Oh la oh la oh no! It's Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2009... Who will win? Who will be Double Trouble?

....and who cares?!



Well, on a wet, windy day we played the three minute test and wondered if there were any songs which would get listened to from beginning to end...

Live from Kiev Shady Lady Ani Lorak and Timur Miroshnichenko will present the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2009.



The betting favourite is currently Katya Ryabova with Маленький Принц/Malenky Prints for Russia, which has a Swedish sounding chorus....



Malta have mini Chiara as a member of Francesca & Mikaela singing Double Trouble.

Serbia - has some ahh ahh ahhs and a bounce-a long-a beat...



Will Belgium - Zo Verliefd (Yodelo)by Laura, be swinging to the top of the leaderboard with her yodelling?

The Melodimen money is on....



Wohow wohow! Badabediedoe, Badabediedoe hey!

Tickety tack, Click clack!

Sing-a long-a with BBC Children in Need 2009.

Live from BBC Television Centre Sir Terry Wogan, Pudsey and friends will be presenting the 30th BBC Children in Need marathon.

Here is the official song by Peter Kay, available to download from midnight.



Can you feel it!

Good to see Eurovision stars The Wombles are back!

Bagpuss, Andy Pandy, Postman Pat, Pingu, Zippy and Bungle, Paddington Bear... what stars!

Alcazar, Aqua, PSB, Sir Cliff... 'Spin me your Christmas' Number 1!

The countdown to the UK Christmas Number 1 used to be exciting in the days before the inevitability of X Factor Xmas chart toppers.

The Christmas message was long ago lost

Now it's all about shopping and how much things cost

It's meant to be goodwill, as well as synthetic fun

What is this year's festive number one?
Text och musik: Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe.

Here are some Melodimen Christmas contenders:

Alcazar are releasing Last Christmas and have a glittertastic video!



Eurovision's Aqua are back with - Spin me your Christmas



And here is the new version of It doesn't often snow at Christmas by the Pet Shop Boys. Originally released as a Christmas gift to subscribersto Literally - the official fanzine in 1997. It was also performed on TFI Friday around 2000, with Chris dressed as Santa.

The remix by Marius de Vries is complete with: bells dinging, choirs singing, Hark the hearld angels singing, trumpets fanfaring, and woo oooohs. Plus there's a Once in Royal David City play out ending and the classic Tennant: "Merry Christmas" and Lowe: "and a happy new year" greeting!

Released on December 14th featuring:

1. It Doesn't Often Snow at Christmas
2. My Girl
3. All Over the World
4. Viva la Vida/Domino Dancing
5. My Girl (Pet Shop Boys House Mix)



I'll still have a glow at Christmas because I'll be with you.

An Anthem to Remember

UK Eurovision Song Contest entrant James Fox and Katherine Jenkins performing Anthem from Chess at The Festival of Remembrance at The Royal Albert Hall.



Text och musik: Benny Andersson, Tim Rice and Björn Ulvaeus.

Good Morning from the Midlands - Life is a book, such a beautiful book and it's waiting for you to read...

"Good morning! This is the Melodimen blogging from the Midlands via the associated transmitters of the world wide web...."



Midlands Montage Musik: Johnny Pearson.

Our reader has requested another TV fanfare: Life is a beautiful book, officially called Odyssey by Stephanie De Sykes and Rain. The melodi was used for the daily start up of ATV during the 1970s until it was replaced by the one above because it dared to have words in it and breached IBA rules.

The fusion of sights and sounds is to behold....!
Fields...
Trees...
Streams...
and chimneys and cooling towers?!

Control the excitement as the word and picture chemistry continues in the second verse....

Winding road... cue Spaghetti Junction.

Take you down to the sound of the town and the might city - cue Birmingham!

Winding road, take us home in the end like a friend back to where the heart is - is there a Siegel flying around BT Tower?!

Stand by for the big ending racing to the sky from 3'06, sing-a long-a...



La, la, la.... beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, beautiful!

