{"id":692,"date":"2008-05-23T13:52:00","date_gmt":"2008-05-23T13:52:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cookylamoo.com\/wordpress\/?p=692"},"modified":"2010-01-11T23:22:59","modified_gmt":"2010-01-11T23:22:59","slug":"eurovision-2008-the-pre-game-warm-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cookylamoo.com\/boringlikeadrill\/2008\/05\/eurovision-2008-the-pre-game-warm-up.html","title":{"rendered":"Eurovision 2008: the pre-game warm-up"},"content":{"rendered":"
The semi-finals for the Eurovision<\/span> Song Contest are over, with the final happening in Belgrade tomorrow evening. What I didn’t realise about the newly rejigged semi-finals is that the selection of competing countries isn’t completely random: the Baltic and Balkan states have been deliberately split between the two heats so that they can’t all vote for each other. Even Greece and Cyprus have been kept apart to stop their annual round of mutual gratification.<\/div>\n
The most shocking result from the semis was the elimination<\/span> of Dustin the Turkey<\/a>, the singing Irish puppet superstar with the self-referential song “Irland<\/span>, Douze<\/span> Points”. I guess that’s the penalty for not taking Eurovision<\/span> seriously<\/a>. And not being from eastern Europe.<\/div>\n
After going to the trouble of pointing out the most likely losers to watch<\/a>, the odds have now changed. The United Kingdom<\/a> is running third least likely to win, with Germany<\/a> now with the longest odds, behind Albania. The German song is “Disappear” by No Angels. Move over Elvis, move over The Beatles:<\/div>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n

Their success story to date<\/a> remains unique in the world of music and impressively illustrates that no one should underestimate girl power…<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Previously, in Eurovision<\/span> news:<\/div>\n