Malmö is hosting ESC 2013

[Quent91]

No LED screen ? So what ? Is it going to be like in Oslo ?

 

[VikingTiger]

I think what has been reveiled from STV so far sounds good! I am especially happy to hear that "the show will be moved away from making advertisement for the host country to concentrate the focus on the artists and the participating countries". Using the ESC to hype ones one tourist industry never was a thing I liked.
I am curious to see how it will work having only one host. The competition is so much bigger now than back in the days that there was only one presenter. But putting less emphasis on the hosts is another step in the right direction.
What is most important for the survival of this contest however - is that the costs of the contest is lowered. Many fans want the "biggest possible number of countries to participate". For many states and broadcasters this is also an economical question. So hopefully STV can take the costs down and still making a helluva show!!

 

[A-lister]

I think what has been reveiled from STV so far sounds good! I am especially happy to hear that "the show will be moved away from making advertisement for the host country to concentrate the focus on the artists and the participating countries". Using the ESC to hype ones one tourist industry never was a thing I liked.
I am curious to see how it will work having only one host. The competition is so much bigger now than back in the days that there was only one presenter. But putting less emphasis on the hosts is another step in the right direction.
What is most important for the survival of this contest however - is that the costs of the contest is lowered. Many fans want the "biggest possible number of countries to participate". For many states and broadcasters this is also an economical question. So hopefully STV can take the costs down and still making a helluva show!!

I disagree with everything except for putting focus on songs/entries instead of silly host-trios (so I welcome the 1 host idea).

I think it's typically (and expected) by Sweden to walk in shame and don't take the opportunity to showcase anything 'Swedish' now when we have the opportunity to do so, the choice of Malmö in the first place is one aspect to this, and by the description I await a parody occur. It's funny how SVT say that they do not promote politics, when the whole concept screams politics (but to get that I guess one have to be up to date with the current Swedish political scene and debate).

Also, while it would be nice if the costs get lowered, I appreciate a "big" show. Half the point with ESC is that you get something spectacular out of the "normal", if not then ESC will just turn into "just another" Idol show and it could be a radio program instead if we are getting nothing for the fee (and just remember it's not as if the fees are lowered for this ESC, it's just SVT who are cheap and think 'less is more').

On the bright side I do welcome changes and a fresh-thinking regarding the show, I also like the way they want to emphasize and focus on what ESC really is... I do wonder what they mean with this though? If the point is to gain some credibility and respect for the contest I'm all for it. The more people realize that ESC is not just some shallow music contest but it's something much deeper than that, the better it is. I just don't hope that they have this idea that "big show is cheap and tacky" because it doesn't have to be at all... there's nothing WRONG in putting up a big show, afterall this is also an entertainment show.

 

[Stargazer]

It won't be the first time that the participant countries or artists will be the focus of the postcards though (if this is indeed what they're planning on doing). That's been the case several times in the past. The most recent one I can think of is the show in Belgrade when the whole postcard was spent splashing paint representing the colors of the participant country's flag. The articles on SVT say that they will definitely showcase Sweden, it just won't be the focus all of the time.

I think we'll just have to wait and see. If you're watching it with the attitude that this will be the worst Eurovision ever, then it most likely will be because you'll be looking for all possible faults to prove your point, whether you're aware of it or not.

 

[A-lister]

It won't be the first time that the participant countries or artists will be the focus of the postcards though (if this is indeed what they're planning on doing). That's been the case several times in the past. The most recent one I can think of is the show in Belgrade when the whole postcard was spent splashing paint representing the colors of the participant country's flag. The articles on SVT say that they will definitely showcase Sweden, it just won't be the focus all of the time.

Actually, the last time was probably Oslo 2010 when we had these strange 3D postcards showing the map of the countries, also Moscow 2009 had these "Miss Russia" having famous monuments and stuff in her hair from each participating country. What scared me with this article is simply that it seems they will have NOTHING to showcase Sweden (I don't see where you read they will even showcase anything?)

