It would be remiss of me to let the Dutch Eurovision Song Contest victory pass without comment. It’s something that hasn’t happened in 44 years and definitely worth a congratulatory note.
Eurovision Fans
Now I have to admit, Eurovision is not everybody’s cup of tea. Not by a long stretch. Added to that there were political elements to this year’s contest that couldn’t be swept under the carpet.
However, true Eurovision fans were out in numbers last Saturday, and there’s lots of chatter going on in the aftermath as I type.
I have watched Eurovision for more years than I can count and it started as a child, watching with my parents. (Who could every forget Bucksfizz?)Â Fond memories of family evenings.
This year, I watched Eurovision virtually with the Amsterdam Mamas, the now famous Eurovision party which is held online every year, and irl with my husband. It was hilarious and entertaining as usual. My Dutch half unfortunately didn’t manage to hold on until the voting, so he missed the long awaited moment of glory. Â Thank goodness for on demand television.
The Dutch Entry
Duncan Laurence performed the winning song, Arcade, for the Dutch. He was tipped as the bookie’s favourite and lived up to the expectations.
Anyone who watched last Saturday will know that the final result was quite a spannend affair – with the visible Swedish disappointment now doing the rounds on social media. He certainly hadn’t practiced his ‘Oscar losing poker face’.
A huge congratulations to Duncan and his team!
The British Entry
British entry Michael Rice has reportedly been getting his knickers in a twist blaming Brexit for the fact that Britain came last in this year’s contest. The Dutch press has also been reporting on this – and I read through the comments from the Dutch on Facebook and I can unanimously report back that the reason why the British entrant came last is because…. *dramatic drum roll*: it was a crap song sung not so well.
There’s a good article here on the BBC about this.
In true direct Dutch style, the other trend noticed by the Dutch about the British is that the Brits are good at blaming others for misfortune they have actually conjured up themselves.
Madonna
No post about Eurovision 2019 could be published without at least a passing mention of Madonna. I can’t add much to what is already out there: she was out of tune, the show was unimpressive and it may be time to just leave it alone Maddy.
As a side note, the same performance on her YouTube channel sounds different to the version she performed live at Eurovision. Puzzling.
Eurovision 2020
So all that remains is to determine where Eurovision 2020 will be held, and who will host it.
The Hague has thrown its willingness into the contest ring. As has Arnhem, Maastricht, Rotterdam and Amsterdam:
“I understand that our entry has a good chance. I am a little nervous about it. Hopefully we will see you all again in Amsterdam next year for the Eurovision Song Contest.”
However, there are a few requirements for the hosting location:
……the location must have room for 10,000 people and be available for a total of five to seven weeks. There must also be 2,000 to 3,000 hotel beds available in the region – preferably no more than forty minutes away from the party location. The city must submit a plan in which this is reflected.
So watch this space….
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