212 37ish === [00:00:00] Ben: Hell yeah, every nation is studying their funky little dude, gender nonspecific. Hello, and welcome to the Eurowhat, episode 212, dropping on December 19th, 2023. We are a pair of Americans trying to make sense of the Eurovision Song Contest. I'm Ben Smith, and I'm here with my co host, Mike McComb. Hey Mike! [00:00:21] Mike: Hello, [00:00:22] Ben: In this episode, we'll be talking about the 12 Days of December headlines. [00:00:26] Mike: so many birds. [00:00:27] Ben: So many birds in this house. Ah, it is the holidays, it is the darkest part of the year, there is light, and that light is that Eurovision season is very close on the horizon. [00:00:39] Mike: We had a different plan for this episode originally, where it's like, well, there's probably going to be like one or two things and we'll just need to kind of flesh it out with a side topic. Nope, we've got a lot of stuff on our plate for the end of the year. Just fingers crossed that there aren't any late breaking news stories while we're in post production. [00:00:57] Ben: Just like, I already feel the press release machine warming up. [00:01:00] Mike: The monkey's paws are just typing on their typewriters as we're speaking, so [00:01:03] 37 Countries Confirmed for Malmo (so far) --- [00:01:03] Ben: so far, it's looking like 37. If we have Romania, it will be 38. It is everybody from 2023. Except Romania. But hey, Australia's confirmed. [00:01:16] Mike: Glad to see that they're still going to be part of it. Like, I have to wonder if part of the negotiation was also, like, a more permanent status in the contest, rather than if they've gone back to their One a year, uh, hey, yeah, you can, you can come to our birthday party, like that sort of thing. So [00:01:36] Ben: Luxembourg is our only returning country, but like, what a return! Like, after a 30 year hiatus, they are back. [00:01:42] Mike: just a short break, you know, [00:01:44] Ben: there had been some discussion about whether North Macedonia would be back, but they are opting to celebrate the 80th anniversary of their, just like, having radio, and the 60th anniversary of Having TV, which like, both of those numbers ended at zero, pew pew pew, you did it. They will still broadcast the Eurovision show, they're just taking another year before they come back to the contest. Which, you know what, they're one of those smaller nations where there has to be a budget thing, so. Good on them. One name on that list that I know a lot of people were waiting to see what was going to be happening given recent events, was Israel. there was an EBU statement released, the Eurovision Song Contest is a competition for public broadcasters from all over Europe and the Middle East, it is a competition for broadcasters, not for governments, and the Israeli public broadcaster has been participating 50 years. That was about the kind of statement I expected to come out of this. If I'm honest. [00:02:38] Mike: if any of our listeners has tried to have a conversation about this with anybody, it just, like, gets very complicated almost instantly. And, like, trying to draw comparisons to what was going on with Russia and Ukraine in 2022, it's sort of the same, but there are differences, like, yeah, it's just, uh. Just kind of feel out of your depth very quickly. At least that's my experience with this topic so far. [00:03:06] Ben: Yeah, mine as well. As a person who is watching this sort of news and seeing how other broadcasters are reacting, in Iceland, the Icelandic Society of Authors and Composers, released a call for, for Roov to boycott if Israel participates, so watch that space. In general, like, I, I do see that, yeah, okay, Can is not EBU membership rules, I have thoughts on that, but like, okay, let's, let's assume that that's true. It's not a case where, the EBU can say, No, you can't do Eurovision this year. I think it's something where Israel needs to withdraw. [00:03:40] Mike: I feel like this decision from the EBU is consistent with other decisions from the EBU, so I'm not surprised that this is where we're at right now, but especially considering how the semifinals are all televote now instead of a mix of televote and jury, it's going to turn whichever semifinal now. Israel is participating in into a referendum, which is a choice [00:04:06] Ben: That is what they are essentially doing, is just like, okay, cool, we're gonna find out how the fans feel about this. I'm kind of glad that they have finally released an official statement on this, because it allows for us to kind of talk about, like, where we're at as a show about this. so in light of this news, we should discuss how we're going to handle coverage of Israel's participation in Eurovision 2024. If you follow Eurovision blogs such as