Music Monday: Eurovision fever-
European and some Asian and African countries last week had their annual Eurovision Song Contest which is something akin to American Idol, but a lot bigger there. Each country selects a musician and a song from their own country. The musicians may be chosen at a music festival, by judges, or a televote show like American Idol or any other way. The main requirements are for a country to be part of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and there’s a few other little stuff (like not being too political which was why Georgia’s entry this year was kicked out for referencing Russian PM Putin). The countries can choose any language they want, but using the largely universal English language is quite popular.
The show is split up into 3 nights having two separate semi-finals which then vote to see who advances to the third show: the final. The UK, France, Germany, and Spain automatically get into the final because they are the biggest financial contributors to the competition. Russia automatically got in this year because they are the hosts this year since they won last year. Each contry has the same amount of votes that they allocate based on 50% of a televote and 50% is from that country’s judges. Until this year it was entirely televoting except in the ’50s when it was only judges but because countries would mostly vote for their neighbors and cultural allies they switched it a little bit. A country is able to allocate point numbers 1-8, 10, and 12 with the larger numbers going to their favorite entry. They aren’t allowed to vote for their own.
I first learned about this contest after the 2007 winner from Serbia was so awesome. This year I wasn’t sure when it was and it’s not even broadcast in the US so I just sort of followed online this weekend during the final. In the biggest blowout of point in the history of the competition Norway won this year. At age 23, Alexander Rybak wrote and performed the song very well here it is:
It wasn’t my top choice really, but I did enjoy it. For the most part it’s all pop music, which sometimes I like other times I don’t, just depends. I don’t really understand some of the choices in the final though, maybe Europeans are just weird. My top choices would go like this:
5. Norway
3. Greece
2. Malta
1. Iceland
