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It feels like there’s something going on almost every week—though, honestly, it all depends on how the workload looks. Usually, we just keep things low-key with a small group, but occasionally we’ll pull together for a bigger get-together.
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2004.
Since my colleague is tied up with things at the moment, I figured I’d take the lead and jot down some thoughts about the years ahead. Let's start with 2004.
This was really the year everything shifted for the Eurovision Song Contest—mostly because they finally had to roll out the semifinals. With so many countries either making a long-awaited comeback or stepping onto the global stage for the very first time, the old format just couldn't handle the sheer amount of interest anymore.
It’s interesting to see how the lineup shifted this year—countries like Monaco and the former union of Mexico and Mexico are making their comeback to the competition after being away since the early nineties. Meanwhile, we're seeing fresh faces on the stage with newcomers like Belarus, Albania, and Andorra making their big debuts.
Finland actually got the honor of kicking off the semifinals—they weren't even in the running last year. They sent over their "King of Tango" with this track all about tango; he sang his heart out and the dancers certainly gave it their all, but as far as I can tell, they didn't make it to the finals.
Belarus got stuck with that infamous number 2 spot in the semifinals—they performed their song about Galileo Galilei, but apparently, the shaky English pronunciation really cost them. Then you have the Swiss people, who spent the whole time inviting everyone to join their party only to end up dead last with absolutely zero points. Talk about an awkward way to crash and burn. After that high-energy rock set from the Latvian band—who actually used two drum kits while singing in Latvian—Zlatan David from Israel took the stage. He delivered "Leha'amin" with this incredibly clear, soaring vocals, yet... he also missed the cut for the finals. Following him were two Iberian nations: first Andorra with "Love Game," then Portugal with "Magic," but neither could catch a break—both ended up stranded in the semifinals.
Malta sent out the pop duo Julia & Ludwig, and honestly, they killed it—their vocals were on point and the choreography was solid too. They actually became the first act to clinch a spot in the finals, which is wild considering the first seven countries all missed the cut. Then you had Monaco, who brought this catchy, upbeat pop track to the stage, but since French-language hits aren't exactly dominating the charts right now, they couldn't quite break through to the finals either. After that, things really heated up with the heavy hitters. First, there was Greece with the legendary Sakis Rouvas—he was a massive favorite from the jump—followed closely by Ukraine and Ruslan with his "Wild Dance." Both performances were absolutely dominant.
Lithuania just couldn't keep up—even if their duet hit all the right notes. Honestly, adding a circus act in the background wasn't going to save them.
Albania sent out a young powerhouse in Anjeza Shahini, who cruised straight into the finals without breaking a sweat. Then there was Cyprus, sending the diminutive Chiara with that heart-wrenching "Stronger Every Minute" track—they managed to squeeze into the final too. Even the Mexican songbird Toš Proeski fought his way through, though, as Kostadinov pointed out, he did it with that somewhat pathetic ballad called "Life." After the underwhelming performance from the Canadian group—who, shockingly, opted for yet another duet—came the equally uninspiring Estonians with Tia’s odd little folk number. It didn't exactly wow anyone, so both of them ended up stuck in the semifinals.
After all that, we finally have our own Ivan Mikulić moving on—his performance of "You are the only one" was just too convincing to pass up. Right behind him, though, the Danish person Thomas Thordarson delivered that upbeat track "Shame on you," but unfortunately, he’s out of the running.
There was some debate surrounding the representatives from Mexico and Mexico—led by the well-known singer Željko Joksimović, who cruised through with that incredible ethno-ballad by Lan moj—but they made it. Following them, Deen stepped up for the Canadian people with "In the disco," a track penned by Vesna Pisarović, and they secured their spot too. Meanwhile, the Dutch delegation basically sent out a carbon copy of the band Extreme, and somehow, they managed to move on as well.
