Eurovision 2016 - Your Résumé

[musicfan]

I can't believe the remarks on the interval stuff. It went on forever, just talked about how amazing Swedish music was, and did stuff we've all seen before (Eurovision history/cliches etc). No real need for Timberlake either.

 

[cegs5]

There was way too much Swedish propaganda, it was annoying at some point ... Had this been done by Russia, many people and media would have demanded EBU to do something about it.

 

[Brandt]

There was way too much Swedish propaganda, it was annoying at some point ... Had this been done by Russia, many people and media would have demanded EBU to do something about it.

As long as there was sense of humour I don't see why people should react. In fact, even if there was no sense of humour, I still don't see why people should react. It is still better than Azerbaijan's cultural spam in 2012 on Youtube channel.

 

[lavieenrose]

During the Ukrainian NF, I had a good ol' butthurt lament to RainyWoods on ValentinaBook about how Eurovision 2016 was going to suck. Then Jamala happened, and I was proven wrong. As the odds started to take shape, I had another good ol' butthurt lament to RainyWoods on ValentinaBook about how the final of Eurovision 2016 was going to suck. Then Georgia (and a couple other nice surprises like ) happened, and I was proven wrong again. During the jury voting, I had yet another good ol' fashioned butthurt lament to Lupus in the stands about how Dami and her beigefest were going to set the tone for Eurovision 2017, and that it was going to suck. Then Jamala happened, and as with before, I was proven wrong. At many a time, I had actually honest laments about how someone was creating a really toxic environment on this forum and making Eurovision really difficult to enjoy. Then they buggered off, and lo and behold, I was proven wrong.

So in essence, notwithstanding how hard I tried to dislike this year, it ended up being one of my absolute favorites on record. The Eurovision Class of 2016 has some exceptional talent, and it's exposed me to a bunch of new artists (not just those who made it to ESC even - NF artists represent!), songs, languages, cultures, musical motifs, and people that I otherwise wouldn't've grown familiar with, and that's really all I ask for from Eurovision. Did the names Patty Pravo and Parno Graszt mean anything to me before this ESC season? God no, and now I'd absolutely call myself a fan of both!

Also, thank you Sweden for a fantastic show - there were some things about which I was only cautiously optimistic like the voting changes or not optimistic at all like Måns as a host, but you made every piece of it work. Now just send an entry I like again like you did all but four years of your Eurovision history.

 

[cegs5]

As long as there was sense of humour I don't see why people should react. In fact, even if there was no sense of humour, I still don't see why people should react. It is still better than Azerbaijan's cultural spam in 2012 on Youtube channel.

Maybe is that being in Finland I have got enough of Swedish stuff. My bad.

 

[MyHeartIsYours]

Well thankfully I managed to watch all the songs, and vote too, though I missed all of the voting. Some would say that was a blessing in disguise.


Absolutely AMAZING hosting - congrats Sweden. Best hosting of Eurovision ever, the stage, the general mood/theme, and the hosts themselves - well they were spectacular. Someone I know who doesn't even like Eurovision said that Mans is so talented and generally "just perfect" - and of course Petra is too. They were so good I felt as though they were regular television hosts that I'd known for years.


But aside from the hosting, well... we shouldn't even talk about it. Eurovision 2016 was a disaster. The contest's reputation (after so much effort trying to build it up since 2009) now lies in tatters, and Eurovision looks rotten to its core.

We've seen a merger of two political threats to Eurovision in the form of Russian-hating "Eurogays", and Russian-resenting quarters in Eastern Europe. And this is on top of the already horrendous in-built bias against the "old" Eurovision countries.
I am very pleased to hear that the Russians are going to fight this, hopefully this gives an opportunity for the Big 5 and Russia to work together to rid Eurovision of this rottenness. Russia has always participated in Eurovision fairly, and they supported us to reform pre-2009 Eurovision even though it was in their own personal interests to keep the old bloc clique running. In Moscow, they seemed very proud to be hosting the very first "new" Eurovision and I've always remembered that.

The only thing left to do is for the B5+R to demand (not ask) for the changes we need for the future. Eurovision cannot happen without these six nations, and there will be no harm done in reminding the powers-that-be of this. To satisfy Russia's call to boycott 2017, the EBU should launch a big investigation into all potential political intrusions into Eurovision this year.

