Eurovision Part II-Results

It’s my favorite part! Douze Point! Twelve points! It is time for every country to call in with a scary representative who tries to be funny. NB: The male announcers are always 100 times creepier than the female ones. While watching this, I wonder who decided the two languages were going to be French and English for this competition.  Every country calls in and speaks English, except…you guessed it…France and surprisingly Belgium. Belgium sucks up to France by giving it 12 points. Yeah Belgium, that bad pop-opera really deserved that. Go eat a waffle, you Walloons!

Why do I love the scoring part so much? You can see what countries other countries really hate. You cannot vote for your own country, so you have to pick the neighboring country that is the least repulsive or at least didn’t attack you in the last fifty years. The German commentator/translator on the German channel has to explain why countries vote the way they do. “Ah Israel gave ten points to Russia. That is because there is a big Russian contingent in Israel.” What goes unsaid is why Israel doesn’t vote for Germany.

Also as I said before the people announcing the how the people of their country voted are really awkward. For example, the guy from Cyprus just said to the host in Germany, “Oh my god, you are so beautiful!”

Now as a country’s representative you can go a couple of ways:

1. Cute and bubbly in a pageant gown. (My personal favorite) Sorry you will have to turn the volume up.

2. Try to awkwardly reference the year’s theme and stall for time which makes the host hate you.

After the points are handed out by a country, the camera pans to the “green room” to see the team from the country that received the coveted 12 points. These pod things that they sit in makes me think of the senate in The Phantom Menace.

As more and more of the points are tallied, I begin to feel really sorry for the countries in last place. Poor Spain and Estonia 😦

And Germany is not even in the top five! Way to go Germany! It was a brilliant idea to send last year’s winner, because if I know one thing about the human race it is that they love anti climatic moments.

And the winner is Azerbaijan!!! Do you remember what they sang? I didn’t! But the guy says he is the happiest man in the world right now, which is kinda adorable.  Now they sing Running Scared again. It’s off key!!!

Here they are winning and you can see the senate pods they sit in. Also are they playing the Olympics Fanfare?! Are you allowed to use this for a non-Olympics event?

Recap of Eurovision Song Contest 2011 Part 1

So here I am waiting for it to begin. It is almost time for the Olympics of music competitions.  I can already predict that there will be a lot of sequins and fans. I wonder if there has ever been a horrible sequin-in-the-eye mishap. From the views of Dusseldorf they are showing, I can tell that I am not going to be impressed when I go to a conference there in June. In happier news I have discovered a Eurovision Song Contest drinking game on The Guardian’s website. Here are some of the places you take a drink:

– The hosts misguidedly attempt to flirt with each other

– A song rhymes ‘fire’ with ‘desire’

– While announcing their country’s voting scores, a presenter unsuccessfully tries to chat up the host

The last one I find the most awkward. This feeling is not helped since the presenter is usually clothed in beauty-pageant wear.

21:00 The main sponsor is the hair product brand Schwarzkopf (lit. blackhead). This always makes me laugh. They just welcomed those watching alone (me) or in parties (not me).

21:03 Since Lena, last year’s winner, is competing she can’t sing her song as is usual at the beginning, so the host are singing. It is truly horrific, but they are making fun of her strange pronunciation of English words so I approve.  The song is not improved by singing it in the style of Brian Setzer. And now a bunch of girls dressed up like Lena (black dress and long brown hair) are waving different flags around.

21:07 OMG Lena has taken the stage after all to help them butcher a song she has sung a trillion times! It must be weird to be surrounded people in a you-costume.

21:13 Paradise Oskar is singing a song he wrote for the Finns’ entry called “Da Da Dam” (which surprisingly is the mind-blowingly deep chorus). And with the opening lines, “Peter is smart, he knows his European country by heart” he is off to a fantastic start. It apparently is cute little song about a little Finnish boy trying to save the planet. Maybe the Finns are going for simplicity since it worked for Lena last year. From Wikipedia I find out Paradise’s real first name is Axel. WTF?! Why change a name that Eddie Murphy made famous?!

