Russian pop star Alla Pugacheva condemns war against Ukraine!

Russian pop star Alla Pugacheva has condemned once again the war her country launched against Ukraine.  The 73 old singer enjoys the status of pop legend in her country since her stage debut in the Soviet Union in the 1970s.

In February 24, Pugacheva condemned the war for the first time on an Instagram post where she wrote:

“I cannot describe what I am feeling right now. How is this all possible? There is no justification for war! No to war!”

Soon after that, Pugacheva and her husband, Maxim Galkin decided to move to Israel with their children.  She returned to Russia in August according to a Russian fashion designer.  It is unclear if she remains in her home country in the present.

However, Pugacheva decided to speak out once more after her husband was designated a foreign agent.  Pugacheva’s husband, a comedian and TV presenter had also condemned the war against Ukraine.  According to the Russian law organizations and individuals that receive funding from abroad can be declared foreign agents. The term carries a strong pejorative sense and implies additional government scrutiny.

In response to this decision from the Russian Ministry of Justice, Pugacheva took social media to respond.  In her message she asked to be named a ‘foreign agent’ like her husband.  She further said her country had “illusory dreams” in Ukraine.  Pugacheva said her husband wished for an end to the death of Russian soldiers, who were “dying for illusory aims that make our country a pariah.”

Alla Pugacheva is also known among Eurovision fans for representing Russia at the Eurovision Song Contest 1997.

Source: CNN, Euronews

“OGAE Russia allegedly supports actions of their government!”

OGAE Russia has allegedly published an article that makes reference to the Ukraine-Russia war.  Although the article is from February 26 when the war had started, OGAE Ukraine brought it back into the public eye.

As we previously informed, OGAE Ukraine asked OGAE International to disqualify Russia from its annual OGAE Song Contest.  However, the request from OGAE Ukraine has received mixed responses.  There are people who agree to support this petition to show support to Ukraine.  On the other hand, there are fans that consider such a ban would be a “punishment” against Russian artists and fans.  It must be highlighted that OGAE is a fans only organization with no connections to the government of the country.

OGAE Russia publication

 

OGAE Russia published the message above on their website which is still available in this link.  In the last message OGAE Russia is apparently giving a contradictory message stating they are an apolitical organization but at the same time supporting the war.  The sentence roughly translates:

OGAE Russia considers it necessary to express its apolitical position on what is happening in support of the actions of our country

OGAE Ukraine has condemned this message.  In a recent publication on Instagram, OGAE Ukraine points out that “this means NOT the support for broadcasters’ decisions, NOT the support for artists, but the support for the actions of their country specifically.  Additionally, they mention that in their statement, OGAE Russia used the picture of a house in Ukraine hit by a Russan missile.

According to OGAE Ukraine, their condemnation also extends to one of the chosen Russian contestants. Vladimir Presniakov has  supposedly expressed his support for the war and took part in a concert in support of the Russian invasion.

 

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for more updates in this and other eurovision related news!

 

The most successful Eurovision countries in the 20s!

Eurovision is heading to the third decade of the 21st century and it has clearly changed not only in comparison with the past, but also with the recent years. In this article we investigate how countries scored during the first 2 years of the 20s, as well as their average score.

As you can see below, we cannot identify a group of 5-6 performing performing always well, as it used to happen the last years. Only a few countries are consistently doing well, despite the fact that the scores studied are only of the last 2 years. Tougher competition, the success of the contest on social media (TikTok had a business partnership with the contest this year featuring exclusive clips of the first rehearsals on the platform), as well as the high interest by record labels are only some of the reasons why it is harder to perform consistently well, since entries are of higher lever than the past.

