
Eurovision winner looks like he hasn't aged a day 16 years after winning show
The final for the famous Song Contest gets underway tonight, and this star knows all about performing on the much-loved show.
6
6
6
6
Alexander Rybak shot to fame when he won Eurovision for Norway in 2009.
The singer, who's act also sees him playing the violin, was just 23 when he scooped the Song Contest crown.
He stole the show with his hugely popular song Fairytale, which saw him sweep the scoreboard.
Alexander broke all previous records with his score of 387 points.
The track topped the charts once he won, and his album Fairytales was released in 25 countries.
Speaking about the song that helped him win, Alexander told the Huff Post in 2022: 'Fairytale lets me have fun with music and experiment with new genres and styles every year.
'It's essentially an old-fashioned oom-pah tune with Tin Pan Alley chords, but people called it a 'modern tune' because I believed in it in the here and now.
"I will be forever grateful for the people who stream it and show it to their friends, so that it may live on and be discovered by new generations.'
Alexander has returned to Eurovision several times over the years.
He has appeared on several interval medleys and even appeared as himself in the Netflix comedy Eurovision Song Contest: The Story Of Fire Saga.
Rylan makes VERY awkward gaffe during first live Eurovision semi-final
Alexander also competed again 2018, with the song That's How You Write a Song.
This time he placed 15th with 144 points.
HOST PULLS OUT
Meanwhile, yesterday it was revealed how the BBC were forced to find a replacement after one of the UK's Eurovision hosts pulled out at the last minute.
The Beeb shared a statement that said Dr Who 's Ncuti Gatwa, is no long able to read out the scores from the UK jury.
6
The much-loved star is instead being replaced by Sophie Ellis-Bextor.
The BBC said: "Due to unforeseen circumstances, unfortunately Ncuti Gatwa is no longer able to participate as Spokesperson during the Grand Final this weekend.
"However, we are delighted to confirm that BBC Radio 2's very own Friday night Kitchen Disco Diva Sophie Ellis-Bextor will be presenting the Jury result live from the UK."
A thrilled Sophie said: 'I love Eurovision and it's a privilege to be part of 2025's Grand Final.
6
"What an honour it is to announce the UK's jury score on such a special show which always puts music front and centre.
"I am very much looking forward to delivering the iconic douze points from the United Kingdom!'
Sophie will be seen announcing the scores from the British jury.
GRAHAM RETURNS
Fans will be pleased to know that Graham Norton returns to provide his witty commentary for tonight.
The national treasure took over from the late Terry Wogan in 2009 and has been a fan favourite ever since.
Eurovision will kick off this evening at in Basel, Switzerland at 8pm on BBC One.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
The Old Guard 2 review – Charlize Theron's delayed Netflix sequel is an incomplete mess
Even with our thick-of-Covid desperation for anything that felt big at a time when life felt too small, there was more to The Old Guard than the average churned out Netflix mockbuster. Released in the hell of July 2020, it came with the requisite boxes ticked (big star, international locations, franchisable setup) but felt closer to the real thing than most, proving to be a hit for those eager for escapism, scoring one of the streamer's biggest launches to date. But like many Netflix films, its cultural impact was negligible, popular for a weekend or three but failing to live on in any notable way after, consumed with speed and forgotten at a similar pace. A sequel was inevitable yet unnecessary, and while one was given a green light at the start of 2021 and started production in 2022, it's taken another three years to see the light of day. Not only does The Old Guard 2 bear the bruises of such a cursed post-production process but it's also weakened by such a distance from the first, forcing us to remember something most of us had resigned to the ether (it's telling that to promote the sequel, Netflix has recruited its stars to recap the first film). It's not as if we're dealing with a straightforward action flick either, the mythology of The Old Guard, based on Greg Rucka's comic book series, requires enough convoluted exposition for us to pull up the original's Wikipedia plot description to understand just what the hell is going on in the follow-up. Should something intended to be a summer lark really feel like such hard work? It's made mostly tolerable by Charlize Theron, an actor and a movie star we just don't see enough of and when we do, it's quite often not what we want to see her in. Theron, who gave us one of the greatest character studies of the 2010s in Jason Reitman's vastly underrated Young Adult, has decided to remain boringly unchallenged as of late, slumming it in flimsy franchise fodder (her last non-genre role was playing Megyn Kelly in 2019's dubious #MeToo dud Bombshell, although that could be conceivably classed as horror). She returns to play Andy, a once immortal warrior who (and I had to remind myself of this) was made mortal in the first film, a danger that should technically add suspenseful stakes to her extravagant fight sequences (but alas). This time around, an old comrade returns from centuries of punishment (Ngô Thanh Vân) and partners with a humanity-hating immortal (Uma Thurman) causing Andy and her team to take action. While it should, in an era of increasingly bloated runtimes, be a boon to have it all wrapped up in under 97 minutes (sans end credits, far shorter than the 125-minute original), The Old Guard 2 is a panicked rush to wrap things up, poorly developed and confusingly plotted, a swift and savage franchise-killer. Along with last week's M3gan 2.0, which bombed at the box office after a 2.5 year gap, it serves as a reminder to studios why speed and simplicity are both essential for sequels in an attention economy where films just don't have the same media footprint they once had. In the time it took to beat this one into shape, it seems like those involved have also forgotten what made the first one work, the replacement of director Gina Prince-Bythewood with Victoria Mahoney leading to a