Eurovision 2009 Postcards

Eurovision 2009 Moscow Montage from Alex Mikhaylov on Vimeo.

So one of my favorite times of the year is Eurovision. Typically from January till May is the lifespan of this momentous time in Europe when everyone comes together to represent who's got the catchiest tune in all of Europe.

Fortunately, we don't have anything like this in the states (imagine the debacle, think American Idol but worse)

My absolute favorite year would have to go to Moscow 2009, the performers, the staging, lighting, the music, everything was top notch. Of course, just like every year there are total duds (Israel anyone?). However, in a time where the European culture is getting seriously too globalized. It's nice to see some quintessential pop tunes staying true to their roots. Ukarine, Sweden, Greece and Iceland are some of my top favorites time and time again.

Lastly, the "Postcards" from Moscow's show were fantastic. Rather than the typical "let's promote our own country before showing the performance," they used Alex Mikhaylov to design the intro. Every postcard featured a Russian model that may (or may not) look like the typical citizen of each country represented. Not only that! But they would also show famous landmarks, different flora and fauna and models jumping around to the fantastic *swirly* graphics. Needless to say, they were fantastic.

Fortunately, last year I got to go to Oslo to see the Eurovision 2010 competition. Which was anything but disappointing. But there was some sort of magic that Moscow had that couldn't compare. This year the competition was in Dusseldorf, unfortunately Azerbaijan, meaning they are the hosts for 2012 (gag). Let's see how gay friendly this event is going to be.. But I still hope for the best. Looks like I'll be making a trip to Melodifestivalen in Stockholm instead next year. But that's a whole other tangent. For now, I'd go to youtube and check out some of the top performances from the past few decades starting in 1956!