Eurovision Moscow 2009 - Semi Final 2

Semi final two: take your pick! The UK can't vote in this semi, but since when has that stopped the fun? Find me on Twitter on Thursday night during the show for live micro comments, and check back for the big five reviews on Friday, before the final this Saturday.

Croatia
Artist: Igor Cukrov feat. Andrea
Song title: Lijepa Tena(Beautiful Tara)
Language: Croation
The reckoning: Arty guitar and orchestration accompanied mostly by black scarves. A proper Eurovision ballad this, with added Christian lyrics.

Ireland
Artist: Sinéad Mulvey & Black Daisy
Song title: Et Cetera
Language: English
The reckoning: Rocky pop Pink style, it’s another catchy tune. Should make a mark on the night but will it win enough votes? Doubtful.

Latvia
Artist: Intars Busulis
Song title: Probka (Traffic Jam)
Language: Latvian
The reckoning: After the Pirate mega-fail of last year, Latvia brings us a bizarre, repetitive ode to rush hour. On the bright side, it’s rocky and good fun.

Serbia
Artist: Marko Kon & Milaan
Song title: Cipela (Shoe)
Language: Serbian
The reckoning: Not so much of a novelty as the title might imply! An afro-haired, Barry White voiced singer serenades a shoe while sunglassed men dad-dance.

Poland
Artist: Lidia Kopania
Song title: I Don't Wanna Leave
Language: English
The reckoning: I can see the far right laughing now. Why, Poland, why? A nice pop ballad, 90s Celine style, and they go and give it that title.

Norway
Artist: Alexander Rybak
Song title: Fairytale
Language: English
The reckoning: Fiddles, dancing, clapping – brilliant. A young singer who delivers nervous English with gusto and some great string work!

Cyprus
Artist: Christina Metaxa
Song title: Firefly
Language: English
The reckoning: There’s a great sentiment behind this song: but it just doesn’t get going and is unfortunately forgettable: more TV theme than winning Eurovision tune.

Slovakia
Artist: Kamil Mikulčík & Nela Pocisková
Song title: Leť Tmou(Fly through Darkness)
Language: Slovakian( ?)
The reckoning: Slovakia seem to be hoping for some of last year’s winning action with this classical, emotional ballad.

Denmark
Artist: Brinck
Song title: Believe Again
Language: English
The reckoning: I heard this and thought Denmark had kidnapped Ronan Keating. Unmistakable Boyzone. Then I found out Ronan was involved, which explained a lot. Catchy but might slip under the radar.

Slovenia
Artist: Quartissimo feat. Martina
Song title: Love Symphony
Language: English
The reckoning: It’s all a bit Vanessa Mae here. Martina only makes an appearance about halfway through, but it’s a great performance.

Hungary
Artist: Zoli Ádok
Song title: Dance With Me
Language: English
The reckoning: Proper 90s pop here. All sorts of shenanigans involving random sailors in the video. Can’t see it winning but good fun nevertheless.

Azerbaijan
Artist: AySel & Arash
Song title: Always
Language: English
The reckoning: Dance duo with the modern/traditional blend which is so popular in the competition. What I’d regard as a good modern bellydance track.

Greece
Artist: Sakis Rouvas
Song title: This Is Our Night
Language: English
The reckoning: Sakis is back. Last year’s Greek entry was brilliant, and Greece clearly feel they were robbed so have wheeled out the winner of 2004. It’s catchy, but maybe a bit, well, desperate?

Lithuania
Artist: Sasha Son
Song title: Love
Language: English
The reckoning: The boy can clearly sing, but I think it’s a little mediocre. Video is strangely sloganised for no apparent reason.

Moldova
Artist: Nelly Ciobanu
Song title: Hora Din Moldova (Dance of Moldova)
Lanaguage: mostly English
The reckoning: A traditional feel with a funky upbeat bridge, giving it an edge. However it may not make the grade by trying to cover all angles and spreading itself too thinly.

