Latest news with #Pietsch
Extra.ie
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Extra.ie
Eurovision winner JJ says he hopes next year's contest will take place without Israel
This year's Eurovision winner, JJ, says he would like next year's competition to take place without Israel. 'It's very disappointing… I would like Eurovision to be held in Vienna next year, without Israel. But the ball is in the EBU's court. We, the artists, can only speak out on the matter,' said the Austrian artist to Spanish newspaper El País. The 24-year-old singer, whose real name is Johannes Pietsch, claimed victory at the song contest with the song 'Wasted Love.' In a tightly contested final, Pietsch finished just ahead of Israel's Yuval Raphael, a survivor of the October 7 attacks. Her song 'New Day Will Rise' received the most public votes. 'There should be greater transparency regarding the [public vote]. This year, everything was very strange about it,' said Pietsch. His remarks echo growing concern among several national broadcasters. Spain's national broadcaster RTVE has requested a full audit of the voting system, with Ireland and Finland also expressing support for a review. Belgium's VRT has threatened to withdraw from the contest if concerns go unaddressed. The director of Eurovision, Martin Green, made a statement this week calling the contest's voting system 'the most advanced in the world'. Pietsch, who is queer, also told El Pas he attempted to bring an LGBTQ+ flag on stage during his final performance, but 'the organisers caught [him] at the last minute.'
The Journal
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Journal
Eurovision winner hopes Israel won't compete next year
THIS YEAR'S WINNER of the Eurovision song contest has said that he would like next year's competition to go ahead in Austria 'without Israel'. Johannes Pietsch, 24, from Austria, yesterday said in an interview with the Spanish outlet El Pais, that it is 'very disappointing to see Israel still participating in the competition.' Pietsch, who narrowly beat out Israel's entrant for the win, also called for 'greater transparency' regarding the televoting element of the judging process, saying that this year 'everything was very strange about it', after Israel dominated the public vote. The Spanish Eurovision delegation has requested an audit of the televoting process, and the Belgian broadcaster VRT has threatened to pull out of the competition if the matter is not clarified by the EBU (European Broadcasting Union). Pietsch, who is queer, also said that he tried to 'sneak' an LGBTQ+ flag onto the stage during the final for his performance of 'Wasted Love', but that the organisers 'caught' him at the last minute. 'We artists can only raise our voices,' Pietsch further said. Advertisement Israel's entry, 'New Day Will Rise', sung by Yuval Raphael, a survivor of the 7 October attacks, came second, but came first in audience voting. Ireland has joined in Spain's call for a review of the Eurovision voting process, alongside Finland, and the Netherlands. There has been criticism of the fact that an audience member watching from home can cast up to 20 votes. Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has also called for Israel to be banned from the Eurovision. Martin Green, the director of Eurovision, made a statement this week about the integrity of the voting system, calling it 'the most advanced in the world'. Need more information on what is happening in Israel and Palestine? Check out our FactCheck Knowledge Bank for essential reads and guides to navigating the news online. Visit Knowledge Bank Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
West Australian
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- West Australian
Western Force unveil special jerseys to face British and Irish Lions, designed by winger Dylan Pietsch
When the Western Force go into battle against the British and Irish Lions in just over a month's time, their one-off jerseys will have a personal connection thanks to Dylan Pietsch. The flying winger, who has a secondary life as an artist, has designed a special jersey to be worn when the Force welcome the Lions into the Optus Stadium den on June 28. Pietsch, a proud Wiradjuri man who is one of just 15 Indigenous men to play for the Wallabies, owns and operates Aboriginal artwork company Wulwaay. It will not just be the Force who run out in a shirt designed by the outside back this winter either; the Wallabies will face the Lions in their three Tests in jerseys also designed by Pietsch. While Pietsch is hoping to potentially play for three different teams against the Lions — the Force, the Wallabies and a combined First Nations and Pasifika XV who will play the touring side in Melbourne — he said he was delighted to have one connection to the tour. 'This is something that I love to do outside rugby, and just to be able to kick back and not think about rugby. To be able to do it as a side hustle is awesome,' he said. 'Rugby is so structured, I suppose it does have the creative aspect of it when you're on the field, but everything is so structured, and to have something where you can just let your mind kind of wander and do whatever it wants is a pretty cool space.' Pietsch's design features the Force's Maali (black swan) emblem, depicted in an attack pose above a lion and references WA's waterways and the club theme of connections. 'It's a big thing at the Force this year, about our connection and giving a connection back to who we are and who we are in the future as well,' Pietsch said. 'We represent that by feathers, and we represent feathers to each individual to play for the club and for staff as well. Throughout the feathers, I put the connection circles through there to go through that, and all the river systems throughout Perth and WA, I've put the lines through there too.' The special jerseys will be sold on a limited-edition basis — with 200 to be available at the Force's final Super Rugby Pacific game of the season at HBF Park on Saturday.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Eurovision 2025: Austria Wins Song Contest With Johannes Pietsch