Look man, I ain't fallin' for no banana in my tailpipe

21:18 Bosnia & Herzegovina…Two words: Plaid Jacket. Maybe I am now biased towards Bosnia, but I kinda like the song and the bit of horn music.

21:21 A Friend in London sings their song “A New Tomorrow.” I might be biased towards Denmark now, but I hate this song. The positivity of the first three songs is making me ill. If only America could compete, we could offer up a song about shooting terrorists in the eye. The guitarist had to run to another part of the stage it was about a 500 meter run (it was kinda like when Denethor of Gondor ran on fire to jump to his death.) They must not be singing live or the Danes are in great shape, because he is not even winded.

21:26 Lithuania: ok my new drinking game is to take a drink when someone says tomorrow. Fog machine, white piano, and male pianist wearing a white tux. Only Tom Hanks in Big could pull that one off. (There you go, Kate).

21:29 They are showing pictures of the Viktualienmarkt in Munich! Go Munich!

21:30 Hungary has Kati Wolf singing “What about my Dreams?” She wants to be Celine, but it is not working out. Oh wait dance beat starts, she wins the future! She is very thin but her shiny blue dress is giving her stomach pouch. (Memo to self: avoid stomach pouch dresses). There are male dancers in the back wearing the Hungarian uniform for white guys trying to look cool: Fubu. Now the Fubunauts’ wrists and crotches are glowing. Finally! This is why I watch this show, glowing crotches.

21:34 The band Jedward from Ireland is wearing shiny red jackets that Bowie would drown a kitten for. Their video display in the background looks like a Target ad. I want to buy some throw pillows now.

These are toned down from what they wore

21:37 The Shhhvidish guy, named Eric (I kid not), has magic frames a la the “Take On Me” video but behind the frames they just look dumb and not like 80s drawings. He is trying to use a non-subliminal message to win by saying he will be popular. Nice try. Now I know what the frames are supposed to represent…they are mirrors into which our little Swedish Stuart Smalley can look into and convince himself that “people like me.”

21:42 Estonia: I am pretty sure Jack McBrayer is one of the dancers; he is decidedly chinless and does the wide-eyed thing.

Not Pictured: Kenneth the Page

21:45 The Greek guys (again only guys, Greece?!) are kind of scary looking. Their song is called “Watch my Dance.” Ok then, I will.  F-Bomb! Greek pop mixed with bad English rap, Aristotle would be so proud. Their backdrop is made up of ionic columns. Thanks for the reminder that once you guys produced good stuff. All I can think of is are we only on number nine?

21:49 Russia has a guy singing a song called “Get You.” I think he is singing in English, but I can’t concentrate because of the 90s boy band dance moves. Backflip, while lip-syncing. I am impressed.

21:53 The French guy is singing a song called “Sognu”, while Bolero plays in the background. His hair is a little like Opera Man’s. Wow, way too much of my brain is taken up remembering old SNL characters. This song sucks, and I am not saying this because my iPhone was stolen in Paris.

21:57 The Italians have a ‘jazz’ song called “Madness Of Love.” The singer has been enjoying too much of his mama’s cooking, and that lame joke is all I can make about this lackluster performance/song.

22:02 Switzerland! My least favorite European country! The girl’s song is called “In Love for Awhile.” A ukulele cannot save this. Her background is like a Jimmy Dean Sausage commercial.

22:06 The UK’s group Blue is singing a song “I Can.” Interwebs correct me if I am wrong, but wasn’t the UK in last place last year? They are dressed in blue suits with cummerbunds and their black shirts unbuttoned, making them look like drunk, douchey members of a wedding party. I have been an Anglophile my entire life. This is making me question my unconditional love.

When I looked up a picture of Blue, I got a horrible nude picture of one of the singers. My eyes, my eyes!

22:11 Moldova is up next. I had to look up where Moldova is, but that didn’t explain to me why they are wearing wizard hats. Now there is a girl in a white lacey dress on a unicycle with a white wizard hat. You think you would get someone good at unicycling for this.

