Switzerland’s Nemo wins 68th Eurovision Song Contest after event roiled by protests over Gaza war

Switzerland’s Nemo wins 68th Eurovision Song Contest after event roiled by protests over Gaza war
Nemo representing Switzerland holds the Eurovision sculpture after winning during the Grand Final of the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest, in Malmo, Sweden, May 11, 2024. (Reuters)
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Updated 12 May 2024
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Switzerland’s Nemo wins 68th Eurovision Song Contest after event roiled by protests over Gaza war

Switzerland’s Nemo wins 68th Eurovision Song Contest after event roiled by protests over Gaza war
  • Nemo, 24, is the first nonbinary winner of the contest that has long been embraced as a safe haven by the LGBT community

MALMO, Sweden: Swiss singer Nemo won the 68th Eurovision Song Contest early Sunday with “The Code,” an operatic pop-rap ode to the singer’s journey toward embracing a nongender identity.
Switzerland’s contestant beat Croatian rocker Baby Lasagna to the title by winning the most points from a combination of national juries and viewers around the world. Nemo, 24, is the first nonbinary winner of the contest that has long been embraced as a safe haven by the LGBT community. Nemo is also the first Swiss winner since 1988, when Canadian chanteuse Celine Dion competed under the Swiss flag.
“Thank you so much,” Nemo said after the result from Saturday’s final was announced soon after midnight. “I hope this contest can live up to its promise and continue to stand for peace and dignity for every person.”
At a post-victory news conference, Nemo expressed pride in accepting the trophy for “people that are daring to be themselves and people that need to be heard and need to be understood. We need more compassion, we need more empathy.”
Nemo’s victory in the Swedish city of Malmo followed a turbulent year for the pan-continental pop contest that saw large street protests against the participation of Israel that tipped the feelgood musical celebration into a chaotic pressure cooker overshadowed by the war in Gaza.
Hours before the final, Dutch competitor Joost Klein was expelled from the contest over a backstage altercation that was being investigated by police.
Nemo — full name Nemo Mettler — bested finalists from 24 other countries, who all performed in front of a live audience of thousands and an estimated 180 million viewers around the world. Each contestant had three minutes to meld catchy tunes and eye-popping spectacle into performances capable of winning the hearts of viewers. Musical styles ranged across rock, disco, techno and rap — sometimes a mashup of more than one.
Israeli singer Eden Golan, who spent Eurovision week in Malmo under tight security, took the stage to a wall of sound — boos mixed with cheers — to perform the power ballad “Hurricane.” Golan shot up the odds table through the week, despite the protests that her appearance drew, and ended in fifth place behind Nemo, Baby Lasagna, Ukrainian duo alyona alyona & Jerry Heil, and French singer Slimane.
Eurovision organizers ordered a change to the original title of her song, “October Rain” — an apparent reference to the Oct. 7 Hamas attack that killed about 1,200 people in Israel and triggered the war in Gaza.
The show was typically eclectic Eurovision fare, ranging from the pop-zombie folk hybrid of Estonia’s 5Miinust x Puuluup to the folk-inflected power pop of Greece’s Marina Satti and Armenia’s Ladaniva and the goofy 1990s nostalgia of Finland’s Windows95man, who emerged from a giant onstage egg wearing very little clothing.
Britain’s Olly Alexander offered upbeat dance track “Dizzy,” while Ireland’s gothic Bambie Thug summoned a demon onstage and brought a scream coach to Malmo, and Spain’s Nebulossa boldly reclaimed a term used as a slur on women in “Zorra.”
Nemo had been a favorite going into the contest, alongside Baby Lasagna, whose song “Rim Tim Tagi Dim” is a rollicking rock number that tackles the issue of young Croatians leaving the country in search of a better life.
The contest returned to Sweden, home of last year’s winner, Loreen, half a century after ABBA won Eurovision with “Waterloo” — Eurovision’s most iconic moment. ABBA did not appear in person in Malmo, though their digital “ABBA-tars” from the “ABBA Voyage” stage show did.
A trio of former Eurovision winners — Charlotte Perrelli, Carola and Conchita Wurst — performed “Waterloo” in tribute.
Though Eurovision’s motto is “united by music,” this year’s event has proven divisive. Protests and dissent overshadowed a competition that has become a campy celebration of Europe’s varied — and sometimes baffling — musical tastes and a forum for inclusiveness and diversity.
Thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched for the second time in a week on Saturday through Sweden’s third-largest city, which has a large Muslim population, to demand a boycott of Israel and a ceasefire in the seven-month Gaza war that has killed almost 35,000 Palestinians, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.
Several hundred gathered outside the Malmo Arena before the final, with some shouting “shame” at arriving music fans, and facing off with police blocking their path. Climate activist Greta Thunberg was among those escorted away by police.
Klein, the Dutch performer, was ejected from the competition after a female member of the production crew made a complaint, competition organizer the European Broadcasting Union said. The 26-year-old Dutch singer and rapper had been a favorite of both bookmakers and fans with his song “Europapa.”
Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS, one of dozens of public broadcasters that collectively fund and broadcast the contest, said that as Klein came offstage after Thursday’s semifinal, he was filmed without his consent and in turn made a “threatening movement” toward the camera.
The broadcaster said Klein didn’t touch the camera or the camera operator, and called his expulsion “disproportionate.”
Tensions and nerves were palpable in the hours before the final. Several artists were absent from the Olympics-style artists’ entrance at the start of the final dress rehearsal, though all appeared at the final.
Several competitors made reference to peace or love at the end of their performances, including France’s Slimane, who said: “United by music for love and peace.”
Nemo said the Eurovision experience had been “really intense and not just pleasant all the way.”
“There were a lot of things that didn’t seem like it was all about love and unity, and that made me really sad,” Nemo said. “I really hope that Eurovision continues and can continue to stand for peace and love in the future. I think that needs a lot of work still.”