Austrian performer Johannes Pietsch won the 69th Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday night while Israel's Yuval Raphael came second after a tense showdown at the Grand Final in Basel, Switzerland. Pietsch, an Austrian-Filipino opera singer who also goes by the name of JJ, sang 'Wasted Love' in a ramshackle dingy amid strobe lighting on stage, and earned 436 points. He beat Israeli entrant Raphael as she finished second with 357 points, while also winning the public vote section of the competition. More from The Hollywood Reporter Eurovision 2025: Stage Invasion During Israeli Yuval Raphael Performance Blocked How to Livestream Today's Eurovision 2025 Final in the U.S. Israel Eurovision Contestant Performs Without Incident at Semi-Finals The top five in a competition voted on by national music industry juries and the global public included Estonia coming third with 356 points, Sweden with 321 points and Italy with 256 points. The Grand Final included Raphael singing her power ballad, 'New Day Will Rise.' During her performance, a man and a woman attempted to rush the stage. A spokesman for Swiss broadcaster SRG SSR told The Hollywood Reporter that two protestors threw paint at a crew member before their arrest. For the second year running, the Eurovision contest was overshadowed by protests over the European Broadcasting Union's decision to allow an entrant from Israel to participate as that country's conflict in Gaza continues. Raphael, a survivor of the Nova festival massacre on Oct. 7, 2023, did a solo performance around an up and down a giant chandelier-like staircase on stage during the Grand Final. The Hunger Games of pop music had 26 contenders battling it out with original songs, whether tormented ballads or electro-pop bonkers, to win Eurovision glory. The competition even included Lithuania's Tavo Akys wearing a District 12 Style long-sleeve tunic as he performed. The Eurovision content had its usual mix of sparkly costumes, elaborate sets and light shows and, of course, cheering fans in the arena and at home. Coming into the Grand Final, the bookies' favorites included Sweden's entry, the Finnish-Swedish music comedy trio KAJ, and their accordion-led sauna song 'Bara Bada Bastu,' an ode to steamy wood-cabin bliss, and the French singer Louane, who performed her torch song 'Maman' with a sand tornado swirling around her in the St. Jakobshalle indoor arena in Basel. This year's competition also had controversy around Estonia's Tommy Cash with bendy leg dancing performing the caffeinated pop song 'Espresso Macchiato,' about another country, Italy, and its coffee, which some Italians criticized for mocking their culture with stereotypes. In all, 26 acts were seen Saturday night that had been pared down from 37 contenders taking part in two semi-final competitions earlier this week. The annual singing contest's Grand Final opened with a video where host presenters Hazel Brugger, Sandra Studer and Michelle Hunziker waited nervously for extreme sport athletes to deliver the glass microphone Eurovision trophy to the arena. Then last year's winner, Switzerland's Nemo, performed their song 'The Code' against a splashy laser light show, followed with a flag parade of 26 country finalists, with all contestants welcomed on stage to rapturous cheers from flag-waving fans in the arena audience and in an adjoining soccer stadium filled with another 36,000 spectators who at one point during the Eurovision Grand Final show did a mass performance of the ABBA hit 'Waterloo.' Best of The Hollywood Reporter Hollywood's Most Notable Deaths of 2025 Harvey Weinstein's "Jane Doe 1" Victim Reveals Identity: "I'm Tired of Hiding" 'Awards Chatter' Podcast: 'Sopranos' Creator David Chase Finally Reveals What Happened to Tony (Exclusive)
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Celebrity hairstylist Jenn Lagron suffers ‘devastating' injuries after being hit by alleged drunk driver
Celebrity hairstylist Jenn Lagron — known for working with Chrissy Teigen and Kylie Jenner — has allegedly been hit by a drunk driver, leaving her with extensive injuries. Lagron was reportedly walking as a pedestrian in Los Angeles, California, when she was struck Sunday. She's been left with a 'severely damaged arm' and a fractured vertebrae in her neck, according to a GoFundMe started to aid in her recovery. Fellow hairstylist Brandon Pietsch organized the fundraiser, which has received more than $54,000 in donations as of writing. The GoFundMe has a goal to raise $60,000 for Lagron. 'While we are endlessly grateful that Jenn survived, her road to recovery will be long and incredibly difficult. Doctors anticipate at least a year of rehabilitation ahead, during which she will be unable to work or support herself,' Pietsch wrote. Pietsch's latest GoFundMe update, posted April 29, stated that Lagron's second surgery was successful and she has begun physical therapy. 'She will be in a wheelchair for some time, as they had to replace nerves in her arm with nerves from her leg,' Pietsch wrote. Lagron has several notable clients, including Teigen and Jenner. Just last year, Lagron posted a photo of Teigen with a sleek bob and the caption: 'Who else is considering a fall chop?' The hairstylist also recently worked with Kristin Juszczyk, fashion designer and wife of San Francisco 49ers Kyle Juszczyk, during Super Bowl week festivities. Lagron's Instagram profile is filled with photos of her work styling Bravo star Ariana Madix, model Larsen Thompson, singer-songwriter Ceara Cavalieri, and DJ Charly Jordan. Her work spans simple blowouts, complex updos, and sleek glam looks. Her hairstyles have graced the covers of magazines, red carpets, and events across the country. Lagron was friends with Jenner and Katy Perry's hairstylist, Jesus Guerrero, who died unexpectedly in February. In an Instagram post, Lagron wrote: 'Jesus made me laugh more than anyone on this planet. I still haven't found the words but I hope this makes you smile because I know that's what he would want ... My actual angel on earth and now from up above. I loved you more than life itself.'