Albania
Artist: Kejsi Tola
Song title: Carry Me In Your Dreams
Language: English
The reckoning: Europop rules! No doubt the girl can sing, this is catchy Eurovision fare. Dreadful (not even funny) video, so look forward to the performance.

Ukraine
Artist: Svetlana Loboda
Song title: Be my Valentine! (Anti-crisis Girl)
Language: English
The reckoning: A trumpet section improves any song in my opinion, and this is power pop with attitude. A hit.

Estonia
Artist: Urban Symphony
Song title: Rändajad (Wanderers)
Language: Estonian
The reckoning: Haunting vocals and atmospheric violin and electronic combinations. Good song but lacks the punch and conclusion it needs.

The Netherlands
Artist: The Toppers
Song title: Shine
Language: English
The reckoning: Cheese. Hilarious, comedy cheese. ‘Love will make us glow in the dark’? Genius. Awful outfits, dad dancing – it should win.

The Euro fever begins - Eurovision Semi Final One

Eurovision 2009 – the reckoning

I’ve been watching the Eurovision Song Contest for probably 15 years now, and I’ve held a party for friends to celebrate the final every year for the past nine years. There has, admittedly, been a lot of alcohol involved but I’ve picked up a unique appreciation i.e. strange obsession with Eurovision. Here’s my low-down on the songs this year for tomorrow's semi final - the first of two televised semi finals before the grand final on Saturday.

Country: Montenegro
Artist: Andrea Demirovic
Song title: Just Get Out of My Life
Language: English
The reckoning: Disco-tastic! Funky and retro – a fun track. Hopefully this will good far in Moscow with its catchy, fresh beat.

Country: Czech Republic
Artist: Gipsy.cz
Song title: Aven Romale (Come on, gypsies)
Language: English and Czech
The reckoning: At first glance the band look like a Czech Goldie Looking Chain. This is a song with great humour but will the whole of Europe get it? It’ll be a huge hit or massive miss in the competition.

Country: Belgium
Artist: Copycat
Song title: Copycat
Language: English
The reckoning: Rockabilly? At Eurovision? Dreadful rock and roll references but enjoyable. Not entirely convinced Europe will be down with it, but who knows?

Country: Belarus
Artist: Petr Elfimov
Song title: Eyes That Never Lie
Language: English
The reckoning: Very Bon Jovi this. Apparently Petr is a bit of a star. Not my favourite but could well be popular with the voters!

Country: Sweden
Artist: Malena Ernman
Song title: La Voix
Language: English and French
The reckoning: Another banging dance tune. Malena has a surprisingly deep voice and range, dinging in both pop and operatic style. Could be popular.

Country: Armenia
Artist: Inga & Anush
Song title: Jan Jan
Language: Armenian
The reckoning: A dramatic, theatrical performance accompanied by traditional instruments and beat. Strong vocally, but perhaps forgettable.

Country: Andorra
Artist: Susanne Georgi
Song title: La Teva Decisió (Get A Life)
Language: Catalan and English
The reckoning: Bubblegum sweet, Alisha’s Attic-esque. Listenable, foot-tappingly funky, but not a convincing Euro-athem.

Country: Switzerland
Artist: Lovebugs
Song title: The Highest Heights
Language: English
The reckoning: U2-style rock – and as it turns out, yes, a U2 member was involved. Technically good, but that counts for little in this competition!

Country: Turkey
Artist: Hadise
Song title: Düm Tek Tek
Language: English
The reckoning: Bellydance, with the emphasis on dance. A fusion of old and new and her hips don’t lie – I’d love something like this to win.

Country: Israel
Artist: Noa & Mira Awad
Song title: There Must Be Another Way
Language: English
The reckoning: A political sentiment perhaps? Gentle lilting pop. Melodic and uplifting despite the title. May find itself overshadowed by showier acts, but pleasant from Israel.

Country: Bulgaria
Artist: Krassimir Avramov
Song title: Illusion
Language: English
The reckoning: Fast-paced, dramatic dance with atmosphere. Perhaps not memorable enough but sure to get the crowd on their feet.

