A debate about the Spanish entry for this year’s Eurovision prompts one woman writer to challenge the benefits of re-appropriating the word “slut.”
Tag: eurovision
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Lavrov On A Mission In Africa
Timing is everything. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is in Africa this week, which follows straight on the heels of the agreement signed to end the blockade in the Black Sea that had been preventing much needed grain exports to the continent. Stay up-to-date with the latest on the Russia-Ukraine war, with our exclusive international […]
After reseizing Kharkiv, Ukrainian soldiers reach the border with Russia. Meanwhile, Moscow continues its assault on Donbas, and has renewed missile strikes of the port city of Odesa.
Since winning this year’s Eurovision contest, Italy’s rock band Måneskin has been taking its message of breaking down stereotypes around the world, while its native country’s politicians are stuck in last century’s prejudices.
Welcome to Monday, where Belarus agents hijack a Ryanair flight, a freak storm in China kills 21 marathoners and Bob Dylan gets sung in 11 languages for this 80th birthday. We also feature a Le Monde reportage from Siberia on Nikita Ouvarov, the Russian teenager busted for hanging anti-government posters, who was jailed without a […]
Welcome to Wednesday, where the fighting in Gaza intensifies despite international calls for ceasefire, COVID deaths hit a new record in India and a flooded Italian village resurfaces. Le Monde“s correspondent Louis Imbert reports from the West Bank where more and more young supporters of the ruling Fatah party are joining the clashes with Israeli […]
Congratulations to all those 2017 graduates out there. It couldn’t have been easy! Elsewhere, we have gathered some examples of the wackiest college courses from around the world. If you could go back to school, which one would you pick? [dailymotion //www.dailymotion.com/embed/video/x5oefjq expand=1] Take 5 – Wacky College Courses by Worldcrunch
SPOTLIGHT: CHINA’S SILENT ANNIVERSARY It was 50 years ago today that the Chinese Communist Party and its leader Mao Zedong released a circular that was bound to unleash a decade of violence that would kill more than 1.5 million people. It would come to be known as the Cultural Revolution, and the history books consider […]
BRUSSELS MANHUNT CONTINUES Belgian police are hunting two suspects believed to have participated in Tuesday’s Brussels terror attacks that killed at least 31 people and injured 270, Le Monde reports. One of them can be seen on airport security footage accompanying killers Ibrahim el-Bakraoui and Najim Laachraoui. Police believe he fled after dropping off a […]
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Eurovision 2015 Contestants: Slovenia
“What’s with the headphones?” you might ask, as the video almost seems to be a Beats by Dre commercial. Apparently, Marjetka and Raay — known as Maraaya — chose this accessory as their trademark because, you know, they’re cool with the younger generation. Though the headphones have nothing to do with the song , “Here […]
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Eurovision 2015 Contestants: Serbia
When it first participated in the Eurovision Song Contest as an independent country — and not part of Yugoslavia or with Montenegro as it used to — in 2007, Serbia actually won, for the first time. Fairly promising for the future. But since then, the country has unfortunately not managed to repeat the performance, finishing […]
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Eurovision Contestants 2015: Russia
Despite having a Facebook page against its participation in Eurovision, and also having been copiously booed during last year’s event, Russia still went on and decided to participate in this year’s edition. Our guess is the audience really didn’t like the song, we don’t see any other reason. But still, how impolite and mean, even […]
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Eurovision Contestants 2015: Romania
Romania chose none other than its biggest pop-rock band, Voltaj, to represent the country at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest. The group has been one of the most popular acts in Romania for the past 20 years and their fans all across Europe will undoubtedly vote for them on the big night. Well played, Romania. […]
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Eurovision Contestants 2015: Portugal
Portugal’s Eurovision history is a sad one. In 47 appearances since its debut in the contest in 1964 and only four absences (once for boycott, once for poor results, once for financial reasons and once because it just didn’t feel like it), the country has never won or even finished in the top 5. A […]
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Eurovision Contestants 2015: Montenegro
Nenad Knezevic Knez, a.k.a. Knez, is one of Montenegro’s most popular artists. He started his career in 1992 and has produced 10 successful albums. This year, the 47-year-old singer will represent his country at the Eurovision song contest with the song “Adio.” For those who don’t understand Montenegrin, this ballad is about a relationship that […]
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Eurovision Contestants 2015: Malta
Malta is one of the few Eurovision participants that have not missed a single contest since 1991. But despite such dedication, the country has always preferred finishing in the top 10 without winning — probably a way to make the most of the glory without the burden of organizing the party the following year. Classic. […]
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Eurovision Contestants 2015: Lithuania
Lithuania’s history in the Eurovision Song Contest is unfortunately pretty bad. Since its first run in 1994, the country has made 15 appearances, more or less interspersed by failed attempts to qualify, lack of funds and threats to boycott the show if Russia didn’t stop invading countries. This year, it will be represented by the […]
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Eurovision Contestants 2015: Latvia
Latvia ran in 15 editions of the Eurovision Song Contest since its first participation at the turn of the millennium. The former Soviet satellite failed only to qualify in 2004 with this song — we have no idea why it didn’t work, people probably forgot what real rock’n’roll was at the time. But Latvia also […]
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Eurovision Contestants 2015: Israel
Nadav Guedj, Israel’s entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2015, is only 16 years old. Although he looks like a 28-year-old financial strategy advisor, his age makes him one of the youngest contestants this year. And, as heard in our office, he might well get some older ladies in trouble. Especially when the “Middle Eastern […]
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Eurovision Contestants 2015: Iceland
