I'm in love with ESC Kaz!

You've got to love the way a universe of Eurovision fan sites manage to keep on ploughing out news despite the fact that the Eurovision season doesn't even last the best part of five months. I do wonder if I'd be the obsessive that I am if it wasn't for the truly extraordinary amount of information served up by these sites. But there's one blog/news page that I've come to love, especially in recent months.

ESC Kaz is for me the most accurate Eurovision news site (or at least, it has been for the last two or so years) and one of the few that I'd trust with my life... well not my life; my endless Eurovision MP3s maybe. I'm sure you all know of it. It's the home of OGAE Rest of the World and the writers (or is it just writer?) seem to have a surprisingly massive multitude of contacts in the Eurovision world, often getting official words from actual broadcasters. They take Eurovision very seriously and certainly succeed in getting the job done. Just a shame there's no RSS feed. And just how do they make any money from it?!

Of course ESC Kaz is only one of many websites desperate to give you tidbits of information. But there's probably only two others that I religiously use.

ESC Today is always a pleasure to visit because it feels like you're on an actual news website which makes you feel like your obsession is something really important to the world! Then you realise it's not. It's an accurate site, they never jump the gun, but recently it's felt like they're losing out a little to ESC Kaz. They can sometimes be a bit few and far between with their updates.

And then of course there's the legendary Oikotimes: the shitrag of ESC. This site has a place in my heart solely for the fact that it is pure tabloid. Rumours are constantly reported as hard news. Anyone else remember a few months back when they "exclusively" told of how Luxumbourg would definitely be returning in 2010 and this would definitely definitely be happening? Bless their hearts. Another classic moment I remember was last year when they said that 28 countries may be present at the next Junior Eurovision Song Contest because the Dutch Wikipedia said so. Even by Oiko standards, this was a step too far and it was removed a few hours later. I also love the way the majority of staff at Oikotimes are unashamedly Greek. They do love their Greek NF rumours and they always pick out even the slighest indication that FYR Macedonia might be presented as just "Macedonia" and immediately express their disgust. Oh what a website! But just what is an "Oiko"?

Eurovision for me definately would not be the same without these websites: the second-by-second updates from rehearsals at the arena, the wild gossip of NF participants, the obituaries for former ESC contestants... actually come to think of it, obituaries for Eurovision are very rare. Perhaps if you compete, you end up living forever! Except for Toše, of course, oh poor Toše.

Good night Europe!

This could be the start of something...

Let's get this straight. I'm a closet Eurovision fan. Always have been. Probably always will be. I'm terrified of the looks I'd get in the street, the laughs I'd recieve from strangers, the torturous glares I'd get in coffee shops, restaurants, train stations, libraries, airports, buses, car parks, homeless shelters, mirrors, McDonald's, cups, pens, chairs, EVERYTHING!

I just wouldn't be able to handle it. I'd rather stick to a life of quietly watching NFs on my laptop in the corner of my room through headphones.

So yes. I'm obsessed with Eurovision. I wish I could just be a casual viewer who longs for Wogan to return, despises the East, gets bored of the voting and is unaware of the exsistance of the semi-finals. But I'm not that viewer. I'm the sodding opposite. I love the East, I adore the voting, I refuse to uriniate during the semis (let alone the final) and I HATE(d) Wogan with all my f-ing heart. Melfest has turned me into a social recluse six Saturdays of the year while my Eurovision house parties are just a way to ensure that I definately get to watch my beloved, rare programme (annoyingly my friend's birthday almost always falls on that night).

I've been holding these feelings inside for far too long. I need to get them out. I need to tell someone that I've played Stay the Night by Alcazar 1453 times on my iPod, I need to tell someone that I weapt as I sold my small and Precious (UK 1999) ESC DVD collection which I'd hidden under my bed for two years as I couldn't risk my mum finding them once I'd moved to university, I just need to tell someone and let it all out before I accidently lose my mind and do something adverse like...like... well something adverse and Eurovision related (possibly).

And that, my friends, is the purpose of this blog. I'll be returning here every so often (and hopefully you will too) noting my thoughts and feelings (yeah, ramblings) on that international event we all love so dearly. I'll document my daily struggle not to blurt out "BOM" in the street or burst into the entire Stay the Night routine which I have embarrassingly learnt step by step, off by heart. Fingers crossed my suffering will of some entertainment to someone out there.

Goodnight Europe!