Italy: Sanremo 2026 Festival Postponed – Here’s Why the Schedule Has Been Changed

Italy: Sanremo 2026 Festival Postponed – Here’s Why the Schedule Has Been Changed

by Guy Solo Comment Closed
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Sanremo 2026 was postponed to late February due to the Winter Olympics. Why is Italy sidelining its most iconic festival? Sanremo 2026, which also serves as Italy’s national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest, will be held unusually late this year – from February 24 to 28 – instead of early February as is customary. The change comes as a result of the Winter Olympics in Milan, prioritized by the Italian national broadcaster, RAI. This significant shift in the country's broadcasting schedule is expected to impact the ever-tightening relationship between the festival and the Eurovision Song Contest. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Sacrificing the Festival for Olympic Ratings The decision by the Italian national broadcaster to postpone the prestigious festival – one of the cornerstones of Italian pop culture and among the oldest music festivals in the world – stems from the high commercial potential of the Winter Olympics. According to sources in Rome, February is expected to be a...
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Israel at Eurovision 2025: Yuval Raphael in Last Rehearsal with “New Day Will Rise” – All the Performance Details

Israel at Eurovision 2025: Yuval Raphael in Last Rehearsal with “New Day Will Rise” – All the Performance Details

by Guy Solo Comment Closed
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Israel at Eurovision 2025: Yuval Raphael took the Eurovision stage for her final dress rehearsal with the song "New Day Will Rise." Stay tuned for all the updates from Basel, Switzerland… After the rehearsals held earlier this week, Israeli singer Yuval Raphael took the stage today for her last dress rehearsal at Eurovision 2025 in Basel, Switzerland, performing her song "New Day Will Rise." She is set to perform 14th in the second semi-final tonight. A total of 37 countries are competing in this year’s contest. Yuval Raphael’s performance opens in a particularly dramatic and striking fashion. Out of complete darkness that envelops the arena, Yuval slowly rises from the front of the stage, illuminated by a single spotlight. The audience can be faintly seen in the dim background, creating an atmosphere of anticipation as the moment builds. She moves slowly and deliberately toward the center of the stage, her steps carefully synchronized with the music. ...
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Eurovision 2025: Second Semi-Final – Family Rehearsal: Everything that happens on stage!

Eurovision 2025: Second Semi-Final – Family Rehearsal: Everything that happens on stage!

by Guy Solo Comment Closed
 (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Get the full coverage from the family rehearsal of the second semi-final, currently taking place on the Eurovision 2025 stage in Basel. One by one, Australia, Montenegro, Ireland, Latvia, Armenia, Austria, Greece, Lithuania, Malta, Georgia, Denmark, Czechia, Luxembourg, Israel, Serbia and Finland will take the stage. We will be providing updates throughout the rehearsal with all the details received by our editorial team. Today at 15:30 CET, the first dress rehearsal began ahead of the second semi-final broadcast, which will take place tomorrow at 21:00 CET (Thursday, May 15). Just before another dress rehearsal takes place tonight at 21:00 CET, we’re here to report everything happening on stage in real time from Basel. As a reminder, this year the countries that automatically qualify for the Grand Final will also perform during the semi-finals, but their songs will not be eligible for voting at this stage. In the second semi-final, Germany, the United Kingdom, and France will take the...
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Eurovision 2025: Second Semi-Final – Second Dress Rehearsal: Everything that happens on stage!

Eurovision 2025: Second Semi-Final – Second Dress Rehearsal: Everything that happens on stage!

by Guy Solo Comment Closed
 (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Get the full coverage from the second dress rehearsal of the second semi-final, currently taking place on the Eurovision 2025 stage in Basel. One by one, Australia, Montenegro, Ireland, Latvia, Armenia, Austria, Greece, Lithuania, Malta, Georgia, Denmark, Czechia, Luxembourg, Israel, Serbia and Finland will take the stage. We will be providing updates throughout the rehearsal with all the details received by our editorial team. Today at 21:00 CET, the first dress rehearsal began ahead of the second semi-final broadcast, which will take place tomorrow at 21:00 CET (Thursday, May 15). We’re here to report everything happening on stage in real time from Basel. As a reminder, this year the countries that automatically qualify for the Grand Final will also perform during the semi-finals, but their songs will not be eligible for voting at this stage. In the second semi-final, Germany, the United Kingdom, and France will take the stage. Make sure to click the refresh button so you can...
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Israel at Eurovision 2025: Yuval Raphael in First Dress Rehearsal with “New Day Will Rise” – All the Performance Details

Israel at Eurovision 2025: Yuval Raphael in First Dress Rehearsal with “New Day Will Rise” – All the Performance Details

by Guy Solo Comment Closed
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Israel at Eurovision 2025: Yuval Raphael took the Eurovision stage for her first dress rehearsal with the song "New Day Will Rise." Stay tuned for all the updates from Basel, Switzerland… After the rehearsals held earlier this week, Israeli singer Yuval Raphael took the stage today for her first dress rehearsal at Eurovision 2025 in Basel, Switzerland, performing her song "New Day Will Rise." She is set to perform 14th in the second semi-final on May 15. A total of 37 countries are competing in this year’s contest. Yuval Raphael, Israel's representative at Eurovision 2025, took to the stage with one of the most dramatic and emotional entrances seen so far in the rehearsals. Her performance began as she walked in from the front stage, with the entire arena shrouded in complete darkness. The lighting was entirely off, and the contrast between the darkness and the flickering audience lights behind her created a sense of intimacy and power....
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Eurovision 2025: Second Semi-Final – Dress Rehearsal: Everything that happens on stage!

