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☆ Zelenskyy has been banned from speaking at the Eurovision Song Contest because broadcasters fear he would politicize the event
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Major European broadcasters have blocked Zelenskyy from speaking at Eurovision this weekend. A spokesperson for Zelenskyy denied that he had asked to speak at the event, AP reported. "The Eurovision Song Contest is an international entertainment show and governed by strict rules and principles which have been established since its creation. "We believe that this is the best way to reflect and celebrate Ukraine's Eurovision Song Contest win and show we are united by music during these hard times," the broadcasting union said, according to AP. Both the Oscars in March and the Toronto Film Festival in September denied Zelenskyy's requests to speak.

They will be joined by Ukraine and the “Big Five” of the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain and Italy in the final. “Loreen has won it before – she’s kind of Eurovision royalty. [1/4] Loreen from Sweden takes part in a dress rehearsal for the Eurovision Song Contest's grand final in Liverpool, Britain, May 12, 2023. REUTERS/Phil Noble 1 2 3 4Kaarija, the green bolero-sleeved singer from Finland whose track “Cha Cha Cha” has gone down a storm in the arena, has also been a very popular selection, Phelps said, and Ukraine “was up there in the betting”. Eurovision blogger William Lee Adams said capturing the zeitgeist had been key to winning in recent years.

☆ How Liverpool Put on a Song Contest for Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( Alex Marshall | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

When Ukraine won last year’s Eurovision Song Contest, it gained the right to hold this year’s event. And despite Russia’s invasion, it insisted it would do it. Last summer, Boris Johnson, Britain’s prime minister at the time, told reporters that Ukraine won Eurovision “fair and square,” so it should host, regardless of the war. “It’s going to be fine.”But Ukraine’s dream of staging this year’s Eurovision has failed to materialize. On Saturday night, the final of the glitzy contest — which is expected to draw a television audience of around 160 million — will take place 1,600 miles from Kyiv, in Liverpool, England.

☆ Can the UK afford to host Ukraine’s Eurovision? It can’t afford not to
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( Karen Gilchrist | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

watch nowThe U.K. will host the 67th Eurovision Song Contest on May 13. What is the Eurovision Song Contest? The U.K. is hosting the 67th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest in 2023, as the war remains ongoing in Ukraine, 2022's winners. For one, the competition can be a great advert for the host city — and country — which can endure well after the party is over. Electro-pop duo Tvorchi is representing Ukraine in the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest.

[1/5] Ukrainian dancer Anton Tiplov takes part in a Eurovision themed dance off for fans near the arena as part of the Eurovision Song Contest festivities in Liverpool, Britain May 11. REUTERS/Phil NobleLIVERPOOL, England, May 11 (Reuters) - Liverpool has opened its heart to Ukraine for Eurovision 2023, flying blue and yellow flags, offering special tickets to its refugees and adopting its cuisine, in addition to putting the country centre stage in three live shows. But organisers have worked hard to showcase Ukraine to thousands of fans in the "City of Pop" and millions more watching around the world. "Eurovision is such a joy to have in Liverpool and we're very conscious that we only have it because of the terrible things that are happening in Ukraine," he said. "So as a chef, I wanted to give a nod to the two food cultures coming together."

☆ Factbox: Who qualified in the second Eurovision semi-final?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

LIVERPOOL, England, May 11 (Reuters) - The second semi-final of the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest was held in Liverpool, northern England, on Thursday. Ten of the 16 countries performing went through to Saturday's Grand Final. They join 10 qualifiers from Tuesday's first semi-final, 2022 winner Ukraine, and the "big five" - Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Spain - in the Grand Final. WHICH COUNTRIES QUALIFIED? Denmark, Romania, Iceland, Greece, Georgia and San MarinoReporting by Paul Sandle; Editing by Sandra MalerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Eurovision: The coronation may have passed off peacefully. But song contest could be a bigger headache
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Luke Mcgee | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

London CNN —Britain’s security services are quietly relieved that the coronation of King Charles III passed without major incident – save for some accusations of heavy-handed policing. On the face of it, the stakes associated with the grand final of the Eurovision Song Contest would not appear to be particularly high. For that reason, British security officials are more exercised than they might otherwise have been about a kitschy musical competition. “On one hand you have thousands of people enjoying the nightlife, which means potential of physical targets and organized crime. This year’s event is, at its heart, a partnership between the UK and Ukraine, two major thorns in the Kremlin’s side.

