The Hoddle of Coffee: Tottenham Hotspur News and Links for Thursday, May 10

Hi, all!

Today’s Eurovision ramble is a bit less about laughing at people and more about celebrating some talented people.

Ramble of the Day

Warning: The videos shared today, and throughout the week in the Hoddle, have strobe lighting.

Though the performers tend to get a lot of the attention, good and bad, at Eurovision, there are some people who really nail it. These people are the unnamed, but hopefully incredibly appreciated, behind-the-scenes members of each and every Eurovision production, making the performances memorable.

Eurovision is nothing without its stage, and the stage is almost always amazingly set up for the colorful performances. The stage at the 2014 edition hosted by Denmark, as shown below during Greece’s “Rise Up,” was probably the most unique stage in recent Eurovision memory.

It was even more wonderful in action. Belarus’ entry that year, “Cheesecake,” is entertaining enough on its own as it tells the story of a man who is no longer interested in a relationship because the woman called him her “sweet cheesecake, but it also got the most out of its stage. It used the angular nature of its surroundings well, and also added pops of color frequently and skillfully.

Additionally, credit must go to the people in charge of the cameras, because they really do add to the spectacle in the best ways. They can capture all of the shenanigans of a three-minute performance, as was the case for another Greece entry, 2013’s “Alcohol is Free.” They can also add drama where seemingly none exists, which is true for Estonia’s 2015 entry, “Goodbye to Yesterday.”

This performance has a notable thing going for it in that the male lead, Stig Rästa, went viral for looking like One Direction member Louis Tomlinson. (I have no idea if he sounds like him.) However, the highlight of this performance is his partner, Elina Born, who provided the most dramatic of facial performances in recent Eurovision history. Just take a look at this picture my younger sister has had saved for a few years.

It makes you ask: Why didn’t he wake her up? (Please listen to the song if you do not get the reference because it is genuinely hilarious.) There is almost no drama to be had in this performance, and yet Born’s intense acting is coupled perfectly with a camera that pans on her in exactly the right way at the right time. It makes the performance special.

(Also, while I’m on the topic, this song has probably the best music video of any Eurovision entry that I’ve seen. The cinematography is awesome, and the location is incredible.)

Here’s to you, unsung Eurovision heroes. (Like the pun?!) You all rock.

tl;dr: Pointing out the real heroes of Eurovision.

Links of the Day

Sir Alex Ferguson is out of intensive care after getting emergency brain surgery over the weekend.

Kevin Wimmer is most likely on his way out of Stoke after reportedly being named one of the team’s recent “disastrous signings.”

Cristiano Ronaldo is set to executive produce a football drama series for Facebook.

Huddersfield decided to celebrate staying up by canceling their flight home from London and taking the bus instead.

Today’s longer read: The New York Times’ Tariq Panja reports on a beIN Sports rival that has seemingly been stealing the network’s programming