Entertainment
Eurovision Explained, From ABBA To Zorra, As The Israel-Hamas War Overshadows The Song Contest
Malmö, Sweden – Scores of musicians, hundreds of journalists, and thousands of music enthusiasts have converged in Malmo, Sweden, as the Eurovision Song Contest prepares for Saturday’s jubilant, glitter-drenched finale.
But even Eurovision cannot avoid the world’s divisions. Thousands of pro-Palestinian protestors are expected in the city to call for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas conflict and criticize Israel’s participation in the event.
Here’s an introduction to what Eurovision is, how it operates, and what to look for.
AP – VOR News Image
What is Eurovision?
The short answer is that Eurovision is a music competition in which performers from around Europe and beyond compete under their national flags for the title of continental champion. Consider these the pop music Olympics.
The longer explanation is that Eurovision is an event that combines pop, partying, and politics, resembling a music festival, an awards show, and a United Nations Security Council meeting. It’s a crazy joyful festival that celebrates music’s unifying power, but it’s also a venue for politics and regional rivalries.
AP – VOR News Image
How does it work?
This year, the tournament will be held over many days in the Swedish coastal city of Malmo, which has entries from 37 countries. The country is hosting after Swedish singer Loreen won the competition last year in Liverpool, England.
After two semifinals, the artists have been reduced to 25, and they will compete in Saturday’s final in front of thousands of fans in the Malmo Arena and a global broadcast audience estimated at 180 million.
In an unusual move, the 26th finalist, Joost Klein of the Netherlands, was removed from the competition on Saturday due to “a complaint made by a female member of the production crew” that is being probed by police, according to organizers.
Nations may enter a solo act or a band. They can perform in any genre or language, but the regulations require them to sing live and limit their songs to three minutes. Staging has become increasingly extravagant, with spectacular pyrotechnics and sophisticated dance. This year is very great for topless male dancers.
After all of the acts have been performed, the winner is determined by a notoriously complex combination of phone and online votes from all around the world and rankings by music-industry juries in each Eurovision country. As the results are announced, countries move up and down the standings, and tensions rise. Ending up with “nul points,” or zero, is considered a national shame.
Eurovision’s musical style has evolved drastically since its inception in 1956. The early years of crooners and ballads gave way to cheery pop, as exemplified by possibly the greatest Eurovision song of all time, ABBA’s “Waterloo,” which won 50 years ago.
Euro-techno and power ballads are popular nowadays, but viewers choose rock, folk rap, and odd, unclassifiable music.
According to bookies, Swiss singer Nemo is a top contender, delivering “The Code,” a beautiful, operatic ballad. Nemo would be the first nonbinary performer to win the contest with a large LGBTQ+ following. A quarter century ago, Dana International became the contest’s first transgender winner.
Another nonbinary singer gaining traction is Ireland’s Bambie Thug, whose song “Doomsday Blue” is Gothic, passionate, over-the-top, and a true crowd-pleaser. They are the only contestants to bring a “scream coach” to Malmo.
Other acts expected to perform well include operatic Slovenian singer Raiven, Ukrainian rap-pop combo Alyona Alyona and Jerry Heil, and Spain’s Nebulossa, whose song “Zorra” sparked controversy because its title can be translated as an anti-female slur.
The performer with the most traction is Croatian vocalist Baby Lasagna. His song “Rim Tim Tagi Dim” is classic Eurovision: joyful, humorous, slightly emotional, and immensely catchy. It is already a major fan favorite.
AP – VOR News Image
WHY ARE SOME PEOPLE PROTESTING?
Eurovision’s tagline is “united by music,” its organizer, the European Broadcasting Union, works to keep politics out of the competition. But it frequently intrudes.
Belarus was kicked out of Eurovision in 2021 for its government’s crackdown on opposition, while Russia was kicked out in 2022 for its full-fledged invasion of Ukraine.
This year, there have been requests for Israel’s exclusion due to its actions in the conflict against Hamas.
Israel is competing but was forced to change the title of its song, which was previously titled “October Rain,” in an apparent reference to Hamas’ October 7 cross-border raid. Eden Golan, a 20-year-old vocalist, now performs the song “Hurricane.”
Thousands of pro-Palestinian activists marched through Malmo hours before Golan performed in Thursday’s semifinal, and another is planned for Saturday. Swedish police have launched a large security operation, with officers from throughout the country joined by reinforcements from Denmark and Norway.
