Eurovision nipple-tingling news
Feb. 21st, 2005 11:37 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jawnbcSo far a handful of countries have selected their songs and singers for this year's biggest Eurovision Song Contest ever!. 26 countries will participate in the preliminary round on 19 May: the top 10 will join the 14 who've already qualified in the final on 21 May. Thanks to Ruslana and her "Wild Dances", the Contest will be held in Kiev.
Some countries do what's called an internal selection. A committee formed by the host broadcaster (with few exceptions the public TV network in each country), contacts performers and songwriters and they announce who will represent the country. Generally internally selected performers do better than most, but they don't win more often.
Some countries host a national final, where on a single night several singers and songs perform live on telly. In some cases a jury picks the winner; in some it's a popular televote (via phone or SMS or both); and some countries combine juries and televotes. Those selected purely via televotes tend to do very well or very badly at Eurovision. Those selected via the mixed method do better than average, but again don't seem favoured to win.
Some countries--where Eurovision remains wildly popular--have a series of elimination rounds and then a national final. These countries almost always do very well (top 10) if they have a strong internal music industry; if not, their role primarily seems to be to fill the TV schedule with cheap, popular programmes.
Looking back over the last 10 years of winners is quite interesting:
2004 Ukraine Ruslana Wild Dances (internal)
2003 Turkey Sertab Every Way that I Can (internal)
2002 Latvia Marie N I Wanna (national final)
2001 Estonia Tanel Padar & Dave Benton & 2XL Everybody (national final)
2002 Denmark Olsen Brothers Fly on the Wings of Love (national final)
1999 Sweden Charlotte Nilsson Take Me to Your Heaven (elimination series)
1998 Israel Dana International Diva (national final)
1997 UK Katrina & the Waves Love Shine a Light (national final)
1996 Ireland Eimearr Quinn The Voice (national final)
For 2005 Sweden, Lithuania, Netherlands, Ukraine, Russia, Finland, Serbia & Montenegro all used the elimination series for their selections. Sweden's used it for years and almost always gets a top 5 finish (and 4 wins). The Netherlands also does it, but rarely cracks the top 10 (and hasn't won since 1975). Serbia, Ukraine and Russia are trying it for the first time--all 3 did an internal selection last year. Most countries--Ireland, UK, Bosnia & Hercegovina, Croatia, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Moldova, Macedonia, Norway, Denmark, France, Belgium, Israel, Spain and Portugal--are using a national final. Last year Bosnia and Spain cracked the top 10; Ireland, Norway and Belgium were at the bottom of the heap--and Slovenia, Denmark, Israel and Portugal didn't even make the final. Only 5 countries--Switzerland, Monaco, Cyprus, Greece, Poland, Iceland, and newcomers Lebanon used internal selection. We still don't know what Hungary's doing.
Nearly 10 of the 40 songs for this year's contest have been selected. I've not heard any that stand out as a possible winner, or even a memorable song. By this time last year buzz was already starting for Serbia's "Lane Moje", Cyprus's "Stronger Every Minute" and Greece's "Shake It"--all of which were top 5, all of which except Cyprus were internally selected. In fact, if you include "For Real" by Turkey's Athena and the eventual winner Ukraine, 4 of 5 top finishers were internally selected. And all picked very, very popular singers and songwriters.
It's gonna be a very interesting year . . .
Some countries do what's called an internal selection. A committee formed by the host broadcaster (with few exceptions the public TV network in each country), contacts performers and songwriters and they announce who will represent the country. Generally internally selected performers do better than most, but they don't win more often.
Some countries host a national final, where on a single night several singers and songs perform live on telly. In some cases a jury picks the winner; in some it's a popular televote (via phone or SMS or both); and some countries combine juries and televotes. Those selected purely via televotes tend to do very well or very badly at Eurovision. Those selected via the mixed method do better than average, but again don't seem favoured to win.
Some countries--where Eurovision remains wildly popular--have a series of elimination rounds and then a national final. These countries almost always do very well (top 10) if they have a strong internal music industry; if not, their role primarily seems to be to fill the TV schedule with cheap, popular programmes.
Looking back over the last 10 years of winners is quite interesting:
2004 Ukraine Ruslana Wild Dances (internal)
2003 Turkey Sertab Every Way that I Can (internal)
2002 Latvia Marie N I Wanna (national final)
2001 Estonia Tanel Padar & Dave Benton & 2XL Everybody (national final)
2002 Denmark Olsen Brothers Fly on the Wings of Love (national final)
1999 Sweden Charlotte Nilsson Take Me to Your Heaven (elimination series)
1998 Israel Dana International Diva (national final)
1997 UK Katrina & the Waves Love Shine a Light (national final)
1996 Ireland Eimearr Quinn The Voice (national final)
For 2005 Sweden, Lithuania, Netherlands, Ukraine, Russia, Finland, Serbia & Montenegro all used the elimination series for their selections. Sweden's used it for years and almost always gets a top 5 finish (and 4 wins). The Netherlands also does it, but rarely cracks the top 10 (and hasn't won since 1975). Serbia, Ukraine and Russia are trying it for the first time--all 3 did an internal selection last year. Most countries--Ireland, UK, Bosnia & Hercegovina, Croatia, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Moldova, Macedonia, Norway, Denmark, France, Belgium, Israel, Spain and Portugal--are using a national final. Last year Bosnia and Spain cracked the top 10; Ireland, Norway and Belgium were at the bottom of the heap--and Slovenia, Denmark, Israel and Portugal didn't even make the final. Only 5 countries--Switzerland, Monaco, Cyprus, Greece, Poland, Iceland, and newcomers Lebanon used internal selection. We still don't know what Hungary's doing.
Nearly 10 of the 40 songs for this year's contest have been selected. I've not heard any that stand out as a possible winner, or even a memorable song. By this time last year buzz was already starting for Serbia's "Lane Moje", Cyprus's "Stronger Every Minute" and Greece's "Shake It"--all of which were top 5, all of which except Cyprus were internally selected. In fact, if you include "For Real" by Turkey's Athena and the eventual winner Ukraine, 4 of 5 top finishers were internally selected. And all picked very, very popular singers and songwriters.
It's gonna be a very interesting year . . .
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no subject
Date: 2005-02-23 08:23 am (UTC)YOu love Eurovision, and can I ask (I've not read the bio's sorry..will do though!) if you're Canadian? (Or is Mr. Man Canadian?).
I love Toronto!!
no subject
Date: 2005-02-23 11:27 am (UTC)I love it, and I was in Istanbul last year! I'm the Aussie Editor for www.esctoday.com!
And you?
no subject
Date: 2005-02-25 09:33 pm (UTC)I'm australian living in Melbourne. Roger is my husband and also Australian. we got married in Toronto in Jan 2004 so we've already made it to our first anniversary but we'll be celebrating our 7th anniversary in July this year.
Haven't been to Vancouver and haven't really seen anything much of Canada outside of Toronto yet. Loved Toronto. The feel of the city is wonderful and well, no haven't lived through a full season of snow, but I think it's kind of groovy. At least it provides a complete difference in the seasons (I think you can tell I've not had to shovel snow out of my driveway I think).
Have been a Eurovision fan for some years now, having a friend putting my ex and I onto it. Since then, can't have too many Eurovisions I say. Only started looking into this year's entry and already heaps happening so I'll have to do a lot of reading.
Lucky you for being in Instanbul last year. I bet that was amazing for both seeing the place plus for seeing Eurovision in the flesh so to speak. Always wanted to go there. You must tell me about it.
Take care.
Gav.