Passage 1:
Joshua Sinclair
Joshua Sinclair (born May 7, 1953) is an American writer, producer, actor and director born in New York City.

Filmography
Passage 2:
Claude Weisz
Claude Weisz is a French film director born in Paris.

Filmography
Feature films
Une saison dans la vie d'Emmanuel (1972) with Germaine Montéro, Lucien Raimbourg, Florence Giorgetti, Jean-François Delacour, Hélène Darche, Manuel Pinto, etc.Festival de Cannes 1973 - Quinzaine des réalisateurs
Jury Prize: Festival Jeune Cinéma 1973

La Chanson du mal aimé (1981) with Rufus, Daniel Mesguich, Christine Boisson, Věra Galatíková, Mark Burns, Philippe Clévenot, Dominique Pinon, Madelon Violla, Paloma Matta, Béatrice Bruno, Catherine Belkhodja, Véronique Leblanc, Philippe Avron, Albert Delpy, etc.Festival de Cannes 1982 - Perspectives du cinéma français
Competition selections: Valencia, Valladolid, Istanbul, Montréal

On l'appelait... le Roi Laid (1987) with Yilmaz Güney (mockumentary)Valencia Festival 1988 - Grand Prix for documentaries "Laurel Wreath"
Competition selections: Rotterdam, Valladolid, Strasbourg, Nyon, Cannes, Lyon, Cairo

Paula et Paulette, ma mère (2005) Documentary - Straight to DVD

Short and mid-length
La Grande Grève (1963 - Co-directed CAS collective, IDHEC)
L'Inconnue (1966 - with Paloma Matta and Gérard Blain - Prix CNC Hyères, Sidney)
Un village au Québec
Montréal
Deux aspects du Canada (1969)
La Hongrie, vers quel socialisme ? (1975 - Nominated for best documentary - Césars 1976)
Tibor Déry, portrait d'un écrivain hongrois (1977)
L'huître boudeuse
Ancienne maison Godin ou le familistère de Guise (1977)
Passementiers et Rubaniers
Le quinzième mois
C'était la dernière année de ma vie (1984 - FIPRESCI Prize- Festival Oberhausen 1985 - Nomination - Césars 1986)
Nous aimons tant le cinéma (Film of the European year of cinema - Delphes 1988)
Participation jusqu'en 1978 à la réalisation de films "militants"

Television
Series of seven dramas in German
Numerous documentary and docu-soap type films (TVS CNDP)
Initiation à la vie économique (TV series - RTS promotion)
Contemplatives... et femmes (TF1 - 1976)
Suzel Sabatier (FR3)
Un autre Or Noir (FR3)
Vivre en Géorgie
Portrait d'une génération pour l'an 2000 (France 5 - 2000)
Femmes de peine, femmes de coeur (FR3 - 2003)

Television documentaries
La porte de Sarp est ouverte (1998)
Une histoire balbynienne (2002)
Tamara, une vie de Moscou à Port-au-Prince (unfinished)
Hana et Khaman (unfinished)
En compagnie d'Albert Memmi (unfinished)
Le Lucernaire, une passion de théâtre
Les quatre saisons de la Taillade ou une ferme l'autre
Histoire du peuple kurde (in development)
Les kurdes de Bourg-Lastic (2008)
Réalisation de films institutionnels et industriels
Passage 3:
Day of the Painter
Day of the Painter is a 1960 American short film directed by Robert P. Davis. It was filmed at Mamaroneck Harbor in Mamaroneck, NY.

Plot and critical response
Time magazine:

An extremely funny 15-minute film, may be taken as a solemn leg-pull of the recent vogue for dribble-and-splotch painters, those athletic canvas-coverers whose style owes less to Van Gogh's brush technique than to Stan Laurel's custard pie stance.  Or it may be taken as an explicit set of instructions for getting rich.

The film, a first-time effort by three ex-admen, begins with a loving shot of wharfs, fishing shacks and sounding sea-the sort of vista once sketched avidly by artists and now appreciated chiefly by retired couples who tour Cape Cod in late September.  The artist is a burly fellow (Ezra Reuben Baker), recognizably aesthetic in paint-smeared dungarees, scurrilous red sweater and combat boots.  He trundles a cart filled with paint buckets along a dock, then throws an enormous sheet of wallboard down on a mud flat ten feet below.

Soberly, with exquisite skill, using first a vigorous forehand, then a precisely executed backhand, the painter slops color from buckets.  Clearly he is a master, for his stroke with the long-handled hoe is sure and strong, his touch with the dribble-stick more than Japanese in its delicacy.  And when he fills a flare pistol with paint and fires the last accent of orange at his abstraction, he does not pull the trigger.  He squeezes.

When the thing dries, he hacks it up in random rectangles with a power saw, then carefully signs each fragment.  A seaplane, labeled "Galerie des Abstracts, Paris-New York," touches down.  A man debarks whose rich, dark overcoat obviously proclaims him an art dealer.  He strokes his jaw as he examines the paintings, eventually selects a small one, shakes hands with the painter and takes off.  Pleased with himself, the painter matter-of-factly shoves the remaining works of art into the ocean.  This, as the screen truly proclaims, is the end.
New York Herald Tribune:

A hilarious good - natured spoof of abstract-expressionist painting has been made the subject of a colored film-short called "Day of the Painter." .........Without sound or sub-titles (except for a delightful musical score somewhat reminiscent of that which accompanied the Alex Guinness film, "The Horse's Mouth") the film begins with the artist's awakening in a crumbling shack on a rickety pier reaching out over a picturesque stream.  His "Wall Street Journal" is delivered by boat, and, having ascertained that his investments are doing well, he loads a wheelbarrow with assorted cans of paint, long sticks, and a spray gun, has two helpers carry his enormous blank canvas, and sets off to his muddy "studio" by the side of the stream.  All day long he flings, scatters, shoots, pushes paint all over his canvas and himself.  The picture grows, and, actually, turns out to be quite handsome-in the Jackson Pollock manner, of course, but attractive for all it imitativeness.  Sea gulls and swans waddle by, their expressions rather suggesting that of critics.

At last the painter is finished, carefully studies his work-and then proceeds to cut the enormous canvas up into pieces.

At the end of the day a small seaplane comes by, docks alongside the pier, while the passenger-pilot, looking like any 57th St. dealer you care to name, surveys the day's work.  He examines carefully, he ponders, and he finally selects one small segment of the canvas, places it in the plane, and takes off.

The painter takes all the other pieces, tosses them into the stream, and they float away with the gulls and swans, not unlike the unforgettable Gulley Jimson, in "The Horse's Mouth," floating gallantly out to sea in his battered tugboat.