SOURCE – (AP)
(VOR News) – The film “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle” has been purchased by Crunchyroll, and it will be distributed to theaters all around the world as part of a trilogy of films.
The three films will be distributed worldwide by Crunchyroll and Sony Pictures Entertainment, with the exception of specific areas in Asia and Japan being excluded from the distribution. There is no information available regarding the publication dates.
The three-part cinematic features are a representation of the completion of the last arc and the finale of the hugely popular and award-winning anime shonen series.
As Crunchyroll’s president, Rahul Purini stated, “We are delighted to have been a part of the ‘Demon Slayer’ franchise from the very beginning.”
“We appreciate the opportunity to become a part of this franchise.” “Crunchyroll is thrilled to present this trilogy of films to its fans on the big screen, and it is expected to be among the most significant and influential pop cultural events of our generation.”
A manga series based on the work of Gotoge Koyoharu, “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba” has been published by the Jump Comics division of Shueisha since 2018.There have been more than 150 million copies of this collection, which consists of 23 volumes.
Kamado Tanjiro, whose family is killed by a demon, joins the Demon Slayer Corps in order to restore his younger sister Nezuko to her human form after she has become a demon. Here is the beginning of the story.
“Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba”‘s “Tanjiro Kamado,
Unwavering Resolve Arc” was the first episode shown in April 2019. A motion picture entitled “Mugen Train” was released in October of 2020, and two television series entitled “Mugen Train Arc” and “Entertainment District Arc” ran in the years 2021 and 2022, respectively. The “Swordsmith Village Arc” was made available on Crunchyroll in the year 2023, little than a year after the theatrical release of “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – To the Swordsmith Village.”
The “Hashira Training Arc” was made available to the public in the year 2024, not long after the theatrical release of “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba -To Hashira Training.” The animation creation was handled by ufotable.
“To the Swordsmith Village,” “Mugen Train,” and “To the Hashira Training,” the three most recent films, have all been commercially successful and have garnered a lot of positive feedback from audiences.
“Mugen Train” has made more than $500 million to this day, making it the highest-grossing anime film of all time and the highest-grossing Japanese film at the box office around the world. It currently holds the position of being the second highest grossing anime film in the history of the box office in the United States.
Crunchyroll is currently offering “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba” for streaming, and it is currently available for viewing.
In 2021, Sony completed the acquisition of Crunchyroll and then combined it with Funimation, the company’s own anime streaming platform. On the other hand, the firm made the decision to keep the Crunchyroll name and continue to develop it as a streaming and theatrical participant.
The firm is a joint venture between Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is situated in the United States, and Aniplex, which is a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc. Crunchyroll LLC is a company that operates independently. At the end of the day, both are subsidiaries of the Sony Group, which has its headquarters in Tokyo.
In a separate development, Sony has recently revealed that it will be establishing an institution with the purpose of fostering the creative potential of anime directors.
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BET Awards Return Sunday With Performances From Lauryn Hill, Childish Gambino, Will Smith And More
Will Smith Debuts New Song In Fiery Performance At The BET Awards
Will Smith brought flames and faith to the BET Awards stage on Sunday.
Smith returns to his musical origins with the release of his new single, “You Can Make It.” In the gospel-inspired tune, Smith, accompanied by Fridayy and the Sunday Service Choir, raps about perseverance.
Will Smith | CNN Image
Will Smith Debuts New Song In Fiery Performance At The BET Awards
“The darker the hell you gotta endure / The brighter the heaven you get to enjoy / The harder the fall, the higher you soar,” Smith rapped as spectacular fire engulfed the stage. His words, a testament to his resilience, echoed through the audience, inspiring them. “God opens a window when the devil closes the door / Believe me, they tried to bleed Will Smith / In the rearview, I see adversity was the gift / To lift me higher gifts requires faith.”
Smith’s performance at the BET Awards follows his surprising Coachella cameo in April when he appeared during J Balvin’s set for a boisterous rendition of his track “Men In Black,” which was first released in conjunction with his smash 1997 film of the same name.
The “Independence Day” star’s new song is his first solo material in nearly five years, a fact that has his fans buzzing with excitement. It marks his first significant release since 2005’s “Lost and Found” album, making it a highly anticipated event in the music world.