Eurowhat, or that Eurovision site, and ESC Extra, all of them have released statements on how they're restricting their coverage of Israel's contestant selection process. This is in response to Israel's broadcaster using the selection program to promote the country's military and its actions taken in Gaza. Given the weekly format of this program, we are able to adopt more of a wait and see approach in terms of what we talk about and when we talk about it. Our format also mixes in commentary, which can be construed as critical, supportive, or both, particularly when you and I disagree. [00:04:59] Mike: To that end, our current plan for discussing contest logistics related to Israel will be a similar plan of action as the blogs. We will report when Israel selects their entrant and reveals their song, but we aren't planning on offering commentary or first impressions at that point. we may also reference Israel when discussing the semi final allocation when that happens, but we aren't planning on centering that. the allocation discussion on that particular point. we have not yet determined how we will be approaching discussing Israel's entry when we get to our formal review series, in March and April. A lot can change in the next few months, and we want to remain flexible in how we plan our coverage. again, our wait and see approach. [00:05:50] Ben: We do not intend to be free publicity for Israel's broadcaster or its entry, but we can't ignore that their participation in the contest will have repercussions for all participating broadcasters. Our job as media is to document the choices made by the delegations and the EBU, as well as any consequences that follow. There is no correct path forward, and we may be out of our depth, I definitely feel out of mine, uh, as we try to proceed, but we do need to try to proceed as we attempt to document and analyze Eurovision 2024. [00:06:20] Mike: We will have this full statement posted on our website at Eurowhat. com, and we welcome your feedback. our email address is eurowhatpodcast at gmail dot com. speaking of the semi final allocation, it was confirmed that it is scheduled for January 30th, so, mark your calendars, [00:06:38] New color scheme! --- [00:06:38] Mike: earlier this week, uh, got a ping from, I think it was in our Slack channel, or was it the Slack channel? Some, I was on YouTube, that is the point, and there was a, uh, link to a video being like, ooh, Eurovision announcement in 10 minutes, it's like, oh, okay, uh, I have no idea what this is about, is this a news thing? Are they confirming that Romania is or is not joining? Like, what, what is going on? They revealed this year's color scheme. Okay. [00:07:05] Ben: Yeah, yeah, like, okay, this could have been an email. [00:07:09] Mike: the theme is Eurovision Lights, and, uh, yeah, it's kind of, uh, I don't know. Like, I, I described it, uh, in our chat as, uh, Rainbow Road N64 version. [00:07:21] Ben: Yeah, and my immediate response was, it's getting Spotify wrapped, [00:07:24] Mike: Yeah, yeah, gradients, pastels, uh, a lot of oranges and reds, the designs have, more or less been awesome, the last several years, I'm just wondering if the color scheme reveal is the new slogan reveal, since the slogan's [00:07:41] Ben: now that we've taken away coming up with a new slogan every year. [00:07:44] Mike: Yeah, yeah. So, um, I guess get hype about that for years to come? [00:07:50] Ben: 2024, Tequila Sunrise. [00:07:53] Mike: Yes. Yes! Oh, that. Oh, yes. Correct. Yes. Oh, adding that to the menu ideas for [00:08:02] Ben: Oh, yeah, hell [00:08:04] Mike: Yes. [00:08:07] Ben: where it's got all the colors, heck yeah. [00:08:08] Mike: Yeah, yeah, uh, uh, Grenadine for all. [00:08:12] Ben: Just like a fun citrus smoothie sort of a deal, [00:08:15] Mike: Yeah. [00:08:15] Ben: love it. [00:08:16] Mike: Oh, adding that too. All right. Gotta start planning these things early, you know, so. That is all that's happening in, contest wide logistics news, we had some artist and song selection news that came in, as well. [00:08:33] Czechia's ESCZ puts Aiko on a "Pedestal" --- [00:08:33] Mike: between our last episode and this episode, it was announced that, Czechia was going to have their national final! And then they had their national final and then they named a winner. Like all of that has happened in, in this very [00:08:45] Ben: In the last two weeks, it's great. [00:08:47] Mike: Yeah. Yeah. So, ESCZ returned with, seven contestants it's nice in the States. It was just kind of like a lunchtime show on a Monday, which is, how I kind of prefer my, selection shows, if I'm [00:08:59] Ben: I was having kind of a slow Monday at work, so I had it on one of my monitors, it was great. [00:09:04] Mike: What did you think of the show