28 November – Those girls I’d serenade
The 'novelty' song. Every contest has them. Just look at Carola. I joke. Carola has never been a novelty. But these songs sometimes do...
Time to put the Swedes on … Melodifestivalen 2020
For many, it's the start of the season proper. The day when Swedish telly lets us know who's in the running for the juggernaut...
15 November – How could I ever refuse?
Just once in a while, I'll pick a birthday for a member of a group. And I've gone obscure. Possibly. Let's see if her...
14 November – Go, until the end of the horizon
Black and white is an underrated medium. It can cover a multitude of sins, not least you can wear what garish colour you like...
13 November – Travel the world, feel free
Back in the 1970s, it was almost the same countries that turned up every year. There was none of this semi-final tomfoolery. And as...
RTP names composers for 2020 Eurovision shows
The 2020 Eurovision national finals season will once again feature a late-night marathon hosted by Portuguese broadcaster RTP.
The Festival da Canção is an acquired...
3 November – I would like to stay with you looking...
In those days before the free language, did you wish that your country could sing in any language it chose? Or do you think...
2 November – We promised our true love for all eternity
It's good to go right back at time. For those that don't know, there was once a contest with only ten songs. Can you...
1 November – Won’t somebody save me tonight?
Balkan, Balkan, Balkan. And so on. That's where we are today, and things have a definite Cyrillic flavour. We're with a country that burst...
Vročina je vklopljena, čas je pravi
TV Slovenia has announced that its selection procedure will start BEFORE this year's EMA with something called EMA FREŠ. No, it's not a brand of...