Orcs and Elves compete in Song Contest

[Guinevere]

Actually I have watched the Eurovision contest too, this time. My first thought when I saw the Finnish band was "Orcs! as well!

I think they owe more of the success to their masks and dressing up than to their music. At least the spectators got to see something wholly different!
And there must have been a fair number of fans of such music watching this time, who otherwise don't watch this contest at all. (as Nogrod says in his post.)

My own vote went to the song from Bosnia/Herzegovina, which sounded a bit oriental and sentimental . (it was in the 3rd place, I think)

I hadn't watched the contest for several years now, because there had hardly ever been anything to my taste in the last 20 or more years.
I think back with nostalgia to Udo Jürgens, Vicky Leandros, Dschingis Khan and ABBA (I'm still a fan of ABBA!) The last winner I liked was Nicole with "Ein bisschen Freude" in 82.

[Estelyn Telcontar]

Well, the orcs are at it again - it's Eurovision night, and last year's winners, Lordi, started off the evening with a fantasy/horror show. Interestingly, I thought the first contestants, Bosnia/Herzegovina, looked very Elvish, though the music didn't sound like it...

We shall see what the evening brings - at any rate, the theme is "fantasy"!

[Volo]

Finland lost. (But won Sweden, which is the most important thing (thanks for voting by the way ) The Finnish song was the best, though I had to vote Slovenia. And I just can't emphasis enough how relieved I am that Ukraine didn't win!

EDIT: The British thing was, again, the worst.

[Lalwendë]

After missing the hilarious Lordi last year I had to watch it this year and now I feel like suing Eurovision to pay me back for three lost hours of my life. The only saving grace was Apocalyptica and Finnish good taste in the show they put on, but as for the 'music'? Someone wants to go round Europe handing out ears. Some real Orcs were on the loose.

About three acts were entertaining and Germany did something with genuine songwriting merit (though not my personal taste, it was quality stuff) and yet this all got bypassed as Jimmy Krankie won it with some horrific dirge? Even Terry Wogan couldn't lift it out of the mire. I am proud to be a Brit and to have our sub-Carry On Film entry come second bottom.

There I feel better now.

[Nogrod]

Originally Posted by Lalwendë

After missing the hilarious Lordi last year I had to watch it this year and now I feel like suing Eurovision to pay me back for three lost hours of my life.

Well... how many hours we could sue ourselves from wasting?

But I think it's once again the attitude-thing. I know many people here in Finland who organise get-togethers for the Eurovision song contest (I was invited to one also but didn't have the energy today). They make little appetizers from all the countries involved and then eat and drink heavily while watching the show. No one basically likes the music but they have one more reason to party and have fun...

But if it was the orcs (and elves) last year, now many of the songs brought to my mind the Haradrim and the Easterlings. Not that I know how their music might have sounded in the mind of Tolkien but the performances of many East-European countries gave a nice oriental twist to the competition. I myself can even admit actually liking the Bulgarian song.

So a new ME fashion in Europe?

[Lalwendë]

Save your time - watch only the entertainment bits put on by the Finnish TV company. Then watch Germany's entry, Bulgaria for oddness, Ukraine and Sweden for laughs. Bin the rest and save yourself three hours, or it will make you wish you'd scrubbed your ears out with a wire brush.

[Nogrod]

Originally Posted by Lalwendë

Save your time - watch only the entertainment bits put on by the Finnish TV company. Then watch Germany's entry, Bulgaria for oddness, Ukraine and Sweden for laughs.

I do basically agree with this interpretation (and yes I also liked the entertainment bits - just guess how much the Finns were afraid before the show that they would be sooo bad), but there are some interesting things hidden in this whole show. Like the Ukraine entry. It was called Dancing lasha tumbai. It was rumoured that it was meant to be "Dancing Russia bye-bye" (taste the pronounciation in your mouth) and I think I actually heard them singing it that way once during the show. So not only laughs... but politics as well.

[Volo]

"Goodbye", not "bye bye".

Again, this competition had nothing to do with music. The neighbouring love effected the most and somewhat the musical styles, though deffinitely not like last year. The point system is pathetic.

But the stuff about Finland between the songs was fantastic!

[Nogrod]

Originally Posted by Volo

"Goodbye", not "bye bye".

Ahh... you're right. My bad.

But just to steer this a bit more back to Tolkienish waters. I just started wondering why people think the orcs would love heavymetal -music or be associated with it? That surely wouldn't have been the Prof's mental image of their music as there basically was no heavymetal when the orcs were created...

What kind of music the orcs would have listened / danced / fought with? Some Wagner perhaps? Or "tribal music" (just thinking how things would have been named in the twenties/thirties etc.)?

EDIT / PS.
Or would Wagner fit with Gondor better in the Prof's mind?

[Kath]

I didn't get to watch it this year. Sucks having no TV.

And Lal, the fact that it's a waste of three hours is entirely the point! You watch it every year in the desperate hope that something will be good, that the countries that neighbour one another won't give only 12 points to the person closest to them, that the person you want to win actually does. And every once in a blue moon those things happen, like last year, and it makes it worth watching again the next year.