Lyna Khoudri spotted at TV series festival in Lille

Lyna Khoudri spotted at TV series festival in Lille
Updated 23 March 2025
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Lyna Khoudri spotted at TV series festival in Lille

Lyna Khoudri spotted at TV series festival in Lille

DUBAI: French Algerian actress Lyna Khoudri made an appearance at Series Mania 2025 this weekend in Lille, France.

Also known as the International TV Series Festival, Khoudri and her castmates were on hand to promote Apple TV+ show “Careme.”

“An ambitious, young chef uses his seductive charm to work as a spy so he can save his father — and make his name,” the official logline of the period drama reads. The series is set to land on Apple TV+ on April 30.

It is a biographical series about Antonin Careme, who rose from humble beginnings to become known as the world's first celebrity chef during the Napoleonic era. Careme is played by Cesar Award-winner Benjamin Voisin, who is joined by Cesar Award-winner Khoudri, César Award nominee Jérémie Renier (“My Way,” “Saint Laurent”),”) and Alice Da Luz (“Hanami,” “And the Party Goes On”).

The Cesar Awards are France’s reply to Hollywood’s Academy Awards.

“Careme” is directed by filmmaker Martin Bourboulon, who also directed Khoudri in Afghanistan evacuation drama “13 Days, 13 Nights,”

The drama, the full title of which is “In The Hell Of Kabul: 13 Days, 13 Nights,” stars Khoudri alongside Danish BAFTA-winning “Borgen” star Sidse Babett Knudsen, Roschdy Zem (“Chocolat,” “Oh Mercy!”), and theater actor Christophe Montenez.

Set against US troops’ withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021, as the Taliban marches on Kabul, the film recounts the true story of French Commander Mohamed Bida who oversaw security at the French embassy, which was the last Western mission to remain open.

The film marks a change for Bourboulon after period dramas “The Three Musketeers – Part II: Milady,” “The Three Musketeers – Part I: D’Artagnan” and “Eiffel.”

Khoudri, 32, first rose to prominence in her role as Nedjma in Mounia Meddour’s critically acclaimed drama “Papicha.” For her work in the film, she won the Orizzonti Award for best actress at the 74th Venice Film Festival, and she was nominated in the Cesar Awards’ most promising actress category.

Khoudri also starred in the 2019 mini-series “Les Sauvages” and in 2016’s “Blood on the Docks.”

Notably, she was cast in Wes Anderson’s 2021 comedy “The French Dispatch” alongside Timothee Chalamet, Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton, and Owen Wilson.

 


Actress Jameela Jamil joins Pixar’s ‘Elio’

Actress Jameela Jamil joins Pixar’s ‘Elio’
Updated 22 March 2025
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Actress Jameela Jamil joins Pixar’s ‘Elio’

Actress Jameela Jamil joins Pixar’s ‘Elio’

DUBAI: Actress and activist Jameela Jamil is set to lend her voice to the Pixar animated film, “Elio.”

Jamil will be voicing the character of Ambassador Questa.

The news broke when Jamil took to her Instagram story this week to share her enthusiasm about the project. Posting the official poster for the film, she captioned it: “It happening.” In a follow-up story, she pointed at the animated character and wrote: “It’s me.”

