Eurovision song contest

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GK

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Joined 2006
Is this supposed to be just one big joke are are Europeans really that tasteless when it comes to music and style?:eek:

And WTF was with the Charles Manson look-alike French guy in the golf buggy? Wot cwap!

And the Chickie Chickie kindergarten song! Argh :dead:


:D :hot:
 
Bear in mind that the objective of the Eurovision song contest is put forward the worst possible song/act, and therefore be certain of losing. The danger is that if you win, you are obliged to host the event the following year, which nobody wants to do because it costs a lot of money and is such rubbish (because nobody wants to win). A vicious circle.
So over the past decade (at least) the Eurovision song contest has become a showcase of just how bad an act a country can nominate.
Ireland once went through a period where it kept winning and kept having to host the damn thing. This year, just to make sure it wouldn;t get the even in 2010, it nominated a stuffed turkey.
So you have to enjoy it for what is is: a competition that people are trying their best to lose, with the exception of a few countries that are desperate to host something, anything.
Hopefully they'll scrap it someday. After Abba won back in the 1970's, it went downhill.
 
peranders said:
ESC is a really big thing in Sweden and this is the biggest music event per year. Glen did you notice "Hero" with Charlotte Perelli? (no. 15) You can check it via iTunes.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=EZ7U6WcsCRY

Surely a country that blessed the world with ABBA, The Cardigans, The Wannadies, and even, ahem, Ace of Base and Leather Nun, could have done better than that?

It's also worth mentioning that Eurovision is, however, good entertainment for European political scientists.

For example, Cyprus gives Turkey's entry a token 4 points -- a sign of a possible peace deal for the divided island?? Serbia gives Russia 12 points -- the resurgence of nationalism in the Balkans?? Belgium gives France 12 points, but nul points for the Netherlands -- have the Walloons taken the upper hand??... and so on.

Obviously Russia was voted the winner this year because several trends conspired to leave it with the most votes:

a) Russians have been having a hard time since around 1917, and need the odd morale boost now and again;

b) Everyone in Europe is scared of Russia; You can't not vote for them.

c) Russia will be obliged to host the whole farce next year: ha ha!

The 'music' doesn't even factor into the voting.

:D
 
ssmith said:
After Abba won back in the 1970's, it went downhill.
As I mentioned this ESC is really big in Sweden and has promoted new fine artists.
Måns Zelmerlöf
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ju30vjbqYU&feature=related

Sanna Neilsen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggpFs6Eq05k

Sarah Dawn Finer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1vgl4EuWkY

BWO (Bodies with organs)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lk-Pr3slSUc

My favorite Shirley Clamp (lovely voice)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKooxLYpjH0
 
The Problem with ESC

The real problem that I and a lot of people i know have with the ESC is the tactical "friends" voting.

All the former Russian republics vote highly for each other. the
scandanavians vote highly for each other and the Balkan states all vote highly for each other.

As a result of the number of states/votes available, the winners are likely to be former russian republics and balkan states irrespective of song quality...

just my take.

Nick,
 
G.Kleinschmidt said:
are Europeans really that tasteless

I thought about that "Long and Hard", while i was watching....eeeh...another channel.

The show is actually called EuroVideodrome, there are single frame images inserted in the broadcast.
The scream show also serves as 4-annual maintenance, the brainwash inserts are most efficient if the broadcast itself requires zero brain activity.
 
peranders said:
... as long as some countries send contributions that not is the best they can offer. I'm very amazed that the great nation of music (England). Why can't they deliver spitzenklasse?

as I explained, many countries (england included) want to avoid submitting a winner, and end up being lumbered with the event the following year. For example Ireland won it in '93, '94, '95 and '97 and it became a bit of a curse -- so we've been reduced to nominating a turkey just to lose -- even though we're musically far superior to the rest of Europe put together, and have been for centuries. I suspect england, which is a close second in musical terms, has a similar strategy -- it has to host the Olympics in a few years so Eurovision is an unnecessary burden.

Then you have countries like Sweden that still take it somewhat seriously -- an honorable exception -- but cannot win because there is no political reason to vote for it. Israel also takes it seriously, but everyone finds lots of political reasons not to vote for it.

So this year Russia won, because there were lots of political reasons (out of either pity, fear or spite) to vote for it. In the 'new Europe', Russia is a bit of a playground bully that needs to be placated.

Still, the Eurovision Song Contest serves a useful purpose -- if we Europeans weren't laughing at or voting against each other, we could be invading and occupying each other, and indulging in a bit of genocide or general unpleasantness. So think of Eurovision as an outlet of hate and poor taste. As a European, it can be quite entertaining -- a kind of absurd celebration of our petty egos and light-hearted reminder of our brutally nationalistic underbelly.

Still, I'd advise anyone not from our little, complicated continent not to watch it. You might mistake it for a musical event and get the wrong idea. :att'n:
 
A country that produces "schlager" - the german name for hit, but with reference to a special type of inane, rythmically and melodical completely boring type of background music that could only have been invented by a nation having lost a war and in fear to offend anybody, but nevertheless managed to press every other country in europe to produce the same outrageously idiotic music, can in the end only be held the winner of the said war, and be accused of cultural imperialism.

I was glad I had left that behind - till I found Celine Dion here in Canada... any other country that is looking for a well qualified immigrant, but produces a music not based on the principle of the "schnulze"?...
 
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