Update! Eurovision Song Contest

We're watching the finals of the Eurovision contest. Dan and Bill are routing for Moldova because they all wore cone hats and one person rode a unicycle . Azerbaijan is in the lead, and if they won it would be an upset--update! they did win--their act involved insipid lyrics, long blond hair, and sickly sweet romantic longing, but at least it was warm; so much of the aesthetic of the contest was cold, tecno-pop. Sweden's act "I will be popular" is catchy but obnoxious; they're second.

As Americans I think we all wondered what happened to old Europe.

Countries tend to vote regionally--so Scandinavians vote for other Scandinavians, Eastern Europeans vote for neighboring countries, and Russia doesn't seem to have a chance given recent history, none of the Eastern European countries will vote for them (you can't vote for an act from your own country and each country's vote is weighted equally), but Israel voted for Russia probably because of the large Russian Jewish population. Azerbaijan's win will generate a significant economic boost to the country since the Eurovision winner gets to host next year's competition.


Hi All,

I had a wonderful evening watching the Eurovision semifinals with Irene last night. According to the NYT, "forty-three nations, including most of NATO, large swaths of eastern Europe and Israel, send their top pop stars to the Eurovision contest each year to perform previously unpublished songs. Originally conceived as a means of unifying a war-torn Europe, the contest was arguably the most visible symbol of European unity prior to the European Union. Most of the acts sang a kind of English pop mishmash in outlandish campy outfits." http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/reference/timestopics/subjects/e/eurovision_song_contest/index.html

The Irish band made it to the semifinals wearing something that looked like giant red jello blocks on their shoulders. I rooted for the Bulgarian singer, Poli Genova, who sung “Na Inat” (Stubborn) in Bulgarian, which, as I understand it from some Google queries, encourages young Bulgarians to find their dreams within their own country. Genova didn't make it, however.

Apparently the Eurovision Song Contest is quite popular among the European LBGT community. According to Out Now "The most ardent gay supporters of Eurovision hail from Ireland - where a much higher proportion of gays and lesbians than in any other country say they always tune in to catch the Eurovision Song Contest." http://www.gaymarketnews.com/2011/05/just-how-gay-is-eurovision.html

Norway was eliminated early on. Stella Mwangi, a Kenyan Norwegian sang "Haba Haba." Check it out on Youtube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-vyK122O_M

Irene's cute cat


Eurovision semifinals. The finals are Saturday.


Irene and skeptical-looking cute cat.