Congrats Charlotte, Congrats Fredrik & Bobby, and Congrats Sweden!
I'll be back later with a full report.
Monday, March 17, 2008
DIREKT TILL BELGRADE!
Or, 'See? I Was Wrong'
Congrats Charlotte, Congrats Fredrik & Bobby, and Congrats Sweden!
I'll be back later with a full report.
Congrats Charlotte, Congrats Fredrik & Bobby, and Congrats Sweden!
I'll be back later with a full report.
Monday, March 10, 2008
ROAD TO THE FINALS
Or, 'Once Again I'll Be Proven Wrong At Every Turn'
I predicted Velvet and Michael Michailoff would go through to Andra Chansen and Suzzie Tapper and Christer Sjögren would be out in Heat 1. I was wrong.
I predicted Carola & Andreas would walk to the Final with Sanna, Alexander Schöld would be in AC, and the horrid pizza song would come in last place in Heat 2. Wrong.
I predicted Patrik Isaksson would at least move on to AC and we'd never hear of Frida again in Heat 3. Wrong again.
I predicted that Calaisa would be out after the first round of votes and Daniel Mitsogiannis would move on in Heat 4. And... wrong.
I predicted, retroactively, after having been wrong already, that Carola & Andreas would backdoor it into the finals from AC and that Ola would take the other spot. Yeeaaah...
So.
Now that we've established that I have NO talent for handicapping this stuff, here's what I'm gonna do. I am NOT going to say that Charlotte Perrelli will win Melodifestivalen 2008. Because if I do, then there is obviously no way it will happen, and everyone reading this will hate me and stop coming to visit and I'll be left spilling my thoughts to an empty web page, and that's never any fun, is it?
Instead, I will say that it looks like it's going to be a close race *cough*forsecondplace*cough* between Linda Bengtzing and Sanna, with Sibel the surprising unexpected dark horse.
In all seriousness, putting aside the schlager brilliance of Hero and the general awesomeness that is Charlotte Perrelli, this is really quite an acceptable final. Overall, this year didn't have the strongest group of songs, but, with only a couple of exceptions, the ones that did make it to the Globen really are the best of the bunch -- even if I'll never stop screaming about how Velvet was robbed. I do think that the top four, in some configuration or another, will be Charlotte, Linda, Sanna and Sibel. I know the public adores BWO, and I was completely off-base with how I Love Europe was received (I still hate it, but that's neither here nor there), but I don't think they'll place in the top grouping.
Where Sanna is concerned, however, she's stuck in Split-Vote Hell with Sibel who's coming out fighting, so if she wants to place higher, she's going to have to give an absolutely flawless performance. That Is Where I'll Go took a lot of people by surprise, and in a head-to-head with Empty Room, it comes out the better song. Sanna is, well, Sanna, and she's gorgeous and magical and pretty and has a voice that can knock your teeth out, and I love her, so this really has nothing to do with her, but Empty Room is just not the best-written song, and that should be reflected in the jury side of the votes. She sells the hell out of it as a singer, and the public will obviously vote for her, but that's not enough at this point. Additionally, as I've said before (and I would be interested to know, in both Sibel's and Ola's cases, if this actually came into play at all), as an Idol contestant, Sibel has a whole fanbase who's used to the idea of 'Call and vote for Sibel' which means she too could do well in the televotes. That kind of conditioning certainly can't hurt.
And, sorry Sanna, but I'm not sure you can beat a chiffon train and a wind machine. There are rules here, y'know...
As for the bottom chunk of songs, those will most likely be Nordman, Rongedal and Frida & Headline... Probably in that order, too, now that I think about it. I'm not a Sjögren fan, but apparently Sweden is, so I'm guessing I Love You-rupp does far better than I'd personally want it to and comes out ahead of these three. I personally happen to like both I Lågornas Sken and Just a Minute quite a lot, but the competition they're up against is just too strong, and while Nordman seems to have more support than was expected, I don't think it will be enough to keep them from the bottom.
The one contestant I'm not sure about at all is Amy Diamond. I don't think she'll be in the top grouping because there are simply better songs in the final. I'm guessing she does well with the popular vote cuz she's Sweden's little darling, but I've never been overly impressed with her live singing, and she's up against the pros. Granted, she's only 15 and her voice hasn't fully developed yet, but you can't send someone to Eurovision just because they're cute... can you?
BWO comes into the competition with a lot of fan support, a solid song that would give Sweden a decent (though, probably not fantastic) placing in Belgrade, Martin riding up in the elevator during the key change, those collars... They're to Gay Drama what Char is to Tranny Drama, I guess. Regardless, this is a mid-placing song at best; no matter how many people might love Lay Your Love, they're the same people who're gonna be voting like crazy for Charlotte.
As for the frontrunners, I've discussed Sibel already, and I'll just add that she seems to be the breakout talent of this year which is gonna help her at this point. From blogs I've read, from the impressions I've gotten, from my own pre-contest standpoint, she was supposed to be one of the filler songs in the Linda/Char heat. And then she got on stage and proved exactly why she deserved to be there, and from her first performance in Karlskrona to her last one against Ola, she's only gotten better and better. I actually think that, as much as Sanna needs to be careful in the Battle of the Ballads, Amy Diamond might also need to worry about being replaced as the Voters' Darling of the competition.
Linda... Now, come on, next to Char, Linda's was the name on everyone's lips. And the added drama of putting them both in the same round as sort of a pre-Diva matchup was delicious on SVT's part. That act right there forced all their fans to rally, and they both had to deliver, which Linda did in spades. Hur Svårt is a fun song; it's quick, it's catchy, after three tries in the Contest she's finally managed to nail a key change, and her performance is infectious. It's fun, it's exciting, it's corny, it's obvious she's having a blast on that stage... That will count for a lot. Enough to beat out Char for the top spot? No, not likely. But could she beat her own record and sing her way to a completely respectable second place? Yes, she can.
And Charlotte... What needs to be said? Hero is pop brilliance; Kempedisco in the best possible way... It's slick, it's got a fantastic hook, Char gives you serious drama, and we all know how I feel about that microphone. That alone would be enough to get my vote (shut up, I'm easy sometimes!). The public is behind her, they love that Charlotte Is Back and all that hooplah... She's really the one to beat.
But she won't win. No sirree, she won't.
She won't win.
Tune in this weekend, to see once again that I'm wrong about everything.
I predicted Velvet and Michael Michailoff would go through to Andra Chansen and Suzzie Tapper and Christer Sjögren would be out in Heat 1. I was wrong.
I predicted Carola & Andreas would walk to the Final with Sanna, Alexander Schöld would be in AC, and the horrid pizza song would come in last place in Heat 2. Wrong.
I predicted Patrik Isaksson would at least move on to AC and we'd never hear of Frida again in Heat 3. Wrong again.
I predicted that Calaisa would be out after the first round of votes and Daniel Mitsogiannis would move on in Heat 4. And... wrong.
