Music: Waiting for the start of the ESC final

In which place Germany will land this time, and Superstar Celine Dion appears at the ESC final in Basel or not? Shortly before the climax of the Eurovision Song Contest in Switzerland (from 9 p.m.), the tension is great. Germany is fighting for the crown with 25 other nations – or at least for a passable rank after various rear places in recent years.

TV entertainer Stefan Raab therefore went out of their way again and stirred vigorously the advertising drum for the German contribution. In several videos on his Instagram channel, the ESC veteran appealed to vote for the song “Baller” (if possible with twelve points) – he turned not only to Switzerland and Austria, but also to vacationers on the favorite island of Germans – “12 Points From Malle”. In the song contest, people in Germany cannot vote for the German contribution.

For Germany, the sibling duo Abor & Tynna competes in front of an audience of millions and online. Raab is the mentor of Abor (26) and Tynna (24) from Vienna and organized the ESC preliminary decision.

Most recently, Lena had achieved the ESC victory for Germany with “Satellite” in 2010. Michael Schulte took fourth place in 2018. The ARD broadcasts the final live from 9 p.m. in the first. Abor & Tynna compete in the second half with starting place 16.

If you go to the betting shops, the two do not like favorites. For weeks, Sweden has been in the first place that competes with the trio kaj and a funny sauna song. Accordingly, JJ (24) from Austria with a ballad about unsuccessful love war and the French Louane (28), who sings about her died mother, also have good chances. Germany is in the middle of the betting agencies.

Speculations caused a possible appearance by Canadian Celine Dion. In 1988 she won the ESC for Switzerland and repeatedly stated how she would like to be there in Basel. However, it is seriously ill. Dion suffers from the pen-person syndrome with severe muscle cramps. Whether it can occur depends on her daily form. She was not there during the rehearsal for the final on Friday, but it was always rumored behind the scenes that the plans could still change at the last minute.

Are there reactions in the final in Israel?

Yuval Raphael (24) competes for Israel, a survivor of the Palestinian terrorist attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023. Because of the Gaza War, there were always protests against the participation of Israel. During a rehearsal for the semi -finals, Raphael’s lecture with trill whistles was disturbed.

Last year protests against Israel’s participation overshadowed the ESC in Malmö, but larger demonstrations have failed to do so in Basel. The mood in the city was left out.

Meanwhile, the controversy around Israel’s participation brought Spain a complaint from the organizer. The Spanish newspaper “El País” reports that the European Radio Union (EBU) has threatened the broadcaster RTVE with a fine if its commentators again mention the Gaza conflict in the final.

“We can confirm that we talked to RTVE about this matter and clarified that the commentators are expected to keep neutrality in the broadcasts of the Eurovision Song Contest,” said EBU when asked. She did not mention a fine.