Instagram/ @JameelaJamil

Besides the poster, Pixar also released the trailer this week.

“Elio,” set to be released on June 20, follows an 11-year-old boy named Elio, who accidentally becomes the ambassador for Earth after being transported across the galaxy.

The movie also features the voices of Yonas Kibreab as Elio, Remy Edgerly as his alien best friend Glordon, Academy Award winner Zoe Saldana as Elio’s Aunt Olga, Brad Garrett as Lord Grigon, and Shirley Henderson as OOOOO.

Directed by Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi and Adrian Molina, the film is produced by Mary Alice Drumm.

Instagram/ @JameelaJamil

Jamil is known for her breakthrough role as Tahani Al-Jamil on NBC’s “The Good Place” and her advocacy work around body positivity and social justice.

Jamil is also starring in “Hysterical” — a new feminist dramedy from Olivia Lee semi-inspired by controversial figure Andrew Tate.

The show stars Naomie Harris and Romesh Ranganathan. Harris plays Leonora, a therapist who spirals into a world of toxic masculinity after her daughter is assaulted.

She learns the boy responsible is a fan of Tommy T, an influencer known for spreading harmful advice among young men. During a weekly “rage release” session with friends, Leonora, fueled by anger and alcohol, convinces the group to act and bring him down.

The plot is inspired by events surrounding Andrew Tate, a former kickboxer with more than 10 million followers who once stated that women should “bear responsibility” for sexual assault.

“UMMMM A comedy series about female rage? Sign me up!” Jamil, who is British Pakistani, wrote on Instagram in October when the show was announced.

“Hysterical” is being produced by Ranganathan’s company, Ranga Bee Productions. Ranganathan and Lee executive produce the show alongside Michelle Farr and Benjamin Green. It has not yet been announced when it will be televised.


REVIEW: ‘The Electric State’ — visually dazzling, disastrously dull

REVIEW: ‘The Electric State’ — visually dazzling, disastrously dull
Updated 21 March 2025
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REVIEW: ‘The Electric State’ — visually dazzling, disastrously dull

REVIEW: ‘The Electric State’ — visually dazzling, disastrously dull

DUBAI: There’s irony that “The Electric State” — a film that champions people making genuine connections and facing reality rather than getting lost in virtual worlds — was created for the world’s largest streaming platform.

There’s irony, too — though less deliberate — that this $320-million(!) content package is the perfect example of a movie made for our short-attention-span, two-screens-at-a-time world: It looks great. It’s got a star-studded cast. It’s helmed by the Russo Brothers. It’s got retro vibes. It’s got a ton of sci-fi tropes. And it’s instantly forgettable.

It's set in an alternative 1990s in which robots — having become self-aware enough to demand rights —have been defeated in a costly and bloody war and are now banished to the Exclusion Zone. Their defeat was down to Neurocaster Technology, developed by tech mogul Ethan Skate (Stanley Tucci), which allowed humans to upload their minds into drone robots and so go to war without the considerable drawback of being flesh and bone.

That same technology means many humans now spend most of their time hooked up to drone helmets living idyllic virtual lives; humans such as the abusive adoptive father of teen orphan Michelle Green (Millie Bobby Brown), whose parents and much-loved younger brother Chris were killed in a car crash a few years earlier. Except…

Turns out Chris (a bona fide genius, we’re told) wasn’t dead, but in a coma. And his exceptional mind was vital to the creation of Neurocaster. But 13 months later, Chris woke up. And that didn’t fit Skate’s plans, so he just kept him prisoner. But Chris was able to sneak his mind into a robot that finds Michelle and lets her know Chris is alive. She sets out to find him in the dangerous Exclusion Zone, reluctantly aided by a smuggler (Chris Pratt) and his robot friend Herman.

It's a decent set-up for a family-friendly sci-fi romp. But good grief “The Electric State” is —except visually (but, y’know, $320 million…) — dull. Brown does her best with the clunky dialogue, and comes through mostly unscathed. Pratt’s performance is like an AI-rendered Chris Pratt performance (“Do the wisecracking-tough-guy thing. Do the tough-guy-with-a-heart-thing. Do the wisecracking-tough-guy thing again…”). Tucci goes pantomime villain. The robots are kind of cute. But there’s no substance underneath this multi-million-dollar gloss. Then again, if your target audience is People Who Will Be Watching Something Else Too, who needs substance?