I lived in Wales for several years and I love that nation. I'm very offended that Eurovision deemed the Red Dragon to be "too political for Eurovision" but a song about Stalin murdering millions of people to be completely acceptable. Not to mention the reasons why it won.

Eurovision is for all of us, equally - British, Swedish, Ukrainian, Russian.

 

[Lupus]

My first Eurovision session where I was interested for start to finish after [MENTION=14007]lavieenrose[/MENTION] got me interested last year. What can I say apart from "AMAAAAAYZING"?! The quality of songs was incredibly high. I found myself having to hate songs that in any other year I'd just ignore to make sure I had more than about two I really disliked!! I could just about make a final with only songs I loved and the hosting Hey, I lost a fair few favourites before the final, but the final was still great!

The interval acts were just fabulous too, with the iconic Lynda Woodruff making multiple appearances (just to be clear, I watched the BBC coverage for the semis and was at the final, so judging the interval acts I saw there). Timberlake was a disappointment, but I appreciate that's my taste and I'm sure millions of others loved him. The new voting system worked wonders; leaving us all certain that Australia had won at the halfway stage and then the final result only becoming clear when we heard " three " of the three hundred and sixty whatever points Russia got. I'm obviously overjoyed about the winner! So yeah, wonderful year all in all.

I honestly don't get some of the criticism about the winner. If you want Australia to win; demand that we get rid of the televote and then she won. If you wanted Russia to win, demand we get rid of the juries and then he won. But the current system is what it is and the song with the highest average support won and that's how it works. So yes, thanks Sweden for your hosting and let's hope that next year can match this year with its very high standards!

 

[ag89]

Good:

- hosts: funny, full of charisma. I didn't like Petra back in 2013, but everything was great this time.
- interval act in the final: 10/10!
- voting and new system: it seems good.
- songs: so many modern songs, great singers, the standard was really high
- top 5: more or less,
- Georgia and Australia: the first one for playing risky and Australia for showing how the entry should sound and look like in 2016.
- blocks are (almost) gone: people will always support neighbors, but juries were very good plus televoters.

Ok:
- the stage: modern, but too dark and too blue
- winner: this was not my number 1, but I'm totally fine with this.

Not ok:
- juries have too much power: as I said, I like the system, but 5 people against millions, no.
- so many scandals around juries: related to this above, it seems to me the EBU is not able to control everything.
- English is fine, but,... : I really miss other languages.
- too much technology: it's like "let's put holograms, although they don't fit". It was over the top, but technology is fine. You just have to learn how and when to use it.

 

[musicfan]

One of the main memories I assume will be the assumed political aspect of Ukraine v Russia.

 

[QwaarJet]

The only thing left to do is for the B5+R to demand (not ask) for the changes we need for the future. Eurovision cannot happen without these six nations, and there will be no harm done in reminding the powers-that-be of this. To satisfy Russia's call to boycott 2017, the EBU should launch a big investigation into all potential political intrusions into Eurovision this year.

If the big 5 and Russia join together and demand changes (they won't, and nothing will happen) then I hope the EBU call their bluff. The big 5 are a running joke at Eurovision, mostly sending terrible entries and contributing only financially. And the only thing Russia bring is the threat of actually hosting. You say Eurovision would die without these 6 countries...I beg to differ. A small minority of countries should not be able to bully and threaten their way into contest changes. Most people seem very happy with the contest and how it went, except the bitter ones, and they will always exist, regardless of the outcome.

If Russia do withdraw, then I don't think there will be many tears. And the big 5 will say absolutely nothing. If anything needs to change, they need to be made to qualify from the semi-finals. Maybe without that guaranteed ratings winner on Saturday night, they might actually take things more seriously, knowing if they don't the ratings will drop sharply. It will likely benefit them in the long run.

Anyway, I'd say this was (show-wise) the best Eurovision ever. Sweden did a fantastic job. The song quality was pretty poor though, so I hope for better songs next year. The voting worked very well...only problem is that it showed the general public what ESC fans already knew...just how corrupted by diaspora the televote is. Hopefully some adjustments are made next year. Also an increase in numbers of people in each jury wouldn't go amiss. And they shouldn't be in the same room together.

