Tag Archives: Eurovision

Via the Guardian: St Petersburg legislator Vitaly Milonov – who sponsored a local law against homosexual propaganda in 2011 that helped pave the way for a similar federal law last year – has written a letter to Russia’s Eurovision selection committee asking it not to send Russian musicians to the 2014 competition in Copenhagen in May. Calling the event a …

The Eurovision finals take place in Copenhagen next month and city officials will stick a finger in Putin’s eye by marrying several Russian gay couples before the visiting international press. “We have already scheduled 20-30 couples in our calendar -both Danish and foreigners. On the first of the three days, we start with three Russian gay marriages,” office manager Flemming …

Last month I reported that gender-fuck artist Conchita Wurst had won Austria’s Eurovision contest and will represent her country at the final showdown in Copenhagen. Last night Wurst and winning acts from other nations performed in Amsterdam at Eurovision In Concert. The production video of Wurst’s Eurovision entry, Rise Like A Phoenix,  is here, but this is the first time …

Russia’s 2014 Eurovision entry will be the Tolmachevy Sisters, identical twins who won the Junior Eurovision contest in 2006 at the age of nine. Unlike most nations, who selected their entries on live television with a combination of voting by viewers and judges, Russia’s entry was “chosen internally by experts” at state-run media. Also unlike other countries, Russia has not …

“We are Slavic girls. We know how to use our charming beauty.” A Eurovision blogger reviews the clip: The opening scene of the video shows Donatan—lazy and clearly oversexed—struggling to get out of bed. His antiquated mobile phone and rural farmhouse smack of a man—indeed, a nation—behind the times. The suggestion that Warsaw is stuck in the dark ages continues …

On Sunday, I wrote about bearded gender-fuck artist Conchita Wurst, who will represent Austria at Eurovision 2014. Today the song that Wurst will compete with was unveiled. Like many of the commenters at YouTube, I’m getting a strong James Bond theme vibe from this, particularly from the ending. Love it. Austria hasn’t won Eurovision since 1966. (Tipped by JMG reader …

Another bear, another ballad. So So Gay reports on Belgium’s Eurovision finals, which were held Sunday night. It is the turn of the Flanders region of Belgium to select the country’s entry this year, and they went back to using a national final for the first time since 2008 to choose the artist and song. After one of those processes …

Last night Norway selected tattooed bear Carl Espen as this year’s Eurovision entry. Espen’s song, which was written by his openly lesbian cousin Josephin Winther, is thus far is the only ballad in the competition. Unlike many other Eurovision acts, which often are local or international pop stars, Espen is an unknown glass salesman. “I’m feeling a lot right now, …

Now this is the kind of Eurovision entry that made me fall in love with the contest many years ago. Austrian drag queen Conchita Wurst (real name Tom Neuwirth) is a longtime performer on local reality shows. In 2007 he was part of the short-lived boy band Jetzt Anders with other cast members of the singing competition show Starmania. That …

In recent years the Eurovision entries have trended towards boring English-language power ballads or forgettable EDM stompers and away from the glitzy, over the top schlock-dramas that made the contest so deliriously silly.  But this year, as we’ve already seen from Malta, Switzerland, and the Netherlands, there is a strange move to folksy, bluegrass-y, acoustic Up With People happy-clappers.  Add …

Sweden selected its entry this weekend: It was a case of seventh time lucky for Swedish songstress Sanna Nielsen as she edged out Ace Wilder to win the Melodifestivalen finale and earn a shot at Eurovision glory in May. Nielsen was the narrow winner of the annual pop festival to select Sweden’s Eurovision entry with her song Undo. The 29-year-old …

Also choosing their Eurovision entry this week was the United Kingdom. The Independent writes: Unknown singer-songwriter Molly Smitten-Downes has been chosen to represent Britain in this year’s Eurovision song contest. The singer bucks the recent trend of bringing back once-famous British acts such as Bonnie Tyler and boy band Blue to represent the UK in the contest. Smitten-Downes, who goes …

I like the stuttering.

Via the Irish Examiner: Can-linn, featuring Dubliner Kasey Smith, will represent Ireland at the Eurovision Song Contest in Copenhagen in May. 23-year-old Kasey battled it out against four other finalists on the Late Late Show Eurosong 2014 last night, topping the vote which was a combination of 50% public tele-vote and 50% regional jury vote. Her winning song, Heartbeat, was …

A Eurovision blogger snarks about the selection: Formed last June, the group has written that it hopes “to produce a fresh sound to the music scene both locally and internationally.” Their number is definitely fresh for the Mediterranean. But it’s less novel in places like the Louisana Bayou, Applachia, and large parts of honky tonk land in the United States. …

Anybody else hearing The Killers? (Tipped by JMG reader Jari)

“I’m not Patrick Swayze and you’re no Jennifer Grey.” And then something about Google Maps. It’s actually catchy, but it definitely lacks that famous Eurovision cheese. I’m getting a Robin Thicke vibe.

Swiss bluegrass. Who knew? And whistling?

Ukraine is the first nation to have chosen its representative for Eurovision 2014. Utterly forgettable.