🖐 ユーロビジョン、イスラエル代表ネッタ「Toy」がキプロス抑え優勝、20年ぶり - VOICE 洋楽

Madonna herself had faced calls from a Palestinian-led campaign to avoid performing at the event in Israel. A small protest took place outside Tel Aviv's Expo Center before the show, following another one from musicians in Gaza earlier in the week. Calls for performers to boycott the show over Israeli policies toward Palestinians failed to generate much momentum. Israel earned the right to host the show after Barzilai won last year's competition with her catchy pop anthem "Toy. For Israel, the mega event offered a much-anticipated opportunity to put its good face forward and project an image of normalcy to the world. Barzilai became a role model for plus-size women after her win last year. She has been unapologetic about her weight, the loud colors she wears, and the funky chicken moves and sounds that have become her trademark. The Tel Aviv hall was packed with thousands of screaming fans, while tens of thousands gathered to watch the final at the city-sponsored Eurovision village in Tel Aviv and at public screenings elsewhere. He surged ahead thanks to the fan vote, securing The Netherlands its fifth win ever in the competition. The event itself was being hosted by a quartet of Israeli celebrities, including top model Bar Refaeli. But the Queen of Pop rejected the boycott motions, saying she will "never stop playing music to suit someone's political agenda. A recent round of rocket fire toward Israel from there also failed to temper excitement. Over the years, the earnest show of European unity has ballooned into an over-the-top, gay-friendly spectacle that brings together acts from across the continent, including those with little or no connection to Europe, such as Australia. Sweden's soulful "Too Late for Love," sung by John Lundvik, topped the professional jury vote and seemed to be on its way to carrying forward Sweden's successful Eurovision track record 45 years after Swedish icons ABBA won with "Waterloo. The Eurovision debuted in the wake of World War II to heal a divided continent. Madonna was the star attraction, performing her hit staple, "Like a Prayer," marking 30 years since its release, and a new song "Future" from her forthcoming album "Madame X. All of Israel's former winners took part in Saturday's event with Barzilai and Dana International ceremoniously getting it underway.{/INSERTKEYS}{/PARAGRAPH} Some million people around the world were believed to have watched the annual campy contest with 26 nations battling in the Grand Final of the 64th Eurovision. {PARAGRAPH}{INSERTKEYS}The Netherlands wins Eurovision Song Contest in Tel Aviv May 19, Mainichi Japan Duncan Laurence of the Netherlands celebrates with the trophy after winning the Eurovision Song Contest grand final with the song "Arcade" in Tel Aviv, Israel, Saturday, May 18, In rear is Israeli Netta Barzilai the winner in The year-old was tapped as an early front-runner before the Grand Final but was only ranked third after the vote of professional juries from the 41 participating countries, trailing Sweden and North Macedonia. Israel-themed promotional clips featuring each of the participants dancing in various scenic locations across the country streamed before each performance to a TV audience expected to be larger than that of the Super Bowl. Italy finished second, followed by Russia, Switzerland and Norway. This is to music first, always," Laurence said, as he was handed the trophy from last year's winner, Israel's Netta Barzilai. To maximize onscreen tension, performers are ranked by a mix of fan votes and professional juries. Only at the end of the broadcast, when their final vote tally was announced, did they whip out a Palestinian flag, to sounds of boos from the audience. The other 20 participants qualified through a pair of semifinal rounds. Israel's own Wonder Woman Gal Gadot also made a cameo video appearance. All eyes were on Iceland's controversial steampunk band Hatari, which had drawn attention for initially saying it would be "absurd" to participate in Israel because of its policies toward the Palestinians. As the reigning champion, Israel swept straight through to the finals -- along with the five European countries who most heavily funded the event. They had vowed to use the Eurovision spotlight to expose the "face of the occupation," but their live performance of grinding metal rock passed without incident. Spectators could not vote for their own country, but like-minded nations tend to fall into blocs that back their regional favorites, with politics meshing into art.