gt gadabout: May 2012

Monday, 28 May 2012

The spectacle that was Eurovision 2012

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As mentioned in my previous post, and if you follow me on Twitter, you would know the two festivals that excite me about May are the Cannes Film Festival and Eurovision Song Contest. For me it has been a family tradition from the moment I was born to gather on the couch and be in for a long night of music, fashion and European politics. As the years have gone on, the song contest has moved more away from just the song, but also the spectacle and we've seen it all believe me. Whips, drums, monsters,giant staplers having erections- love you Sakis! This year was no exception where we had a first with grannies baking biscuits on stage, a waterfall for Ireland duo Jedward and the use of slow motion effects in the winning song for Sweden. One thing is for sure, these are dark times for Europe, and that was evident by the large number of countries dressed in black or futuristic attire as opposed to the traditional white. They say that economy does play out in the music and fashion of the time, so if you sat back and listened to all these songs, what would your image of Europe be right now? Eurovision is also a great way to learn geography by finding out who the countries neighbours are when they vote for them in what has been termed 'Block' voting. Countries once at war with each other, now offer up 12 points freely. But I digress. The show is a visual feast, high production values and outfits that are fiercely protected like top secret files and can often make or ridicule a performance. I'll let you be the judge which category they fall into. These here are crazy times, and sometimes it takes a song contest to bring the world together, so enjoy some highlights from Eurovision 2012.

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2012 Winner-Sweden- Loreen

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Croatia

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Slovakia

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Norway

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Turkey

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Italy

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England

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Iceland

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F.Y.R Macedonia

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Malta

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Georgia

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Belarus

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Bosnia and Herzegovina

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Lithuania

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Albania

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France

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France

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Cyprus

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Russia

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Portugal

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Bulgaria

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Romania

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Denmark

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Ireland

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Ireland

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Greece

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Ukraine

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Moldova

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The Netherlands

Friday, 25 May 2012

Celebrating 65 years of Film & Fashion at Cannes 2012

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May is an exciting time of year with two of my favourite festivals happening this month- Eurovision and the Cannes Film Festival. Both festivals satisfy my three main interests other than food- film, fashion and music. Cannes holds a special place in my heart too as I entered my short film into the festival, and even though it didn't even get selected (I'm ok now, really I am),it is a highlight even just knowing somebody in Cannes watched it during the selection process. The festival has always been associated with glamour, movie stars and gorgeous gowns, and not to mention the parties on the riviera. There is a definite buzz in the air as we all wait to hear who has been awarded the Palme d'Or and who will wear what and by whom. This year, for the 65th year, I was so thrilled to hear that they chose Marilyn Monroe to be the official icon of the festival. Also a special choice as it will be 50 years since Monroe's death this August. So I thought I would take a look back at some moments in retro Cannes history as well as some of my highlights for 2012. What have been some of your favourites?