overall? [00:09:07] Ben: I loved that they were in a live venue this year, just like the energy of the crowd was really nice. Yes. I had forgotten how awkward the hosting is, and it was delightful, like, I mean that affectionately, please keep him on retainer for hosting ESCZ. [00:09:19] Mike: Mm hmm, yeah. As, the first selection show of the season, like, it felt like a good kind of amuse bouche. appetizer sort of thing. And I didn't think it was really the best showcase for the songs like the, uh, it was in some sort of nightclub or bar, I think. And so it kind of had the aesthetic of the pre parties that happen in April. with the sound quality and Weird camera angles that that entails. I wasn't really able to pick a favorite song from the bunch 'cause it's like, eh, yeah, I kind of wanna go back and listen to the studio versions. And then not all of the studio versions were easily available and it was just, yeah. [00:09:57] Ben: But yeah, no, the host was, delightfully awkward. Cesar Sampson, I think having him as, some sort of musical advisor on Picking the Seven, great. Having him interview them, actively detrimental to how I process these entries. [00:10:09] Mike: Yeah. get the sense that he's not, a strong interviewer, which is fine, like, that's not, that's not, like, I was not expecting that from him, a lot of questions that are just sort of, like, I don't know, like, like on game shows where it's just like, what are you going to do with the money if you win? It's like, I don't care! It was a fine show, uh, but yeah, probably won't be, like, the most remembered, uh, thing. the winner of the contest was Aiko and her song, Pedestal. And I was surprised with how well this song did in the voting. Like I was, I, I, I was kind of eh about it. Granted it was first in the lineup, so I think like that's kind of my default position with a lot of the first in lineups, like, okay, I've got to compare everything else to this one. And yeah. What do you think of this one? Hmm. [00:11:31] Ben: My first encounter with it was as part of the final, like, I don't know if these were released online somewhere before the final, but, like, there was a moment in the hosting of, for the people who haven't heard this song yet, I'm like, do you mean everyone? Because this is the first time I'm engaging with any of these. It's fine, it feels very on trend, there's like a whole sort of like self empowerment vibe, but it feels like the sort of self empowerment vibe that they put over the, like, a DSW commercial of, like, self care is buying shoes that look really cute. Yeah, [00:12:03] Mike: seems a little mean I mean I [00:12:05] Ben: yeah, that one's maybe, that one's maybe, like, a little too far. it's not, like, wowing me, but, like, on the other hand, it's December. [00:12:13] Mike: Yeah, it's just like is it in your top two? [00:12:15] Ben: yeah, it is, it is in my top two, hitting submit on the YouTube, video now. It's in my top two, pew pew pew. [00:12:22] Mike: Yeah, I Feel like it is kind of drawing on like the Olivia Rodrigo Ness that's happening in pop music right now and I'm kind of hopeful that maybe this is a sign that we're going to be getting out of the 80s nostalgia. It's a retro pop that really has not been working at Eurovision and yeah, like if this is like a newer sound, it'll be fine. I'm okay with this one winning. [00:12:50] Ben: I don't feel like there was anything out of the seven that really felt like, Yes, this, and I'm disappointed about this one, because they were all at about the same level. I feel like they did a good job of curating this collection of songs. [00:13:01] Mike: yes, I think that is a great way of framing it. And I mean, like they have a lot of time to revamp, figure out performance, like really put. And this is just like, the work into making this an awesome entry. Which, I think is, like, Czechia's strong suit. That's what they do every year. [00:13:19] Ben: I briefly thought that I did not know how to do math anymore around weighted averages, just because I was looking at the numbers and, like, it's not working, cause if you look at this, uh, like, uh, Ico ran away with the international vote, uh, got, like, 59. 4 percent of the international vote, uh, and got 5th in the Czech vote, and, like, I was assuming that the Czech vote got 70%, like, it's a 70 30 split, and I assumed that it was in favor of Czech, and then I was like, but the math doesn't work out, and then, no, like, the split is in favor of the international vote. [00:13:53] Mike: Yeah, which is Interesting. because Ellie, she won the check vote by, as incredible a margin, she got 58. 