Eurovision Song Contest 2011 - Azerbaijan pulls off a surprise triumph

By Jason Wright (Entertainment Expert)

THE most competitive and campest night of the year always delivers a talking point or two each time.  The 57th staging of the Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday night promised to be a spectacular occasion and it didn’t disappoint.

     For the first time since 1998, the contest did not take place in the capital city of the host nation.  Germany opted for the Esprit Arena in Dusseldorf over their capital Berlin.  In its day job, it’s a second division football stadium, but the tenants happily vacated their home for a few weeks to allow Europe’s greatest music competition to take centre stage.  43 countries, equalling the record, participated and the previous week’s semi-final heats whittled the field down to 25 countries in line for the showpiece prize.

IMPROVEMENT: However, Blue couldn't crack the top ten

     In recent years, the United Kingdom has plummeted from Eurovision contenders to no-hopers.  The BBC has had enough with the viewing public’s pathetic decisions of recent Eurovision performers, so decided that the only way it could win Eurovision again was to make the decision on the country’s act.  Step forward former boyband pin-ups Blue with the song ‘I Can.’ Confidence was high and the boys delivered a great performance.  However, it wasn’t their night and they finished a disappointing 11th, though it has been suggested that a sound fault in their dress rehearsal, which was marked by the juries, going towards 50 per cent of the final result was their downfall. Nevertheless, the UK will take this result as a step in the right direction.

     Like the UK, Ireland has also been in the doldrums in recent times.  It stepped up the game this year by sending in X-Factor rejects Jedward.  The quiff-haired twins were surprisingly so liked, a win looked to be on the cards.  Fortunately for those who despise them, that didn’t materialise but they still came ahead of Blue in 8th place.  Jedward got 12 points from the UK and even more shocking still, 12 from the majority of the Scandinavian countries.  Everyone now knows Jedward and so could this be the start of world domination?

GLORY: Azerbaijan celebrate a shock Eurovision success

     Ultimately, the night belonged to Azerbaijan with their powerful pop ballad ‘Running Scared,’ performed by duo Ell and Nikki, one half originating from London no less.  Tipped as a possible contender, not even bookies suggested it could win but they nailed the performance on the night and so deserved the plaudits.  The leaderboard and competition itself showed that at long last, Eurovision is finally returning to its glory days of the nineties when the competition was always close.  Azerbaijan might have runaway with the victory but behind them, margins with separated by just inches of points.  This has certainly been made possible by the EBU’s decision to bring back jury voting in 2009 to curb the political voting of the Noughties.  Yes, some of it is still evident, like high point exchanges between Scandinavians, near guarantee of maximum points for Eastern and Balkan countries and of course, the at least one exchange of 12 points between Greece and Cyprus.  Everyone agrees though, these powers have become less common in the result now.

     This was a night that many favoured failed to step up to the challenge.  France, the bookies favourite finished 15th whilst heavily backed entries from Hungary and Estonia ended up in the bottom four.  The only main liked contender, Sweden, looked at one stage to be winning but fell back the run-in to wind up third.  Host nation Germany, once again represented by last year’s winning act Lena, also had a disappointing night, ending in tenth.

     Meanwhile, the shock of the night came from Italy.  In their first contest since 1997, ironically the last time the UK won the damn thing, the Italians finished runner-up after polling as a rank outsider.  Eurovision of course wouldn’t be Eurovision without a selection of manic acts although only one made the final cut this time.  Moldova brought out six people who should belong in a mental institution rather than on a music stage, ridiculously finishing 12^th!

     In overall, it was night full of excitement and suspense.  Congratulations to Azerbaijan on a brilliant success and for only the second time in Eurovision history, next year’s contest, to be held in the Azerbaijan capital of Baku as many expect, will be outside of Europe, as Azerbaijan is technically within the Asian border.  Hail Azerbaijan!