Dima in Dublin!

Dima is in Dublin tomorrow and will be appearing on The Late Late Show and is also doing a webchat on www.rte.ie In contrast to the usual ' What do you believe in?' type questions SchlagerQueen submitted a question asking him ' Which country does he think deserved to win Eurovision 2009?' If he doesn't answer with A. Sweden , B. Iceland or C. Ukraine I may have to skate on down to RTE and teach him how to head roll!

Everything has a beginning! Melodifestivalen 2009!

SVT have already called for songs for Melodifestivalen 2009! How fantastic!
SchlagerQueen is hoping that some of the following will heading Globen way:
Nanne, Mans,Alcazar, Shirley Clamp, After Dark, Magnus, Linda Bengtzing, Velvet, Kikki, Sandra Oxendry, LaGaylia, Sonja Alden, Anna Sahlene.. and will Sanna revert back to her odd year rule? Will Caracola be smiling in love again? Who will the wildcards be? Lena Phillipson/Helena Paparizou/September? All this excitement is easing the pain that Eurovision is over for another year and that 'Hero' didn't romp to victory on Saturday night. I hope we get the fabulous mix that MF 2008 presented us with (maybe less kebabpizza though this time!)It's all coming back like a Deja Vu!

Who does Terry Wogan think he is?

Terry is at his usual 'I may not do Eurovision next year', 'Eastern block voting has ruined everything' bit. However, what really made me laugh was that he seemed almost surprised that Andy Abraham came last! He was the person responsible for saving Andy and his dull song in Eurovision Your Decision so don't get all huffy now Terry. Michelle or The Revelations may not have won but they would have certainly scored higher than 'Even If'
What a liberty!

Grr...

Välkommen Europe!

Well, finally May 24th has arrived and Schlagerqueen is ready for lift off! Ok, my ramblings on tonights grand final are as follows:

My ideal winners:
1. Sweden
2. Iceland
3. Ukraine
4. Poland

I would be still delighted with
1. Denmark
2. Portugal
3. Norway

I would be well pissed off with
1. Spain
2. Azerbaijan
3. Georgia

Who i think will win: Russia or Ukraine
Who will be last: U.K./Germany (Unfortunately)

Rumours abound about who the jury saved on Thursday night and Keith at AKOE ha heard it was Sweden! Wwhich means she needs as many votes as our little schlager fingers can type tonight! I reckon the jury may have saved Albania or Denmark.
Countries that could cause an upset tonight? Maybe Bosnia/Croatia/ Israel/ Latvia. In particular Latvia could be an extreme winner/loser when it comes to the voting. Armenia has dropped its chances of victory I think with a shaky vocal performance on Tuesday. You cannot rule out Greece either considering their great position in the running order. My head is gonna explode!
I am hoping for a great night of Eurovision and this excitement is what we love about this special night. I hope for a deserved winner and great show and exciting voting! Have a great night everyone!
Go Charlotte we love you! Begins practising head rolls..

Schlagerqueen is happy!!! Iceland are fabulous!!

She did it!!!!!

Champagne for Charlotte?

Hope the champagne will be popping in the Swedish camp tonight! Go Charlotte! Awaiting fabulous head roll and laser show!




Who I WANT to qualify
1. Sweden
2. Iceland
3. Ukraine
4. Denmark
5. Malta
6. Switzerland(J)
7. Hungary
8. Belarus
9. Portugal
10. Czech Rep/Latvia

Who I think WILL qualify
1. Ukraine
2. Sweden
3. Croatia
4. Latvia
5. Georgia
6. Hungary
7. Switzerland(J)
8. Bulgaria
9. F.R.Y. Macedonia
10. Turkey

Enjoy the night!

Eurovision Song Contest 2008 Semifinal 1 Qualifiers

YAY FOR ISIS..BOO FOR HIND

Will it be douze pointe for Ireland?

(and I'm not sorry for Riverdance!)

Tereza Kerndlová's Eurovision Medley skip to 3.45 hilarious!

Prediction Time!

