Eurovision semi-final 2022: Serbia’s Konstrakta causes stir with Meghan Markle song
SERBIA'S Eurovision Song Contest entry has caused a stir with its references to Meghan Markle's hair, as the second round of the competition's semi-finals kick-off on Thursday evening.
Eurovision: Ukraine receive huge reception from audience
Konstrakta, Serbia's entry, begins her song "In Corpore Sano" by repeating: "What could be the secret of Meghan Markle's healthy hair? What could it be?" In a Eurovision first, the song is performed in both Serbian and Latin. Discussing the song, Konstrakta said that Meghan isn't really important to the song but "she’s representative of all those people in the media that we’re focused on." Also competing tonight for a spot in Saturday's final are Finland, Israel, Australia, Ireland and Poland, among others. Russia has been banned from this year's competition, following its invasion of Ukraine. Eurovision's second semi-final will be on BBC Three at 8pm and is hosted by Rylan Clark and Scott Mills.
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San Marino's Eurovision entry sparks fury as fans accuse Achille Lauro of copying Maneskin
This year's performers wore outfits similar to those worn by Maneskin last year and singer Achilles shared an on-stage kiss with the guitarist, in the same way that two members of Maneskin did last year.
Twitter user @EdHotTV wrote: "Well San Marino was a blatant Maneskin copy. But fab staging, so it probably deserves to qualify #Eurovision."
@JaneCSweeney added: "@bbceurovision Too trying to copy off maneskin & not working #Eurovision."
@robyfiore remarked: "Well, let's say it was almost deja vu ... Achille Lauro, Maneskin #Eurovision."
Irish comedian makes 'Irexit' joke
Following Ireland's failure to qualify for this year's final, Irish comedian Micheal Fry made a tongue in cheek joke about Ireland leaving the EU.
"Irexit now", he tweeted.
Irexit now #Eurovision
\u2014 Michael Fry (@BigDirtyFry) May 12, 2022
The results are in
The countries that have qualified for Saturday's final are Poland, Belgium, Finland, Azerbaijan, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Australia, Sweden, Romania and
Voting is now open
Voting is now open and UK viewers can vote for their favourite country via phone or on the Eurovision app.
Lines will be open for approximately 18 minutes, so get your votes in quick.
Fan favourites Sweden are up next
Sweden. who are favourites to win today's semi-final are up next.
Singer Cornelia Jakobs performed a powerful ballad called "Hold me closer".
Serbia criticised for using subtitles
Eurovision fans have criticised Serbia for using subtitles in their song.
Twitter user @jannerbloke asked: "Why do Serbia get subtitles? #Eurovision."
@will_pearse13 echoed this, writing: "Why are we cutting to text a few seconds into the song?? And how does she think she's gonna sing her best sitting down doing some washing?? And random subtitles?? Oh, song's pretty naff too. 6/20 #Eurovision #Serbia #SRB."
@cagedthelephant posted: "Omg get rid of the subtitles whaaaat. it was the best part hearing the song without knowing the meaning, it was much more magical #eurovision serbia."
@jannerbloke also asked: "Why do Serbia get subtitles? #Eurovision."
Why are Australia allowed to perform in Eurovision?
The Eurovision song contest is mainly entered by countries in Europe.
So why is Australia allowed to compete?
Australia was initially allowed to take part of the event as a one-off in 2013, to mark the event's 60th anniversary.
However, the country has now performed in the competition six times and it has been confirmed they will take part until 2023.
Sam Ryder says Eurovision has been everything he hoped it would be
UK act Sam Ryder has said that his Eurovision experience has been as "wacky" as he hoped it would be.
He said he has no expectations for his performance and said he is getting to do something he loves with all his heart.
Why can't the UK vote in both Eurovision semi-finals?
Five countries automatically qualify for the finals, France, Italy, Germany, Spain and the UK.
In the first semi-final French and Italian audiences were able to vote.
And in today's final, the UK, Spain and Germany are able to vote.
Ireland are up next
Ireland is up next with an upbeat pop song from singer Brooke.
Brooke came third on The Voice and said her goal is just to qualify for Saturday's final.
San Marino performer rides bucking bronco
San Marino's performer Achille rode on a bucking bronco while performing the song "stripper" while dressed as a cowboy.
Georgia perform wacky circus inspired song
Georgia are up next singing "Circus Murcus".
The band are wearing wacky circus-inspired outfits, such as glasses and beards and their song is catchy and upbeat.
Serbia's Meghan Markle inspired performance is up next
Serbia are up next, with their song "In Corpore Sano", which asks the question, "what is the secret of Meghan Markle's healthy hair".
Throughout the song, singer Konstrakta washes her hands repeatedly with a bowl.
The song is about prioritising having a healthy body over a healthy mind.
Finland are tonight's first performers
Tonight's first performance comes from Finland's The Razmus.
The group have been together for 30 years and are best known for their 2003 song "in the shadows" which reached number three in the UK charts.
