# My Very First EuroVision Song Contest...come make your predictions! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 13, 2003, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-very-first-eurovision-song-contest-come-make-your-predictions/174940 "2003-05-13T13:18:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 15
**Author:** ![Floater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dc4da7/32.png) [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2003, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-very-first-eurovision-song-contest-come-make-your-predictions/174940/281 "2003-05-26T15:34:16Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Anahita \* > Some of us have to DRINK **and** watch Eurovision to enjoy ourselves. Like I did. However there was no sound on (or I just didn’t listen) so I didn’t hear anything. ---
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2003, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-very-first-eurovision-song-contest-come-make-your-predictions/174940/282 "2003-05-26T21:53:56Z")
Watching Questions & Answers tonight on RTÉ and one of the questions was, “Should Tony Blair worry about the Eurovision result”. Surprisingly most of the panel (which included Irish pols Richard Bruton and Willie O’Dea, plus a few lesser knowns) _did_ think the UK result was political. Only one of them pointed out the fact that the song was, in fact, dreadful. Then a couple members of the audience started talking about Terry Wogan’s comments and suddenly it occurred to the host that they’re talking about a broadcast on a competing network - subject changed very quickly indeed after that 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Infectious\_Lass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e56c9b/32.png) [@Infectious\_Lass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infectious_Lass)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2003, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-very-first-eurovision-song-contest-come-make-your-predictions/174940/283 "2003-05-26T23:53:16Z")
That Sun article amanset linked to claims that Joe Dolce of ‘Shaddupya Face’ fame was Italian! Uh no…Dolce is Australian! Who’s checking the facts at that paper? Doh! And Jemini scored the holy grail of suckitude, nul poit because the girl singer sang hideously out of tune. It was so amatuer it was embarrassing. The song itself, in its studio version isn’t that bad. But performance counts on the night. They weren’t the only ones out of tune, but they were the worst by a long way. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2003, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-very-first-eurovision-song-contest-come-make-your-predictions/174940/284 "2003-05-27T01:11:19Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Einmon \* > \*\*They said something about the first contest being a “qualification round” for the actual contest. Sort of like the national rounds, I guess. \*\* The daft American asks: Qualification round? But…isn’t this thing supposed to be mainly for fun? Why impose strict standards? And having a qualification round seems to be like admitting that not everyone in the competition is all that. Who’d sit through a **second** round, if they’ve already seen what the competitors don’t got? ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2003, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-very-first-eurovision-song-contest-come-make-your-predictions/174940/285 "2003-05-27T05:41:59Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Rilchiam \* > \*\* > Qualification round? But…isn’t this thing supposed to be mainly for fun? Why impose strict standards? > \*\* Unfortunately not everyone sees it that way. That is definitely my issue with it in Sweden, you will not believe how seriously they take it. The UK with our “emjoying it and having a laugh” attitude has still got a better record than Sweden though 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![flodnak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/838e76/32.png) [@flodnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flodnak)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2003, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-very-first-eurovision-song-contest-come-make-your-predictions/174940/286 "2003-05-27T07:08:04Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by amanset \* > **Unfortunately not everyone sees it that way. That is definitely my issue with it in Sweden, you will not believe how seriously they take it.** _Aftenposten_ (which is a Norwegian paper) had an article yesterday about an article in _Aftonbladet_ (which is a Swedish paper) concerning the Norwegian presenter’s characterization of the Swedish duo; I believe he said they had “less charisma than an IKEA bookcase”. I’m not sure which is more bizarre, the fact that _Aftonbladet_ was offended by what is after all a relatively mild put-down, or that _Aftenposten_ found this significantly important to write about.:rolleyes: Cheers to the (London) _Times_ who had enough of a sense of humor about the UK’s dismal result to call up the original “nul points expert” for an interview. But if Mr. Teigen attempts another comeback as a result of the attention, it’ll be on their heads! ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2003, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-very-first-eurovision-song-contest-come-make-your-predictions/174940/287 "2003-05-27T11:30:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by flodnak \* > \*\*_Aftenposten_ (which is a Norwegian paper) had an article yesterday about an article in _Aftonbladet_ (which is a Swedish paper) concerning the Norwegian presenter’s characterization of the Swedish duo; I believe he said they had “less charisma than an IKEA bookcase”. I’m not sure which is more bizarre, the fact that _Aftonbladet_ was offended by what is after all a relatively mild put-down, or that _Aftenposten_ found this significantly important to write about.:rolleyes: > \*\* Interesting, especially considering that last week Aftonbladet had centre-page spread with headline “Stop the bullying!” (in Swedish, obviously). Apparently some Swedes had been ripping into the pair for being boring, so the Swedish lass was trying to counter this by saying that she was not boring and could go out and party all night if she wanted to. Aren’t tabloids great? ---
**Author:** ![kabbes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e99b99/32.png) [@kabbes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kabbes)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2003, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-very-first-eurovision-song-contest-come-make-your-predictions/174940/288 "2003-05-27T12:33:31Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Anahita \* > \*\*The First Annual EuroVisionDope! \*\* Actually **Annie** , we had a LonDope on Eurovision day _last_ year. This would be less of a big deal to mention, but I do believe that you were there. Of course, we didn’t watch the Euro foolishness, because **Ianzin’s** nail-up-the-nose antics were more entertaining. pan ---
**Author:** ![TwistofFate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@TwistofFate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwistofFate)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2003, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-very-first-eurovision-song-contest-come-make-your-predictions/174940/289 "2003-05-27T12:36:18Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Infectious Lass \* > \*\*That Sun …\…Who’s checking the facts at that paper? Doh! > \*\* BWAHAHAHAHAH!!! ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2003, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-very-first-eurovision-song-contest-come-make-your-predictions/174940/290 "2003-05-27T12:51:12Z")
Jemini are now alleging sabotage. I can’t think of a ghastly pun to go with that, so I’ll leave it to stand on its own merits. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2003, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-very-first-eurovision-song-contest-come-make-your-predictions/174940/291 "2003-05-27T12:53:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jjimm \* > \*\*Jemini are now alleging sabotage. > > I can’t think of a ghastly pun to go with that, so I’ll leave it to stand on its own merits. \*\* Don’t knock it, they’ve already managed to convince my Mother, who seems oblivious to the fact that the song was immeasurably bad. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2003, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-very-first-eurovision-song-contest-come-make-your-predictions/174940/292 "2003-05-27T13:13:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jjimm \* > \*\*Jemini are now alleging sabotage. > > \*\* [Link](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/2937700.stm) > [@](#): > > Singer Gemma Abbey, 20, insisted it was not her fault that she had sung off-key. > > "What happened on the first bit was I couldn’t hear what I was singing so I was just taking a guess. > > “I just had to get on with it.” > > Chris Cromby, 21, the other half of the Liverpudlian act, even suggested the equipment may have been tampered with. > > "The monitors were off. Maybe it was sabotage, but we couldn’t hear anything. > > “We used the floor monitors, the others used their own,” he said. Oh, and **curly chick** : > [@](#): > > Did the theives make off with her skirt as part of their booty? I can’t find the article now, but she was tripping out for a little while because she thought the [ahem] garment had been stolen. Turns out someone on their crew had taken it away for “safekeeping”. (Anticipated this, maybe?) ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Doris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5ac83/32.png) [@Sir\_Doris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Doris)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2003, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-very-first-eurovision-song-contest-come-make-your-predictions/174940/293 "2003-05-27T13:21:03Z")
From the BBC website: Before Eurovision: > [@](#): > > “There are some really good songs in there. I don’t think Tatu are our biggest threat on the night in terms of live performance,” female half of the Liverpudlian duo Gemma told BBC News Online. How prescient. After Eurovision: > [@](#): > > “We don’t think it was fair we came last because we gave the performance of our lifetime,” he said … Cromby added the result was “laughable”, and said “It was one of the best performances we have ever done. Hopefully Britain will realise that.” Substitute **“performance”** for **“result”** , and he’s nearer the mark ---
