The biggest showbiz stories of 2024: From Eurovision to Oasis
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2024 was dominated with a slew of entertainment news stories that could not have been predicted when the year began. Here is a round-up below:. – Furore over Israel’s participation in Eurovision overshadows Abba anniversary year. The Eurovision Song Contest, usually the preserve of some of the strangest and most wonderful acts that Europe has to muster, found itself bogged down in Malmo, Sweden in controversy and politics amid the war in the Middle East.
This was the same year it was celebrating the 50th anniversary of Abba’s win at the 1974 event with Waterloo. Soon after Israel retaliated against Hamas launching a large-scale attack from the Gaza Strip in October 2023, there were calls for acts to boycott the show over Israeli broadcaster Kan competing.
Eurovision’s 2024 hopefuls rejected the boycott push from pro-Palestinian activists ahead of the May event. The week-long contest also saw protests in front of the arena in Malmo and the city from thousands of people calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, and the Israeli delegation alleged it spilled over into the reception they had at the contest.
Kan claimed it faced “an unprecedented display of hatred” from other countries and their entrants, and there were a few moments during the dress rehearsals and live shows that its entrant Eden Golan was booed on stage. The applause for Golan was also strong in Malmo Arena, and she topped the United Kingdom’s public vote with the emotional song Hurricane in the final, and came fifth overall.
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