Off-topic Question for Europeans

[NewsGuy]

In Israel, the Eurovision song contest (where every European country sends a singer to perform a song live and then a panel of judges votes on the winner), is very widely covered in the press.

Israelis are very interested in the contest because Israel is a competitor among the Europeans, and Israel has won the contest on occasion.

In the U.S., I don't believe that most people even heard of the contest. It is not discussed nor broadcast, etc.

My question, out of curiosity, is how "big" of an event is the Eurovision contest in Europe?

[L@mplighterM]

I think Israel won the Eurovision contest in 1998. I think it was a he that became a she that performed for Israel if my memory serves me correctly. I know the events draw crowds in the tens of thousands in the host countries.

For the contest that?s going to be held in 2003 I think ibrodsky?s poem ?What the World Needs Now? should be performed by Israel.

[NewsGuy]

Originally posted by L@mplighterM
For the contest that?s going to be held in 2003 I think ibrodsky?s poem ?What the World Needs Now? should be performed by Israel.
Yes, perfect! Something the Europeans can really relate to.
:)

[Vic]

Originally posted by NewsGuy
My question, out of curiosity, is how "big" of an event is the Eurovision contest in Europe?
Depends mostly on whether there is an interesting contestant from one's own country.

Btw.:

Swedes, Belgians told not to vote for Israel in Eurovision contest
http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/pages/LiArt.jhtml?contrassID=2&subContrassID=1&sbSubContrassID=0

:eek:

[NewsGuy]

Originally posted by Vic
Swedes, Belgians told not to vote for Israel in Eurovision contest
http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/pages/LiArt.jhtml?contrassID=2&subContrassID=1&sbSubContrassID=0

:eek:
Thanks, Vic.

Another example of the true face of Europe.

While hypocritically yelling for "justice," they rig a vote even over a simple song contest.

[ibrodsky]

Sorry to have to bring up anti-semitism again, but...

Tnis is a perfect example. Normally, people do not blame all individuals from a country whose policies they disagree with. But in the case of Israel, people will proudly withhold votes or applause for individuals just because they are Israelis.

I will never forget something I saw posted on a CNN forum on the ME. (For some reason, CNN seems to have shut down all such forums, but that's another matter.) There was a woman in the U.S. who said she worked at a small college. To provide further evidence of how bad Israel was in her eyes, she related the following anecdote: At the college each year they have a special assembly to welcome foreign students. The foreign students are introduced by country. She proudly explained that when the names of the countries were announced they were all greeted with rapturous applause. But when the students from Israel were introduced and their country was announced, there was cold silence.

Thus, without knowing anything about the individual students' characters, she thought it was perfectly appropriate that they be shunned.

[Morpheus]

Haha, yeah hypocrisy of Europeans. Indeed, some Belgians did ask not to vote for Israel, but you should keep politics and music seperated. The Israeli song this year was ****e anyway, but so were 90 % of the songs.

The Swedes also boycotted the Belgians and asked not to vote for Belgium. It's just a habit I guess.

The least good song from Eurovision was Dana International. It was very popular here. The Israeli song from this year was not good, light a candle or somthing. I'm sure that if they would have send a good song, they would have won the contest, just as 4 years ago.

The winners of this year are all former East-bloc countries. In the west, the contest is already becoming obsolete. The eastern-european countries try to copy the west as much as possible, making a fool of themselves. The winner of this year (Latvia) thanks it all to sympathy from their neighbours. The songs from France, UK or Belgium were a lot better, but people don't seem to care anymore.

Anyway, belgium gave Israel two points (and got nothing in return), so stop whinging :D

For the west, the contest is of no importance anymore. We don't need to promote our countries, but for Baltic and Former Yugoslavian states, this is a good opportunity to show the world how westernized= civilised (?) they became. Each country should stick to its culture and Estonia only won because they hired a couple of Swedish artists. I didn't watch it actually, I was watching CNN, live coverage of pakistan launching its first ICBM. A lot more interesting.