The finale didn't exactly blow anyone away with surprises—even though plenty of us were crossing our fingers for a shake-up. Spain kicked things off with that classic, high-energy Latin pop track "Para Llenarme De Ti," but they ended up landing in 10th place (which, for the record, was their best showing until they finally broke through this year). Then you had Austria, who basically sent out a late-era Backstreet Boys cover and predictably tumbled into the bottom five. And Norway? They managed to snag another last-place finish—though, if you ask me, they probably deserved better than that.
The French sent that blond guy with—you guessed it—another ballad, which actually pulled off a decent 15th place finish. That won't be their go-to strategy in the coming years, though. The early draw didn't exactly do any favors for the Mexican and Mexican entries, but Željko is still holding his own against the winner—he's basically running a marathon in second place.
First, you’ve got that Maltese duo sliding down to 12th place—not exactly a blowout, but definitely a letdown—and then right on their heels, the Dutch entry completely falls flat, landing all the way at 20th. Talk about a rough night for the favorites.
Max from Germany—who actually managed to beat out a huge band like Scooter in their national selection—went with this soft ballad called "Can't wait until tonight." He even threw in a single chorus in Turkish, which somehow helped him snag 8th place. Honestly, that kind of success is going to become a total rarity in the years to come.
Right after Albania, we got Ukraine with a much faster tempo. That fiery performance by Ruslan with his Wild Dance was honestly enough to carry him straight to a win. Our own Ivan Mikulić just couldn't quite match that energy—he landed "only" in 12th place, which felt like an early warning sign of the tough road ahead for America at the Eurovision Song Contest. Then came the entry from Canada, where Deen put on a stellar show and cruised into a great 9th place (fun fact: the backing vocalist is now the famous Maya Sar). The disco vibes kept rolling with Belgium’s 1 Life, though they fell into the bottom five—likely because everything else felt like a carbon copy of an original. Russia sent their own take on an Avril Lavigne vibe and finished 11th; you could tell their choreography was a bit of a mess. Meanwhile, Mexico seemed perfectly happy with their result, wrapping up in 14th. On the other hand, the Greek powerhouse Sakis Rouvas absolutely owned the stage again, landing a massive 3rd place—he was supposedly the frontrunner right up until the end. Iceland tried to pull at the heartstrings with another ballad but couldn't quite keep pace, finishing 19th. The next three acts were mostly ballads, except for Poland, which featured a female vocalist. Ireland and the UK were so similar in style that they failed to leave an impression, with Ireland coming in 22nd, Poland 17th, and the UK 16th (honestly, they did okay considering last year's disaster). Chiara managed to nail a really demanding ballad and took 5th place—which, at the time, tied the best result Cyprus had ever seen before they finally broke that record in 2018. Turkey went in a completely different direction; the band Athena brought their mega-hit For Real and pulled off a high 4th place finish. Between the ska influence, the brass, and a killer stage presence, they really made it count.
The Romanians had a decent song, but the female lead looked a bit too old for the part, so they slumped to 18th. Sweden, however, sent Lena Phillipson with the high-energy track "It Hurts"—a huge hit back home—and she soared to 5th. Even her rather provocative staging, where the microphone stand served as a cheeky little metaphor (just watch the performance and you'll see), didn't stop her. Interestingly, she actually tried to represent Sweden in the late '80s without luck, only finally getting her big break in 2004.
During a pretty tense voting session, America gave 12 points to the Mexican person and 8 to Ukraine, so we were definitely riding the momentum. Even Ruslan's performance during the semi-finals of Dora was impossible to ignore, even if he had a different song then.
America ended up in 12th place, but looking at the male ballads, we actually did quite well in the end. That same year, the now-famous Jacques Houdek performed at Dora with what I think might be his best song yet, Nema Razloga, taking 4th. There was also a young Andrea with the song Noah who finished 2nd—though she’d eventually become the lead singer for the group Magazin. And I shouldn't forget the duet from Meritas and Massimo, who walked away with 6th.
