I don't want to get into your politics, but Boris Johnson is a big wan…
February 3, 2017 12:45 PM Subscribe
Somewhat miffed that The Netherlands got in first (previously), German late night show Neo Magazin Royale decided to give every European country a chance to pitch to take second place. Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, Denmark, Lithuania, Netherlands & Portugal with more to come after they're aired. Videos in English with subtitles, introductions in local languages, some jokes pretty gross (looking at you, Belgium).
Oops, I've just realised that in my struggle to edit this so that I was tactful when I mentioned the America First claims, I totally didn't explain what these were: bids from European countries to come in second place compared to America's First.
posted by ambrosen at 1:06 PM on February 3, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by ambrosen at 1:06 PM on February 3, 2017 [3 favorites]
OMFG Switzerland has the gallowsest of humours:
We heard you want to get rid of Obamacare. Why not replace it with EXIT? It's this organization we have. It's great. If you're old and sick, they come and kill you. You should try it sometime. It's fantastic.posted by a car full of lions at 1:06 PM on February 3, 2017 [15 favorites]
You love gold? We love gold. We have tons of it. During World War II, the Jews gave it to us for safe-keeping. They never returned -- so strange -- so we melted it.
some jokes pretty gross (looking at you, Belgium)
Well what do you expect, with a name like that...
posted by Greg_Ace at 1:46 PM on February 3, 2017 [1 favorite]
Well what do you expect, with a name like that...
posted by Greg_Ace at 1:46 PM on February 3, 2017 [1 favorite]
These are pretty great. I especially like Lithuania's bid to be number 3!
posted by From Bklyn at 1:53 PM on February 3, 2017
posted by From Bklyn at 1:53 PM on February 3, 2017
Mod, could you edit amrosen's comment above into the FPP?
posted by intermod at 2:03 PM on February 3, 2017
posted by intermod at 2:03 PM on February 3, 2017
Are we 100% sure Boris Johnson isn't a Matt Lucas character?
posted by DirtyOldTown at 2:15 PM on February 3, 2017
posted by DirtyOldTown at 2:15 PM on February 3, 2017
Portugal: "It's amazing how old we are. We should be dating your wife."
posted by SyraCarol at 2:23 PM on February 3, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by SyraCarol at 2:23 PM on February 3, 2017 [4 favorites]
I, for one, am glad we can unite Europe in mockery.
I'm so so sorry everyone.
posted by zachlipton at 2:49 PM on February 3, 2017 [6 favorites]
I'm so so sorry everyone.
posted by zachlipton at 2:49 PM on February 3, 2017 [6 favorites]
Portugal's makes fun of its POC Prime Minister and the fact that he, too, failed to win the popular vote, but formed a government anyway. Also that its President is also former TV personality.
posted by chavenet at 3:14 PM on February 3, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by chavenet at 3:14 PM on February 3, 2017 [1 favorite]
Thank you so much. If only being absolutely destroyed by funny disses could actually make us sit down in shame. Please keep trying until it works everyone.
posted by bleep at 3:20 PM on February 3, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by bleep at 3:20 PM on February 3, 2017 [1 favorite]
After the Netherlands original, Switzerland, Denmark and Portugal are great (for the writing, and for how Baldwinesque the VO's are); Belgium not so much; and though Böhmi was the commissioner, Germany's actually the least funny of these.
posted by progosk at 3:45 PM on February 3, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by progosk at 3:45 PM on February 3, 2017 [1 favorite]
I liked the Eurovision shoutout to Ireland in the Germany video. Plus, David Hasselhoff!
posted by fifteen schnitzengruben is my limit at 3:59 PM on February 3, 2017
posted by fifteen schnitzengruben is my limit at 3:59 PM on February 3, 2017
Saying Germany was miffed is kinda like saying Colbert is right-wing.
posted by humboldt32 at 4:06 PM on February 3, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by humboldt32 at 4:06 PM on February 3, 2017 [1 favorite]
I'm loving these, and nice of them to still offer the Union Jack a spot. I'm having trouble thinking what show could field one here though. Do we have a late night show with this particular sort of style at the moment?
posted by lucidium at 4:12 PM on February 3, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by lucidium at 4:12 PM on February 3, 2017 [1 favorite]
OMFG Switzerland has the gallowsest of humours
Also bonus points for the "we invented Brexit" bit, and "We don't even want your money, we already have it."
(...and for the record, Switzerland has won the Eurovision twice, once by cheating, the second time by sending a Canadian artist...)
posted by effbot at 4:14 PM on February 3, 2017 [1 favorite]
Also bonus points for the "we invented Brexit" bit, and "We don't even want your money, we already have it."
(...and for the record, Switzerland has won the Eurovision twice, once by cheating, the second time by sending a Canadian artist...)
posted by effbot at 4:14 PM on February 3, 2017 [1 favorite]
Do we have a late night show with this particular sort of style at the moment?