I think we'll just have to wait and see. If you're watching it with the attitude that this will be the worst Eurovision ever, then it most likely will be because you'll be looking for all possible faults to prove your point, whether you're aware of it or not.

Choosing Malmö and the whole description just screams politics (of the bad sort), I'll wait and see till I see it though. I'd rather be pessimistic about it now and be happily surprised then the opposite.

 

[Stargazer]

Actually, the last time was probably Oslo 2010 when we had these strange 3D postcards showing the map of the countries, also Moscow 2009 had these "Miss Russia" having famous monuments and stuff in her hair from each participating country. What scared me with this article is simply that it seems they will have NOTHING to showcase Sweden (I don't see where you read they will even showcase anything?)

This article on SVT:

- Vi kommer att vara i Sverige, och självklart ska vi berätta om och visa upp oss själva. Men det ska inte bara handla om vårt land, och vi ska inte slå oss för bröstet och säga att Sverige är bäst. Vi ska ha ögon för alla nationer som deltar.

Samtidigt ser organisationen det som viktigt att berätta om Sverige – om det görs på rätt sätt. Internt har man tyckt att Norge svängde över för långt åt det andra hållet.

– Vi har sagt att vi inte ska tappa bort det svenska perspektivet. Eurovision är inte bara Malmös utan verkligen hela Sveriges angelägenhet, och det kommer vi att spegla i programmet. Sverigebilden vi vill få fram är en modern bild av dagens Sverige och den svenska musikaliska historien. Vi vill inte hamna för mycket i en folkloristisk kliché, säger Martin Österdahl.

- Vi har ett par olika linjer som vi jobbar med för vykorten och har pratat om att vi utöver en bild av Sverige ska visa upp rikedomen i programmet, som består av alla deltagande länder och kulturer. Vi vill komma närmare artisterna, musiken och tävlingen. Vi vill få en bättre dramaturgi och att man som tittare känner större spänning och dramatik, säger Martin Österdahl.

Vill uppmärksamma deltagarländerna

Granted, there's still a bunch of PC hogwash in there, but at least according to this guy who is Mr In Charge, we will see Sweden showcased.

 

[A-lister]

^
Ok... well this is not from the same article I read. But it's sort of what I feared then "the modern Sweden ... no folklore"... they will basically show the hijacked SVT PC version of Sweden with a country with no history and identity. So in that case it's even worse than showing nothing.

Still highly laughable that they say (atleast in the article I read and refer to) that SVT isn't about politics yet it's so blatant that politics is highly involved in this. Sweden is one of the oldest national-states, yet they will showcase us as a country with only 10 years of history. I know EXACTLY what they're after.

I am not really sure what the comment about Norway means?

 

[Stargazer]

But one could argue that showcasing a country's culture could also be considered political. No matter what they do in this case, it's always going to be political to someone.

And it doesn't say no folklore or nothing traditional. It says they don't want to end up with too much of a folkloristic cliche.

 

[A-lister]

But one could argue that showcasing a country's culture could also be considered political. No matter what they do in this case, it's always going to be political to someone.

And it doesn't say no folklore or nothing traditional. It says they don't want to end up with too much of a folkloristic cliche.

I actually have to disagree with that. Only certain agenda groups finds politics in showing stuff like traditional music, dances or costumes... but for people with a rational mind they realize this is simply just a part of history and culture.

Oh well, we'll see, but it's obvious to me there's a political undertone in all of this.

 

[Stargazer]

I actually have to disagree with that. Only certain agenda groups finds politics in showing stuff like traditional music, dances or costumes... but for people with a rational mind they realize this is simply just a part of history and culture.

Oh well, we'll see, but it's obvious to me there's a political undertone in all of this.

Sure there's a political undertone to it. But I think showcasing the country like Azerbaijan did this year was extremely political. It doesn't have to be that way, you can show your country without some hidden agenda behind it, but I think SVT want to remove themselves as far away as possible from how ESC was handled in Baku. Had Azerbaijan not had the overly propaganda-like approach, SVT might not have been so afraid to go there.

