Sabtu, 13 Mei 2023

Sweden wins Eurovision, but UK is second from last - BBC

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Sweden's Loreen has won the Eurovision Song Contest for the second time, with her soaring pop anthem Tattoo.

The star, who last won the competition in 2012, saw off competition from Finland's Käärijä in a nail-biting vote.

The UK's Mae Muller failed to replicate Sam Ryder's success last year, coming in 25th place - one above bottom.

And the Princess of Wales made a surprise cameo, playing the piano with last year's winners Kalush Orchestra.

Loreen is the only the second person - and the first woman - to win Eurovision twice, following Ireland's Johnny Logan.

"This is so overwhelming," she said as she collected the trophy. "I'm so grateful. I'm so thankful."

"In my wildest dreams, I didn't think this would happen."

Sweden's victory means it will host next year's competition - on what will be the 50th anniversary of Abba's historic victory with Waterloo in 1974.

But Ireland crashed out of this year's contest at the semi-final stage for the fifth year in a row - a result their head of delegation described as "devastating".

This year's top three acts were:

  1. Sweden: Loreen - Tattoo (583 points)
  2. Finland: Käärijä - Cha Cha Cha (526 points)
  3. Israel: Noa Kirel - Unicorn (362 points)
Finland entrant Kaarija performing in the grand final
PA Media

Mae Muller only picked up 24 points, putting the UK to the bottom of the leaderboard. It was "not the result we hoped for," she tweeted after the show.

"I know I joke a lot but we really put our all into the last few months," she said. "Congrats to all the countries, I'll never forget this journey and I love you all."

Eurovision 2023 banner
Eurovision banner

Liverpool hosted this year's contest on behalf of war-torn Ukraine, which won in 2022.

Appropriately, the show began with last year's winners, Kalush Orchestra, playing an extended version of their song Stefania in a pre-taped segment from war-torn Kyiv.

Stars including Joss Stone, Sam Ryder and Andrew Lloyd Webber added a British flavour to the song, as the band boarded a train from the iconic Maidan Nezalezhnosti metro station and arrived on the stage of the Liverpool Arena.

Princess Kate accompanied on piano, in a brief segment recorded in the crimson drawing room of Windsor Castle earlier this month.

Princess Catherine
Alex Bramall

Back in the arena, Kalush performed their new single Changes, delivering a message of defiance to Russia: "Give my all down to the wire / Set me free."

It was the first of many references to the war, in a show that took a more political tone than most editions of Eurovision.

Croatia's Let 3! performed a song that referred to Russia's Vladimir Putin as a "crocodile psychopath", while the Czech band Vesna sang in Ukrainian, "We're with you in our hearts".

Ukraine's own entry, Tvorchi, whose rehearsals at home were interrupted by air raid sirens, played a powerful song inspired by the siege of Mariupol.

They eventually took sixth place, with a total of 243 points.

Russia has been suspended from the contest due to the invasion, but organisers refused to allow a speech from Ukraine's President Volodomyr Zelensky during the show.

Noa Kirel
Sarah Louise Bennett / EBU

Elsewhere, Eurovision was Eurovision. There were 80s-inspired tributes to Miami Vice, a ghost story about Edgar Allen Poe and, naturally, a tear-away dress.

But the musical component of the contest continues to improve.

Spain's Blanca Paloma combined traditional flamenco rhythms with a throbbing electro pulse on the vibrant, urgent EAEA; and France's La Zarra tied together decades of Gallic music history in the Piaf-meets-Daft-Punk Évidemment.

Acts from Armenia, Poland and Israel - especially Israel - threw slick dance breaks into their performances; while Italy's Marco Mengoni was accompanied by two gymnasts on trampolines.

There was also the usual surfeit of tortured ballads, both good (Lithuania) and drab (Albania); and a never-ending parade of lyrics about coming together and being nice to your neighbours (Belgium, Switzerland, Australia).

Finnish rapper Käärijä was the runaway public favourite: He received more than double Loreen's tally in the phone vote. But his chaotic mix of thrash metal, hardcore techno and K-pop melodies failed to impress the juries, who are comprised of music experts.

Kaarija
Getty Images

In a post-modern twist, the competition was bookended by two songs about the process of songwriting.

