Minggu, 15 Mei 2016

Justin Timberlake Is Overshadowed by Jamala of Ukraine--and Controversy!--at the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest

The unthinkable has happened.

Justin Timberlake has been out-performed and overshadowed.

The wildly successful hitmaker had a perfectly fine (and by fine we mean fantastic as always) outing at the grand finale of the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest, held tonight at the Ericsson Globe in Stockholm, Sweden. And while the contestants may have had the support of entire governments behind them, Timberlake also had his biggest fan with him in Sweden: Jessica Biel was spotted watching him rehearse on Friday.

But the annual competition, know for its over-the-top costumes, melodramatic (or kooky) performances, its politics and fierce patriotism from the participating nations, is about so much more than a fancy headliner.

Unfortunately this year, critics are decrying that the contest was about something other than music too.

Ukraine's Jamala was declared the winner Saturday for her original song "1944," which is about atrocities committed by Stalin. (So JT's latest hit, "Can't Stop the Feeling," was considerably lighter—albeit most welcome—fare.)

Jamala, Eurovision Song, Winner

MAJA SUSLIN/TT/AFP/Getty Images

Jamala beat out Dami Im of Australia's "Sound Of Silence" for the title, which came as a surprise to the announcers heard on BBC One, and coming in third was Russia, the agony of defeat all over "You Are the Only One" singer Sergey Lazarev's face.

Meanwhile, this marked the first year that the Eurovision Song Contest—competing countries are members of the European Broadcasting Zone, plus Australia—was televised in the United States; but even without the extra visibility, surely the controversy over Ukraine's win would have raged anyway, with many critics suggesting that the judges' choice was entirely political and had nothing to do with music.

Did you catch any of the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest? Was Australia robbed? What do you think?!?

The Latest: TV chief: Eurovision Song Contest unifies Europe

Armenia's Iveta Mukuchyan performs the song 'LoveWave' during the Eurovision Song Contest final in Stockholm, Sweden, Saturday, May 14, 2016. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)syndication.ap.orgArmenia's Iveta Mukuchyan performs the song 'LoveWave' during the Eurovision Song Contest final in Stockholm, Sweden, Saturday, May 14, 2016. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

STOCKHOLM (AP) — The Latest on the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest (all times local):

11:25 p.m.

Justin Timberlake has made a guest appearance at the Eurovision Song Contest, performing his latest hit "Can't Stop the Feeling" in the interval before the voting results are announced

Before his performance at Stockholm's Globe arena, the American singer and songwriter said he had watched the previous two editions of the competition.

"I know you must have been nervous, but you all represented your countries so very well," Timberlake told the 26 finalists in the competition as the voting by professional judges and TV viewers got under way.

____

11:10 p.m.

Let the voting begin. With Armenia's Iveta Mukuchyan singing "LoveWave," all 26 entries in this year's Eurovision Song Contest final have completed their performances.

Professional judges and TV viewers across Europe will now cast votes for their 10 favorite acts. The points will be added up and a winner will be proclaimed at the end of the show at Stockholm's Globe Arena.

New this year is that the votes from the judges and the viewers will be presented separately, a move meant to keep the drama going right till the end.

____

9:50 p.m.

Fans have come to Stockholm for the Eurovision Song Contest from all over the world.

Mathias Fredholm, a 45-year-old sales manager and Sai Dashani, a 36-year-old consultant, came all the way from Hong Kong to watch the show.

Dashani says Saturday "we've been following the Eurovision Song Contest for 10 or so years, maybe more,"

Fredholm added: "This is the fifth time that we go to Eurovision finals, so it's great."

Australian Max Manion-Sharrock, 22, said he was "pumped and I'm expecting Australia top two definitely."

The show is so popular in Australia that the country has been invited to compete for the second consecutive year. South-Korean born Dami Im is representing Australia with the song "Sound of Silence."

___

9:20 p.m.

Belgium's Laura Tesoro is the first competitor to take the stage at the Eurovision Song Contest.

Dressed in a glittery silver outfit, the 19-year-old Belgian opened the contest with "What's the Pressure," a funky tune with a bass riff reminiscent of Queen's "Another one Bites the Dust."

The contestants for the 26 countries taking part in the final entered Stockholm's Globe Arena on a cat walk to wild cheers from the enthusiastic audience.

___

9 p.m.

The director of the TV alliance that produces the Eurovision Song Contest says the show's message of unity is particularly significant at a time when Europe is seeing its internal borders returning.