Ok, here goes:

10 I WANT to qualify

1. Netherlands- I'd be gutted if she doesn't qualify ala DQ/Edsilia but she is kicking ass at rehearsals Go Hind!

2. Andorra- Would be amazing to see lovely Gisela in the final as I love this song.

3. Armenia- Sirusho will have no problems qualifying.

4. Slovenia-looking a bit messy at the moment and it's not looking good for Rebeka.

5. Poland- Beautiful performance and I reckon Isis will get the jury vote.

6. Romania Engaging performance will pull in a lot of votes.

7. Greece- At times vocals are a bit sqeaky cat like though! This will qualify without difficulty.

8. Ireland- Not because it's my favourite song or anything but to have us represented on Saturday (albeit by a bird!) and I'd love to have Eurovision back in Dublin!

9. Belguim- Won't be a 'Sanomi' but would like to see it give it a shot!

10. Norway- I was never crazy about this entry but it has slightly grown on me and her performances are good.

Russia were in my 10 until today where they were edged out by Belguim. Dima will qualify if he came on and shouted abuse at everyone while isis's dress!!

The 10 I think WILL Qualify
1. Russia
2. Greece
3. Bosnia
4. Romania
5. Armenia
6. Poland
7. Azerbaijan(no no no but it will!Save those wings for the Olsen Brothers entrant next year!)
8. Ireland
9. Estonia
10. Slovenia/ Israel can't decide!But Israel makes me gag a bit!

No hopers: Moldova and San Marino. Is it bad to like Montenegro?

We are not crazy after all!

Friday night saw Schlagerqueen partying at the 'You're a Vision' fundrasier for Headway in Dublin. We met the lovely Leona Daly from Eurosong 2008. She performed her entry 'Not Crazy After All' complete with fabulous dress!
Donal got a great reception to his fantastic stomper 'Double Cross My Heart' and was as sweet as he always is, Donna McCaul sang 'Love' and actually sounded very good live! Mickey Harte decided to sing a slower version of his 2003 entry which didn't wash with me!At least the old Swedish flag got an airing! Only 2 days to go, how exciting....need to lie down!

I hope Dana International is doing ok in Belgrade!

pic: oneurope

Eurovision Partying the Shamrock Way!

Schlager Queen is excited about attending the You're a vision party in Dublin tomorrow night. It is all for Headway the brain injury charity and according to their site http://www.headway.ie we are in for 'A glitzy night of Eurovision kitsch and douze points hits' It's all kicking off at 8pm at 'Break for the Border' Tickets available from Headway at 01 810 2066. Highlights will include:
Donal Skehan performing his fantastic 'Double Cross my Heart' which was the real winner of Eurosong 2008.
Little Mickey Harte (Ireland 2003) and
Donna McCaul (half of Donna+Joe) Ireland 2005
Tickets are €20 in advance/€22 on the door.
I'll be there with my Swedish flag!!!

That's why they call them rehearsals!

Iceland: Very strong rehearsal from Euroband. This has to qualify and not get the 'Kate Ryan' treatment.

Ireland: This is still very messy live. The camera work needs to be improved but definately stands out, plus his press conference was hilarious!

Poland: I love 'For Life' but I was worried having heard some very shaky performances from Isis since Piosenka Dla Europy but she nailed it during her 1st rehearsal delivering a strong vocal performance.

Russia: My views on this entry are well known. Dima is a big contender for victory but I feel like it is undeserved. However, after seeing his rehearsal it has risen in my ranking. Russia really wants to win and they have gone all out on getting their act across in the best possible way.

Switzerland and Slovenia were a disaster. Major work is needed on both as I want both to qualify. 'Molitva' didn't have a good 1st rehearsal so I'm staying hopeful!

Lithuania: Snoozefest...

Head Rolling!

Sweden: Charlotte was spot on as always. She has shortened the key change slightly which is against everything we believe in but she saves it all by the head roll! By the way it should come with a warning: practicisng said head roll while driving at high speeds is dangerous! I can testify!

The Amazing Miss Lorak!

How fantastic was Ani's rehearsal yesterday? I am loving the mirror/screens, cute dancers, great choreography and Ani gives it her all. I have always been a fan of the Shady Lady and if she performs like this on the 24th I think there is a big chance it will be Kiev 2009!

Day 1 Rehearsals

Day 1 brought us: Israel's strange and slightly amusing dancing! Slovenia's S+M vibe and Geta bringing some of her living room furniture on stage!! Belgrade 2008 is looking very promising already!