I predicted, retroactively, after having been wrong already, that Carola & Andreas would backdoor it into the finals from AC and that Ola would take the other spot. Yeeaaah...
So.
Now that we've established that I have NO talent for handicapping this stuff, here's what I'm gonna do. I am NOT going to say that Charlotte Perrelli will win Melodifestivalen 2008. Because if I do, then there is obviously no way it will happen, and everyone reading this will hate me and stop coming to visit and I'll be left spilling my thoughts to an empty web page, and that's never any fun, is it?
Instead, I will say that it looks like it's going to be a close race *cough*forsecondplace*cough* between Linda Bengtzing and Sanna, with Sibel the surprising unexpected dark horse.
In all seriousness, putting aside the schlager brilliance of Hero and the general awesomeness that is Charlotte Perrelli, this is really quite an acceptable final. Overall, this year didn't have the strongest group of songs, but, with only a couple of exceptions, the ones that did make it to the Globen really are the best of the bunch -- even if I'll never stop screaming about how Velvet was robbed. I do think that the top four, in some configuration or another, will be Charlotte, Linda, Sanna and Sibel. I know the public adores BWO, and I was completely off-base with how I Love Europe was received (I still hate it, but that's neither here nor there), but I don't think they'll place in the top grouping.
Where Sanna is concerned, however, she's stuck in Split-Vote Hell with Sibel who's coming out fighting, so if she wants to place higher, she's going to have to give an absolutely flawless performance. That Is Where I'll Go took a lot of people by surprise, and in a head-to-head with Empty Room, it comes out the better song. Sanna is, well, Sanna, and she's gorgeous and magical and pretty and has a voice that can knock your teeth out, and I love her, so this really has nothing to do with her, but Empty Room is just not the best-written song, and that should be reflected in the jury side of the votes. She sells the hell out of it as a singer, and the public will obviously vote for her, but that's not enough at this point. Additionally, as I've said before (and I would be interested to know, in both Sibel's and Ola's cases, if this actually came into play at all), as an Idol contestant, Sibel has a whole fanbase who's used to the idea of 'Call and vote for Sibel' which means she too could do well in the televotes. That kind of conditioning certainly can't hurt.
And, sorry Sanna, but I'm not sure you can beat a chiffon train and a wind machine. There are rules here, y'know...
As for the bottom chunk of songs, those will most likely be Nordman, Rongedal and Frida & Headline... Probably in that order, too, now that I think about it. I'm not a Sjögren fan, but apparently Sweden is, so I'm guessing I Love You-rupp does far better than I'd personally want it to and comes out ahead of these three. I personally happen to like both I Lågornas Sken and Just a Minute quite a lot, but the competition they're up against is just too strong, and while Nordman seems to have more support than was expected, I don't think it will be enough to keep them from the bottom.
The one contestant I'm not sure about at all is Amy Diamond. I don't think she'll be in the top grouping because there are simply better songs in the final. I'm guessing she does well with the popular vote cuz she's Sweden's little darling, but I've never been overly impressed with her live singing, and she's up against the pros. Granted, she's only 15 and her voice hasn't fully developed yet, but you can't send someone to Eurovision just because they're cute... can you?
BWO comes into the competition with a lot of fan support, a solid song that would give Sweden a decent (though, probably not fantastic) placing in Belgrade, Martin riding up in the elevator during the key change, those collars... They're to Gay Drama what Char is to Tranny Drama, I guess. Regardless, this is a mid-placing song at best; no matter how many people might love Lay Your Love, they're the same people who're gonna be voting like crazy for Charlotte.
As for the frontrunners, I've discussed Sibel already, and I'll just add that she seems to be the breakout talent of this year which is gonna help her at this point. From blogs I've read, from the impressions I've gotten, from my own pre-contest standpoint, she was supposed to be one of the filler songs in the Linda/Char heat. And then she got on stage and proved exactly why she deserved to be there, and from her first performance in Karlskrona to her last one against Ola, she's only gotten better and better. I actually think that, as much as Sanna needs to be careful in the Battle of the Ballads, Amy Diamond might also need to worry about being replaced as the Voters' Darling of the competition.
Linda... Now, come on, next to Char, Linda's was the name on everyone's lips. And the added drama of putting them both in the same round as sort of a pre-Diva matchup was delicious on SVT's part. That act right there forced all their fans to rally, and they both had to deliver, which Linda did in spades. Hur Svårt is a fun song; it's quick, it's catchy, after three tries in the Contest she's finally managed to nail a key change, and her performance is infectious. It's fun, it's exciting, it's corny, it's obvious she's having a blast on that stage... That will count for a lot. Enough to beat out Char for the top spot? No, not likely. But could she beat her own record and sing her way to a completely respectable second place? Yes, she can.
And Charlotte... What needs to be said? Hero is pop brilliance; Kempedisco in the best possible way... It's slick, it's got a fantastic hook, Char gives you serious drama, and we all know how I feel about that microphone. That alone would be enough to get my vote (shut up, I'm easy sometimes!). The public is behind her, they love that Charlotte Is Back and all that hooplah... She's really the one to beat.
But she won't win. No sirree, she won't.
She won't win.
Tune in this weekend, to see once again that I'm wrong about everything.
THEY SAID IT ON THE AIR, ON THE RADIO
Just a quick update cuz I know people are all but jumping out of their skin for the studio versions of all this year's MF songs...
Rix FM seems to be working most of them into their playlist as of today (I've already heard Sibel, Char, Christer and Ola).
It's not the same as owning them and being able to obsessively play them over and over, but it's a start.
:-)
Rix FM seems to be working most of them into their playlist as of today (I've already heard Sibel, Char, Christer and Ola).
It's not the same as owning them and being able to obsessively play them over and over, but it's a start.
:-)
Saturday, March 8, 2008
JOHNSON & HAGGKVIST IN SCHLAGER SHOCKER!!!
Or, 'Androla in Schlocker'
Or, 'Sweden Says 'Hell No, Andro!''
Anyways. So, Andra Chansen... And WHAT a show it was! Shocking eliminations, musical Luuk, food fights! I was NOT disappointed.
*gulp*
...Even in Suzzie Tapper, and anyone who's read my blog thus far should realize that that is a BIG statement for me to be making right now.
So, for me, the biggest surprise of the night was not, in fact, Carola and Andreas not moving to the Finalen. It was pretty evident after their dismally boring performance that their run would be ending for this year. Obviously someone from Team Nordman had slipped a roofie in Ms. Haggkvist's holy water or whatever she drinks to make certain that her energy was way down tonight. It's the only way to explain why their number started to look like Weekend at Bernie's: The Musical!
No, the real shocker was when the camera panned back at the beginning of the song to show that someone had decided to hurl a lemon meringue pie at Carola before she went on stage! Which she was obviously too stoned to notice! Travesty!
