Eurovision 2013: A Novice's Take

We were asked by our friend Tigger, who has gone Eurovision Crazy, if he could do a guest post reviewing the famous song multinational song contest.  We admit that we are not quite as gung-ho for the silliness as he is, but we decided it would be rude to deny him this platform.

Oliver & Spencer

Hello Everyone!  

Thank you for having me over to review Eurovision 2013 Song Contest from Malmö, Sweden.  I have been watching the festivities courtesy of the SBS television network and it has been an eye-opening experience.

My friends could classify me as the most fun-loving character they know, and I would not take offense at that description.  And as Spencer says, Eurovision was made for folks like me.  I think it is supposed to be a serious competition, and some entries treat it that way, but some just have fun with it.  It's those entries that I think are the best representation of the contest.

(Aside:  I am watching the final as I compose this post, so it may be interrupted with live-at-the-time observations.)

Song 01, France: Amandine Bourgeois - L'enfer Et Moi:  nothing special, definitely would not get my vote.

The first night (Semi-Final #1) was, as a housemate described, "pretty austere" and made me wonder if my first experience of Eurovision would be my last.  I'm not sure it was not a product of the austerity measures all over Europe, but it was generally depressing, and truly only had one fun act, and one worthy of my best bounces.

Song 02, Lithuania: Andrius Pojavis - Something:  eh, again, nothing special, but had a few bouncy bits

Song 03, Moldova: Aliona Moon - O Mie:  the special effects on the dress were the best part

The second night (Semi-Final #2) was much better and much more fun for those of us who wanted to be happy and have a good time watching the silliness.  There were many more chances for bounces, and there was a much happier tone, even from traditionally depressed countries.

My housemate, Oliver and I took a cruise of the Baltic in 2000 and we had calls at the ports of:  Stockholm, Tallinn, St. Petersburg, Helsinki, and Visby.  When the tour guide in Tallinn asked where else the cruise was calling, and was told the next ports of call, she commented "Well at least you have a happy port after the depressing ones of Tallinn and St. Petersburg."  That was exactly how I felt after the second night.  At least we had the second night's fun to counteract the first night's melancholy.

Song 04, Finland: Krista Siegfrids - Marry Me:  maximum bounce-ability! this is a fun, fun song; and I really don't get the controversy about the end.

Song 05, Spain: ESDM - Contigo Hasta El Final (With You Until The End):  eh, I can take or leave it, there is nothing stand-out special (funny host comment:  nothing says Spain quite like bagpipes.)

Song 06, Belgium: Roberto Bellarosa - Love Kills: I remember him from the other night; he wasn't bad, but definitely had a boy-band feel

Both Semi-Finals the television station broadcasting the event here in Australia offered on-line voting.  I had fun checking thumbs up or thumbs down for each act, but had a really tough time deciding to whom to award my three final votes.

Song 07, Estonia: Birgit - Et Uus Saaks Alguse:  I really don't get the black & white aspect at the beginning of the song, surely that is only for the viewers at home, it would be impossible to pull off in the stadium.  But other than that, it was not bad, and certainly something I can hear as restaurant background music (and I do not mean that in a bad way).

I had trouble deciding how to allocate my votes for both Semi-Finals, but for different reasons.  The first night seemed to have nothing but melancholy, depressing acts, while the second night had an overabundance of fun and bouncy acts.  It was a case of feast or famine from one night to the next.  Tonight, in the final I am having an equally hard time as I can only award 3 votes over 26 entries!!! 

Song 08, Belarus: Alyona Lanskaya - Solayoh:  One of the few bouncy songs from the first night, definitely a fun entry.

Hmm.  I wonder why they took away the live music aspect and have the groups singing to backing tracks now.  It would be nicer to have live musicians, and it would put more people to work in Europe.

I much prefer the thumbs up or thumbs down voting.  I think over both Semi-Finals I only gave three acts thumbs down.  It felt like I was being mean unless it was a case of sure and certain channel changing when the song came on.  It's much nicer to be able to say yes or no to each, rather than having to leave someone deserving out.  I'm so glad my votes don't really count, despite the fun I've had trying to figure it out.

Time for nibbles.  My housemates got some nice cheese and crackers for nibbles with the Final, and they have a bottle of Moscato, but I'm not sure I'll have any of that.