Eurovision 2008: VODKA - Morena - Malta Official Video

Got a rush to the head..

Interview with Morena Maltese entrant 2008!

Even though all our Eurovision stars are getting everything ready for Eurovision week Morena has given Schlager Queen an interview before she vodkas off to Belgrade.

Schlager Queen: Hi Morena How are you? How are plans for Belgrade going?

Morena: Hi Aidan.Plans are okay. Very, very busy right now. Meeting my VODKA men this weekend and we will go through the routine etc! ooh, I am excited!

SQ: So am I! These men sound exciting!! So, Morena what makes you Vodka?

Morena: You know what... a great audience..cheering and shouting! Boy! that makes me VODKA VODKA endlessly! I have been to the preview party in London, and it was fantastic. I hope to hear all the fans VODKA with me. If I win, I really would love to have them on stage with me! I know, it has never been done.. but this VODKA girl wants to break rules!

SQ: I reckon there would be many volunteers to VODKA on stage with you! What kind of eurovision would Valletta give us?

Morena: Valletta would give you a spectacular Eurovision full of sun and blue! It is high time Eurovision pops down to the south, and boy oh boy! we will do something everybody will go crazy for! Mega fabulous!

SQ: It sounds fabulous! It is about time Eurovision came to Malta. What makes a winning eurovision entry?

Morena: Something special...combined with:
A good voice, a good song, a memorable tune, and something that is special. Ruslana was special. Sertab was special. Dana was special. Lordi were special. It's a mix!

SQ: Don't forget the key change and some glitter, lasers etc! What is your favourite Maltese entrant at Eurovision and overall favourite at Eurovision?

Morena: I love Lordi and Dana... and as for Malta... Loved Ira Losco, and the glitter!

SQ: Ira was amazing and deserved to win. '7th Wonder' was very popular at La Scala. The glitter helped aswell! What are your favourite entries from Eurovision 2008?

Morena: I like some, but have not heard them all yet! But Poland is nice, and the UK is really cool. I need to hear some more though...

SQ: You need to listen to Sweden, Ukraine, Ukraine, Armenia, Switzerland, Netherlands, Andorra, Denmark,Hungary, Germany and Slovenia!! If you have time lol!
Thanks so much morena wishing u all the luck in the world:)

Morena: Thanks Aidan! Hope to see you in serbia! If not.... hope you will doing the VODKA VODKA with me on the 22nd anyway! xxx

Friday=Vodka Time!

Exciting news: Interview with Morena coming soon...

BBC Eurovision mix up??- The Revelations - It's You

The BBC today apologised for keeping £106,000 made from premium-rate phone calls on about two dozen shows that should have been given to charity.
In the latest scandal to hit the television industry over phone-ins, the BBC also admitted that viewers of Making Your Mind Up, the BBC1 show that chose last year's UK entry for the Eurovision song contest, Scooch, were misled into voting before phone lines had opened. In that case, the BBC made £6,000 from ineligible calls that has also gone to charity. Surely there was a mix up at Eurovision Your Decision aswell and The Revelations would have won followed closely by Michelle?! Schlager Queen thinks this is where the real investigation should be taking place! Oh well at least we have Andy yawn sorry what..

Throw in a few key changes and we are in for 2009!!

fabelaktig!!

Welcome to Belgrade

These clips get me very excited! Belgrade are you ready?

Winner's Tour 2008

More dates have been added to the winner's tour for 2008. The list of destinations so far include:

28th of May: Helsinki (Finland) and Stockholm (Sweden)
29th of May: Stockholm (Sweden) and Oslo (Norway)
30th of May: To be announced!
31st of May: London (United Kingdom)
1st of June: Ostend (Belgium)
2nd of June: Paris (France)
3rd of June: To be announced!

2 free dates hmmm... What are the chances that Charlotte/Ani/Sirusho/Morena/Eurobandid/Hind will be strutting their stuff in Dublin on those dates?! Or maybe it will be the bird....(I'm easy!)

Charlotte Perrelli - Hero (Official Music Video)

Ms.Perelli is ready with her official video.(At least it deosn't feature her big boned dancers!)cheeky...

Bimbo Boy - Drama Queen

Interview with Bimbo Boy!

