- Feb 28, 2002
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Vote switch 'stole Tatu's Eurovision win'
Shock loss: Tatu were the bookies' favourite to win the Eurovision song contest
The relentless publicity drive around the pop duo Tatu reached new heights yesterday when a Russian state-owned television channel protested at the "improbably low points" the two teenagers received at last weekend's Eurovision contest, hinting that the competition had been rigged.
Channel One TV, a member of the European Broadcasting Union which runs the song contest, said it would send in an official protest.
Tatu, whose youth, faux-lesbian antics and high hemlines have earned them both critics and mimics in Russia and abroad, were the bookies' favourites for the title with their song Ne Ver, Ne Boysia, Ne Prosi (Don't Believe, Don't Fear, Don't Ask).
Turkey's Setrab Erener won the event with Every Way, while the Russian duo trailed third after the Belgian entry, Sanomi, and its "traditional and folk-inspired" ditty, Urban Trad.
Channel One TV released an indignant statement, which said it "officially declares that it discredits the voting results of the Eurovision song contest 2003".
Its complaint centres on Ireland's voting practices.
"At the last moment, tele-voting [by the Irish public] was exchanged for a vote by national judges", the statement said, "because of a disagreement between the phone vote service provider and the [Irish] broadcast channel RTE."
The statement claimed that the change, which occurred because the Irish phone vote results came in too late, meant that Tatu received fewer points from Ireland than the phone vote would have awarded them.
The statement concluded: "Taking into account the insignificant difference in the marks (three points) between the first and third places, there are grounds to believe the contest results could be much different for Russia."
The bitter rejoinder adds to the controversy and acrimony that Tatu brought to the contest. The pair did their utmost to attract attention and disdain, dismissing their adversaries and calling the German entry an "old hag".
Organisers of the contest had even recorded the dress rehearsal of the Russian entry, to provide a fallback transmission if Tatu's live performance got too racy.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/arts/news/story/0,11711,967033,00.html
Shock loss: Tatu were the bookies' favourite to win the Eurovision song contest
The relentless publicity drive around the pop duo Tatu reached new heights yesterday when a Russian state-owned television channel protested at the "improbably low points" the two teenagers received at last weekend's Eurovision contest, hinting that the competition had been rigged.
Channel One TV, a member of the European Broadcasting Union which runs the song contest, said it would send in an official protest.
Tatu, whose youth, faux-lesbian antics and high hemlines have earned them both critics and mimics in Russia and abroad, were the bookies' favourites for the title with their song Ne Ver, Ne Boysia, Ne Prosi (Don't Believe, Don't Fear, Don't Ask).
Turkey's Setrab Erener won the event with Every Way, while the Russian duo trailed third after the Belgian entry, Sanomi, and its "traditional and folk-inspired" ditty, Urban Trad.
Channel One TV released an indignant statement, which said it "officially declares that it discredits the voting results of the Eurovision song contest 2003".
Its complaint centres on Ireland's voting practices.
"At the last moment, tele-voting [by the Irish public] was exchanged for a vote by national judges", the statement said, "because of a disagreement between the phone vote service provider and the [Irish] broadcast channel RTE."
The statement claimed that the change, which occurred because the Irish phone vote results came in too late, meant that Tatu received fewer points from Ireland than the phone vote would have awarded them.
The statement concluded: "Taking into account the insignificant difference in the marks (three points) between the first and third places, there are grounds to believe the contest results could be much different for Russia."
The bitter rejoinder adds to the controversy and acrimony that Tatu brought to the contest. The pair did their utmost to attract attention and disdain, dismissing their adversaries and calling the German entry an "old hag".
Organisers of the contest had even recorded the dress rehearsal of the Russian entry, to provide a fallback transmission if Tatu's live performance got too racy.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/arts/news/story/0,11711,967033,00.html
