Deutsche Welle, 18 May 2013
Glitzy and kitsch acts ranging from euro-pop, to a song inspired by the Greek debt crisis and a gay marriage anthem featuring a lesbian kiss are set to tussle it out for Saturday's Eurovision Song Contest crown.
Glitzy and kitsch acts ranging from euro-pop, to a song inspired by the Greek debt crisis and a gay marriage anthem featuring a lesbian kiss are set to tussle it out for Saturday's Eurovision Song Contest crown.
Twenty-six
countries are set to compete in Saturday's 58th Eurovision Song Contest in
Malmo, Sweden.
Bookmakers
are tipping Denmark's entry, 20-year-old Emmelie De Forest with her song
"Only Teardrops," to take out the competition comfortably. Other hot
contenders for the title include Norway, Ukraine, Russia and Azerbaijan.
"It's
just a catchy song, it's sort of true Eurovision," Jessica Bridge,
spokeswoman for bookmaker Ladbrokes, said of Denmark's entry. "It's
euro-pop, and I think it's just struck a cord with people really. I think
that's the one."
Lesbian
kiss controversy
Other final
highlights will no doubt include Eurovision's first on-stage lesbian kiss
featuring Finland's entry, Krista Siegfrid with "Marry Me." The
singer drew international media attention during Friday's dress rehearsal when
she reportedly kissed one of her female dancers on stage at the end of her act
(pictured above), vying to do the same on the final's night.
Helsinki's
former reality show contestant says she was using the stage to champion the
cause of gay marriage and hoped Finland would legalize marriage for homosexual
couples "as soon as possible," after the issue became the subject of
a citizens' initiative which garnered hundreds of thousands of signatures.
Public
broadcasters in socially conservative countries across eastern Europe
responded, saying they may be forced to cut the Nordic singer's act from their
broadcast should she go ahead with the lesbian kiss.
Greek and
Turkish newspapers reacted negatively to Siegfrid kissing one of her female
dancers, Swedish media reported.
Greece
competes despite crisis
Greece's
entry in the competition, Koza Mostra will perform "Alcohol is Free,"
a metaphor-laden piece describing the predicament the crisis-stricken country
is in. Athens initially said it would be unable to send an entry to this year's
competition, citing budget cuts.
Germanywill
be represented by the internationally renowned group, Cascada from Bonn. Having
sold millions of albums worldwide, the group was forced to defend itself after
allegations were made that their entry, "Glorious," plagiarized last
year's winner Loreen.
The
Eurovision Song Contest began in the 1950s with the premise of uniting Europe
after World War II.
More than
125 million people globally are expected to watch Saturday's final, which draws
a larger crowd than the Super Bowl in the United States.
The ESC has
kick-started careers for internationally renowned acts such as ABBA, Julio
Iglesias and Celine Dion.
During
Saturday's final, viewers across Europe will be able to vote for their favorite
act via telephone or SMS. Fans are unable to vote for their own country's
entry. Professional judges votes account for 50-percent of the performer's
final score.
Two
semi-finals were held this week, with 20 countries chosen to part-take in the
final. Britain, Italy, Spain, France and Germany are automatic entries in the
final as they contribute the most to Europe's broadcasting union. Host Sweden
also automatically qualifies.
The 26
countries competing in Saturday's final are Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium,
Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland,
Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Malta, Moldova, Norway, Romania, Russia, Spain,
Sweden, the Netherlands, the Ukraine and Britain.
jlw/slk (Reuters, AP, AFP, dpa)
Related Articles:
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Denmark wins Eurovision 2013
The Netherlands: Anouk releases the official video of Birds
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