Eurovision 2011: Wrap-up and Analysis

Well, cats and kittens, another edition of the Eurovision Song Contest is behind us, and what a long strange trip it's been.  From boy bands from the UK to Irish twins to Greek rappers, this year's contest has truly memorable.  Here's your intrepid hero's recap, thoughts, comments, and lessons we've learned.  And as always, there's plenty of videos.

No story about Eurovision 2011 can start without talking about the surprise winner.  In the weeks leading up to the competition, betting odds favored France, with the UK and Estonia playing spoiler.  Then, suddenly, along came the Crayola Twins from Ireland, Jedward, rocketing up to second place just behind the UK.  As of the morning of the Grand Finale, at least according to the bookies, the competition was between Blue and Jedward. Then what happened?  Jedward came in at 8th, Blue dropped to 11th, France came in at 15th, and Estonia tumbled down to 24th.  And our winner...Azerbaijan!! (??)  Here's your winner:  Ell & Nikki performing "Running Scared":

So what happened?  First and foremost, I'll go on record to say that the first time I heard this song, I thought it was nice, but nothing super special.  But as I've listened to it more and more, it's grown on me, a lot.  It's catchy, it's pretty, and they staged it well. But a closer look at the points reveals something.


[A note on Eurovision voting for those not in the know:  Each country votes on their favorite act, although a country cannot vote for itself.  The votes are  combined with a score from a panel of jurists from each country, and the highest scorer receives 12 points ("douze pointe" in French).  The next highest scorer gets 10, 8, etc....]

Azerbaijan only got 12 pwah pointe from three countries.  Four other acts, including Jedward, got three douze pwahs, Italy took home four, and Bosnia took home five.  This certainly wasn't the runaway of "Fairytale" from 2009, but even Lena last year captured nine douze pwahs.  Russia in 2008 captured seven, and Serbia in 2007 also took nine.  So what gives? Azerbaijan captured four 10s and and ten 8s.  Comparatively, second place Italy took home five 10s and only one 8.  Bosnia only took two 10s and one 8, while third place Sweden complemented its two douze pwahs with seven 10s.  Jedward on the other hand, only took two 10s, and in fact, only scored points from 17 countries.  Azerbaijan scored points from 30 countries. So it may not necessarily be that Azerbaijan, as nice as the song was, was everyone's clear favorite.  It's just that enough people liked it enough to win.  And while Jedward has the same number of high scores as Azerbaijan, it seemed more of a love it or hate it thing.  And that was probably their downfall.

So what else did we learn from Eurovision 2011?

1.  Celine Dion has returned to the Eurovision stage again.  Oh wait, no, it's just Kati Wolf from Hungary.  Our mistake.

Seriously, it's kind of creepy.  The way she holds the mic, the hair, the voice, the lip quiver.  Kati Wolf to Vegas?

We also believe she was robbed.  She deserved higher than 22nd.  She at least deserved higher than Finland.

2.  Azerbaijan turned it out.  Blue didn't. Say what you will about Ell & Nikki.  They hit their performance.  Blue on the other hand...it was...actually kind of sad, really.

Maybe had the vocals been there, perhaps it could have done better.  Instead it just sounded like a mediocre song by a boy band that's gotten a little too old for that title.  Oh wait...

3.  Iceland perhaps had the best story that nobody knows If you watched Iceland's performance, you'd probably be thinking, "What is this on my screen?"  But the story behind the performance is perhaps one of the most sadly under-reported story of the competition.  In January, Sigurjon "Sjonni" Brink passed away mere days before he was to perform this song in the Iceland national selection finals.  So his friends did what any group would do.  They scrambled together and decided to perform the song in Sjonni's honor.  They won in Iceland and placed 20th overall in Germany.

4.  Lena's a badass.  Seriously. Lena won handily last year with "Satellite," in the second largest margin of victory ever.  She was 18 at the time.

She returned this year to compete again.  And pulled out one hell of a performance, placing 10th overall.  We look forward to seeing if she'll try to win again in the future, but even if she doesn't, "Taken By a Stranger" will remain one of the best songs from 2011.

5.  Dana International got a raw deal Finally, speaking of former winners and being robbed, Dana International at least deserved to make it out of the semi-final.  It's a shame really, that Jedward and Eric Saade made it through the second semi-final, leaving her behind.  Especially Jedward.

Seriously.  Here's the live version if there's any doubt left in your mind.

