Ukraine and Russia still in deadlock over Julia Samoylova's travel ban
Russia's participation in Eurovision 2017 continues to hang in the balance, as Ukrainian government officials refuse to budge despite public pressure from the EBU to allow
Julia Samoylova to perform.
The Russian singer was found to be in breach of Ukrainian law when it emerged that she performed in Crimea and entered the disputed territory directly from Russian, and not through a Ukrainian border. The EBU initially stated that they "must respect" Ukrainian law, but members of the organisation have since appealled to the Ukrainian government to make an exception, threatening future sanctions against the host nation.
At time of writing, the Ukrainian Vice Prime Minister Vyacheslav Kyrylenko had apparently doubled down on the government's position, stating that while Russia are welcome to compete at the contest, Samoylova is not.
Russia are currently drawn to perform third in the second semi final. It is currently unconfirmed what will happen if no compromise can be reached in time, or whether Russia will be allowed to vote in the contest if they are unable to field a contestant. In 2006, Serbia & Montenegro were able to vote in the contest despite not fielding an entry, after a voting scandal rendered their national selection illegitimate, leaving them without time to source a replacement.
Construction work begins at the Host Venue
Preparations began in earnest last week to transform the Kyiv International Exhibition Centre into a suitable host venue for Eurovision 2017. Headed by the Dutch company
Unbranded, an international crew descended on the venue for a month of intensive construction ahead of the first rehearsals at the end of April.
According to Head of Production Ola Melzig, the show is set to be considerably bigger than Stockholm, with a larger venue, a 140 ton stage structure and 1800 spotlights. Over twice as much electricity is expected to be consumed compared to the 2016 contest.
France to take Eurovision to the Big Screen
With public interest in the contest renewed following the success of Amir in 2016, France are set become the latest nation to broadcast the Eurovision Song Contest on the big screen, with cinemas in 41 locations screening the 2017 contest live.
'Live cinema' is a phenomenon that has gained traction in recent years, with high profile theatre productions often screened live or as live in cinemas. French viewers can get tickets to watch the event for as little as €8. If the event is a success and other countries follow suit, a whole new way of experiencing the contest may be emerging...
OGAE Poll gives clues to the fan favourites
Over the next weeks, regional branches of the official Eurovision fan society OGAE will be polling their members for the annual fan club poll. While this informal poll has no bearing on the actual results, it can be an interesting barometer of the entries that are resonating the most strongly with the hardcore fans.
Last year, France won the poll with 425 points, going on to achieve sixth place in the actual contest. Russia came in second with the fans, while contest winners Ukraine placed ninth. All of the fan poll top ten did qualify for the grand finals, with the largest discrepancy coming from Spain.
Barei finished sixth with OGAE voters, while on the big night she had to make do with a lowly 22nd place.