☆ Factbox: When are the Eurovision Song Contest semi-finals and final?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LIVERPOOL, England, May 9 (Reuters) - Eurovision 2023 has kicked off in Liverpool, northern England, where acts from 37 countries are competing to win the 67th edition of the song contest. There are 37 countries taking part with 31 competing in two semi-finals and 10 going through to the Grand Final. Ukraine, as the previous winner, automatically progresses to the Grand Final, along with the "big five", comprising the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain and Italy. Semi-final 1: viewers in the 15 countries taking part are eligible to vote, alongside France, Germany, and Italy. Semi-final 2: Viewers in the 16 countries taking part are eligible to vote, alongside Spain, Ukraine, and the UK.

☆ Factbox: Who qualified in the first Eurovision semi-final?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

LIVERPOOL, England, May 9 (Reuters) - The first semi-final of the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest was held in Liverpool, northern England, on Tuesday. Ten of the 15 countries performing went through to Saturday's Grand Final. They will join 10 qualifiers from Thursday's second semi-final, last year's winner Ukraine, and the "big five" - Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Spain - in the Grand Final. WHICH COUNTRIES QUALIFIED? Malta, Latvia, Ireland, Azerbaijan and the NetherlandsReporting by Paul Sandle, Editing by Rosalba O'BrienOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Live Nation posts $3.1 billion revenue and record attendance despite controversies Live Nation posts $3.1 billion revenue and record attendance despite controversies
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( Ramishah Maruf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —Live Nation posted a record $3.1 billion in revenue – up 73% from last year – in the first quarter of 2023, despite possible regulation and tremendous fallout from botched Ticketmaster sales for the Taylor Swift Eras tour. In an earnings release, the ticket-industry giant said over 19 million people attended events across 45 countries in the first quarter. In a single day last November, more than two million Taylor Swift tickets were sold on Live Nation’s Ticketmaster, a record for any artist. Live Nation stock rose about 15% on the news, to close at about $77 a share. Congressional hearingsLawmakers grilled Live Nation president and CFO Joe Berchtold in a three-hour hearing in January, alleging the ticketing giant wields too much monopolistic control over the industry.

☆ What King Charles' coronation means for the UK economy
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

But the UK economy as a whole could suffer as workers take an extra day’s holiday. John Lewis' Coronation Lewis Bear. John Lewis & PartnersDepartment store John Lewis has had to limit in-store purchases of its Coronation Lewis Bear to two per household, and the teddy is out of stock online. For the coronation, UK luxury brands “have procured unique merchandise at all levels of the economy and we’re seeing people buying it, particularly Americans and EU customers,” she added. (The coronation holiday will be the third holiday Monday this month.)

☆ UK train drivers target FA Cup final, Eurovision with fresh strikes
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ASLEF said the strikes would take place on May 12, May 31 and June 3. As well as the FA Cup final, the action will likely impact those travelling to the Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool, taking place between May 9 and 13. "Consequently, we have today announced three more days of strike action." "More strike action is totally unnecessary and will only heap more pressure on an industry already facing an acute financial crisis," an RDG spokesperson said. "We urge the ASLEF leadership to re-join us at the negotiating table and work with us to find a solution."

☆ King Charles coronation concert fans slam Ticketmaster ‘shambles’
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The company was hired by the BBC to handle ticketing for a concert on May 7 to celebrate the ascension of King Charles to the British throne. Some fans who received an email from the ticketing site saying they’d won tickets for The Coronation Concert say they were later told that all tickets were gone. A total of 10,000 free tickets for next week’s concert were allocated to fans in three ballots. But some fans have said Ticketmaster’s instructions on how to secure the tickets allocated in the third ballot were confusing and contradictory. “Like so many others, [I] got the @Ticketmaster email to say I’d got tickets for the Coronation concert but they’re all gone.