 

[A-lister]

Sure there's a political undertone to it. But I think showcasing the country like Azerbaijan did this year was extremely political. It doesn't have to be that way, you can show your country without some hidden agenda behind it, but I think SVT want to remove themselves as far away as possible from how ESC was handled in Baku. Had Azerbaijan not had the overly propaganda-like approach, SVT might not have been so afraid to go there.

Oh plz, SVT isn't doing this because of how Azerbaijan did it. This is simply an internal Swedish political affair and this is part of THEIR (SVT) political propaganda and has nothing to do with how Azerbaijan did their show. It should come to no surprise to anyone living in Sweden that SVT despise everything that could be considered a celebration of the nation.

Not sure what was so wrong with the Azeri show though? It's not as if democratic states are the only ones with a culture to showcase. I don't find that part in particular a propaganda, although I disliked other aspects of the whole Azeri hosting though.

 

[Stargazer]

Oh plz, SVT isn't doing this because of how Azerbaijan did it. This is simply an internal Swedish political affair and this is part of THEIR (SVT) political propaganda and has nothing to do with how Azerbaijan did their show. It should come to no surprise to anyone living in Sweden that SVT despise everything that could be considered a celebration of the nation.

Not sure what was so wrong with the Azeri show though? It's not as if democratic states are the only ones with a culture to showcase. I don't find that part in particular a propaganda, although I disliked other aspects of the whole Azeri hosting though.

Oh please, SVT despises everything that is a celebration of the nation and our culture? So Allsång på Skansen, Valborg, Nationaldagen, Midsommar, Victoria's birthday, Lucia and all those incredibly uber-Swedish things are NOT broadcast on SVT every year then? What about Moraeus med mera which is literally one giant tourist promotion for Dalarna in general and Orsa in particular. Or the current nature series called Nordisk Vildmark which showcases the wonders and beauty of the Scandinavian wilderness, Sweden included. Or one of the most uber-Swedish shows in recent years I have ever seen - Allt För Sverige - which was ALL about how great Sweden is through the eyes of Swedish Americans. Or all the series featuring Fredrik Lindström where he's either explored the wonders of the Swedish language, Swedish dialects (and the cultures that come with them) or talked about what makes Swedish people special and unique and why we are the way we are. Or the lavish miniseries about the Wasa ship that aired over Christmas. Or the other mini-series SVT has produced about our famous authors like Selma Lagerlöf and August Strindberg. Or the countless times the movies of Astrid Lindgren are aired on Barnkanalen. Or the "Hundra Svenska År" series narrated by Hans Villius. I could go on and on and on. Out of all the Swedish channels, SVT is definitely airing the most Swedish productions that showcase the nation or our culture in some way.

 

[A-lister]

^
Funny you mention Nationaldagen, they totally hijacked that one. Well, let's agree to disagree shall we?

Still though, I wonder what they meant about Norway in that article. I for one didn't like the Norwegian edition so...

 

[Stargazer]

^
Funny you mention Nationaldagen, they totally hijacked that one. Well, let's agree to disagree shall we?

Still though, I wonder what they meant about Norway in that article. I for one didn't like the Norwegian edition so...

Yeah let's definitely agree to disagree.

I can't remember what the Norwegian edition was like very much, in terms of how things were presented. From what I understood of the article, they didn't like the approach Norway had because it was too removed from Norway and the Norwegian culture, so that isn't what they want to do? But like I said, I don't remember what the 2010 show was like other than the songs.

 

[A-lister]

Yeah let's definitely agree to disagree.

I can't remember what the Norwegian edition was like very much, in terms of how things were presented. From what I understood of the article, they didn't like the approach Norway had because it was too removed from Norway and the Norwegian culture, so that isn't what they want to do? But like I said, I don't remember what the 2010 show was like other than the songs.