Poor dear. Roofies and pie... She just couldn't win tonight, could shhh-- Oops. I guess she couldn't.
I must say, though, I'm really happy to see Sibel make it through. I didn't see that one coming at all. It was no surprise that she ended up against Ola, but I honestly thought it was going to go his way. It would seem that the Swedes were paying attention and cast their votes based on talent rather than boyish good looks, and good for Sweden. And good for Sibel! She really did deliver. Now, I love the song anyway. It has this Disney Princess vibe that I don't find much wrong with, but I thought her final performance, directly against Ola, was the strongest she's given so far, and if she could repeat that in Stockholm next week, she may be in line for a decent placing.
On a side note, is it just me or does it seem like Love In Stereo goes on forever? I really think the beginning of the song is catchy (if a little derivative of all of Ola's previous singles), but both times he performed, by the time he hit the bridge I felt like I was sitting through a concert version of 99 Bottles of Beer. "Give me love in stereo whoa-whoa-woo-WHOA Give me love in stereo whoa-whoa-woo-WHOA Give me love in stereo whoa-whoa-woo-WHOA Give me love in stereo whoa-whoa-woo-WHOA"
GAH!
But, great job and lots of luck to Sibel.
In the second match-ups, where all the drama took place, I also feel mostly content. Sure, I would've enjoyed seeing Carola complete the Ultimate Schlager Diva lineup, but I was horrified by their performance, so I'm glad I don't have to sit through it again. Though, in some ways, I sort of feel bad for each of them. Carola... It was obvious that she REALLY wanted to just break out and go wild and let the song move her like she did the first time out, but she'd gotten so much heat for oversinging it (which I didn't actually mind; I thought it added to the anthemic...ness of the song) that I could visibly see her holding back, to the point where I was uncomfortable watching her. She seemed like she was half singing the song, half thinking 'step, step, not too much, sing, sing, don't jump like that!' etc, etc. As for Andreas, I've admittedly never been his hugest fan, but he is a decent singer, he seems like a genuinely nice guy, and he was really looking forward to working with Carola because he thought with her he stood some kind of chance in the competition. And... it was just not to be. His guitars hurt her and her unrelenting ego hurt him.
Well, let's hope they both return at some point down the line... solo.
Side note, to Andreas, should he ever, y'know, pop by to see what I have to say... Umm, hon? Yeah. Please stop licking Carola's neck on TV. It's... really kinda narsty. And sinful. You'll go to Hell. Ask her, she'll tell you.
Moving on.
I'm a little bummed that Therese didn't make it through. She was never a threat for the win, but I think she's a good performer and I LOVE When You Need Me, and it would have been nice to see her in the Finalen. But, guys? It's official. I know there are people who can't stand it, but I think Nordman's song is just fantastic. There it is.
I. Love. It.
I love the performance, I love the dancer chick, I love just coming out of the first chorus when she walks up to him and he starts singing and turns his back on her in character, I love her dancing in the flame, I LOVE the 'whoa-oh!'s, I love how his voice fits the song... I'm a fan. I certainly wasn't expecting to have this reaction after the first listen. I even said, like, 'witch trials? Really?' But every time I hear it, the song wins me over more and more.
Congrats to Nordman for making it through to the Finalen. They won't win, but that's fine.
So, the final lineup for next week is set, and it's a really good one. Amy, Christer, Sanna, Rongedal, BWO, Frida & Headline, Linda, Char, Sibel & Nordman... With the exception of Frida & Headline (whom my spellcheck keeps trying to rename 'Friday'), all could be strong contenders. And, while I know popular opinion is that Char is going to steal the whole thing, it'll still be a whole lot of fun watching her get there.
Or, 'Sweden Says 'Hell No, Andro!''
Anyways. So, Andra Chansen... And WHAT a show it was! Shocking eliminations, musical Luuk, food fights! I was NOT disappointed.
*gulp*
...Even in Suzzie Tapper, and anyone who's read my blog thus far should realize that that is a BIG statement for me to be making right now.
So, for me, the biggest surprise of the night was not, in fact, Carola and Andreas not moving to the Finalen. It was pretty evident after their dismally boring performance that their run would be ending for this year. Obviously someone from Team Nordman had slipped a roofie in Ms. Haggkvist's holy water or whatever she drinks to make certain that her energy was way down tonight. It's the only way to explain why their number started to look like Weekend at Bernie's: The Musical!
No, the real shocker was when the camera panned back at the beginning of the song to show that someone had decided to hurl a lemon meringue pie at Carola before she went on stage! Which she was obviously too stoned to notice! Travesty!
Poor dear. Roofies and pie... She just couldn't win tonight, could shhh-- Oops. I guess she couldn't.
I must say, though, I'm really happy to see Sibel make it through. I didn't see that one coming at all. It was no surprise that she ended up against Ola, but I honestly thought it was going to go his way. It would seem that the Swedes were paying attention and cast their votes based on talent rather than boyish good looks, and good for Sweden. And good for Sibel! She really did deliver. Now, I love the song anyway. It has this Disney Princess vibe that I don't find much wrong with, but I thought her final performance, directly against Ola, was the strongest she's given so far, and if she could repeat that in Stockholm next week, she may be in line for a decent placing.
On a side note, is it just me or does it seem like Love In Stereo goes on forever? I really think the beginning of the song is catchy (if a little derivative of all of Ola's previous singles), but both times he performed, by the time he hit the bridge I felt like I was sitting through a concert version of 99 Bottles of Beer. "Give me love in stereo whoa-whoa-woo-WHOA Give me love in stereo whoa-whoa-woo-WHOA Give me love in stereo whoa-whoa-woo-WHOA Give me love in stereo whoa-whoa-woo-WHOA"
GAH!
But, great job and lots of luck to Sibel.
In the second match-ups, where all the drama took place, I also feel mostly content. Sure, I would've enjoyed seeing Carola complete the Ultimate Schlager Diva lineup, but I was horrified by their performance, so I'm glad I don't have to sit through it again. Though, in some ways, I sort of feel bad for each of them. Carola... It was obvious that she REALLY wanted to just break out and go wild and let the song move her like she did the first time out, but she'd gotten so much heat for oversinging it (which I didn't actually mind; I thought it added to the anthemic...ness of the song) that I could visibly see her holding back, to the point where I was uncomfortable watching her. She seemed like she was half singing the song, half thinking 'step, step, not too much, sing, sing, don't jump like that!' etc, etc. As for Andreas, I've admittedly never been his hugest fan, but he is a decent singer, he seems like a genuinely nice guy, and he was really looking forward to working with Carola because he thought with her he stood some kind of chance in the competition. And... it was just not to be. His guitars hurt her and her unrelenting ego hurt him.
Well, let's hope they both return at some point down the line... solo.
Side note, to Andreas, should he ever, y'know, pop by to see what I have to say... Umm, hon? Yeah. Please stop licking Carola's neck on TV. It's... really kinda narsty. And sinful. You'll go to Hell. Ask her, she'll tell you.