(Aside:  I think this is the longest thing I have ever composed and written already and  we are only eight songs into the Final!)

Song 09, Malta: Gianluca - Tomorrow: Hands down my favorite so far!  It's so fun and bouncy. happy and joyful.  I'd love to have this on cd to bounce along to.  And the performers seem so happy to be there.

Song 10, Russia: Dina Garipova - What If: It's a nice song, but honestly this felt and looked very much like Russia, a bit plain and monochrome, and a lot depressing and unhappy.  Definitely not my favorite of the night.

Song 11, Germany: Cascada - Glorious: new act for Final night.  It has a Spice Girls feel to me, not my favorite, despite the dance- and bounce-ability.  Sorry, Germany.

The television station also has a Live Chat feature along with the voting.  I do not like it, mostly because most of the comments are mean-spirited.  There is no need for that, and if you don't like the act, take the lesson from Thumper in Bambi:  "If you can't say something nice, don't say nothing [anything] at all."  (well, take the lesson in proper English, without the double negative.)

Song 12, Armenia: Dorians - Lonely Planet:  This entry has a stadium-rock feel, not terrible, but not the best entry of the night either.

Song 13, The Netherlands: Anouk - Birds:  This was another of depressing songs from the first night.  I would like it more if it were happier.

I realize that I am overly happy and excited, and want everyone to share my excitement at each moment of life.  I know that not everyone does, and that's why there are many different choices.  But I do hope no-one gets the idea that I am being mean to anyone.  Each and every performer, even the ones I do not like as much deserve applause if only for the effort of getting out on stage.  That's part of the reason the Live Chat feature makes me so mad.  It's one thing to make constructive comments, but it's completely different to just be mean.

Song 14, Romania: Cezar - It's My Life:  This was one of the most interesting entries of the Song Contest.  Cezar's voice is fantastic and deserves every second of applause, but I think this would be better suited in an opera rather than a pop-music contest.

Nibbles break.  I'd love to share my cheese and crackers with you, but I'm not partaking of the wine.  My housemates say I am plenty bouncy enough without help.

I can't say I like the behind-the-scenes bits in between the acts, but I can see the fun in them.

Song 15, United Kingdom: Bonnie Tyler - Believe In Me:  new song for tonight.  It's a Bonnie Tyler song, which is good because it is Bonnie Tyler, but I can't say much more.

Song 16, Sweden: Robin Stjernberg - You:  new tonight, and the host country.  Much cheering in the stadium.  I really don't know what to say about this entry.  I want to like it, but it just falls a bit flat of favorite status.

However the cheese and crackers are very nice -- we have a trilogy of sun-dried tomato, summer herbs and sharp cheddar, and a very nice buttery creamy, soft cheese, the name of which I cannot remember.  Ohh and some nice whole wheat crackers with seeds and some rosemary & sea salt lavash.

Song 17, Hungary: ByeAlex - Kedvesem:  Aside from the grunge-holdover costumes, there is nothing I do not like about this song.  Definitely a favorite of the night. 

Song 18, Denmark: Emmelie de Forest - Only Teardrops:  I really like the beat of this song, particularly during the refrain, but it feels like other songs I have heard out and about, there is nothing special or standout-ish. 

Song 19, Iceland: Eythor Ingi - Ég Á Líf:  This song reminds me very much of the Celtic-inspired music of Nova Scotia, especially Cape Breton.  I really enjoy it, and would not mind an entire album of his songs.

I'm not sure I've mentioned it, but now is as good a time as any to say that I really like the entrants who sing in their native languages, rather than in English.  I know the song contest is broadcast world-wide, and they want to appeal to as many people as possible, especially in Europe where the votes actually count, and English may be the best way to get the votes.  But I think it's awesome when they sing in other languages.  Maybe it's growing up in a predominantly English-speaking country, but I find the diversity in language as exciting as the diversity in entrants.  And to me it seems more embracing if there is more than just English spoken.  A great song, a great performance should transcend the language of both the artist and the audience.  The Eurovision Song Contest is a perfect forum to reinforce that truth.

Song 20, Azerbaijan: Farid Mammadov - Hold Me:  This was one my housemate liked because of the box guy.  And truthfully the guy in the box upstaged the singer.