And Chris, there is always a Eurovision Song Contest connection! Stephanie De Sykes wrote the text och musik along with her husband Stuart Slater to the 1978 and 1980 UK entries: Bad old days and Love enough for two plus the Song for Europe entry All around the world!

In 1974, Stephanie took a Golden Shot at the UK chart, peaking at number #2 with:



Born with a smile on my face.

Text och musik: Simon May.

Shame the tanktop boys couldn't master the Alcazar hand clap-clap...

La la la lala lala - clap clap!

From the heart of England - Have a beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, beautiful day!

Melodifestivalen 2010 Petra we will miss you!

svt have announced that Måns Zelmerlöw, Christine Meltzer and Dolph Lundgren will present Melodifestivalen 2010 and such forth!


Meanwhile, the web joker competition is down to the final four, following the departure of Love for people, My kind of love is now in danger after being 2nd!

Will Jessica Friberg Break free of the competition and win? Or will Come and get me now to Eurovision be the Swedish televoters' message?



All will be revealed on Thursday!

Brandenburger Tor! No walls anywhere! 20 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall!

"When west is no longer west, and east is no longer east, Europe is greater."
Harold Treutiger, 1992.

Twenty years ago today saw the fall of the Berlin Wall.

The 1990 Eurovision Song Contest in Zagreb, saw many a melodi celebrating a united Europe.

Chris Kempers and Daniel Kovac were hand in hand for Germany, singing about freiheit, with Frei zu leben. Text och musik: Ralph Siegel and Michael Kunze.

Finland, sang Fri? in Swedish.

The winner, Toto Cutugno sang Insieme: 1992.

It was all about Keine mauer mehr No walls anywhere!



Ketil Stokkan for Norway also sang about the Berlin Wall in Brandenburger Tor.



Hand in hand, sing-a long-a...

En heil verden va' te' stede
An entire world was present
Førr å dele det som skjedde i høst
To share what happened this autumn
Vi så menneska gråte av glede
We saw people weeping from happiness
Og ei grense åpne mot øst
And a border opening towards the east
Ingen kunne la vær, alle sammen va' der
No one could avoid it, everyone was there
Og fick se (fick se) Brandenburger Tor
And got to see (got to see) the Brandenburg Gate

Her står vi på Brandenburger Tor
Here we stand at the Brandenburg Gate
Hånd i hånd som om det va' i går
Hand in hand as if it were yesterday
Du og æ på Brandenburger Tor
You and I at the Brandenburg Gate
Vi ser Brandenburger Tor
We see the Brandenburg Gate
Ja, vi ser Brandenburger Tor
Yes, we see the Brandenburg Gate

Et heilt folk ville leve
An entire people wished to live
Og førtelle om sin rike kultur
And tell about their rich culture
Vi så sannheta åpent på TV
We saw the truth out in the open on TV
Fra en bydel gjemt bak en mur
From a part of town hidden behind a wall
Byen løfta sitt slør, allting ser ut som før
The city lifted its veil, everything looks like it used to
Førr oss (førr oss), på Brandenburger Tor
To us (to us), at the Brandenburg Gate

Her står vi på Brandenburger Tor
Here we stand at the Brandenburg Gate
Hånd i hånd som om det va' i går
Hand in hand as if it were yesterday
Du og æ på Brandenburger Tor
You and I at the Brandenburg Gate
Vi ser Brandenburger Tor
We see the Brandenburg Gate

Etter mange lange år
After many long years
En ny vår (ny vår) førr Brandenburger Tor
A new spring (new spring) for the Brandenburg Gate

Her står vi på Brandenburger Tor
Here we stand at the Brandenburg Gate
Hånd i hånd som om det va' i går
Hand in hand as if it were yesterday
Du og æ på Brandenburger Tor
You and I at the Brandenburg Gate
Vi ser Brandenburger Tor
We see the Brandenburg Gate

