Croatia: Baby Lasagna denies monetary award and asks to be given to charity instead!

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Undoubtedly, Baby Lasagna, the Croatian representative in Eurovision 2024, did the impossible. From being a substitute act for Dora 2024, he won the national selection, made himself one of the hot favorites to win Eurovision 2024, won the public voting and ended up second overall. Baby Lasagna won Croatia’s best placement in Eurovision Song Contest as an independent state and despite not winning the event, he was welcomed in Zagreb as a national hero.

@eurovisionfn Ηθελε την πρωτη θεση ο @BabyLasagnaOffical αλλα ολη η Κροατια ειναι περηφανη γι’αυτον ❤️ #eurovision2024 #ελληνικοτικτοκ #fyp #φοργιουπειτζ #fypシ゚viral #viral_video #viral #fy #babylasagna ♬ Rim Tim Tagi Dim – Baby Lasagna

 

In that context, the Croatian Government decided to award Baby Lasagna a monetary award of fifty thousand euros for his Eurovision success as well as a recognition for his contribution on the nation’s promotion in the international scene, which is of vital importance for a small country.

However, Baby Lasagna could not accept the award and calls for the money intended to him to be given to charity instead:

I thank the Croatian Government for the monetary award in the amount of 50.000 euros. However, I cannot accept that money. I could give many reasons why, but the first, most important and sufficient one is that there are many other individuals and organizations that this money will help much more.

Hereby, I am asking Mr. Plenković to donate 25.000 euros on behalf of me and the Croatian Government to the Institute for Pediatric Oncology and Hematology with the “Mladen Ćepulić” Day Hospital. Furthermore, I would like to donate the other 25.000 euros to the Institute for Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation, KBC Zagreb.

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Source: Magazin.hrt

Eurovision 2024: Slovenia demands further scrutiny to the EBU!

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Slovenia joins the countries that are demanding accountability to the EBU.  Several countries expressed dissatisfaction about how the EBU handled conflicts during the Eurovision Song Contest 2024.  And in the case of Slovenia, they are planning to send a written questionnaire to the EBU demanding explanations.

Public broadcaster RTVSLO confirmed they are contacting the EBU regarding the organization of the Eurovision Song Contest 2024.

The Slovenian broadcaster is working on a “document in which they will ask the EBU officials some questions about the performance of the Eurovision Song Contest”.

After this action, RTVSLO is joining other delegations that are dissatisfied with the way the European Broadcasting Union handled the Eurovision Song Contest.  For instance, Portuguese broadcaster RTP demanded a meeting with the European Broadcasting Union demanding explanations to the incidents that took place in the final.  The letter is signed by other broadcasters including France, Spain, Croatia, and Norway.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l86DxpRnz5M&ab_channel=EurovisionSongContest

Source: RTVSLO

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North Macedonia: Andijana Janevska was approached to represent the country in Eurovision 2024!

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Even though North Macedonia did not participate in Eurovision 2024 after all, however, it seems that there have been preparations for a possible participation in the competition, that now belongs to the past. Read more

Former member of the Reference Group says that Israel’s participation in Eurovision 2024 was a mistake!

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Miša Molk is a producer and TV personality who has worked for years with the Slovenian Eurovision delegation. She was also a member of the Eurovision Reference Group from 2001-2009. In her statements she states that it was a mistake by the EBU to allow Israel to participate in Eurovision 2024.

Appearing on the TV program Odmevi, Molk was asked by the show’s host Igor Bergant if we are witnessing the beginning of the end of Eurovision as we know it:

“I think we are close. Although to deceive you with bread and shows is deceitful and very misleading. It is also humiliating for those who have no bread, who have no roof over their heads, who have no water, who have no life. For this reason, I think it can no longer stand in this form and that this glorification of war crimes through music is shameful.”

In conclusion, Molk was asked about the future of Eurovision after the controversial events of this year’s contest and whether Slovenia should be part of it.

The former Reference Group member warned that the desire to compete and put on a big show means many will quickly forget what happened in this year’s competition. Since the Israel-Gaza conflict could likely be ongoing in May 2025, Molk noted that next year’s event would repeat the same mistakes if no action is taken on the issue.

source: rtvslo.si

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Sweden: Malmö will not host the Eurovision Song Contest again!

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The organization of this year’s Eurovision turned out to be a difficult “mission”, with the host city declaring that it does not want to host the competition again after this year’s edition.

In an official announcement from the city of Malmö, they stated that this year they were faced with an unprecedented, stressful and costly situation in their effort to maintain security in their city during the competition!

The announcement:

“We can’t say we had a good year, but not a bad one either. It was a year with enough intensity that it cost us dearly to be able to ensure the safety of the participants as well as the visitors! If Sweden wins next year and offers us to host the competition, we will definitely refuse! We don’t have the strength and stamina to host the competition again!”

Eurovision 2024 has come to an end, with Switzerland taking the win. On the aftermath of the contest, many delegations are requesting a meeting with the European Broadcasting Union to discuss incidents at the contest.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpMMEDHnwSI

Source: http://superTV24

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Portugal: RTP requests a meeting with EBU, to clarify issues that occurred in the 2024 Eurovision final!

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In order to get clarification on the events surrounding the Portuguese entry in the Eurovision 2024 final, RTP requested a meeting with the EBU.

The RTP officials are adamant about the long delay for the release of the video of Iolanda’s grand final performance, claiming it was caused by the Palestinian symbols she had painted on her nails.

