Europeans vie for pop dominance at Eurovision Song Contest, but event hurt by debt crisis

Europeans vie for pop dominance at song contest

OSLO, Norway — A 17-year-old singer from Azerbaijan opened the 2010 Eurovision Song Contest final on Saturday as musicians from 25 countries vied for pop supremacy and offered Europe a brief escape from the continent’s financial woes.

Bookmakers had favored Safura and her song “Drip Drop,” though Eurovision experts suggested her chances were hurt by performing first because the opening song rarely wins. Meanwhile, a Google Eurovision predictor program has projected that Germany’s Lena Meyer-Landrut will win.

Organizers expect some 125 million TV viewers to watch Saturday’s final — the 55th anniversary of Europe’s largest song competition.

Oil-rich Norway spent 200 million kroner ($31 million) to host the elaborate songfest, which led off with a performance by last year’s winner, Alexander Rybak, a Norwegian fiddler who won in Moscow. Spain’s Daniel Diges, who performed second, was allowed to sing his song again after an overzealous fan in a red stocking cap appeared onstage amid his backup dancers.

This year several countries have pulled out of the extravaganza citing financial strains, including the Czech Republic, Montenegro, Andorra and Hungary.

Observers also feared that the voting for the winner — a political consideration even in the best of times — will be affected by the continent’s simmering financial tensions. The Greek government debt crisis and a subsequent European Union-led bailout has strained relations within the 27-nation bloc.

“It may be the Germans won’t vote for the Greeks this year because they are not so popular in Germany right now,” said Inge Solmo, a Norwegian Eurovision expert.

The competition is decided by a panel of judges and telephone voting by the participating countries. Fans cannot vote for their own nation’s entry.

The contest is known for over-the-top exuberance in costumes, lighting and set design. One notable semifinal outfit — tight silver sparkly shorts — was worn by the male singers in Lithuania’s InCulto group, and contestants from Romania had plumes of fire in the background.

Earlier this week, 34 contestants were whittled down to 20 in two semifinals. They are competing in the final with five pre-qualified countries — last year’s winner, Norway, and the contest’s four perennials: Britain, Germany, France and Spain.

Politically motivated voting, as well as bloc voting, has been fairly common in Eurovision. Former Soviet bloc countries have tended to support one another, helping the region win five of the last nine contests.

The victorious nation wins the right to host the next year’s event — an honor that austerity-minded governments may decide to refuse.

“If Azerbaijan wins, I don’t know how they could finance the show next year,” Solmo said.

If the winning country can’t or won’t host the show, Eurovision officials have in the past turned to Britain’s BBC or the national broadcaster of another wealthy country to be the host, he said.

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Online:

www.eurovision.tv