[Iori Yagami]

Yuck, Eurovision. Who gives a flying ****. 2 hours of crappy pop songs, crappy hosts, and oh, did I mention crappy music? Yeah, it`s big in Europe, but Europe did invent the "euro-trash" pop, so it`s understandable.
Anyway, next year Israel should send some local rocker with a "**** the eurovision" shirt, and that rocker will sing about how great Sharon is, and maybe that way the eurovision commity will do us a favour, and ban us from the goddamn competition for life.

[Vic]

http://www.eurovision.tv/en/results/index.php

[Morpheus]

What France gave Israel 10 points. those anti-semitic bastards.

Next year Israel should send Arafat. Than, you can kill him on stage, blaming the Europeans that they shot him. That way, you can handle three problems at once:
1. Don't need to search for a new artist next year as Israel will be banned.
2. Get rid of Arafat
3. The **** Europeans will finally shut their mouth

:D :p


Anyway, the pop music is ****. Maybe we should start the western-european songfestival, and rebuild the Iron curtain for that occasion. At least we'll hear good music.

[ibrodsky]

Correction: France gave Israel 10 points at some junk music festival, burned down a synagogue or two, beat up Jews walking down the street, called Israel "that ty little country," and spent much time worrying about mass murderer Arafat's living conditions in Ramallah.

[Morpheus]

We don't need to worry about mass murderer Sharon. If you look at his fat ***, you can already find out that his living conditions are a bit better than Arafat's.

To get back on the music. Germany would have won if they sended Rammstein!!! You know, that group called after the Air base in German.

[Iori Yagami]

And that in contrast to the oh so skinny arafat, who had 300 pitas sent to the building in which he was under siege during "defensive shield". And not to mention the packs of halva he was getting there. Siege my ass.

[Moon]

****ty music or not... some had gorgeous bodies like the British singer with her five-stars lips. hmmmm.... oh, and there was a blonde there, oh boy... dunno what to say. The Israeli was delicious too, but the angle of the camera was really bad unfortunately, I liked her nose.

Excuse me, I'm just a teenager... :D

[ibrodsky]

Originally posted by Morpheus
We don't need to worry about mass murderer Sharon. If you look at his fat ***, you can already find out that his living conditions are a bit better than Arafat's.

Morpheus, you are a fine example of European morality. You falsely accuse Ariel Sharon of mass murder and worry about the living conditions of a genuine mass murderer, Yaser Arafat.

Ariel Sharon was accused by Palestinians who support terrorism against innocent civilians of being a "mass murderer." They also claimed a massacre in Jenin. In fact, as several historians have noted, they claim a "massacre" whenever Arab forces are defeated.

Why do they do this? Because they know there are Europeans who are eager to believe such charges. What better way to absolve Europe of its fascist/collaborationist past...

Time Magazine called Ariel Sharon a mass murderer. Sharon sued Time for slander and won.

You repeat this false allegation and defend a man who until 1993 was dedicated by his own admission to "driving the Jews into the sea," who rushed to embrace Saddam Hussein when he raped Kuwait, and who is engaged in a strategic alliance with Iran's fascist theocratic regime.

Despicable.

[Mediocrates]

If it's not Frank Black and the Catholics, it's all dreck anyway so who cares?

European music died with Django Rheinhardt.

[Justcurious]

Originally posted by L@mplighterM
I think Israel won the Eurovision contest in 1998. I think it was a he that became a she that performed for Israel if my memory serves me correctly. I know the events draw crowds in the tens of thousands in the host countries.

For the contest that?s going to be held in 2003 I think ibrodsky?s poem ?What the World Needs Now? should be performed by Israel.

Yes, Israel won in 1998, but it also won in 1978 and 1979.

The contest has always been extremely popular in Finland, although it has never won. The Finnish entry will be chosen later this month and much is being written on the entrants. Israel will choose its song on 29th Jan.

Earlier, when I lived in England, people talked about the contest much less. I even went to a hall in London, when the British entry was chosen. There were hardly any spectators!

You can find answers to your questions here: http://www.eurovisionsong.info/