ASIA-vision

Eurovision Song Contest heads to Asia
Bettina Brinkmann of Eurovision.tv announces: "Having brought the European version of the Eurovision Song Contest to the Middle East and North Africa, we are now delighted that viewers across Asia will enjoy one of the best established entertainment shows in the world."

And it's not even April 1st. (Seriously - Middle East and North Africa! Was Morocco in it once?! Lebanon was banned and Turkey considers itself European... which leaves Israel as the sole nation in the Middle East and North Africa. In her down-time Bettina scripts adverts for the McCain campaign.)

Asia's version will start in 2009, and involve competitors from Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Macao, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. Can we be the first to de-cry the bloc-voting of China, HK, Macao and Taiwan - which is ruining Asiavision?

It will be produced and marketed by a new company - Asiavision Pte Ltd. National and regional finals will take place over six months - with one Grand Final.

Asiavision's CEO - Andreas Gerlach - claims the "format is highly suited to the Asia region and its people who love popular music and have a strong national pride." Oh, so they're the unique people in the world who like popular music and have national pride. I was wondering where they'd gone.

Having lived next door to international students in down-town Melbourne for nearly 10 years - the EDU editors have been exposed to more Asian pop than anyone should be. (Imagine castrated cats covering Celine Dion songs). We predict that this Asiavision Contest will not be a Contest to be listened to, but a Contest to be avoided

Because People Count...

The EBU have announced the return of the International Jury to Eurovision 2009!

Apparently in the face of demands of the BBC (one of the major funders of the Contest) the EBU have decided to be seen to do something to negate the appearance of Eastern Europe's neighbourhood-friendly voting patterns overwhelming another year's results. An International Jury will cast their votes on the performance and these will be considered along with the televoting of the public.

As yet there has been no announcement on how the jury will be used - whether they will account for 50% of the scores or (more wildly conjectured) that a popular winner and jury winner may be announced.

The EBU went to lengths to explain that western Europe has been voting for eastern European acts for several years and that is the real reason they've been winning, but they also acknowledged the rise in technology allowing people to vote for their own nation through trickery or diaspora votes.

"Every year you think, it can't get any worse...."

It looks certain that time is up for Sir Terry Wogan commentating on Eurovision Finals for 37 years. :-(

He pretty much declared he was out in the current 'Radio Times' in the UK. Wogan has just turned 70 and says the "political voting" has tired him.

"I was considering giving up before Belgrade, and now I have to say I'm very doubtful about ever wanting to do Eurovision again. I've had so much fun, but I think it's time for someone else to take over...Days before the show, I knew Russia would win. The fact is, Putin was getting nasty, which means the former satellite states were always going to vote for Russia in order to keep the oil coming."

Wogan's comments were made just a few days before Putin & co invaded fellow-ESC competitors Georgia. As we write this lines of Russian troop carriers are heading towards the Baku pipeline south of Gori, Georgia.

While Terry acknowledges Western Europe considers ESC schalger-fest ("we have always taken Eurovision with a pinch of salt") he still considers neighbour-voting to be an Eastern only affairs - "The former Eastern Bloc countries are not sufficiently versed in the ways of democracy to realise they are supposed to be voting for a song, not a next-door neighbour."

Far from wanting the UK to retire with him, Wogan hopes for a great act to sacrifice their repuations for schlager-glory. "The only way the UK will ever regain any respectability is if we get a major British star – Robbie Williams, Take That, God knows there are enough of them – to represent us, and then people will vote for us."

We'd suggest The Wombats or Hot Chip, but Tezza's on the right path...

The Image of You

Kevin Rudd - Australia's PM - got Eurovision more press coverage than the latest Contest when he invoked ESC to dismiss rumours former Prime Minister Paul Keating could star in Australian Tourism adverts in the UK.

"Paul Keating's chances of being the Australian face of tourism in the UK are as likely as him and John Howard winning Eurovision, the PM says."

And it didn't take long for the photoshopping of Keating and Howard onto various Eurovision bods to begin!

Full stories here:
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,23869753-662,00.html

http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2008/06/16/1213468299989.html

Oh, You're Two Semis!

The results of the votes from the two semi finals have revealed a few surprises.

• Russia did not win its semi-final (indeed it came 3rd - trailing Greece by 21 points and Armenia by 4).
• The 20 countries with the most points from the voting public (over both nights) would not include Poland nor jury-selected Sweden - Macedonia and Bulgaria were the two countries in the top 20 who were eliminated.
• San Marino was last overall, getting 5 points. They were one point behind Hungary. Estonia (who truly deserved nul points) got 8 points and were 3rd-last overall.
• All countries who performed 2nd, 10th (middle), 14th and 19th (last) on both nights qualified to the Final.
• Those performing 5th, 8th, 12th and 15th got the Kiss of Death - with all countries being eliminated.

Most of the feedback we've received from regular ESC-viewers and un-initiated was that they felt the best nations got through to the Final - with Switzerland missing out due to a lacklustre performance rather than conspiracy of the East. No one has had a big wrap for Poland, Sweden, Macedonia or Bulgaria - so any argument over whether they deserved to be or not seems moot.

EDU will reserve its judgement til next year - but the signs are good that the Two Semis are less affected by bloc voting than previous systems. (Now, if they'd only limit the Final night's voting to the 25 nations in the Final - this would be sorted for good).

AUSSIE ESC BLACK-OUT

EDU has officially stuck its fingers in its ears and is singing 'La La La [key change] La La La' from now until Saturday night (AEST).

We may be back between the end of Saturday's delayed telecast of the 2nd Semi on SBS-TV (2130 AEST) and the Final commences of Sunday morning (around 0400 AEST) - but we are planning on having an international drinking night, so we may just be in the corner in a drunken stupour giggling at IPL team names.

For non-Australians and Aussies who love spoilers - here are some 'fabulous' sites with all the latest news and reviews:

http://thegogglesdonothing.blogspot.com/

http://www.schlagerblog.blogspot.com/

http://www.pigletwildebeest-eurovision.blogspot.com/

GO ICELAND!!

NB: Oh, and we're pretty sure Wogan is just blowing hard here. He will retire soon - but the UK will stay in Eurovision. ESC is bigger than Terry (we can't believe we said it either!)

I Feel Like TV Tonight

One of our fave Oz bloggers - David Knox of the seminal TV Tonight - has been invited by SBS to provide a Eurovision blog for 2008.

SBS Blog by David Knox