5 percent of the check vote. I'm wondering if, how that is going to impact support from the home team. [00:14:09] Ben: I'm of two minds about it. On one hand, I feel like Czechia's entrance should be reflective of what the Czech viewers wanted. On the other hand, they can't vote for this. So what did the international audience like? We'll send that! [00:14:20] Mike: I think it's just maybe like the numbers are so stark this time around that, like last year, I Vesna, like, was the absolute winner of this. And here it's just like, oh, well, there were a couple of choices here. And yeah, like I could see this being controversial in a way, like as controversial as a song. Contests can be with these particular entries. So, [00:14:43] Ben: Yeah. So we'll see how this progresses as we get closer and closer to that top 37 [00:14:51] Internal selections: Netherlands, Slovenia, United Kingdom --- [00:14:51] Ben: like a few artist announcements sort of popped out of the blue this week, including the Netherlands. I had been following, the various, press releases from, the last two weeks, there was, like, not really a leak, but just sort of a, it's down to these three people, and, like, one of them is Ilse de Long, and then Ilse de Long immediately said, I am not [00:15:07] Mike: Yeah. [00:15:09] Ben: where I'm like, oh, the Netherlands was scoping out who was leaking stuff. [00:15:12] Mike: Hmm. [00:15:13] Ben: Like, that's what that felt like to me, it was very Rebecca Vardy's Instagram stories. [00:15:20] Mike: or like how atlases sometimes put fake cities in there to see if people are stealing their maps, and [00:15:25] Ben: Yeah, just like, just like, they're like, okay, somebody keeps leaking stuff to the press, let's, let's send out an email and then immediately send another email to everybody except the five people we think are doing it. it was especially funny to me because, like, within days, it was just like, it was none of them. they have picked Joost Klein. love to see a Dutch name in the mix. Just like, Joost, heck yeah, [00:15:43] Mike: yeah, yeah, [00:15:47] Ben: YouTuber from Leo Warden. when he got announced, like, oh cool, the person that, like, got Cardi a seal of approval on TikTok earlier this year. the pick. Like, just like, I was very proud for him to be announced. [00:16:01] Mike: as soon as I saw photos of them, I was like, oh, Netherlands chose their weird little guy, [00:16:05] Ben: Uh huh, which, like, as a person who's just like, Hey everybody, what if you all sent your funky little dude, um, Gender neutral, like, you can also send, your guys, your gals, your non binary pals, But just the, the, your funky ones. the song is gonna be in Dutch. Which, I mean, given that he's got sort of like a hip hop thing going on, similar to Finnish, I feel like there's like a percussiveness to the Dutch language, that lends itself nicely to that genre. There's sort of a, supposedly a mix of party and nostalgia in whatever the song is. He seems pumped. The selection committee seems impressed by his enormous creativity. I'm interested to see what comes out of this. [00:16:44] Mike: I am too. if it ends up being a handful of tattoo clones and cha cha cha clones this year, it's like, what is that going to look like? [00:16:55] Ben: I mean, like, I love this pivot for the Netherlands, too, cause like This year's entry was fine, and like, it felt very sorta, like, getting locked into the groove of like, what we think Eurovision is, and like, it didn't work out, they came 11th. And like, this feels like a nice pivot from that, like, what if we sent like, a weird thing? [00:17:11] Mike: Yeah, yeah. And, I mean, I think it would be nice for them to send something that is potentially upbeat? Like, it's, uh, it's been a minute, [00:17:21] Ben: Yeah, like, yes, please, yeah, please send something fun, [00:17:24] Mike: Slovenia also announced that they will be sending Raven to Malmo. Originally, Slovenia was going to do a selection show called Misia Malmo. and that was going to be four songs, but they just decided, you know what, nope, we're just gonna, internally select Raven, and, Raven has a really strong resume in, uh, the Slovenian process, uh, she took part in EMA, in 2016, 2017, and 2019, she finished in second place in 2016 and 2019, she missed Going to Eurovision by, like, 130 votes in 2016, so [00:18:01] Ben: She's been ready. [00:18:02] Mike: She's been ready, and, she's someone that I think the public's going to support. I was listening to her tracks, prior to recording, today, and Yeah, she is delivering a sound that I am really responding to. Like, it's kind of, like, electro pop, but ballady. She has, like, some operatic tendencies as well, like, kind of in the Aminata. I [00:18:26] Ben: no, I see why, I see why that appealed. Yeah, I just saw Electro Opera, and I'm like, and again, I'm just like, hell yeah, every nation is sending their funky little dude. Gender non