Eurovision Song Contest 2007 (Finland)

[Jules]

http://www.eurovision.tv/

This is Malta's entry this year:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=x6m4n1psjhE

Before you ask what the hell the Eurovision is:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurovision

Right! Get yout tongues wagging!

[Escapay]

It's that time of year again? Seems like only yesterday that it was Eurovision 2006 and Paka was lost somewhere in Europe!



Escapay

[Dottie]

Great idea for a thread for us European UDers!!!
I've been wathing the Eurovision song contest since I can think. It's something you just don't wanna miss.

This is Germany's entry this year (It's in German and the guy singing it is Roger Cicero, the title is "Women rule the world")

http://youtube.com/watch?v=T1pWn3qUgVg

[Jules]

Cicero's song feels so nice, bubbly and jazzy.

Can't understand a word though.

[PatrickvD]

This contest hast gotten so bad over the last few years. It's horrible now. I remember when I was youger how it was exciting to stay up late and watch the show. Most countries would actually contribute with music. Nowadays it's just so awful. It's like a satire of itsself.

Did anyone see Iceland last year? or was it the year before... they had this hooker singing, the stage was filled with all kinds of life size candy and she was just off key and screaming and talking about how wonderful she was and how she'd win the competition cause she's the best. It was nuts!

And then at the end of the evening you get to this sickening political gameshow where all these eastern european countries are all lovingly voting for eachother. The friggin hypocrits were killing eachother off 10 years ago, what happened?

I cannot wait untill Holland pulls out of this competition, like Italy. And leave with some dignity. This contest has been reduced to mediocrity that isn't worth all the attention anymore.

[Jules]

PatrickvD, I think you're being a bit too harsh. I don't think the songs in the contest are bad or horrible. On the contrary, the contest is still quite a showcase for good music. It's just that a few countries sometimes send mock songs, such as last year's "We are the Winners of Eurovision", from Lithuania, which was embarassing.

And yes, I agree. I hate the countries voting for their neighbours. It's not fair. That's the precise reason why Italy pulled out of the competition 10 years ago. They've got Sanremo.

Um, "We are the Winners" can be seen here:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=T9qrO92xDpA

Enjoy ... or puke.

[Dottie]

But to a certain extent PatrickvD is right. All the former Soviet Union states vote for each other, just for the heck of it. I sometimes think they don't even care about the song, and this really makes me sad. Every year there are two or three really very good entries and those almost always end up with 0 or maybe like 10 points.
And I've always wondered why Israel is allowed to take part. They're not really Europe,are they? Not that I mind, I just wondered. Sometimes they do have nice songs.

I think it's sad that many of the original countries like Italy pulled out of it.
Is France still competing?

[2099net]

Well, last year Athens put on a top show. I'd been falling out of love with the Eurovision Song Contest, but Athens' epic telecast made me reconsider. (And Dottie, I thought Germany's Texas Lightning's was the best entry in last year!)

Considering the competition has resulted in such songs as My Number One, Wild Dances, Love Shine A Light and, yes, even Hard Rock Hallelujah (which is actually a good song) getting exposure to multiple millions of viewers, I don't really see how the Eurovision can be bad as such, even if some of the songs inevitably are.

I'm sort of being too faced here, because I do think the UK should treat the competition with a little more respect – it really is leaps and bounds ahead of it's 80's nadir, which still haunts the public's perception of the contest over here – but I am 100% behind the UK's entry this year – Scooch's "Flying the Flag (For You)" which is nothing but Eurocamp, and does nothing to hide the fact. In fact, it throws in a few double entendres while it's at it. But at least it’s a joyful happy song and I defy anyone to watch it for the first time and not smile. Hopefully the smile factor will play well on the night.

The song may be a little odd, but its also fun, which sums up the UK's attitude to the contest.

Scootch on Graham Norton
The Official Video (with a more Europop mix to it)

The only bad thing about the Eurovision is that it's pushing Doctor Who back a week that week (the BBC have deemed the episode scheduled to be "too scary" to show earlier in the evening as originally planned), which really has all sorts of repercussions – both Doctor Who Confidential and Totally Doctor Who have to be delayed, the vanilla single disc DVD release will be delayed, meaning that month's "Classic" Doctor Who DVD will also be delayed (because BBC policy is not to release a "Classic Doctor Who within two weeks of a "New Series" release) and the Doctor Who Magazine will also be delayed by a week.

[Scabbie]

And then at the end of the evening you get to this sickening political gameshow where all these eastern european countries are all lovingly voting for eachother.

It's not only the Eastern European countries. The Netherlands always give 12 points to Turkey, just because there is a large group of Turkish people here.


This is the Dutch entry this year:

Edsilia Rombley - On Top Of The World

I think she's great. And I really hope she will be in the finale (she must first survive the semi-finale). She was also our entry in 1998. She ended up 4th that year with the great song 'Hemen en Aarde' (Heaven and Earth):

Edsilia Rombley - Hemel en Aarde

[PatrickvD]

oh and then there's another thing that bugs me. Ever since they changed the rules with these semi finals, Holland hasn't been in the actual finals.

seriously, we've been in this contest since the very beginning and every year from now on we must be humiliated in the semi-finals. I mean, even those are filled with eastern european countries all voting for eachother so they can make it to the finals.

It's disrespectful to us. Especially when you consider that the UK, France and Germany have a locked spot in the finals just because they are somehow bigger and more important countries..