Lets see in detail the average score of the countries during this decade:

Country        2022   2021    Average

  1. Ukraine           1          5             3
  2. Italy                 6          1            3,5
  3. Greece             8         10            9
  4. Sweden           4         14             9
  5. Russia             –           9             9
  6. Switzerland    17        3             10
  7. Moldova          7        13            10
  8. Serbia              5         15            10
  9. Portugal          9         12           10.5
  10. Lithuania       14         8             11
  11. France            24         2             13
  12. Spain               3         24           13.5
  13. Iceland          23          4            13.5
  14. Finland          21          6            13.5
  15. United Kingdom 2     26           14
  16. Norway           10         18            14
  17. The Netherlands 11     23          17
  18. Azerbaijan     16          20            18
  19. Belgium          19         19             19
  20. Armenia         20          –              20
  21. Malta               35          7             21
  22. Estonia           13         31             22
  23. Poland            12         33            22.5
  24. Cyprus            29         16            22.5
  25. Romania        18          28            23
  26. Israel              30          17           23.5
  27. Albania          28          21           24.5
  28. Australia        15          34           24.5
  29. Bulgaria         38          11           24.5
  30. Germany        25          25            25
  31. Croatia           26          27           26.5
  32. St. Marino     33          22           27.5
  33. Czech Republic 22     36             29
  34. Denmark        31         29             30
  35. North Macedonia 27 35             31
  36. Austria           36         30             33
  37. Ireland           34         37            35.5
  38. Latvia             32         39            35.5
  39. Slovenia         40        32              36
  40. Montenegro   37         –                37
  41. Georgia           39       38             38.5

As you can see in the table above, there are very few countries where the average of their positions in these two years is below 10. This proves how difficult it has become to be in the top ten. It is even more difficult to have continuous results within top 10, since only three countries have achieved this, Ukraine, Italy and Greece!

It is evident that Italy and Ukraine are the two powerhouses of the competition for this decade (so far). Sweden remains high on the list, but far from the first place it was in the last decade. Greece is recovering dynamically since it is in third place, when in the previous decade it was out of the 20s. Cyprus gets lower scores year by year, unfortunately making us believe that 2018 was just a coincidence and is currently in 24th place!

Regardless of personal taste and opinions, the numbers speak themselves and is clear that Ukraine, Italy and Greece are doing great during this decade. The new strategy of the management of ERT to chose the artist and the song internally, is proven to be successful, after years of bad results and 2 NQ (2016,2018).

Stay tuned on Eurovisionfun because the journey to Eurovision 2023 has already begun!

Little Big Leaves Russia Over War In Ukraine

The popular Russian punk-rave band Little Big says it has decided to leave the country over Moscow’s ongoing, unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.

The group issued an anti-war video clip called Generation Cancellation on June 24 to announce that it had rebased in Los Angeles, California.

“We condemn actions of the Russian government, and Russia’s military propaganda is so disgusting for us that we decided to leave everything behind and flee the country,” the group’s leader, Ilya Prusikin, known under the nickname Ilyich, said in a statement.

The members of the group added in the statement that they “adore their country, but absolutely oppose the war in Ukraine.”

Little Big was established in Russia’s second-largest city, St. Petersburg, in 2013. The band was scheduled to represent Russia at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2020.

However, because of the coronavirus pandemic the contest was cancelled. The group didn’t take part in Eurovision in 2021, saying another artist should be given the chance to represent Russia.

Stay tuned at Eurovisionfun for all the updates!

Russia: EBU formally suspends Russian broadcasters!

This week, the European Broadcasting Union officially suspended its Russian broadcasters from the organization.

RTR , Channel One and Radio Dom Ostankino have now been excluded from the European Broadcasting Union, following a unanimous decision by the Executive Committee earlier this week. The confirmation of the decision was sent to all EBU member broadcasters with a statement reading:

On behalf of the Executive Committee, I would like to inform you of the decision taken by the Council on three Russian members of the EBU (RTR, Channel One and Radio Dom Ostankino) at its meeting yesterday. Based on the measures taken by the Executive Council at its last meeting on April 7, when it launched the suspension procedure, the Council unanimously decided to immediately suspend the three Russian members of the EBU indefinitely, which the Executive Board will review regularly.

