Rehearsals, live in my own living room
With a good chunk of the team in place in Malmö it’s day one of rehearsals. The assembled press of Europe are crammed into...
Russia faces call to withdraw from 2022 Eurovision Song Contest
With the political situation constantly changing in Ukraine, there has been a call for the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to expel Russia from the...
Russia – a seat in many churches
Going through without a shadow of doubt. It is a very good pop song that is performed by a man that appeals to all...
Russia and cognitive dissonance
So I set my ground rules years ago. You’ve got to ignore the country name, I said. You’ve got to just judge the song...
In a curious turn of events…
...Phil has just informed me via Social Network that Riigiametnik has been video-calling him with pictures of a local Azeri pear-flavoured beverage which looks...
Russia quits European Broadcasting Union
After yesterday's European Broadcasting Union (EBU) announcement that Russia would not take part in the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest, there were plans to hold...
The Fanning Verdict: Day One at Eurovision 2021
I'll be here throughout rehearsals to tell you what I thought of what was going on and gathering up the official clips in one...
The Russians are coming
Phil: Still my kind of song - still the kind of thing that I like a lot, and my ilk will like as well...
The Russians mix it up at Eurovision
Nick: OK, I'm completely confused now. It's the Beastie Boys and Girls Aloud and Afro-Dite and it's easily the most contemporary song of the...
If all you saw was a girl in a wheelchair, what...
It was little more than a week ago that Russia's Channel One announced Julia Samoylova as its choice for the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest. At...