Eurovision Almost Didn’t Happen This Year Because of Israel Boycotts — and 2027 Is Dangling By a Thread

Eurovision Almost Didn’t Happen This Year Because of Israel Boycotts — and 2027 Is Dangling By a Thread

The scene on stage at the Eurovision semifinals in Vienna this week has been the expected assemblage of cheesy love: Greece’s Akylas’ tiger-costumed ode to bling, Satoshi’s rappy anthem to Moldova (“aloha, adio, vida loca”), and, yes, Israel’s Noam Bettan’s French-Hebrew homage to his mythic Michelle. All three advanced to this weekend’s final. Behind the scenes,…

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Eurovision Song Contest Changes Rules After Israel Public Vote Controversy: “We’ve Listened and We’ve Acted”

Eurovision Song Contest Changes Rules After Israel Public Vote Controversy: “We’ve Listened and We’ve Acted”

The Eurovision Song Contest is implementing new rules around its voting system after uproar around Israel’s result in May. When entrant Yuval Raphael sang “New Day Will Rise” at the competition held in Basel, Switzerland, she swiftly topped the public voting charts and later placed second to Austria when the jury scores were counted. But…

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Eurovision Song Contest Changes Rules After Israel Public Vote Controversy: “We’ve Listened and We’ve Acted”

Eurovision Organizers “Understand Concerns” But “Still Gathering Views” After Countries Threaten to Withdraw if Israel Participates

Eurovision 2026 is set to be another contentious one, despite the European Broadcasting Union’s attempts to calm the chaos. Last week, news broke that Ireland and the Netherlands were threatening to withdraw from next year’s song contest, held in Vienna, Austria in May, if Israel is permitted to take part. A statement from Irish broadcaster RTÉ said…

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#John Oliver Hoped Finland’s Partially Nude Windows95man (and His Giant Denim Egg) Had Won Eurovision

#John Oliver Hoped Finland’s Partially Nude Windows95man (and His Giant Denim Egg) Had Won Eurovision

John Oliver had a favorite performer in this year’s Eurovision contest. On HBO’s Last Week Tonight, the host opened the show by addressing the annual international music competition, which crowned its latest winner this weekend. “The Eurovision Song Contest took place amid a slew of controversies, from calls for boycotts over Israel’s participation to the…

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#Eurovision: Israel’s Entrant Booed During Rehearsal

#Eurovision: Israel’s Entrant Booed During Rehearsal

Eden Golan, Israel’s entrant for the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest, was booed during rehearsals on Thursday, with the crowd in Malmö, Sweden chanting “Free Palestine” during the singer’s performance. Ahead of the Eurovision semi-final, Golan was performing her song “Hurricane” when sections of the crowd turned on her and the jeering began. In video clips…

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#Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group to Receive IBC’s Highest Honor

#Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group to Receive IBC’s Highest Honor

IBC (International Broadcasting Convention) will bestow its most prestigious award, the International Honor for Excellence, to Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group in celebration of the studio’s 100th anniversary. The award will be presented Sept. 17 in Amsterdam, during the annual confab’s IBC Innovation Awards ceremony. “We are delighted to accept IBC’s International Honor for Excellence award in…

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#Volodymyr Zelensky leaves Kyiv to visit Mykolaiv, Ukraine

#Volodymyr Zelensky leaves Kyiv to visit Mykolaiv, Ukraine

“Volodymyr Zelensky leaves Kyiv to visit Mykolaiv, Ukraine” President Volodymyr Zelensky got a first-hand look at the destruction in the frontline southern port city of Mykolaiv, a rare trip for the Ukrainian leader outside the capital of Kyiv, according to reports. Zelensky’s office posted a video on Telegram of the visit to the city of…

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