The Last Leg, perhaps?
posted by mushhushshu at 4:21 PM on February 3, 2017
The Last Leg, perhaps?
posted by mushhushshu at 4:21 PM on February 3, 2017
Oh yeah! That'll be the one, I knew I was forgetting something.
posted by lucidium at 5:04 PM on February 3, 2017
posted by lucidium at 5:04 PM on February 3, 2017
I was going to say it's a shame Canada doesn't have a late night program anymore and that therefore we would have to miss out on the competition, but then I was reminded that This Hour Has 22 Minutes would be the perfect outlet for this type of project. I'm not on Twitter or Facebook or the other social media outlets 22 Minutes would pay attention to (I'm not Scott Baio) so if anybody who is wants to get in touch with the 22 Minutes crew and suggest they get rolling, be my guest.
posted by sardonyx at 6:03 PM on February 3, 2017
posted by sardonyx at 6:03 PM on February 3, 2017
"...some jokes pretty gross (looking at you, Belgium)"The Belgian consensus on this that I've picked up, like the Belgian consensus on most things Belgian, is that it is largely yet not acutely embarrassing. This is from De Ideale Wereld which is, if you hadn't guessed from the first few seconds, very Flemish rather than more universally Belgian. Its a couple of dudes who took Jon Stewart's schtick, removed all of the empathy and insight, amplified the gag and gotchya humor, and mixed in a whole bunch of misogyny. It occasionally does things that are actually funny, like Vladi Bird, but mostly only by accident. If In de Gloria were still around, they'd have done this justice.
..."Belgium not so much"
posted by Blasdelb at 12:54 AM on February 4, 2017 [3 favorites]
Oh Portugal.
Our national song is called Fado. Amalia was our biggest diva, ok, singing heartbrokingly about pain, suffering and abuse. We'll send some CDs over to Melania, she'll love it.
posted by moody cow at 2:36 AM on February 4, 2017 [2 favorites]
Our national song is called Fado. Amalia was our biggest diva, ok, singing heartbrokingly about pain, suffering and abuse. We'll send some CDs over to Melania, she'll love it.
posted by moody cow at 2:36 AM on February 4, 2017 [2 favorites]
I'm not on Twitter or Facebook or the other social media outlets 22 Minutes would pay attention to
The Twitter account for this project (@itsgreateu) has followed the 22 Minutes account! I'm going to keep my fingers crossed.
The account itself is pretty good:
The Twitter account for this project (@itsgreateu) has followed the 22 Minutes account! I'm going to keep my fingers crossed.
The account itself is pretty good:
🇩🇪 Germany is so great, after the war, we built two new Germanies to bear all the German greatness. It's true! #everysecondcounts— itsgreat (@itsgreateu) February 4, 2017posted by invokeuse at 11:37 AM on February 4, 2017 [2 favorites]
It seems more like these were made by one team and just like sold to each show rather than each show producing their own like I thought.
posted by bleep at 2:54 PM on February 4, 2017
posted by bleep at 2:54 PM on February 4, 2017
It seems more like these were made by one team and just like sold to each show rather than each show producing their own like I thought.
Based on what? Böhmermann's Neo Magazin Royale came up with the idea and runs the site and the social accounts, but it's not like the other talk shows don't have writers, and putting together 3-5 minutes of stock footage doesn't take long. And the idea that German writers could write efficient satire about arbitrary European countries that works also for people in those countries strikes me as rather absurd... :-)
(also, wouldn't they use the same impressionist if the same team did all of them?)
posted by effbot at 4:05 PM on February 4, 2017
Based on what? Böhmermann's Neo Magazin Royale came up with the idea and runs the site and the social accounts, but it's not like the other talk shows don't have writers, and putting together 3-5 minutes of stock footage doesn't take long. And the idea that German writers could write efficient satire about arbitrary European countries that works also for people in those countries strikes me as rather absurd... :-)
(also, wouldn't they use the same impressionist if the same team did all of them?)
posted by effbot at 4:05 PM on February 4, 2017
Based on not much, just my impression that they just seem remarkably uniform in terms of pacing, style, etc.. And the voice actor does sound the same to me in some of them.
posted by bleep at 4:14 PM on February 4, 2017
posted by bleep at 4:14 PM on February 4, 2017
Dude, they're all imitating the same Dutch concept to varying degrees of faithfulness and accuracy to the Trump-flection.
posted by Blasdelb at 4:24 PM on February 4, 2017
posted by Blasdelb at 4:24 PM on February 4, 2017
That's fine I'm not on some funny video truther stuff
posted by bleep at 4:44 PM on February 4, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by bleep at 4:44 PM on February 4, 2017 [1 favorite]
Böhmi was the commissioner, Germany's actually the least funny of these
Whenever Germans try to be funny it just ends up being dark and terrifying (and/or too literal) instead
posted by blue suede stockings at 7:16 AM on February 5, 2017
Whenever Germans try to be funny it just ends up being dark and terrifying (and/or too literal) instead
posted by blue suede stockings at 7:16 AM on February 5, 2017
I guess the Dutch one benefitted from finding help from an Amsterdam based US native comedian.
He works in this standup club in A'dam where for instance Seth Meyers did a stint before making it in the US.
posted by jouke at 7:56 AM on February 5, 2017
He works in this standup club in A'dam where for instance Seth Meyers did a stint before making it in the US.
posted by jouke at 7:56 AM on February 5, 2017
I'm surprised there isn't an Australian one, given that a lot of their comedy news shows have this kind of humour and they've always taken pot shots at their own leaders (sometimes with the leaders THERE in person, even). Germany is right - if Australia can participate in Eurovision, they can sure participate in this. Hell, they can even get President Trumble on board!
posted by divabat at 9:39 PM on February 5, 2017
posted by divabat at 9:39 PM on February 5, 2017
http://everysecondcounts.eu has switched to a world map, after contributions from among others Iran, Namibia, Morocco, and Australia.
posted by effbot at 6:14 AM on February 8, 2017
posted by effbot at 6:14 AM on February 8, 2017
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posted by ignignokt at 12:58 PM on February 3, 2017 [1 favorite]