Eurovision 2025: Second Semi-Final – Dress Rehearsal: Everything that happens on stage!

by Guy Solo Comment Closed
 (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Get the full coverage from the dress rehearsal of the first semi-final, currently taking place on the Eurovision 2025 stage in Basel. One by one, Australia, Montenegro, Ireland, Latvia, Armenia, Austria, Greece, Lithuania, Malta, Georgia, Denmark, Czechia, Luxembourg, Israel, Serbia and Finland will take the stage. We will be providing updates throughout the rehearsal with all the details received by our editorial team. Today at 15:30 CET, the first dress rehearsal began ahead of the second semi-final broadcast, which will take place tomorrow at 21:00 CET (Thursday, May 15). Just before another dress rehearsal takes place tonight at 21:00 CET, we’re here to report everything happening on stage in real time from Basel. As a reminder, this year the countries that automatically qualify for the Grand Final will also perform during the semi-finals, but their songs will not be eligible for voting at this stage. In the second semi-final, Germany, the United Kingdom, and France will take the...
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Eurovision 2025: First Semi-Final – Dress Rehearsal: Everything that happens on stage!

Eurovision 2025: First Semi-Final – Dress Rehearsal: Everything that happens on stage!

by Guy Solo Comment Closed
 (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Get the full coverage from the dress rehearsal of the first semi-final, currently taking place on the Eurovision 2025 stage in Basel. One by one, Iceland, Poland, Slovenia, Estonia, Ukraine, Sweden, Portugal, Norway, Belgium, Azerbaijan, San Marino, Albania, The Netherlands, Croatia and Cyprus will take the stage. We will be providing updates throughout the rehearsal with all the details received by our editorial team. Today at 15:30 CET, the first dress rehearsal began for the live broadcast of the first semi-final, which will take place tomorrow at 22:00 (Tuesday, May 13). Just before another dress rehearsal takes place this evening at 22:00, we’re here to report everything happening on stage in real time from Basel. As a reminder, this year the countries automatically qualified for the final will also perform during the semi-finals, but their songs will not be eligible for voting at this stage. In the first semi-final, Spain (between Estonia and Ukraine), Italy (between Belgium and Azerbaijan), and...
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United Kingdom at Eurovision 2025: The BBC’s Firm Warning to Remember Monday

United Kingdom at Eurovision 2025: The BBC’s Firm Warning to Remember Monday

by Guy Solo Comment Closed
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Ahead of Eurovision 2025, the BBC issued a clear directive to the United Kingdom’s representatives. What led to this extraordinary instruction, and why is political silence now the safest path? The British country-pop group Remember Monday, representing the United Kingdom this year at the Eurovision Song Contest with the song "What The Hell Just Happened?", found themselves in the spotlight – and not just for musical reasons. Ahead of the upcoming event in Basel, Switzerland, the trio received a strict warning from the national broadcaster, the BBC, and their own management team: avoid any political topics altogether. This unequivocal instruction followed the resurfacing of past social media posts from the group on X (formerly Twitter), where they had expressed support for the "Black Lives Matter" (BLM) movement in 2020 and pledged to donate 100% of the proceeds from a single released that year to a BLM-supporting organization. In April 2021, the group also shared a post from African-American...
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EBU Approved: This Is How the Eurovision 2025 Semi-Final Qualifiers Will Be Announced

EBU Approved: This Is How the Eurovision 2025 Semi-Final Qualifiers Will Be Announced

by Guy Solo Comment Closed
 (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); The EBU has officially confirmed: this is how the Eurovision 2025 semi-final qualifiers will be revealed – but will the drama be preserved? In a special press conference held today, the organizers of the Eurovision Song Contest revealed the new and dramatic method by which the countries qualifying from the semi-finals to the Grand Final will be announced. This marks a fundamental shift in the reveal process, aiming to enhance the viewing experience while maintaining suspense, emotional impact, and fairness. Full details follow below! (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Staggered Announcements: One Country at a Time For the first time in Eurovision history, the announcement of qualifying countries from the semi-finals will follow a surprising and innovative format. The contest organizers have stated that the top nine qualifiers will be displayed on a three-way split screen. In each round, only one country will be revealed, while the other two on screen will remain uncertain. In practice, the top nine will be...
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“Nemo Signed the Code of Conduct”: How Did Israel and Switzerland Respond to the Eurovision Winner’s Statement?

“Nemo Signed the Code of Conduct”: How Did Israel and Switzerland Respond to the Eurovision Winner’s Statement?

by Guy Solo Comment Closed
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); "Israel is an inseparable part of the contest": How did the Israeli delegation in Basel respond to the Eurovision winner’s comments—and what did the Swiss national broadcaster have to say? Nemo, who brought Switzerland to victory in Eurovision 2024 with the song “The Code”, is still at the center of controversy this year. In a new interview with HuffPost UK, the artist stated unequivocally: "I support the call to exclude Israel from the Eurovision Song Contest." This declaration joins a wave of over 70 artists previously connected to Eurovision—including two past winners—who recently signed an open letter urging the disqualification of Israel from the upcoming contest in Basel. Now, official responses have emerged from both the Israeli delegation and the Swiss national broadcaster. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); The Interview That Sparked It All In the HuffPost UK interview, Nemo spoke out strongly against Israel's participation: "Personally, I don't think it makes any sense for...
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