Austrian duo Teya & Salena kicked off the show with the quirky pop anthem Who The Hell Is Edgar, in which they are possessed by the spirit of US poet Edgar Allen Poe, who compels them to write a song.

An hour-and-a-half later, Mae Muller closed the competition with I Wrote A Song - in which she gets revenge on her ex-boyfriend by writing a song that catalogues his misdemeanours.

It meant the contest opened with the lyric,"Oh my God, you're such a good writer", and ended with Muller singing, "Instead, I wrote a song".

And if that's not synchronicity, I don't know what is.

Mae Muller
Sarah Louise Bennett / EBU

The contest was presented by Alesha Dixon, Hannah Waddingham and Ukrainian singer Julia Sanina, with Graham Norton joining them during the voting stage.

The interval showcased the "Liverpool songbook" with tracks by John Lennon, Melanie C and Gerry and the Pacemakers performed by former Eurovision contestants.

And Sam Ryder, who came second for the UK last year, performed an emotional version of his new single, Mountains, with Queen's Roger Taylor on drums.

Ryder, whose song is about overcoming adversity, was accompanied on stage by dancers who had lost limbs.

How the votes came in

A chart showing the final result

Loreen easily won the jury vote, picking up the maximum 12 points from Ireland, Estonia, Spain, Albania, Cyprus and Ukraine, amongst others.

She ended the jury sequence with a score of 340, giving her a comfortable 163-point lead over Italy's Marco Mengoni.

The public preferred Finnish rapper Käärijä, giving him 526 points, temporarily putting him in the lead.

After a tense pause, Loreen reclaimed the crown at the last minute, receiving a public score of 243 that put her back on top.

The UK languished at the bottom of the table, picking up just nine points from the public and 15 from the juries.

Only Germany fared worse. Their glam-rock song Blood And Glitter gained a mere 18 points.

Commiserations came from the BBC, who organised the contest in partnership with the European Broadcasting Union.

The broadcaster's official Twitter account posted: "Mae, we're so proud of you and everything you've achieved at this year's Eurovision Song Contest."

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Follow us on Facebook or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.

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2023-05-14 00:50:00Z
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Eurovision final 2023 live: Latest updates as voting opens, results and final scores - The Independent

Eurovision 2023: Most iconic outfits of grand final performances

Voting has closed for the Eurovision Song Contest final, with the UK placing its hopes on 25-year-old pop singer Mae Muller and her track “I Wrote a Song”.

This year’s competition marks the first time the UK has hosted a final in 25 years. It was decided that Liverpool would host after 2022’s winning country Ukraine said it would be unable to, due to the ongoing invasion by Russia.

Twenty finalists, including Norway, Sweden, Finland and Australia, joined Eurovision’s Big Five (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom) and Ukraine tonight. We’ve also seen a surprise cameo from Kate Middleton!

You can see all the acts who made it through to tonight’s final, along with the running order, here.

The final is being broadcast on BBC One. Graham Norton, Hannah Waddingham, Alesha Dixon and Ukrainian singer Julia Sanina are presenting, while Norton will also be providing commentary alongside The Great British Bake Off star Mel Giedroyc.

Muller might not quite reach the same heights as Sam Ryder, who finished in second place for the UK last year, but the bookies still pin her among the frontrunners. You can read the latest odds here.

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Sweden’s Loreen is absolutely dominating the jury results

Four points for the UK from Sweden, with Loreen still top of the leaderbooard !

<p>Swedish entrant Loreen (Aaron Chown/PA)</p>

Swedish entrant Loreen (Aaron Chown/PA)

Roisin O'Connor13 May 2023 23:39
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“I’m overwhelmed darling"

Loreen says she’s in a meditative state after the first wave of jury votes sent her (and Sweden) straight to the top of the leaderboard.

Roisin O'Connor13 May 2023 23:28
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Eurovision 2023: Most iconic outfits of grand final performances

Eurovision 2023: Most iconic outfits of grand final performances
Roisin O'Connor13 May 2023 23:25
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Hannah Waddingham scolds the booing!

You probably heard some booing after the jury scores came in, with some countries giving their douze points to Italy or Israel. Eurovision host and Game of Thrones star Hannah Waddingham was having NONE of it: “No booing please!!” she told the live audience in Liverpool.