☆ Britain's King Charles unveils Eurovision competition stage
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, April 26 (Reuters) - Britain's King Charles and his wife Camilla unveiled the stage for next month's 2023 Eurovision Song Contest during a visit to the venue in the northern English city of Liverpool on Wednesday, saying he would be watching. Liverpool is set to host the competition, on behalf of last year's winner Ukraine after it was unable to stage the competition because of the Russian invasion. REUTERS/Phil Noble/Pool 1 2 3Following a countdown by onlookers, Charles and Camilla unveiled the competition stage by pressing a large pink button which initiated a series of colourful dancing stage lights and a pulsating beat. In February, Britain's government said it would make 3,000 tickets for the Eurovision Song Contest available to displaced Ukrainians and provide 10 million pounds ($12.47 million) of funding to help host the competition. The song contest will be hosted between May 9 and 13.

☆ WWE girds for insider-betting fight
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW YORK, March 9 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Want to bet on a match where the outcome is fixed in advance? The league is in talks with U.S. state gambling regulators to legalize bets on its staged matches, according to CNBC. For WWE the number of insiders may be bigger: Writers, trainers and wrestlers might be among those with an idea of what’s in store. Overseas bettors can already wager on an upcoming six-woman tag WWE team match, the Eurovision Song Contest and Love Island 2023. Meanwhile, the WWE has put itself up for sale, so some theatrical limbering up for future revenue opportunities is a smart way to juice the price.

☆ Ticketmaster's website crashed again, disrupting ticket sales for the Eurovision Song Contest 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Aditi Bharade | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ticketmaster crashed once again, this time during ticket sales for the Eurovision Song Contest 2023. The company also came under fire in November after its system was overwhelmed during ticket sales for Taylor Swift's "The Eras Tour." Joe Berchtold, the president and CFO of Live Nation Entertainment, Ticketmaster's parent company, was called to testify before a Senate committee in January over the Taylor Swift ticket sales debacle. During his testimony to the Senate on January 24, Berchtold apologized to Swift and her fans, saying that "bot traffic" disrupted the ticket sales. This year's Eurovision Song Contest, which is organized by the BBC and the European Broadcasting Union, will be held from May 9 to 13 at Liverpool's 11,000-seat Liverpool Arena, per Eurovision's website.

☆ Eurovision Song Contest final tickets sell out in 36 minutes
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, March 7 (Reuters) - Tickets for the 2023 Eurovision song contest grand final in Liverpool, England, in May sold out in little over 30 minutes on Tuesday, organisers said. Britain is hosting the 67th contest on behalf of Ukraine, the winner of the 2022 competition that was ruled out from hosting because of the ongoing conflict there. Tickets for the grand final were priced between 160 pounds and 380 pounds ($192-456), while tickets for the two semi-finals were priced between 90 pounds and 290 pounds. Around 3,000 tickets for a total of nine shows - six previews, two semi-finals and the grand final - will be made available for displaced Ukrainians for a charge of 20 pounds per sale, the British government said last month. ($1 = 0.8336 pounds)Reporting by Paul Sandle; Editing by Kirsten DonovanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ UK to offer 3,000 Eurovision tickets to displaced Ukrainians
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, Feb 25 (Reuters) - Britain's government will make 3,000 tickets for the Eurovision Song Contest available to displaced Ukrainians after their country was unable to host the competition because of Russia's invasion last year. The government also said it would provide 10 million pounds ($12 million) of funding to help host Eurovision in May on behalf of Ukraine, which won the competition in 2022 and would normally have become host for the following year. The northern English city of Liverpool will host the 2023 Eurovision. British broadcaster BBC will stage the event, which normally draws a television audience of close to 200 million and was last held in Britain in 1998. ($1 = 0.8372 pounds)Reporting by William Schomberg; Editing by William MallardOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Magnitude 5.5 earthquake strikes Central Turkey region - EMSC
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

UK to offer 3,000 Eurovision tickets to displaced Ukrainians, article with imageEurope category · February 25, 2023 · 10:09 AM UTCBritain's government will make 3,000 tickets for the Eurovision Song Contest available to displaced Ukrainians after their country was unable to host the competition because of Russia's invasion last year.

