Eurovision Uberthread

[corkharps]

Another signal that the jury vote works, is seeing Iceland and Switzerland qualify, and Armenia and Turkey sent home. The last two were perennial qualifiers without the juries.

The weirdos are on last on Thursday night, and with the UK unable to vote for them, I reckon we've got Dustin II episode on the cards.

You are way too interested in this!!!!
I thought they were great, up there with bob the builder and ben 10 for keeping the kids occupied for 3 minutes.

[mypost]

Hungary still strong favourites imo. It appeals to the juries, the voters, has several key changes in tone that keeps viewers interested. I think Serbia will score well too. As usual, you can forget about UK and France. The German song is weak imo, and doesn't seem to know what it's about.

The leading contenders are always the countries that finished top 3 in the semi-finals, and it's those that usually win. I doubt Jedward are very popular with juries. They are Number 6 in the final.

[DeLorean]

The JedHeads were just awesome. Forget penalty shoot outs in Genoa and drop goals in Cardiff, it's nights like last night that Irish pride runs deepest.

[mypost]

Respectable placing in the end, 8th with a decent haul of points. Probably would have got more had we sent someone who could dance properly, or even sing instead of shout, but could be worse. We came 8th in the semi-final.

I can imagine the scene though in RTE, BBC, ORF, RUV, NDR, and lots of other cost-conscious Western tv network boardrooms upon finalising the arrangements for next year's haul to Baku. It's not going to be a laugh-a-minute job.

http://en.trend.az/news/society/1876259.html

Considering it was 4am local time when the show had finished, that's a decent turnout to celebrate. Would be nice to see people celebrating on O'Connell Street, Patrick Street, or Eyre Square if we won it again. But we'd probably be moaning about the cost of holding it instead, as ever.

But as Gene Kerrigan writes in his paper today, the nation is happy not to win it, as we can't foresee the benefits of hosting it, and only see the bill involved. Instead, we can get back to debating the national obsession whether to pay off anonymous senior bondholders, junior bondholders, guaranteed bondholders, unguaranteed bondholders, those covered by the bank guarantee, those not covered by the bank guarantee, or whether or not to just destroy the bondholders altogether. Unlike with hosting Eurovision, that's a bill we have no flexibility or feel-good factor with.

[OwlsFan]

Marty Whelan, like last year with Niamh Kavanagh, talked up our chances. He claimed everyone was talking about Jedward and he said the same last year until we got about 20 votes. He was very silent as the first 3 countries to vote gave us null poins.

Most annoying thing about the Eurovision: the people giving the votes from the individual countries who talk ad nauseum about what a great show it was etc etc. Just give us the votes please. We have 40 others to get through. The Polish one really went over the top and hung around for at least a minute before she's tell us who got the 12 and it was someone irrelevant like Lithuania. I love watching the voting though. Most obvious mutual 12 points: Greece/Cyprus. I think Denmark/Iceland are also nailed on mutual 12 pointers. The former republics of Yugoslavia always vote for each other despite killing each other a short time ago. Spain/Portugal are mutual 12 pointers as well. Most neutral is us I think although the UK will always get a few votes.

[Lionel Ritchie]

....But as Gene Kerrigan writes in his paper today, the nation is happy not to win it, as we can't foresee the benefits of hosting it, and only see the bill involved. ......Unlike with hosting Eurovision, that's a bill we have no flexibility or feel-good factor with.

Perhaps you'd best spell out the benefits of hosting it that we can't foresee but that visionaries like yourself and Gene Kerrigan can. We've been through all this before earlier in the thread -there is NO tourism or other dividend -if there was we'd have seen a quantifiable spike in the mid-to-late 90's. The host regions hotels gets to milk it for the weeks running up to it -that is all -that and the "feel good factor". Now if you want to flush millions of your own bucks to watch howling drunks dance 'round an Eyre Square fountain at 4am ...go for it.

Incidently -fair play to those lads Jedward. First time in three decades I actually wanted "us" to do well. They make people smile and laugh-and that's good enough for me right now. Their silly little song was probably the best on show as well. In fact, send them again next year. "We" (the grand we again) give effective contracts of indefinite duration to lots of other people in and around this malarky (marty Whelan for example) -why not the lads?

[mypost]

Marty Whelan, like last year with Niamh Kavanagh, talked up our chances. He claimed everyone was talking about Jedward and he said the same last year until we got about 20 votes. He was very silent as the first 3 countries to vote gave us null poins.

He does it every year. Everyone did talk about Jedward, and laugh at them too.

Most annoying thing about the Eurovision: the people giving the votes from the individual countries who talk about what a great show it was etc etc. Just give us the votes please. We have 40 others to get through. The Polish one really went over the top and hung around for at least a minute before she's tell us who got the 12 and it was someone irrelevant like Lithuania. I love watching the voting though. Most obvious mutual 12 points: Greece/Cyprus. I think Denmark/Iceland are also nailed on mutual 12 pointers. The former republics of Yugoslavia always vote for each other despite killing each other a short time ago. Spain/Portugal are mutual 12 pointers as well. Most neutral is us I think although the UK will always get a few votes.

The final lasts 3,5 hours. I think I can wait a few seconds while the spokespersons show their appreciation for the great job the Host Broadcaster puts on. It's a very slick operation now though, the days when presenters couldn't see their own scoreboard, and international phone lines went down in the middle of the voting are long gone.