The summer of 2005 gave Bimbo Boy his first single "Je Suis Une Superstar" and, soon after, he started working with songwriter Anders Dannvik. They wrote the song "Drama Queen" together and it was submitted to Melodifestivalen. The song didn't make it to the semi-finals but made it into the top 100 of the 3200 songs submitted which is a great achievement.

Schlager Queen: Hi Bimbo boy thanks for being my 1st interview on schlagerqueen!

Bimbo Boy : I'm honoured! SQ: So are you a big Eurovision fan?

BB: Yeah, I've loved Eurovision music since I was a little kid. My first big idols were ABBA and France Gall.

SQ: Fab! Who are your favourite Swedish artists?

BB: I have many but some of the best are disco stars like Lili & Susie, Pernilla Wahlgren, Lena Philipsson and Pay TV. But also ABBA and Agnetha Fältskog's solo material.

SQ: Who were you favourites in Melodifestivalen this year?

BB:My favourites were BWO, Charlotte Perrelli and Thérèse Andersson.

SQ: Good choices! How fabulous are Charlotte's diamante microphone and head rolls?!

BB: She's amazing! So glamorous! And the song is lovely too. I love disco music!

SQ: What is your favourite entry of all time?

BB:Only one? Oh... Teach In with "Ding-A-Dong"... Or maybe France Gall's or Céline Dion's songs.

SQ: Will you enter Melodifestivalen in 2009?

BB: That depends on the jury. But it's one of my biggest dreams and I'll keep on submitting songs to the contest. So keep your fingers crossed!

SQ:What makes a great Eurovision entry?

BB:The sound is the most important thing to me. I love electronic sounds. The vocalist must have a good voice to and the song needs to have a catchy melody. Then of course a keychange is a big plus.

SQ:What are your plans for the future?

BB: We're planning to release a new disco single in the near future and continue submitting songs to Melodifestivalen. Then I'm working on a novel about my life, about being gay in Sweden.

SQ: Sounds great. So back to the real issues of the schlager world. Who would win in a fight Carola,Charlotte,Linda, Nanne or Lena?!

BB: Lena Philipsson, of course! She's like Catwoman or something. I love her!

SQ: So are you really a drama queen?!

BB: No, not at all! At least not like the person in my song. I wrote the song 'cause I was tired of drama queens that use people and lie to get what they want. I believe in being kind and humble, so I'm not like that at all.

SQ: Can Ireland ever win eurovision again?

BB: Sure, I still love "The Voice" from 1996. But I think Ireland needs to send a stronger song. No more ballads. Send a really catchy disco tune!

SQ: EXACTLY!! Schlager for Ireland 2009 thats what I say! SQ: Thanks Bimbo Boy. Wishing you all the best for the future.

BB: Thank You. For more Bimbo Boy visit: http://www.bimboboy.com Check out the video for 'Drama Queen'

Eurovision 2009..

Ok, maybe I'm getting a bit ahead of myself but I can't stop thinking about where we will be packing our Louis Vuitton's for come May 2009? Kiev, Moscow, Belgrade, Yerevan!,Malmo, Madrid? Or maybe no packing will be required and I'll be heading to The Point Theatre in Dublin for a week!!! I can definately cross a few places off the list like Podgorica, Chisinau, Vilnius and sadly London/Manchester/Birmingham. It would be fabulous to be flying our flags in the likes of Reykjavik, Lisbon, Zurich, Prague..the mind boggles! Anyway we will know our destination in 18 days!

Charlotte Perrelli's new single 'Bullet'

Schlager Queen is impressed!!

Charlotte Perrelli - Videoblogg Making the video

What fabulous hair that girl has!

2 WEEKS TO GO!

This day 2 weeks we will be getting ready for Semi final 1 of Eurovision 2008 how exciting!!Only heros can tell what will happen but its gonna be fantastic! I'll be making my predictions this week and rehearsals begin at 9.30am on Sunday beginning with Montenegro! I'm clearly not biased but Dame Charlotte rehearses on Tuesday May 13th!
:)

Eurovision party La Scala London!