Roisin O'Connor13 May 2023 23:18
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Results from the Eurovision jury come in thick and fast

Lovely compliments from Ukraine and Italy for the joint UK-Ukraine hosting of Eurovision, accompanying the jury’s delivery of votes for each country. But the UK isn’t doing so well with the jury so far...

Roisin O'Connor13 May 2023 23:12
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STOP VOTING

Voting has now closed, I repeat, voting has CLOSED! That’s it. We can but wait.

Roisin O'Connor13 May 2023 23:05
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Some more images of the spectacular performances this evening

Roisin O'Connor13 May 2023 22:57
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A sublime performance of The Beatles’ ‘Imagine’ starring Italy’s Mahmood opens the Liverpool all-stars show

Honestly, the level of production that goes into Eurovision is just wild. After an orchestral version of “Imagine” with Mahmood we get Israel’s Netta singing “You Spin Me Right Round”, Iceland’s Dadi Freyr doing a hyper version of “Whole Again” by Atomic Kitten, and Sweden’s Cornelia Jones doing Mel C’s “I Turn To You”. A celebration of British pop if there ever was one.

Roisin O'Connor13 May 2023 22:52
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Roisin O'Connor13 May 2023 22:46
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Ukraine Eurovision act’s hometown ‘under fire from Russian missiles during contest’

The British Ambassador to Ukraine, Dame Melinda Simmons, has said Ukraine was under fire from Russian missiles on Saturday as the Eurovision Song Contest took place, including the university home town of the Ukrainian act Tvorchi.

“Meanwhile, this Eurovision night Ukraine is under another Russian missile attack,” Dame Melinda tweeted.

“Reminder that the reason why (Ukraine) could not host this event is because (Russia) continues to invade and the people of (Ukraine) live in continuing danger.”

Roisin O'Connor13 May 2023 22:35

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2023-05-13 21:46:49Z
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Stage set for Eurovision Song Contest final - BBC

Eurovision fans in the Eurovision VillageGetty Images

The grand final of the Eurovision Song Contest has kicked off in Liverpool, with Sweden and Finland among the favourites to win.

The show aims to reflect the culture both of its host city and last year's winner, Ukraine, who could not stage the show due to Russia's invasion.

Kalush Orchestra, 2022's champions, helped start off the show.

The Princess of Wales appeared playing the piano in a pre-recorded opening video for the final.

Ukraine's 2016 winner Jamala, 2007 entrant Verka Serduchka and the UK's Sam Ryder will also perform.

The UK is being represented by Mae Muller, whose track I Wrote A Song will be the last entry performed before the public vote opens.

"When I walk on stage, I'm going to have to take a second to really centre myself because those three minutes go really fast," she told the BBC.

The show is being presented again by Alesha Dixon, Hannah Waddingham and Ukrainian singer Julia Sanina, with Graham Norton joining them during the voting stage.

Along the way, we'll see a Vogue dancer dressed as a cat, a man escaping from a packing case, and lots of women writhing on the floor (it's a thing, for some reason).

The interval will showcase the "Liverpool songbook" with tracks by John Lennon, Melanie C and Gerry and the Pacemakers performed by former Eurovision contestants.

And for the first time, countries that don't compete will be given a say in the results - with viewers from the US, India and elsewhere contributing a "rest of the world" vote.

Here's what else to look out for on the night.

1) The power of Poe

Austria's Teya & Salena in front of a giant picture of writer Edgar Allen Poe on a screen at Eurovision
PA Media

Austria's Teya & Salena are the first act on stage, with a song about being possessed by the spirit of American poet Edgar Allen Poe, who compels them to write a hit song that earns them a contract with Universal records.

Underneath that, the song's really a commentary on the music industry's mistreatment of songwriters, At one point, the duo chant "zero dot zero zero three", in reference to Spotify's paltry royalty rate. "Give me two years and your dinner will be free," they deadpan.

It's all wrapped up in a slick electropop package that features the chorus, "Poe, Poe, Poe, Poe, Poe, Poe". Which in German translates as "bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum." Objectively amazing.

2) Finland's cabbage worm

Finland's Käärijä and his dancers on stage at Eurovision
Reuters

Not to be mistaken for Jim Carrey in Dumb and Dumber, Finnish rapper Käärijä has delivered one of this year's most audacious Eurovision songs.