You can see the fear in her face

22:15 Good luck and we are pressing our thumbs, for LENA!!! This year she has sprung for backup dancers in silver leotards and a jumpsuit (bad choice).  The dancers aren’t dancing, they are doing choreography and really do look like “ducks that are dying.” Lena is going for a slutty, drunk girl look to distract from this song that is going nowhere fast.

"I am so over Eurovision!"

22: 20 Romania is going to change the world, but not alone. The drummer apparently borrowed the Bosnian singer’s jacket.

22:24 Austria’s girl is starting a capella and is telling me that the secret is in me…it’s love! The music is a little like the build-up part of “Without You.” When it crescendos though to the chorus you realize that that song is amazing and this song blows.

22:27 Azerbaijan. I love saying Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan. Try it! Their song is called “Running Scared” and the girls are wearing white toga like dresses and dancing like the Hermoine Gingold and her pals in Music Man. “One Grecian Urn!”

22:31 Slovenia’s Maja Keuc sings “No One.” I already like the depressing feel and the leather fingerless gloves. She says she is going to stand on her own without you (shit boyfriend), while standing with a bunch of backup singers. Just remember the message of this song, no one will ever really love you. Take that other countries with your messages of hope and love.

22:38 Sjonni’s Friends from Iceland will sing a song called “Coming Home.” Have I ever mentioned I much I love the name of the Icelandic historian Snorri Sturluson? Well now I have. Holy crap! Why has Iceland sent their version of the Osmond brothers? And why are they using a Partridge Family background? I have seen praise bands cooler than these guys. Seriously the piano they are using looks like one in a church basement.

I think there is some emotional story behind this song, but I don't care

22:41 Oh thank god, we are on number 22! Spain! Take it away! They are singing Que Me Quiten Lo Bailao which Google translate tells me means “Remove me what Bailao.” Indeed! It is catchy and the lead singer girl is cute.

22:44 They are showing Ukrainian students in the English Garden here in Munich. See Germany won’t throw you East Europeans out right away. Now Ukraine presents a song called “Angel.” The blonde singer is wearing a dress with feather epaulets. I have seen classier outfits on your country’s figure skaters. Honey, you want to suggest an angel not be one. Remember what happened to the overly literal Belarussian with butterfly costumes last year?

22:49 Serbia has Nina singing Čaroban which means magical. Nina has Twiggy hair and British 60s dances moves to match. I kinda love it, but that is probably because my dad named me after a 60s British actress.

My namesake

22:53 Georgia wraps up the performances with “One More Day.” One more song is more like it! Screaming, flashing lights, men wearing eyeliner. Georgia hates you!

Alright the lines are open! Vote now. I think I am voting for Bosnia or maybe Ireland.

Wunder Wednesday: Fasching

Now that I have recovered from yesterday’s festivities, I can post some pictures from the celebrations in Munich’s Viktualienmarkt.  On the morning of Fasching Tuesday, you can head down here to watch the Tanz der Marktfrauen. I couldn’t really get a good picture, so I stole one from Bild.

 

 

It was a gorgeous sunny day and pretty darn warm for Munich in March.  Carnival here is treated more like our Halloween, so that means lots of costumes and drinking.

A few things I have learned about Fasching in Munich:

1. It is apparently just fine to wear what most Americans would considered to be pretty racist costumes. (See some of the pictures below.)

2. Cowboys and Indians are still cool here.

3. Steak sandwiches are amazing.

4. I will never remember how to do the stupid/awesome dance for the Cowboy und Indianer song

Ok, it is picture time

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Food Friday: NSFV

This of course stands for Not Safe For Vegetarians. Admittedly, this label could be applied to almost all of Munich. The vegetarian option is usually cheesy noodles. Be warned! They often throw in some bacon for good measure.

Today on the Food Friday menu we have  Schweinshaxn. Before I tell you what that is, here is a picture (totally saved myself a 1000 words).

