Eurovision - is it time to give up?

Eurovision? Does it belong in entertainment you ask, of course it does. One of the year's highlights of kitch and camp TV.

My question, if Elvis at his peak put on his cat suit and blasted out 'Love me Tender' could he get more than 15 points if the flag on his bag was the Union Flag?

Is there any point for the UK - and most of the old-Europe countries - to take part any more? Short of a major devolution that would give every different region of the UK its own act and more importantly its own vote, what chance would we ever have against the 73 different countries that came out of Yugoslavia (OK. maybe not quite 73 but something close)

Is the ESC now just an excuse for all of the 'new' European countries to take a pop at the 'old'?

However, it is still the funniest show of the year and playing 'guess who Belarussia like this year' is a lot of fun.

I saw five minutes which featured some pink fairy asking inane questions and Wogan making some great comments, I thought Jani looked good in the pink though.

Its dreadful , isn't it!

At least Ireland gave us some points! (not that we deserved any!)

We played 'where have I heard that song before?' - Sweden had a boppy little T-Rex meets Bay City Rollers number that had our heads buzzing to link it to the originals.

I suppose the nice thing is that it proved that your singers don't have to be 6 feet tall with stunning looks and an amazing frock - you can win with someone who looks like (note I said 'looks like' and not 'is') a bespectacled lesbian dwarf.

I am really sad and love Eurovision; Wormy and I have a eurovision party and just sit around taking the p**s out of everyone and give the acts marks out of 10.

However, my evening always ends the same with me getting on my soap box and shouting about how it is too political and why should we pump money into something where were are hated and end up looking stupid by coming last every year?

Ok so our song was pants, but it was camp and totally in tune with what eurovision is, and yet some short assed Harry Potter look-a-like wins with a rubbish and boring song.

And how France and Ireland got any points is beyond me.

Gave up watching it a few years ago. It's just Eastern bloc countries voting for each other and the songs, no matter how bad, are secondary now. Way too much politics to take this seriously anymore. The Beeb should abandon ship and give up!!

If it wasn't for Wogan I would give up too.

Ah, but if we give up now, it looks like we are taking our ball home!

I was surprised how many old-Europe countries didnt make it to the final too...

I dont understand all the voting now...not sure how that all works .. perhaps we need to befriend a few countries and get some mutual voting going on - difficult when we are an island!

I think we blew it the year we went to war with Dubya... Our Eurovision card seems to have been marked ever since!

atticusuk wrote:

I saw five minutes which featured some pink fairy asking inane questions

Are you making fun of Krisse?


Incidentally, it was hilarious listening to the Finnish commentators talking of the English group with the whole air stuert act.

"I wonder if they are losing interest when they try sending groups that were great like in the 1980s."

"They could have made so much better choices of band, yet they go with this one."

"Boys, if the bad mouthing of the Brits doesn't stop now... then let it continue."

"Yep, that was it..."

And I look adorable in pink, thank you very much.


But don't worry, the Swedes were lividly furious. Bad camera angles were apparently the reason why they didn't win, and the group called the whole event a "*Bad Word*". Nah, nah, naa... Finland still beat Sweden's ass!

The things a joke. The baltics and the old Russian states just vote for each other year after year. Theres a lot of money in hosting the Eurovision and these new countries need it and they know it.

We should not even enter next year as a protest.

I thought I had read it COST money (nett) to produce?

I think it is outdated, and dreadful and only useful for comedy value etc, but at the same time, I wouldntwant UK to pull out first..smells of sour grapes if we do.

Berlioz, was that awful woman in pink SUPPOSED to be funny? Is she sort of famous or something?

And what WAS that Swedish guy wearing on his chest?

Krisse Salminen is a pseudo-stand up comedian (I guess). She has this kind of act of spoiled princess girly-girl thing and even got her own icky show. That's basically it. Never found her very funny myself though.

She was thoroughly embarassingly awful. None of the acts came close to Krisse in sheer cringe-making dreadfulness.