Smith has recently collaborated with other musicians, such as Bad Bunny and Marc Anthony. In 2017, he released the EDM single “Get Lit” and the track “Light ‘Em Up” with Sean Paul, which are on the soundtrack for his upcoming film, “Bad Boys: Ride or Die.”
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Will-Smith-performance-bet-awards-063024-1f4fb97d35d44d03b89bd4d0acb09fdd.jpg "Will Smith Debuts New Song In Fiery Performance At The BET Awards")
Will Smith | EW Image
Will Smith Debuts New Song In Fiery Performance At The BET Awards
Smith is a four-time Grammy winner for rap performance, both solo and as part of a duo/group. His first win came in 1988 for the song “Parents Just Don’t Understand,” which he performed with DJ Jazzy Jeff as the Fresh Prince.
The pair also won for their 1992 single “Summertime.” Smith won back-to-back Grammys for rap performance in 1998 with “Men In Black,” followed by “Gettin’ Jiggy with It” the following year.
SOURCE – CNN
Entertainment
BET Awards Return Sunday With Performances From Lauryn Hill, Childish Gambino, Will Smith And More
The BET Awards return on Sunday night. The evening will be performance-packed and begin with a blazing set by Megan Thee Stallion, two days after the release of her third studio album.
Taraji P. Henson, an Oscar-nominated performer, will host the performance for the third time at Los Angeles’ Peacock Theatre.
BET Awards | AP News Image
BET Awards Return Sunday With Performances From Lauryn Hill, Childish Gambino, Will Smith And More
Lauryn Hill and her son YG Marley, Childish Gambino, Ice Spice, Tyla, Chlöe, Coco Jones, Keke Palmer, Marsha Ambrosius, Summer Walker, GloRilla, Latto, Muni Long, Sexyy Red, Shaboozey, and Victoria Monét will also perform. Will Smith will perform a new song, but no specifics have been disclosed. The Grammy and Oscar winner is still recovering from the iconic Oscars slap two years ago, with the successful release of “Bad Boys: Ride or Die” bolstering his recovery. Tanner Adell, a country musician, will also perform on the BET Amplified stage.
The BET Awards will be broadcast live on BET starting at 8 p.m. Eastern from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. They will also air simultaneously on Comedy Central, Logo, MTV, MTV2, Pop, TV Land, Nickelodeon at Nite, and VH1.
Drake leads the nominations, exactly as he did last year. These include an album of the year nomination for his eighth studio album, “For All the Dogs.”
BET Awards | AP News Image
BET Awards Return Sunday With Performances From Lauryn Hill, Childish Gambino, Will Smith And More
One of the accolades he’s up for is the music video for “First Person Shooter,” his collaboration with J. Cole, which may have sparked his recent feud with rapper Kendrick Lamar.
Nicki Minaj follows with six, including album of the year for her much-anticipated “Pink Friday 2” release. Two of her nominations were for her song “Barbie World,” which appeared on the hit “Barbie” soundtrack, which she sang with Ice Spice.
J. Cole, Sexyy Red, SZA, and best new artist Grammy winner Victoria Monét all have five nominations, while 21 Savage, Beyoncé, Doja Cat, Megan Thee Stallion, Tyla, and Usher each have four.
Usher will receive the BET Awards’ Lifetime Achievement award, previously granted to Busta Rhymes last year and Sean “Diddy” Combs the year before.
The R&B sensation is an eight-time Grammy winner who recently completed a two-year residency at the Park MGM, “Usher: My Way”. In February, he released his first solo album in eight years, and in August, he will embark on a 24-city U.S. tour dubbed “Past Present Future.”
BET Awards | AP News Image
BET Awards Return Sunday With Performances From Lauryn Hill, Childish Gambino, Will Smith And More
Usher’s 2024 Super Bowl halftime show received critical acclaim and featured guest appearances from Alicia Keys, H.E.R., Jermaine Dupri, Lil Jon, and Ludacris. His album “Confessions” sold over 10 million units in the United States, making it one of the best-selling music projects ever. It produced No. 1 songs like “Yeah!” with Ludacris and Lil Jon, “Burn,” and “Confessions Part II.”
Presenters include Andra Day, Colman Domingo, DC Young Fly, Devale Ellis, Jay Ellis, Jessica Betts, Ms. Pat, Niecy Nash-Betts, and Saucy Santana.
SOURCE – (AP)___
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