Today's performance began with the lead singer wearing a yellow coat and carrying a balloon, in an apparent nod to Stephen King's It.
Tonight's show begins with a dance performance
Tonight's show has begun with a dance performance headed by the host of the Italian X-Factor Alessandro Cattelan.
And yes, we've stored the Greek dancers from last year in our headquarters. #Eurovision #ESC2022 pic.twitter.com/G1VOtXLfBg
\u2014 Eurovision Song Contest (@Eurovision) May 12, 2022
Second semi-final to begin shortly
The second semi-final of this year's Eurovision is due to kick off at 8pm.
IT'S ALMOST SHOWTIME! \ud83e\udea9\ud83e\udd29\ud83c\uddee\ud83c\uddf9 #Eurovision #ESC2022 pic.twitter.com/HnRbfse9Ns
\u2014 Eurovision Song Contest (@Eurovision) May 12, 2022
Sweden favourites to win tonight's semi-final
Sweden are favourites to win tonight's Eurovision semi-final at 1/3.
Romania are second favourites at 11/10.
Betfair Exchange: Eurovision 2022 semi-final 2 winner
Sweden: 1/3
Romania: 11/10
Poland: 7/2
Czech Republic: 5/1
Israel: 13/1
Serbia: 14/1
Finland: 20/1
Malta: 21/1
Semi-final running order
Here is the running order for today's semi-final.
Finland will be kicking off the show, followed by Israel and Serbia.
Ending the show tonight will be the Czech Republic.
Today's the day! It's time for the Second Semi-Final of #Eurovison 2022! \ud83e\udd73
\u2014 Eurovision Song Contest (@Eurovision) May 12, 2022
Who will you be voting for? \ud83c\uddeb\ud83c\uddee\ud83c\uddee\ud83c\uddf1\ud83c\uddf7\ud83c\uddf8\ud83c\udde6\ud83c\uddff\ud83c\uddec\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddf2\ud83c\uddf9\ud83c\uddf8\ud83c\uddf2\ud83c\udde6\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde8\ud83c\uddfe\ud83c\uddee\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddf2\ud83c\uddf0\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddf7\ud83c\uddf4\ud83c\uddf5\ud83c\uddf1\ud83c\uddf2\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\udde7\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddf8\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\udde8\ud83c\uddff#ESC2022 #Eurovision2022 pic.twitter.com/R9EstpYEeZ
ABBA revealed as greatest Eurovision performance of all time
Swedish pop sensation ABBA's 1974 performance of 'Waterloo' has been crowned the best Eurovision performance of all time.
A new survey, by Betfair Casino, revealed that nearly one in three Brits voted for the pop group, while British group Bucks Fizz following closely behind with 15 percent of the vote.
Top 8 greatest Eurovision performances of all time:
Abba, Waterloo - Sweden, 1974
Bucks Fizz, Making Your Mind Up - UK, 1981
Lordi, Hard Rock Hallelujah - Finland, 2006
Celine Dion, Ne Partez Pas Sans - Switzerland, 1988
Johnny Logan, What’s Another Year - Ireland, 1980
Conchita Wurst, Rise Like A Phoenix - Austria, 2014
Loreen, Euphoria - Sweden, 2012
Jedward, Lipstick - Ireland, 2011
Winning Eurovision could make Brits luckier and richer on Monday study finds
Winning the Eurovision song contest on Saturday could make Britons richer and luckier on Monday, a new study has shown.
A recent study, The Winner Takes It All: Investor Sentiment and the Eurovision Song Contest found that there is an upturn in stock market performances for traders from the winning country of the competition.
Kim Cramer Larsson, Technical Analyst at Saxo Markets, said: "Your nation winning the Eurovision Song Contest can make you perform better on the stock market."From a psychological perspective, this level of excitement and euphoria from victory translates to a positive investor sentiment."For example, a rare victory for the UK is likely to give people across the country a much needed boost psychologically and therefore financially by making them richer on the stock market come Monday."It’s not surprising to see these upticks in the study, but it doesn’t guarantee that it will always happen - specifically with examples such as this year due to the ongoing war in Ukraine."
UK second favourites to win Eurovision 2022
The UK are the second-favourites to win Eurovison 2022 at 15/2, following Ukraine who are at 8/15.
However, the pre-tournament favourite has only won five times in the last ten years, meaning that it is not certain that Ukraine will take the crown.
Betfair Exchange: Eurovision 2022 winner
Ukraine: 8/15
United Kingdom: 15/2
Italy: 11/1
Sweden: 12/1
Spain: 23/1
Greece: 64/1
Poland: 79/1
Netherlands: 119/1
Good evening
Good evening, I'm Olivia Stringer and I’ll be bringing you all the latest developments on Eurovision for the next few hours. Please feel free to get in touch with me as I work if you have a story or tips to share! Your thoughts are always welcome.
Email: olivia.stringer@reachplc.com
Twitter: @Livstringer_