Eurovision Malmö 3

[RedToothBrush]

Let's get a result...

It was ...a slog. It went on for weeks, there were some fun performances and it was entertaining (I think it was the tail end of the pandemic) but it needed too much commitment. And obviously it doesn't have the history of Eurovision and the associated die hard fans.

Most of the singers were fairly unknown, Michael Bolton was a curveball! He was the only megastar, a couple of others I'd heard of but most of the 50 were up and coming people. It had a bit of camp but it was very definitely American! I just don't think anything can replicate Eurovision with its history, diversity of language and culture and so on.

Quick quiz.

Out of Israel or Palestine, where would the UK and Swiss entries tonight be safe to travel to? If the war was not currently happening obviously.

Could they stroll down the streets, wear female clothing, maybe hold hands, or kiss a boyfriend?

I'll give you a hint.

One of these places, the entrants could live and work in peace.

In the other they'd be thrown from a rooftop, without being raped and tortured first if they were very lucky.

Who are the extremist nutjobs again sweetheart?

How arrogant to equate your opinion with fact. Do you not know the difference?

Because they have an ant-Israel bias

Kosovo. If they participate...

But Ollie Alexander in Years and Years must have been a successful group across Europe, surely?

Just not sung so badly out of tune. There's no blaming the sound engineers for that when almost everybody with real singing talent else was fine.

The fact you used one word isn’t the point / it’s the tone the word was very clearly loaded with

He was known, I think, but not known in Eurovision.

And he performed badly. Like I said, I think the sound mix was the real fault, but he did perform badly.

I think there’s certainly some participating countries which are not that LGBT-friendly. Georgia for example - it has legislation which prohibits discrimination against LGBT people, but culturally it is still frowned upon and life can be difficult for gay people. Azerbaijan is not great either. I have a Lithuanian friend who lives in the UK because he can be openly gay here - although there is some legal protection in Lithuania, it’s not accepted by a lot of people there (he’s not out to his family, for example). I think some east European countries are similar - legal protection is there, but cultural / religious / traditional values mean that homosexuality is not always accepted.

They do not, they aren't EBU members. Dua Lipa took Albanian citizenship a couple of years ago, I can see her choosing Albania in my fantasy league

Hilarious that you typed that with a sweet face sweetheart given the number of sexual assaults Israeli women suffer from by Israeli men.

https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-695223

I think Elton John should do it, as a swansong, though his voice isn't what it was...

Do you have proof for this?

I think we need to stop treating Palestine ;as a country) as a poor relation. The infrastructure and planning on October 7th, the tunnels etc is not planned in a day by some tin hat underdog.

Nevertheless, war is always horrific and bloody. Sadly whilst the two state solution (with some hard lines on what that means) is the only realistic solution. But Netenyahu’s limits seem to know no bounds and Hamas are violent terrorists so I fear that it won’t happen any time soon. But it DOES need to come from both sides

Elton's Glastonbury set was amazing even though his voice is flagging. But that would be a terrible idea. Songs that thrive at Eurovision these days are songs that are fresh and modern, not sing along bols from 30-50 years ago.

Oh darling, is there a country in the world where women AREN'T at great threat from sexual attack every single day? Including the UK.

There are quite a few places where it's not socially and legally acceptable to rape, torture and murder gay people though aren't there? Like Israel? Or are you suggesting it's legally allowed to rape women in Israel?

Shame the one your championing as a vehicle for your hatred isn't one of them.

They are good by Eurovision standard which is a VERY different standard to global music in general 😂
the bar for Eurovision quality is pretty low IMO

I have seen many videos, and I believe they’re true, of civilians speaking out against Hamas.

I don’t think children belong to a terrorist organisation

The same way I know several anti-Netenyahu Israelis

@AprilDecember yeah, could do.
I just remembered her speaking on Graham Norton show about having her own music festival in Kosovo, and being an ambassador of Kosovo, etc. Most people in Kosovo are ethnically Albanian, aren't they.

"All the songs are shit" is hyperbole. Maneskin, Duncan Laurence, Rosa, Mahmood and many more have had high quality songs in different genres and have performed well internationally (even outside of Europe).

Yes I think she was born in Kosovo? Or lived there as a child. Her parents are definitely kosovar. Kosovo was lobbying for EU membership so maybe Dua winning leading to Pristina 2029 is not a pipe dream after all

It’s fine to be anti-Israel current action
its not fine to be anti-Israel citizens.

Look what destruction the UK has chases to other countries, and its own. I wouldn’t like to be judged to be a supporter just because I live here. Would you.

Where have you read the majority endorse his actions? Can I advise actually speaking to an Israeli person and find out what it’s like for them living there with their young men being sent to war and having the deal with copious amounts of hatred that they, as Jewish people, could do without

Well said.

The public votes reflect how the majority of people are feeling - supportive of Jewish people.

I confess I haven’t followed a great deal around Eurovision 24 but can someone explain in a nutshell why theee wer highly politicised?

I think in a competition that has taken political decisions it’s fine to have political songs. They can’t have it both ways.

Omg I would be so up for Pristina 2029.

I remember an interview of hers years ago, where they asked her if she thought that having an unusual stage name had helped her to be successful. She said that throughout her childhood she was always really conscious of her name, and that it's her real name, and that she wished she had a more typically English name. It was such an honest from the heart response.