Eurovision

[Corona]

@barbara_deane1

Nick Hucknel

Should have gone to specsavers
Thats Mick Hucknall

[barbara_deane1]

Really do not get the joke.
He has talent that is all that matters to me.

[barbara_deane1]

ps…lots of talent

[kirsteastevenson]

@toryroo

I also discovered that last night that the 5 who apparently pay for most of it automatically get in.

Just to be ‘that person’, it’s actually the 5 primary contributors to the EBU not Eurovision who get it, which is one and the same to a degree, but one of the cries that goes up every year is ‘we pay for this crap and they won’t even vote for us out of spite’ sorta thing when the EBU does so much more that is generally not known about. For example budget costs have ravaged U.K. children’s TV shows over the last 20 years, and you’ll find that a lot of the successful ‘British’ ones are actually coproductions between the BBC, the EBU, and PBS in the states giving all the EBU members and PBS affiliates first dibs at anything made. Without the funds from the EBU (which obviously is partly U.K. money in the first place) few would ever get made as it’s a very ‘uncool’ and low priority area for broadcasters.

I seem to recall that was primarily the reason for Australia’s entry into Eurovision. They actually joined the EBU to get access to the internal market of broadcasters sharing shows and coproducing and funding, the fact that it meant they could also enter Eurovision was just an added bonus (lol).

It’s worth remembering that as much as the contest is taken very seriously by a lot of the nations it’s a double edged sword and many desperately don’t want to win as the host broadcaster shoulders the cost for the show itself. For cash strapped national broadcasters in a recession spending what could be 20m or more is a big undertaking, even if they will see a huge uptake in tourism and such also.

[SuePJ]

@Fleur

Iceland was quirky but honest, Malta was exhuberant, but we liked Netherlands best - good voices, relaxing and with a message.

I felt some of the other countries like these were doing much more adventurous stuff, which is why the UK’s entry just felt so tired and “last century”.

[toryroo]

I loved some of the staging - especially all the fire and the Mati Hara one. i thought the much touted Spanish 6 metre moon was a bit weird (perhaps would have been clearer if I’d understood Spanish / the song!).Also tried to work out did they built it in Spain in bits to transport or build on site imagine a 6 metre moon on the motorway!

[vero]

I think the Italians deserved to win, Switzerland was dismal, overall many of them were pretty terrible. No surprise the UK got 0 because it was truly ghastly.