The Earth Moved Under My Feet

I wished I had taken off my eye makeup before watching the semi-final of Nouvelle Star (French Idol) on telly last night. There were only three young finalists left, and I had become hopelessly attached to all of them. I cried with anticipation before the damn show even started. I cried when when they sang - every hair on my body stood on end when Dominique sang 'IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII am calling yoooooooooooooouuuuuuuuuuu', the famous song from the Bagdad Café movie. I cried when they showed video clips of their families and friends sending their love and encouragement. I cried when the judges gave their enthusiastic verdicts, and I cried every time Marianne James cried.

In fact I only started watching the show because of Marianne James' delightful bolshieness and eloquence. She is sublime. Not only do all four judges express themselves beautifully, but I find that even the young contestants have a way with words that their Anglophone counterparts often do not. There's something about the French language that renders even the most unsophisticated teenager unbearably poetic. They say things like 'J'espère aller au bout de l'aventure', 'C'est très riche en émotion', and 'La musique donne une autre dimension à l'ambiance'. I can only imagine a young Anglophone saying 'It was totally cool and I'm really stoked!', or 'The music rocks, Dude!'

Even when it was all over and and the contestants' theme song 'J'irai Chanter' was played, I sobbed when I heard eliminated Cindy's voice. She's a tiny, skinny little thing with a really powerful and impressive voice.

I only started watching the series about four weeks ago, and I was mystified as to how young red-haired Stéphanie from Belgium made it past the casting phase. She sang badly out of tune, and I just cringed for her. Aren't the contestants properly advised on their choice of song? She was just awful singing 'Désenchantée', which requires very low, deep notes. Even her rendition of 'Poupée de son, Poupée de cire', which is surely easier to sing, was quite horrendous.

Happily, the final will be between the lovely Dominique, who will surely succeed as a singer, and my favourite, Christophe. He is so endearing, with his gawkiness and scruffy hair, but what a talented boy he is, and he can sing such a range of different styles. They both deserve to win.... I'll put a whole stack of hankies on the sofa for next week.