Eurovision 2017 tonight. 8pm on BBC1.
I love it. Not quite the same since Terry Wogan stopped doing his witty commentaries - but still perversely kind of watchable! Even though you know the voting is crazily politically rigged from the word go - but that in a way kind of adds to the character of the show (for me anyway). Definitely not to be taken too seriously (from a musical point of view, that is... )
This year is going to be even more controversial than previous years .....
The Telegraph reports:
I love it. Not quite the same since Terry Wogan stopped doing his witty commentaries - but still perversely kind of watchable! Even though you know the voting is crazily politically rigged from the word go - but that in a way kind of adds to the character of the show (for me anyway). Definitely not to be taken too seriously (from a musical point of view, that is... )
This year is going to be even more controversial than previous years .....
The Telegraph reports:
Preparations are already underway for this year's Eurovision Song Contest – always the glitter-studded highlight of the musical calendar. But due to tensions between this year's host country and Russia, it looks like it could be the most controversial year for Eurovision yet.
In time-honoured Eurovision tradition, last year's winner Ukraine will host the contest, which will take place in its capital city Kiev. But that tradition means that last year's controversial result has continued to cause tension.
Last year, Ukraine's entrant was Crimean singer Jamala, who won with a politically charged song called 1944 that harked back to Stalin's treatment of her Tartar ancestors. The song was widely seen as a criticism of Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea – which most UN countries still consider part of Ukraine.
Is Russia happy about it?
No, but this isn't the first time Russia has been given a tough time at Eurovision. In 2014's semi-finals, shortly after the annexation of Crimea (and amid a global outcry over Russia's treatment of homosexuals), Russian duo The Tolmachevy Sisters were booed by the crowd as they took to the stage.
In 2009, Georgia tried unsuccessfully to enter a song punningly titled We Don't Wanna Put In, attacking Russian leader Vladimir Putin for his role in the 2008 war between the two countries.
Due to enduring tensions between Russia and Ukraine, this year's contest looks set to be the most controversial yet.
The contestant Russia selected for this year is 28-year-old singer Yuliya Samoylova, who uses a wheelchair. In March, Ukrainian government adviser Anton Gerashchenko had said Samoylova would be permitted to take part, so long as she "doesn't publicly announce her support for the annexation of Crimea and aggression against Ukraine".
But in a move that angered Russia, the Ukrainian Security Service has now banned the singer from entering Ukraine for the next three years, on the grounds that she had previously entered the country "illegally" – presumably a reference to a concert Samoylova gave in Crimea in 2015.
So, will Russia be competing?
No. The European Broadcasting Union, which organises the contest, had tried to settle the dispute, suggesting that either Russia should pick a different contestant, or Ukraine should allow Samoylova to broadcast her song via video-link from Russia, thus allowing her compete without breaking the travel ban.
But Russian state broadcaster Channel One has brushed off the proposals, announcing that the country will not be taking part – or even broadcasting the competition – forcing Russian viewers to miss out on the musical highlight of the TV calendar.
Frank Dieter Freiling, chairman of the contest's steering committee, said: "We strongly condemn the Ukrainian authorities' decision to impose a travel ban on Julia Samoylova as we believe it thoroughly undermines the integrity and non-political nature of the Eurovision Song Contest and its mission to bring all nations together in friendly competition."
Is everything else running smoothly?
No. The contest was hit by a major upset in February, when 21 top level staff quit the event's organising team, after a feud with newly appointed event chief Pavlo Hrytsak. In their resignation letter, they claimed that "the work of our team was completely blocked" by Hrystak, and that crucial work had "stopped for almost two months" following his appointment last year.
There have also been accusations of "blasphemy" from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Moscow Patriarchy, over the use of a 17th century religious landmark – the Saint Sophia complex – as the venue for the opening ceremony.