Audiences, apparently, are enjoying the film-except for a group the other night who were plainly pro-abstract-expressionism, and hissed when the rest of the house applauded.  None of it was ill-natured, however, probably because the abstract-expressionism picture being kidded looks so agreeable.

Awards
Day of the Painter won an Oscar at the 33rd Academy Awards in 1961 for Best Short Subject.
Passage 4:
Jacques Décombe
Jacques Décombe is a French author, actor and director born in 1953.

Biography
After he studied at the Conservatoire national d'art dramatique, he was the director of the shows of Les Inconnus at the request of Didier Bourdon and won the Molière Award for best comedy show. (See fr:Molière du meilleur spectacle comique) in 1991. He also directed shows by Charlotte de Turckheim, Chevallier et Laspalès, Patrick Timsit, Les Chevaliers du fiel...
Passage 5:
Robert P. Davis
Robert P. Davis (October 8, 1929 – November 7, 2005) was an American author, screenwriter, and film director whose works are primarily centered on aviation.
His 1960 short film, Day of the Painter, won an Academy Award in 1961 for Best Short Subject.Davis's 1976 novel The Pilot, about an alcohol-abusing airline captain, served as the source material for his screenplay for the motion picture of the same title, released in 1980, in which Cliff Robertson acted out the lead role and which Robertson also directed.

Movies and TV
Day of the Painter (short film) (1960)
The Pilot (1980)
Final Descent (TV) (1997), based on The Glass Cockpit

Books
The Pilot (New York: Morrow, 1976)
Cat Five (New York: Pocket Books, 1977)
Control Tower (New York: Putnam's, 1980)
The Glass Cockpit (1991)
Passage 6:
Yolonda Ross
Yolonda Ross is an American actress, writer and director.

Life and career
Ross was born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska. She began her acting career in New York, appearing in the episodes of television series New York Undercover and Third Watch. Before landing the leading role in the independent drama film, Stranger Inside (2001). The movie produced by HBO, first premiered on television, but Ross was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best Debut Performance. She later had supporting roles in a number of independent productions and guest-starred on Law & Order and Law & Order: Criminal Intent, and in 2011 had a recurring role of HBO's Treme.Ross co-starred alongside LisaGay Hamilton in the critically acclaimed 2013 independent drama film, Go for Sisters. She received Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female nomination for her performance in film. She later was cast opposite Viola Davis in Lila & Eve. In 2015, Ross played Robyn Crawford, the friend, assistant, and reported girlfriend of Whitney Houston, in the Lifetime movie, Whitney directed by Angela Bassett.In 2017, Ross had a recurring role opposite Viola Davis in the ABC legal thriller How to Get Away with Murder. The following year she was cast in a series regular role in the Showtime drama series, The Chi.

Filmography
Film and TV Movies
Television
Awards and nominations
Passage 7:
Kurt Land
Kurt Landesberger (19 February 1913, Vienna, Austria – 13 July 1997 New York City) was an Austrian born Argentine film director of the 1950s and 1960s.
Born in Vienna, Land moved to Argentina in the 1930s and began as a film editor, editing for some 20 films in the 1940s. However, by the early 1950s he became interested in directing and directed a number of popular Argentine films in the 1950s such as the 1955 film Adiós problemas starring Enrique Muiño and the 1957 picture Alfonsina which starred actress Amelia Bence. He also worked regularly with classic Argentine actress Olga Zubarry.
He directed his last film in 1970 in Buenos Aires. He died in New York City in 1997.

Selected filmography
Editor
Madame Bovary (1947)
Stella (1943) Credited as Kurt Land.
La casta Susana (1944) Credited as Kurt Land.
Villa Rica del Espíritu Santo (1945) Credited as Kurt Land.
Lauracha (1946) Credited as Kurt Land.

Producer
Seven Women (1944)

Director
Hoy canto para ti (1950)
¡Qué hermanita! (1951)
Vuelva el primero (1952)
Como yo no hay dos (1952)
Asunto terminado (1953)
Mercado negro (1953)
La telaraña (1954)
Los problemas de papá (1954)
Adiós problemas (1955)
La Delatora (1955)
Bacará (1955)
Surcos en el mar (1956)
Estrellas de Buenos Aires (1956)
Alfonsina  (1957)
Dos basuras  (1958)
Evangelina (1959)
El asalto  (1960)
La Culpa  (1969)
El sátiro  (1970)
El Hombre del año  (1970)

External links
Kurt Land at IMDb
Passage 8:
Sepideh Farsi
Sepideh Farsi (Persian: سپیده فارسی; born 1965) is an Iranian director.

Early years
Farsi left Iran in 1984 and went to Paris to study mathematics.  However, eventually she was drawn to the visual arts and initially experimented in photography before making her first short films. A main theme of her works is identity. She still visits Tehran each year.

Awards/Recognition
Farsi was a Member of the Jury of the Locarno International Film Festival in Best First Feature in 2009. She won the FIPRESCI Prize (2002), Cinéma du Réel and Traces de Vie prize (2001) for "Homi D. Sethna, filmmaker" and Best documentary prize in Festival dei Popoli (2007) for "HARAT".

Recent News
One of her latest films is called Tehran Bedoune Mojavez (Tehran Without Permission).  The 83-minute documentary shows life in Iran's crowded capital city of Tehran, facing international sanctions over its nuclear ambitions and experiencing civil unrest.  It was shot entirely with a Nokia camera phone because of the government restrictions over shooting a film.  The film shows various aspects of city life including following women at the hairdressers talking of the latest fads, young men speaking of drugs, prostitution and other societal problems, and the Iranian rapper “Hichkas”.  The  dialogue is in Persian with English and Arabic subtitles. In December 2009, Tehran Without Permission was shown at the Dubai International Film Festival.

Filmography
Red Rose (2014)
Cloudy Greece (2013)
Zire Âb / The house under the water (2010)
Tehran bedoune mojavez / Tehran without permission (2009)
If it were Icarus (2008)
Harat (2007)
Negah / The Gaze (2006)
Khab-e khak / Dreams of Dust (2003)
Safar-e Maryam / The journey of Maryam (2002)
Mardan-e Atash / Men of Fire (2001)
Homi D. Sethna, filmmaker (2000)
Donya khaneye man ast / The world is my home (1999)
Khabe Âb / Water dreams (1997)
Bâd-e shomal / Northwind (1993)
Passage 9:
Fred Roy Krug
Fred R. Krug is an American film and television producer-director born in Bern, Switzerland.
Passage 10:
Dos basuras
Dos basuras is a 1958 Argentine film. This black and white production was directed by Kurt Land and the script by Jose Maria Fernandez, Alfredo Unsain Ruanova, José María Fernández Unsain. It premiered on May 2, 1958, and starred Amelia Bence, Luis Prendes, Naomi Laserre and Luis Tasca as protagonists.

