Entertainment

It was only three years ago that I first paid attention to Eurovision, but that was all it took to hook me. Wind machines, fireworks, smoke machines, and topless male dances (or topless male dancers in wading pools, like this year) - who could ask for anything more?

There is always plenty of controversy, including the selection of Spain's entry (they came in last) and the fact that the Russian entrant entered Crimea without going through Ukranian border controls (she was banned but can perform next year).  A future issue will be whether Israel will continue participating, which is based on whether the new broadcaster will apply for membership in the European Broadcasting Union. You can follow all the juicy news here.

I give my Danish friend credit for making the two semi-finals and grand final fun events to watch. She is on facebook the whole time, commenting on the action as it happens. Her friends are there, too, and we all chime in. Annual parties with themes and costumes were the highlights of our visit to Denmark.

Celebrating diversity was the theme this year and the Portuguese winner certainly was not like anyone else since all he did was sing, not even half-naked! There was also the Croatian singer who sang in a deep voice and then turned to face where he had been standing and sang in a falsetto. Also entertaining were the yodeling singers from Romania, the guy in the gorilla costume from Italy, and of course the guys on treadmills from Sweden. If you go to eurovision.tv you can read the history, the rules, and, "Everything you always wanted to know about the inner workings of the Eurovision Song Contest."

A Ukranian fan with an Australian flag added to the entertainment
while last year's winner performed at the end of the show.

Of course there are more serious issues here and in the world, it is nice to take a break sometimes.