specific. [00:18:34] Mike: this is a great choice for Slovenia. It's a pivot from what they've sent the last couple of years, which is great. And looking forward to hearing her song, Veronica, which is scheduled to be revealed on January 20th. [00:18:49] Ben: Alright, and in late breaking news, announced on Strictly Come Dancing, the UK's entry for next year is gonna be Olly Alexander. [00:18:57] Mike: Huh. Yeah. [00:18:59] Ben: that had been rumored, I believe you posted something in our little Slack about it, and I responded with a Demi Lovato get a job stay away from her, just about the rumor mill this time of year. Yeah, [00:19:09] Mike: yeah, it was from WeeWeeBlogs, uh, Will Ali Alexander sing at Eurovision with a Dua Lipa song? And it's like, oh, that is excellent clickbait. [00:19:17] Ben: like, all the things you want in the headline right there, but yeah, it's not that far off. I mean, so, Olly Alexander, Of the band, Years and Years, which we will, we'll circle back around to that because I have, I have thoughts about that. Uh, but this is gonna be, the first song he releases under his own name. The interesting thing to me, almost more so than Olly Alexander, which, like, good git, BBC, good choice. The song is a co write, at least, I'm hoping it's also co produced, by Danny L. Harl. Who is part of the, the PC music crew, which, uh, that's been like the last decade or so, they've been doing like some very, like, left field pop, but like, over the course of that decade, it's gotten, more and more mainstream. Most notably, Danny El Harl is on the production and writing team for Dua Lipa's, new single, Houdini. [00:20:06] Mike: mmm, okay. Yes, [00:20:10] Ben: is very excited as someone who's familiar with Daniel Harl's production work because he's worked with Caroline Polachek and a lot of his own stuff does a good job of mixing standard pop music with Hardcore and other electronic side genres in a really fun way, and like, kinda trancy stuff. The caliber of songwriting that's happening is really impressive, and just sort of continuing our theme of weird little dudes. It's like, if you're not gonna put them on the stage, cause like, Olly Alexander a known name, this is a pop star. Uh, but like, if you're not gonna put them on the stage, like, definitely put them behind the boards and in the, in the co write room. [00:20:50] Mike: whole announcement seems like it's the BBC saying, Oh, we are taking this seriously. Like they are sending a known name, but then also the fact that it is being announced on Strictly, which is one of the biggest shows in the UK. it's a show that doesn't have a spring season. So like if they wanted to hit the biggest show, like this is the time to do [00:21:08] Ben: It needs to be now, yeah. [00:21:10] Mike: Yeah, I am very intrigued with, this change in direction, it's just like, oh, wow, BBC's finally waking up, this is, this is good, so, [00:21:20] Ben: My slight concern, I am aware of Years and Years, I have been a fan of them since their first single started popping up on the U. S. side of things, like their first album, really good, their second album, very good, I kind of fell off with the third album because that, that became like an Olly Alexander Solo project, even though, like, the band started before he joined, which is kind of weird, and it's a good time to pivot to releasing music under your own name. I'm trying to, temper my expectations, because I feel like just sort of dealing with the UK on a year to year basis is just sort of constantly cycling between, We're so back, and it's so over. [00:21:53] Mike: there was one article that I saw where he said that he's known for a couple of months that he's going to be the representative. So, like, they've been working on this for a bit, and the fact that it's being announced so early means they have even more time to work on it. So, I don't think it's going to be the normal cycle of instant heartbreak that [00:22:15] Ben: Yes. [00:22:15] Mike: grown so accustomed to when it comes to the UK. [00:22:18] Ben: Yeah, like, I'm mostly just hoping they learn from last year that, okay, let's make sure the live vocals sound good, too. [00:22:23] Holidays sidebar: Sam Ryder, Secret Santas, 2023 Pop Culture --- [00:22:23] Mike: Hopefully they will be able to reach the highs that they reached with Sam Ryder. who, speaking of, he has a top ten single right now in the UK, possibly aiming for Christmas number [00:22:34] Ben: Yeah, he's got in for that Christmas number [00:22:35] Mike: Yeah, yeah, it's a song called Your Christmas to Me. So, uh, yeah, I, I think that's great that, uh, Eurovision is still, Making some noise, on the UK side of things. speaking of Christmassy type stuff, I was recently a guest on, the Eurovision Song Context, uh, Eurovision