Synopsis
A prostitute and Cloaquista try to put their lives together but a former wife complicates the relationship.

Cast


Passage 1:
Y así
Austria participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2005 with the song "Y así" written by Christof Spörk and Edi Köhldorfer. The song was performed by the group Global Kryner. The Austrian broadcaster Österreichischer Rundfunk (ORF) organised the national final Song.Null.Fünf in order to select the Austrian entry for the 2005 contest in Kyiv, Ukraine. Five artists and ten songs competed in a televised show where a public vote consisting of regional televoting and mobile phone voting exclusively selected "Y así" performed by Global Kryner as the winner.
Austria competed in the semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest, which took place on 19 May 2005. Performing as the opening entry for the show in position 1, "Y así" was not announced among the top 10 entries of the semi-final and therefore did not qualify to compete in the final. It was later revealed that Austria placed twenty-first out of the 25 participating countries in the semi-final with 30 points.

Background
Prior to the 2005 contest, Austria has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest forty-one times since its first entry in 1957. The nation has won the contest on one occasion: in 1966 with the song "Merci, Chérie" performed by Udo Jürgens. Following the introduction of semi-finals for the 2004 contest, Austria has featured in only one final. Austria's least successful result has been last place, which they have achieved on seven occasions, most recently in 1991. Austria has also received nul points on three occasions: in 1962, 1988 and 1991.The Austrian national broadcaster, Österreichischer Rundfunk (ORF), broadcasts the event within Austria and organises the selection process for the nation's entry. ORF confirmed their intentions to participate at the 2005 Eurovision Song Contest on 17 September 2004. From 1995 to 2000, ORF has held an internal selection to choose the artist and song to represent Austria at the contest, while the broadcaster had set up national finals with several artists to choose both the song and performer to compete at Eurovision for Austria from 2002 to 2004. Along with their participation confirmation, the broadcaster also announced that the Austrian entry for the 2005 contest would be selected through a national final.

Before Eurovision
Song.Null.Fünf
Song.Null.Fünf (Song.Zero.Five) was the national final that selected Austria's entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2005. The competition took place on 25 February 2005 at the ORF Center in Vienna, hosted by Mirjam Weichselbraun and Christian Clerici and broadcast on ORF eins. The national final was watched by 630,000 viewers in Austria.

Format
Five artists with two songs each competed in the competition where the winner was selected by exclusively by public voting. Viewers were able to cast their votes via landline and the voting results of each of the nine Federal States of Austria created an overall ranking from which points from 1-8, 10 and 12 were distributed. Viewers were also able to vote from mobiles via telephone or SMS and the overall ranking of the entries was also assigned scores from 1-8, 10 and 12. After the combination of all scores, the entry with the highest number of points was selected as the winner.

Competing entries
ORF invited all interested artists with a contract to a record company to apply to the broadcaster between 17 September 2004 and 30 September 2004. All applications were reviewed by a team of music professionals who nominated four artists to each submit two songs for the national final. On 20 October 2004, DJ Ötzi revealed that he had initially been selected for the competition but later withdrew after issues with creating his two candidate Eurovision songs. An additional artist was nominated by the talent scout organisation Projekt Pop after an additional submission period was opened for interested artists without a contract to a record company to submit two songs to the organisation between 4 November 2004 and 25 November 2004. The five artists and songs were revealed on 5 January 2005 and among the competing artists was former Austrian Eurovision representative Alf Poier who represented Austria in the Eurovision Song Contest 2003.

Final
The televised final took place on 25 February 2005. Each of the five artists competed with two songs where regional televoting and mobile phone voting selected "Y así" performed by Global Kryner as the winner.

Controversy
The national final caused controversy due to the format that was amended shortly before the show (the original format was to include two rounds of public voting where one song per artist would be selected in the first round to advance to the second round). When the results were published, 80% of the 337,179 votes registered were submitted via mobiles but distributed just as many points as each federal state did. It was also revealed that "Good Old Europe Is Dying" performed by Alf Poier received the most overall votes (45,000 votes more than "Y así") but placed second due to the voting system. Poier's manager René Berto stated: "We prefer to be the moral winner rather than winning a cheap victory. Global Kryner did not win because of the fans, but because of ORF's last-minute change of the voting system."

At Eurovision
According to Eurovision rules, all nations with the exceptions of the host country, the "Big Four" (France, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom), and the ten highest placed finishers in the 2004 contest are required to qualify from the semi-final on 19 May 2005 in order to compete for the final on 21 May 2005; the top ten countries from the semi-final progress to the final. On 22 March 2005, a special allocation draw was held which determined the running order for the semi-final and Austria was set to open the show and perform in position 1, before the entry from Lithuania. At the end of the show, Austria was not announced among the top 10 entries in the semi-final and therefore failed to qualify to compete in the final. It was later revealed that Austria placed twenty-first in the semi-final, receiving a total of 30 points.The semi-final and the final were broadcast in Austria on ORF 2 with commentary by Andi Knoll and via radio on Ö3 with commentary by Martin Blumenau. The Austrian spokesperson, who announced the Austrian votes during the final, was Dodo Roscic.

Voting
Below is a breakdown of points awarded to Austria and awarded by Austria in the semi-final and grand final of the contest. The nation awarded its 12 points to Croatia in the semi-final and to Serbia and Montenegro in the final of the contest.

Points awarded to Austria
Points awarded by Austria
Passage 2:
Caspar Babypants
Caspar Babypants is the stage name of children's music artist Chris Ballew, who is also the vocalist and bassist of The Presidents of the United States of America.

History
Ballew's first brush with children's music came in 2002, when he recorded and donated an album of traditional children's songs to the nonprofit Program for Early Parent Support titled "PEPS Sing A Long!" Although that was a positive experience for him, he did not consider making music for families until he met his wife, collage artist Kate Endle. Her art inspired Ballew to consider making music that "sounded like her art looked" as he has said. Ballew began writing original songs and digging up nursery rhymes and folk songs in the public domain to interpret and make his own. The first album, Here I Am!, was recorded during the summer of 2008 and released in February 2009.
Ballew began to perform solo as Caspar Babypants in the Seattle area in January 2009. Fred Northup, a Seattle-based comedy improvisor, heard the album and offered to play as his live percussionist.  Northrup also suggested his frequent collaborator Ron Hippe as a keyboard player. "Frederick Babyshirt" and "Ronald Babyshoes" were the Caspar Babypants live band from May 2009 to April 2012. Both Northup and Hippe appear on some of his recordings but since April 2012 Caspar Babypants has exclusively performed solo. The reasons for the change were to include more improvisation in the show and to reduce the sound levels so that very young children and newborns could continue to attend without being overstimulated.
Ballew has made two albums of Beatles covers as Caspar Babypants. Baby Beatles! came out in September 2013 and Beatles Baby! came out in September 2015.
Ballew runs the Aurora Elephant Music record label, books shows, produces, records, and masters the albums himself. Distribution for the albums is handled by Burnside Distribution in Portland, Oregon.
Caspar Babypants has released a total of 17 albums. The 17th album, BUG OUT!, was released on May 1, 2020. His album FLYING HIGH! was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Children's Album. All 17 of the albums feature cover art by Ballew's wife, Kate Endle.
"FUN FAVORITES!" and "HAPPY HITS!" are two vinyl-only collections of hit songs that Caspar Babypants has released in the last couple of years.