(Her står vi på Brandenburger Tor)
(Here we stand at the Brandenburg Gate)
Hånd i hånd som om det va' i går
Hand in hand as if it were yesterday
Du og æ på Brandenburger Tor
You and I at the Brandenburg Gate
Vi ser Brandenburger Tor
We see the Brandenburg Gate

(Her står vi på Brandenburger Tor)
(Here we stand at the Brandenburg Gate)
Hånd i hånd som om det va' i går
Hand in hand as if it were yesterday
Du og æ på Brandenburger
Tor You and I at the Brandenburg Gate
Vi ser Brandenburger Tor
We see the Brandenburg Gate
Ja, vi ser Brandenburger Tor
Yes, we see the Brandenburg Gate

Text och musik: Ketil Stokkan.

Keine Grenzen-Żadnych granic

I give it you, someone special... Last Christmas by Alcazar!

Wrapped up for Christmas, here is the new Alcazar version of Last Christmas originally by Wham!

Alcazar hand clap-claps
The whispered 'Happy Christmas' at 0'38
The pupoos starting at 0'55
La la la-ing and swaying at 1'32
The key change at 2'19

Snälla snälla snälla give to Children in Need!

Here is After Dark performing at Världens Barngalan 2009 as La voix of schlager drottnings Malena Ernman and Caroline af Ugglas.

Even if you can't speak Swedish, it's a boot-i-ful rendition of the Melodifestivalen and Eurovision songs!



BBC Children in Need snälla snälla snälla take note!

The Dawn of a new sound, Sarah goes Latino with Alcazar's Andreas!

Sarah Dawn Finer's career continues to be Moving on...

Although the latest performance of her Melodifestivalen power ballad seems to have lost the duh duhs in favour of a guitar?! We're Trying to recall what happened to Marie Lindberg and think now is the time for the Dawning of Schlager Sarah!



Sarah ditches the guitar at the key change and there is hope... having seen a schlagertastic duet with Alcazar's Andreas Lundstedt on Doobidoo!

Moving on the dance floor with a latino sounding Håll om mig by schlager drottning Nanne Grönvall.



You can be an Alcastar - Sarah!

Melodifestivalen 2010 - Darin-g to go direkt to Globen....?

Later today svt will announce the first joker/wild card for Melodifestivalen 2010!

Names rumoured to be on Christer Björkman's list are: Swedish Idol Darin and schlager drottning Lena PHilipsson.

So here is Darin with Det gör ont



Darin took to the Melodifestivalen stage in Malmö in 2009 with Se på mig.

He is currently number one in the Swedish Chart with Viva la vida.

*svt have confirmed Darin Zanyar will perform You're out of my life*

Text och musik: Henrik Janson and Tony Nilsson.



Eedoll Kevin Borg is still awaiting for his phone to Ring Ring...

Körslaget 2009 - Forget Team Brolle, it's raining men!

Team Ola singing It's raining men on Körslaget.

UTV Happy Birthday to U

It's all about U - Celebrating 50 years of TV broadcasting!

UTV has gone promo crazy this week...




Good to see Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus featuring in the promotion, along with Dame Gloria Hunniford at home as ever on a swivel chair and pot plant. Good to see Alcazar hand clapping is big in Ulster!

Plus a few plinkety plonkety fanfares from the past.




U don't know what your missing - bring back on screen continuity announcers throughout the UK!



It's all about U - Julian Simmons!

Flags and fanfares!

BC wishes Anglia a very happy 50th!

Körslaget 2009: Inget Stoppar Oss Nu...

Nothing is going to stop us now, was a schlagertastic sing-a long-a which guaranteed Team Stefan a place in next week's Körslaget.



However, one choir had to go last night...

Was it Team Ola?

Start spreading the news, I'm leaving today....



Were Team Andreas a bit Poker faced?



Did Team Roger Go North out the competition?

Did the Fairytale end for Team Amy?

Were Team Rigo out foxed?

Surely Caroline af Ugglas' boots were too fab to walk out the competition?