MetaFilter posts tagged with eurovision

A Song for Europe

Grrlscout — Fri, 15 May 2009 01:27:40 -0800

It's Eurovision week, everyone! The last of the semi-finals was last night, and the twenty-five entries are now set for this Saturday's extravaganza in Moscow, the most expensive and flashy yet. After last year's controversy over votes motivated by regional politics and entries that detracted from the, er, dignity of the event, the Eurovision voting mechanism has changed. Western countries in particular have brought in the heavy musical muscle, with Andrew Lloyd Webber writing the UK song, the amazing Patricia Kaas singing for France, and Dita von Teese performing on stage with the German entry. You can't vote from outside of Europe, and you might struggle to watch the contest live from outside Europe. But you can have your very own Mefi Eurovision experience right here! Get some snacks and lots of booze, settle in, view the twenty-five entries here, and decide for yourselves. (MLYT warning) Official videos for the pre-qualifiers: UK France Spain Russia Germany And the semi-final performances: Sweden Norway Iceland Finland Malta Portugal Israel Turkey Greece Lithuania Croatia Romania Armenia Bosnia-Herzegovina Moldova Estonia Denmark Albania Ukraine

Awesome

vronsky — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 16:57:48 -0800

Seminal Synth & New Wave Sounds

"We had hoped to finish last, but Portugal decided otherwise."

grounded — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 12:09:16 -0800

Marc Moulin, Belgian pop culture polymath and electropop pioneer, has died. Moulin was probably best known outside of Belgium for the electronic group Telex, founded in 1978 with Dan Lacksman and Michel Moers. Telex scored an international hit with Moskow Diskow, made a great video for their version of Twist a Saint-Tropez, did anything but Rock Around the Clock and, most famously, entered the 1980 Eurovision Song Contest with a cheerfully mocking song titled Euro-Vision. Telex's stated goal for Eurovision -- to finish last -- was thwarted by Portugal, who for reasons not entirely clear, awarded them 10 points. The band continued on until the mid-eighties with songs like We're All Getting Old, L'Amour Toujours and Temporary Chicken. Moulin was a longtime presence on the Belgian jazz scene, from his early days with the fusion group Placebo up until his last release for Blue Note, 2007's I Am You. When not making music, Moulin was a playwright, journalist and radio producer.

In the blue painted of blue

Skeptic — Sun, 25 May 2008 16:12:34 -0800

Once again, the Eurovision Song Festival has taken place this weekend, giving rise to the usual recriminations about political voting. However, it is worth noting that it is exactly fifty years since Italian singer Domenico Modugno managed only third place (out of ten contestants) with a charming little ditty called "Nel blu dipinto di blu", but better known as "Volare". The next year, "Volare" won the first Grammies for Best Song and Best Record. "Volare" also won three golden records and was Billboard's best song of the year. It has also been endlessly covered ever since.

Eurovision 2008 semi-finals are tonight

k8t — Tue, 20 May 2008 06:25:04 -0800

6 hours til Eurovision 2008 begins (well semi-final round 1 begins in 6 hours). After last year's extensive Eurovision discussion, let's see how 2008 does. There are a number of Eurovision b l o g s and many of the bloggers are hanging out in Belgrade. Not in Europe? You can watch online as well. The semi-final rehearsals have been evaluated by the blogging community. Also, oddsmakers are making their opinions known. Now let the slaughter begin!

Cliff Richard and General Franco: the 1968 Eurovision mystery

nthdegx — Mon, 12 May 2008 07:34:58 -0800

It's the story that has Britain in uproar*: Cliff Richard and General Franco: the 1968 Eurovision mystery. Did General Franco scupper the judging? Exhibit A: Cliff's UK entry, Congratulations. Exhibit 2: Spain's winning entry by Massiel, La la la. For added measure, exhibit iv: here's Cliff's 1973 entry, which believe it or not also did not win, Power to all our Friends (though Cliff's spectacular moves should not sway your opinion on the controversy* in any way). [*not really].