 

Hint: It is not the dumpling or the red cabbage

That is right! Schweinshaxn (which is the Bavarian spelling) is roasted pork knuckle. Yum???

As you might expect the meat of the ham hock is not particularly tender. As a reliable source explains, “since this piece generally consists of much skin, tendons and ligaments, it requires long cooking through stewing or braising to be made palatable.” Notice it does not say tasty or delicious. It just says palatable.

If you were out all day farming you might be hungry enough for this meal. Also it makes sense to use every part of an animal. Waste not blah blah… I however sit at a desk all day or play “zombie attack” with children so I don’t really require all the fat, skin, tendons, etc.  I also have taste buds and a weak stomach, so I steer clear of this dish.

Generally, I just try to avoid most pork products. [Except bacon. Who can resist that stuff?!]  This is extremely difficult in Munich. Germany ranks 5th in the world of the most pork consumed per person. Austria is number 1.  I am pretty sure Munich can be considered to have been annexed by Austria in this instance.

Silly Signs Sunday

HA! We’re back! (Car Talk reference #1). I thought I would write a new post instead of having you read tons of classic blog posts. And by classic we mean old. (Car Talk reference #2. Can you tell what I listened to all morning?) I am still suffering from Jet Slap (def: a bitch slap administered by time), so I thought I would do something easy. For me, that means making snarky comments about blurry pictures I took around town.

You got orange soda in my coke! You got coke in my orange soda! Together they taste like crap!

Oh Mezzo Mix, with your stupid slogan, “Cola kisses Orange”, what can I say about you? A lot actually.  Especially because I missed Food Friday. First of all, Mezzo Mix is the Coca-Cola brand of something known generically as Spezi. Spezi is just orange soda mixed with regular cola. A reliable source reports that “due to its thirst-quenching qualities, it is particularly popular in ski resorts and mountain huts, where it is often served in amounts of half a litre. By contrast, it is hardly ever seen in Vienna.” I think this is because the Viennese are not crazy. The Pepsi brand is called Schwip-Schwap, which is about 95.3 times more fun to say than Mezzo Mix. Try it! Come on, I know you want to.

What you shouldn’t try is Spezi. I think it tastes gross. Some flavors just shouldn’t come together. For example, orange and toothpaste. Imagine this sign with the man who represents cola replaced with a toothbrush covered with toothpaste and the blond woman (i.e. orange soda) still kissing it, and you would feel the same nauseous feeling I do when I look at this ad. (Don Draper, between drinks and sleeping with his mistresses, just let me know that I will  never have a career in advertising.)

Refrigerator Heaven?

The chain of electronics stores here in Germany is called Saturn.  They sell printers, computers, music, household appliances, etc. Their spokesperson is Alice Cooper, which makes perfect sense to me. However, I don’t think they are really tapping into to his full potential. This is an ad for a washing machine on a bus shelter near where I live. Yes, this washer is pretty cool with its super fast programs, varied washing cycles, and life-time warranty.  But I would be more impressed if it showed Alice Cooper (birth name: Vincent Damon Furnier) doing the wash after one of the stage shows. The copy could read, “Look, it gets out fake blood,  guillotine grease, and electric chair scorch marks!”  Or, “It gets the whiskey out of the lace.” (Take that Don!)

Scarves Optional

This is a Colorforms-like ad on the windows of a salon near me. I am pretty sure the guy in the back is saying, “Do you really want your hair to look like that? It kinda looks like you are one of those poor schmucks the Weather Channel sends out into storms to report that it is indeed windy and miserable.”

Sometimes on the U-Bahn I see a group of teenage German boys each with their hair styled in a similar fashion. Although, I am pretty sure that they text each other in the morning to make sure nobody’s hair is pointing in the same direction.

P.S. Can someone please get me Colorforms for Christmas. Their slogan is “Even more fun today than when we were kids!”, which makes me wonder what these adults are using them for. According to the company, Colorforms are “playful, imaginative, creative, open-ended, approachable, clean,  and easy.” And more importantly, “reusable, repositionable, and forgiving.“