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Airdate: Eurovision Song Contest 2013

Less than one month until Eurovision and SBS has its 30th broadcast of this iconic event from Sweden.

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image004evIt’s now less than one month until the Eurovision Song Contest and SBS has its 30th broadcast of this iconic event, with Julia Zemiro and Sam Pang commentating once again.

See you in Malmö, Sweden!

ON TV
The Heart of Eurovision with Julia Zemiro
Friday May 17 at 7.30pm on SBS ONE
The Eurovision Song Contest is the biggest music party in the world, and Sweden is the pumping heart – the Valhalla of Eurovision music – having created the ultimate Eurovision act, ABBA, and winning a number of times. In The Heart of Eurovision with Julia Zemiro, Julia and her trusty friend Karl the Campervan embark upon a journey of Euro discovery across Europe to Sweden: to the very heart of Eurovision.

Starting in Denmark, overlooking the famous Oresund bridge to Sweden, Julia travels in her zippy campervan through the New Europe of former Communist countries including Poland, the Ukraine, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. These countries have given Eurovision a new vitality since their entry, and Julia meets artists and fans while journeying 4,000 km towards the mecca for ABBA fans and the home of this year’s Eurovision Song Contest: Malmö, Sweden.

Julia is a fully fledged ABBA fan – the first concert she ever went to was ABBA at the Sydney Showgrounds in March 1977. For her, this trip is an opportunity to get in touch with her inner Swede. Along the way she finds many great Eurovision artists in the strangest places, including heavy metal monsters Lordi in Finland and cross-dressing Verka Serduchka in the Ukraine. In Sweden, Julia indulges her love of ABBA by making her way to the island of Viggso, the song writing home of the super Swedes. To prove her readiness for this personal journey Julia promises “to get as close toABBA as the law will allow!”

Directed by Paul Clarke (Mother of Rock, Spicks and Specks, Wide Open Road, ABBA: Bang a Boomerang, Eurovision Song Contest 2009-2012), The Heart of Eurovision with Julia Zemiro is a musical journey, tracing the phenomenon of this great event.

Eurovision Song Contest
Semi Final 1 – Friday May 17 at 8.30pm on SBS ONE
Semi Final 2 – Saturday May 18 at 7.30pm on SBS ONE
Grand Final – Sunday May 19 at 7.30pm on SBS ONE

The wind machines of last year’s winner, Loreen, are at the ready as Julia Zemiro and Sam Pang return to blow everyone away with SBS’s exclusive coverage of the 58th annual Eurovision Song Contest.

With coverage of the semi-finals and the final over the Eurovision weekend, 17-19 May, Julia and Sam will bring
their entertaining commentary direct from Malmö, Sweden.

SBS’s coverage will incorporate audience tweets, Facebook comments, and voting trends from the SBS Eurovision site.

The competition is set to be fierce with bookmakers favourite, 20 year old songstress Emmelie de Forest, representing Denmark. This year will also see the oldest ever musician to perform on the Eurovision stage with 95 year old Emil Ramsauer playing his part in the catchy Swiss entry by band Takasa. The United Kingdom is holding out for their very own hero, with music legend Bonnie Tyler taking to the finals stage with new track Believe in Me.

The Eurovision Song Contest is viewed by more than 125 million people around the globe, and is one of the longest running television programs in the world, and this year Australia will be part of the show. To commemorate SBS’s 30th anniversary of broadcasting Eurovision, the producers of the program (SVT Sweden) have invited Australia to be part of the international Eurovision broadcast.

Julia Zemiro will present a short comedic piece on “Why Australia Loves Eurovision” during SemiFinal 1 on Friday May 17.

Sydney’s Oxford Art Factory will be hosting a Eurovision party with the final shown on the big screen from 6pm on Sunday May 19. In Melbourne, SBS Radio’s Kyriakos Gold will also host a live event at Federation Square from 8pm.

ONLINE
sbs.com.au/Eurovision
From April 15
This year’s Eurovision website will take visitors on a journey to and around host city Malmö. In the lead up to the broadcast, sbs.com.au/Eurovision will get to know the contestants, learn about their country, their food and their cultures. Most importantly, it will provide an opportunity for fans to support their favourite acts and play judge on finals night. Across each of the finals nights (May 17-19), there’ll be a live interactive experience combining performance ratings, social chatter and a scorecard to vote for Australia’s favourite act. Throughout the Eurovision period, Julia Zemiro and Sam Pang will present exclusive behind the scenes video interviews with the artists, and SBS Online’s ‘Insider’ Ania Aquino will provide updates from the friendly and trendy streets of Malmö. For avid fans, TV Tonight’s David Knox also returns to cover the latest news and analysis on what’s hot and what’s not. Once again the ‘Party Guide’ is back with more tips on ‘what to eat’, ‘what to say’, and of course ‘what to wear!’ with opportunities to share party plans, games and trivia on Facebook and Twitter.

ON RADIO
SBS Digital Radio SBS6
From May 1
Also available online at sbs.com.au/Eurovision
SBS Eurovision Radio is back, bigger and better. This year listeners can tune in to a simulcast of SBS’s broadcast of the semi-finals and final, as well as exclusive news bulletins from Eurovision expert Alastair Birch direct from Malmö. The party continues with three exciting music programs: Eurovision Remixed will feature club and dance mixes, reworkings and alternate language versions of songs; The Eurovision History Of… will look at five entries at the Eurovision Song Contest, matching up their stand-out Eurovision tracks with what was happening in Europe and the world at that time; and Second Chance where listeners get to hear the songs that failed to qualify in the nationals and appreciate the hits that could have been.

Disclaimer: David Knox blogs Eurovision for SBS.

6 Responses

  1. The excitement is building.

    Big screen, High Kitsch, Low Expectations.

    Because, seriously, Denmark is the bookies’ favourite? I love the Danes, but not this song.

    One day, Moldova. One day.

  2. I think the politics is half of the fun. I always love the predictable way that Greece and Cyprus swap votes regardless of how dire their songs are (and they usually are) and the Slavs voting for each other and also how you can track immigrant populations by the suspiciously high voting for Turkey by Germany and Ireland by the UK.

  4. Love the Eurovision contest and Julia is a fine replacement for the droll Terry Wogan.

    But it has become too big lately. We now have 2 semi finals and a grand final.

    That’s just way too much kitschy pop songs to suffer through.

    I honestly didn’t think there would be so many countries competing since many of them are economic basket cases at the moment.

    Oh well if England can spend over 10 million pounds on Margaret Thatcher’s funeral – they can find the few million to send an act to Eurovision this year.

    Just wonder how many votes Bonnie Tyler will get. I’m guessing between zero and ten.

    Have to wonder sometimes if t is a music contest or a political one.

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