YoungWillz

Good Grief! We a month out already?! I'll try and cobble something together. Sometime before April 30.

FTFY.

Is anyone else finding the language of Brexit highly entertaining? Brexiteer - suffix -eer generally associated with loan words from French. Conversely, Remainer or Remoaner - suffix -er generally British. Farage - French Huguenot surname. Impasse - it is French. Watch out for any more - makes me chuckle.

It's just, we have a thread for them.

Okay....

A widow, you say?

Scottish non-fiction author PJG (John) Ransom, deid: http://announcements.telegraph.co.uk/deaths/232401/ransom Railways and canals. Well, somebody had to write about them.

Musician Rick Elias: https://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2019/apr/03/rip-harlequin-and-vision-guitarist-rick-elias/

Welsh born actor Clinton Greyn has died aged 85: https://www.thestage.co.uk/features/obituaries/2019/obituary-clinton-greyn-striking-actor-enjoyed-long-career-stage-screen/ Popped him here for his roles as Ivo in State Of Decay and Stike in The Two Doctors. IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0340737/

Report of the death of DDP Pick Jim Russell: https://www.autosport.com/national/news/142549/racing-school-founder-jim-russell-dies

Watching PMQs. Backbench Tories detest the idea of going to Corbyn to seek a compromise. What they forget is what the Tory Party happily did to the Lib Dems, they are now trying to do to Labour. Stewart Hosie is right - why should Corbyn co-author anything? His first premise should be that the Withdrawal Agreement having been rejected and supported less than several other options, that should be off the table. If that can't be done, Jezza should use Tezza's own argument and walk out saying "no deal". Anyhow, if this is the state of Westminster now, just imagine how wonderful it would be when they have all the powers back, all the law-making, etc etc.

Sometime 20/20 pick for @Sir Creep Noah Keen has died: https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/latimes/obituary.aspx?n=noah-keen&pid=192061088 Credits apt for this thread include The Twilight Zone and The Six Million Dollar Man, but he's been in loads of stuff, including the 1973 Battle For The Planet Of The Apes. IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0444607/

Jason John from Big Fun being reported dead:

African-American Supermodel Pat Cleveland diagnosed with colon cancer: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-6874869/Supermodel-Pat-Cleveland-diagnosed-colon-cancer-Paris-Fashion-Week.html

Let them stand in front their electorates. Local authorities using the last of their money to strengthen the lampposts from which many will swing. Feel you aren't listened to or represented at Westminster? Welcome to Scotland, 1978-present day.

Boles walks out of the Tory party. It's all going titsup!

The Noes have it on everything! Adorable.

Wonder how he's doing?

Big Six then, in order I liked them from worst to best: 6. Germany - worst effort by the Merkelites in a long time, I'm sorry to say. This sounds like a song about two sisters who are having their first period, their first migraine and their first tax bill all the same time. Utterly dreadful and if it's not near the bottom on the night, there is no justice. Am I being harsh? Perhaps.... 5. United Kingdom - it's a decent pop song, but it is as frilly as Jon Pertwee's shirt and needs a slightly older performer to deliver the message, not the new intern. Average at best, Europe will deliver its message clearly on the night - NON! 4. France - selfish little number, smacking us round the face with some attention seeking PC. Delivered with all the panache of a Gauloise burn on your brain. Be nicer. From Nice. 3. Spain - PAAAAAAAAAAARTTTTTYYYYYY! Listen, it's not Spain unless their song is one of three things - hand-wringing emotional introspection, or operatic outlandishness, or in this case, down to the beach for a barbeque and some naked volleyball. Yes, it's got classical guitar, brass (could have done with more), a likeable singer who is quite clearly your best mate - what is not to like? 2. Italy - disaffected yoof choon, kinda reminds me of early The Streets. The lyrics are quite frankly not my mocha latte, but this guy's delivery is heartfelt and from his own place, you know, blood? Deffo one for the newer Eurovision crowd. 1. Israel - best chance of a back to back win in the longest time. I cried. Openly wept. Because it was so good, so simple, so effective. This could really win the whole thing. Tel Aviv 2 - The Sequel? Right, that's yer lot, I'm knackered.

