Eurovision 2024: The Netherlands’ entry Joost Klein not rehearsing ‘until further notice’ over ‘incident’ – as EBU website goes down

Published

7 months ago

May 11, 2024

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The Netherlands’ Eurovision entry Joost Klein is under investigation by organisers due to an unexplained “incident” – and will not be rehearsing again until “further notice”.

The Dutch singer missed his slot in the show’s penultimate dress rehearsal in Malmo, Sweden, on Friday, where he had been due to perform his track Europapa in fifth place, just before Israel’s Eden Golan, 20, with her song Hurricane.

Protests have dogged the competition over Israel’s inclusion amid the war in Gaza.

A video posted on the X social media platform showed a producer announcing that Klein would not be performing on Friday, prompting a chorus of boos from members of the audience.

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which organises Eurovision, said in a statement: “We are currently investigating an incident that was reported to us involving the Dutch artist. He will not be rehearsing until further notice.

“We have no further comment at this time and will update in due course.”

Klein had been part of the flag parade at the start of the rehearsal, and walked around the stage in full costume, but then failed to arrive on stage for his performance around 30 minutes later.

It was later confirmed that the 26-year-old singer would not be performing in the final rehearsal on Friday evening and that the investigation was “still ongoing”.

The EBU said discussions were also taking place between the EBU and Avrotros, the Dutch participating broadcaster.

It is not yet clear if Klein will be performing in the Eurovision Song Contest’s grand final on Saturday.

A clip of Klein’s offering – happy-hardcore inspired Europapa – was played out in the recap clips of all 26 songs throughout the rehearsal show, but with a clip of a previous Klein rehearsal.

The track, which is one of the most memorable of the show and was described by one critic as “so bad” it will “put you off music forever”, is among the current favourites to win.

‘Access denied’ website error adds to event’s problems

Adding to its woes, the EBU website went down later on Friday evening, and on attempting to log in a message was displayed saying “access denied” and refusing entry permission. It began working again after around an hour offline.

Meanwhile, Spain’s state-owned broadcaster hit out the EBU, calling on it to respect “press and opinion” at this year’s event. RTVE wrote on social media: “The Spanish delegation from @eurovision_tve has conveyed to @EBU_HQ its commitment to freedom of the press and opinion and has asked that @Eurovision let them watch it.”

The post was made shortly after it was announced that Madrid would be hosting the Junior Eurovision Song Contest later this year.

Some 26 countries, including UK entry Olly Alexander, 33, with his track Dizzy, and Ireland’s Bambie Thug, 31, with the song Doomsday Blue, are due to battle it out for the coveted Eurovision glass trophy on Saturday.

Controversy and confusion at media event

Klein had been vocal in a news conference on Thursday night, which brought together the 10 acts from the second semi-final selected for the final, including Israel and the Netherlands.

Towards the end of the conference, Israeli entry Golan was asked by Polish radio outlet Newsletter whether she thought she was causing a security risk for other participants by attending the event.

The moderator of the conference, Swedish presenter Jovan Radomir, told Golan she did not have to answer the question if she did not want to.

Klein shouted out loudly: “Why not?”

Golan responded to the question, saying: “I think we’re all here for one reason, and one reason only. And the EBU is taking all safety precautions to make this a safe and united place for everyone. And so, I think it’s safe for everyone or we wouldn’t be here.”

Her response was met with a round of applause.

Earlier in the media session Klein, who was asked by an audience member, “Do you think that your song can unite us all by music?”

He swiftly replied: “That’s a good question for the EBU.”

At the start of the news conference, Klein had also draped what appeared to be a Dutch flag around his head completely, sitting like that for a short while before the questions began.

Sky News has emailed Klein’s representatives for comment on his absence from the dress rehearsal.

Greece’s entry, Marina Satti, appeared to pretend to fall asleep as Israel’s Golan spoke.

Tight security in Malmo amid protests

There are more pro-Palestinian protests planned in Malmo to coincide with the Eurovision grand final, amid the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. Police estimated more than 10,000 people took part in a march on Thursday.

Over the last few months, there have been demonstrations and calls for acts to boycott the show, after the EBU refused to remove Israel from the competition, insisting it had broken no broadcasting rules.

Golan’s song Hurricane was reworked from a previous track called October Rain, which was thought to reference the 7 October Hamas attacks on Israel.

During an earlier rehearsal on Wednesday, Golan was met with some boos and cries of “Free Palestine,” and an audience member appeared to have a Palestinian flag removed from them in the auditorium.

On Friday, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called protests against Israel’s participation in Eurovision “wrong,” adding “scenes we’ve seen here [in Malmo] have been outrageous”.

:: Sky News will be in Malmo with updates, a live blog, and all the biggest news from the final as it happens on Saturday.

Entertainment

Ed Sheeran ‘helped Ipswich sign player’ before appearing on stage with Taylor Swift

Published

13 hours ago

November 22, 2024

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Ed Sheeran 'helped Ipswich sign player' before appearing on stage with Taylor Swift

Ed Sheeran helped Ipswich Town to sign a player over the summer just before getting on stage with Taylor Swift, according to the club’s chief executive.