Discography
AlbumsPEPS (2002)
Here I Am! (Released 03/17/09) Special guests: Jen Wood, Fysah Thomas
More Please! (Released 12/15/09) Special guests: Fred Northup, Ron Hippe
This Is Fun! (Released 11/02/10)  Special guests: Fred Northup, Ron Hippe, Krist Novoselic, Charlie Hope
Sing Along! (Released 08/16/11) Special guests: Fred Northup, Ron Hippe, "Weird Al" Yankovic, Stone Gossard, Frances England, Rachel Loshak
Hot Dog! (Released 04/17/12) Special guests: Fred Northup, Ron Hippe, Rachel Flotard (Visqueen)
I Found You! (Released 12/18/12) Special guests: Steve Turner (Mudhoney), Rachel Flotard (Visqueen), John Richards
Baby Beatles! (Released 09/15/13)
Rise And Shine! (Released 09/16/14)
Night Night! (Released 03/17/15)
Beatles Baby! (Released 09/18/2015)
Away We Go! (Released 08/12/2016)
Winter Party! (Released 11/18/16)
Jump For Joy! (Released 08/18/17)
Sleep Tight! (Released 01/19/18)
Keep It Real! (Released 08/17/18)
Best Beatles! (Released 03/29/19)
Flying High! (Released 08/16/19)
Bug Out! (released 05/1/20)
Happy Heart! (Released 11/13/20)
Easy Breezy! (Released 11/05/21)AppearancesMany Hands: Family Music for Haiti CD (released 2010) – Compilation of various artists
Songs Stories And Friends: Let's Go Play – Charlie Hope (released 2011) – vocals on Alouette
Shake It Up, Shake It Off (released 2012) – Compilation of various artists
Keep Hoping Machine Running – Songs Of Woody Guthrie (released 2012) – Compilation of various artists
Apple Apple – The Harmonica Pocket (released 2013) – vocals on Monkey Love
Simpatico – Rennee and Friends (released 2015) – writer and vocals on I Am Not Afraid
Sundrops – The Harmonica Pocket (released 2015) – vocals on Digga Dog Kid
Passage 3:
Bernie Bonvoisin
Bernard Bonvoisin (French pronunciation: [bɛʁnaʁ bɔ̃vwazɛ̃]), known as Bernie Bonvoisin (French pronunciation: [bɛʁni bɔ̃vwazɛ̃], born 9 July 1956 in Nanterre, Hauts-de-Seine), is a French hard rock singer and film director. He is best known for having been the singer of Trust.
He was one of the best friends of Bon Scott the singer of AC/DC and together they recorded the song "Ride On" which was one of the last songs by Bon Scott.

External links
Bernie Bonvoisin at IMDb
Passage 4:
Billy Milano
Billy Milano (born June 3, 1964) is an American heavy metal and hardcore punk musician. He is the singer and occasionally guitarist and bassist of crossover thrash band M.O.D., and was the singer of its predecessor, Stormtroopers of Death. Prior to these bands, Milano played in early New York hardcore band the Psychos, which also launched the career of future Agnostic Front vocalist Roger Miret. Milano was also the singer of United Forces, which included his Stormtroopers of Death bandmate Dan Lilker. Milano managed a number of bands, including Agnostic Front, for whom he also co-produced the 1997 Epitaph Records release Something's Gotta Give and roadie for Anthrax.

Discography
Stormtroopers of Death albums
Stormtroopers of Death videos
Method of Destruction (M.O.D.)
Mastery
Passage 5:
O Valencia!
"O Valencia!" is the fifth single by the indie rock band The Decemberists, and the first released from their fourth studio album, The Crane Wife.
The music was written by The Decemberists and the lyrics by Colin Meloy. It tells a story of two star-crossed lovers. The singer falls in love with a person who belongs to an opposing gang. At the end of the song, the singer's lover jumps in to defend the singer, who is confronting his lover's brother (the singer's "sworn enemy") and is killed by the bullet intended for the singer.

Track listing
The 7" single sold in the UK was mispressed, with "Culling of the Fold" as the B-side despite the artwork and record label listing "After the Bombs" as the B-side.

Music videos
For the "O Valencia!" music video, The Decemberists filmed themselves in front of a green screen and asked fans to complete it by digitally adding in background images or footage. Stephen Colbert of The Colbert Report, having recently asked fans to do the same with a video of him with a light saber in front of a green screen, brought up The Decemberists on his segment "Look Who's Riding on My Coattails Now" and accused the band of stealing the idea. The Decemberists' response was to challenge Stephen Colbert to a guitar solo showdown on December 20, 2006, on The Colbert Report.On January 19, 2007, The Decemberists premiered an alternate music video of "O Valencia!", directed by Aaron Stewart-Ahn, on MTV2. The video follows a character named Patrick, played by Meloy, as he and his love Francesca (Lisa Molinaro), daughter of "the Boss", plan an escape to an unknown location. At a cafe, a man in a suit, portrayed by the band member Chris Funk, tells him to hide in the "Valencia" hotel (the Super Value Inn on North Interstate Avenue in Portland, Oregon) while he gets them the necessary documentation to escape. Above the name of the hotel, there is a neon sign that reads "Office". The letters have all burnt out except for the "O", creating the title of the song. The video then introduces other characters - various assassination teams - who sit in different rooms of the hotel waiting for the chance to catch the two lovers. Most are portrayed by other members of the band (along with Meloy's wife, Carson Ellis). They kill off any potential witnesses to their plan. Patrick manages to take down one member from each team, before they gang up on him. The Boss arrives, along with the man from the cafe, who reveals that he snitched on Patrick and Francesca. They execute Francesca, while forcing Patrick to watch. After they leave, Patrick finds a note by Francesca, which reveals that she never fell in love with him, and only wanted protection. 2 months later, Patrick and the man, who has lost an eye from a previous assassination attempt, have a sit-down at the same cafe. The man reveals that he snitched on Patrick just to take over the town. Patrick reveals that he poisoned a drink the man was having, but before he could get away, the man stabs Patrick in the neck with a fork before dying, followed by Patrick.
The video is somewhat influenced by the distinct style and themes of director Wes Anderson, with bold fonts being used to introduce characters and groups on the bottom of the screen (much like in the film The Royal Tenenbaums). The band had previously (and more explicitly) drawn influence from Anderson's Rushmore in their video for "Sixteen Military Wives". The layout of the hotel is also similar to the one used in Bottle Rocket.
Kurt Nishimura was chosen as the winner by mtvU for his video that depicted a love affair between a woman and her television, with the TV containing the green-screened Decemberists video footage.
Passage 6:
Eric Papilaya
Austria participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2007 with the song "Get a Life – Get Alive" written by Greg Usek and Austin Howard. The song was performed by Eric Papilaya. In October 2006, the Austrian broadcaster Österreichischer Rundfunk (ORF) announced that they would be returning to the Eurovision Song Contest after a one-year absence following their withdrawal in 2006 due to poor results in the 2005 contest. On 20 February 2007, ORF announced that they had internally selected Eric Papilaya to compete at the 2007 contest in Helsinki, Finland, while "Get a Life – Get Alive" was presented to the public on 7 March 2007.
Austria competed in the semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest which took place on 10 May 2007. Performing during the show in position 27, "Get a Life – Get Alive" was not announced among the top 10 entries of the semi-final and therefore did not qualify to compete in the final. It was later revealed that Austria placed twenty-seventh out of the 28 participating countries in the semi-final with 4 points.