[Lars Vermundsberget]

Years ago I considered this quite an event, but lately I tend to become more and more indifferent for each passing year. I probably won't bother to listen to most of the music, but I might watch the final giving-of-points sequence

[Dottie]

oh and then there's another thing that bugs me. Ever since they changed the rules with these semi finals, Holland hasn't been in the actual finals.

seriously, we've been in this contest since the very beginning and every year from now on we must be humiliated in the semi-finals. I mean, even those are filled with eastern european countries all voting for eachother so they can make it to the finals.

It's disrespectful to us. Especially when you consider that the UK, France and Germany have a locked spot in the finals just because they are somehow bigger and more important countries..

Yeah, true, a lot of the western european countries get kicked out in the semi-final which is a shame. I guess UK, France and Germany have a locked spot, because they practically pay for the whole thing. But I think countries like Holland and Austria should also be in the final round.


I really like England's entry. They're putting up a nice show.
The Dutch entry is nice as well, I like her voice! But normally the songs from the Western European countries are IMHO nicer than other entries.
I wish one of the big countries would win this year.

[Jeremy]

Eurovision Song Contest is always a big event for me. It has been like that since I was a kid. And although many people say ESC has lost its shine during the years I think those changes has turned it to be quite a spectacular show. Before it was much slower and little boring. True, there are less and less truly beautiful songs because almost all the coutries try to do fun show with light pop songs. But I like pop songs so it doesn't bother me.

This year Finland is the host as you all propably know. So I'm proud to say I will go to see the show in Helsinki next week!
According the rehearsals seen in the net videos I know the event won't be less spectacular compared to the shows we have seen before. I think our country can do the best show ever. Hope so at least.
Here is our entry this year. Hanna:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HERWWGR7 ... ed&search=
Remember, that clip is from national finals. She will do different show next week in the final.

And I've always wondered why Israel is allowed to take part. They're not really Europe,are they?

I think it's sad that many of the original countries like Italy pulled out of it.
Is France still competing?

Israel is a member of the EBU (European Broadcasting Union) - that's the reason. All the countries that are members of EBU can take part of ESC. So there is no such rule that all the participating countries must be part of Europe.

I think Italy is the ONLY country that has pulled out of ESC. And yes, France is still competing.

[Lars Vermundsberget]

Turkey is also for the most part not in Europe...

[PatrickvD]

Israel is likely pulling out of the contest this year. They were being completely ignored by the press in Finland. Most likely because their song "Push the Button" is supposedly referencing Iran's nucleair aspirations.

[Jeremy]

Israel is likely pulling out of the contest this year. They were being completely ignored by the press in Finland. Most likely because their song "Push the Button" is supposedly referencing Iran's nucleair aspirations.

I think it's right thing to do to ignore songs that deliver that kind of serious messages. ESC should be fun and free of any political issues and such. And besides - that song is bad!

[Dottie]

Jeremy Thanks for the bit of information on why Israel is in the ESC!
I never knew that, but had always wondered.

I agree that the Song Contest should not be for political issues. It's there to unite us and to have fun together as a continent, so political issues, especially one that is so complicated should not be "didcussed" in the ESC.

But still it's not okay that the press is ignoring Israel entirely. The Eurovision Song Contest should be fun for every one of us who cares about it, and we should all have the opportunity to hear of all the competing countries.

[Aladdin from Agrabah]

I'm so happy for the Eurovision Song Contest! I don't think the Greek entry is awesome, just nice -could be much better- but I really love Cyprus' song and not because they are our neighbours but because it's worth it!Good luck to every single country that takes part! And I've been to Helsinki last year, it's a beautiful city!

[Jeremy]

And I've been to Helsinki last year, it's a beautiful city!

Yeah it is and it will be interesting to see so much people from every european country in Helsinki this week. Colorful festival. I hope the weather would be little warmer this week when the event really starts (wednesday - saturday). This year spring is late here in Finland and it has been colder than it used to be around this time of year. But the event will be spectacular no matter the weather.

[castleinthesky]

Turkey is also for the most part not in Europe...

Maybe, maybe not. As a US citizen, and not a European citizen, I am one that fully believes Turkey is a part of Europe.

Turkey has always been a part of European history, being the hearths of the Eastern Roman Empire, The Byzantine Empire and the Ottoman Empire (which was all of the Balkans for centuries). After the fall of the Ottoman Empire, Turkey was still a major player. As you know in World War One, the Ottoman Empire was a part of the "Axis" along with Austria-Hungary, Germany, and Bulgaria. After WWI, Turkey became a member of NATO, and had always usually been included with the rest of Europe in the US's Dawes Plan, in which the US helped European nations repay war debts.

Culturally, Turkey is European as well. The history practically explains the culture. Like the rest of Europe, Turkey was a colonial power. Like the rest of Europe, Turks are Caucasians.

Up until the last half-century, Turkey would have no problems in being a European nation. Since the 1960s, anti-Islam sentiment has plagued the Christian world, and Turkey of course cannot be now European. They are supposedly too different. Yes, Turkey may be only on a small part of the European continent, but they are vital to the history and culture of the continenet as well.

Then this brings us to other countries such as Azerbaijan, Russia, Georgia, and Kazakhstan, which all have portions of their physical geography on Asia. After that we have Armenia and Cyrpus which are both physically Asia-only countries (however being barely outside of the boundary). (Malta may be possibly physically totally in Africa, according to some sources at least). But just like Turkey, all of these countries are historically and culturally part of Europe.

However, Morocco and Israel are very special in that they are part of "Europe" because of being in Eurovision. I can understand that they are culturally and historically part of Europe, but they are not to even close to being physically in Europe. For the same token all of the Meditarrean countries (Libya, Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, and Palestine (if Palestine is considered a country today)).