To think we have a real chance this year with Eurovision?

[itsnotmeitsu]

I love the Sam Ryder song and the official video. I think that, if it wasn't for politics, he would have a good chance of being in the top five. Whatever the outcome, I think the video for the song should be used for the 2022 John Lewis Christmas advert 🙂. Whatever the outcome, well done Sam > you're brilliant.

the cost of hosting is a killer

Apologies for my unintentional lack of tact there: I probably should have said 'unachievable burden' under the circumstances.

Sorry @ilovesooty you're right they weren't in it at all last year due to the war

God it would be awesome if it was in the UK next year. I would sell my fucking kids to get tickets for that.

I reckon Steps, with a driving high-energy power song, beefed-up with Mark Ronson's magic touch, would stand us in very good stead in the future.

As for the neverending "It's all political, anyway" argument - usually made by people who aren't interested and don't watch anyway but still want to have their four penn'orth - it's been established that the undeniable minor political aspect does not and cannot affect who wins.

Political voting does indeed tinker with those who come in the middle of the results table, so you might end up in 10th place rather than 12th because of it, but nevertheless, the songs at the bottom are usually the worst ones and the top-flight ones are normally the best/most popular songs.

Does anybody know how you apply for tickets - and what they cost, if you're successful?

Agree with that. We lost entirely the year of the 2nd Iraq war but that was also the year our performance was completely disastrous. Think they said they couldn't hear the backing tape properly or something but it sounded terrible.

I think there's an element of diaspora eg if you live in Latvia you can't vote for yourself but your auntie lives in Russia so you might pop a vote their way especially if you've heard the song all over your shared radio/media outlets etc.

But really yeah the ones who win are the ones that people like across the majority of countries.

He’s dreadful,

You might have to. Rotterdam is a city I know well and the tickets were so expensive I couldn't even consider going. Hundreds of pounds just for rehearsals and the semi finals and final ran into thousands.

I think there's an element of diaspora eg if you live in Latvia you can't vote for yourself but your auntie lives in Russia so you might pop a vote their way especially if you've heard the song all over your shared radio/media outlets etc.

Well that won't be happening. Russia is not allowed to compete this year, c/- atrocities.

See, that's what I remember it being like but I've just looked up about this year's and they were much cheaper, starting at €50 for the final! Also only went on sale on April 7th!!! 😮😮 I could have gone!

You might not have got a hotel though. Rotterdam was sold out even before the venue was finalised.

Yes you're right. I bet it was like Wimbledon in summer with everyone charging a million pounds for a camp bed in the kitchen.

Surprised the tickets were so cheap though.

Not from the Uk but he has a brilliant voice, good song, BUT his staging is dreadful. The lighting designer this year is all energy and pyrotechnics and makes bad songs look good, but he singing about being a spaceman and all the lyrics suggest him searching the universe and being free and they have this huge cage like structure on the stage which completely works against the song and the voice.

Are the prices set by the EBU or the host nation's broadcaster? I don't think the BBC are allowed to sell tickets to any programmes that have audiences, as the thinking is that they've already paid their licence fee to cover this kind of thing; i.e. the programme is made by the BBC but is for and owned by the licence fee-payers. They obviously have some sort of lottery/allocation system which will leave a great many people disappointed, but the lucky ones get them free.

Agree with that. We lost entirely the year of the 2nd Iraq war but that was also the year our performance was completely disastrous. Think they said they couldn't hear the backing tape properly or something but it sounded terrible.

I don't know what Jemini's abilities and performances are/were normally like, but anybody genuinely believing that that particular performance as presented went unloved because of political bias seriously needs to have a word with themselves.

It's like somebody entering a turd in a plastic bag for an art prize and then blaming it on discrimination against any of their personal characteristics when the talented painters, sculptors and potters get all the votes instead of them.

Also, it hugely irks me when people say "THEY gave us zero points" - as if everybody in every country got together and deliberately colluded to award us a big fat zero. In reality, each country has (now two lots of) 10 point-based awards to give. It could be that everybody quite liked your entry, but if it was everybody's 11th favourite, you will still end up with zero points.

Moreover, no country individually has the power to vote that you get the overall last place. By contrast, Cyprus could send somebody to yodel their shopping list like a horny fox whilst playing the spoons and Greece would still give them 12 points - so they may well not come last, but that in no way means that everybody else didn't absolutely hate it, and they most definitely won't rise more than a place or two from bottom overall.

Exactly. He could have been on a swing, eg, high up off the stage with a background of the stars and planets swirling behind him.

Of course, it's a step up from last year when that poor fellow looked like he'd lumbered on stage on the way to get a kebab.

Of course, it's a step up from last year when that poor fellow looked like he'd lumbered on stage on the way to get a kebab.
True😆

YABU - he doesn't have a hope

I live in Australia and someone on the radio was saying that they thought the UK (along with Ukraine) would be in the top 3 this year

Nice voice but I’ve said it before, even if Adele represented the UK we still wouldn’t win. It’s mostly political, always has been. Ukraine will obviously win.

Just listened to UK entry and it's bloody drivel as usual. 🙄.
We have zero chance because everyone votes for their friends and neighbours, and everyone will vote for Ukraine.

I did look into getting tickets for this year's Eurovision, because the Italian city my daughter lives in was on the list to be a host city, but you need to join their " club" and its still difficult to get an allocation.

We could have Adele backed by a group of superstars and we still won’t win. And not just because Ukraine will. Read the room.

It stopped being a song contest years ago. Terry Wogan could predict who would vote for who, it's ridiculous. Shame it can't be anonymous and you only find out the winning country when all the votes are in buts that's impossible.

where the hell was Adele some uber singer. She is utter shite. So people who use her as an example have no idea. The song is good, the singer is exceptional, far better than Adele and yet the production is abysmal. and that is probably why good songs get nothing.

Look at the band the script, they had a song 'hall of fame' they released that song and even though well written until was properly produced it was not going anywhere. The difference pre and post production is striking.

I don't think it'll do that well.
There is always this hype and then it's all very disappointing.
I'll come back to the thread tomorrow to eat humble pie if it does win or do well at least