Best singers at the latest Eurovision Song Contest give a concert in London
Dima Bilan (left) (1981- ), Russian pop star, winner of the 2008 ESC, with Hungarian violinist Edvin Marton
The best and the second best singers at the latest Eurovision Song Contest in Belgrade on 24 May have given a one-off concert in London. Russia’s Dima Bilan and the Ukraine’s Ani Lorak are on a European tour of Eurovision laureates.
1 June 2008
http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=27831&cid=51&p=01.06.2008
Editor’s Note:
Ani Lorak (1978- ), pop music star from the Ukraine
This year was an Orthodox hat-trick at the ESC. All three top finishers were from Orthodox countries, Dima Bilan (Viktor Belan) from Russia, Ani Lorak (Karolina Kuyek) from the Ukraine, and Kalomoira (Marie Carole Sarantis) from Greece. It is interesting to note that Kalomoira is actually Greek-American, speaks English better than Greek, is from Long Island, and her parents run a diner (what a surprise!). She went to Greece in 2004 to launch her professional career, and has never looked back. Anyone with parents named Nick and Helen can’t be all bad! Yiasou, dear! Opa!
Dima plans an international career, but, one wonders if the secularist powers-that-be in the EU shall attack him as they attacked last year’s winner, Marija Serifovic just because she backed patriotic forces in Serbia (why not, one wonders? She loves her country, as we all do!). The following excerpt from an AFP article (the omitted portions concerned Serbian politics, not Ms Šerifović) gives some background to it all.
EU Concerned over Eurovision Winner’s Links to Serb Nationalists
Marija Šerifović (1984- ), Serbian pop music star, winner of the 2007 ESC with the song Molitva (Prayer). In most sources, the song’s title is mistranslated as “Destiny”. The secularist left strikes again!
The EU is considering whether last year’s Eurovision song contest winner Marija Serifovic should be allowed to continue in her role as an intercultural ambassador due to her nationalist leanings. Ms Šerifović won the annual Eurovision contest in Helsinki last year with her song Molitva (Prayer). She was subsequently chosen as one of 15 international ambassadors to represent The European Year of Intercultural Dialogue 2008, alongside veteran French crooner Charles Aznavour, French rapper Abd al Malik, and Brazilian lyricist and novelist Paulo Coelho.
But, more recently, it has been Šerifović’s links with Tomislav Nikolic, the eurosceptic nationalist candidate of the Serbian Radical Party, which has caught the European Commission’s attention. “Any of the ambassadors are, of course, free to have political convictions whatever they may be”, John Macdonald, a spokesman for the EU’s executive on cultural issues told AFP. “There is a problem if the activities of any of the ambassadors turn out to be incompatible with the stated aims of the European Year for Intercultural Dialogue, which is basically about promoting mutual understanding and a sense of belonging to the European Union”. Mr Macdonald said the European Commission was alerted to this issue by its head of delegation in Serbia. “Evidently their media monitoring service in the office there noted that she had been vocally supportive of the Serbian Radical Party”, he said, adding that Brussels was looking into the matter.
24 January 2008
AFP
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5iwaQRavzrlHprUU0GKIEaWB9bxTg
Editor’s Note:
Kalomoira (1985- ), Greek-American pop music star hugely popular in Greece and Cyprus
This shows the consummate hypocrisy of the secularist left. “Any of the ambassadors are, of course, free to have political convictions whatever they may be”, that is what they said, kids. In fact, the Serbian Radical Party supports EU integration AS LONG THE EU ADMITS SERBIA INTACT, WITH ITS CONSTITUENT PROVINCE OF KOSOVO. That is, the Radicals are only standing for the right here. They insist that all parties follow proper norms of international law, that the EU annul the American-engineered secession of Kosovo, and that the running-dog-lackeys of Bush in Pristina should have no legal place in any international forum. The UDI of Kosovo was an abomination of desolation ginned up by the Gang of Four (Bush, Cheney, Rice, and Blair (as comic relief)) and all decent people should oppose it.
All they are asking is that the EU respect Serbian territorial integrity as is expressed in many international agreements. What is wrong in that? Nothing, in fact. Ms Šerifović is being singled out because her views do not correspond to those espoused by forces best typified by George Soros and the whole Davos mindset.
Now, I am no believer in conspiracy theories, nor do I believe that George Soros is an evil genius plotting to take over the world, à la Fu Manchu. Rather, he is a well-heeled sort attempting to spread his viewpoint. Well, many folks oppose him. Ms Šerifović is one of them. Bully for her! Mr Soros and his well-paid minions have the right to speak AS LONG AS THEY RESPECT THEIR OPPONENTS (that is what they keep saying loudly, kids, they are hoist on their own petard!). This is not being done here. I think that their loud bellows of “democracy” are shown to be empty and worthless wind (I shall not speculate on the source of the “wind”…).
Ms Šerifović is owed an apology, and Dima should watch his back… these folks are not nice.
BMD
