Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi ...

... sang Celine Dion some 20 years back. The Eurovision has come a long way since then. (As for Celine Dion, je partirais sans elle, tout de suite! Run away!) I have to say though, when the opening bars of the Te Deum by Charpentier filled my living room at 8 this evening, I still felt that tingle of anticipation.

Even though it's changed drastically, almost beyond recognition (I mean, 43 countries over 3 nights? And no more "un point, deux points" voting as it would drag on for a week), I still love it and tonight was once again an audiovisual feast.

Tonight we had:

• A man with a horse's arse opening the show. That was the worst birth defect I have ever seen. His hind legs weren't even working.
  
• A terrifying Swedish singer. The song wasn't bad, but she scared the shit out of me! I was afraid all the plastic surgery would melt under the stage lights and leave her standing in a pool of silicon for the other acts to slip in or get stuck to.
  
• PIRATES! YARRR! Singing, dancing Latvian pirates. And they got through. Huzzah.
• A health and safety matter arising from a burning Bulgarian turntable.
  
• Flat caps, as worn by Denmark and Macedonia. All they needed was a pint of warm ale and a whippet by their sides and you could call it the Yorkshire-vision song contest. Eyup!
  
• And the interval act. Dancing zombies. Again - Huzzah.
  

Yes, it was another night of silliness and dodgy costumes. But it had pirates and zombies, so that's a big thumbs up to the evening from me.

As for my favourite to win, I think Finland are good, but no doubt one of the Eastern European folk will get the prize.

Don't know if I can sleep tonight. Cheese before bed was a baaad idea.