We can't complain about the bloc-voting, as we do it ourselves with the Brits. The likes of Holland/Belgium/Switzerland/Malta are always "scattergun" votes though.

You need more than bloc votes to win though, now with the juries back, so the result can't be questioned, as the winning song deserves to win.

there is NO tourism or other dividend. The host regions hotels gets to milk it for the weeks running up to it.

And what industry are they in???

43 national delegations spending 2 weeks here, = hotels make a windfall (especially these days). 10-20,000 show spectators flying in to watch up to 3 contests from all around Europe. More megabucks for (rip-off) hotels/hostels.

They all have to be fed and watered for the time they're here, so hundreds of thousands of income for local shops/bars/cafes/restaurants, who can charge any price. Performers off-stage to sing in various places around the area, extra cash for clubs/theatres.

When away from the singing, there's the need for entertainment shows for tourists and delegations. More money for theatres/venues/sports stadiums. Exhibitions on the ground and sightseeing tours on land/boats/rivers = windfall time for those companies. Then they go home after the contest, and tell their friends/families their impressions, leading in turn to more visitors later on. There's your tourism dividend, and it all adds up to hundreds of millions of Euro just from the contest time alone. It takes a brave businessman to stick his fingers up to that amount of sales and revenue, and tell everyone to shove it.

Now if you want to flush millions of your own bucks to watch howling drunks dance 'round a fountain at 4am ...go for it.

All very well until you find out that Azerbaijan is a Muslim country and so people don't drink. Nothing needs to be "flushed" away. I'm sure they will put on a fine show and reap the rewards in time.

[Lionel Ritchie]

Then they go home after the contest, and tell their friends/families their impressions, leading in turn to more visitors later on. There's your tourism dividend, and it all adds up to hundreds of millions of Euro just from the contest time alone. It takes a brave businessman to stick his fingers up to that amount of sales and revenue, and tell everyone to shove it.

Then I can only conclude they thought ireland consistently sucked as there is nothing, not a scrap of data out there to indicate three (or was it four) wins in the nineties did a jot for subsequent visitor numbers here. What you describe as tourism is nothing of the sort -it's essentially business travel with some expensive frills thrown in and those who participate are as likely to go home and, with a strong degree of truth to it, tell their friends they were financially ass-raped at every coffee shop, deli, pub and restaurant.

[mypost]

What you describe as tourism is nothing of the sort -it's essentially business travel with some expensive frills thrown in and those who participate are as likely to go home and, with a strong degree of truth to it, tell their friends they were financially ass at every coffee shop, deli, pub and restaurant.

aka tourism and tourist revenue. They're off to a concert, not to attend a NATO meeting. People in general, come here to sample the entertainment and the experience we offer. Nobody comes here for the prices or the sunshine. They know what they're getting on that score.

The three wins were 15-20 years ago. Much has changed and developed here since. There's a tourist market available and exchequer revenue from that to be made, should the Contest come around here again.

[Partizan]

Its Eurovision 2012 time again...

Alright folks, whats the verdict/forecast/bets?

[culloty82]

Fair to say Sweden are unbackable favourites, will be a laugh to see Engelbert Humperdinck resurrected from oblivion.

[mypost]

There are some other good shouts. Greece, Cyprus, Ukraine are strong, while France and Italy have the potential to score well.

[horton]

Anyone watch it? How'd Jedward fair?

[Hibs4Ever]

Listened to all the main songs on You Tube last night, I think the bookies have got it right and expect Sweden to win (at 7/4). Russia will get a lot of voted from their side of Europe though so could be close

[Spudulika]

Stayed up to watch. Was slightly surprised with the russkis, were good, lighthearted and the crowd liked them. Jedward were blessed to get in, sounded poor, lots of energy and were gifted a "golden ticket", Iceland offered a good song, deserved to go through. The rest were purely regional based, the biggest shock was Albania - horrible song, horrible performance and fugly singer, but the pity vote worked. There was a skit last year on russian tv the night of the final, about how Albania are getting 12 and 10 points, heading for glory. Then a call from Tirana comes in, telling them they don't have the money to host it and the farce kicks in. It ends with the writer/handler hanging himself. Tomorrow will be interesting. Don't see the lads from Lucan doing much in the final. Russia looking good.

[nigel-harps1954]

Marty Whelan. That is all.

[Partizan]

I have placed a 5 way accumulater with PP.

1. Russia (to win)
2. Sweden (1/3) - place
3. Serbia (1/3) - place
4. Italy (1/4) - place
5. Romania (1/5) - place

Total stake €40
Potential returns €6,531.

[Hibs4Ever]

I still think Sweden will win. Took them at 7/4 a few days back, in to evens now. Estonia an e/w bet @ 40/1

[Spudulika]

Sweden lack the geography, plus the song has been overkilled. Russia should be top 3, Jedward (god help us) should make the top 5. Serbia's singer is quite the star (remember he top scored from Croatia a few years back and his song was played all summer long) and should do well. Ukraine have the Euro's factor - it's just a 3minute promo for the football. In a proper world a song like Iceland with it's Nightwish overtones should do okay, but they'll do well to make the top-10. I think the winner comes from the 1st semi, with televoting it's going to skew the system again (worse than with sole jury votes). Can't wait for a 2 hours of voting, the only reason to watch it.

[Hibs4Ever]

Jedward (god help us) should make the top 5.

Not so sure, only came 8th in their qualifier