podcast hosted by a friend of the show, Bradley. this one was a really fun one. It was, a bunch of, previous guests on that show, gathering to talk about, holiday traditions from, different countries. And we also did a Eurovision themed secret Santa exchange. [00:23:10] Ben: I'm sad I could not be there because I have so much delineation on Secret Santa and Yankee Swap and White Elephant. But also, nobody needs me to knowledge drop that for 20 minutes, so maybe it was best I stayed home. [00:23:20] Mike: Yeah, but yes, if you're looking for ideas for Eurovision themed gifts, definitely a good source there. We will have a link to those episodes the show notes. [00:23:33] Ben: and, over on our Patreon, we will be dropping our standard holiday treat of talking about the other pop culture and our media diets from 2023. I have looked at our shortlist of things that are on the discussion table and it's going to be a lot of fun, and thank you as always to everybody who supports us on Patreon. You make this show happen and we appreciate you so much. [00:23:54] Mike: Yes, and if you would like to, join in on the Patreon fun, you can check that out, at, patreon. com slash eurowhat. [00:24:03] National Selection Details: Italy, Albania, Germany, Luxembourg, Finland, Ukraine, Croatia --- [00:24:03] Ben: The national selection machine is really kicking into high gear in terms of what is to come very soon. Uh, Italy, Released the, list of artists for this year's San Remo, and dang, a lot of known names are happening at next year's San Remo. [00:24:21] Mike: Yeah, it's almost like a tournament of champions, in a way, you've got, uh, Mahmoud, Diodato, Ilvolo, uh, Emma from 2014, Riki A. Poveri, which I want to say they were late 70s, I forgot to put their year, uh, in the notes, but yeah, like you've, you've got a lot of people who've already done Eurovision, a lot of other names that are familiar from recent San Remo com Petitions the one that I have my eye on is Alessandra Amoroso. she is a very big pop star in Italy. Like, I, I have her tracks, in my Spotify. independent of, Eurovision I I think I saw some of her, music videos when we were in Turin a couple years ago. [00:25:02] Ben: Well on, on my end, the one that jumped out to me, Anna Elisa wasn't in the actual competition this year, but performed her song Bima I've had Bima on my Spotify playlist since that performance. So I was very excited to see her in the actual competitive mix this year. I think that this is Amadeus's last year as creative director so like he's just kind of going out with a bang. I feel like what we're saying between the two of us and who we're excited for is, Italy, send a woman. [00:25:29] Mike: Yes, Italy, Send a Woman, And it's a huge field, too. There's going to be 30 competitors total. They've announced 27. There's also the San Remo Giovanni competition, which is happening the day that this episode drops. And the top three from that will be advancing to the main competition. going to be a big February when Italy kicks off. also, happening the day this episode drops is, Albania's process. It's Festival da Cancao season, everybody! this year's festival is also going to be as big as San Remo. There are 31 acts that are going to be competing. 16 of the 31 acts will be performing on night one, which is, Night 2, Wednesday, will have the other 15 acts. Night 3 will be Nostalgia Night, so a lot of covers, a lot of guest performers, duets, that sort of thing. And then the jury will determine who and how many of the acts from the first two nights will advance to the final night Which will be Friday, the jury will also determine the overall contest winner, but this year there will be a televote to decide who will go to Eurovision, which is how FIK operated last year, and that worked out for them! Albania did make it to the grand final. [00:26:49] Ben: Germany announced that in addition to whatever sort of main process they're doing next spring, they will also be doing Izu ESC, uh, where 15 contestants will be coached by Cheetah and singer songwriter Raya Garvey in a six week process to determine from those 15 who will compete in the German national final, along with the other announced acts. [00:27:10] Mike: Deutschland liebt eine Wildcard! [00:27:13] Ben: I, they, they level, I, at this point I'm wondering if there's like some, just like as a public broadcaster they have to have like some sort of public component to their selection. Just, cause there's always some sort of like additional, I don't want to say tacked on process, but just like so often it feels like, we're gonna do this, and then like three weeks later, and we're also gonna do this to determine one of the entrants from the public. [00:27:33] Mike: Yeah, and this one, it just really