And really, that brings us to the end.  There's more videos to talk about, to be sure, but at some point we have to draw a line.  At least for now.  Who knows?  Perhaps there will be more commentary to come.  Feel free to drop a comment with your own favorite songs, thoughts, or comments.

But for now, I'll sign off from Eurovision 2011 in the only appropriate way.  With Moldova.

Eurovision 2011: Preview

Well, today's the day, cats and ktitens.  The first semifinal of Eurovision 2011 will begin in a few hours and we can't be more excited.  And so without further ado, we present two of most compelling story lines from this year's competition and then what you really came for.

1.  The Return of Dana International

While many contestants have attempted to win Eurovision more than once, only Johnny Logan from Ireland has actually succeeded.  Two former winners will attempt the feat this year.  First is Germany's Lena, who, if she won, would be the first back to back winner.

However, the more compelling storyline may be Israel's Dana International, who won a very tight three way race in 1998 with her song "Diva."

Dana is arguably one of the most famous transsexual celebrities in the world.  When she was selected to represent Israel in 1998, many Orthodox Jews and other conservative groups attempted to void her participation.  Upon winning, Dana commented "My victory proves God is on my side. I want to send my critics a message of forgiveness and say to them: try to accept me and the kind of life I lead. I am what I am and this does not mean I don't believe in God, and I am part of the Jewish Nation."

2.  The End of the Big Four Curse

One of the critiques of Eurovision has traditionally been the problem of bloc voting; that is, countries that are politically aligned or share similar cultures will vote for each other, regardless of talent.  Since each country's vote is weighed the same, the largest countries (also known as "The Big Four/Five"), namely France, the UK, Germany, Spain, and Italy (recently added), were unable to garner enough votes to secure victories.

Recently, Eurovision has introduced a jury system designed to arguably limit the effects of bloc voting.  And perhaps it seems to be working.  Germany's Lena won last year, the first Big Four/Five winner since 1997.  And current betting odds (yes, you can bet on the Eurovision outcome) shows the most likely winner to be France, followed closely by the UK.

And that's enough for the stories.  You've really come here for the music, so let's take a look at some of this year's entries.

"Carobon" - Nina (Serbia)

We're a fan of the 60s vibe.  While it may not be Lordi, it's certainly fun.

"Popular" - Eric Saade (Sweden)

We didn't realize that Justin Bieber was competing.  Then again, if this means The Bieb will be staying in Europe and not returning to our side of the pond for a while, we approve.

"Rockefeller Street" - Getter Jaani (Estonia)

The song most likely to crash the UK/France fight for first.  It's catchy and it could have just enough girls, glitter, and pyrotechnics to send Blue packing.

"Lipstick" - Jedward (Ireland)

Every time I get a little faith in humanity, things like this happen.  And that's all I'm going to say about it.

"Sognu" - Amaury Vassilli (France)

The favorite to win.  Whether or not you're an opera fan, you've gotta be amazed...the kid's only 21.

And finally...

"In Love For a While" - Anna Rossinelli (Switzerland)

One of our hero's personal favorites.  It's one of those songs that just makes you feel happy.

You can check out all of the participant profiles and videos here.  Enjoy!

An Introduction to Eurovision

Author's Note:  This originally appeared in a student newspaper in 2008 and was co-written by my friend Nicky.  The final paragraph has been updated since then, but everything else remains the same.


If you’re craving fabulous costumes, cheesy Europop, incredibly high heels, overdone drag queens, and ridiculously choreographed performances, you don’t have to wait for the High Heel Race in October or even the Republican Convention. Instead, tune into the Eurovision Song Contest this May.

The format of Eurovision is simple. Each country that is part of the European Broadcasting Union submits one song to be performed live and then casts votes to determine the winner. Think of it as the American Idol of Europe, but without Paula Abdul. The contest has been broadcasted every year since 1956, making it one of the longest running television broadcasts in history. 


Of course, you may be thinking, “Why Eurovision? I can get all I want from American Idol and I can even TiVo through Paula.” However, a simple side by side comparison will demonstrate Eurovision’s utter domination of its American fanny-packed counterpart. First and foremost, Eurovision is not just a song contest; it is also a tool of diplomacy. After all, in the aggregate, it’s better for European countries to express their national pride through craptacular music instead of, oh say, war. To paraphrase Eisenhower, the best response to war is a big bunch of peace with a healthy dollop of ill advised mulletry, bell bottoms, Swedish thrash metal and incoherent warbling in multiple languages.