Song 21, Greece: Koza Mostra feat. Agathon Iakovidis - Alcohol Is Free: This song was voted into the final on the strength of the lyrics I am sure.  But beyond that, it's a fun song and a fun performance.

The commentator made a comment about the "kilts" the Greek entry is wearing.  I think he might be one of the people who has a middle-school giggle at men in "skirts."  But it is a very traditional costume for many cultures, not only the Scots.  Traditional national dress in Greece is a skirt for men, usually a white skirt, but a skirt nonetheless.  (Wikipedia indicates the skirt is called a fustanella and is traditional dress for not only Greece, but other Balkan states as well.)  I understand the idea that it is worn tonight to "unify Europe," but it has a deeper cultural meaning than that.

Song 22, Ukraine: Zlata Ognevich - Gravity: this was a forgettable entry for me, the only stand-out was Igor, the really, really tall guy who carried the singer onto the stage.

Song 23, Italy: Marco Mengoni - L'Essenziale:  another new performance for Final night. It's definitely stirring, but I'm not sure if it's the lyrics, the music, the artist's performance, but I like it.

Song 24, Norway: Margaret Berger - I Feed You My Love:  This song reminds me of Pink, at least that's who I think it is.  There's nothing terrible about it, but nothing really special either.  Plus it's hard to time good bounces with the techno track.

I've been having a great time sharing Eurovision with everyone.  I hope you haven't been too bored reading along.  And don't the indentations for the song comments look like little bounces in and out of the story?

Song 25, Georgia: Nodi Tatishvili & Sophie Gelovani - Waterfall:  this feels like a love theme to a romantic movie, when the couple finally gets together after trials and tribulations.  It's not bad, but it's not a stand-out either.

I wonder what the budget for dry ice is for the Eurovision spectacular?  And is it a requirement for the acts to have a feature of some kind?  It's not nasty to say that, because sometimes the spectacular add-ons take away from the performance rather than enhance it, as the smoke did in Georgia's performance.

It's time for the last song of the night, and the contest.  It is also the last of the butterfly-flags to mark each entry.  Those were some of the best artwork of the night.  And the butterfly for Israel (in Semi-Final #1) was great, with the stylized Star of David.  I'd love to get a book of just those; they were very nice artwork and would make a great collage for a hallway or other long blank wall.

Song 26, Ireland: Ryan Dolan - Only Love Survives:  I love the accompaniment to this song, the traditional drums are great.  The song is a bit same-ish, but the drums are wonderful.

Well, it's been fun.  I'm off to cast my vote for the best acts.  And then it's a long wait for the vote tally in Europe.  Whatever the outcome, I've had fun sharing this with you.

Keep bouncing everyone, 
Tigger.

One Bear's Opinion -- Book Review

A Death in Gascony by Sarah D'Almeida

This is the fourth book in the Musketeers Mystery series, and I think we read it only because the Musketeers are some of my housemate's favourite literary characters.  I know that my housemate has a literary crush on Athos, so this series was a perfect fit for her.  But that is not to mean that it is not a good fit for me either.

There is plenty of action and activity, and much swashbuckling.  It is after all a series with Alexandre Dumas' Three Musketeers as the main characters.  In most historical mysteries featuring famous people or famous fictional characters, the famous person is an amateur investigator.  That is not exactly the case in these mysteries.  The Musketeers are investigating mysteries that center around friends and family of the Musketeers but the books do not give the impression that amateur sleuth is the new profession of the "Inseparables."

This book features a mystery surrounding the death of D'Artagnan's father and a trip outside Paris for the Musketeers to D'Artagnan's home in Gascony (an area in the Southwest of France, on the Spanish Border, including the cities of Bordeaux and Bayonne, among others).  It was an interesting mystery, wrapped up in family history and secrets, but still had plenty of action for the Musketeers to practice their sword-play and knife fighting.

It was a fun and fast-paced mystery, with plenty of misdirections and questionable clues.  The author kept the character profiles that Dumas had carefully created for them, and nothing was out of character for either the Musketeers or their personal servants.  On the whole it was a great visit with old friends, and reminded both my housemate and me that we have never finished the Three Musketeers collection of books.  Perhaps it's time to pull them out and spend more quality time with Athos, Porthos, Aramis and D'Artagnan.

