The 2010 Eurovision Song Contest is just around the corner and it promises to be another spectacular event. This year, it will be coming to our screens live from Oslo, after Norweigan Alexander Rybak won with Fairytale. For me, the event is as hotly anticipated as ever, despite the somewhat poor timing (my university finals start 2 days after). Nevertheless, I expect to park myself in front of the tv (sans alcohol) and enjoy the pure cheese of Eurovision.
For the non-Europeans reading, the Eurovision Song Contest is an international ‘singing’ competition in which each (competing) European country enters a song. The song is judged by a mixture of a panel of judges and phone votes and is awarded a number of points by each country. The Song Contest has its origins in the association of European broadcasters who set up a continent-wide network dubbed ‘Eurovision’. Most countries have to qualify for Saturday’s final, but the Big Four of the UK, Spain, France and Germany are exempt as they are the largest contributors to the broadcasting network. The Contest has launched many successful pop careers and notable past winners include Bucks Fizz, Finnish rock band Lordi, transsexual Dana International and of course ABBA.
The Song Contest itself is an orgy of stupidly catchy Europop, incorporating pyrotechnics, wind and smoke machines, lasers, ill-advised rap and occasionally folk dance. Female performers are normally picked for their ‘camera-friendliness’ and shed their clothes during the performance. The men are likely serious artists or outrageously camp performers, and are often found in all-white, tight-fitting outfits, unbuttoned to the navel if at all possible. Here’s Greece’s Sakis Rouvas from 2009, with his 7th placed song This Is Our Night. This song is the perfect embodiment of everything I have just been talking about. And yes, he has a travelator!!!
Despite, or perhaps beacause of, the UK’s guaranteed spot in the final, the attitude to Eurovision in this country is pretty indifferent. Though the UK was a Eurovision powerhouse in the Contest’s early years, the public have become disillusioned with Eurovision in recent times. Contributing factors might include the widespread nature of political voting (particularly among Eastern European countries) and the declining quality of British entries. However, the Contest has been taken more seriously in the last couple of years. Gone are the days of Jemini’s nul points and X Factor rejects, as Andrew Lloyd Webber and Pete Waterman have put their considerable expertise behind Britain’s entry.
This country’s perspective on Eurovision is unique, and no doubt must have been influenced by the inimitable Sir Terry Wogan. Sir Terry provided the commentary to Eurovision for the best part of 30 years, and as he became more fed up with the proceedings, so did the country. In his last few years, many people thought his commentary was the highlight of the whole show. As he got steadily more drunk, he would make mildly xenophobic and sarcastic comments at the expense of the hosts or performers. As a result, many Eurovision drinking games have been invented that centre around Sir Terry’s commentary. He stepped down for 2009, with presenter Graham Norton taking over his post.
Unfortunately, all this taking the piss out of other countries came back to bite the UK in spectacular fashion last year. A small scale diplomatic incident was created from a Guardian blog in which eventual winner Alexander Rybak was insulted. The Swedish and Norweigan press ran with the quote, forcing the Guardian to issue an apology. Needless to say, for other countries Eurovision is serious stuff, even if it is covered in sequins and fairy dust.
Enjoy Saturday’s broadcast fellow Euro-fans, preferably with a bunch of mates and enough alcohol to put down an elephant.
psymon001's Blog 
Eurovision: A passionate defence
The 2010 Eurovision Song Contest is just around the corner and it promises to be another spectacular event. This year, it will be coming to our screens live from Oslo, after Norweigan Alexander Rybak won with Fairytale. For me, the event is as hotly anticipated as ever, despite the somewhat poor timing (my university finals start 2 days after). Nevertheless, I expect to park myself in front of the tv (sans alcohol) and enjoy the pure cheese of Eurovision.
For the non-Europeans reading, the Eurovision Song Contest is an international ‘singing’ competition in which each (competing) European country enters a song. The song is judged by a mixture of a panel of judges and phone votes and is awarded a number of points by each country. The Song Contest has its origins in the association of European broadcasters who set up a continent-wide network dubbed ‘Eurovision’. Most countries have to qualify for Saturday’s final, but the Big Four of the UK, Spain, France and Germany are exempt as they are the largest contributors to the broadcasting network. The Contest has launched many successful pop careers and notable past winners include Bucks Fizz, Finnish rock band Lordi, transsexual Dana International and of course ABBA.
The Song Contest itself is an orgy of stupidly catchy Europop, incorporating pyrotechnics, wind and smoke machines, lasers, ill-advised rap and occasionally folk dance. Female performers are normally picked for their ‘camera-friendliness’ and shed their clothes during the performance. The men are likely serious artists or outrageously camp performers, and are often found in all-white, tight-fitting outfits, unbuttoned to the navel if at all possible. Here’s Greece’s Sakis Rouvas from 2009, with his 7th placed song This Is Our Night. This song is the perfect embodiment of everything I have just been talking about. And yes, he has a travelator!!!
Despite, or perhaps beacause of, the UK’s guaranteed spot in the final, the attitude to Eurovision in this country is pretty indifferent. Though the UK was a Eurovision powerhouse in the Contest’s early years, the public have become disillusioned with Eurovision in recent times. Contributing factors might include the widespread nature of political voting (particularly among Eastern European countries) and the declining quality of British entries. However, the Contest has been taken more seriously in the last couple of years. Gone are the days of Jemini’s nul points and X Factor rejects, as Andrew Lloyd Webber and Pete Waterman have put their considerable expertise behind Britain’s entry.
This country’s perspective on Eurovision is unique, and no doubt must have been influenced by the inimitable Sir Terry Wogan. Sir Terry provided the commentary to Eurovision for the best part of 30 years, and as he became more fed up with the proceedings, so did the country. In his last few years, many people thought his commentary was the highlight of the whole show. As he got steadily more drunk, he would make mildly xenophobic and sarcastic comments at the expense of the hosts or performers. As a result, many Eurovision drinking games have been invented that centre around Sir Terry’s commentary. He stepped down for 2009, with presenter Graham Norton taking over his post.
Unfortunately, all this taking the piss out of other countries came back to bite the UK in spectacular fashion last year. A small scale diplomatic incident was created from a Guardian blog in which eventual winner Alexander Rybak was insulted. The Swedish and Norweigan press ran with the quote, forcing the Guardian to issue an apology. Needless to say, for other countries Eurovision is serious stuff, even if it is covered in sequins and fairy dust.
Enjoy Saturday’s broadcast fellow Euro-fans, preferably with a bunch of mates and enough alcohol to put down an elephant.
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