{"id":470,"date":"2009-05-19T10:18:32","date_gmt":"2009-05-19T09:18:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/eurovision\/?p=470"},"modified":"2009-05-19T10:19:22","modified_gmt":"2009-05-19T09:19:22","slug":"a-fairytale-ending","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/eurovision\/2009\/05\/19\/a-fairytale-ending\/","title":{"rendered":"A fairytale ending&#8230;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt\">\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial\" lang=\"EN-GB\"><span style=\"font-size: small\">So, how did your favourite song do on Saturday night?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial\" lang=\"EN-GB\"><span style=\"font-size: small\">\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial\" lang=\"EN-GB\"><span style=\"font-size: small\">I thought that it was a really entertaining evening, from the opening act of Cirque du Soleil, through all the songs to the stunning interval act.<span>\u00a0 <\/span>I hear favourable things about how Graham Norton handled proceedings, which is good as it must have been a daunting prospect to replace Terry Wogan.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial\" lang=\"EN-GB\"><span style=\"font-size: small\">\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial\" lang=\"EN-GB\"><span style=\"font-size: small\">Row 5 seats were awesome \u2013 although it was irritating to be sitting with people who seemed obsessed with getting on the television!<span>\u00a0 <\/span>Funny also that there was a guy who was obviously the \u2018flag police\u2019 for the front section of the stage.<span>\u00a0 <\/span>Each time that anyone lifted a flag too high during a performance, or attempted to stand to take a photo \u2013 he pounced, and would shine a torch in the face of the offender.<span>\u00a0 <\/span>It seemed to work!<span>\u00a0 <\/span>As the floor manager says to the audience before the start of the broadcast, a lot of effort goes into perfecting the camera angles, vision mixing etc. &#8211; so to have the flag of Turkey blocking the shots (the main offender in our area) is disrespectful to all the efforts of the camera crew and the producers, but also to the artists.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial\" lang=\"EN-GB\"><span style=\"font-size: small\">\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial\" lang=\"EN-GB\"><span style=\"font-size: small\">Anyway, Iceland was stunning, and finished second \u2013 yay!<span>\u00a0 <\/span>Jade played an absolute blinder to finish in fifth place \u2013 were all blown away \u2013 and I hope a star is born\u2026<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial\" lang=\"EN-GB\"><span style=\"font-size: small\">\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt\"><span style=\"font-size: small\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial\" lang=\"EN-GB\">France<\/span><span style=\"font-family: Arial\" lang=\"EN-GB\"> did well to finish in the top 10. <span>\u00a0<\/span>Azerbaijan snagged a well deserved third place.<span>\u00a0 <\/span>Sakis faded really, but still a top 10 finish isn\u2019t bad in such a competitive field. <span>\u00a0<\/span>And poor Chiara \u2013 way off the pace in 21<sup>st<\/sup> place.<span>\u00a0 <\/span>Perhaps it just shows that third time isn\u2019t exactly a charm.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial\" lang=\"EN-GB\"><span style=\"font-size: small\">\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial\" lang=\"EN-GB\"><span style=\"font-size: small\">And as for Alexander Rybak &#8211; the hot, hot, hot fave from Norway, it was a stunning victory by a huge margin.<span>\u00a0 <\/span>Let\u2019s face it \u2013 this song was always going to win, and it did so with great style.<span>\u00a0 <\/span>I\u2019m very pleased that we\u2019re heading to Oslo next year for Norway\u2019s third victory (following 1985 and 1995).<span>\u00a0 <\/span>I\u2019d better get saving once again, as a pint will set you back seven quid, apparently!<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial\" lang=\"EN-GB\"><span style=\"font-size: small\">\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial\" lang=\"EN-GB\"><span style=\"font-size: small\">Must just say that at the press conference after his victory Alexander was charming and seem quite rightly chuffed with himself \u2013 any why not, he\u2019s just won the Eurovision Song Contest.<span>\u00a0 <\/span>No pretentious affectation for this young man.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial\" lang=\"EN-GB\"><span style=\"font-size: small\">\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial\" lang=\"EN-GB\"><span style=\"font-size: small\">I eventually got to bed at 5.15am, and had kinda forgotten that citytalk.fm were interviewing me at 10.50am!<span>\u00a0 <\/span>I was dead to the world when they called \u2013 just as well that I heard the telephone.<span>\u00a0 <\/span>We had a 15 minute interview and so that\u2019s me up and about for the day.<span>\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial\" lang=\"EN-GB\"><span style=\"font-size: small\">\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial\" lang=\"EN-GB\"><span style=\"font-size: small\">As we\u2019re not travelling back until tomorrow afternoon I think the plan is to do brunch, then have a mooch, get some fresh air, and take it easy \u2013 we whooped and clapped out little hearts out last night\u2026 and I enjoyed every minute of it from start to finish.<span>\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial\" lang=\"EN-GB\"><span style=\"font-size: small\">\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial\" lang=\"EN-GB\"><span style=\"font-size: small\">Apparently there were sightings of me again in the audience \u2013 I hope that Armani waistcoat was worth the money.<span>\u00a0 <\/span>And for long-time readers of this blog you will notice that the winning singer was wearing a waistcoat \u2013 so they are obviously <em>back, back, back!<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial\" lang=\"EN-GB\"><span style=\"font-size: small\">\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial\" lang=\"EN-GB\"><span style=\"font-size: small\">So I\u2019m going to sign-off now.<span>\u00a0 <\/span>Thanks for once again for following my movements \u2013 and I really hope that I\u2019ve added a little something extra to your Eurovision experience this year.<span>\u00a0 <\/span>I hope to see you in Oslo next year?!<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt\">\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial\" lang=\"EN-GB\"><span style=\"font-size: small\">Since I first wrote this post (on Sunday) I travelled back to Heathrow yesterday evening (Monday), and I&#8217;ll be driving back to Merseyside today.\u00a0 I had an interesting phone interview with BBC radio Lancashire before catching my flight &#8211; seems that the Contest has gone down well and there is national pride surrounding &#8216;our Jade&#8217; &#8211; thank goodness for that.\u00a0 I wonder who will represent us next year?\u00a0 Far too early to be thinking about that!<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial\" lang=\"EN-GB\"><span style=\"font-size: small\">\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial\" lang=\"EN-GB\"><span style=\"font-size: small\">So that\u2019ll be Moscow then\u2026<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt\">\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u00a0 So, how did your favourite song do on Saturday night? \u00a0 I thought that it was a really entertaining evening, from the opening act of Cirque du Soleil, through all the songs to the stunning interval act.\u00a0 I hear favourable things about how Graham Norton handled proceedings, which is good as it must have [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":367,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-470","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>A fairytale ending... - Phil Jackson&#039;s Eurovision Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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