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The question really is what Israel is doing in ESC (lovely pun!). Russia atleast is partly part of europe (until the ural mountains I think...) and turkey has a small bit of land in europe.... but Israel is legues away... if we don't watch out we'll losse the pun and it'll be WSC... oh horrid thought...

if we don't watch out we'll losse the pun and it'll be WSC... oh horrid thought...

That would be so scary!! I was thinking bout the same when I was watching the list of countrys, it was 36! I never knew there were 36 countrys in Europe, but when I saw Israël was on it I start wondering why they didn't let the whole middle-east compete. And if Russia was in, why not the rest of Asia, and when we're busy why not the rest of the world?
Aaarghh... That would be a disaster. So I think it's better to stop it here and cancel next years show.

I actually semi-watched it with a friend of mine..and made fun of the horrible lack of quality apparent in almost all of the performers. Some did have a certain amount of quality.. but not enough to warrant a degree of (or any) success in the music business, in my humble opinion.

In that way it was quite funny, actually.

Originally posted by Dottie
here are also bad musicans in every part of the world, its unavoidable.

Particularly when you parade them on a live TV show...

Originally posted by Moonbiter
Only one contest winner has ever ammounted to anything afterwards, and that was Abba

An unforgiveable slight on poor Buck's Fizz! Not to mention Lulu... And that Celine Dion, she never got anywhere, did she?

There are two compelling reasons to watch Eurovision. (I only saw about half of it this year, but enough to see that the UK didn't get that appalling nul points that it did for not singing in tune last year... We did at least make it into double figures this year. ) One is that if you put the subtitles on, you get an inevitably poor translation of the foreign lyrics, which is always amusing. Secondly, it is commentated on here by a presenter called Terry Wogan, and it just wouldn't be the same without him. You can hear him getting progressively more drunk throughout the night, and his commentary is somewhat akin to listening to your dad talking about Top of the Pops... somewhat scathing. He is a national treasure.

Terry had a lot to say this year about bloc voting. Allegedly the Eastern European countries win because they all vote for each other. Political voting, they call it - as though a small land war might be started if they didn't.

Originally posted by Dottie
@Rob-hin: I think you underestimate the capabilities of Ukraine somewhat. They certainly are a poor nation by western europe standards, but they are not living in the 13th century.

As for Russia I thought they have always been considered part of eastern europe.

Perhaps, I never been there but I have low expectations of Ukraine. But such a poor country will have a hard time hosting an event like this in any case. The 'no running water' comment was a joke though.


Russia? No way. They are even threathend by the fact that the European Nation has expanded to Lithouania (sp?) and it's neighbours. Now Europe is litterly next door.
White Russia (the small one) is different though, this country is more europe then Russia (the big one).

I like leather glad hobbits - especially foxy Ukrainian ones.

I hope she doesn't wax her feet...

Hello everyone,

I don't come onto these forums very often. I'm more of a reader than a writer. I had to reply to this thread though. Fable has completely missed the point.

The Eurovision Song Contest isn't about music. We British - the Beatles, Stones, Who, Sex Pistols, <best to skip the 80s>, Prodigy, Leftfield, <best not to mention right now as well>; it's personal taste but the point is were not bad at music - turn in the most incredible piles of arse for Eurovision. As does everyone else.

Eurovision is one of those events that's made entertaining by its crapness and the differences between nations - I'll never understand the German obsession with David Hasslehof's soft focus mullet rock.

Eurovision is about the badness of the songs, the countries singing in their own languages (big up Serbia, France, Germany and Spain this year), the inept presenters, the fact the German's always try and wreck the stage, no one can understand at all what the hell the Turks are going on about, the political voting and that every country in Europe's traditional half time performance always seems to be fu**ing River Dance! And, it's damn entertaining.

This is usually sweetened by many fit fit fit birds. Estonia's entry 5 years ago with those green trousers riding right up her ... Sorry, getting carried away.

Anyway, you see, dissing Euro Song because the music's bad is like dissing Bay Watch for the life guard's swimming technique.

Basically: Eurovision is kitsch

That is likely also why the eastern countries are starting to win more in the contest now - because they are just catching up to the rest of europe now, and seems to have gotten to the 70-80s now







(Disclaimer: of couse I don't mean the countries of the former eastern block are backwards ..... by more then a decade or two )

Originally posted by Rob-hin
Perhaps, I never been there but I have low expectations of Ukraine. But such a poor country will have a hard time hosting an event like this in any case. The 'no running water' comment was a joke though.

No way for me to know that. I guess I'm a bit sensitive on the subject. A former class mate of mine, who emigrated from Iran when he was about 10 years, told me one of the first things that happened to him here in sweden was that some well meaning idiot tried to explain to him and his father what elevators was and that they should not get frightened by the movement. His father was an enigineer btw. I've heard similar stories from many other imigrants as well. Now, this might seem rather harmless, but infact its a good sign the persons view of the world are extremely distorted. Such ignorance can easily lead to a kind of europe-usa centered elitism I think. Your comment seemed to share the spirit of this.

I'll let the subject of russia drop. Just have to ask what the european nation is, and if you did mean the european union you do realize that this is not the part of what defines europe?

Ukranian rivers are full of running water. They just have to get it into some pipes!

Ok - maybe the song from Ukraine wasn't the best in the world. But I think the other songs were even more bad.
Interesting if Ukraine have enough money to host it next year

And that Celine Dion, she never got anywhere, did she?

What year was she there?

1988
http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.c ... ine%20Dion

Originally posted by Rob-hin
Perhaps, I never been there but I have low expectations of Ukraine. But such a poor country will have a hard time hosting an event like this in any case. The 'no running water' comment was a joke though.

The Ukraine has been battered and invaded by all of its neighbords over the last 500 years or so. Being the so-called "bread basket of Europe" isn't a good idea when you can't protect that basket with force. But please don't write off the nation. They were among the first to assert their independence from the Soviet, despite being the closest, and with memories of numerous terrible purges in recent history. (It's said that Stalin's "false famine of 1932" killed off more Ukrainians than Hitler killed Jews.)

The country's made a startling comeback since declaring its independence. It's still got enormous problems, but matters are much improved even compared to the likes of Roumania, much less the Central Asian states that it also borders.

I've tried to keep tabs on the Ukraine. Almost my entire family on both sides was from other there, left during the 1920s, and we still have a few relatives in place.

Originally posted by fable
The Ukraine has been battered and invaded by all of its neighbords over the last 500 years or so. Being the so-called "bread basket of Europe" isn't a good idea when you can't protect that basket with force. But please don't write off the nation. They were among the first to assert their independence from the Soviet, despite being the closest, and with memories of numerous terrible purges in recent history. (It's said that Stalin's "false famine of 1932" killed off more Ukrainians than Hitler killed Jews.)

The country's made a startling comeback since declaring its independence. It's still got enormous problems, but matters are much improved even compared to the likes of Roumania, much less the Central Asian states that it also borders.

I've tried to keep tabs on the Ukraine. Almost my entire family on both sides was from other there, left during the 1920s, and we still have a few relatives in place.

You have some good points there.
But having some family in Ukraine also, I don't agree when you say much are improved.
Ok, Ukraine are now independent from Russia. But the country have a goverment that is maybe the most corrupt in world. Most people have less money and food than before. Inflation is growing. More crimes. More drugs.....
Before the parlament/president is changed, there is no realistic hope for Ukraine and its people