On the second day of Eurovision…
Today, we’re saying goodbye to 2005, and welcoming 2006. After Greece won the contest the previous year, it was decided that the capital of Greece, Athens, would be the host city for the contest. The shows were hosted by former participant Sakis Rouvas and Greek American television presenter Maria Menounos. The contest featured 37 nations, including Armenia who joined Eurovision this year for their debut.
Best staging
This was a difficult one for me, as there was nothing that stayed in my memory as something amazing, but I have to choose something, and under the pressure of choosing something I’ve chosen Ukraine, who had a very energetic song in Show Me Your Love sung by the equally as energetic Tina Karol. The synchronicity of the dancing matched with some on stage acrobatic skipping makes this slightly varied from the other performances.
Best Costume
I could pick Lordi for this, but I’ve decided to take a more traditional approach and say that Belgium had a costume that was probably the most modern taking into consideration the 2006 fashions, and the most flattering. Kate Ryan is beautiful as it is, and that leg slit up the dress just accentuates the right things, without being too over the top *cough cough, Moldova wearing a bra and undies.* I usually wouldn’t be a fan of orange, but it looks really good on her. You go Kate Ryan!
Worst Costume
Portugal takes out the worst costume of 2006, with a shocking display of ‘fashion’ to match an equally as shocking Eurovision entry. The unflattering bodysuits, some with feathers, some with sparkles just looked cheap, only made worse by the corsets on top. The pink Mohawk situation isn’t doing Portugal any favours either. This is definitely a crime against fashion.
Best Live Vocals
Surprisingly, there isn’t one act that stands out from 2006 for having really exceptional, breathtaking, vote-giving vocals. With that in mind, I think I’ll go a little out of the box and say that Switzerland had a really good vocal performance. Despite the fact that I don’t really love the song, and find it pretty cheesy, I have to admit that vocally they are really quite good, separately and when they harmonise together.
Most Underrated
This was a tie between two songs for me, the first is a bit of a strange entry but nevertheless, I think it was a bit underrated, and that’s Latvia. It starts off a bit meh, but for me, the chorus is actually really catchy. I can relatively safely say that if this hadn’t have been automatically qualified into the final, it probably wouldn’t have made it, but saying that, It did end up in 16th position in the final, which still isn’t that bad. It also stands out as an acapella song, which actually isn’t that common at Eurovision.
The other nation that I think was underrated was Norway, even though it came 14th, I think it deserved higher, or more recognition. The song was beautiful, and just had this enchanting feel about it. What was also really nice to hear was the Norwegian language, which after 2006, hasn’t been heard at Eurovision again in a Norwegian entry.
Best All-Rounder
This was a fairly easy decision for me, as the song I’ve chosen has it all. It has a beautiful performance, a beautiful voice behind it and it’s a genuinely stunning song. Any guesses? It’s Bosnia and Herzegovina who wins our Best All-Rounder award for 2006. The song was composed by Željko Joksimović, who is easily one of the best, or at least, consistent composers for Eurovision, and everything about this is just a Željko creation. The staging is classy and timeless, and the combination of voice and music is an absolute winner.
Best Gimmicks
2006 offered a whole plethora of acts who just loved using props or gimmicks on stage, with some a lot more successful than others. It would be crazy to talk about best gimmicks without mentioning Finland, who won the contest with one of the most gimmicky songs in Eurovision history. Lordi wasn’t a specific act created for Eurovision, they were an established band who always stood by their characters, which is what makes the band just so cool. It’s a winner, literally!
Honourable mention to Iceland, which I definitely don’t need to explain!
Most Cringe worthy Moment
Essentially the whole show featuring the two hosts was one giant cringe but the absolute cringe moment was in the final, where Nana Mouskouri came on stage with the two hosts, and they went to flip the giant sand timer and as soon as they let go, the timer flipped over to their surprise. It was all aboard the cringe train to awkward city, and then Maria chimes in with, ‘it’s because you’re so strong’ – nah, it’s just because the top half is heavier than the bottom, and it wasn’t straight, therefore gravity intervened– science, Maria.
Also, sorry for the bad quality video!
Best Hairstyle
Ah yes, time for another cracking hairstyle, and today’s lucky winner has to be Russia’s Dima Bilan, who is sporting a classic mullet, meaning business at the front, and party at the back. It’s not even a nearly mullet, it’s a full blown mullet situation, and I can safely say I’m glad Dima came to his senses and tamed the party for his next Eurovision performance in 2008 (although his backing performers still haven’t let it go…)
Bonus Category: Best Four+ Piece Group
When watching through Eurovision 2006, I noticed a bunch of larger groups performing, from Latvia and Lithuania, to Switzerland and of course Finland, to name a few. As such, the bonus category today aims to find the very best group with four or more members, and without further ado, our winner is Lithuania! They are our winners, simply because they decided to sing a song about winning Eurovision, but not in reference to a previous win, but as an anticipation of their 2006 results. Is it a bit cocky? Yeah sure, but that’s why we love to love it.
Fun Facts about Eurovision 2006:
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The 1000th song to be performed at Eurovision was Ireland’s entry in 2006, ‘Every Song is a Cry for Love’ by Brian Kennedy
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This was the first year an official fan book was released, giving more details about the acts participating
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The official logo was inspired by ‘the wind and the sea, the golden sunlight and the glow of the sand’
Quick-fire Top 5:
In no particular order,
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Belgium
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Finland
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Bosnia & Herzegovina
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Ukraine
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Turkey
Top 3 Guilty Pleasure Songs
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Spain
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Iceland
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Netherlands