Cha Cha Cha is an unhinged mix of industrial metal, punishing techno and a happycore video game soundtrack, that talks about the spiritual fulfilment of getting blind drunk and dancing like an idiot.

He illustrates this by dancing like an idiot, in a costume that screams "the Incredible Hulk got stuck mid-transformation".

Speaking to the BBC earlier this week, he revealed that his lime green bolero sleeves have been nicknamed "the cabbage worm", in honour of a chain of Finnish sex shops.

Naturally, this is one of the favourites to win.

3) A mystery guest?

Paul McCartney and Bono onstage at the MTV Europe Music Awards, held at the Echo Arena on November 6, 2008 in Liverpool
Getty Images

Rumours have been swirling all week that a mystery guest will make an appearance during the grand final. Some say it will be local hero Paul McCartney, others think it's Princess Kate. The only thing we know is that we don't know.

"I thought it was going to be Charles and Camilla giving out the points, but apparently it's Catherine Tate," joked Radio 2's Eurovision commentator, Rylan Clark.

"There has been some stuff happening in rehearsals where it's been a completely closed set," divulged his co-host and Eurovision husband Scott Mills. "There's a lot of secrecy and no-one will tell us what's going on."

"But," Rylan added, "give me two drinks and I'll tell you everything."

4) Sweden's Loreen is set to make history

Sweden's Loreen after winning Eurovision in 2012
Getty Images

For months now, Swedish star Loreen has been the bookmakers' favourite to win Eurovision.

She's already Eurovision royalty, having won the contest in 2012, and her latest entry is a precision-tooled earworm called Tattoo.

The lyrics are about a love so deep its engraved on your heart (like a tattoo, do you see?) but the whole thing's just an excuse to show off Loreen's powerhouse vocals, including an excellent "you-hoo-hoo" bit in the chorus.

She sings it while squashed between two giant LED screens - basically a space-age toasted sandwich maker - and while she's usually note perfect, she went a little off-piste in one of this week's rehearsals.

Asked about it in a press conference, the diva smiled and slowly laughed before replying: "Wasn't pitch perfect, darling? What are you talking about?" What a legend.

5) The Adele impersonator representing Lithuania

Lithuania's Monika Linkyė (right) with British backing singer Nicola Lambrianos on stage at Eurovision
Reuters

Mae Muller isn't the only UK hopeful in this year's contest. Nicola Lambrianos - an Adele impersonator from Essex - is singing backing vocals for Lithuania's entrant, Monika Linkyė. What's more, she inspired Monika to take part.

The two performers met in a bar last year and, after striking up a conversation about music, Monika revealed she'd sung at Eurovision in 2015 (she placed 18th with the song This Time).

"I was beside myself because I'm obsessed with Eurovision," Nicola told the BBC. "So I said to her, 'Do you know anyone that could get me a ticket?'"

"I made a promise to get her a ticket," said Monika, "then I went back to Lithuania and wrote the song in one evening."

A couple of weeks later, she invited Nicola to Lithuania to sing in the country's selection process... and they won.

"I saw all this confetti come down, and I looked over at her and said, 'Did we not just joke about this four weeks ago?'" said Nicola. "And now I'm doing Eurovision - a dream I never, ever thought was possible."

Eurovision 2023 banner
Eurovision banner

6) Israel's astonishing dance break

Israel's Noa Kirel on stage at Eurovision
EPA

Noa Kirel has been called Israel's Britney Spears - she's scored four number one singles, won five MTV Awards and been a judge on Israel's Got Talent, all while serving a compulsory two-year stint in the Israeli army.

She co-wrote her song Unicorn with Doron Medalie, who composed Israel's 2018 Eurovision winner, Toy. But the real highlight of her performance is a breath-taking, 30-second dance breakdown.

"It's something I'm very passionate about," the 22-year-old told the official Eurovision podcast.

"When I was two or three years old, I used to dance in my living room in front of my family and I was like, 'Clap your hands at the end of the show'."

But although she's studied ballet, flamenco and hip-hop; and danced on some of the world's biggest stages, Eurovision has been haunting her dreams.

"I dream about the performance all the time. Somebody is pushing me to the stage and I don't know what I'm going to do and what I'm going to sing and the audience are all looking at me.

"To be part of it and to represent your country on one of the biggest stages in the world, it's very stressful."