Moving on.
I'm a little bummed that Therese didn't make it through. She was never a threat for the win, but I think she's a good performer and I LOVE When You Need Me, and it would have been nice to see her in the Finalen. But, guys? It's official. I know there are people who can't stand it, but I think Nordman's song is just fantastic. There it is.
I. Love. It.
I love the performance, I love the dancer chick, I love just coming out of the first chorus when she walks up to him and he starts singing and turns his back on her in character, I love her dancing in the flame, I LOVE the 'whoa-oh!'s, I love how his voice fits the song... I'm a fan. I certainly wasn't expecting to have this reaction after the first listen. I even said, like, 'witch trials? Really?' But every time I hear it, the song wins me over more and more.
Congrats to Nordman for making it through to the Finalen. They won't win, but that's fine.
So, the final lineup for next week is set, and it's a really good one. Amy, Christer, Sanna, Rongedal, BWO, Frida & Headline, Linda, Char, Sibel & Nordman... With the exception of Frida & Headline (whom my spellcheck keeps trying to rename 'Friday'), all could be strong contenders. And, while I know popular opinion is that Char is going to steal the whole thing, it'll still be a whole lot of fun watching her get there.
Friday, March 7, 2008
FROM THE NICKEL AND DIME TO THE SIMPLY SUBLIME
Or, 'The Greatest American Singer You've Never Heard Of'
In my SDF-Sings-Jekyll post, I posted a video of the English version of the song Someone Like You as performed by Linda Eder, and decided it was time to devote a post entirely to her, since she has never gotten the recognition that an artist of her quality deserves.
Linda Eder has been a fixture in the entertainment industry for more than 20 years now. In that time, she has released nine studio albums and a Greatest Hits, and appeared on a number of theatrical concept albums. She has starred on Broadway, performed at most major concert venues in the country including several multi-night, sell-out bookings at Carnegie Hall, and sung with symphonies from one coast to the other. She was the first and only contestant in any incarnation of American Star Search to win her category 13 consecutive times, a record that will likely never be repeated on a musical competition show ever again. She has had television specials, shared the stage with some of the greatest singers, musicians and artists in the business…
…and unless you’re a theatre fan (or a Jewish Grandmother from Long Island who loves PBS specials), you likely don’t even know who she is.
Born in Tuscon, AZ and raised in Brainerd, MN (where the awesome Fargo movie took place), Linda’s first true national exposure came on Star Search in the 1980’s, where she attracted the attention of (at the time) up-and-coming composer Frank Wildhorn (Jekyll & Hyde, The Scarlet Pimpernel, The Civil War and Camille Claudel). Wildhorn was then casting for an early workshop version of Jekyll & Hyde and he was determined that Linda be a part of it. At the same time, he began championing the young singer's recording career and the two began a professional partnership that eventually led to marriage, and a dearth of roles and songs being written especially for her.
Linda’s first five studio albums feature numerous Wildhorn compositions in styles ranging from pop to showtunes to modern day jazz standards, and she has performed leads in development and workshop versions of four of his musicals: Jekyll & Hyde and The Scarlet Pimpernel, on whose concept album recordings she appears, and Camille Claudel and Havana, both of which got stuck in Development Hell and will likely never be heard about again. And, while her acting was never as praised as her vocal ability, her performance as Lucy in the Original Broadway Cast of Jekyll earned her the Theatre World Award for Best Broadway Debut as well as the Drama Desk and Outer Critics’ Circle Award Nominations for Best Actress in a Musical, no small shakes for a theatrical newcomer. Especially one whose strength, like I said before, did not lie in her acting.
Citing her greatest inspirations to be Judy Garland, Barbra Streisand and opera great Eileen Farrell, Linda Eder is not a ‘contemporary’ singer in terms of what we consider ‘current radio music’. Indeed, Linda defies any musical boundaries. She is equally at home singing pop, country, American standards, blues, theatre music, epic balladry, and jazz. While her music isn’t as poppy as what I'd usually post, she has the amazing ability to make everything she sings sound utterly timeless, she commands legions of gay followers, and the woman can work a key change like nobody's business.
So, to this end, today's megapost is in honor of the terrific Linda Eder. I genuinely hope everyone likes what's on offer here. If you do, please go find her CDs, or go see her live. You won't end up disappointed.
Videos --
Through The Eyes Of Love
From her Star Search days. The hair is 80's-tastic, the 'diamond' earrings are blinding, the smile is cheesy, the voice is gorgeous... I'm telling you, it's a schlager performance!
Man of La Mancha
Introduced on her It's Time album and the subsequent 'Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda' segment of her following concert tour (where she sang songs from roles she 'shoulda played, woulda played, and coulda played'), this now probably rates right behind Vienna as the biggest fan favorite. She never made any bones about the fact that it was a man's song and she didn't care. And check out the high note in the bridge!
Bring On the Men
Cut from Jekyll & Hyde sometime between the first concept recording and the Broadway opening and replaced with the far inferior Good and Evil, this is "a joyous explosion of uptempo and lyrical bawdiness" (Sorry, I just wanted to use Carola's words in reference to something ungodly) that Linda trots out at every concert so we don't forget that it was, in fact, one of the best songs from that score.
Home Again
Normally I'm not big on these fan videos, but this is another one of my favorite songs, and I felt it needed to be included here. Just ignore the little anime people and enjoy this piece, unjustly cut from The Scarlet Pimpernel before its move to the stage.
Don't Rain on My Parade
Comparisons to Barbra Streisand are inevitable here, but even the Overdone One herself has given enthusiastic thumbs up to Linda's cover.
Audio --
Someone Like You
This Act 1 closer was the first song written specifically for Linda to sing in Jekyll & Hyde. This would be the full version of the SDF song I posted earlier in the week.
Vienna
Aside from Someone Like You, this would be considered by any fan to be Linda’s signature song. This is six and a half minutes of the most amazing balladry you will ever hear! The orchestration are gorgeous, her singing is enough to give you chills, and there’s even a big ol’ key change! In fact, the last time I saw her perform live, she ended her program without singing this song and when she came back out to do her encore (which was NOT going to be this song), the audience wouldn’t let her leave the stage until she did. Make no mistake, if you like boffo-socko emotional power ballads, you need look no further for the best one around.
Something To Believe In (Fitch Brothers Radio Edit)
For my uptempo lovers, I give you this little treat. In its original form, this was one of those big orchestrated gospel choir numbers. Here, it's been given a facelift and turned into a fun, dancey track. As a useless side note, the WB used to use this for their network bumpers back in the day. They'd play it under station commercials featuring the stars of Buffy, Dawson, Gilmore Girls and the like. No reason you needed to know that, I just thought I'd point it out.
I Want More
I can't introduce this song any better than she always does, so here. This is what she says. "It's an anthem for ALL the women out there! And maybe a few *corny wink* men, too..." Dare you to listen to this and not think "Yup, this could be my anthem!"