Mark Ashton claims the pop star got on a video call to encourage a prospective new signing to seal his move to the East Anglia outfit.

He did not reveal the player’s name, but said he is “certainly scoring a few goals” and is a fan of Sheeran, who is a minor shareholder at his hometown club.

“Ed jumped on a Zoom call with him at the training ground, just before he stepped on stage with Taylor Swift,” Ashton told a Soccerex industry event in Miami.

“Hopefully that was a key part in getting the player across the line.”

Sheeran and pop icon Swift were on stage together on 15 August at Wembley Stadium, one day before Sammie Szmodics signed from Blackburn.

After scoring an overhead kick in Ipswich’s 2-1 win over Tottenham this month, he shared a picture of himself with Sheeran on Instagram.

“Overhead kick, Win & a smudge with big ed. GET IN THERE,” Szmodics wrote alongside the post.

Ashton joked Sheeran is now “officially a part of our recruitment team”, adding he is a “local man” and “global superstar”.

Sheeran has been the club’s shirt sponsor since 2021 and is regularly seen at matches at the club’s Portman Road stadium.

Ipswich host giants Manchester United on Sunday, a match that’s particularly notable for being Ruben Amorim‘s first game in charge of the Red Devils.

Entertainment

Voice behind top Simpsons character quits after 35 years on hit show

Published

2 days ago

November 21, 2024

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Voice behind top Simpsons character quits after 35 years on hit show

The voice actor behind Milhouse Van Houten – Bart Simpson’s very uncool friend – is stepping away after 35 years on the show.

Pamela Hayden, who also voiced Jimbo Jones, Rod Flanders, Janey and Malibu Stacy, will sign off from The Simpsons on 24 November in a Treehouse of Horror episode.

“It’s been an honour and a joy to have worked on such a funny, witty, and groundbreaking show,” the 70-year-old said in a statement.

Show creator Matt Groening said: “Pamela gave us tons of laughs with Milhouse, the hapless kid with the biggest nose in Springfield.

“She made Milhouse hilarious and real, and we will miss her.”

Milhouse first appeared in a Butterfinger commercial in 1989 and was named after former US president Richard Milhous Nixon.

Groening said he adopted it “because that was the most unfortunate name a kid could have”.

The nearsighted character was often the butt of most jokes and bullied mercilessly by Nelson.

In one episode, Bart got Milhouse placed on the America’s Most Wanted list.

Entertainment

Tulisa Contostavlos: ‘My life fell apart’ after fake sheikh set up drugs bust

Published

2 days ago

November 21, 2024

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Tulisa Contostavlos: 'My life fell apart' after fake sheikh set up drugs bust

Tulisa Contostavlos has opened up about the moment she says her life “fell apart” after being “set up by a British newspaper” and charged with supplying drugs.

The N-Dubz star has been speaking about her experiences in 2013 on the reality show, I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here!

The charges against the singer were later dismissed after prosecution witness “fake sheikh” journalist Mazher Mahmood was found to have tampered with evidence during her 2014 trial.

“2013 was the year I was set up by a British newspaper, for concern in the selling of class A drugs,” she told fellow campmate Oti Mabuse.

“The guy’s name was Mahmood and basically, I was approached by a big movie company and they sent me a tweet or a DM from their official account to audition me for a movie role… I’d dabbled in acting, so this opportunity for me was huge.”

Contostavlos, 36, said the role was offering £3.5m and she was flown out for meetings with producers in Las Vegas but told former Strictly Come Dancing star Mabuse “it was a lie”.

She claimed the team behind the movie encouraged her to take on a real-life role of a “bad girl from London who was constantly up to naughtiness, rolling with gangs, up to all kinds of naughty stuff”.

Contostavlos said “they had me dangling on the end of a string”, claiming every time she met with the team they would tell her “we need some drugs”.

“After months and months, eventually they got a number and it was of someone that wasn’t even a drug dealer, it was an aspiring movie producer and I wanted to make a hook up as well for that person, but I didn’t know anyone that could do that,” she said.

“The long story short is they ended up ordering £800 worth of cocaine from the number that I had given them.

“Then before I knew it, I was being arrested in the concern of the selling of Class A drugs and I was facing four years in prison.”

Contostavlos revealed she lost “all my endorsements” over the incident and “my life fell apart”, she said.

“When it came to the trial, I’d had a conversation with one of their drivers, I was being recorded but I didn’t know, I was saying how anti-drugs I am, so they were very aware of my feelings towards drugs.”

Contostavlos said the driver initially gave a statement confirming she was anti-drugs, however she claimed that as the trial loomed the journalist forced him to change his statement.

In 2016, Mahmood was jailed for 15 months after being found guilty of conspiring to pervert the course of justice relating to his actions in Tulisa Contostavlos’s court case.