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TheNewsTribune.com
May 18 2013
Denmark favorite to win Eurovision Song Contest
An ethno-inspired flute and drum tune from Denmark is the bookmakers'
favorite to win this year's Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday, which
also features a bizarre opera pop number from Romania and an Armenian
rock song written by the guitarist of Black Sabbath.
BY MALIN RISING; ASSOCIATED PRESS
MALMO, Sweden - An ethno-inspired flute and drum tune from Denmark is
the bookmakers' favorite to win this year's Eurovision Song Contest on
Saturday, which also features a bizarre opera pop number from Romania
and an Armenian rock song written by the guitarist of Black Sabbath.
Yes, it's that time of the year again.
The televised pan-European extravaganza, known for its kitschy shows,
bad taste and bizarre offerings, is still expected to be seen by about
125 million television viewers worldwide.
This year's contest is being hosted in Malmo, southern Sweden,
following the victory of the Nordic country's contestant Loreen with
"Euphoria" last year.
According to bookmakers, the hippie-chic Emmelie De Forest of Denmark
is the favorite to win, driving the song "Only Teardrops" with her
deep, Shakira-like voice. Her main challenge comes from the clean-cut
techno pop tune "I Feed You My Love" by Norway's Margaret Berger, who
rose to fame at home after becoming the runner-up in Norway's version
of Pop Idol in 2004.
"I will be nervous before going on stage," De Forest said Friday. "I
think we have a really good song that can take us far, but let's see,
anything can happen."
Finland's Krista Siegfrid provided this year's controversy, ending her
bouncy bubble-gum pop number "Marry Me" with a girl-on-girl kiss that
some have interpreted as a stance promoting gay marriage. While the
show will not raise eyebrows in most parts of Western Europe - where
Eurovision has long been a bastion of gay culture - the act may jar
sensitivities in parts of eastern and southern Europe.
"The fact is that Finland is the only country in the Nordic countries
where gay marriage is not allowed, and I think that's wrong," Siegfrid
told The Associated Press. "It's 2013 now and ... I can kiss anyone I
want to. It shouldn't be a problem."
Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, who arrived in Malmo to watch the
competition Saturday, said it is a unique event that unites Europe.
"We see the old Yugoslavia, now independent states, after a decade of
war they always vote for each other in Eurovision, " Bildt said. "That
I think is fun."
This year's competition also sees the return to the international
stage of two seasoned European stars. "Total Eclipse of the Heart"
singer Bonnie Tyler is representing Britain with "Believe In Me" while
Anouk, whose song "Nobody's Wife" was a big hit in Europe in the
1990s, is singing the song "Birds" for The Netherlands.
Among the more notable performances is the Ukraine's Zlata Ognevich
with her song "Gravity." Ognevich is carried onstage by the tallest
man in the U.S. - Ukrainian-born Igor Vovkovinskiy. Vovkovinskiy - who
stands 7 feet, 8 inches (234 centimeters) -wobbles onstage in a fur
and feathers, placing the fairy-like Ognevich on a rock where she
stands for the rest of the performance.
There is also Armenian rock group Dorians, whose gloomy song "Lonely
Planet" has been written by Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi.
Romania's Cezar, who resembles a Dracula reborn as a high-pitched
vocalist, is apparently a reputable opera singer, but is attempting a
crossover opera pop number with techno beats and pyrotechnics. Three
muscular male dancers in red body paint are delivered out of a large
red cape.
Two semifinals this week have whittled down the contestants from 40 to
26. The winner is picked by juries and television viewers across the
continent, and the winning nation will stage next year's event.
Having won five times, most famously with ABBA's Waterloo in 1974,
Sweden is a veteran of Eurovision. This weekend it is taking the
opportunity to showcase some of its big music acts. The opening of the
competition is set to feature a song especially composed by Swedish
super DJ Aviici, together with ABBA members Bjorn Ulveaus and Benny
Andersson.
Yet the event - with a price tag of around 153.5 million Swedish
kronor ($23 million) - won't measure up to last year's lavish
competition hosted by oil-rich Azerbaijan in its capital, Baku.
"We have attempted to host Eurovision with less money to show that it
is possible to do this without it being too painful for the host
country," said Jan-Erik Westman, a spokesman of host broadcaster SVT.
The festive atmosphere was visible throughout the city of Malmo on
Saturday, where residents and visitors blended on the streets waving
the flags of their favorite countries.