Fernando (the ABBA one)
This is an extremely rare demo recording from her days even before Star Search. For the Swede lovers, this should make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I don't know who the guy singing with her is, but they sound wonderful together.
Discography Listing --
Linda Eder (1991)
And So Much More (1994)
It's Time (1997)
It's No Secret Anymore (1999)
Christmas Stays the Same (2000)
Gold (2002)
Storybook (2003)
Broadway, My Way (2003)
By Myself: The Songs of Judy Garland (2005)
Greatest Hits (2007)
The Other Side of Me (To be released March 2008)
In my SDF-Sings-Jekyll post, I posted a video of the English version of the song Someone Like You as performed by Linda Eder, and decided it was time to devote a post entirely to her, since she has never gotten the recognition that an artist of her quality deserves.
Linda Eder has been a fixture in the entertainment industry for more than 20 years now. In that time, she has released nine studio albums and a Greatest Hits, and appeared on a number of theatrical concept albums. She has starred on Broadway, performed at most major concert venues in the country including several multi-night, sell-out bookings at Carnegie Hall, and sung with symphonies from one coast to the other. She was the first and only contestant in any incarnation of American Star Search to win her category 13 consecutive times, a record that will likely never be repeated on a musical competition show ever again. She has had television specials, shared the stage with some of the greatest singers, musicians and artists in the business…
…and unless you’re a theatre fan (or a Jewish Grandmother from Long Island who loves PBS specials), you likely don’t even know who she is.
Born in Tuscon, AZ and raised in Brainerd, MN (where the awesome Fargo movie took place), Linda’s first true national exposure came on Star Search in the 1980’s, where she attracted the attention of (at the time) up-and-coming composer Frank Wildhorn (Jekyll & Hyde, The Scarlet Pimpernel, The Civil War and Camille Claudel). Wildhorn was then casting for an early workshop version of Jekyll & Hyde and he was determined that Linda be a part of it. At the same time, he began championing the young singer's recording career and the two began a professional partnership that eventually led to marriage, and a dearth of roles and songs being written especially for her.
Linda’s first five studio albums feature numerous Wildhorn compositions in styles ranging from pop to showtunes to modern day jazz standards, and she has performed leads in development and workshop versions of four of his musicals: Jekyll & Hyde and The Scarlet Pimpernel, on whose concept album recordings she appears, and Camille Claudel and Havana, both of which got stuck in Development Hell and will likely never be heard about again. And, while her acting was never as praised as her vocal ability, her performance as Lucy in the Original Broadway Cast of Jekyll earned her the Theatre World Award for Best Broadway Debut as well as the Drama Desk and Outer Critics’ Circle Award Nominations for Best Actress in a Musical, no small shakes for a theatrical newcomer. Especially one whose strength, like I said before, did not lie in her acting.
Citing her greatest inspirations to be Judy Garland, Barbra Streisand and opera great Eileen Farrell, Linda Eder is not a ‘contemporary’ singer in terms of what we consider ‘current radio music’. Indeed, Linda defies any musical boundaries. She is equally at home singing pop, country, American standards, blues, theatre music, epic balladry, and jazz. While her music isn’t as poppy as what I'd usually post, she has the amazing ability to make everything she sings sound utterly timeless, she commands legions of gay followers, and the woman can work a key change like nobody's business.
So, to this end, today's megapost is in honor of the terrific Linda Eder. I genuinely hope everyone likes what's on offer here. If you do, please go find her CDs, or go see her live. You won't end up disappointed.
Videos --
Through The Eyes Of Love
From her Star Search days. The hair is 80's-tastic, the 'diamond' earrings are blinding, the smile is cheesy, the voice is gorgeous... I'm telling you, it's a schlager performance!
Man of La Mancha
Introduced on her It's Time album and the subsequent 'Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda' segment of her following concert tour (where she sang songs from roles she 'shoulda played, woulda played, and coulda played'), this now probably rates right behind Vienna as the biggest fan favorite. She never made any bones about the fact that it was a man's song and she didn't care. And check out the high note in the bridge!
Bring On the Men
Cut from Jekyll & Hyde sometime between the first concept recording and the Broadway opening and replaced with the far inferior Good and Evil, this is "a joyous explosion of uptempo and lyrical bawdiness" (Sorry, I just wanted to use Carola's words in reference to something ungodly) that Linda trots out at every concert so we don't forget that it was, in fact, one of the best songs from that score.
Home Again
Normally I'm not big on these fan videos, but this is another one of my favorite songs, and I felt it needed to be included here. Just ignore the little anime people and enjoy this piece, unjustly cut from The Scarlet Pimpernel before its move to the stage.
Don't Rain on My Parade
Comparisons to Barbra Streisand are inevitable here, but even the Overdone One herself has given enthusiastic thumbs up to Linda's cover.
Audio --
Someone Like You
This Act 1 closer was the first song written specifically for Linda to sing in Jekyll & Hyde. This would be the full version of the SDF song I posted earlier in the week.
Vienna
Aside from Someone Like You, this would be considered by any fan to be Linda’s signature song. This is six and a half minutes of the most amazing balladry you will ever hear! The orchestration are gorgeous, her singing is enough to give you chills, and there’s even a big ol’ key change! In fact, the last time I saw her perform live, she ended her program without singing this song and when she came back out to do her encore (which was NOT going to be this song), the audience wouldn’t let her leave the stage until she did. Make no mistake, if you like boffo-socko emotional power ballads, you need look no further for the best one around.
Something To Believe In (Fitch Brothers Radio Edit)
For my uptempo lovers, I give you this little treat. In its original form, this was one of those big orchestrated gospel choir numbers. Here, it's been given a facelift and turned into a fun, dancey track. As a useless side note, the WB used to use this for their network bumpers back in the day. They'd play it under station commercials featuring the stars of Buffy, Dawson, Gilmore Girls and the like. No reason you needed to know that, I just thought I'd point it out.
I Want More
I can't introduce this song any better than she always does, so here. This is what she says. "It's an anthem for ALL the women out there! And maybe a few *corny wink* men, too..." Dare you to listen to this and not think "Yup, this could be my anthem!"
Fernando (the ABBA one)
This is an extremely rare demo recording from her days even before Star Search. For the Swede lovers, this should make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I don't know who the guy singing with her is, but they sound wonderful together.
Discography Listing --
Linda Eder (1991)
And So Much More (1994)
It's Time (1997)
It's No Secret Anymore (1999)
Christmas Stays the Same (2000)
Gold (2002)
Storybook (2003)
Broadway, My Way (2003)
By Myself: The Songs of Judy Garland (2005)
Greatest Hits (2007)
The Other Side of Me (To be released March 2008)
IDOL ALERT!
We have a new one, people!!
This is Nikki Kerkhof, the Netherlands' newest Idol since Raffaela Paton was crowned over a year ago. Say hello!