One Bear's Opinion:  Four Cups of Strong Tea and a Plate of Mini-Size Three Musketeers Bars

Happy Reading Everyone, 
Oliver

One Bear's Opinion -- Book Review

Face Down O'er the Border by Kathy Lynn Emerson

This is the last book in the Susanna, Lady Appleton series of historical mysteries.  Overall, I have enjoyed the series, but this book felt like the last one the author wanted to write.  It had such potential, but the final execution was lacking.  In the end, it was a good thing the series is finished, because this was a disappointing book, and not one to indicate that another visit with the characters would be welcome.

The main mystery could have been so much better, but the author went down too many wrong paths and allowed too many sub-plots to cloud the main story.  By spending too much time on building the sub-plots that were never resolved, the author did not do the main mystery justice, and in the end had the investigator hastily solve it in the classic mystery plot device of confronting the killer with the knowledge but no proof.

It was a disappointing ending for a book with such a great beginning.  It left me wanting more, but at the same time glad the author decided to end the series.  I am not sure if the characters had their own minds, or simply that the author tired of them and turned her attention to other endeavors, but whatever the reason, the familiar characters were not themselves and it showed.  Though the over-arcing storyline was mentioned, nothing was finalized and the characters were left hanging, in a plodding kind of existence waiting for a final resolution.  There were not even blank pages at the end of my copy of the book for me to write my own ending for the characters.

I missed the discussions of poisons which were a larger part of the earlier books in the series, as Lady Appleton is an herbalist and an expert in poisons.  The only mention of anything approaching a medicinal herb was a poppy syrup that was administered to a suspect to keep him sedated while a plan was put into action.  There was such potential to bring that part of her character to this book.

On the whole it was a disappointing end to a series and not really worth the time it took to read.  It will certainly not make new readers want to search for the earlier books in the series.  I had hoped for a better visit with old friends.

One Bear's Opinion:  One Lukewarm Cup of Weak Lipton Tea

Happy Reading Everyone, 
Oliver

One Bear's Opinion -- Book Review

Chocolate Wars:  From Cadbury to Kraft:  200 Years of Sweet Success and Bitter Rivalries by Deborah Cadbury

I will be the first to admit that I really do not like chocolate. I tend to leave the chocolates to my housemates.  But this chocolate was too irresistible to pass up.

I firmly believe that no knowledge is ever wasted, and this book was full of knowledge.  I learned a great deal about chocolates.  I learned why the major brands' milk chocolates are different, and why some chocolate brands are popular in the US, while others are favored in Europe.  I also finally discovered why the Australians call a Milky Way a Mars (for reference:  UK Mars)!

There was also a good amount of discussion of the ways of the Quakers with respect to business.  I really had no idea that Cadbury started as a family owned and operated Quaker business.  The history aspect of the book was very interesting, and the author, who had a personal interest in the history, did a great job of making it read less like a textbook and more like fiction.

Overall, it was a great book, and a very good read.  It was interesting for me because, as the book indicates, Hershey's Chocolates dominated the US market for so long that other brands have really only appeared in the last 20 or 30 years, and have only recently moved from boutiques to mainstream shops.  Cadbury was known for their Creme Eggs at Easter and nothing else, the basic milk chocolate bar was always a Hershey bar.  Cadbury's chocolates were a treat relatives and friends brought back from trips to Canada or England.  It was interesting to have a look in the world of chocolate outside the US boarders.

I can honestly say I will never look at a chocolate bar the same again.

One Bear's Opinion:  Five Mugs of Cadbury Drinking Cocoa and a plate of S'Mores made with Hershey's bars

Happy Reading Everyone, 
Oliver

One Bear's Opinion -- Book Review

A Burial at Sea by Charles Finch

Charles Lenox is back!  And I could not be happier.  An East in Murder was such a disappointment, I was really not sure I wanted to read A Burial at Sea.  But I am so glad I did.

The story was good, with lots of action and plot twists and turns.  Like Lenox, I was on the wrong trail for most of the book.  I enjoyed going down the wrong path and finally discovering the murderer with the rest of the ship's officers.  I knew I could rule out several people from the start, but the red herrings were very convincing and that only made the adventure more thrilling.  I was very tempted to stay up late to finish the book when I was five chapters away, but I could not keep my eyes open any longer, and I knew that I wanted to be alert for the dénouement.