Norway, France, Spain, and Croatia have all signed on to RTP’s request for a meeting with the EBU.

This year Portugal finished on the tenth place in the grand final, with 152 points, mainly due to jury votes.

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Source: RTP

Finland: UMK will be used to select the Eurovision 2025 entry!

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Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu (UMK) is going to take place for the 14th time next year, in order to select Finland’s entry for Eurovision 2025! In this way, the country confirms its presence in the next contest. Read more

Schinas’ letter to the EBU: “Who is the Eurovision Song Contest for?”

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European Commission’s Vice President Margaritis Schinas sent a letter to the management of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) today, expressing his regret over the prohibition of the EU flag at the Eurovision Song Contest final and demanding explanations.

As the Commissioner responsible, among other things, for cultural policy in the EU, Schinas highlights in his letter to the EBU, that for almost seven decades, Eurovision has embodied the values of diversity and cultural exchange – values shared and supported by the EU. He further expresses “regret” for “the policy applied by the EBU this year to prohibit participants from waving the EU flag during the Eurovision Song Contest final.”

“Such actions have cast a shadow over what is intended to be a joyful event for people across Europe and the world to come together in celebration. Less than a month before the European elections and in times of geopolitical turmoil, with the EU being targeted by malicious and authoritarian actors, the decision of the EBU has contributed to the devaluation of a symbol that unites all Europeans,” stated Schinas in his letter. Conversely, he points out that at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, “the IOC allowed the display of EU flags in all venues and award ceremonies.”

“The inconsistency in the EBU‘s stance has left me and many millions of viewers wondering what and whose Eurovision Song Contest is,” emphasizes the Commissioner, calling on the EBU management to explain the rationale behind this decision.

The response from the European Broadcasting Union remains to be seen, with voices against it growing stronger day by day after the events in Malmö.

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EBU Takes a Stand on Joost Klein Incident and Backstage Escalations

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Following Joost Klein’s admission of his unlawful and violent behavior towards a female SVT employee, resulting in his expulsion from this year’s Eurovision Song Contest final, the EBU has released a new statement addressing the issue.

The Dutch artist Joost Klein was excluded from the Grand Final of this year’s Eurovision Song Contest following threatening behavior directed at a female member of the production team. Swedish police have investigated the offense, and the case will soon be handed over to the prosecutor for expedited proceedings.

Joost’s behavior was a clear violation of the Contest’s rules, designed to ensure a safe working environment for all staff and to protect the production. While we do not prejudge the legal process, given the circumstances and the fact that the police investigation will be handed over to the prosecutor shortly, it would not have been appropriate for Joost to participate in the Grand Final.

The decision to exclude him was supported by the governing bodies of the Contest – the Eurovision Song Contest’s Reference Group and was unanimously endorsed by the EBU Executive Board, following a thorough internal investigation.

The version of events circulated in some public comments and on social media does not correspond to the reports shared with us and the Swedish Police by staff and witnesses. However, the matter is now subject to legal proceedings, and unfortunately, we cannot comment further at this stage.

We maintain a zero-tolerance policy towards inappropriate behavior at our events and will always take necessary measures to address threats to staff – from whoever they may originate.

However, Joost Klein’s incident wasn’t the only irregular behavior in the Contest’s premises. In light of the escalations that occurred during the past week among various delegations and the complaints received, the EBU issued a relevant announcement:

“We regret that some delegations at the Eurovision Song Contest in Malmö didn’t respect the spirit of the rules and the competition both onsite and during their broadcasts,

We spoke to a number of delegations during the event regarding various issues that were brought to our attention.

The EBU’s governing bodies will, together with the heads of delegations, review the events surrounding the ESC in Malmö to move forward in a positive way and to ensure the values of the event are respected by everyone.

Individual cases will be discussed by the event’s governing body, the Eurovision Song Contest Reference Group made up of representatives from participating broadcasters, at its next meeting.”

While Eurovision 2024 may have already concluded, it seems that the controversies of the competition will follow us for many months to come… We will monitor the situation and keep you updated on any developments.

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Norway: NRK refers discussions of the Norwegian jury mebers to the EBU for assessment!

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Norway’s national television broadcaster, NRK, confirmed that it has sent some information, regarding discussions around the Norwegian jury’s voting to the EBU for assessment.

Daniel Owen, who was one of the Norwegian jury members, expressed his regret about Norway’s jury giving 8 points to Israel this year.

In a post on social media, he said:

“In my opinion, Israel should not be allowed to participate in Eurovision at all. Although I was not involved in the awarding of points to Israel, I would like to apologise that this was shown from the Norwegian jury”

Gunilla Süssmann, who was also part of the Norwegian jury, said:

“The fact that the jury did not choose to boycott artists is not the same as us supporting war. This was a purely professional assessment where we had to assess the best song based on our musical expertise. That is what we have done.”

Stig Karlsen, who was the Head of Deligation for Noway this year, said on NR that Daniel Owen’s words might have caused a brench of the rules:

“We want to emphasize that the jury must judge the song, artist and performance without being colored by politics or other non-musical matters. With Daniel Owen’s statement, it may look like we have a rule violation. Information about the case was yesterday sent from NRK to the EBU for assessment”

The EBU has not yet made an official statement about the situation.

Norway participated in Eurovision 2024 with the band Gåte and the song “Ulveham”, finnishing in the 25th place – last – in the Grand Final of the Contest.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBbL8ORqNVU&pp=ygUSdWx2ZWhhbSBnYXRlIGZpbmFs

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Source: Eurovoix