The Malaysian Insider :: Showbiz
The Malaysian Insider :: Showbiz |
| Eurovision returns to ABBA’s homeland with pop and kitsch Posted: 17 May 2013 05:34 AM PDT STOCKHOLM, May 17 — Bare-chested Irish drummers, a Ukrainian giant and a much-discussed lesbian kiss will be on display at this Saturday's Eurovision final in Sweden which — love it or hate it — promises plenty of pop, kitsch and barefoot ballads.
Denmark's 20-year-old Emmelie De Forest looks set to steal the show with bookmakers putting her as a clear favourite, trailed by Norway, Ukraine, Russia and Azerbaijan. Her song - "Only Teardrops" - could keep the show in the Nordics for a second year running, moving it just across a bridge that separates Sweden and Denmark after Loreen won last year's contest for Sweden with dance track "Euphoria". "It's just quite a catchy song - it's sort of true Eurovision," said Jessica Bridge, a spokeswoman for bookmaker Ladbrokes, of Denmark's entry. "It's euro-pop, and I think it's just struck a chord with people really. I think that's the one." Ladbrokes has Denmark on 4/6 odds, making the barefoot blonde who performs against a flaming backdrop one of the strongest contenders ever to go into a Eurovision final. Highlights will undoubtedly include a 2.4 metre (7 feet 8 inches) tall Ukrainian who carries singer Zlata Ognevich onto the stage, representing her inner strength, and Eurovision's first lesbian kiss featured in Finland's "Marry Me", which has drawn media controversy. Eurovision was started in the 1950s with the aim of uniting Europe after World War II. Today, it has an audience of 125 million — more than the Super Bowl in the United States — and has served as a launching pad for the likes of ABBA, Julio Iglesias and Celine Dion. And despite an ever-increasing number of TV music contests ranging from Pop Idol to the Voice, fans say the nearly six-decade-old show stands in a category of its own. "It is special — it's such great variation from all these different cultures," Thomas G:son, who co-wrote last year's winning song and has penned tunes for the Jonas Brothers, told Reuters. "You can think: What is he wearing? What is she singing? This is crazy! That's what makes it interesting and fun. There is such great variation." G:son has written the song for Georgia this year, which made it through to the final, but says his other favourite is Dutch contender Anouk, a singer-songwriter who will be belting out her dark and edgy ballad "Birds". ABBA NOSTALGIA To promote talent over politically and geographically motivated block voting, professional judges now account for 50 per cent of a performer's score. The other half comes from telephone and SMS votes received for each contestant, with fans unable to vote for their own country's entry. After two semi-finals held this week, 20 countries moved to Saturday's final while Britain, Italy, Spain, France and Germany got free passes as they are the biggest contributors to Europe's broadcasting union. Host Sweden also automatically qualified. Britain, which has not won since 1997 and finished second from last in 2012 with septuagenarian crooner Engelbert Humperdinck, looks unlikely to buck its losing streak this year. Ladbrokes says Britain's entry, Bonnie Tyler - famed for "Total Eclipse of the Heart" in the 1980s - is entering the contest with the weakest odds of any British contender in a decade. Sweden meanwhile is revelling in the moment. ABBA the Museum, showcasing the musical history of Sweden's most famous Eurovision winner, opened its doors in Stockholm just this month, welcoming tourists on a pop nostalgia trip. Mattias Hansson, the head of the museum, said the response has been overwhelming, boosted no doubt by Eurovision hype. Hansson recalls when ABBA won Eurovision in 1974 with "Waterloo". "I was five years old. I remember the star-shaped guitar that Bjorn played — that was the coolest thing I'd ever seen," he said of Bjorn Ulvaeus, a former ABBA member. But asked about prospects for an ABBA a reunion tomorrow, Hansson broke into a roaring laugh. "I have been sitting beside Bjorn 100 times during our launch, and I have seen him say "no" so many times that I am actually starting to believe him," he said. "I guess that's good for the museum, because it keeps the mystery alive." — Reuters |
| Steve Carell helps ‘The Office’ close its doors in moving finale Posted: 17 May 2013 05:06 AM PDT LOS ANGELES, May 17 — The doors of Dunder Mifflin's Scranton branch closed for the last time yesterday as NBC's "The Office" wrapped up after a nine-season run with a nostalgic finale featuring a long-awaited wedding and the return of the show's biggest star, Steve Carell.
Yesterday's 75-minute finale, set six months after the fictional documentary was released, the colleagues all reunite for the marriage of Machiavellian office manager Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson), and accountant Angela Martin (Angela Kingsley). Carell entered the episode as a surprise guest at the wedding, uttering one of Michael Scott's best-known phrases - "That's what she said." Later as he considered the romances that had formed at the workplace, Carell's character told the camera, "It's like all my children grew up and they married each other." Over nine seasons, audiences have been treated to numerous office fights, friendships and romances on the NBC sitcom. One of the most compelling storylines was the growing romance of Jim and Pam, played by John Krasinski and Jenna Fischer, as audiences watched them transition from friendship to marriage and parenthood. For fans of the show, the season finale saw most of the long-standing cast members get their happy ending. Stanley finally retires, Erin finds her birth parents, Andy capitalizes on becoming an unwilling viral video star, Kelly and Ryan run off into the sunset (albeit abandoning a baby in the process) and Jim and Pam decide to move to Austin, Texas. The final scenes featured a montage of key moments, including Jim and Pam's romance and the numerous friendships that developed over the years. "I wish there was a way to know you were in the good old days before you've actually left them," Andy Bernard, played by Ed Helms, said wistfully. The cast also reflected on the documentary that captured nine years of their lives at the company, which Jim described as "this stupid, wonderful, boring, amazing job.""Imagine going back and watching a tape of your life. You can see yourself change ... watch yourself fall in love, become a husband, a father. You guys gave that to me," Jim said to the cameras. LAUNCHING STARS, FALLING AUDIENCES "The Office," which first aired in 2005, began with a relatively unknown cast, led by Carell, whose breakout film "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" came out the same year. The show made stars of many of its cast members, leading to high-profile movie roles, and its producers said last year that the outside success of "The Office" actors played a role in the decision to wind it down. Carell left the show in season seven to focus on his rising film career, which has included roles in "Crazy, Stupid, Love" and "The Incredible Burt Wonderstone." Helms also made the move to the big screen with roles in "The Hangover" franchise, and Krasinski starred in the recent film "The Promised Land" with Matt Damon. Mindy Kaling, who plays office mean girl Kelly Kapoor, landed her own Fox sitcom "The Mindy Project," while Craig Robinson, who plays warehouse manager Darryl, scored film roles in "Pineapple Express" and upcoming "This Is the End." After Carell's exit in 2011, audiences began to turn away from "The Office" and viewership fell to about 4 million last year per episode from a high of about 8 million in 2008. The show's culmination comes on the heels of another NBC comedy, "30 Rock," bowing out after seven seasons in February. Prior to the finale, an hourlong retrospective of the show featured cast members and producers talking about the impact of "The Office" on their careers and why fans were drawn to it. "This is a perfect time for the show to come to a close," Wilson said. "There's a finality to it and a sadness to it." Wilson had sought to create a spin-off show led by his character Dwight, but it was not picked up for broadcast. The unlikely star of the show has been the city of Scranton, Pennsylvania, which prior to the show was known for coal mining but not anymore. As the series drew to a close, tens of thousands of people gathered in Scranton earlier this month to give a rousing send-off to the sitcom that changed the image of the city forever. "Thank you, Scranton," Carell told the crowd. "This all is because of you." NBC is a unit of Comcast Corp. — Reuters |
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