European Broadcasting Union Director-General Ingrid Deltenre told The Associated Press before Saturday's final that the togetherness the event brings is important for a continent in the midst of a refugee crisis and talk of Britain's possible withdrawal from the European Union.

She says "you have reactions in Europe which are very polarizing ... we are sending out a signal. It's a signal about tolerance, about openness, about diversity."

The EBU is an alliance of public service broadcasters in Europe that produces the show. This year's event is being held in Stockholm's Globe Arena and will be broadcast live to an estimated 200 million people in Europe, Asia, Australia and the United States.

___

8 p.m.

It's got kitsch, international intrigue and an array of eclectic musical performances from Belgium to Armenia.

The winner of the 61st edition of the Eurovision Song Contest will be crowned at the end of a live show Saturday night that is being broadcast to an estimated 200 million viewers in Europe and beyond.

The competition among European nations and, oddly, Australia, will take place in Stockholm's Globe arena.

Russia, Australia, Ukraine, France and host nation Sweden are the bookmakers' favorites among the 26 countries competing for the title, which comes with the obligation to host the competition next year.

Those rules are a bit different for Australia, which if it wins would co-host next year's show somewhere in Europe.

More from Associated Press:
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  • Israeli leader takes swipe at French peace initiative
  • Bangladesh police arrest suspect in gay activist's killing
  • Police officer shot in face, torso, released from hospital
  • Suicide bombing kills 12, injures 17 in southern Yemen
  • Sabtu, 14 Mei 2016

    Eurovision Song Contest funded by TV license fee system that criminalizes poor people

    Millions of people around the world tuned into the Eurovision Song Contest final on Saturday night, largely oblivious that it is funded through an old-fashioned license fee system that throws poor people in jail when they don't pay up.

    The outdated BBC license fee of £145.50, which is confusingly applicable to people who do not even own televisions, goes towards 'quality' broadcasts such as the Eurovision which can cost up to £30 million to host.

    And even if you don't win (which the UK almost never does), fee payers will still fork out £310,000 to send disappointing entries to places such as Azerbaijan.

    Dozens of 'criminals' every year who don't or can't pay are incarcerated alongside murderers and thieves for up to three months, according to the White Pages, a document detailing plans to keep the BBC relevant and funded into the future.

    Efforts to "decriminalize" the system have been delayed until next year, but in the meantime, the UK government hopes a law will give the BBC access to data on private TV services such as Sky and Virgin to smoke out those who refuse to pay for Conchita Wurst to belt out her winning tune.

    Over 150,000 people were convicted in the same year for a TV license offense and given a fine of up to £1,000.

    Those British subjects not blessed with centuries of family wealth can find it difficult to pay their fee as it marks a significant proportion of their income.

    Across the sea in Ireland, a comedian and TV star went to court and refused to pay his fee as an act of defiance against his national broadcaster's content.

    The charges were eventually dropped when an unknown person paid it on his behalf.

    The Italian government added a monthly fee to electricity bills to cover the TV license fee, in an effort to reduce the number of people choosing not to pay the fee from 30.5 tp 5 percent.

    The move brings them closer to Germany's model where the fee is included in a monthly household charge regardless of equipment owned, leaving the country with an estimated one percent of people somehow still managing to avoid paying.

    Unlike the US where no TV license is required, most EU countries are subject to the outdated charge, meaning it is a criminal offense not to fund the Eurovision, even if you think it's total rubbish.

    If you win the competition, your TV license might end up paying for your country to host the event at a cost of up to £30 million.

    Then again, with BBC programs like Sherlock, perhaps it is worth the money.

    Alison Mosshart frames speeding tickets

    Alison Mosshart frames all of her speeding tickets.

    The Kills rocker loves the thrill of driving super fast and admitted she has broken the law by speeding more than once.

    Asked when she last broke the law, she said: "Last night. Just speeding. I drove home from a restaurant at 100mph and it felt really good because there was no one on the road.

    "I frame all my speeding tickets because I think you have to make light of these things."

    The 37-year-old musician was previously involved in a "super-scary" car accident, but it wasn't due to her speeding - she was enjoying listening to the music she and bandmate Jamie Hince had made so much, she drove the wrong way.

    She told Q magazine: "I had a really big crash when I was about 20 years old. It was in my hometown in Florida and my dad had lent me his car.

    "I was driving around listening to these demos that Jamie and I had made, you know, really rocking out in the car, and I turned down a one-way road the wrong way and suddenly drove into six lanes of oncoming traffic.

