EUROVISION 2009

[Viking]

More Wogan

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/may/06/eurovision-terry-wogan-rubbish

Eurovision is 'rubbish', Terry Wogan tells European broadcasters

Terry Wogan blames Britain's military history for lack of success in Eurovision Song Contest as he steps down after 38 years
Comments (...)

    * Leigh Holmwood in Lucerne
    * guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 6 May 2009 13.34 BST



Terry Wogan today told a gathering of European broadcasters to stop taking the Eurovision Song Contest so seriously as "everybody knows it is rubbish".

Wogan, who last year announced he was standing down as the UK commentator after tiring of its bloc voting, told the European Broadcasting Union's Eurovision TV summit in Lucerne that the event should be viewed as simply a fun contest and countries should stop playing politics with it.

When asked if there was a gulf between the UK and Europe, Wogan replied: "There has always been that there. There has always been that general feeling of distrust of Johnny Foreigner, but of course it is mutual. Britain has attacked nearly every country in Europe and people don't forget."

The Radio 2 breakfast show host, who has been involved with the event for 38 years, was a surprise choice to speak at the summit among some delegates, who point the finger at him for trivialising what many see as an important cultural event.

While Wogan told the 730 delegates from 48 public service broadcasters in 46 countries that he loved the contest, he said it had to go back to basics to survive.

"Eurovision is an exciting, camp, foolish spectacle. You can't top it. It is fun, light entertainment. It is the biggest of its kind anywhere in the world. It is not about politics or asserting your place in the community, not even about national pride. It is not an opportunity to show your neighbours how much you love them. It is about picking the best popular song in Europe."

He described the annual jamboree as a "triumph of appalling taste". "Everybody knows it's rubbish," he said. "Everybody in the UK knows it's rubbish. I think I have brought the British public along with me and we now share an interest in it.

"Many of you may have heard my comments [commentating on it] and don't think I take it seriously enough and you are right, I don't. But I am a friend of this contest, possibly its oldest friend. How do friends behave to each other? They tell each other the truth. They don't indulge in idle flattery."

When asked about his accusations of bloc voting, Wogan – who is currently on a two-week break from his radio show – told delegates that he hadn't come to Lucerne to "start an argument" but said it was "transparently obvious" that politics played a part.

"I can only speak for the UK, but as the Eurovision Song Contest has grown bigger and bigger, the opinion in Britain – and this may well be true in France, Germany and Spain as well – is that there is a certain disenfranchisement," he said.

"The UK has always had the edict of fair play. It doesn't matter where the song is from. But people don't feel that is being reciprocated in certain areas and I think the voting is an indication of that."

He said he believed that Andrew Lloyd Webber, who worked with the UK's entry Jade this year, was "extremely brave" to get involved. "He is risking his reputation to see if he can do better," he said.

Wogan – who told delegates he was "slightly nervous" about addressing the conference and hoped that "nobody has brought anything to throw" – said he had decided to step down from the contest because it is "always better to make your own way to the exit than be led there".

He will be replaced by Graham Norton at this year's event in Moscow on Saturday 16 May.

There will also be other changes – the rules have been modified in a bid to cut down on political bloc voting, with telephone voting now making up only half of a country's votes with the rest coming from a reinstated panel. "We have listened," Eurovision TV director, Bjorn Erichsen, told Wogan.

However, Erichsen – who presented Wogan with a Swiss cuckoo clock – took the presenter to task over some of his previous comments about Eurovision and showed him a variety of negative British newspaper headlines.

He also asked Wogan about his description of the Danish hosts of the 2001 show, who he said looked like "Doctor Death and the Tooth Fairy" – comments that caused outrage in the country. "You showed us the friendly side [today], but you can also be harsh," Erichsen said.

But Wogan contended: "What commentator wouldn't see the funny side of that? If you are going to come out and do rhyming couplets in English, you have to expect what you get because it is a bad idea.

"Now whenever I pass Bjorn or pass through Copenhagen airport, I have to wear a paper bag over my head. Countries can be very sensitive as to how they are perceived."

Erichsen has previously criticised Wogan for not showing the contest enough respect, saying before last year's show: "Terry Wogan is a problem because he makes it look ridiculous. I know he is very popular and maybe that is the reason why a lot of people watch."

At the summit, Erichsen said it often seemed that the BBC also had a half-hearted interest in the event. "Sometimes it looks to us that they have a little bit of double standards," he said. "The Eurovision Song Contest gives the BBC a big audience, but sometimes..." and he trailed off making an arm's length gesture.

