Audiovisual

The Guardian can be so up itself some times.  Actually, that's not fair.  The kind of contributors The Guardian attracts can be so up themselves.  Eurovision 2014 was won by Austria's entry - the bearded drag queen Conchita Wurst and it is suggested that 'she' won out over prejudice'.  Que?  Often is the occasion that those who claim rationality is their guiding light stupendously fail to apply it to themselves.  Let's look at the factors.  First off, it's Eurovision where the quirky frequently wins out these days - remember Lordi?  Despite Romania's circular piano, Poland's risqué lyrics and Russia's 17-year old twins, Conchita was far and away the most interesting act there.  If anything, it confirmed prejudice about Eurovision.  Secondly, one of the main viewing and thus voting demographic is camp, perfectly illustrated by the swaying rainbow LGBT flags among the national ones in the Copenhagen arena.  It would have been a surprise had Conchita not won.  Thirdly, she was already one of the favourites at the bookies and was receiving a lot of favourable coverage ahead of the competition.  Finally, it's hardly groundbreaking.  Compared to Israel's transexual act Dana International (which also won), it's not that daring, indeed in some ways traditional.
This is not to say that Conchita did not deserve to win - she did but let's not pretend this was an earthquake or some hard-won liberation fight.  Graham Norton expressed surprise that the juries (who make up half of the national vote after too much neighbourly voting) of Eastern Europe allowed big points to be awarded to Austria, fearing they would disapprove of this exhibitionism.  I don't see why - again, this is Eurovision and they saw past the beard and exulted in the one meaningful song of the entire night.  Conchita's Phoenix was not chuntering courtly love or cosmic whimsy and she justified the idea of a televised musical marathon (26 songs is too much - it should be reduced to 14 or 15 so choices can be informed) for being the complete package.
Russia got booed predictably, even when national awards gave them high points, though when it became clear that Russia would finish as also-rans (indeed behind Ukraine, who still gave Russia four points), those cat-calls became more muted, though it was nearly deafening when the Russian representative announced the direction of points that her country were giving.  The United Kingdom finished way behind in 17th place and on 40 points - Norton lamented being played last on the proviso that people have either tuned out or already made up their minds, but I take the opposite view that Molly Smitten-Browne should have been fresh in people's minds - a little vox pop afterwards when she didn't seem to know the age of her grandmother didn't help her case.  Nor did the will-o-the-wisp lyrics about flowers and peace and the universe.  But, just as Russia is seen as an antagonist in Europe, Royaume-Uni could be seen in a similarly unpleasant light.  As Conchita said, this was a night about 'unity' - a unity that the UK doesn't want to seem to be a part of, so there could be some alienation there.  The much maligned Blue have been the only British act to make it onto the left-hand side of the leaderboard and break 100 points since Gina G in 1998.  At least we finished above Germany (who for once, instead of 12 points, received none from Austria) on 39 points and France who were bottom with a miserable two - that baffled most people but it's still back to the drawing board.  They'll be back, like the misfiring UK, France are one of the principal financial backers of Eurovision.  As often said on these shores, there is always next year.