I wasn't thrilled with the spy sub-plot, as it could have been a plot all on its own.  That part of the novel was not as flushed out or as complete as I had hoped.  But all in all it was a great adventure.

I wish the author/publisher had thought to include a diagram of the ship and a chart for converting ship's bells and watches to a twelve- or twenty-four hour clock, if only for the reference value.  I realize the author did a great deal of research for the book, but that does not mean his readers did the same amount.  Most confirmed land-lubbers are not as familiar with ship's areas, customs or traditions.

The minor plot deserving a better spotlight, and the fact that reference materials would have been helpful, aside this was still a great adventure with Charles Lenox.  I am back to eagerly anticipating the next one.

One Bear's Opinion:  Five Cups of Strong Earl Grey Tea with a Plate of Ginger Biscuits and Candied Orange Peel

Happy Reading Everyone, 
Oliver

One Bear's Opinion -- Short Story Review

"An East End Murder" by Charles Finch

This short story is only available as an e-book, which is all right with me, as I prefer to use my e-reader.  (It's easier to turn the pages by pressing a button than it is to turn the pages when you have no thumbs.)  But at the same time, I know there is something inexplicably special about holding an actual book in your hands.  My housemate prefers paper books to e-books, but will read her favorite series as e-books if that is all that is available.

I was excited to read the short story, and began it within hours of finishing the previous Charles Lenox novel, A Stranger in Mayfair.  Everything I had seen indicated that this short story was chronologically between A Stranger in Mayfair and the next-in-series A Burial at Sea.  I am not so sure about that, because during the current part of the story, Charles speaks to someone who indicates his orders have come from a character that died in an earlier novel.  I can forgive that oversight, but it did make me wonder as to where the author intended the story to fall chronologically.

Beyond the chronological issues, I was disappointed by the story because it seemed as though there was only the idea of a story there, and not the completion of one.  Each time Charles went off with an idea, it seemed that the author got stuck at the door.  The description was lacking, as was the development.  The story moved, but it was a quick outline of what happened, not a true re-telling of the tale.  That was good enough for Charles' rememberings in the cab on the way somewhere, but it was disappointing for the readers who had not lived the experience as Charles had.  Charles could jump from one interview to the next easily because he was there and participated in them.  The readers did not have that luxury, so the story moved too quickly and too cryptically.  It's a great mystery, and a good story, it just needed to be flushed out a bit more.

Aside from my complaints with the story itself, I had a complaint with the e-book version.  More than half of the download was preview chapters of the next-in-series novel, A Burial at Sea.  This was a serious disappointment and I felt cheated out of a great adventure.  I know this a publisher decision and not the author's, but it still felt deceptive to me.  I paid for a short story, and I got half a story and an advertisement for the next book.

One Bear's Opinion:  One Disappointing Cup of Gas Station Coffee and a Stale Danish

Happy Reading Everyone, 
Oliver

One Bear's Opinion -- Book Review

A Stranger in Mayfair by Charles Finch

Charles Lenox is a great friend.  I knew this after the first mystery in the series.  Sometimes you can just tell characters will become great friends.  And the characters that populate these mysteries are those types of characters.

This book was a great friendly visit, the kind you want to keep going even after your friend has to head back to their home.  This was the kind of visit you enjoy thoroughly, because it was a real visit with friends.  There was an element of real life in it.  Charles had real worries, real concerns, real disappointments, and real joys in this book.

The mystery in this installment seemed to take a backseat to Charles beginning his role as a Member of Parliament, but that was perfectly acceptable in the plot.  The mystery was there because it is a mystery series.  I had the murderer pegged early on, and picked up on some of the obvious clues that both Charles and Dallington appeared to have missed.  But that was okay, because even though the mystery was in the end, a simple case, it was not the focus of the book.  The way the overarching story for the series had developed, this volume needed to be more about Charles and how he would manage his roles than it needed to be an exciting mystery.

I enjoyed the story and the book.  I am excited to read the next adventure.  I hope it will be a fulfilling visit with friends.

One Bear's Opinion:  Four Cups of Really Nice Tea with Cakes

Happy Reading Everyone, 
Oliver