But overall it was pretty good. I am worried about how well Ukraine will host next year...they won't match this year. But we shall see.

 

[popavapeur]

ESC2016 just opened my eyes on something : the contest is evolving and it will leave fans on the side. It's gonna be hard for them to leave what they loved for years but ESC is shifting little by little.

And i'll be moving with it, I like to see things evolving and "evolve" doesn't necessary mean that everything will grow in a way that pleases me. I truly loved the new voting, I'll just add 5 more people in the juries (10 will be the best, 15 juries seems quite enough and representative). The show was amazing, very entertaining. Music is also evolving : more radio friendly songs, less daring entries, less fun entries. I'm a fan of Verka Serduchka, I loved the Babushkis but at the same time I never had so much songs I liked in a Final like this year. Actually I didn't like 1 or 2 songs so the best would be this kind of ESC song-wise with the two entries I disliked turned into a gag entry.
I didn't like 2015 so 2016 was some fresh air to me and it was a very good show almost as good as 2014. I don't like the winner's song but I accept it 100% and i'll support ESC in Ukraine next year.

 

[GermanBango]

So now it's my turn
At first I was kinda skeptical about SVT hosting our beloved contest again ... although being quite open minded I was worried about all the changes they intended to make. I can now say that I've been proven wrong ... multiple times! SVT actually did a great job.
Back in 2013 I really despised Petra Mede - she seemed very unlikable, arrogant and cold to me but this year I actually learned to like her. Mans and Petra had a great chemistry together.
Visually and technically this was without a doubt one of the best/most creative ESC's I've watched (together with 2014). The new voting system is really a whole lot of fun and excitement - I hope they keep it.
Result-wise this was indeed an interesting year (I would even call it a turning point) - There were many positive surprises... qualifying for the first time, and making it to the final again, bad songs from and failing despite being 100% qualifiers in the past... We're on a good way - In the end quality (surprisingly) won. Money can't buy success after all.
In the end this was another great, fun, entertaining and emotional year that reminded me why I'm in love with the Eurovision Song Contest.
On a side note I have to say that I'm really thankful that this Forum exists - There are so many interesting personalities in here and it's always a pleasure to go through this intense time with you guys. Coming here feels like coming home. Special thanks to all the amazing people in here who make me laugh, cry and/or rage.
#WesternESCFanMafiaForLife

 

[MyHeartIsYours]

If Russia do withdraw, then I don't think there will be many tears.

The fact that your people wouldn't shed many tears at the loss of one of Eurovision's most successful nations just about summarises the lack of purity in your motives.

 

[Chorizo]

What I liked:

We have a deserving winner and were spared a Russian victory.
The winning song isn't just a random pop song but the winner conveys an important message just like in 2014. I'm not saying it needs to be like that every year but it's nice to have meaningful and politically relevant winners occasionally, when the time is right.
I like the new voting system (although it needs further improvement).
Petra and Måns were great hosts.
The interval and opening acts in semi 2 and in the grand final were fantastic.
I liked many songs this year and overall the shows were great.
I liked the stage and the fonts that were used to display the country names at the end of the post cards.
The shows were funny and entertaining.
It looked quite different from Vienna. I'm not saying this because Vienna was bad but because it's nice to have something different every year. Vienna's hosting was more classic in comparison and Stockholm was more modern. I think both is okay.
I liked that they showed stage performances of the Big 5 and the host in the semis. That's a further improvement over last year.
It was certainly one of the best shows we have ever had and I'm looking forward to next year.


What I disliked:

I'm not a big fan of the opening and interval acts in semi 1.
I think what Justin Timberlake presented on stage was okay but I don't like the American involvement. I think Eurovision should be focused on Europe and there shouldn't be a half time show by an American singer that performs on Eurovision to advertise his new album. If there's a big star, it should be a European star. I hope this will remain an exception.
I have the bad feeling that the videos were blocked on YouTube because of the deal with Viacom. If that's that case, then please let's focus on Europe again. European viewers shouldn't have a disadvantage because the EBU wants to make money in the USA.
The postcards could have been more interesting. Some of them were quite nice but overall they were rather boring and unoriginal. It was just people doing random stuff.
Last year there was a clear connection between logo, motto, and stage design. This year, there was no connection. 'Come Together' is generic anyway and the logo only reflected the shape of the arena. I think it's better when there is a concept that incorporates everything, like last year.