And here is her first single, Hello World. I'm so glad to hear someone's caught onto the fact that those saccharine inspirational ballads really aren't the way to go. I'll let you know if I think Joss Stone's castoffs are much better. For now, though, I think I kinda like it.
Much luck to her, and good to the Netherlands for keeping the Idol tradition going strong!
DUTCH TREAT
Hind Laroussi... I like her.
Always have. Out of the first season of Dutch Idols, she was easily my favorite. This supernaturally beautiful girl with the rich honeyed voice caught my eyes and ears from the very start. Eliminated in third place behind the wildly popular Jim Bakkum and Jamai Loman, she was almost immediately signed and began work on her first album. Entitled Around the World, the album was a road trip through chilled-out slices of pop, R&B-lite, and even Portuguese fado (resulting in the GORGEOUS 'Fado Mae'), and tipped the charts at #9, not a bad placing for a first-season Idol contestant. In 2004, she won the Edison Award (Dutch Grammy, BRIT, what have you) for Best New Dutch Artist.
In 2005, Hind returned with her new album Halfway Home, moving her style away from Around the World's pop/r&b sound to what she herself refers to as 'Arabpop' due to the overwhelming Middle Eastern influences. Halfway Home didn't fare as well as its predecessor, though, topping out at a measly #31 on the Dutch charts and it looked for a while like it might be curtains for Hind.
However, in late 2007 she was announced as the Netherlands' entry into the upcoming 2008 Eurovision Song Contest. As the Dutch have an internal song selection policy, it might be a bit before I can get a clip up here, but once one is available I will, so watch this space.
For now, let's get retrospective and pull a little This Is Your Life on Hind, shall we?
From humble beginnings...
Taking on Robbie Williams on Idols
Her first post-Idol single, Summer All Over Again...
...and her next, Weak
Kickin' it coffeeshop style...
So, will Hind bring the ESC to Amsterdam next year? No, probably not. She's a classy, mature singer in a contest that rewards camp and excess. But that doesn't matter. She's a lovely girl with a beautiful voice, and that counts for more in the long run.
Good luck in Belgrade, Hind.
REALITY WATCH - 3/10/08
Project Runway
Well, that was anti-climactic. I don’t think anyone watching this week’s finale is in any way surprised that Christian ran away with the title of America’s Next Great Fashion Designer. While I haven’t always been his biggest fan, there is absolutely no denying that he produced some stellar work this season, and that he is truly a talent who will go on to do amazing things in the industry.
In fact, a big round of congratulations go out to all the finalists, including Chris March and Sweet P. They might not have gotten to show their collections on the aired program, but they were live in the tents, so I don’t think either of them is too upset. I still think it’s a shame that Chris’ gorgeous Mona Lisa dress didn’t get the spotlight it should’ve, but I’m sure we’ll see his work in the future anyway. Jillian’s line, a marvelous collection of skirts, knits and her specialty tailored jackets, was gorgeous, and Rami far outdid anything he had created on the show. His two last evening gowns were absolute works of art, voluminous and tailored and loud and subtle all at the same time. He should be proud to tell the judges to cram their ‘you’re so one-note’ comments.
More awesome than the runway, however, was the cheeto-clad Victoria Beckham, who might not be my favorite person ever, but added FAR more to this final judging than her predecessors Debra Messing or Parker Posey (I’m leaving Fern Mallis out of this, on account of how she pretty much rocks!). As we all know, La Beckham (Victoria, not David) is a woman who knows her clothing and makes sure everyone else knows that she knows it… Actually, the same could be said about her husband, the Other La Beckham. Anyways, her Rain-Man level savant-ness was on full display here as she spoke authoritatively and impressively on the merits of each designer’s line, even going so far as to deem Christian’s collection (self-described as ‘fierce’) as ‘major’, easily the highest praise one could expect from her.
Congratulations, little Cockatiel. You really are pretty Major, even if I’ve hated admitting it all season. Now, please stop adding those ugly ruffles to every blouse you make and you’ll be good to go.
Make Me a Supermodel
Another week with all boys in the bottom three! It’s like my prayers are being answered! Keep rockin’, Shannon and Holly! And send Ben home, America!
So, this week it was Frankie who was told that America didn’t give a shit about him… Wait, sorry. He was told that ‘[we] can’t make [you] a supermodel’… But that’s just a potato/po-tah-to sitch, right?
The challenge this week wasn’t the usual photoshoot, but a live action shoot for a video look book. Heh, y’know, I swear, as someone who spent from the time I was 7 singing, acting, performing and training, it’s always hysterical to me to take a bunch of people off the street and say ‘now you’re gonna act!’ cuz it always turns out that they really can’t. Anyways, this was a particularly nasty challenge, as no one was guaranteed a spot in the shoot. The director basically put people together on spec and if a minimodel couldn’t hack it, they didn’t make it into the final project.
Once again, poor Casey was left in the dust as he didn’t get cast in the first scene, got booted from the second, and wasn’t even in the same neighborhood as being considered for the last. Holly and Shannon continued their challenge domination, receiving praise for the shoots they were cast in, Ronnie continued his upward mobility, making out with Ben in the process (for the shoot, not, like, for fun… cuz Ben’s totally straight and has a wife at home and just likes the attention he gets from Ronnie but he’s totally straight and has a wife at home and he’s SO not gay and I’m so sick of this stupid storyline!), and Ben continued his descent into hopefully getting his face punched in.
Jennifer Starr, who I find I both like and agree with a lot, showed up to drag the minimodels to Bloomingdale’s for a little ‘Brand Ambassador’ gig, which really just looked to me like a ‘floor salesman’ gig, but I’m not in the fashion industry so what do I know? They basically had to walk the floor of the store’s cafe, interrupting people trying to enjoy their brunches and selling what they were wearing. It was exactly as comfortable to watch as it sounds like it would be. Ben decided he was over this challenge, half-assed the meeting with the woman from Bloomie’s, then got pissy when he wasn’t cast and spent the rest of the day pouting and acting like a jerk of the highest order. Classy! Casey, on the other hand, rocked out with his cock out and earned, with Shannon, the highest praise from the Bloomingdale’s exec.
At panel, everyone had to rock not one, but two looks, and Holly (yay!) and Shannon (yay!) were announced as safe. After a pathetic meltdown from Ben where Tyson looked about half a second from letting loose some flying fists, Perry (boo!) was sent back to join the girls leaving Ronnie, Casey and The Jerk to face the vote.
Just get rid of Ben, America. And, panel? Leave Casey ALONE! Pick on Perry, for God’s sake!
