Okay, in my original Eurovision post, I dismissed the Russian entry, “Believe,” as being “too lame to embed here.” But after the song’s victory, I watched it again. And I realized that when something is lame enough, it becomes camp, and camp is very much worth embedding.
So now I invite you all to enjoy a truly silly performance, Dima Bilan (a man that Reuters describes as “lithe“) singing “Believe” — after the jump.
A few notes for after you’re seen it:
- Dima sings barefoot. Which is an especially bold choice when you consider that the previous act was the Bulgarian Broken Glass Jamboree.
- The violinist is playing in the exaggerated way you depict violining in a charades situation. But not only is the guy actually playing, he’s playing a freaking Stradivarius.
- Does anyone else feel like it is insanely stupid for that guy to be playing a Stradivarius while standing on ice, with a figure skater whizzing by him?
- I feel a little better when Wikipedia tells me the skater is none other than three-time world champion Evgeni Plushenko. Still, if I were the insurer of that Stradivarius, I would raise the premiums.
- Here’s a real head-scratcher. The New York Times reports that “Believe” was produced by none other than Timbaland. Small world after all.
The triple handraise at the end there is pretty priceless.
The ice skater reminds me of that guy in the Mighty Mighty Bosstones (remember “The Impression That I Get”? Didn’t think so) whose sole purpose was to dance with the band. Where do you think he is now?
Did the guy really need to rip his shirt open right at the end? Was that important?
It’s still too lame to ember here dudes.