**Author:** ![everton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecb155/32.png) [@everton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/everton)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2003, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-very-first-eurovision-song-contest-come-make-your-predictions/174940/294 "2003-05-27T13:30:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Rilchiam \* > Qualification round? But…isn’t this thing supposed to be mainly for fun? Why impose strict standards? The problem is that there are too many countries who want to compete. A few years ago they introduced a rule to eliminate the worst entries from competing in the next year’s competition, and I suspect that too many such countries are knocking on the door for at least a chance to try again straight away. Two competitions a year would kill me though – it’s hard enough avoiding one ;). As well as the controversy over Israel, Morocco have also entered in the past and Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon, Libya and Syria are all eligible along with numerous European countries who weren’t included this year. So’s the Vatican btw – singing nun anyone? > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Infectious Lass \* > And Jemini scored the holy grail of suckitude, nul poit because the girl singer sang hideously out of tune. It was so amatuer it was embarrassing. The song itself, in its studio version isn’t that bad. But performance counts on the night. They weren’t the only ones out of tune, but they were the worst by a long way. I’ve probably disqualified myself from contributing to this thread at all because I didn’t watch the show, but having heard them singing it on the radio the song itself didn’t seem too terrible (except in the way the all are), and they evidently could sing it in tune. But I’ve also heard the competition rendition since, and it was dreadful. The politics might have made the difference between them getting no points and getting three or four, but they were always likely to finish near the bottom of the pile for anyone not voting for Gemma’s legs. > [@](#): > > _Originally posted by jjimm_ > Jemini are now alleging sabotage. Did they actually claim that themselves in so many words or was it an answer to a leading question? It seems a bit far-fetched that somebody would switch the monitors off deliberately, but perhaps there’s some truth in it if the stories of their dressing room being trashed are also true. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2003, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-very-first-eurovision-song-contest-come-make-your-predictions/174940/295 "2003-05-27T14:21:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by everton \* > \*\*Did they actually claim that themselves in so many words or was it an answer to a leading question? It seems a bit far-fetched that somebody would switch the monitors off deliberately, but perhaps there’s some truth in it if the stories of their dressing room being trashed are also true. \*\* Check my post above. ---
**Author:** ![Infectious\_Lass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e56c9b/32.png) [@Infectious\_Lass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infectious_Lass)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2003, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-very-first-eurovision-song-contest-come-make-your-predictions/174940/296 "2003-05-27T17:26:50Z")
Yeah, **Twistoffate** I know, ‘The Sun’ and ‘facts’ in the same sentence…what was I thinking? :o ---
**Author:** ![Petter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/dbc845/32.png) [@Petter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Petter)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2003, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-very-first-eurovision-song-contest-come-make-your-predictions/174940/297 "2003-05-27T23:39:42Z")
**amanset** , don’t you have qualifying rounds in the national GP? I understand we’re going to do the same thing here. Two national competitions and two international competitions equals four times the fun. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2003, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-very-first-eurovision-song-contest-come-make-your-predictions/174940/298 "2003-05-28T04:14:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Petter \* > \*\ ***amanset** , don’t you have qualifying rounds in the national GP? > \*\* Not that I know of - at least not televised (please a Brit correct me if I am wrong). When I lived in the UK it was only ever one final where you got to choose from eight to ten songs - the population had no control over what songs got to the final. I am not joking, they had three or four efforts of two hours or so to choose who would go through to the national final and then a massive thing to choose their winner. It seemed to go on for ever. They take it VERY seriously here. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-very-first-eurovision-song-contest-come-make-your-predictions/174940.md?page=14)