Eurovision starting in less than 1 hour!!! Watch online!

jasper411 — Sat, 12 May 2007 12:03:11 -0800

The link to the live stream has been posted! Eurovision (previously) from Helsinki is about to begin (2100 CET), and there is a live stream available. Just get the plugin, and, if it all works, you'll be ready to watch!

She's got my vote.

flapjax at midnite — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 03:04:15 -0800

You've all no doubt been wondering who will represent Ukraine in this year's Euro vision Song Contest. Well, she's a drag queen, and if that wasn't enough to piss off the Ukrainian nationalists, she's also an environmentalist ("All of us have heard that nuclear waste from the whole world is planned to be brought into Ukraine. It is horribly!"). Oh, and the Rus sians are ticked off, too. Introducing... Verka Serdyuchka! [last 2 links to YouTube]

Kaput-Kaboom

blahblahblah — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 20:55:33 -0800

The Eurovision song contest season has just begun, and already there is controversy. The Israeli entrant, the Teapacks' "Push the Button" [warnings: Windows Media video, strange-looking accordian player], has English, French, and Hebrew lyrics that talk about certain "crazy rulers" who are "gonna blow us up to kingdom come" concluding that "I don't wanna die, I wanna see the flowers bloom, don't wanna go kaput-kaboom." These lyrics are apparently too political for Eurovision, which is likely to ban the song.

Paint a Vulgar Picture

bunglin jones — Thu, 11 Jan 2007 23:45:30 -0800

Morrissey is "in negotiations" to write or perform the UK's next entry in The Eurovision Song Contest (won forty years ago by Morrissey's childhood hero - and later singing partner - Sandie Shaw). The ever-helpful BBC offers tips on how Britain's second greatest living cultural icon can pen a winning song. The "won forty years ago" link is to Google Video, by the way

Hell freezes over?

taursir — Sat, 20 May 2006 15:38:47 -0800

Eurovision winner declared: Finland's Lordi, (previously mentioned here, wins with the highest Eurovision score of all time, 292 points, breaking Finland's 40 year long bewitchment of the Eurovision Curse. [Euro♥isionFilter]

It's the Arockalypse

EtJabberwock — Mon, 15 May 2006 21:18:24 -0800

Hardrock Hallelujah Finland's entry for this year's Eurovision contest. It is indeed the day of Rockening.

Like a hammer hits a cataloupe!

blahblahblah — Wed, 05 Apr 2006 22:04:17 -0800

Molvania banned from Eurovision contest...again. After failing in 2004 with his Elektronik – Supersonik (prev.) ZLAD! tried again with his darker I am the Anti-pope (video) which was rejected because "Satanism has no place at Eurovision." Zlad! responded, speaking backwards through a hooded translator, "In Molvania, this is one of our most loved children’s stories." You may also want to check out Hospital of the Hearts (video), the number one soap in Phaic Tan.

Poupée de cire, poupée de son!!!

amberglow — Fri, 21 Oct 2005 20:57:51 -0800

50 Years of Eurovision --pics, video, info on 14 of the best(?) songs ever performed in the contest. Tonight they're picking the Number One of all time.

Nil points!

Mwongozi — Sun, 16 May 2004 11:54:43 -0800

The best bits (RealVideo) of the 2004 Eurovision Song Contest, complete with a sampling of UK's Terry Wogan's legendary commentary.

ARGH! GET IT OUT OF MY HEAD!!

Pretty_Generic — Mon, 26 May 2003 19:49:57 -0800

160 million people watched the gloriously kitsch Eurovision Song Contest this year. The UK's entry [Real] scored an astonishing nul points (i.e. none of the other 25 countries thought the British song was in the top 10 competitors). The singers blame the country's worst ever result on sabotage. What do you think?

aaron — Sat, 12 May 2001 10:32:03 -0800

The Eurovision Song Contest is tonight. Being an American, I don't understand it one bit, especially since the grand prize seems to be a one-way ticket to eternal obscurity. But someone must like it. "I want to shower you with sugar lumps/and ride you over fences..."