yes, I am British and Yes, I was at the Contest in Riga. I am DELIGHTED that the UK scored zero. The performance was embarrassing and poor. The singers were out of their depth and naive enough to believe that they were good. It was dreadful to watch and painful to hear. I was not at all surprised that we scored zero. The UK Press is not unbiased when 'reporting' on Europe and the xenophobic nature of the reports disgusts me. However, I am delighted that this has given the Contest such a profile here in the press and that the BBC will FINALLY have to do something about the way they decide our entry in 2004. Many eyes will be on Song For Europe 04! And well done Turkey - you really deserved to win - a great contest, a fantastic winner and a kick up the backside for the BBC.... At least Jemini / Jemani / Tricity will have a use for their 'tATu Nil Points' T Shirts now.....

Also, If you check out the Voting, you will see that the UK was one of only 2 countries which did not vote for tATu and the only one which gave Ireland's middle of the road dittie (lovely though it is) the twelve and Sweden's predictable Abba number the ten. This says to me that the BBC is not even trying to attract a younger audience and “good old” Mr Wogan has surely had his day with this. Eurovision is for everyone, for sure, but if you want to choose a decent pop song, surely, it’s the younger people who are best placed for that?

I hope for greater things in Turkey next year….!

EUROVISION AND POLITICS

(This is a purely personal opinion.)

In 2003, the United Kingdom’s zero score has been attributed to the UK’s image in the fall-out of support for the US in Iraq. This is both bemusing and ridiculous. That t.A.T.u. supposedly lost (by just a few points) due to political voting is also ludicrous.

Firstly, the UK’s song may have not been the worst SONG, but it was so much the worst performance. It was embarrassing and totally cringe-worthy. Should the likes of STEPS or S CLUB have performed that song with strong vocals, impressive choreography and decent outfits, the UK could have made the top 10. I am sure of this. Jemini were just totally out of their depth and looked dreadful too. Even the backing singers (in recent years the BBC had done well with our backing singers) were appalling. Why would anyone choose to pick up the telephone to vote for such a disastrous and chaotic display?

For Russia to be moaning about political voting, having come third, is quite astonishing. The loudest booing in Riga came from the Latvians – the same country who went on to award Russia the 12. Only two countries failed to vote for Russia – Firstly the UK, where we have Terry Wogan as commentator – this ensures few young people will tune in and the blue rinse brigade subsequently voted 12 to Ireland and nothing to Russia. And then Ireland, where the phone system collapsed and their resident jury (unlikely to be made up bods with forward thinking musical taste) ignored Russia too. The Russians have stated that people vote for the country, not the performers or the song. Russia? Turkey? Belgium? Why would anyone vote for a country if the song is bad? It is about the song and the performance more than anything else. Let’s face it, the t.A.T.u. performance was not the best and the Russians had hyped their entry all over Europe for weeks. Sung by anyone else, the song would no doubt have been bottom 10 – it was their profile and the hype that earned them 3^rd place.

Sour grapes ….a terrible thing.

While every country has its image of other countries, these opinions could hardly be called political. The UK is probably the worst country for this attitude anyway and these views are compounded by Wogan’s inane annual references. Something that the narrow-minded British masses will not see beyond.

Yes, international prejudices will affect people’s views, but the so-called political voting can be nothing more than familiarity with the performers, the songs, the languages and sometimes promotion. Most performers, for example, in Greece are well known in Cyprus and vice-versa and the same goes for the Balkan and Baltic States. Many countries now promote their songs around Europe before the contest and in 2003, some countries national selections were even screened in other countries.

Turkey won in 2003 because they gave an excellent performance of a very appealing song. The UK scored zero because they gave a dreadful performance of an OK-song. Russia came third because they hyped their performers to the eyeballs.

Politics …Schmolitics!

Long live Eurovision!