Right, despite the hard going and going hard, part 2 review, the second semi-final! Worst efforts: Armenia: so, the heroin made its way from Slovenia over here. I'm sure she's a nice girl, but this was just ears bleeding hateful. Romania: this sounds like the songwriters couldn't speak English, but decided to write a song in English. So here's some words that rhyme. If you like the sound of the letter A, you will like this. I didn't. The WTF did I just watch? song: Norway - a trio singing what can only be described as a trio of songs. At the same time. And no amount of handsome bald man in leather trousers gonna make me vote for it. It doesn't hang together, but the songwriters should. Fairly poor efforts: Latvia - you know, it's ok but it isn't a Eurovision song, it really goes nowhere and says very little. Russia - Sergey Lazarev is back! The guy who walked up the set backwards and nearly and probably should have won that year. However, with this, the song is pretty plain and it's going to need some outstanding staging just to rescue it from less than mediocrity. Austria - goths will love this, however they will have topped themselves by the second minute in so won't have a chance to vote. A miserable little number, sadly. Best of the rest (not much I liked so...): Ireland - in a post-apocalyptic post-Adele kind of way, this is alright, but it's a far too personal song that has little message for anyone bar the singer and her mates. Needs posting back. North Macedonia - similar message of female empowerment to last year's winner. Came within a smidgen of going all out "What have you done today to make you feel proud?". It's perhaps just too overtly political to win, and it's hardly cheery. Netherlands - not sure what the hell this is supposed to be saying. I didn't connect with it at all, and the message - "Loving you is a losing game" - really?! I'm sure I've heard that somewhere before. Yikes. Denmark - set a metronome going, then write some words about love. A lot of words about love, in fact. Toytown effort but what it lacks in effectiveness it makes up for in simplicity. My top 3 from this heat (by a country mile): 3. Croatia - he's an angel! No really, go and look at the national final. He doesn't fly, but the song does. Yeah, it sounds like a hundred other Euro entries, but I came over all a flutter when he came over all bi-lingual! Again a surprise that this is a decent effort. 2. Sweden - this might have been my number 1, but it's a bit stop and go. Just as it gets going, he shuts it down. 3 fucking times! But it's a great number. 1. Switzerland - first out the trap on the night might do it some damage, but this has the right balance of Euro sounds and latin rhythms, probably a great dance number and the voice is like chocolate and honey on a warm May day. Biggus Sixus soon!

Isn't going to happen I think. May all your hits be Deathlist Cup hits from now on Pedro, good luck when you go through.

Good evening Tel Aviv! Here is the usual review of the contestants for this year's competition, imho. So far I have watched the first semi-final competitors. Here we go.... Worst efforts (barring the wtf songs, I'm coming to them): Poland - like an annoying song sung by annoying little girls having a game of skip rope in a playground. Slovenia - singer looks like a heroin addict, song sung possibly while on heroin. Slow, sad, goes nowhere. San Marino - poppy little number, definitely got something, however, we are so over repetitive song titles that bear no actual relation to the rest of the song, right? Those WTF did I just watch? songs: Portugal - left me speechless. I guess it's art. What it's not is a song. A collection of noise which is all shitshow and no substance. Iceland - right, I'm old enough to remember when kids' drama used to have their characters form a band for the school disco or some event. This was like watching that, but with some overt sado-masochism thrown in. It's shouty, weird and will probably advance. But there's little merit in it. Fairly poor efforts: Georgia - takes far too long to get going, one of those could have been great but it isn't numbers. Czech Republic - let themselves down this year imo after Joszef's great number in 2018. This year's song is like an average early 1980s pop number that would have scraped the top 20 then. Not now, time has passed for that frivolity. Best of the rest: Belgium - understated solo, guess it needs a build, a proper key change or a twist at the end to make it stand out. Greece - pretty good, doesn't take too long to build, very similar to the Cyprus entry, but Greece edges it on the song quality stakes. Serbia - it's a bit of a shame really. I mean this should have everything - at one point I thought her uterus was going to fall out with the effort. But the song's a bit meh, and actually goes into English a wee tiny bit. Commitment deffo there. It will do well though. Hungary - this is an excellent choon, and beats Georgia in the man bun stakes. Bloke and his guitar singing a song with meaning. Just fell short of my personal top 3. My top 3 from this heat: 3. Montenegro - I wasn't expecting this. Got that local ethnic sound thrown into a pretty decent pop song. The kind of song I like a lot. Simple, melodic, shows off the country well. (Unlike their football supporters, same the world over, eh?). 2. Estonia - Instantly hated this and then....changed my mind. Showing Royaume-Uni how to properly sing about Storms. Again, simple message, grand voice on the bloke, hoping it's a shoo-in for the final. 1. Australia - the staging, the song, the performance. It's never going to be everyone's cup of shrimp, but it has the right level of quirkiness, difference and imagination. Blew every single other performer in this semi out of the water. Possible winner. Back soon for the second semi later.

Actress Julia Lockwood, daughter of Margaret Lockwood. There's this, but source is, well y'know: https://twitter.com/mercurie80/status/1112063229289738241

Stones US Tour cancelled as Mick Jagger needs medical treatment, according to BBC News Channel.

Radio Luxembourg stalwart Bob Stewart dead: https://radiotoday.co.uk/2019/03/tributes-paid-to-radio-presenter-and-voice-over-bob-stewart/