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EUROVISION

Australia likely to join Eurovision Song Contest

Crikey! The Land Down Under - where the beer does flow and men chunder - is about to join the Eurovision Song Contest in Europe for the very first time.

Published: 11 February 2015 13:38 CET
Australia likely to join Eurovision Song Contest
This year's moderators: Mirjam Weichselbraun, Conchita Wurst, Arabella Kiesbauer and Alice Tumler. Photo: APA/ORF/THOMAS RAMSTORFER

In a surprise decision, bureaucrats in Austria's national broadcaster ORF, together with decision-makers from the European Broadcast Union (EBU), have decided that Australia is now part of Europe, potentially confusing millions of kangaroos.

The organizers of the world's most popular competitive arts format, the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC), will this year be held in Austria after the win last year by the country's elegant drag performer Conchita Wurst.  And joining the lineup from around Europe and Eurasia will for the first time be Australia, the land which is most often confused with Austria by tourists. 

Julia Zemiro, who hosts the wildly popular broadcast of the ESC in the great southern land, hoped "Maybe we will have beginner's luck".

"I get goose bumps when I think of it", said Zemiro.

Rumours quickly spread on which Australian artist would best represent the country in its inaugural outing in the contest which began in 1956, and which today is seen by an audience of up to 600 million viewers world wide.

Commentators have proposed a wide variety of talent, from Kylie Minogue and Nick Cave to AC/DC, Olivia Newton-John, Air Supply and even Midnight Oil.
 
The national broadcaster in Australia which broadcasts the show, SBS, has until the middle of March to make up its mind.
 
In the meantime, travel agents around the world will most likely be advising their clients not to travel to Sydney to see this year's song contest, but rather book for Vienna instead, and be assured that Australia will be represented as well.

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EUROVISION

Sweden among favourites after leaping through to Eurovision final

Cornelia Jakobs, Sweden's entry to the Eurovision Song Contest, burst into tears and jumped onto presenter Mario Acampas, after shooting through to the final on Thursday night.

Published: 13 May 2022 08:09 CEST
Sweden among favourites after leaping through to Eurovision final

Jakobs was emotional at the press conference after her victory, telling the story of her progress from an “largely unknown” indie artist to the Eurovision stage. 

“There are a lot of feelings right now in this little body, an extremely large amount of feelings that can’t really fit in, so they’re exploding,” she said, before beginning to cry. “But I’m so happy and overwhelmed by all the support I’ve got from all these fantastic countries.” 

When the time came to pick lots for which half of the final she would appear in, she leapt onto Mario Acampas, the presenter asking questions at the press conference, wrapping her legs around his waist and clasping herself tightly to his torso. 

He then walked her over to the bowl where the lots were lying. 

“I want you to choose the second half,” she said to him. “Imagine that I have a pistol here and on the count of three I’m going to shoot you if you don’t choose.”

He refused to pick for her so she took one herself and got the second half. 

Jakobs, with her song, “Hold me closer”, was the clear favourite to go into the final, and will go through alongside Finland’s The Rasmus, and his song Jezebel, Serbia’s Konstrakta with “In corpore sano”, as well as entries from Belgium, Czechia, Azerbaijan, Poland, Estonia, Australia, and Romania. 

You can see her performance on Thursday in the video below. 

In the final, she will meet the other favourites, which include Ukraine, Italy, and the United Kingdom. 

The final will be shown on Sweden’s state broadcaster SVT at 9pm on Saturday. 

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