REVIEW: Harrowing drama ‘Adolescence’ is already this year’s best TV

REVIEW: Harrowing drama ‘Adolescence’ is already this year’s best TV
Updated 20 March 2025
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REVIEW: Harrowing drama ‘Adolescence’ is already this year’s best TV

REVIEW: Harrowing drama ‘Adolescence’ is already this year’s best TV
  • Netflix show stars Stephen Graham as the father of an accused school kid 

LONDON: It might only be March, but we’ve already been treated to the TV highlight of 2025. And I write this fully aware that shows including “Andor,” “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms,” “The Bear,” “The Last of Us,” “Stranger Things,” and many more are still to come. None, though, will be better than “Adolescence,” created by actor Stephen Graham and writer Jack Thorne and directed by Philip Barantini. 

The four-part series tells the story of 13-year-old Jamie Miller, accused of the murder of a schoolmate. Each episode is shot in real time, in a single take, and follows a different aspect of the investigation and its fallout. Graham plays Jamie’s father Eddie, with Ashley Walters and Faye Marsay as investigating officers Bascombe and Frank, and Erin Doherty (recently seen opposite Graham in “A Thousand Blows”) as child psychologist Briony Ariston. Jamie is played by Owen Cooper, putting in a debut performance that is as astonishing as it is harrowing.  

“Adolescence” is not a whodunnit — Jamie’s guilt is made plain early. Rather, it’s a whydunnit, which also explores the impact it has on his family and friends. Thorne and Graham don’t hold back, hurling viewers into a world that picks at ideas of toxic masculinity (it’s no surprise Andrew Tate gets a namedrop), bullying, parental pressure, and teenage attitudes to dating. It’s a heady mix of horrifying revelations — about modern teenage pressure, about Jamie’s mindset and temper, about the effect it has on his parents as they try to come to terms with the shocking things their beloved son has done. 

Technically, “Adolescence” is a masterpiece. The balletic production processes that must have been involved are simply staggering, but they suck the audience in and refuse to let them go, demanding we share in every uncomfortable second. And the cast are even better. Cooper is terrifyingly convincing, and Graham is astonishing as a father trying to look with love at a son he no longer recognizes. But, across the board, the performances are staggeringly good. 

 “Adolescence” may be one of the most upsetting shows released this year — at times, it’s excruciating — but it is also a remarkable work of art.  


Gal Gadot’s Walk of Fame ceremony disrupted by protestors 

Gal Gadot’s Walk of Fame ceremony disrupted by protestors 
Updated 19 March 2025
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Gal Gadot’s Walk of Fame ceremony disrupted by protestors 

Gal Gadot’s Walk of Fame ceremony disrupted by protestors 

DUBAI: Israeli actress Gal Gadot, known for her roles in Hollywood films like “Wonder Woman” and the upcoming live action “Snow White,” was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in a ceremony that was disrupted by both pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian protesters.

The event took place on Tuesday near the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, on the same day Israel launched its most intense strikes on the Gaza Strip since a Jan. 19 ceasefire. Gadot was accompanied by family, friends, and colleagues, including "Fast & Furious" co-star Vin Diesel and "Wonder Woman" director Patty Jenkins.

The ceremony was disrupted by both pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian protesters. (AFP)

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators held signs with messages such as "Heroes Fight Like Palestinians" and "Viva Viva Palestina," while chanting slogans like "Up up with liberation, down down with occupation." In contrast, pro-Israeli supporters displayed Israeli flags and expressed solidarity with Gadot. 

The protests led to a delay of approximately 15 minutes before the ceremony commenced. Tensions escalated when a pro-Palestinian protester seized an Israeli flag from a supporter, prompting a brief police chase. And while some protesters were detained, no arrests were reported, according to Variety.

Gadot, who served in the Israel Defense Forces, has been an outspoken supporter of Israel, particularly following the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas. She has used her platform to advocate for the release of hostages. In her speech at the ceremony, Gadot chose to focus on her personal journey and achievements, stating, “I'm just a girl from a town in Israel. This star will remind me that with hard work, passion, and some faith, anything is possible.” 

The timing of the ceremony coincides with the upcoming release of Disney’s live-action “Snow White,” in which Gadot portrays the Evil Queen opposite Rachel Zegler’s Snow White. The film has been embroiled in controversy due to its modern reinterpretation of the classic tale, including the portrayal of the seven dwarfs and the casting choices. Additionally, the contrasting political views of its lead actresses have further fueled debates. Gadot's support for Israel stands in opposition to Zegler’s pro-Palestinian stance, leading to calls for boycotts from both sides.