Austrian drag queen Conchita Wurst won the Eurovision Song Contest 2014

[kpete]

Conchita Wurst from Austria wins Eurovision 2014
Annual singing contest initially conceived in the 1950s to unite Europe following the Second World War

Austrian drag queen Conchita Wurst won the Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday with a grandiose James Bond-theme-like ballad Rise Like a Phoenix, before an international TV audience of around 180 million people in 45 countries.

Wurst, sporting high heels, butterfly eyelashes and a full beard, won the competition, defeating the Netherlands' modern country duo The Common Linnets.

It was Austria's first victory since 1966.

The unabashedly over-the-top contest was initially conceived in the 1950s as a fun way to unite Europe following the Second World War. Still going strong, the pioneering TV singing contest (now also seen online) continues to draw an audience of more than 125 million viewers every year.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/conchita-wurst-from-austria-wins-eurovision-2014-1.2638769

[Mnemosyne]

1. I love drag queens! Conchita has a great voice. Love the beard. nt

[JDPriestly]

2. Great singing!

Very dramatic!

[valerief]

3. Great performance. Don't care for the song too much, though. nt

[starroute]

4. Why would an Austrian be singing in English?

Is English the international language of pseudo-James Bond pop tunes?

[awoke_in_2003]

6. Yes, it is...

James Bond is English, after all.

[Jennes]

5. Amazing, but...

I'm pretty sure there were rules in the Eurovision contest regarding the language of song. Only X number of words were allowed to be in a language not native to your country. The rule kept the songs all uniquely Austrian, German, Swedish, etc. It helped build national pride behind the individual songs, and the songs contributed to the nations' heritage.

By those rules, this song would have been disqualified. I'm sad to see that rule go away -- not that I dislike this song, or that I think Conchita doesn't deserve to win. Rather, I'd prefer to have seen the song sung in her native tongue, possibly with "Rise as a Phoenix" left in English (if allowed).

[shaayecanaan]

7. They got rid of that rule fifteen years ago...

Huge amounts of pop groups in Europe sing in English regardless, so it seems more appropriate to leave the decision up to them rather than force them to assume an air of faux-authenticity given that they generally dont sing in their national language anyway.