|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
It’s all go with Eurovision. There may be six months ahead of us, and at least a few weeks before we find out just who is going to stick to earlier threats of sitting it out, but broadcasters are busy setting out their stalls. The thing is, sometimes, snippets of news are just that. Snippets. And rather than pad them out with stuff you already know, OnEurope brings you semi-regular Friday updates to remind you of the week that was, and fill in the gaps.
If you’re one of those people who can’t wait until Christmas to open their presents, Albania has good news. The 28 songs competing in Festivali i Këngës 64 will be released on 21 November.
Over in once cash-strapped Bulgaria, broadcaster BNT has signed a cooperation agreement with PROPHON – Bulgaria’s collective rights organisation. They will provide information on the top 40 most-streamed Bulgarian artists over recent months. The top ranked acts will be invited to take part in a January national selection.
If you’re already excited by hearing the Latvian previews, you’ll lose it big style on 12 December, because that’s when RTL will reveal the songs competing in the Luxembourg Song Contest 2026. A sneak peek will be shared a day early.
In Portugal, RTP continues to prove they totally get how to use Canva, with flashy graphics to celebrate receiving 660 songs for this year’s Festival da Canção. That’s 26 more than last year. 654 will be ditched and six will make the shortlist. The six will join eight acts invited by the broadcaster, the winner of new music competition Prova de Acesso and one song picked by last year’s likely lads NAPA.
San Marino Dreaming has proved to be a money-spinner popular artistic endeavour for SMRTV. Over 300 hopefuls have entered already. If you fancy your chances, you have until 20 January to toss your hat in. Be warned if/when you get shortlisted, the good news comes with an invoice for 150 euros. It’s just fifty euros in the unlikely event you’re from San Marino.
The big, bad EBU has, according to reports, crumbled about the age of competitors in the Eurovision. The internet says that from 2027 the minimum age will be raised to 18. The internet also says that it would have been this year, but as selections had started, they put it off.
In sad news, Germany‘s representatives from 1959 Alice and Ellen Kessler have died at 89. The twins who lived next door to each other in identical apartments in Grünwald, had a long and successful career and even posed for Italian Playboy at 40. Never ones to do things by halves, they did gymnastics every day and didn’t drink or smoke, they just enjoyed life to the fullest. They had been planning, if that’s the right word, assisted suicide for quite some time and on November 17th they arranged for it to happen – no fuss, no bother – just quietly slipped away together. A quiet end to a life well lived.