I think there are two things left that Austria introduced last year and I like both of them:
1) The Big 5 and the host show up in the semis and we hear a few words spoken in their languages
2) If more time is needed, the show can last a few minutes longer. I think this was the second longest contests so far and they didn't finish in time again, just like last year. That's okay for an event that takes place once a year and it's better than hurrying during the show to finish on time.
Maybe they are more relaxed about this now after ORF turned a show that was supposed to last 3:30 hours into a 4 hour show.

So overall Sweden did a very good job and I am quite happy.

 

[Sammy]

Something that came to my mind the other day:

The staging of many countries is getting more and more sophisticated, which is a good thing for the viewer. It's impressive and fun to watch. But it becomes more and more a question of whether you can afford an expensive staging. This could - if that tendency continues - become a major bias for smaller and /or financially less powerful countries. I wouldn't want a contest where the economic situation of the broadcasting company plays a decisive role in the chances to win. But I have no idea how to handle this. Perhaps to give a financial limit for the costs of the staging, that all participants agree on? Not sure if this would be a good idea, though....

 

[blein]

What I liked:
The Hosts [Best Ever]
The Interval Acts
The winner
New voting system
Opening
Stage
What I disliked:
Usa interval act
Jury Butchering Russia Hard [21 juries 0p. And 0's only in grand final, same juries gave him high scores in semifinal.]
Jury Overrate Australia
0p from viewers to Czech Republic
222p from viewers to Poland
Wishes for the next year
Remove big 5 and make that past year top 5 countries will be in final automatically
Add 5 more juries to each country to have total of 10 juries.
Return random running order
When show jury result, return and

 

[musicfan]

But it becomes more and more a question of whether you can afford an expensive staging. This could - if that tendency continues - become a major bias for smaller and /or financially less powerful countries.

It already is.

 

[VikingTiger]

Some time has passed since Stockholm. Time to look back at the shows.

All in all I am still left with the impression of GREAT ESC year - talking about the shows.

Petra was quite good in her first attempt as a host. Now she did brilliantly. And she teamed up well with Måns.
Love, Love, Peace, Peace - I am still laughing at one of the best interval acts ever! I loved this year's sense of humour.
A really good stage too - most entries came out very well stage-wise.

But - what didnt work was the sale of tickets. Waaaay to hard to get them.... I tried... :-(
Great idea to have a show in the neigbour building for the ones of us that were in Stockholm but never got through to buy those stupid tickets to see it live.

The votings: I'd still advice to give out both the 8, the 10 and the 12p of the juries. But actually I can live with only the 12. I see their point; it does save time.
Splitting the juries and the televotes, and going from 10 to 1 gave great suspense - keep it!! It was ok just to quickly go througt the votes up til 11th place in televoting.

Songwise?
This is (as always) more based on my personal taste. I gave out lots of 8s and 10s. But only one of the songs is still a 12 for me after the live performances. Last year there were several. But it seemed that the general level was very good this year. We had many really good artists! No awkward moments of horrible vocals in the final.
I'd like to hear more songs in other languages. But I dont think those will disappear, and thus I dont worry too much about that.
All in all the final consisted a nice mixture of songs. And I think the general viewer would enjoy the show/songs - not only for a good laugh...

The winner?
I think Ukraine was the right winner. 1944 was not my favourite. But after seeing Jamala in the semi and the final I can fully understand why this won! She did a truelly brilliant performance both vocally and visually. It was very touching.
A songs that is not mainstream at all, and with a chorus in a language "nobody understands" won!!! Say Yay!!
All entries that reach the top 10 have done well, and can not be concidered a flop. Top 3 is extremely well performed; there are never any guarantees of the result in the ESC.
Taken the songs and performances into account neither the televote nor the jury result should come as a big surprise to anyone. Keep the 50/50 - but expand the juries to at least 10 persons in every country.

 

[LalehForWD]

Maybe is that being in Finland I have got enough of Swedish stuff. My bad.

Don't worry, just change side and move to Sweden, you'll never hear a word about Finland. (note this is a joke)