Moldova gave us pirates in "Wolves of the Sea" in 2008.

Occasionally the unbridled diplopop becomes too much for the participants to bear, and in the heat of the 'nul point' moment, certain countries have been known to install a technological blockade (as in, cut the feed). See e.g. Jordan cutting the cable when Israel was up a few bedazzler points in 1978 (when Israel won, Jordan reported that Belgium had taken the “prize”). Second, while your gay, and apparently tone deaf, friends may swoon at such Idol competitors as Kelly Clarkson and Chris Daughtry, even they must admit that these poptastic wannabes cannot hold a hetero-flexible candle to the fabulousity of Eurovision winners Celine Dion and ABBA.

Not to mention 2006 winner, Lordi (Finland)

Additionally, while we may wish and pray that singers on American Idol simply sing instead of dance (or rather flail around as most are wont to do), Eurovision is based on pageantry. Fierce costumes (which more often than not venture into the realm of tranny hot mess), garish sets, swooping camera angles (all “expertly” choreographed), and tort-tastic pyrotechnics are the norm. In fact, while ear plugs are recommended, they are not required, and some of the competitors can actually belt out a tune.

Ireland tried to win with a singing turkey in 2008

Some may argue that nothing can come close to the drama of American Idol voting (witness, for example, the sheer outrage after Jennifer Hudson’s early exit in Season 3). But, again, we Americans have nothing on our formal imperial overlords. In Eurovision, each country votes independently, awarding 12 points to the winner of its own popular vote. Of course, this means that Malta has the same say as Germany, with expected results. 


And then there’s the dilemma of bloc voting, with politically aligned countries accused of voting for each other regardless of the musical “talent” of the act, causing rich countries to argue that despite giving the most money to the competition (namely the “Big Four”: The UK, France, Spain, and Germany), they have no chance of winning (of course, one wonders why the UK even thought they could do well with a song, “Flying the Flag (For You)” by Scooch that featured vague sexual references in airline safety announcements: “Blow into the tube. . .We wish you a pleasurable flight”).

Apparently nobody wanted the French hippie on a golf cart to win in 2008

Finally, because of post-colonial guilt, certain countries feel the need to give their votes to their minion countries (such as the UK to Ireland). However, in the truest sense of sticking it to the man, these little countries don’t return the favor. And what’s at stake? The winning country gets to host next year’s Eurovision, giving them loads of tourism revenue! Perhaps the voters are really voting for where they want to take their next vacation. . . 


Of course, no competition is complete without commentary (remember Mike O’Malley on GUTS), and nobody is better than acerbic Brit Terry Wogan, who puts his Idol counterpart Simon to shame. After all, while Simon may call someone the worst singer in the world, Terry goes above and beyond that, calling fellow contest officials idiots and really just mocking the entire thing (he’s been banned for Denmark since apparently the Danes don’t share his sense of humor after he called the Danish hosts of one show “Dr. Death and the Tooth Fairy”). Chris Tarrant, another British television host, noted “Terry Wogan's commentary is why any sane person would choose to watch the Eurovision.” In fact, it’s the best reason to watch Eurovision.


Editor's note:  The following content is new and never seen before! So what can we expect from this year’s show?  With Eurovision it's hard to tell what will happen.  In 2006, Lordi jumped into the winner's circle with "Hard Rock Hallelujiah."  The following year Serbia's Marija Serifovic’s upset heavily-favored Ukrainian drag queen Verka Serduchka (only when talking about Eurovision can you legitimately use the phrase “heavily-favored Ukrainian drag queen").  

Heavily favored Ukranian drag queen Verka Serduchka

Russia captured the crown in 2008 with a piece featuring an Olympic figure skating gold medalist prancing around on stage.  Norway took the crown in 2009 with a fiddle player, and Germany finally broke the Big 4 curse in 2010.  Azerbaijan took home the crown in 2011.  Will there be another ABBA? We don’t know. But we can guarantee that the heels will be high, the lyrics will be cheesy, and Terry Wogan will be as cynical as ever! You can catch all the action by streaming online at www.eurovision.tv!  Enjoy the show and stay tuned to Audio-Eurovisual Hallucinations as we bring you all the politics, drama, glitz, and glamour you're craving.