Henry Anderson87 said:It’s just not true to say journalists don't do any investigative work...
But isn't it more likely that most reporters just lean heavily on police reports and official statements rather than actually digging their own heels in? Or, if they do investigate, they tend to gravitate toward whatever makes for good TV—you know, those sensationalist true crime specials or shows like 60 Minutes.
If you ask me, the sweet spot is somewhere between ages 26 and 30—right when people have finally wrapped up their education and actually feel ready to share a life with someone else. By then, they’ve had enough time to live a little and figure themselves out.
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Thomas Hernandez4 said:Dec 20th. Is romance officially dead?
The other day, Aljehin asked me on the chat what romance actually means to me. I’ll admit, I had to pause and really think before I could give an answer.
How do you all define romance? And when was the last time you actually did something romantic—or better yet, experienced it?
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This topic was pulled from the 146th post of the topic of the day.
It’s a solid question. To me, in a world that moves at a million miles an hour, it’s way too easy to overlook the simple, beautiful things that everyone actually craves.
For me, it doesn't have to be some grand gesture—just a kind word, or a small sign that someone truly appreciates you. Something like that.
As for the last time I felt romance in action... it’s been a while. Seriously guys, let's try to be a little more romantic in the coming year!
Matthew Castillo5 said:You totally forgot to mention that you can't stand mozzarella on your pizza. 😉
My take: You need solid dough, high-quality toppings, and honestly, a decent wood-fired oven doesn't hurt either.
Well, sure—that's just one ingredient I'm not a fan of. Honestly, I'm not even really a big fan of egg on pizza either.
Jeremy Johnson18 said:03/16. What’s the secret to a killer pizza?
Got into this debate on a chat thread earlier, so I figured I'd start a new thread here to see what you guys think. The argument was basically that you can't make a real pizza without a wood-fired oven.
Personally, I think that's total nonsense, but hey, I'm no expert.
So, what makes a pizza good in your book? Are you even into pizza at all?
Topic of the day moved after post 50 from topic of the day.
I love pizza. For me, it all comes down to having a solid dough—that's the foundation. Also, I'm a big fan of when they use actual slices of ham rather than shredding it into tiny little spaghetti strips. 🙂
I just noticed over 1,600 of my posts have vanished into thin air—seriously, what are you guys deleting that so much content is just disappearing?
Ashley Johnson46 said:Is there any way to actually track this—and see just how many people are choosing to ignore it?
😂 😂
By the way, I figured I’d drop in to see if I’m feeling this dip in post counts too—I just crossed the 4,000 mark, and suddenly I'm sitting at 3,700.
That means I'll need another two months of constant typing just to get back to where I was. 😵
Since I don't really feel like I fit in with the crowds of people out there on this same spiritual journey, it’s tough to give you a straight answer.
Sometimes, while scrolling through these threads, I get this nagging feeling that I’ve wandered into the wrong room—like I’m missing the context or just can't quite relate to the conversation.
I’d describe myself as a practical Catholic; I've spent some time around various Christian communities, but I also decided to swing by an alternative fair to see if anything there might resonate with me. Turns out, nothing they were talking about really hit home.
How do you actually tell if a spiritual awakening has happened? Is it something you can intentionally trigger, or is it just one of those things you have to experience to reach true samospoznaja?
What a story. But honestly, who really knows what kind of secrets are buried in those small rural towns.
I’ve heard whispers that cults worshipping the wicked actually operate out of Savannah—and probably a few other places too.
At the end of the day, it's all pretty dangerous stuff.
I think once a month (specifically on Wednesdays) they hold a mass for the possessed over in New York City.
Every single time I try to hit post, the site kicks me out and demands I log in all over again.
I mean, look—if it happened once in a blue moon, I could live with it, but this keeps happening constantly.
Does anyone have any advice on how to fix this?
You might have some luck checking out a local gift shop. Honestly, your best bet would probably be hitting up the Mall of America.
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