Whether the red-white-and-blue version will be as outrageous as the European original remains to be seen.
By HANNAH BROWNNETTA BARZILAI performs during the Grand Final of the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest in Tel Aviv.(photo credit: RONEN ZVULUN/REUTERS)Eurovision, the international song contest, just announced it is creating a US version, which means that it’s time to explain this storied event to Americans. It is the biggest international event that has not had a US component, until now, so here’s a simple guide to what it is, when it’s coming and why Israelis love it so.Eurovision announced late last week that its US version will launch during the 2021 holiday season, with contests in each state, the winners of which will go head-to-head, and eventually the top few will compete in a semifinal, which will lead to a grand finale.This song contest, which postponed its 2020 edition until 2021 due to the coronavirus, was recently the focus of the Netflix movie Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga, in which Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams portray an Icelandic singing duo, and which gave Americans a glimpse of the event.The short explanation is that Eurovision is a 65-year-old song contest conceived following World War II to bring countries together to celebrate something peaceful and enjoyable, and the winners are chosen by a combination of the votes of viewers from around the world and those of a specially selected jury. A key part of Eurovision’s DNA is that viewers around the world may not vote for their own county, only for the other contestants.Eurovision has launched some big pop acts, notably ABBA and Celine Dion. But what it’s best known for is over-the-top production numbers that must be seen to be believed. It’s like a combination of any of the televised song competitions popular in America, crossed with the most garish disco stage show circa 1979. There have been many novelty acts over the years, such as Germany’s Dschinghis Khan which sang a tune celebrating warlord Genghis Khan, Latvia’s Pirates of the Sea and the Russian folk group Buranovo Grannies, a group of babushka-clad grandmothers.While at the beginning, it was all European counties, some non-European countries have been invited to participate. Israel began to take part starting in 1973, in light of the fact that there was no regional song contest in the Middle East and that even if there were, Israel would likely not be welcome.Since Israel has been taking part, it has won four times: in 1978 with Izhar Cohen’s “A-Ba-Ni-Bi”; in 1979 with “Hallelujah,” by the group Milk and Honey; in 1998 with “Diva” by Dana International; and in 2018 with “Toy” by Netta Barzilai. With all these wins, especially back when Israel had no shot at winning medals in the Olympics or prizes at the Oscars, Eurovision was one of the only international events where Israel succeeded and was welcomed with open arms.Israelis of every background are glued to Eurovision every year, and there was a great deal of disappointment that Eden Alene, Israel’s first contestant from an Ethiopian background, would not get to compete as planned this May, since she is widely seen as so talented and appealing that she would be likely to make the finals. There was relief when it was announced that those chosen for 2020 would compete in 2021.With its wild costumes and passionate performers, it has long appealed to the gay community around the world, and many LGBT performers participate and win, including Dana International, who is transgender.Whether the red-white-and-blue version will be as outrageous as the European original remains to be seen.
