Category Archives: 2011
All the latest…
Well, we finally have an answer! After months of speculation from fans and press alike, it seems that the 2011 Eurovision Song Contest will be held at the Esprit Arena in lovely Düsseldorf! This will be the first German-hosted ESC since reunification of the former East and West, and the third overall (after Frankfurt in 1957 and Munich in 1983). The arena will be able to hold about 24,000 spectators, which seems a bit strange, considering that there are only about 23,000 hotel beds in the city. However, it seems that riverboats on the Rhine will be employed as floating hotels during ESC Week, and the city is a major air and rail hub for the area. Knowing that Düsseldorf is a moderately quick train ride from Amsterdam, Cologne, and other cities in the region, I’m seriously pondering making my first official Eurovision pilgrimage! (Readers from Germany…what do you think of the news?)
In other news, Cyprus has kicked off their ESC pre-game. It had been decided that the winner of the “Idol”-like show “Performance” would represent the island nation in 2011 (although the song will be selected at a later time). After all of the votes had been cast, the winner was announced as Christos Mylordos, a virtual unknown. Here’s his winning cover of Robbie Williams’ “Supreme”:
Frankly, after Cyprus’s success with John Lilygreen and the Islanders this year, I’m somewhat disappointed in Christos. Granted, he’s got until May to improve his stage presence, and he might be better served singing in his native Greek, so all is not lost!
Next topic: Austria is officially back in the game! We haven’t seen participation from ORF since the 2007 Contest, where Eric Papilaya’s HIV-awareness-anthem “Get A Life/Get Alive” came in a painfully undervalued second-to-last place. When they officially select their song, I’ll do a full report on their history.
And, continuing on the theme of nations entering or withdrawing, we had a close call for next year. The 2011 Eurovision Song Contest’s dated have officially been set for May 10, 12, and 14. However, there is a major Israeli holiday (Memorial Day) on May 9th and 10th, and performers would not be allowed to rehearse or perform on those days. So, in a special exception, the EBU has decided to allow Israel to have a reserved spot in the Second Semifinal (May 12) in order to avoid any scheduling conflicts that would result in their withdrawal.
All in all, it seems that things are progressing nicely for 2011; Albania, Switzerland, and Romania will decide their entries by the end of the year, and more plans are being revealed by the day. Record numbers of entries have been submitted in some of the public calls for songs…all in all, a good sign for what I’m sure will be a great year for Eurovision.
The Rumor Mill…
Hey, everyone! Pardon my lapse in posting over the past month or so…what can I say? I was a bit burnt out after this year’s Eurovision Final. It’s sort of like having a massive holiday dinner, full of all of your favorite foods, surrounded by friends and family…after it’s all done, all you want to do is curl up and take a nap. But I’m back on my feet, and looking forward to dishing up more ESC-tastic goodness for all of you!
(Oh, and by the way…650 readers? Thank you all so much for stopping by! Feel free to leave me a note in the Comments section, and let me know what you think of my little piece of the Internet.)
Anyway, even though it’s only July, and the 2010 Eurovision Song Contest is barely cold, we’re already hearing news of the 2011 edition! Here are two confirmed bits of news (and one juicy rumor that I can only hope is true):
1) OFFICIAL: Lena Meyer-Landrut will be defending her title for Germany in 2011. This has been confirmed by broadcaster NDR, but no other details have been provided yet. This will be only the third time that a winning performer returns the very next year to defend their title; the other two singers were Lys Assia coming back in 1957 and Corry Brokken in 1958. Sadly, Lys came in 8th place out of 10 that year, and Corry came in last place…will Lena fare much better? We have nearly a year to see…but while we wait to hear what Deutchland’s plan is, Lena’s been keeping very busy. She just released her fourth single, “Touch a New Day” (written by Stefan Raab), and her album “My Cassette Player” has already been certified Double Platinum in Germany.
In the meantime, Germany has yet to decide where the 2011 Eurovision Song Contest will take place. The official announcement will likely happen in December, but there are about eight cities vying for the honor, including Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, and Lena’s hometown of Hanover.
2) OFFICIAL: The Netherlands, after their disappointing performance in Oslo, have finally washed their hands of Pierre Kartner and have decided to send the Volendam-based band 3Js to Germany next year. They’ve had quite a few Top-10 Hits in their homeland, and sing almost exclusively in Dutch. Here’s their most recent single, “Geloven in het Leven (Believe in Life)”:
Not bad at all! And, at the very least, a lot better than the most recent Dutch entry. Even better, 3Js will have their entry selected in a much more open and fair system than last year, when the song had been written beforehand, and only a small jury and in-house audience could vote, with songwriter Kartner eventually deciding the outcome. The band will submit a number of new songs, and the best will be selected by a jury and an open televote.
3) RUMOR: According to credible sources, the BBC is in talks with pop singer/songwriter Mika to have him compose the UK’s 2011 Eurovision entry. After the debacle of this year’s “That Sounds Good To Me”, bringing in a fresh, current, and globally-appealing figure like Mika would be an absolute masterstroke. He was born Michael Penniman to an American father and Lebanese mother in Beirut, but moved to Paris and then London at a young age. He has had his name batted around before in ESC circles; there were rumors a few years ago that when Lebanon was considering a return/debut into Eurovision (they were due to enter in 2005, and even had their song selected, but a refusal to show the Israeli entry not only forced their withdrawal from the show, but also had the broadcaster slapped with a three-year ban), Mika would carry their banner. As this has not happened, we’re left hanging!
Despite his young age (only 26), Mika is a prolific and highly talented artist. His breakthrough hit, “Grace Kelly”, was a global smash, reaching the Top Ten in the UK, Turkey, Spain, Norway, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and many other charts. It made it to #12 in Canada, and #13 on the US Pop 100.
If these rumors actually pan out to contain an iota of truth, this could be absolutely huge for British Eurovision hopes. While “It’s My Time” was a beautiful song, and performed very capably by Jade Ewen back in 2009, the UK really hasn’t sent a successful up-tempo number since 1998’s “Where Are You“. Mika could help bring back some measure of credibility to Eurovision in the United Kingdom. Now we’ll just have to see if this is actually true…
The ESC Insider 