---
Associated Press television producer David MacDougall and Associated
Press reporter Jan Olsen contributed to this report.
http://www.thenewstribune.com/2013/05/18/2602182/denmark-favorite-to-win-eurovision.html
May 18 2013
Denmark favorite to win Eurovision Song Contest
An ethno-inspired flute and drum tune from Denmark is the bookmakers'
favorite to win this year's Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday, which
also features a bizarre opera pop number from Romania and an Armenian
rock song written by the guitarist of Black Sabbath.
BY MALIN RISING; ASSOCIATED PRESS
MALMO, Sweden - An ethno-inspired flute and drum tune from Denmark is
the bookmakers' favorite to win this year's Eurovision Song Contest on
Saturday, which also features a bizarre opera pop number from Romania
and an Armenian rock song written by the guitarist of Black Sabbath.
Yes, it's that time of the year again.
The televised pan-European extravaganza, known for its kitschy shows,
bad taste and bizarre offerings, is still expected to be seen by about
125 million television viewers worldwide.
This year's contest is being hosted in Malmo, southern Sweden,
following the victory of the Nordic country's contestant Loreen with
"Euphoria" last year.
According to bookmakers, the hippie-chic Emmelie De Forest of Denmark
is the favorite to win, driving the song "Only Teardrops" with her
deep, Shakira-like voice. Her main challenge comes from the clean-cut
techno pop tune "I Feed You My Love" by Norway's Margaret Berger, who
rose to fame at home after becoming the runner-up in Norway's version
of Pop Idol in 2004.
"I will be nervous before going on stage," De Forest said Friday. "I
think we have a really good song that can take us far, but let's see,
anything can happen."
Finland's Krista Siegfrid provided this year's controversy, ending her
bouncy bubble-gum pop number "Marry Me" with a girl-on-girl kiss that
some have interpreted as a stance promoting gay marriage. While the
show will not raise eyebrows in most parts of Western Europe - where
Eurovision has long been a bastion of gay culture - the act may jar
sensitivities in parts of eastern and southern Europe.
"The fact is that Finland is the only country in the Nordic countries
where gay marriage is not allowed, and I think that's wrong," Siegfrid
told The Associated Press. "It's 2013 now and ... I can kiss anyone I
want to. It shouldn't be a problem."
Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, who arrived in Malmo to watch the
competition Saturday, said it is a unique event that unites Europe.
"We see the old Yugoslavia, now independent states, after a decade of
war they always vote for each other in Eurovision, " Bildt said. "That
I think is fun."
This year's competition also sees the return to the international
stage of two seasoned European stars. "Total Eclipse of the Heart"
singer Bonnie Tyler is representing Britain with "Believe In Me" while
Anouk, whose song "Nobody's Wife" was a big hit in Europe in the
1990s, is singing the song "Birds" for The Netherlands.
Among the more notable performances is the Ukraine's Zlata Ognevich
with her song "Gravity." Ognevich is carried onstage by the tallest
man in the U.S. - Ukrainian-born Igor Vovkovinskiy. Vovkovinskiy - who
stands 7 feet, 8 inches (234 centimeters) -wobbles onstage in a fur
and feathers, placing the fairy-like Ognevich on a rock where she
stands for the rest of the performance.
There is also Armenian rock group Dorians, whose gloomy song "Lonely
Planet" has been written by Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi.
Romania's Cezar, who resembles a Dracula reborn as a high-pitched
vocalist, is apparently a reputable opera singer, but is attempting a
crossover opera pop number with techno beats and pyrotechnics. Three
muscular male dancers in red body paint are delivered out of a large
red cape.
Two semifinals this week have whittled down the contestants from 40 to
26. The winner is picked by juries and television viewers across the
continent, and the winning nation will stage next year's event.
Having won five times, most famously with ABBA's Waterloo in 1974,
Sweden is a veteran of Eurovision. This weekend it is taking the
opportunity to showcase some of its big music acts. The opening of the
competition is set to feature a song especially composed by Swedish
super DJ Aviici, together with ABBA members Bjorn Ulveaus and Benny
Andersson.
Yet the event - with a price tag of around 153.5 million Swedish
kronor ($23 million) - won't measure up to last year's lavish
competition hosted by oil-rich Azerbaijan in its capital, Baku.
"We have attempted to host Eurovision with less money to show that it
is possible to do this without it being too painful for the host
country," said Jan-Erik Westman, a spokesman of host broadcaster SVT.
The festive atmosphere was visible throughout the city of Malmo on
Saturday, where residents and visitors blended on the streets waving
the flags of their favorite countries.
---
Associated Press television producer David MacDougall and Associated
Press reporter Jan Olsen contributed to this report.
http://www.thenewstribune.com/2013/05/18/2602182/denmark-favorite-to-win-eurovision.html