So, Russia has won. Congratulations!
However, if anyone but me has seen the actual entries in the contest, did anyone else feel that the song wouldn't have been so successful without the
magnificent swoon-worthy awesome*... great ice skating skills of Evgeni Plushenko? Don't get me wrong, I don't mean to single out the Russian song with regards to quality, for I thought that, apart from Israel and Albania, all the songs were utterly boring (especially Romania's - GAH! Why, why, why do they allow people to vote by SMS? It always leads to good artists being voted out, and mediocre artists making fools out of themselves at Eurovision). I just want to commend whoever had the excellent idea to combine an otherwise dull song with the skill of such a brilliant skater. It was absolutely amazing to see him skate again. So, yeah, congratulations! I was totally shocked when I saw him there and, while not one of his truly breathtaking performances (how could it have been, considering the circumstances?), it was still grand enough for me not to notice how ordinary the song was (which I did, eventually, after the magic was over). For the curious, the performance in question can be found
here (well, it's technically from the semi-finals, but it will do).
*yes, yes, Plushenko fangirl here, nothing to see.