Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

EBU has finally agreed with Australia SBS the launch of the Asian-Pacific next year. The first song contest will be held in Australia next year. Is it that Australia and China have been also studying the event the past two years? Will Australia leave Eurovision or continue to take part in both (back in the day Finland and Yogoslavia took part in both Eurovision and Intervision song contests....)? The area includes over 40 countries and territories so it could develop as big as Eurovision in theory. I suppose we can count Australia, Banghladesh, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam in, maybe Mongolia, Myanmar and a few islands. How cool would an entry from Nauru or Vanuatu be? And we can't forget in large this term also includes Russia, Canada, USA, Mexico and Peru! And will they reach out for Kazahkstan, Uzbekistan and others? For sure we will get a show mixing Bollywoo...

We all knew Aussies were crazy for Eurovision and now that they were able to take part and scored a great 5th place with Guy Sebastian's Tonight again even more so. Hundreds of them gathered together at 5am in the fresh Australian fall to watch the show together on megascreen provided by SBS in Melbourne. 263.000 even watched it live on television at that hour, and nearly 600.000 the replay at 7.30pm later that day. All in all the semifinals and the final gathered 2,1 million vievers with a peak over 4,2 million. Not bad at all! The burning queston now is of course will EBU let them back next year again, despite the original plan of one year only. I would say Yip!

As we know Australians are crazy for Eurovision. Some Aussies have even song in Eurovision for other countries, from Gina G to Johnny Logan and Olivia Newton-John . In mid 1990's the Australian TV apparently even offered to host the show in Sydney opera house if only they could take part in it. Or then maybe they didn't but the rumor was there. It's an intriguing idea, isn't it? Anyways, Australian SBS has broadcasted the Eurovision nearly 40 years now and it every year gathers a few million Aussies to watch it downunder. After a long wait finally in 2014 Australia will be present in the Eurovision stage officially. They will provide us the interval act in the second semifinal on May 8, 2014. The lucky chosen one is Jessica Mauboy who will sing her hit Never be the same and another brand new, especially for Eurovision written song.  She is "super excited" and declared a fan of the contest since she was 11 years old.