Long before there was "American Idol", there was the Eurovision Song Contest. I've been to Europe many times, but never in May - so until now I didn't have the pleasure of catching one of the premier European television events. The Eurovision Song Contest was created by the European Broadcasting Union and has broadcasted every year since 1956. The purpose was to create unity in post-war Europe, and to test out some new technology to see if it would be possible to simultaneously broadcast in multiple countries. ABBA won back in 1974 with "Waterloo", and according to the Eurovision site, they've been the most successful winner to date. This year Russia beat out 42 other participating countries, with Dima Bilan's little ditty, "Believe". Similar to "American Idol", each performance is assigned a phone number for fans to call and vote for their favorite. Based on the few songs I watched performed live, many countries take this competition very 
seriously and it is a source of national pride. Others, not so much. Take Ireland, for example. The so-called performer was "Dustin the Turkey" - a puppet so ugly it would make Jim Henson roll over in his grave. Dustin was accompanied by several drag queens (or ladies dressed to resemble drag queens) wearing Turkey feathers and bopping around the stage to "Irelande Douze Pointe".
seriously and it is a source of national pride. Others, not so much. Take Ireland, for example. The so-called performer was "Dustin the Turkey" - a puppet so ugly it would make Jim Henson roll over in his grave. Dustin was accompanied by several drag queens (or ladies dressed to resemble drag queens) wearing Turkey feathers and bopping around the stage to "Irelande Douze Pointe".
Another entry getting some press on the international news channels was Rodolfo Chikilicuatre for his song, "Baila El Chiki Chiki" (wait about 40 seconds for the intro to finish). I forget if it was CNN or BBC, but an interviewer spoke to a Spanish government official to get his take on his country's entry. The official essentially said, "yes, it's a national embarrassment, but really, it could worse." Oh, how I wish I spoke Spanish - I can only imagine what he's singing about as he plays his toy guitar....On a related note, I am super-psyched that David Cook won American Idol! Can't wait to hear his first real, non-Idol song.
1 comment:
I HEART the Eurovision song contest!!! I also discovered this while in Greece two years ago and found it vastly more entertainig than American Idol. The best was that the finals were in Athens that year, so, even though it was a bit annoying to experience an increase in tourists during the second week of our stay there, it was awesome to be in the midst of it all. One of the most hilarious parts was that this thing was so big over there that you could walk into pretty much any bar or restaurant with a TV and catch the show the same way you'd catch a Sox game around these parts :D
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