☆ 'Lord of the Dance' Michael Flatley treated for 'aggressive' form of cancer
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

Irish-American dancer Michael Flatley has undergone surgery for an “aggressive” form of cancer and is under medical care, a statement on the “Lord of the Dance” creator’s Instagram account said. “Michael Flatley has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer. He has undergone surgery and is in the care of an excellent team of doctors. No further comments will be made at this time,” the statement released late on Wednesday said. Flatley has previously said that he was diagnosed with a malignant melanoma in 2003.

☆ "Lord of the Dance" Flatley treated for "aggressive" form of cancer
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Dancer Michael Flatley poses for a portrait in front of the Lyric Theater in New York November 17, 2015. REUTERS/Lucas JacksonDUBLIN, Jan 12 (Reuters) - Irish-American dancer Michael Flatley has undergone surgery for an "aggressive" form of cancer and is under medical care, a statement on the "Lord of the Dance" creator's Instagram account said. "Michael Flatley has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer. He has undergone surgery and is in the care of an excellent team of doctors. No further comments will be made at this time," the statement released late on Wednesday said.

☆ Final farewell: From Sidney Poitier to Pope Emeritus Benedict a look back at the influential figures who died in 2022
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-01 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +55 min

Other world leaders who died in 2022 include former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, who died in August. The final days of 2022 saw the loss of some exceptionally notable figures, including Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. Here is a roll call of some influential figures who died in 2022 (cause of death cited for younger people, if available):___JANUARY___Dan Reeves, 77. A Cuban-born artist whose radiant color palette and geometric paintings were overlooked for decades before the art world took notice. A prolific character actor best known for playing villains and tough guys in “The Manchurian Candidate,” “Ocean’s Eleven” and other films.

☆ Eurovision Voting Goes Global, Giving U.S. Fans a Say on European Musical Contest
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-27 | by ( Tali Arbel | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Americans will soon get a chance to vote in the Eurovision Song Contest, the musical competition that celebrates kitschy pop and helped launch the careers of ABBA and Celine Dion . Eurovision’s pomp and spectacle draw comparisons to the Olympics. It’s watched by about 160 million people on TV in Europe and Australia. It remains niche entertainment in the U.S., an oddity from across the globe with unknown performers in weird costumes belting ballads, electropop and the occasional rock or country song. Not everything’s sung in English.

☆ Eurovision Song Contest voting to be opened up to non-participating countries
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Viewers from countries not participating in the Eurovision Song Contest will be able to cast a vote for their favourite act next year for the first time in the competition's history, the organiser said on Tuesday. Viewers will be able to vote via a secure online platform, and a full list of eligible countries will be published nearer the time of the event, usually held in May. The 2023 Eurovision Song Contest will be held in the northern English city of Liverpool on behalf of this year's winners Ukraine. The grand final results will still be decided by a combination of votes by viewers and juries. It said the changes were designed to protect the event's integrity after irregular voting patterns in the results of six countries in the 2022 contest.

[1/2] Taylor Swift receives the award for the Best Longform Video during the 2022 MTV Europe Music Awards (EMAs) at the PSD Bank Dome in Duesseldorf, Germany, November 13, 2022. REUTERS/Wolfgang RattayDUESSELDORF, Nov 13 (Reuters) - Taylor Swift walked away with four prizes at MTV's Europe Music Awards on Sunday, including best video for her 10-minute "All Too Well". Double-award winners included Nicki Minaj for best song and best hip-hop, and the French DJ and record producer David Guetta won the best electronic award and best collaboration. The U.S. pop singer Swift, wearing a dress of bejewelled mesh, won best artist, best pop, best video and best long form video. British pop star Harry Styles won in the "best live" category and the Thai-born Lalisa 'Lisa' Manoban won best K-pop.

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