considerable drop in action sequence effectiveness while the original's rather groundbreaking queerness has now been almost entirely excised. The first film had a surprising, swooning kiss from immortal lovers played by Marwan Kenzari and Luca Marinelli, but this time around, their foreheads briefly touch instead. There's also a coy confusion over just what the relationship is between Andy and her one-time partner, who are gay in the comics, but are presented as, ahem, longtime companions here, the film acting as an amusingly abrupt end to Pride month. Theron is an actor who's tirelessly working even when the script isn't asking her to, but this is a waste of not only her but also a returning Chiwetel Ejiofor, as well as Thurman who has moments of slithering fun as the villain but she's used so sparingly, it's akin to a cameo role. The last act sets her up to be a bigger part in the third film but, slight snag here, there hasn't been any official confirmation of The Old Guard 3, something that might shock viewers given the baffling cliffhanger ending. It's not as if some b-plot threads are left dangling but instead, the entire film is left shoddily unfinished, a truly heinous decision that threatens to turn the series into the new Divergent (a cancelled fourth film leaves that franchise forever incomplete). Perhaps that might be for the best. The Old Guard 2 is now available on Netflix


Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
Never miss your favourite TV series when on holiday with travel tip
Surfshark VPN lets Brits stream their favourite TV shows while travelling on holiday These days, many TV fans plan their lives around their favourite TV series, with the latest season premiere a major event in the diary. The biggest streamers like Netflix, Amazon's Prime Video and Disney+ have already unveiled their stellar summer slates packed with new and returning shows. June saw beloved series like Clarkson's Farm, The Bear and Squid Game all back on screen, with more still to come including Dexter: Resurrection (Paramount+, July 11) and Alien: Earth (Disney+, August 13). But while everyone loves a summer holiday, jetting off to greener pastures often means having to wait to watch the latest episodes until one returns home. This is because some content on streaming platforms like Netflix, Prime Video and Disney+ can only be accessed in the UK. But there is a way to access them from abroad with a VPN, which means Brits don't have to miss out on the latest TV series when they jet off this summer. Please be aware streaming platforms may take the view that the use of a VPN to watch content from another territory may be a breach of its terms of service and may constitute copyright infringement. It is the user's responsibility to ensure the use of a VPN is legal and The Mirror does not encourage any illegal use of a VPN. How to watch your favourite TV series while travelling Brits heading abroad this summer can use a VPN (Virtual Private Network) to unblock websites and services that usually only work in the UK. This allows users to access streaming platforms including Netflix, Prime Video and Disney+ from abroad as they would at home. A VPN works by changing a device's IP address – the unique identifier of a device connected to the internet – to any location around the world. There are many VPN providers on the market, with Surfshark a top choice that boasts the more than 3,200 Surfshark servers in 100 countries including the US, Australia, plus in Europe and Asia. Surfshark is compatible with devices running Windows, iOS, Android, macOS, Linux, and FireTV. The brand is currently offering its services for the discounted rate of £1.49 per month for its 24-month Surfshark Starter plan, which now comes with three extra months at the reduced rate. This option costs a total of £40.23 over the 27-month term, a whopping 88% saving compared to the usual £331.83. With this, users get a secure VPN that lets them watch their favourite shows from outside the UK, with advert and cookie pop-up blockers, a constantly changing IP address and the ability to use Surfshark on unlimited devices simultaneously. There's also 24/7 customer support on live chat or email and a 30-day money back guarantee. However, Surfshark members on the Starter plan won't receive antivirus protection, a feature included in the £1.89 Surfshark One plan. This provides a range of security features, with 27 months of VPN, antivirus, alert, search, and alternative ID. It offers the same benefits as Surfshark Starter but with the added benefit of detecting and removing viruses and malware in real time, as well as preventing advertising companies and bots tracking online activity and sending alerts if an email address appears in breached online databases. Other VPN services include NordVPN, which rivals Surfshark with more than double the amount of servers. However, this comes at a cost as it's also more expensive at £2.69 per month for the Basic plan. ExpressVPN is another alternative and is said to be easier to use than other services but is also more expensive at £4.04 on its 24-month plan. The Daily Express compared Surfshark, NordVPN and ExpressVPN and found Surfshark to be 'great value for money'. It said: 'Surfshark offers great value for money and that's one of the big attractions. It's actually owned by the people behind NordVPN, but this is their budget offering – not that the features are lacking. 'There are apps for a wide range of devices, but Surfshark doesn't put a limit on the number of devices on the same contract, so you can sign-in across all your devices, making sure your whole family is protected.' However, Chris also found a potential downside, adding: 'Surfshark has fewer servers than some of its rivals and can sometimes be a little slower, but unless you're moving huge amounts of data around, that's unlikely to be a problem.' Surfshark users have awarded the service an average 4.5-star rating on Trustpilot, with many impressed with its customer service. One said: 'So nice to talk to a human when tech issues arise.' Another said: 'I'm really happy with how easy it is to use on the app and TV, and also for how reliable the service is.' However, this mixed review said: 'It has trouble connecting on my iPhone 12. Ok on iPad but seems to slow everything down.'


