Turkey, stuffed..

Alan [in Belfast] was hoping for great things.. but the signs were not good. Even if RTÉ continued to promote their employee’s entry’s chances. But the first Eurovision semi-final has confirmed that Europe didn’t get the joke.. or, more likely, it did.. but didn’t think it was funny – Dustin the Turkey has failed to qualify for the Eurovision Song Contest Final in Belgrade on Saturday night. Only the top ten in the semi-final went through. The BBC’s Denis Murray’s interview with the bird puppeteer is now superfluous.. And it shouldn’t be blamed on block voting. It could be worse, though. We could be French.. For proper coverage of Eurovision 2008 see All Kinds of Everything. Adds “Despite a dazzling performance..”?!?

Boos and jeers were heard from some sections of the arena from purists who were less than impressed with the Eurovision’s first puppet performer.

Update From Shane

On the night it became clear that Ireland was like a child, engaging in all sorts of annoying tricks just to get some attention. But the voters, I would guess, could see right through it. Post-Lordi, you have to be a little more subtle if you’re going to go overboard. Ultimately, it was more humiliating than any of the other recent disasters, because in previous years we sank quietly. This one plummeted with a very loud whine, and hit the ground with a noticeable splat.

Also from Shane, the performance itself.. “There’s booing..”