Hmm... Yeah I'm not really getting what they're trying to say with that comment tbh.

If anything was distant from the host country and its culture it has to be the German edition 2011, that show had no personality or direction... I liked the stage and LED effects etc., but there was no concept or theme really. The postcards, the interval acts were all over the place EXCEPT for Germany and there was nothing cohesive in it.

 

[anto475]

I'm just going to say that I loved Baku 2012 postcards, because I missed seeing the nationality of the host country being brought across during the likes of the postcards and such. That said, it takes a country like Sweden, or Germany (2011), or Norway (2010) to have such a bland ,,European presentation, as their culture is kind of known across Europe, unlike Azerbaijan's or Finland's etc. Either way, I do wish A-Lister would stop hijacking every article about ESC2013 with whatever his message is about Swedishness and his nonsense about anti-semitism=anti-zionism and that other Swedish forum posters would stop their attacks against him. It's not Sverigevision and Malmo does not have some kind of hidden motive as capital of Scania that Stockholm and the Riksdag know nothing about it or something. Idk I'm probably going to be blocked from the forums for this (damn my drunken state) but just let's all get along and let love shine a light in every corner of our hearts and stop worrying that Gina Dirawi is going to broadcast a message from Hamas during Melodifestivalen.
So yeah, SVT seem to be going in the right direction if you ask me.

 

[A-lister]

I'm just going to say that I loved Baku 2012 postcards, because I missed seeing the nationality of the host country being brought across during the likes of the postcards and such. That said, it takes a country like Sweden, or Germany (2011), or Norway (2010) to have such a bland ,,European presentation, as their culture is kind of known across Europe, unlike Azerbaijan's or Finland's etc. Either way, I do wish A-Lister would stop hijacking every article about ESC2013 with whatever his message is about Swedishness and his nonsense about anti-semitism=anti-zionism and that other Swedish forum posters would stop their attacks against him. It's not Sverigevision and Malmo does not have some kind of hidden motive as capital of Scania that Stockholm and the Riksdag know nothing about it or something. Idk I'm probably going to be blocked from the forums for this (damn my drunken state) but just let's all get along and let love shine a light in every corner of our hearts and stop worrying that Gina Dirawi is going to broadcast a message from Hamas during Melodifestivalen.
So yeah, SVT seem to be going in the right direction if you ask me.

Who are you to come here and tell me about hijacking threads? It's highly ironic you demand others "not to attack me" when you do it yourself. I speak my mind and just deal with it. It's not as if this is the image YOUR country is to send out to Europe so why is this even your concern? It's just logical living in Sweden (and also being a ESC fan) that I might put some more emotions into it now when we're the actual hosts.

So what if I do care about how my country will present itself to the rest of Europe? Afterall it's not as if hosting such a big event as ESC comes every second year. Also why should Sweden be ashamed while it's all so great for countries like Azerbaijan and Finland to present their culture? Are theirs more worth or something?

And the whole thing about Gina I will not even start over again because clearly people are unwilling to even understand my point of view.

 

[Impressive]

Come on, Azerbaijan is so new a country to Europe, and Eurovision. They did show us their culture by postcards. Does it make it politic? Hah, funny. If they would show us a culture that not their own one for showing to Europe how "European" they are, this would be the worst.

 

[DanielLuis]

I stopped coming to this forum in June, with a-lister and laleh arguing about how SVT hates sweden/SVT loves sweden. I comeback 4 months later and they're still at it. For god's sake.

 

[LalehForWD]

I stopped coming to this forum in June, with a-lister and laleh arguing about how SVT hates sweden/SVT loves sweden. I comeback 4 months later and they're still at it. For god's sake.

Totally agree!!!! I'm sick tired (and have always been) the constant mocking of normal social, ideological and religious consensus in escforums threads. Hurting xenophobic and religious challenges are frequent in all threads and have apparently been so for years. The connection to Eurovision makes it even worse.

If I have been part of any hurting statement, please accept my sincere apology.