Background
Prior to the 2007 contest, Austria has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest forty-two times since its first entry in 1957. The nation has won the contest on one occasion: in 1966 with the song "Merci, Chérie" performed by Udo Jürgens. Following the introduction of semi-finals for the 2004 contest, Austria has featured in only one final. Austria's least successful result has been last place, which they have achieved on seven occasions, most recently in 1991. Austria has also received nul points on three occasions; in 1962, 1988 and 1991.The Austrian national broadcaster, Österreichischer Rundfunk (ORF), broadcasts the event within Austria and organises the selection process for the nation's entry. Following the 2005 contest, the Austrian broadcaster announced in June 2005 that the country would not participate in 2006 citing poor results in the 2005 contest as the reason for their decision. Following their one-year absence, ORF confirmed their intentions to participate at the 2007 Eurovision Song Contest on 21 October 2006. From 2002 to 2005, ORF had set up national finals with several artists to choose both the song and performer to compete at Eurovision for Austria. For the 2007 Eurovision Song Contest, ORF held an internal selection to choose the artist and song to represent Austria at the contest. This method had last been used by ORF in 2000.

Before Eurovision
Internal selection
On 20 February 2007, ORF announced that they had internally selected Eric Papilaya to represent Austria in Helsinki. Papilaya participated in the third season of the talent show Starmania where he was a finalist. On 7 March 2007, the song "Get a Life – Get Alive", written by Greg Usek and Austin Howard was presented as the Austrian entry for the contest at an ORF press conference as well as via radio on Ö3. "Get a Life – Get Alive" was also announced as the official 2007 theme song of the AIDS charity event Life Ball, continuing the historical relationship between the Austrian Eurovision entry and the Life Ball event.

Promotion
Prior to the contest, Eric Papilaya specifically promoted "Get a Life – Get Alive" as the Austrian Eurovision entry during his Get a Life bus tour, which departed from Vienna on 20 April and arrived in Helsinki for the contest on 4 May. The tour covered 15 cities across Europe and included several international television and radio appearances. In addition to his international appearances, Eric Papilaya performed "Get a Life – Get Alive" as a musical guest during the ORF eins programme Dancing With Stars on 20 April, while a farewell concert was held at the Heidenplatz on 20 April before the bus tour.

At Eurovision
According to Eurovision rules, all nations with the exceptions of the host country, the "Big Four" (France, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom) and the ten highest placed finishers in the 2006 contest are required to qualify from the semi-final on 10 May 2007 in order to compete for the final on 12 May 2007. On 12 March 2007, a special allocation draw was held which determined the running order for the semi-final. As one of the five wildcard countries, Austria chose to perform in position 27, following the entry from Turkey and before the entry from Latvia.The semi-final and the final were broadcast in Austria on ORF 2 with commentary by Andi Knoll. The Austrian spokesperson, who announced the Austrian votes during the final, was Eva Pölzl.

Semi-final
Eric Papilaya took part in technical rehearsals on 4 and 6 May, followed by dress rehearsals on 9 and 10 May. The Austrian performance featured Eric Papilaya performing on stage in a silver suit designed by British designer Vivienne Westwood with 2,000 Swarovski crystals attached, with the words "Get Alive" scrolling horizontally and vertically on the LED screens. The performance began with Papilaya coming out from the loop of a 700 meter red feathered AIDS ribbon prop attached with 14,000 Swarovski crystals, of which four dancers/backing vocalists in red skin-tight feathered costumes were on. The performers later came off from the prop to the front of the stage to perform a dance routine accompanied by pyrotechnic effects. In regards to the performance, organiser of the Life Ball event Gery Keszler stated: "With this show we will conquer Europe and put the issue of AIDS in the spotlight but in an optimistic way." Eric Papilaya was also joined on stage by guitarist Thommy Pilat, while the four backing performers were: Cedric Lee Bradley, Jerome Knols, Laura Fernandez and Nina Weiß.At the end of the show, Austria was not announced among the top 10 entries in the semi-final and therefore failed to qualify to compete in the final. It was later revealed that Austria placed twenty-seventh in the semi-final, receiving a total of 4 points.

Voting
Below is a breakdown of points awarded to Austria and awarded by Austria in the semi-final and grand final of the contest. The nation awarded its 12 points to Serbia in the semi-final and the final of the contest.

Points awarded to Austria
Points awarded by Austria
Passage 7:
Astrid North
Astrid North (Astrid Karina North Radmann; 24 August 1973, West Berlin – 25 June 2019, Berlin) was a German soul singer and songwriter. She was the singer of the German band Cultured Pearls, with whom she released five Albums. As guest singer of the band Soulounge she published three albums.

Career
North had her first experiences as a singer with her student band Colorful Dimension in Berlin. In March 1992 she met B. La (Bela Braukmann) and Tex Super (Peter Hinderthür) who then studied at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg and who were looking for a singer for their band Cultured Pearls. The trio entered the German charts with four singles and four albums.

