Eurovision unites and divides Europe - by Nick Holsworth
Eurovision is to Europeans what the Super Bowl is to Americans, and seething resentment is never far from the surface. The event has been characterized by barely concealed nationalism, rampant sexism -- in the 1960s and ‘70s, it was common for female performers to try to outdo each other in the teeny frock department -- and accusations that the event boils down more to politics than music. Russian authorities are preparing for the prospect of a terrorist attack, hotel and apartment rental prices are rocketing in Moscow, and the city’s mass transit system is extending its hours. There’s even a gay pride parade planned to take advantage of the media attention.Yes, it’s Eurovision Song Contest time in Moscow. And with the May 12 and 14 semifinals and the May 16 finale going out live in primetime on 42 channels across Europe, the show will be seen by at least 100 million viewers. The competition, whose most famous winners are Abba and Celine Dion, was conceived 50 years ago as a way to bring all of Europe together via TV. But as the golden-anniversary edition of the event peaks this week, there’s a major divide in how the event is embraced by the participating nations.
The big guns of local politics and entertainment are on the organizing committee, including Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Zhukov, Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov and Konstantin Ernst, head of state-backed First Channel, the broadcaster that is hosting the contest. Prime Minister Vladimir Putin met composer and theatrical impresario Andrew Lloyd Webber, head of the British Eurovision delegation, in Moscow. Lloyd Webber so charmed him that Putin joked that he would vote for Britain’s Jade Ewen, who has a guaranteed place in the finals with a typically modestly titled song, “It’s My Time.”
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