In this year’s edition of the Eurovison Song Contest, Iceland will be represented by the 22-year-old singer and actress María Ólafsdóttir. In 2009, María played the role of Louisa von Trapp in an adaptation of “The Sound of Music”, one of her favorite plays. She will perform “Unbroken”, a song about — we think so […]
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Eurovision Contestants 2015: Greece
You’ve got to admire Greece and its strategic thinking: Choosing Maria Elena Kyriakou, a Cyprus-born singer, to represent the country is a very clever move indeed, and one that will without a doubt secure Athens a minimum of 12 points from the island. Ha, take that Angela Merkel! Of course, you could also be a […]
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Eurovison Contestants 2015: Germany
Germany has had a hard time choosing its artist for the Eurovision Song Contest this year. Ann Sophie will have the honor of representing her country, but she was not the singer elected by the audience during the final rounds of Unser Song für Österreich (Our Song for Austria), the German contest to chose who […]
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Eurovision Contestants 2015: Georgia
Nina Sublatti, Georgia’s entry for this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, wrote the song she will perform, “Warrior”, in just three hours in the middle of the night. This seems incredible when you know the lyrics are made up of such beautiful prose as “I’m a warrior/Isolated/World gonna listen to me/Violence/Set the free/Wings are gonna spread […]
Daniel Kajmakoski, the Macedonian singer who will represent his country at the Eurovision Song Contest this year, was actually named after Daniel Popovic, the charmer who ran for Yugoslavia in the 1983 edition of the contest. Daniel, who always kisses the picture of his mother he keeps in his pocket before going on stage, will […]
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Eurovision 2015 Contestants: Estonia
In 2001, Estonia became the first former Soviet country to win Eurovision. The annual song contest had become quite popular there after its first participation in 1994 and has always been since then. So much so that, in 2009, when Estonia said it would withdraw from the contest, set to be held in Moscow during […]
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Eurovision 2015 Contestants: Denmark
Denmark and Eurovision are like a Viking ship on stormy northern waters: It goes up, it goes down, it goes back up etc. After winning the contest for the first time in 1963 with this song and hosting it the following year, Denmark decided to withdraw from the contest in 1966, as the new head […]
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Eurovision 2015 Contestants: Czech Republic
The wind-swept hair, the over-dramatic singing and facial expressions, the incomprehensible video, the change of key towards the end of the song, the reflective staring into mirrors, lyrics such as “sea of pain”, “ravens calling my name” or “we can rise and fight” … You can’t really get more Eurovision than Marta Jandová and Václav […]
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Eurovision 2015 Contestants: Cyprus
Cyprus is making its return to the Eurovision this year, after being absent last year for financial crisis-related reasons (i.e. the fear of winning the contest and having to organize it the following year). This means Greece will benefit from 12 extra points this year thanks to their Cypriot neighbors. The small island has participated […]
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Eurovision 2015 Contestants: Belgium
Belgium’s most notable performances at the Eurovision were 13-year-old Sandra Kim’s victory at the 1986 edition, and Urban Trad’s second place in 2003, when they sang in an invented language with lyrics such as “Kenatu narilé, lakenatu narilé. Pasema niamo ture saro, delamaoré.” Beautiful. This year, 18-year-old Loïc Nottet singer will run for Belgium. He […]
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Eurovision 2015 Contestants: Belarus
The representatives of Belarus at this year’s Eurovision are Uzari and Maimuna, a duo made up of what seems to be an elf and a violinist trapped inside an hourglass. Uzari already ran for Belarus in 2012 and in 2013, but came respectively in 5th and 8th place. Third time lucky? Maimuna, also known as […]
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Eurovision 2015 Contestants: Azerbaijan
Since Azerbaijan first participated in Eurovision in 2008, the country has basically gone crazy for the contest. It has become the country’s most watched program on local broadcaster Azeri TV. So popular it doesn’t matter that the three-hour long show starts airing after midnight. After winning the contest in 2011 — with a record-low average […]
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Eurovision 2015 Contestants: Austria
After winning last year’s show with Conchita Wurst’s performance, Austria has the pleasure of organizing this year’s Eurovision. According to Oikotimes, a website on which “Eurovision becomes a passion,” it will cost Vienna a total of €35 million to host the event, for a revenue of €10 million for the host broadcaster ORF. So much […]
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Eurovision 2015 Contestants: Australia
When we first saw Australia would be competing in the 2015 edition of the European Song Contest, we simply thought the organizers misspelled “Austria”. But no, it turns out Aussies really enjoy the ESC. In fact, the public broadcaster SBS has been airing the show for more than 30 years. In 2014, 3 million dedicated […]
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Eurovision 2015 Contestants: Armenia
For the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest, Armenia will be represented by Genealogy, a supergroup of singers from five different continents and all from Armenian descent. Genealogy includes Ethopian Vahe Tilbian, American Tamar Kaprelian, Japanese Stephanie Topalian, French Essaï Altounian, Australian Mary-Jean O’Doherty Basmadjian and Armenian Inga Arshakyan. They will perform “Face the shadow,” a song […]
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Eurovision 2015 Contestants: Albania
The 60th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, that annual European musical event that no one really understands, will take place on May 23 in Vienna, Austria. This year, 40 countries will participate, including, for the first time that country down in the extreme southeastern corner of Europe: Australia. (organizers cite “strong cultural ties” to […]
The 2014 Eurovision Song Contest will take place Saturday in Copenhagen. Through the glitter and cheese, some may again ask why such a show even exists — apart from its official claim of uniting the European continent through music. And no, you don’t watch the Eurovision in the hope of discovering that singularly euroesque talent […]