American Idol
The Songs of the 80’s brought us a fair amount of duds from both boys and girls this week, but we got a Top 12 out of it anyway. The awesomeness of Jason Castro, David Cook and David Archuleta helped them claim their spots first, followed by Brooke White (whose Pat Benatar performance I still can’t get over), Ramiele Malubay (do NOT have another bad week like that again, girl!), and Syesha Mercado. David-the-Gay-Stripper Hernandez, Michael Johns and Chikeze were the other three boys to make the cut, meaning that Luke Menard was finally put out of my misery along with Danny Noriega, which I wasn’t expecting. And, judging from the way in which he was so obviously planning on breezily telling Simon to fuck himself on his way over to claim a stool, neither was he. It’s a terrible shame, as he really is a talented kid, but he wasn’t ever able to really spotlight that since it obviously was more important that we understand that he is the Gayest Boy On TV. Hopefully, though, Danny’ll learn to tone himself down and realize that there are other ways to be a positive, unashamed gay man without having to resort to a string of clichés and personality-sapping affectations that serve no purpose except to perpetuate the idea that we’re all cartoon-like stereotypical queens. Learn some self respect, Danny, and you’ll be all the better for it. I’ll like you more then, too.
On the girls side, last to join the lineup were Carly Smithson, Amanda Overmeyer and Final Remaining Generic Blone Kristy Lee Cook, sending home Asia’h Epperson, she of the Unnecessary Apostrophe And Totally Dead Dad, and Second-To-Last Generic Blonde Kady Malloy who petrified us all by doing that damned Britney voice anytime a camera was in her face. Asia’h fell victim to the Curse of Don’t Sing a Whitney Song Ever, which is a shame because you would really think, seven seasons in, these kids would know that you don’t sing that shit! If Whitney even breathed on the sheet music, you LEAVE IT ALONE! She did it better than you! You will sound like a second-rate amateur if you sing something she’s done! Just don’t do it! And, again, it’s too bad as she is obviously a very talented girl, and a better song choice could have kept her in contention. Kady, on the other hand, was more than deserving of her boot, having warbled her way through Queen’s Who Wants To Live Forever and possibly given my cat a mild stroke in the process. (Poor Nestle had to leave the room while she sang and was actually sent running by a particularly flat note.)
Next week sees the newly formed Top 12 take on the Lennon/McCartney songbook, so make sure not to miss it. There’s nothing like watching amateurs mangle some of the best songs of the last hundred years, right? And, I predict right now that one of them will sing Hey Jude (badly), David Archuleta won’t listen to Simon and do another ballad, thus officially making him the most boring contestant in the bunch, Amanda Overmeyer will sing the Joe Cocker version of ‘I Get By With a Little Help From My Friends’ and be very competent at it, Ramiele will continue to rock my world even if she’s only mediocre, and Kristy Lee Cook won’t have any idea what to do with herself.
Also, wishful thinking, I would LOVE to hear Brooke White do an acoustic rendition of the Across the Universe version of I Wanna Hold Your Hand.
America's Next Top Model
...will get updated in the next day or two. I was at an Eddie Izzard show Wednesday night and still haven't seen it yet.
Watch this space.
Well, that was anti-climactic. I don’t think anyone watching this week’s finale is in any way surprised that Christian ran away with the title of America’s Next Great Fashion Designer. While I haven’t always been his biggest fan, there is absolutely no denying that he produced some stellar work this season, and that he is truly a talent who will go on to do amazing things in the industry.
In fact, a big round of congratulations go out to all the finalists, including Chris March and Sweet P. They might not have gotten to show their collections on the aired program, but they were live in the tents, so I don’t think either of them is too upset. I still think it’s a shame that Chris’ gorgeous Mona Lisa dress didn’t get the spotlight it should’ve, but I’m sure we’ll see his work in the future anyway. Jillian’s line, a marvelous collection of skirts, knits and her specialty tailored jackets, was gorgeous, and Rami far outdid anything he had created on the show. His two last evening gowns were absolute works of art, voluminous and tailored and loud and subtle all at the same time. He should be proud to tell the judges to cram their ‘you’re so one-note’ comments.
More awesome than the runway, however, was the cheeto-clad Victoria Beckham, who might not be my favorite person ever, but added FAR more to this final judging than her predecessors Debra Messing or Parker Posey (I’m leaving Fern Mallis out of this, on account of how she pretty much rocks!). As we all know, La Beckham (Victoria, not David) is a woman who knows her clothing and makes sure everyone else knows that she knows it… Actually, the same could be said about her husband, the Other La Beckham. Anyways, her Rain-Man level savant-ness was on full display here as she spoke authoritatively and impressively on the merits of each designer’s line, even going so far as to deem Christian’s collection (self-described as ‘fierce’) as ‘major’, easily the highest praise one could expect from her.
Congratulations, little Cockatiel. You really are pretty Major, even if I’ve hated admitting it all season. Now, please stop adding those ugly ruffles to every blouse you make and you’ll be good to go.
Make Me a Supermodel
Another week with all boys in the bottom three! It’s like my prayers are being answered! Keep rockin’, Shannon and Holly! And send Ben home, America!
So, this week it was Frankie who was told that America didn’t give a shit about him… Wait, sorry. He was told that ‘[we] can’t make [you] a supermodel’… But that’s just a potato/po-tah-to sitch, right?
The challenge this week wasn’t the usual photoshoot, but a live action shoot for a video look book. Heh, y’know, I swear, as someone who spent from the time I was 7 singing, acting, performing and training, it’s always hysterical to me to take a bunch of people off the street and say ‘now you’re gonna act!’ cuz it always turns out that they really can’t. Anyways, this was a particularly nasty challenge, as no one was guaranteed a spot in the shoot. The director basically put people together on spec and if a minimodel couldn’t hack it, they didn’t make it into the final project.
Once again, poor Casey was left in the dust as he didn’t get cast in the first scene, got booted from the second, and wasn’t even in the same neighborhood as being considered for the last. Holly and Shannon continued their challenge domination, receiving praise for the shoots they were cast in, Ronnie continued his upward mobility, making out with Ben in the process (for the shoot, not, like, for fun… cuz Ben’s totally straight and has a wife at home and just likes the attention he gets from Ronnie but he’s totally straight and has a wife at home and he’s SO not gay and I’m so sick of this stupid storyline!), and Ben continued his descent into hopefully getting his face punched in.
Jennifer Starr, who I find I both like and agree with a lot, showed up to drag the minimodels to Bloomingdale’s for a little ‘Brand Ambassador’ gig, which really just looked to me like a ‘floor salesman’ gig, but I’m not in the fashion industry so what do I know? They basically had to walk the floor of the store’s cafe, interrupting people trying to enjoy their brunches and selling what they were wearing. It was exactly as comfortable to watch as it sounds like it would be. Ben decided he was over this challenge, half-assed the meeting with the woman from Bloomie’s, then got pissy when he wasn’t cast and spent the rest of the day pouting and acting like a jerk of the highest order. Classy! Casey, on the other hand, rocked out with his cock out and earned, with Shannon, the highest praise from the Bloomingdale’s exec.
