It’s that time of the year again. The Grande Finale is approaching. Contries participating are in the last motions of chosing contributions. This year the event will be held in Athens, Greece.
Semifinal and Final will be held May 18 and May 20 respectively.
Why am I talking about this at Booman’s, mostly a US oriented site? The US-based company Reveille has recently signed an option agreement with the EBU, to find a broadcasting partner to make an American version of the Eurovision Song Contest in the United States.
I just wanted to say Take a look to see what’s coming
Chose the Multimedia Lounge and select Video to see what Europe has to offer. Enjoy!
Is this really something we want the rest of the world to know about?
🙂
Given the choice between American garbage (any sitcom) and European garbage (this), I’ll take the Us version every time.
“US”, obviously.
And it’s mostly garbage, yes. Giving a pre- kind of warning to our American brothers and sisters, is that a bad thing?
:^)
Agreed, it’s a good thing.
I think it’s probably fair, considering the unbelievably bad films that are routinely tested on the US public. (Every European should spend a week in a cineplex in the heartland. I will make you appreciate Bruckenheimer on a whole new level.)
Where’s Mr Revere when we need him:
“The Eurovision is coming, The Eurovision is coming!”
“Bruckheimer”
Love how the Brits got SMOKED last year…
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/eurovision/2005/scores.shtml
Bwahahaha… cheeky buggers.
The Beeb is always so smug with their behind the back jokes, caustic comments, and liguistic superiority complex during their coverage of the event.
Watching the UK finish behind melodious nations such as Malta and Andorra was great fun – if only for the fact it shut up the C squad of commentators that the BBC hauls out of a dusty broom cupboard every year to cover Eurovision.
Rumour has it, Ireland will take a dive because they are sick of shelling out to keep hosting the damn show after winning it five out of the last 10 years.
Eire is usually bearable with their annual Enya clone – but as for the rest?
It’s absolute torture to watch – so it’s great fun.
Watching it is kind of like seeing a car wreck – you just can’t help but peer through your fingers… as you lie in the fetal position with a pillow wrapped around your head to keep out the din.
It’s worse than watching your two year old nephew armed with a brillow pad and your CD collection.
It’s worse than a eight hundred comment diary of Daily Kos addicts tossing in non-sequitors that note some ancient post (which no one has read) to lob a bomb during a flamewar.
It’s worse than…
Until now, the most covered Eurovision hit is “Volare”.
Quiz of the day…
What do all these countries have in common?
Greece Malta Romania Israel Latvia Moldova Serbia & Montenegro Switzerland Norway Denmark Croatia Hungary Turkey Bosnia & Herzegovina Russia Albania FYR Macedonia Cyprus Sweden Ukraine Spain
.
.
.
.
They finished ahead of the UK in last years Eurovision Contest.
France and Germany are notably missing from the above list.
I think it was Patrick Kielty who said something to the effect that there was a conspiracy to let Ireland win:
“Let Paddy pay for it.”
(I’m not doing the accent.)
I’d have been willing to bet it was “Ein Bisschen Frieden” (Germany 1982).
The EBU is split between those who consider the contest a glorious piece of kitsch and those who take it as a serious competition. The BBC coverage is in the first tradition and the commentator who set that tone is Terry Wogan, an Irishman. By the way, the BBC get an automatic entry into the final alongside a couple of other broadcasters (I think from France and Germany) who provide a lot of the technical support and funding for holding the event.
The “competitive” faction is dominated by central and eastern European countries who tend to vote as a block. Those of you who are not familiar with it should know that there is a great deal of political voting. You can bet everything on Greece and Cyprus giving one of the top two marks to each other and no votes to Turkey. A similar pattern used to hold good of Spain and Portugal. The British entry this year is a secret weapon to get round the eastern block as its rapper is a well known DJ and performer in Eastern Europe (allegedly)
It was not too clear from the diary – is the proposal to show a version of the EBU coverage or is the plan to stage a US version, presumably with a competitor from each state?
Oh, in case you have any worries, the “schoolgirls” in the British act are all above the age of consent.
about Reveille “buying the concept” so I think they’re pondering a contest of their own.
To show our American brethren we’re not totally unaware of life in America here is one of the candidates for the Swedish contribution this year: Rednex
These guys represent Finland this year:
It’s going to be even weirder than usually.