In 1994 North sang for the dance-pop band Big Light on their hit single Trouble Is. In 1996 she was a guest on the side project Little Red Riding Hood by Fury in the Slaughterhouse brothers Kai and Thorsten Wingenfelder which resulted in the release of the single Life's Too Short from the eponymous album.The song Sleepy Eyes, texted and sung by North, appears in the soundtrack of the movie Tor zum Himmel (2003) by director Veit Helmer. In 2003 she appeared at the festival Das Fest in Karlsruhe and sang alongside her own songs a cover version of the Aerosmith hit Walk This Way together with the German singer Sasha. North also toured with the American singer Gabriel Gordon.After the end of her band Cultured Pearls in 2003 North moved 2004 to New York City to write new songs, work with a number of different musicians and to experiment with her music.In 2005 she joined the charity project Home, which produced an album for the benefit of the orphans from the Beluga School for Life in Thailand which have been affected by the Indian Ocean earthquake in 2004 and the subsequent tsunami. Beside the orphans themselves also the following artists have been involved, guitarist Henning Rümenapp (Guano Apes), Kai Wingenfelder (Fury in the Slaughterhouse), Maya Saban and others. With Bobby Hebb Astrid North recorded a new version of his classic hit Sunny. It was the first time Hebb sung this song as duett and it appeared on his last album That's All I Wanna Know.
North sang in 2006 My Ride, Spring Is Near and No One Can Tell on the album The Ride by Basic Jazz Lounge, a project by jazz trumpeter Joo Kraus. In addition, she worked as a workshop lecturer of the Popkurs at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg.
In spring 2010 North performed as the opening act of the Fakebling-Tour of Miss Platnum. The magazine Der Spiegel described her as one of the "leading ladies of the local soul scene". On 20 July 2012 her solo debut album North was released.
On 16 September 2016 Astrid North released her second solo album, Precious Ruby, dedicated to her grandmother Precious Ruby North. North used crowdfunding to finance the album. The first single published from this album was the song Miss Lucy. In 2016 she also started her concert series North-Lichter in Berlin's Bar jeder Vernunft to which she invited singers such as Katharina Franck, Elke Brauweiler, Lizzy Scharnofske, Mia Diekow, Lisa Bassenge or Iris Romen.

Life
Astrid North was born in West Berlin, West Germany to Sondria North and Wolf-Dieter Radmann. She commuted between her birth city and her family in Houston, Texas until she was nine years old. In the USA she lived mainly with her grandparents and her time there significantly shaped her musical development.Besides her music career Astrid North worked also as lecturer in Hamburg at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater and as yoga teacher. North was the mother of two children, her daughter was born in 2001 and her son in 2006. Her sister Ondria North works as make-up artist and hair stylist in the German film industry.
She died in June 2019 at the age of 45 years from pancreatic cancer.

Discography
with Cultured PearlsAlbums

1996: Sing Dela Sing (German chart position 92, 3 weeks)
1997: Space Age Honeymoon (German chart position 54, 6 weeks)
1999: Liquefied Days (German chart position 19, 9 weeks)
2002: Life on a Tuesday (German chart position 74, 1 week)Singles

1996: Tic Toc (1996) (German chart position 65, 10 weeks)
1997: Sugar Sugar Honey (German chart position 72, 9 weeks)
1998: Silverball (German chart position 99, 2 weeks)
1999: Kissing the Sheets (German chart position 87, 9 weeks)with Soulounge

2003: The Essence of the Live Event – Volume One
2004: Home
2006: Say It AllSolo

2005: Sunny (Single, Bobby Hebb feat. Astrid North)
2012: North (Album, 20. Juli 2012)
2013: North Live (Album, live recordings from different venues in Germany)
2016: Sunny (Compilation, Bobby Hebb feat. Astrid North)
2016: Precious Ruby (Album, 16. September 2016)as guest singer

1994: Trouble Is – Big Light (Single)
1996: Life's Too Short – Little Red Riding Hood (Single)
2006: Basic Jazz Lounge: The Ride – Joo Kraus (Album)
Passage 8:
Get a Life – Get Alive
Austria participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2007 with the song "Get a Life – Get Alive" written by Greg Usek and Austin Howard. The song was performed by Eric Papilaya. In October 2006, the Austrian broadcaster Österreichischer Rundfunk (ORF) announced that they would be returning to the Eurovision Song Contest after a one-year absence following their withdrawal in 2006 due to poor results in the 2005 contest. On 20 February 2007, ORF announced that they had internally selected Eric Papilaya to compete at the 2007 contest in Helsinki, Finland, while "Get a Life – Get Alive" was presented to the public on 7 March 2007.
Austria competed in the semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest which took place on 10 May 2007. Performing during the show in position 27, "Get a Life – Get Alive" was not announced among the top 10 entries of the semi-final and therefore did not qualify to compete in the final. It was later revealed that Austria placed twenty-seventh out of the 28 participating countries in the semi-final with 4 points.

Background
Prior to the 2007 contest, Austria has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest forty-two times since its first entry in 1957. The nation has won the contest on one occasion: in 1966 with the song "Merci, Chérie" performed by Udo Jürgens. Following the introduction of semi-finals for the 2004 contest, Austria has featured in only one final. Austria's least successful result has been last place, which they have achieved on seven occasions, most recently in 1991. Austria has also received nul points on three occasions; in 1962, 1988 and 1991.The Austrian national broadcaster, Österreichischer Rundfunk (ORF), broadcasts the event within Austria and organises the selection process for the nation's entry. Following the 2005 contest, the Austrian broadcaster announced in June 2005 that the country would not participate in 2006 citing poor results in the 2005 contest as the reason for their decision. Following their one-year absence, ORF confirmed their intentions to participate at the 2007 Eurovision Song Contest on 21 October 2006. From 2002 to 2005, ORF had set up national finals with several artists to choose both the song and performer to compete at Eurovision for Austria. For the 2007 Eurovision Song Contest, ORF held an internal selection to choose the artist and song to represent Austria at the contest. This method had last been used by ORF in 2000.

Before Eurovision
Internal selection
On 20 February 2007, ORF announced that they had internally selected Eric Papilaya to represent Austria in Helsinki. Papilaya participated in the third season of the talent show Starmania where he was a finalist. On 7 March 2007, the song "Get a Life – Get Alive", written by Greg Usek and Austin Howard was presented as the Austrian entry for the contest at an ORF press conference as well as via radio on Ö3. "Get a Life – Get Alive" was also announced as the official 2007 theme song of the AIDS charity event Life Ball, continuing the historical relationship between the Austrian Eurovision entry and the Life Ball event.

Promotion
Prior to the contest, Eric Papilaya specifically promoted "Get a Life – Get Alive" as the Austrian Eurovision entry during his Get a Life bus tour, which departed from Vienna on 20 April and arrived in Helsinki for the contest on 4 May. The tour covered 15 cities across Europe and included several international television and radio appearances. In addition to his international appearances, Eric Papilaya performed "Get a Life – Get Alive" as a musical guest during the ORF eins programme Dancing With Stars on 20 April, while a farewell concert was held at the Heidenplatz on 20 April before the bus tour.