At panel, everyone had to rock not one, but two looks, and Holly (yay!) and Shannon (yay!) were announced as safe. After a pathetic meltdown from Ben where Tyson looked about half a second from letting loose some flying fists, Perry (boo!) was sent back to join the girls leaving Ronnie, Casey and The Jerk to face the vote.
Just get rid of Ben, America. And, panel? Leave Casey ALONE! Pick on Perry, for God’s sake!
American Idol
The Songs of the 80’s brought us a fair amount of duds from both boys and girls this week, but we got a Top 12 out of it anyway. The awesomeness of Jason Castro, David Cook and David Archuleta helped them claim their spots first, followed by Brooke White (whose Pat Benatar performance I still can’t get over), Ramiele Malubay (do NOT have another bad week like that again, girl!), and Syesha Mercado. David-the-Gay-Stripper Hernandez, Michael Johns and Chikeze were the other three boys to make the cut, meaning that Luke Menard was finally put out of my misery along with Danny Noriega, which I wasn’t expecting. And, judging from the way in which he was so obviously planning on breezily telling Simon to fuck himself on his way over to claim a stool, neither was he. It’s a terrible shame, as he really is a talented kid, but he wasn’t ever able to really spotlight that since it obviously was more important that we understand that he is the Gayest Boy On TV. Hopefully, though, Danny’ll learn to tone himself down and realize that there are other ways to be a positive, unashamed gay man without having to resort to a string of clichés and personality-sapping affectations that serve no purpose except to perpetuate the idea that we’re all cartoon-like stereotypical queens. Learn some self respect, Danny, and you’ll be all the better for it. I’ll like you more then, too.
On the girls side, last to join the lineup were Carly Smithson, Amanda Overmeyer and Final Remaining Generic Blone Kristy Lee Cook, sending home Asia’h Epperson, she of the Unnecessary Apostrophe And Totally Dead Dad, and Second-To-Last Generic Blonde Kady Malloy who petrified us all by doing that damned Britney voice anytime a camera was in her face. Asia’h fell victim to the Curse of Don’t Sing a Whitney Song Ever, which is a shame because you would really think, seven seasons in, these kids would know that you don’t sing that shit! If Whitney even breathed on the sheet music, you LEAVE IT ALONE! She did it better than you! You will sound like a second-rate amateur if you sing something she’s done! Just don’t do it! And, again, it’s too bad as she is obviously a very talented girl, and a better song choice could have kept her in contention. Kady, on the other hand, was more than deserving of her boot, having warbled her way through Queen’s Who Wants To Live Forever and possibly given my cat a mild stroke in the process. (Poor Nestle had to leave the room while she sang and was actually sent running by a particularly flat note.)
Next week sees the newly formed Top 12 take on the Lennon/McCartney songbook, so make sure not to miss it. There’s nothing like watching amateurs mangle some of the best songs of the last hundred years, right? And, I predict right now that one of them will sing Hey Jude (badly), David Archuleta won’t listen to Simon and do another ballad, thus officially making him the most boring contestant in the bunch, Amanda Overmeyer will sing the Joe Cocker version of ‘I Get By With a Little Help From My Friends’ and be very competent at it, Ramiele will continue to rock my world even if she’s only mediocre, and Kristy Lee Cook won’t have any idea what to do with herself.
Also, wishful thinking, I would LOVE to hear Brooke White do an acoustic rendition of the Across the Universe version of I Wanna Hold Your Hand.
America's Next Top Model
...will get updated in the next day or two. I was at an Eddie Izzard show Wednesday night and still haven't seen it yet.
Watch this space.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
YAY, GERMANY!!!
I'll do a gigantic megapost with all the girls' solo stuff later when my Eurovision Fever has worn off, but for now I'm just going on record as being a ginormous No Angels fan from the very very very beginning. I mean, I was blasting Rivers of Joy back in the DAY, yo! But I had NO hope that they'd go through to Begrade because Disappear isn't exactly the kind of song Germany needs to send if they want to do well. Apparently, thankfully, those wonderful people don't give a shit about that and just want to send their favorite girls off to perform a great pop song on the biggest stage in the world, so to that I can only say a giant WHOO!
No Angels is going to Belgrade, and now Eurovision just got a whole lot more fun for me.
Let's take a look at their entry, shall we? It's got a wind machine!
Okay, so we have to deduct points for Lucy's hat, but you win some, you lose some...
No Angels is going to Belgrade, and now Eurovision just got a whole lot more fun for me.
Let's take a look at their entry, shall we? It's got a wind machine!
Okay, so we have to deduct points for Lucy's hat, but you win some, you lose some...
U-huuuuuuuuT INATT
Been a little Bengtzing-crazy today, huh?
Well, I'm not stopping now. Here she is in the 2006 Stockholm company of Rent!
(You'll need to turn up your speakers for Seasons of Love)
And for a couple of promo shots...
And, in a Melodifestivalen-related coincidence, here's her (fingers crossed) competition, Terran Anderson, a couple of years before in the same role!
Well, I'm not stopping now. Here she is in the 2006 Stockholm company of Rent!
(You'll need to turn up your speakers for Seasons of Love)
And for a couple of promo shots...
And, in a Melodifestivalen-related coincidence, here's her (fingers crossed) competition, Terran Anderson, a couple of years before in the same role!
TAKING IT DOWN A NOTCH
Dunno how many of the blogs these have already hit by this point, but here's Linda's new song, Inga Pojkar I Världen, performed on Nyhetsmorgon.
I'm a little hesitant to judge the song yet cuz it's ovbious that she's taking it down for the breakfast crowd, but I REALLY want to hear the souped-up schlager version.
And here's a very mellow Alla Flickor. I don't love this arrangement as much as the original, but I do like that she manages to hit the key change.
I'm a little hesitant to judge the song yet cuz it's ovbious that she's taking it down for the breakfast crowd, but I REALLY want to hear the souped-up schlager version.
And here's a very mellow Alla Flickor. I don't love this arrangement as much as the original, but I do like that she manages to hit the key change.
REALLY SAYING SOMETHING
Anyone who actually knows me knows that I'm a sucker for a t-shirt with a message.
Well, come May 24, this will be my message...
Also, for the Swede-lovers here, head over to www.glarkware.com and pick up this little treat. Note the imposing Ikea logo...
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
TOO MUCH FASHION SENSE FOR ONE GENDER
I wouldn’t be surprised if most of the Melodifestivalen fans here have seen this already, but it never fails to make me chuckle anyway. And since this year’s MF is all Divalicious, I thought it was time to trot this one out.
For anyone who wants a translation, there’s a rough one on pages 10 and 11 of the comments section if you bounce over to the YouTube page.
And let's give Lena and Charlotte props for lending their vocal talents as well...
For anyone who wants a translation, there’s a rough one on pages 10 and 11 of the comments section if you bounce over to the YouTube page.
And let's give Lena and Charlotte props for lending their vocal talents as well...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)