[Alatriste]

While it can hardly be denied that neighbour voting is real, the fact is,

- That's nothing new

- One of the best songs always wins

- Eastern countries can hardly be expected to have won when they didn't take part...

- That doesn't explain British abysmal record; not even neighbours vote for GB (by the way, when GB was represented by Katrina and the Waves in 1997 they won... quality matters more than military history, I would say)

- If military history and politics mattered, Serbia would hardly have won in 2007...

- Neighbour voting isn't enough to explain recent winners In short, conspiracy theories about Eurovision are many. trouble is, they change each year. One year is the 'Scandinavian block', next one 'foreign inmigrants' (Turkey), still another 'Eastern horse trading', another one ethnic Russians in ex-Soviet countries...

[Brazen]

popbitch's take on Eurovision:

Eurovision is almost upon us again. We've
    detailed everything you need to know on
    popbitch.com, but here's your crib sheet
    for Saturday. And we're offering a free
    25 quid bet through betfair (if you don't
    win they repay you) so it's a great time
    to put your money where your music skills are:

    1. This is not Andrew Lloyd-Webber's first
    Eurovision attempt. 42 years ago he and
    erstwhile collaborator Tim Rice put forward
    Try It And See to represent the UK in 1967.
    We decided to go with ,,Puppet On A String‰
    instead. It won.

    2. Denmark's Ronan Keating sound-a-like is
    singing a track written by... Ronan Keating.

    3. The unluckiest place to be drawn in the
    final is seven. This year it's heavily fancied
    Iceland. The luckiest is 16. One of tonight's
    finalists will get this.

    4. Norway and Greece are the two front-
    runners and worth watching. Greece's
    stageshow brings Mykonos' top nightclubs
    right into your living room. And he
    used to be a pole-vaulter.

    5. If you don't fancy the low odds of the
    two favourites our top tips are Bosnia and
    Turkey. Ukraine are definitely a threat:
    the song is painful but the semi-nude
    gay dancers in huge Clockwork Orange style
    metal wheels set is fabulous. Romania are
    worthy a cheeky punt as top four or top ten.

    6. France is unlikely to win but make sure
    you watch Patricia Kaas as she's just fantastic.

    7. If horror acts are more your style,
    you want Finland, Portugal and Holland,
    if they make it though the semis.
    You know how Children In Need do those
    awful newsreaders-become-popstars skits
    every year?  It looks like The Netherlands
    have taken it one step further and entered
    theirs for Eurovision.

    8. The stereotype of the cheesy Eurovision
    Song is totally wrong. Winning songs are
    statistically more likely to be minor key,
    have no key change and written by the performer.

[Martinus]

I'm having a bunch of queens coming over for the Eurovision night, with some nice food, wine tasting (averaging 1 and a half bottle per person ) and kitschy camp goodness on my wide screen TV. It's the homo UEFA championship (or, for Yanks, the homo superbowl) night.

[The Brain]

How do friends behave to each other? They tell each other the truth. They don't indulge in idle flattery

Mart, your plans make me sick.

[Josquius]

I'm having a bunch of queens coming over for the Eurovision night, with some nice food, wine tasting (averaging 1 and a half bottle per person ) and kitschy camp goodness on my wide screen TV. It's the homo UEFA championship (or, for Yanks, the homo superbowl) night.

Good way of putting it.
I'm avoiding it this year due to non-eurovision related plans, yey.

[Liep]

What the hell is that Sweden? I suppose she does better when there's no cameras to shoot close ups.  France clearly takes the lead.

[The Brain]

What the hell is that Sweden?

Middle age.

[Martinus]

What the hell is that Sweden? I suppose she does better when there's no cameras to shoot close ups.  France clearly takes the lead.

I liked it actually. I like popera.

So far my favourites are Swedes, Armenia and Greece (for the hot guy). I'm also drunk.

[Delirium]

I liked Norway. I also liked the girl who sang for Azerbazjan (how the hell you spell that). I'm not drunk.

[Liep]

Norway was quite good, and I actually also liked Portugal's song.

[Liep]

Is it only me that thinks the hostess looks kinda like a dark Scarlett Johansson?

[Delirium]

Our commentators hate the hosts. Really entertaining.

[Liep]

The "poolshow" was refreshingly original, actually kudos to Russia for the entire show. (Perhaps except the hosts. )

[Liep]

No points from Sweden to Denmark.