seems like it's going to make things more confusing. Like, it's like, I don't, like, I do not plan on tracking this show just because it's like, okay, it's gonna be 15 people, only one of whom is going to submit a song. Like, I thought, like, if there are other songs that are in this process, like, they're not actually, I don't know. My spreadsheet is not happy about [00:27:55] Ben: Oh yeah, no, it's like I looked, I looked at the, I looked at the details and I'm like, I'm busy. [00:27:58] Mike: I appreciate that Germany is trying something. [00:28:03] Ben: appreciate that they're trying stuff, but also, sweetie, what are you doing? [00:28:06] Mike: Yeah. Please stop throwing strudel at the wall to see what sticks. Uh, and let's see, uh, Luxembourg, they have announced the eight artists that will be competing in their national final. I'm getting really excited for Luxembourg, I gotta say. Um, yeah, the, uh, field has a lot of voice alumni, from France, Belgium, all of it. There's one band that's in the mix. There's one contestant who is currently 15 years old. She will be 16 by the time of the contest. So it's like, oh, that's interesting to see that rule coming into play this year. Yeah, I don't know. I appreciate Luxembourg doing this kind of drip, drip, drip approach. Like, they've announced the artist, and the songs are going to be released in early January, and then the final will be on January 27th. So, yeah, getting excited about it. Looking forward to hearing Luxembourgish, which I'm not sure I've heard outside of, like, Eurovision again context, and even then I'm not 100 percent certain that I've heard Luxembourgish, [00:29:13] Ben: Mhm. Finland also doing, a nice, steady drip drip drip of, of what's to come with this year's UMK. Uh, this week, they announced the co hosts for UMK, uh, and per the press release, we have Finnish comedy queen Pilvi Hamalainen, ex UMK finalist, and pop prince, their words, not mine, Benjamin, and TV host supreme Vivi Pumppinen. [00:29:37] Mike: I'm really excited about Pilvi because she is Finland's little Alex Horn and I [00:29:44] Ben: Oh, I didn't know that. [00:29:46] Mike: Taskmaster are crossing over. [00:29:48] Ben: Oh, heck yes. [00:29:50] Mike: I watched one or two episodes of the Finnish version. It was fine, but, uh, yeah, it's like, all right, another crossover. Like, I think, I think Sweden's little Alex Horn was one of the Melfest co hosts. It was either last year or the year before. And yeah, so, um, yeah, all of my little universes colliding. It's, it's lovely. [00:30:10] Ben: can we make all the entrants do a prize task? [00:30:13] Mike: Yes, oh goodness, oh wow. [00:30:15] Ben: Just like, yeah, right? Uh, anyways, like, I just woke up and saw, in the Instagram caption, Benjamin to host UMK. I'm like, did I miss an email? Did I miss several emails? [00:30:26] Mike: won the lotto. [00:30:27] Ben: Yeah, just like, oh no. [00:30:30] Mike: They knew you were coming. So, uh, [00:30:32] Ben: they did know that I will be there. in addition to those people co hosting, the participating artists will be announced in a live special on January 10th at 1pm U. S. Eastern Time, and they're including English commentary as part of that. Thank you, Finland. [00:30:44] Mike: this really does feel like it is the most anticipated final of this year's selection season. [00:30:51] Ben: I, yeah, cause like, again, like, I knew that I needed to stay up to get tickets because they were going to sell out. [00:30:57] Mike: hmm. there was a link on the website for. going to the like artist announcement show and they're just like, Oh, click here to get tickets. It's like, Oh, let me see if they're still available. And they're just like, Oh, you can get on a waiting list to get on the waiting list. It's like, okay, that's nice. So [00:31:14] Ben: Yeah, it's like Sweden won, but like the eyes are also on Finland, it's just like, what are y'all gonna do next? UMK has been a consistently good selection the last couple years, even what doesn't make it is interesting and good and new. [00:31:27] Mike: Ukraine, they are, moving along in their vidbeer process, I think last time we mentioned that they, announced the shortlist of the ten artists that are definitely in vidbeer, and just a couple days ago they released the entries for the wildcard selection. there are nine songs up for consideration, uh, there's a YouTube list and all of the songs are on Spotify as well. the public will be able to vote on who they want to go on to the Vidbeer final. yeah, have you had a chance to listen to any of the songs? [00:32:00] Ben: I have listened to one of the songs specifically, and it was entirely because of the promo photo, because I think they did a new round of promo photos for like this round of