Spectator
2 hours ago
- Spectator
Inflation could not end sooner for Javier Milei
In Wild Tales, one of the most famous Argentine films of recent years, the character played by the actor Ricardo Darin decries the cost of a birthday cake he is buying for his daughter. 'Is it imported?' he asks the women behind the counter, a nod towards the eye-wateringly high cost of imported goods in Argentina. At the end of May, in a case of life-imitating-art, Darin inadvertently sparked a row with Javier Milei's government over the cost of another staple foodstuff: the empanada. Appearing on La Noche de Mirtha, a cozy evening talk show, Ricardo Darin decried their cost, saying a dozen empanadas can now easily cost 48,000 pesos – roughly equivalent to £30. This off-the-cuff statement prompted a rebuke from the country's economy minister and a slather of abuse from online libertarians. It was a rare intervention from someone who – unusual as this is for an Argentine – has always kept his cards close to his chest politically. Darin is undoubtedly one of Argentina's most successful actors, starring in the Oscar-winning The Secret in Their Eyes, which was subject to a disappointing English-language remake starring Julia Roberts and Nicole Kidman, and he is currently helming the Netflix series El Eternauta. That even he put his head above the parapet is perhaps a sign of patience with Milei's government wearing thin among some sections of society. Empanadas, meant to be a cheap and affordable snack, are a good barometer for how much prices have risen. Darin's comments came during a discussion about Milei's latest attempt to get Argentines' dollars out of their mattresses and into the country's banks. 'Who are they talking about? A dozen empanadas costs 48,000 pesos, so I don't understand what they're talking about, there are a lot of people who are having a very hard time,' Darin said. A key pledge of Milei's campaign was dollarisation of the economy; the abolishment of the peso and adoption of the US dollar. These plans appear to have been put on ice. For now, Argentina lacks sufficient reserves of foreign currency to turn them into reality. This is part of the reason for Milei's latest gambit to try and get the informal dollars held by Argentines into the system. Official estimates suggest Argentines own around $270 billion outside of the formal system. While much of this is held in foreign bank accounts, a good deal is estimated to be kept in cash. Distrustful of domestic banks since the 2001 economic crisis in which the public was blocked from withdrawing their savings before the peso was devalued, this has been the saving method of choice for most Argentines since. Milei hopes to coax this money back into the system. A tax amnesty last year gave the economy an $18 billion boost, but now he plans to go further. Anyone paying dollars into the system will not be required to account for where they got the cash. Unsurprisingly, this has been described as a money launderer's dream by several analysts. While the empanada row with Darin might suggest a frustration with regression of living standards under Milei, there is evidence that the libertarian president has some rope left. In regional elections earlier in May, his party won its first salvo in its bid to crush the centre right. Manuel Adorni, Milei's official spokesman, won the regional elections in Buenos Aires, traditionally a centre-right stronghold. Milei's La Libertad Avanza party doubled its vote count compared to the previous elections in 2023. Inflation, too, seems to be abating. Monthly inflation slowed to its lowest level in more than five years in May: 1.5 per cent. Wholesale prices even fell 0.3 per cent. Argentina is preparing for midterm elections in October this year. These are crucial for Milei. Will he solidify his position and cast off the need for compromise? Or will voters who are feeling the pinch choose to punish him?