The EBU  has banned  Russia from participating in Eurovision 2022, following calls from several broadcasters to do so, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. All Russian state media that were members of the EBU (VGTRK, Channel One and Radiodom Ostankino) announced their withdrawal from the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) in response to Russia’s removal from Eurovision 2022.

Channel One has been a member of the EBU since 1995, VGTRK since 1993 and Radio Dom Ostankino since 1996. Their departure from the EBU would mean that they would no longer be able to compete in Eurovision or access content such as sports events, news and music programs.

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the news!

Source: Eurovoix

Eurovision 2022: See the results of the third day of Press Poll!

As we informed you in our article, Press Poll 2022 has begun. After all countries have had their three technical rehearsals, it is now time for the accredited to vote for the countries that will advance to the two semifinals, as well as the country that believes she will be the winner of the 66th Eurovision Song Contest.

Below are the results of the semifinals and finals of today’s 11/5 at 21:00:
First Semifinal

Second Semifinal

Grand Final

In the vote for the winner, UK leads, Greece is second, and Spain is third! Greece is ranked first among the accredited journalists here in Turin.


Follow us on all social media, so you do not miss a moment of what will happen in Turin:


Stay tuned to Eurovision Fun for daily updates on Press Poll 2022!
Source: Ogae International

Philipp Kirkorov in Turin for Eurovision 2022!

As we see through the social media of Philipp Kirkorov, the Russian superstar Philipp Kirkorov has arrived in Turin, to support the Dream Team.

Philipp Kirkorov arrived in Turin by helicopter from Monaco, wanting to attend once again his great love, which is none other than the Eurovision song contest.

After the exclusion of Russia from all EBU events, but also the voluntary withdrawal of Russian public service broadcasters from the television union, many said that Philipp Kirkorov would not be present at this year’s competition.

But this apparently was not in the plans of Philipp Kirkorov, who came to support the Dream Team.

Follow us on all social media, so you do not miss a moment of what will happen in Turin:

Stay tuned at Eurovisionfun for all the updates regarding Eurovision 2022!

OGAE Poll 2022: The results from OGAE Finland, Ireland, Russia and Luxembourg!

The results for the OGAE Poll 2022 continue today, with OGAE Finland,OGAE Ireland,OGAE Russia and OGAE Luxembourg being the next fan clubs to reveal the results of their members.

First we have the results from OGAE Finland:

  • 1 point goes to the Netherlands
  • 2 points go to the United Kingdom
  • 3 points go to Estonia
  • 4 points go to Poland
  • 5 points go to Austria
  • 6 points go to Ukraine
  • 7 points go to Norway
  • 8 points go to Italy
  • 10 points go to France and…
  • 12 points go to Sweden 

The first 12 points of the day go to Sweden and Hold me Closer and that brings Sweden in the top of the scoreboard.

The second fan club to reveal its points is OGAE Ireland:

  • 1 point goes to Austria
  • 2 points go to France
  • 3 points go to Czech Republic
  • 4 points go to Norway
  • 5 points go to Poland
  • 6 points go to Spain
  • 7 points go to the United Kingdom
  • 8 points go to the Netherlands
  • 10 points go to Italy and…
  • 12 points go to Sweden

Sweden receives the second 12 points of the day and they increase the difference from the second,Italy.

The third fan club to reveal its points is OGAE Russia:

  • 1 point goes to France
  • 2 points go to Italy
  • 3 points go to Austria
  • 4 points go to Norway
  • 5 points go to Finland
  • 6 points go to the United Kingdom
  • 7 points go to Latvia
  • 8 points go to Spain
  • 10 points go to Lithuania and…
  • 12 points go to Serbia

Serbia celebrates the first 12 points,as Russia gives 10 points to their neighbors,Lithuania. Latvia receive their first seven points.