voting? [00:32:08] Mike: Mm hmm. [00:32:09] Ben: Because the last time that I knew that Carpetman was participating He was not, holding an acoustic guitar and wearing, a wide brimmed hat. [00:32:16] Mike: Yeah, I believe you described him as Pensive Carpet Man, so [00:32:19] Ben: Yes. Which, having heard the song, yes. I'm still not sure about mixing just Carpetman's usual aesthetic with sort of the guitar guy at the party. [00:32:28] Mike: we'll have a link to the full playlist in the show notes, there are a few good ones in there. There, there are some that, like, I don't know, just feel very Outside of what you would normally expect from Ukraine, but not necessarily in a good way, like just very standard, standard Europop 1 that I was just like, Oh, this would kill in Denmark. So, don't know, maybe, [00:32:50] Ben: Boom. Roasted, Denmark. [00:32:52] Mike: No, like, seriously, it would be great if Denmark sent it. It would be very weird if Ukraine sent it. But there are a couple of contenders in there. And I would throw Carpetman in the mix of one set. Like, if it advanced, I wouldn't be mad. The results of the wildcard vote are expected by December 29. They may close it early if there's like an overwhelming Winner, uh, who knows, uh, Ukraine gonna Ukraine. but the winner will join the previous selected ten acts, and the Vidbeer final is scheduled for February 3rd. there is a new production company that is going to be behind the show, uh, OnePlus One, and there haven't been any details yet on venue or any other considerations, like, I've not heard anything about it possibly being in a metro station again. I don't know if that's still A [00:33:41] Ben: Yeah, like, I understand Ukraine keeping those details close to its chest. [00:33:45] Mike: yeah, but, uh, yeah, I mean, they're, they're just bobbin along, doin their thing, [00:33:50] Ben: And then closing out the latest we have on all of the various national selections taking place next year, Croatia has released the first round of details about next year's Dora. And we're gonna have 24 contestants. There's going to be a semi final for the first time since 2011. Dora has become one of my favorite ones to watch, so I'm kind of delighted we're going to get some more of it. [00:34:10] Mike: I am too, yeah, because I feel like with the scheduling, it always kind of falls under the radar, because it just happens to fall on, like, a super Saturday, where there's, like, eight other things happening at the same time. [00:34:19] Ben: looking at who's participating next year is also very interesting, we have Damir Kedjo back. He was going to be the representative in 2020, and then a pandemic happened. the one that really kind of blew me away is that Let3 is in the mix again? Yeah! [00:34:33] Mike: Hmm, okay, uh Hahahahaha! Understandables? [00:34:39] Ben: time around? I just like the idea that Croatia keeps sending them as long as they want to go and just sort of constantly be, like, a thorn in Martin Ustredal's side of just, like, praying that they're not naked on stage [00:34:50] Mike: yeah, get them in, some sort of collab with, uh, Valentina Manetta, and it's just like, Yep, we're just going to be here until you take us seriously. So [00:35:01] Ben: getting a Dora semifinal. Dates for that are to be determined, but the final was originally scheduled for February 24th, so Probably around there. I don't know, they could go like the way many other nations would, just like, Hello, we're having so many finals here, and then in a month we will have the final. [00:35:17] Mike: Yeah, I'm not really sure which path would be best for them. I'm just glad that they're not doing a final of 24 songs. [00:35:24] Ben: that's too many [00:35:25] Mike: Yeah, like, I think the upper limit, like, 12 is kind of pushing it, but yeah, once you get more than that, the voting pool is just going to get so diluted. Unless there's, like, a super final or something like that, uh, the way that, like, Italy does it. But, I'm glad that it is going to have this, expanded format. Because it also means that Dora must be getting even more popular in Croatia. Because they did step away from that format for, quite a while, so Good on you, Croatia. [00:35:50] Ben: And that's gonna do it for this episode of the Euro. What? Thanks for listening. The Euro, what podcast is hosted by Ben Smith? That's me and Mike McComb. [00:35:59] Mike: That's me. If you'd like to help support the show and access a ton of bonus content, head on over to patreon. com slash eurowhat. [00:36:07] Ben: Free access to our full archive of more than 200 episodes. Going all the way back to the 2018 contest can be found on our website@eurowhat.com. [00:36:14] Mike: We'll be back on January 9th. Have a safe and happy end of the year and see you in 2024.