Well last Friday the 25th of April was the Eurovision party in La Scala in London. What an amazing night!
It really was so special to have so many people with such a shared love of
Eurovision in the same room. I met loads of great people and danced 'all night
long' as Simon Matthew would say! I was also very lucky to meet loads of
Eurovision stars. Marie-Norway 2008, Isis-Poland 2008, Morena-Malta 2008,
Fredrik-Iceland 2008, Ruslan-Belarus 2008,Paul Oscar-Iceland 1997, Alf
Poier- Austria 2003, Russ from Scooch-U.K. 2007. Morena was so lovely we
chatted for ages. She seemed so happy to there and genuinely interested in
meeting all the fans.
I also met loads of new people including those well known bloggers melodiman
Mark, Tim, Chig, Eurotastic Alex , Barry V esctoday and organiser! etc ! You
can check out my photos from the night on my page. It was totally surreal to be
in ths same room as Dame Nanne Gronvall. She was so tiny and adorable and
belted it out for 'Men','Avundsjuk' and the amazing 'Hall on Mig'!! Bucks Fizz
were great, Ani and Eurobandid stole the show paricularly because Eurobandid
did a medley of eurovision hits including 'Oh ah kust a little bit' and 'Number
One'. Isis was mellow but stronger than I had seen her perform at the Polish final
but I hope it is strong on May 20th because this is a beautiful song . Ruslan
surprised me in a good way and the song is growing on me as a result. Romania
were good but Bosnia was a bit of a yawn after such exciting performances.
Maybe if he had the chicken it may have been better! Although I don't think it
was safe with us lot around! Dustin was booed as was Andy but I was at the
bar for that bit lol! (Wouldnt have happened if it was Donal or The
Revelations!;)
After the performances the outstanding DJ Dave Simmons helped us enjoy the
night with a fab mix of schlager/eurovision hits. As I walked through the door i
knew we were in for a great night when I heard Ira Losco's 7th Wonder
playing! 'Hero' got a great reaction as you can imagine and I was waving my
Swedish flag for any Svenska related music that came our way!
Thanks to all who made the night so amazing. I can't wait to see you all again. Congratulations and thanks to all who organised such an outstanding night with little time.
Until next time,
hugs from Aid aka The Schlager Queen!:)

Eurovision 2008 Song Reviews PART 2

Azerbaijian: The furry wings are the only positive thing about this awful screechy piece of noise!will probably qualify but i may have to throw up if it does!

Andorra: Gisela has a great entry but could suffer because she follows Dustin. I do think it needs a big key change to help it qualify. Unfortunately I cant see it qualifying:(

Belguim: I like this! has more of a hook than their other imaginary language song in 2003. The chorus has the feel good factor!difficult to tell how this will be received.

Bosnia: Is it a piece of conceptaul art or is it a crazy guy with a chicken?! Either way i dont mind it, its no winner but is different to others this year and if live performance is crazy enough will probably pull in a lot of votes. top 12 i reckon.

Armenia: Definately a big contender for victory this year Qele Qele is catchy, funky, has a great mix of musical styles. Sirusho will give her performance a lot of energy. Top 5.

Belarus: Ok even though everyone thinks the original version was better I think the rockier version improves it a bit. I thought live Ruslan was very static and stiff and would need to make big improvements for May. Everytime i think of the lyrics i think of Olexandr 2003 for Belarus which was catchier to say the least!

Sweden: A fabulous schlager entry for Sweden this year! This is what Sweden does best. Charlotte’s performance is very strong and makes a big impact. The diamante microphone, rotating camera, lasers and use of light all add to the impact of this catchy song. She may have not got a great position in running order but I would be shocked if she didn’t qualify. A deserved winner in my opinion.

Poland: Isis Gee’s unique voice stood out when I heard all the entries for Piosenka dla Europy. This is definately the Shiri of 2008 and it a beautiful song. Isis needs to put a bit of work into her live performance but when its tight this song could make a big impact. Isis deserves a top 3 position in my opinion.

France: I was very impressed that France gave us something different this year. Sebastian Tellier has divided opinion. I like the electro vibe in this song. My worry is that live it could be forgotten. The performance will have to have a big impact and hook with the audience or else France could suffer again. A 19th place in running order is to their advantage aswell.