The last fan club for today to reveal their results is OGAE Luxembourg:

  • 1 point goes to Poland
  • 2 points go to Norway
  • 3 points go to Portugal
  • 4 points go to the Netherlands
  • 5 points go to Spain
  • 6 points go to France
  • 7 points go to Finland
  • 8 points go to the United Kingdom
  • 10 points go to Italy and…
  • 12 points go to Sweden 

The last 12 points of the day go to Sweden from Luxembourg.

The total scoreboard after the votes of 42 to 43 fan clubs is as follows:

With only the votes of OGAE Ukraine remaining to reveal,Sweden is now leading with five points against Italy.

Don’t forget to subscribe to EurovisionFun’s Youtube channel for exclusive news regarding Eurovision 2022!

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the results of OGAE Poll 2022!

Soure: OGAE International

Russia has banned Jamala, Verka Serduchka and more other eurostars from entering the country for 50 years!

Several Kremlin-linked media outlets reported that 31 Ukrainian celebrities, TV presenters, and influencers are now banned from entering Russia for 50 years. The list includes some eurostars like Jamala, Andrey Danylko (Verka Serduchka), Svetlana Loboda, Tina Karol, Alekseev and Alina Pash. All of them called out Russia for its war against Ukraine.

Other popular Ukrainian artists that their names are in this list are Svyatoslav Vakarchuk, Ivan Dorm, Nadya Dorofeeva, Dmytro Monatik, the lead singer of the rock band Okean Elzy Svyatoslav Vakarchuk, and more.

The ban reportedly took effect on April 16. Many of the artists on the list are humorous about the Kremlin’s decision, saying they do not want to visit Russia under Putin’s control.

Stay tuned at Eurovisionfun for all the updates regarding the Eurovision Song Contest!

Source

Latvia: Polina Gagarina and Natalya Podolskaya banned from entering the country over their support of Russia’s war in Ukraine!

Latvia’s message is clear: Polina Gagarina and Natalya Podolskaya are not welcome in the country.

On Thursday, Latvia’s Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkēvičs included the two Russian representatives in Eurovision, on a list of 25 Russian entertainers and artists deemed “undesirable people” for “expressing active support for the long-running aggression of the Russian authorities against Ukraine”.

As Latvian public media LSV reports, the list includes 20 people who took part in a highly criticized event in Moscow on 18 March. Artists, including Polina Gagarina, performed at the Luzhniki Stadium to mark the eighth anniversary of Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea and to support the country’s ongoing war in Ukraine.

President Putin appeared, stating that Russians “have not had such unity for a long time”.

But, as the BBC reports, not everyone in the audience actually wanted to be there. Many told the BBC they worked in the public sector, and that they had been pressured into attending by their employers. Students told that they had been given the option of a day off from lectures if they attended ‘a concert’. Some of the students we spoke to didn’t even know that the event was dedicated, in part, to support the war in Ukraine.

The list of undesirable persons in Latvia includes: Maria Sitela, Dmitry Guberniev, Vladimir Mashkov, Artyom Fence, Tina Candelaki, Viktor Polakov, Polina Gagarina, Nikolai Rastorgujev, Vitaly Loktev, Alexander Jerohin, Sergei Pereguda, Vasily Peguda, Vasily Denis Macujev, Nikita Mikhalkov, Valery Gergiev, Dmitry Streltsov, Alexei Tarasov, Pavel Suchkov, Alexei Kantur, Sergei Polunin, Victoria Ciganova, Stanislav Mikhailov.

Polina’s public support of the war created a negative impression Eurovision fans. Her 2015 entry — the peace anthemA Million Voices” — is completely at odds with the brutal war Russia started in the name of Putin.

Latvia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained that “those included in the list of undesirable persons for Latvia clearly justify and propagate the unprovoked and unjustifiable Russian invasion and war in Ukraine. Latvia strongly condemns Russia’s unprovoked and unjustifiable war in Ukraine, which has lasted for almost a month and where Ukrainian civilians and soldiers are losing their lives every day as a result of the brutal actions of the Russian armed forces. Entry into Latvia is not allowed.”

Source: 
wiwibloggs.com