30 April – Please, turn back to common sense and to joy

Do you like it when someone’s called Mr Eurovision? Is it an overused term? Are the people who claim to have this title really deserving?

Every country could claim to have one. Russia’s could be today’s birthday boy Фили́пп Бедро́сович Кирко́ров/Philipp Bedrosovich Kirkorov. Yes, he’s done stuff for countries other than Russia, but it was there where he first made his name. In 1995 to be exact. I hear you cry that he can’t possibly be old enough to have sung in 1995. But he did. No doubt Mr Kirkorov will be in sunny Israel in a few weeks’ time, but here he is singing his challenging little song.

Philipp is 52 today.

С днем рождения/Честит рожден ден, Филипп!