Thanks from me too. Mrs Jer doesn't like this sort of thing and bailed out an hour ago. Sleep well everyone.
I cannot listen to any more of this. Night kids 
Does anyone think that Eurovision has lost lost it's way ? 
Worthy winner. 
Cosmopolitan posted:Well, it started off badly and went downhill from there
Sprout posted:Does anyone think that Eurovision has lost lost it's way ?
Yes, about 25 years ago.
Good night all.
Enthusiastic Contrafibularities posted:Can it really be that our song is as bad as the final table says?
Seems incredible 
but hey...that Eurovision
Night night peeps + thanks for the entertainment 
I'm not sure if it's lost it's way, it needed a kick up the bottom and no-one knew who was going to win until the last bit.
Musically as bad as ever.
Enthusiastic Contrafibularities posted:Can it really be that our song is as bad as the final table says?
No: song quality doesn't come into it.
The Eurovision is no longer a legitimate song contest, and - as other FMs have pointed out - hasn't been for decades now...
fantastic spending time with you all tonight 
Night x 
Hi everyone! 
Late to the party as usual... 
I was out this evening, but caught a fair few of the performances while down the pub. I was also lurking a bit on this thread, but wasn't able to post until now. The following is therefore a number of collected thoughts on the whole evening:
Russia: After the huge political effort by Putin to ensure a win for propaganda purposes, I'm so glad it didn't. I thought it was an OK song by Euro standards, but nothing special. Overproduced, overhyped and ultimately overrated.
Australia: I really don't get the support for this song, which was one of the weaker efforts, IMO (and it's not like the competition was that stellar, either...) I can't be bothered complaining about their inclusion (and the rumours that it will become permanent) anymore, as I predicted it last year. Their entry last year was meant to be a "special one-off" to celebrate the competition's 60th anniversary, but you didn't need to be a genius (or cynic ) to realise that the organisers wanted them on-board full-time...
Ukraine: Not my favourite song on the night, but one of the strongest performances and probably the best song of the top 5. IMO. It deserved credit for sheer effort as well as just trying to do something serious and meaningful. Of the criticism against it for being political: IMO, anyone involved in the Eurovision who's complaining is a hypocrite, and anyone not involved who's complaining is very naÃŊve. The Eurovision has always been political: the organizers have always denied it (and conducted a disgusting campaign against Terry Wogan for daring to suggest otherwise), but it is.
UK and the others in the "Big 5" (France, Germany, Spain and Italy): Another thing I've given up complaining about is the poor performance of the UK entry. Obviously I'm biased, but I challenge anyone to seriously argue that Joe & Jake deserved to finish in the bottom half of the table, never mind 24th out of 26.
It's not just us however: the "Big 5" are the nations that actually pay for the contest, and they qualify automatically for the Final. And yet, three of them (Spain, UK and Germany) finished in the bottom 5. Coincidence?
Austria: More evidence, IMO, of how nonsensical the "contest" has become. I thought the Austrian entry was a rather pretty little song with another very strong performance. In any serious contest - and despite the slightly bizarre decision to perform in French - it would have had a real chance. Not tonight, however - it finished 13th...
(As an aside: although the general song quality was as poor as usual, I was pleasantly surprised by many of the performances. Many of the performers take it very seriously: it's just a shame they're not served by a better contest.)
The public vote: I don't really understand why anyone's surprised at how this went, as it was all predicted exactly beforehand. The simple fact is that ever since the Eurovision brought in public voting, it's favoured those countries who have large ex-pat populations. People who live in Poland, for example, cannot vote for the Polish entry. However Poles living abroad can vote for it in their adoptive countries. If anything, the new voting system encourages this even more - which is why the Polish entry did so well at the end.
I don't know if anyone saw the two Ukrainian judges but I hope no one served them a "thingy" shaped turnip.
Eugene's Lair posted:
UK and the others in the "Big 5" (France, Germany, Spain and Italy): Another thing I've given up complaining about is the poor performance of the UK entry. Obviously I'm biased, but I challenge anyone to seriously argue that Joe & Jake deserved to finish in the bottom half of the table, never mind 24th out of 26.
I couldn't agree more.
I've said this for years, no matter how good the UK entry is we'll never get the votes to win, we'll always finish near the bottom....mainly because it's all neighbourly voting, and politics comes into it as well...not to mention out and out corruption.
But also it has to do with the Europeans just not liking us I'm afraid...as you say, no one is going to tell me that our song this year was bottom 3 quality, so clearly theres something else going on here....and I must say, he voting twist was dreadful.
Videostar posted:Eugene's Lair posted:
UK and the others in the "Big 5" (France, Germany, Spain and Italy): Another thing I've given up complaining about is the poor performance of the UK entry. Obviously I'm biased, but I challenge anyone to seriously argue that Joe & Jake deserved to finish in the bottom half of the table, never mind 24th out of 26.
I couldn't agree more.
I've said this for years, no matter how good the UK entry is we'll never get the votes to win, we'll always finish near the bottom....mainly because it's all neighbourly voting, and politics comes into it as well...not to mention out and out corruption.
But also it has to do with the Europeans just not liking us I'm afraid...as you say, no one is going to tell me that our song this year was bottom 3 quality, so clearly theres something else going on here....and I must say, he voting twist was dreadful.
I spend a bit of time in L'Europe and this song contest becomes a running gag between m'German chums and I. All of Europe know that Germany and the U.K. don't take Eurovision seriously and this annoys them, particularly at the less fashionable East End of our continent. You know, and I know that our enthusiastic representatives are always non-league, and haven't even bothered the scorers in their own country. No-one buys this stuff.
it really is best to treat the competition as a bit of harmless fun.
Meanwhile the Europeans fight over tickets to see our real musicians.
Top posts by Eugene, Vids and GJ 
I wasn't aware that the Germans "get" Eurovision too 
Kaffs posted:I'm bored. I don't think I'll make it through the results.
I was playing with my new laptop (that's about to be parcelled up and returned to John Lewis, but that's a different story) so I baled out of the thread... apologies for my rudeness. I saw the final result though.. worroloadabollox - but then we expected that really, didn't we?
Kaffs posted:Kaffs posted:I'm bored. I don't think I'll make it through the results.
I was playing with my new laptop (that's about to be parcelled up and returned to John Lewis, but that's a different story) so I baled out of the thread... apologies for my rudeness. I saw the final result though.. worroloadabollox - but then we expected that really, didn't we?
Awww, missed you giving it a good slagging Kaffs. There was plenty of fodder too. 
Hope you get your refund sorted xx
Kaffs posted:Kaffs posted:I'm bored. I don't think I'll make it through the results.
I was playing with my new laptop (that's about to be parcelled up and returned to John Lewis, but that's a different story) so I baled out of the thread... apologies for my rudeness. I saw the final result though.. worroloadabollox - but then we expected that really, didn't we?
Is that a euphemism?
*slaps self and leaves thread with head hung low*
velvet donkey posted:The BBC need to ditch this now or stick it on BBC 3.
An annual Saturday TV cull. Atrocious.
Sadly will never happen. 
The whole insanity is now too entrenched.