I am reminded that it’s time for the Fistful of Euros Satin Pyjamas Awards. When I worked in advertising, I used to promote the Haze Homeful Of Freshness Awards, which was a real mouthful too. But if you squirted your house daily with Haze, so that your eyes were red and streaming with CFCs when our mystery sniffer called, you could be the lucky winner.

It was always a golden rule of direct marketing that there should be consolation prizes. Obvious rationale: more prizes, more interest. So it was disappointing to see that only one blog per category will win the Satin Pyjama. There will be no scrapping over places for Winceyette or Polyester sleepwear.

Given the current acrimony over blog rankings, it’s rather brave of Fistful to introduce fresh controversy. Why are blogs grouped geographically rather than by genre? Specifically, how can the academic ‘European Tribune‘ hope to compete with ‘My Boyfriend’s A Twat‘ ?

I’m worried that it will all end in tears, like Eurovision. Speaking of which, there is a wonderful commentary by Matthias Heitman of the German magazine, Novo.

Twenty-five years ago, the world was still a happy place. ‘Good taste’, Eurovision-style, was defined in the West and meant easy listening and safe-as-houses pop songs (often with choruses comprising made-up words that would, helpfully, be equally meaningless in every language). No surprises, no scandals, just ordinary and boring music for the elderly.

Now German comedians, Israeli transsexuals and Finnish trash rock bands are successfully undermining the seriousness of the Eurovision Song Contest. Worse, the way Eastern countries have supported each other is unbearable and tasteless, even anti-Western. The German reference book on the history of the Eurovision Song Contest by Jan Feddersen is called Ein Lied Kann Eine Brücke Sein – A Song Can Be a Bridge. Feddersen thought that a bridge between the West and the East would be enough.

But maybe we need a wall . . .

Article in full here