EUROVISION Song Contest 2014

Figured I would make a thread, the Semi Finals are on now!

http://www.eurovision.tv/

Note: The player will ask you to install Octoshape, you can opt to not install it and still watch.

This has a lot more production value then I was expecting hearing Drew talk about it whenever that was. Not my kind of music though.

Ukraine's hamster wheel was definitely #production.

Who have Ireland entered this year? Seeing the batshit crazy "people" they come up with every years is perhaps my favourite thing about Eurovison. Although i don't think they will ever beat the singing turkey.

It's an ridiculously expensive affair, and I think the entire point of the music is to be so inoffensive (and kinda be 15 years behind all the trends) so that it in the end doesn't suit anybody.

As a proud Latvian, all I can say is this: CEP KŪKU, BITCHES!

How can I watch the snarky bbc coverage in the USA?

Wait.. you're telling me that the Eurovision song contest, from Europe, made up of European performers representing for their individual countries, consists of everyone singing in English? The duo from France started singing in English just now, just like the two before them...

Edit: Ah this guy right now is singing in his native tongue. At least someone is representing their homeland!

@singingmenstrual: Not everyone but most of the time they showcase artists that had a big hit single in the US. So mainly english.

Why is that weird? Afaik every European country learn English at school and it's probably the most common language in Europe overall.

Hungary just made this way more Euro by throwing some drum and bass on.

Language is the first and foremost thing to distinguish you when you're singing as a representative of your homeland, is all.. When the title says Eurovision and you have performers painting or sculpting their respective countries' flags and taking their pictures, you'd expect them to come out and sing in the tongues of their countries, otherwise what's the point?

Edit: Still a pretty good show though, it's making the weed more refreshing, I'm just saying, I'm seeing Franks and Italianos and Fins come out and sing like Celine Dion or John Legend, it's weird!

@singingmenstrual: I see what you mean, I think it's an attempt to appeal more internationally and perhaps even to an American market. I know for a fact that some songs are written in the native tongue and later gets translated once they make it into eurovision, as a result the songs might lose some of their charm, I agree.

No Teräsbetoni, no shits given.

It's basically a popularity contest, so people will sing in the language that will get them the most votes. It does help a little if people understand what you are singing about. Not all countries do this all the time though.

With some YouTube success stories almost all vocalists around the world are singing in English these days on the off-chance that someone notices them and they can make it big in the states. The brutal truth of the matter is that you're never going to have a huge singing career across the world if you don't sing in english.

Ah.

And when you point out the truth that this is a form of selling out, (and in this case they're selling out their own language and national identity, be it as it may that it's a field of the arts and not something serious), you get called a hater or old-fashioned. It's simply laughable that this is how badly capitalism and the hunger for world wide recognition has become, you got yourself fifty European singers from around the continent, representing the varied and cultured nations of that continent, having country music duets with Texan accents or sounding identical to Celine Dion. America happened on that European stage tonight, not Europe.

Shame.

I look forward to getting drunk with friends watching and laughing at the final. Have to have some traditions.

Unless Lordi is playing again, I don't care.

Uhm...you're kinda looking too much into this. While I agree more songs written in their own language is original and interesting...I can't understand it unless it's english. I'm tri-lingual but if I can't understand the lyrics. Like my homeland Turkey wouldn't have won eurovision 2003 if Sertab Erener's song wasn't in english. Pretty positive thing too since the lazy bums in my country tried to learn a bit english from the song.

It isn't all that bad, it's all about english being convenient.

hehe, I wait to hear friends from Europe to tell me what's best of clips to see. I still can't get into reality competition shows of any kind. But Eurovision is fun.

Eurovision is the greatest. Getting together with a bunch of mates, going rip-shit on whatever the host nations beverage of choice is and having no idea what acts are in store is one hell of a good time. Eurovision bingo is an absolute must have.

Last years flamboyant Romanian soprano vampire and dude in a glass box were just incredible moments, best enjoyed drunk as hell and in good company.

I used to be into it when I was younger but I have not seen it in years.

74, 84, 91, 99, 12 the years we won

I love this stuff because of how ridiculous it is. I am so excite but i kinda want to wait until they upload the youtube versions

My body is ready. PLAY. THE EUROVISION.

I like to follow these rules while enjoying the music - http://www.aleth.talktalk.net/eurosong.html

Who remembers the year 2006 when monster rockers Lordi won with hard rock hallelujah? That was a great year to watch it for the first time!

@trusty_spoon: Ah, I remember the conservative Eurovision viewers age 70 and up were furious in my home country.

I just sat there in front of the television with a wide smile plastered over my face.

@trusty_spoon said:

It's still the best winning song of all time. OF ALL TIME.

It was the year of our lord, 2008. The world was on it's knees. The four horsemen of the apocalypse, War, Famine and Pollution were riding at a blistering across the land (Pestilence retired in 1936 after the invention of pencillin). It was a world full of misery and sorrow. Action needed to taken if the world was ever going to have a hope of getting through these tough times

The leaders of the world gathered in an attempt to solve these problems. Many possible solutions were tried, but none of them worked

But one day, an small group of people from the the magical land of Ireland, came up with an idea, one that would change the world as we knew it forever. Many laughed at it, but, knowing that all their other options had been exhausted, they agreed to try it out. That, or watch hopelessly as the world succumbed to the horrors that were to come

And so, on 20 May 2008, the world took action.

And it was truly a glorious day

Is it wrong for me to hate ESC because everyone I know, who's into it, actually takes it seriously?

I love that Romanian opera singer. But how can I realistically debate arguments like "naw, I thought he was kinda queer and weird, and what was up with those clothes"? Well, duh!

Somebody please explain this Australian Broadway musical that just happened.

@gyrfal Eurovision is huge in Australia for some reason (from what I've heard at least), so a strange attempt to try and appeal to those viewers I guess :P

That whole dancing people interval thingimajig thing was actually fucking amazing. First person to make a GIF of Frank from Sweden gets a cookie

I just watched the Australian broadcast of the first semifinal. Pretty fantastic!

Why were people booing Russia though? Is it because of the ongoing crisis or some other political reason?

Primarily for their recent homophobic laws, as well as the police's unwillingness to look into hate crimes against homosexuals, primarily by neo-nazi gangs who track down and beat up or torture people who put up ads on gay oriented dating sites. It's almost funny how Russia made such a huge deal about the Ukrainian protesters being neo-nazis when they have that stuff going on at home without anybody interfering. There were quite a few rainbow flags in the audience during the grand final.

Let's stick to the other thread, please.