At Eurovision
According to Eurovision rules, all nations with the exceptions of the host country, the "Big Four" (France, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom) and the ten highest placed finishers in the 2006 contest are required to qualify from the semi-final on 10 May 2007 in order to compete for the final on 12 May 2007. On 12 March 2007, a special allocation draw was held which determined the running order for the semi-final. As one of the five wildcard countries, Austria chose to perform in position 27, following the entry from Turkey and before the entry from Latvia.The semi-final and the final were broadcast in Austria on ORF 2 with commentary by Andi Knoll. The Austrian spokesperson, who announced the Austrian votes during the final, was Eva Pölzl.

Semi-final
Eric Papilaya took part in technical rehearsals on 4 and 6 May, followed by dress rehearsals on 9 and 10 May. The Austrian performance featured Eric Papilaya performing on stage in a silver suit designed by British designer Vivienne Westwood with 2,000 Swarovski crystals attached, with the words "Get Alive" scrolling horizontally and vertically on the LED screens. The performance began with Papilaya coming out from the loop of a 700 meter red feathered AIDS ribbon prop attached with 14,000 Swarovski crystals, of which four dancers/backing vocalists in red skin-tight feathered costumes were on. The performers later came off from the prop to the front of the stage to perform a dance routine accompanied by pyrotechnic effects. In regards to the performance, organiser of the Life Ball event Gery Keszler stated: "With this show we will conquer Europe and put the issue of AIDS in the spotlight but in an optimistic way." Eric Papilaya was also joined on stage by guitarist Thommy Pilat, while the four backing performers were: Cedric Lee Bradley, Jerome Knols, Laura Fernandez and Nina Weiß.At the end of the show, Austria was not announced among the top 10 entries in the semi-final and therefore failed to qualify to compete in the final. It was later revealed that Austria placed twenty-seventh in the semi-final, receiving a total of 4 points.

Voting
Below is a breakdown of points awarded to Austria and awarded by Austria in the semi-final and grand final of the contest. The nation awarded its 12 points to Serbia in the semi-final and the final of the contest.

Points awarded to Austria
Points awarded by Austria
Passage 9:
La teva decisió (Get a Life)
Andorra participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 with the song "La teva decisió (Get a Life)" written by Susanne Georgi, Rune Braager, Lene Dissing, Pernille Georgi, Marcus Winther-John and Josep Roca Vila. The song was performed by Susanne Georgi. The Andorran broadcaster Ràdio i Televisió d'Andorra (RTVA) organised the national final Passaport a Moscou in order to select the Andorran entry for the 2009 contest in Moscow, Russia. Three songs performed during the national final on 4 February 2009 where a combination of jury voting and public voting selected "La teva decisió (Get a Life)" performed by Susanne Georgi as the winner.
Andorra was drawn to compete in the first semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest which took place on 12 May 2009. Performing during the show in position 7, "La teva decisió (Get a Life)" was not announced among the 10 qualifying entries of the first semi-final and therefore did not qualify to compete in the final. It was later revealed that Andorra placed fifteenth out of the 18 participating countries in the semi-final with 8 points. As of 2023, this was Andorra's last entry in the contest following the nation's withdrawal the following year. The absence has continued in every edition since.

Background
Prior to the 2009 contest, Andorra had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest five times since its first entry in 2004. To this point, the nation has yet to feature in a final, with their best result being in 2007 with the song "Salvem el món" performed by Anonymous which placed twelfth out of the 28 participating nations in the semi-final, while their worst result was achieved in 2006 where they placed twenty-third (last) out of the 23 participating nations in the semi-final with the song "Sense tu" by Jenny. In the 2008 contest, Andorra failed to qualify to the final where they placed sixteenth out of the 19 participating nations in the semi-final with the song "Casanova" performed by Gisela.
The Andorran national broadcaster, Ràdio i Televisió d'Andorra (RTVA), broadcasts the event within Andorra and organises the selection process for the nation's entry. RTVA confirmed their intentions to participate at the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest on 10 September 2008. In 2004 and 2005, RTVA had set up a national final in order to select the Andorran entry for the contest, while an internal selection was used since 2006. On 22 October 2008, RTVA announced that they would return with organising a national final to select the 2009 Andorran entry.

Before Eurovision
Passaport a Moscou
Passaport a Moscou (Passport to Moscow) was the national final organised by RTVA that selected Andorra's entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2009. The competition took place on 4 February 2009 at the Apolo Andorra Hall in Andorra la Vella, hosted by Meri Picart and broadcast on ATV as well as online via the broadcaster's Eurovision Song Contest website eurovisionandorra.ad.

Competing entries
A submission period was open for artists and composers to submit their entries between 24 October 2008 and 31 December 2008, which was later pushed forward to 1 December 2008. Artists were required to be aged at least 18 and were able to submit up to three songs, at least one of them being in Catalan. Both artists and songwriters could be of any nationality, but those with Andorran citizenship, musical experience and fluency in Catalan, English and French were given priority. A total of 107 submissions were received at the conclusion of the submission period, of which 66 were by foreign artists from eleven countries: twenty-seven from Spain, eight each from France and Lithuania, six from Sweden, four each from Greece and Malta, three from Belgium, two each from Ireland and Israel, and one each from Iceland and the United Kingdom. 64 songs were submitted without an artist attached, 28 artists applied with a song and 15 artists applied without a song. An expert committee shortlisted four of the artists that entered with a song and five from each of the remaining two groups, while an alternate committee selected the three competing entries for the national final, which were announced on 13 December 2008.On 29 December 2008, "Estrelles d'or", written by Marc Durandeau and performed by Durandeau and Marc Canturri, was disqualified from the national final and replaced with the song "Passió obsessiva" performed by Mar Capdevila due to similarities with Durandeau's submitted song for the 2008 Spanish national final "Estrellas en azul". Prior to the national final, RTVA broadcast three presentation shows on 14, 21 and 28 January 2009 where the three entries were presented to the public.

Final
The final took place on 4 February 2009. Three entries competed and the winner, "La teva decisió" performed by Susanne Georgi, was selected by the 50/50 combination of votes from a professional jury and a public vote via SMS that ran between 14 January and 4 February 2009.

Promotion
Susanne Georgi made several appearances across Europe to specifically promote "La teva decisió" as the Andorran Eurovision entry. On 27 February, Georgi appeared in and performed during the Punto Radio programme Protagonistas in Spain. Georgi also took part in promotional activities in Denmark which included a performance at the Danish Music Awards on 28 February. On 12 May, Georgi performed "La teva decisió" during a special Eurovision show organised by Spanish broadcaster TVE.

