2010 - The Year When Palestine

will probably for the 1^st time take part in the Eurovision Song Contest. I just read this and I like it.

Israel on the other hand shows no signs of protest, whereas Austria does and instead of sending Alf Poier or Gerry Friedle will most probably not take part in 2010.

For three years I was a member of the EBU internet planning committee for the ESC and had a crass minority opinion there because the committee always planned such stupid things and I did not know better then go to an arrogant position and each time only requested to put my minority opinion into the protocol.

Still funny how the East European Countries and Pop Idol revived that deader than dead format, at least for télévision.

Now I'm only waiting for the European Broadcast Union to excavate Jeux Sans Frontières, the best idea that wwii warrior idol Charles d.G. ever had. In the meantime the memory of that show has been eclipsed singlehandedly by Takeshi Kitano and the castle with his name on it, but some of us still remember the European Original and also remember its follow ups "It's a Royal Knockout" and the rather weak "Intervilles" and "Telematch".

The first airing of US derivate "Almost Anything Goes" (leaving away 'almost' would have made a good title and brand) handily knocked down the Waltons in its time slot but run 2 lost out big time against Norman Lear's "The Jeffersons" and "Emergency!". The result was instant death, b.t.w. rightfully so for a couple of reasons.

T.K. for his part took a lot of additional inspiration from Super Mario Bros. and did almost everything righter than the EBU, which of course should have left the production with C.d.G. or some other real pro instead of putting its own beaurocrats on the job. But so it goes.

To get to an end now after all the boring stuff that is only for the history buffs, Games without Frontiers must be revived somehow if only to let Palestinians and Israelis fight it out there instead of in settlements and fugee camps.

... plink