She was definitely a zero-pointer.

helencbradshaw wrote:

I thought I had read it COST money (nett) to produce?

I think it is outdated, and dreadful and only useful for comedy value etc, but at the same time, I wouldntwant UK to pull out first..smells of sour grapes if we do.

I heard on Radio 5 live that the host country rakes it in.

And I dont think anyone would give a damn if we pulled the plug - in fact a lot of others may follow our lead.

When Ireland kept winning it year after year it was a big drain on the national economy. I remember one year they held it in a show jumping arena. But the difference was, everyone already knew where Dublin was and whether they might like to go - mostly because they'd been watching the little 'scenic clips of kids playing in the harbour'.

In the case of the new countries, several hours of exposure on Eurovision night can generate phenomenal tourist income - look at Estonia (was it Estonia or was it one of the other two). Not on the map at all until they won.

It wouldn't make a blind bit of difference to any of the established countries but if you are a new kid on the block it's a big big event.

WormThatTurned wrote:

The things a joke. The baltics and the old Russian states just vote for each other year after year. Theres a lot of money in hosting the Eurovision and these new countries need it and they know it.

We should not even enter next year as a protest.

A protest? No one would care whether we did or not - hardly seems worth a protest

koshkha wrote:

When Ireland kept winning it year after year it was a big drain on the national economy. I remember one year they held it in a show jumping arena. But the difference was, everyone already knew where Dublin was and whether they might like to go - mostly because they'd been watching the little 'scenic clips of kids playing in the harbour'.

In the case of the new countries, several hours of exposure on Eurovision night can generate phenomenal tourist income - look at Estonia (was it Estonia or was it one of the other two). Not on the map at all until they won.

It wouldn't make a blind bit of difference to any of the established countries but if you are a new kid on the block it's a big big event.

Yes, and it's easy to mock the whole thing and feel jaded about it when your country has a thriving pop music scene that is respected all over the world.

It's all new for these countries and they want to show they belong in Europe. We should not worry that we have no chance of winning but instead just join and have fun. There is no real gain from it - for a country like the UK it is no boost to our economy but a city like Belgrade will really benefit.

By the way - Finland looked great in those little clips and I am sooo looking forward to my visit in September - little biting insects excepted...

fizzywizzy wrote:

We should not worry that we have no chance of winning but instead just join and have fun.

I dont think anyones worried about it. Theres no fun in being last every year and the voting system being politically rigged so whats the point the U.K being there ??? None.

One of my mates goes every year and is actually doing his Phd on how Eurovision has affected the emerging Eastern European countries and aparently it makes interesting reading (if not viewing).

WormThatTurned wrote:

helencbradshaw wrote:

I thought I had read it COST money (nett) to produce?

I think it is outdated, and dreadful and only useful for comedy value etc, but at the same time, I wouldntwant UK to pull out first..smells of sour grapes if we do.

I heard on Radio 5 live that the host country rakes it in.

And I dont think anyone would give a damn if we pulled the plug - in fact a lot of others may follow our lead.

I haven't heard this (not that I follow Eurovision news that closely) but I do remember reading a report or two in the papers over the years that states the opposite - it loses money (directly...there is a positive impact on tourism potentially, unless we won and put it in Coventry or somewhere).

No one would care if we pulled no. But it would look like sour grapes! And not very British..to sulk and take our ball home because we aren't winning any more!

Surely, out of all the good music we produce every year, we could find a better entry...! How hard can it be..!

drewboy wrote:

One of my mates goes every year and is actually doing his Phd on how Eurovision has affected the emerging Eastern European countries and aparently it makes interesting reading (if not viewing).

he could sell it as a cure for insomnia...


actually it would be quite interesting...to see the politics of it all..

drewboy wrote:

One of my mates goes every year and is actually doing his Phd on how Eurovision has affected the emerging Eastern European countries and aparently it makes interesting reading (if not viewing).

You need to get new mates.