7) The backstage crew are the silent stars

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You won't see them but Eurovision's backstage team are the real heroes of the contest. They're in charge of 23,700 light sources, 482 costumes, 150 microphones, 100 wigs, 3,000 makeup brushes - and making sure everything runs seamlessly.

Every act has their own unique look. At various points, the stage is adorned with a vintage Toyota MR2, a giant alien pod, a trampoline, and two nuclear warheads (not real ones, we're assured), And the stagehands have just 53 seconds between each performance to clear the stage and erect the next props.

"The speed is the hardest part, because everybody's requests were pretty far out there," says lighting director Tim Routledge, "but we're here to make their dreams come true."

They've developed some nifty tricks to make it all happen. The stage itself is actually a giant LED screen, which turns into a "map" for all the props between acts.

"We used to mark the floor up with tape, so it got pretty messy," says stage designer Julio Himede. "Now it's literally just an operator with an iPad pushing a button."

"The artist even gets a little 'T' mark on stage to show them where to stand, and then we know the spotlight will hit them exactly."

8) France's secret mascot

France's La Zarra holding a Mr Bean teddy on the Eurovision turquoise carpet in Liverpool
EPA

All week, French star La Zarra has been carrying a replica of Mr Bean's dark brown, button-eyed teddy bear everywhere she goes.

"He is my mascot," she told the BBC. "Maybe he will be appearing on stage with me. Maybe under my dress."

There's certainly plenty of room under there. La Zarra performs on a giant rising platform, with her dress billowing and cascading down to the floor. It makes her look like one of those toilet roll dolls your gran used to have, only French and glamorous.

Already a huge star in France, La Zarra is hoping to be the one to break the country's 45-year losing streak at Eurovision.

Her song, Evidemment is a chic fusion of Edith Piaf's sultry majesty and Daft Punk's filtered disco, that contains the night's best lyric: "I'm looking for love, but I can't find anything, just like in my purse."

9) Politics seeping in

Croatia's Let 3 on stage at Eurovision
EPA

Eurovision was conceived in the 1950s with the dream of uniting countries after the war, so politics has always been kept at arm's length.

But while Ukraine's President, Volodomyr Zelensky, has been denied the opportunity to speak, the contest includes plenty of other nods to Russia's invasion of his country.

Croatia's Let 3! take to the stage in bloodstained overcoats, performing an anti-war song that's a metaphor for the Russian Federation.

They mock dictators for being "childish" and "psychopaths", with particular emphasis on Russian President, Vladimir Putin.

The "tractor" that's referenced several times in the lyrics is apparently a reference to Belarusian President, Alexander Lukashenko, who has supported Russia in the war and gave Putin a tractor for his 70th birthday.

Czechia's entrant, Vesna, sing parts of their song, My Sister's Crown, in Ukrainian. "My sister won't stand in the corner / Nor will she listen to you," they chant. "We're with you in our hearts."

Ukraine's own entrant, Tvorchi, also make reference to the war in their song, Heart of Steel. A juddering, disorientating slice of synthpop, it was inspired by the siege Azovstal, and the civilians who defended the town's steel works.

10) Australia is really going for it

Voyager from Australia performs during the second semi-final of the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool
Reuters

For the past eight years, Australia have been welcomed into the glitter-flecked arms of Eurovision as honorary Europeans.

The country's affection for the contest goes all the way back to Abba - a national obsession down under - and millions regularly get up at 5am to watch the song contest live.

In 2014, Darwin-born singer Jessica Mauboy was invited to perform in the interval. The next year, Australia was allowed to take part as a "wildcard" entrant.

Their deal runs out this year - but the Aussies are really going for it. Prog metal band Voyager arrive in a blaze of pyrotechnics and keytar solos, with a song that sounds like a cross between Duran Duran and Panic At The Disco.

Lead singer Danny Estrin, who's an immigration lawyer in his normal life, says he's grasping the chance with both hands.

"It's something that I think every artist should strive to do because it is so wonderful," he told the BBC.

"And it also gives people an opportunity to finally see us, whether they like it or not. They are forced to see it. That exposure is so wonderful for a band that comes from a niche market.

"It's a big deal. It's the greatest show on Earth."

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2023-05-13 17:49:45Z
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