Verka Serduchka

I sat down in New York City’s Central Park with Bosnian-American Opera Singer Tinka Milinovic . Tinka (holds Master of Music degree from the University of Louisiana, graduated 1998), international TV star, public persona, and recording artiste extraordinaire. Tinka has competed at the Bosnian Eurovision Song Contest national finals with songs “Sve sto imas ti”(2002), “I’m Never Gonna Fall”(2003), and “Sometimes I Wish I Were a Child Again”(2005). Although not winning in 2002, Tinka became an over-night sensation getting offers to host her own TV and radio shows, as well as a lead role in Sarajevo Opera. In 2003, Tinka was invited and performed ... Read Full Story

John Battelle describes a search engine as a ' database of intentions ' offering 'a place holder for the intentions of humankind - a massive database of desires, needs, wants, and likes.' Tuning into this data can therefore potentially identify front runners for popular competitions where public voting determines the outcome. However, Bill Tancer from Hitwise has had mixed success in predicting American Idol results and last year I failed in my attempt to use internet data (Search volumes, YouTube views etc) to predict the Eurovision Song Contest winner for 2008. Eurovision Song Contest 2009 logo The Eurovision Song Contest is a massive European ... Read Full Story

(There are things far worse than shooting an Archduke…) Today’s topical question comes to you, thanks to an article in the online Times - to wit: Could there be a TV show more tedious than the Eurovision Song Contest? Yes, that same old, same old Eurovision Contest: That pathetic love-to-hate child of a gay Sweeney Todd (” The demon hairdresser of Amy W. Street” ) and an anorexic, croaking, Croatian she-goat. I’m not sure who ever thought it was a good idea to have the nations of Europe search their various asylums for the insane to find the least talented nitwits in the land ... Read Full Story

Yes …………. it’s that time of year again where a certain song contest is looming and getting ever closer going by the name of the Eurovision Song Contest 2009. This year it is to be held in the Russian capital Moscow as Russia’s Dima Bilan won in 2008 and that means Russia is the hosting country this year. Things are shaping up to look interesting already. Photo above is of Karoliina Kallio of Waldo’s People eurodance group who will represent Finland in the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest 2009, and she is rehearsing at Olimpiysky Sports Compound. With the long standing Terry Wogan no longer ... Read Full Story

(clickable pic) aindreas on Eurovision - come say hi! OK, the annual laught-a-ton (Eurovision) nears. There’s a big push on to spread the voting about. There will be a mix of judges (a la the ole days) and the more recent tele-voting. The most obvious sign that things have changed in recent years. Is that very few national tv broadcasters have any mention of the Eurovision on their websites! It will be the most watched tv event in the world this year (fact). It has a singing Ripleys Believe It Or Not tv fasination buzz about it (lol), hence the viewership figures in the ... Read Full Story