    "I hit this Cadillac and as I spun round it, I smashed every side of it and ended up in the front yard of a flower shop.

    "I totaled both cars and it was super-scary but, amazingly, no one was hurt, luckily."

    Meanwhile, Alison is currently nursing a knee injury after drunkenly convincing herself she had martial arts skills during her mother's recent 70th birthday party.

    She said: "I decided at three in the morning that I knew how to do Ju-Jitsu and I don't. I'd been drinking out of a tequila bottle straight and thought I was a superhero.

    "I fell really hard on a brick porch and sprained my knee so I've been limping ever since."

    Jumat, 13 Mei 2016

    Watch song ‘Zingaat’ from Marathi film ‘Sairat’ which is making people dance in India

    Film is the biggest Marathi blockbuster.

    By Dileep ThekkethilSairat

    The romantic Marathi movie "Sairat", starring debutants Rinku Rajguru and Akash Thosar, has crossed Rs. 41 crores and has become the biggest Marathi blockbuster ever with IMDb giving a strong rating of 9.4 out of 10.

    The Marathi movie that hit theaters across India with English subtitles has been attracting a lot of audience, thanks to the well written script and the soulful music scores by Ajay-Atul which includes a dance that many say is one of the best in recent times. Excellent camera work, and a plot that encompasses happiness and sadness add to the quality of the movie.

    The movie is set in interior Maharashtra where a fisherman's son and a local politician's daughter falls in love against caste norms of the village. Sairat, directed by Nagraj Manjule, has now become the highest grossing Marathi film ever.

    The trendsetting song "Zingaat" sung by Ajay and Atul Gogavale has taken the success of the movie to a new level. The song has by now become a hit number across the country with moviegoers going crazy inside the theaters as they dance in groups while the song appears in the movie.

    This is how the audience in Delhi reacted to the song.

    Here's how Bangaloreans turned wild hearing the song.

    ABP Majha carried a report on the making of the first ever Indian film song to record symphony orchestra at Hollywood. The recording of the song took place inside the Hollywood Sony Scoring Stage, Los Angeles.

    Also, there are reports that Rinku Rajguru and Akash Thosar could be appointed brand ambassadors of Maharashtra government's scheme to encourage inter-caste marriage but this might need a legal fight as the female lead is still a 15-year-old minor.

    Recommended

    Stream Oddisee’s New Album ‘The Odd Tape’

    oddisee-tape-album-cover

    Mello Music Group

    Brooklyn MC and producer Oddisee has been putting out his own blend of hip-hop, jazz, and soul for the better part of a decade, alternating between instrumental albums, full-length solo releases, and working with his group, Diamond District. Now he's dropped his latest concept project, The Odd Tape, with Mello Music Group.

    The instrumental album follows March's Al-Wasta EP, and comes ahead of another solo album in the fall. The Roy Ayers, Bob James, and Fela Kuti inspired beats were created to represent his daily life.

    "The Odd Tape is meant to be a 'Day In The Life' piece set to audio," Oddisee recently said via press release. "Each track is the theme music to my routine."

    Oddisee is currently on the US and UK Good Fight tour with the live band Good Company in support of 2015's The Good Fight album. Stream The Oddisee Tape for guilt-free listening below. Better yet, purchase it on Bandcamp and iTunes.

    Mø’s ‘Final Song’ Is Hopefully Not That Because It’s Quite Good

    Mø, the Danish singer-songwriter and vocal glue that holds Major Lazer's "Lean On" together, has just released a beautiful new pop confection called "Final Song." Produced by British powerhouse MNEK (he of Zara Larsson's "Never Forget You" and Beyoncé's Lemonade standout "Hold Up"), the tune rides on a chorus anchored by a supremely weird, four-stepping drum machine and a flameout of synthesized xylophonic blips. It is very, very good and a sure sign that Mø's upcoming sophomore record is going to be the aural equivalent of several flame emojis.

    "'Final Song' is about reconnecting with your inner strength," MØ said in a press release. "With your inner glow, passion, spirit animal, whatever – the force that keeps us going and doing what we love. I wrote it with MNEK and Noonie Bao – both of whom I adore – in Los Angeles earlier this year. We all need to feel empowered from within to be the best version of ourself, but it's not always easy and that's what inspired me to write these lyrics. When you're united with your inner glow you can beat the fears and fly towards your dreams."

    Hear "Final Song" below.