Spain: Where to start?! This entry makes me angry! First of all I felt Spain had some amazing entries in their myspace selection inc Mayte, La Casa Azul, Coral etc.. and any of these would have been great entries for Belgrade. This entry is not funny, It does not have the comic value that Verka had and the hystria that surrounds it worries me. As much as I would love if we were off to Madrid/Barcelona next year I would be gutted if this won or even came close!!

Eurovision 2008 Song Reviews

Ukraine: This shady lady has everything I want in a Eurovision winner. Its very catchy and her live performance is amazing (as seen in the Russian final). No question it will qualify and is a winner or at least top 3. I love it!!

San Marino: I was disappointed with this entry as I was expecting something stronger maybe an Italian ballad? Forgettable and will struggle to get points in my opinion.

Germany: No Angels were my favs from this National final and I was delighted they won. They need to watch their vocals and the poor draw also holds them back but its still one of my favourites but will unlikely pose any threat at top spot unfortunately.

Lithuania :Drivel! Really surprised this won for Lithuania. It pains me to listen to it bad bad bad.

Norway: I dont get what everyone loves about this. Its ok but in no way a winner. Even it isnt a popular opinion King of Trolls would have gotten Norway a good place. I dont see this qualifying.

Slovenia: A great entry from Slovenia fabulous performer and catchy song. Hopefully Rebeka will bring Slovenia a good score.

Croatia: I really didnt want this to win for Croatia and it baffles me as to why Croatia keep sending completely inadequate entries. No chance.

Bulgaria: Rising in popularity but needs a big improvement live to repeat success of last years entry.

Estonia:Ice cold story or 365 days could have represented Estonia.. need I say more!please say it has no chance of qualifying.

Greece: Kalomira borrows elements of Helena Paparizou’s performance circa 2005. A great position in the draw will guarantee a final place but I dont feel like its a deserved winner. Will be top 6 though I think.

Denmark: Simon is sexy has a great song and I would be happy to be off to Copenhagen next year but its unlikely. Hopefully like in 2005 it will surprise people and qualify.

Hungary: Could this be the dark horse of 2008? i really like it and hope it does well. Maybe a mix of hungarian and english would be a good option though.

Finland: Finland need to get over the rock thing! I dont feel this works and will be overshadowed by Turkey.

Ireland:Ok here goes.. Disappointed on the night that Dustin won as Donal or Leona were big favs of mine. As time goes on I obviously through my support behing my own country and would love the contest to be back in Dublin. The impact Dustin’s win would have would worry me and the ramifications for 2009 inc credible artists being discouraged from entering would be the main one. It will qualify. who knows how Europe will take this. The opening needs to be changed its a disaster. It is difficult to understand him particularly if your not from Ireland or Dublin! The stage act looked too busy and a bit tacky but it will be interesting to see what changes will be made to it for May. It also looks like Spain responded well to Dustin when he was there this week.

Latvia: My favourite from their selection. The male vocals are poor but I like this song and even though it is probably classed as a comedy which i normally despise this works and could do well.

Czech Rep:Again Tereza was my favourite from their selection. Difficult to say what kind of votes czech rep will get as they only have one other appearance to judge from (which was pretty dismal!) I would like this to do well and at least get top 10. Great radio song and that needs to be transmitted live in Belgrade.

Russia: Dima’s entry in 2006 was stronger but he has a massive chance at winning the whole lot due to his popularity in Eastern Europe. Great position in running order even though he didnt need it. Not in my top 5 but still its good. Get that boy a razor though!

Serbia: Oro will do really well. Powerful and makes a big impact.

Romania A song that has grown on me and will score very well. Its no Dr. Frankenstein but i like it nonetheless! Romania is back on form.

Portugal: Probably Portugal’s best chance of qualifying in a long time particularly considering how close Sabrina got last year. It would be lovely to see them in the final but I dont think its that memorable.

Turkey: It has grown on me but a bit middle of the road for me.

Switzerland: I LOVE this! paolo is a great performer and I think this will get the jury vote in semi 2.This is a feel good song for me and it would be amazing if this won. Beautiful.

Malta :Morena is hoping to hear the hurt from Vertigo last year and the title may appeal to Russian voters;) I like it and would happily see this in the final. Needs a big strong show though in semi.

FYR Macedonia: Forgettable but FYR Macedonia could sing the phone book and qualify poor place though in final I think.