At Eurovision
According to Eurovision rules, all nations with the exceptions of the host country and the "Big Four" (France, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom) are required to qualify from one of two semi-finals in order to compete for the final; the top nine songs from each semi-final as determined by televoting progress to the final, and a tenth was determined by back-up juries. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) split up the competing countries into six different pots based on voting patterns from previous contests, with countries with favourable voting histories put into the same pot. On 30 January 2009, a special allocation draw was held which placed each country into one of the two semi-finals. Andorra was placed into the first semi-final, to be held on 12 May 2009. The running order for the semi-finals was decided through another draw on 16 March 2009 and Andorra was set to perform in position 12, following the entry from Armenia and before the entry from Switzerland.The two semi-finals and the final were broadcast in Andorra on ATV with commentary by Meri Picart. The Andorran spokesperson, who announced the Andorran votes during the final, was Brigits García.

Controversy
Having originally been drawn to broadcast and vote in the first semi-final, the EBU's Reference Group approved a request by Spanish broadcaster TVE in April 2009 for Spain to broadcast and vote in the second semi-final instead due to their commitments to broadcasting the Madrid Open tennis tournament and to allow for promotion of Eurovision itself. RTVA announced their disappointment on this decision as they believed that Andorra's chances of qualifying would be lower without Spain voting, while there was also a feeling that the amount of promotion done in Spain was to no avail.

Semi-final
Susanne Georgi took part in technical rehearsals on 3 and 7 May, followed by dress rehearsals on 11 and 12 May. The Andorran performance featured Susanne Georgi wearing a white long-sleeved blouse and white skirt with a red heart in the corner, joined on stage by four backing vocalists. The performers moved around the stage throughout the song, while Georgi and two of the backing vocalists played a white electric guitar with the number 07 lit up. The LED screens displayed expanding red and blue blocks, floating electric guitars and flashing blocks of different colours, while the performance also featured the use of a wind machine. The four backing vocalists that joined Susanne Georgi were: Belinda Sánchez Leal, María Ángeles Barahona Paisan, Olga Romero Paz and Susana Ribalta.At the end of the show, Andorra was not announced among the top 10 entries in the first semi-final and therefore failed to qualify to compete in the final. It was later revealed that Andorra placed fifteenth in the semi-final, receiving a total of 8 points.

Voting
The voting system for 2009 involved each country awarding points from 1-8, 10 and 12, with the points in the final being decided by a combination of 50% national jury and 50% televoting. Each nation's jury consisted of five music industry professionals who are citizens of the country they represent. This jury judged each entry based on: vocal capacity; the stage performance; the song's composition and originality; and the overall impression by the act. In addition, no member of a national jury was permitted to be related in any way to any of the competing acts in such a way that they cannot vote impartially and independently.
Below is a breakdown of points awarded to Andorra and awarded by Andorra in the first semi-final and grand final of the contest. The nation awarded its 12 points to Portugal in the semi-final and to Spain in the final of the contest.

Points awarded to Andorra
Points awarded by Andorra
Detailed voting results
After Eurovision
Despite having submitted a preliminary application to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2010, RTVA announced that their withdrawal on 12 December 2009 after they were unable to secure extra funds by 11 December due to a 10% reduction in their spending budget for 2010. Following the announcement, many former Andorran Eurovision contestants expressed their disappointment in the broadcaster's decision due to the lack of publicity the country will now receive by not taking part in the contest.Andorra has not returned to the contest since.
Passage 10:
Kristian Leontiou
Kristian Leontiou (born February 1982) is an English singer. Formerly a solo artist, he is the lead singer of indie rock band One eskimO.

Early life
Kristian Leontiou was born in London, England and is of Greek Cypriot descent. He went to Hatch End High School in Harrow and worked several jobs in and around London whilst concentrating on music when he had any free time.  In 2003 he signed a major record deal with Polydor. At the time, Leontiou was dubbed "the new Dido" by some media outlets. His debut single "Story of My Life" was released in June 2004 and reached #9 in the UK Singles Chart. His second single "Shining" peaked at #13 whilst the album Some Day Soon was certified gold selling in excess of 150,000 copies.
Leontiou toured the album in November 2004 taking him to the US to work with L.A Reid, Chairman of the Island Def Jam music group.  Unhappy with the direction his career was going, on a flight back from the US in 2004 he decided to take his music in a new direction.  Splitting from his label in late 2005, he went on to collaborate with Faithless on the song "Hope & Glory" for their album ‘'To All New Arrivals'’.  It was this release that saw him unleash the One eskimO moniker.  It was through working with Rollo Armstrong on the Faithless album, that Rollo got to hear an early demo of "Astronauts" from the One eskimO project. Being more than impressed by what he heard, Rollo opened both his arms and studio doors to Leontiou and they began to co-produce the ‘'All Balloons’' album.
It was at this time that he paired up with good friend Adam Falkner, a drummer/musician, to introduce a live acoustic sound to the album. They recorded the album with engineer Phill Brown (engineer for Bob Marley and Robert Plant) at Ark studios in St John's Wood where they recorded live then headed back to Rollo's studio to add the cinematic electro touches that are prominent on the album.
Shortly after its completion, One eskimO's "Hometime" was used on a Toyota Prius advert in the USA. The funds from the advert were then used to develop the visual aspect of One eskimO. He teamed up with friend Nathan Erasmus (Gravy Media Productions) along with animation team Smuggling Peanuts (Matt Latchford and Lucy Sullivan) who together began to develop the One eskimO world, the first animation produced was for the track ‘Hometime’ which went on to win a British animation award in 2008.
In 2008 Leontiou started a new management venture with ATC Music. By mid-2008 Time Warner came on board to develop all 10 One eskimO animations which were produced the highly regarded Passion Pictures in London.  Now with all animation complete and a debut album, One eskimO prepare to unveil themselves fully to the world in summer 2009.
Leontiou released a cover version of Tracy Chapman's "Fast Car", which was originally released as a single in 2005. Leontiou's version was unable to chart, however, due to there being no simultaneous physical release alongside the download single, a UK chart rule that was in place at the time. On 24 April 2011, the song entered the singles chart at number 88 due to Britain's Got Talent contestant Michael Collings covering the track on the show on 16 April 2011.

Discography
Albums
Singles
Notes
A  - Originally released as a single in April 2005, Leontiou's version of "Fast Car" did not chart until 2011 in the UK.

Also featured on
Now That's What I Call Music! 58 (Story of My Life)
Win a Date with Tad Hamilton! OST, Love Love Songs - The Ultimate Love Collection (Shining)
Summerland OST (The Crying)