Country: Iceland
Artist: Yohanna
Song title: Is It True?
Language: English
The reckoning: Iceland’s entry last year was my favourite of the competition, but this year’s song didn’t blow me away. Johanna handles the vocals with ease, but it’s a tough year.

Country: F.Y.R. Macedonia
Artist: Next Time
Song title: Neshto Shto Ke Ostane (something will remain)
Language: Macedonian
The reckoning: Heavy rock, inspired by ACDC. Mad hair and rock – could be a popular combination as the popularity of this genre grows in Europe.

Country: Romania
Artist: Elena
Song title: The Balkan Girls
Language: English
The reckoning: At first it appears to be a straight-up, high octane Romanian party tune. However it then becomes slower and sadly, a bit disappointing with dire rhyming couplets.

Country: Finland
Artist: Waldo's People
Song title: Lose Control
Language: English
The reckoning: Billed as ‘ultimate dance’, it’s a bit Scooter for me but remains a good party track which is bound to get the house jumping on the night.

Country: Portugal
Artist: Flor-de-lis
Song title: Todas As Ruas Do Amor (All the streets of love)
Language: Portuguese
The reckoning: This tune showcases Portugal’s traditional instruments and is delivered with passion. Good fun but may find itself overpowered.

Country: Malta
Artist: Chiara
Song title: What If We
Language: English
The reckoning: A bit slow to start, but overall, Chiara performs a strong, uplifting ballad: a classic Eurovision entry from a songstress who’s been here before.

Country: Bosnia & Herzegovina
Artist: Regina
Song title: Bistra Voda (Clear water)
Language: Bosnian
The reckoning: Look like The Killers, sound like Gogol Bordello have been toned down for the Queen’s ears. Traditional guitar, soft beats and inexplicably, marching women with red flags in the video. Very Soviet.

Tomorrow: the reckoning for semi final two here along with live tweeting @charlie_elise. Plus, the Big Five - including the UK - who get a free ticket to the grand final every year as the countries which contribute the most money towards the contest.

Om nom nom - the joy of leftovers

I haven't blogged in ages, I know. And I will be doing a full 'I'm not fat anymore' update soon (in fact, going to have my programme re-examined tonight so will have something to talk about).

As this is my personal blog I should really use it to talk about the more mudane stuff, like, for example, what I'm having for lunch. That's right folks, it's not just the preserve of Twitter, you know! I love Twitter so much but I know, not everyone is on it. You should tweet if you don't already, it's brilliant. Plus, you can keep up with me much better! :-)

So on the menu today - leftovers! I was driving home last night and was feeling pretty down and stressed, so like the good vegan I am I just took it out on all the veg we had in the house. I had been meaning to make a ratatouille for ages and had everything I needed so I just chopped away and had a rant.

I used the marvellous Remoska cooker pan I have and threw in two big red onions all chopped up and fried them in some olive oil on the stove. For those of you who don't know, a Remoska oven looks like a space-age saucepan: it has a lid with a heating element in it and it cooks from above. It makes the best jacket potatoes and some pretty damn good roasted veg, and it's very economical.

You can use the pan on the stove to fry things and then bung the lid on to do the actual cooking, which is what I did last night. I threw in chunkily-cut peppers of all colours, half an aubergine which was lying around, some courgettes which had seen better days and lots of mushrooms (which were also on the way out, truth be told). I sauteed all of this together, then chucked over a can of tomatoes and a good 2/3 of a tube of tomato puree. Seasoned with a vegetable stock cube and a good pinch of Halen Mon celery salt (wonderful sea salt from Anglesea), which comes highly recommended (by me) for all vegetable dishes, and it was time to bung the lid on.

I left it cooking while I got ready for Monday night Masters and just switched the Remoska back on when I returned to heat the food back up and it was delicious. So many vegetables and so tasty. For lunch I'm having some more, as there was more than enough for three meals!

I know it's not a 'traditional' ratatouille, although it's based on quite a traditional recipe. I can't be bothered to cook things separately: having made and tasted both traditional and Remoska-ed I'm afraid this is just as good at a fraction of the hassle.

Altogether now: om nom nom!