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Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Israel Eurovision Contestanta Performs Without Incident at Semi-Finals
Israel's Eurovision entrant Yuval Raphael, a survivor of the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack at Nova Music Festival, had her performance go off relatively without a hitch on the broadcast for the contest's semi-finals in Basel, Switzerland, Thursday night, shirking even her own expectations as she and many were preparing for loud boos as her country's inclusion in Eurovision has drawn controversy amid the war in Gaza. Raphael was one of 10 contestants from Thursday's semi-final to punch their ticket to the finals, alongside Lithuania's Katarsis, Armenia's PARG, Denmark's Sissal, Austria's JJ, Luxembourg's Laura Thorn, Finland's Erika Vikman, Latvia's Tautumeitas, Malta's Miriana Conte and Greece's Klavdia. More from The Hollywood Reporter Smokey Robinson Under Criminal Investigation After Sexual Assault Allegations Sean "Diddy" Combs Overdosed on Night of Playboy Mansion Party in 2012, His Ex-Partner Reveals at Trial Lorde Reveals She Discussed Her "Broadening" Gender Identity With Chappell Roan They will join Iceland's Vaeb, Poland's Justyna Steczkowska, Estonia's Tommy Cash, Ukraine's Ziferblat, Sweden's KAJ, Portugal's Napa, Norway's Kyle Alessandro, San Marino's Gabry Ponte, Albania's Shkodra Elektronike,and Netherland's Claude. Eurovision's finals will air on Saturday at noon PST on Peacock. Israel's presence at the contest has been a controversial subject at the past two Eurovision Song Contests amid the war in Gaza, as over 70 former contestants signed an open letter last week calling for Israel to be banned from the event citing 'genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza and the decades-long regime of apartheid and military occupation against the entire Palestinian people.' The broadcast itself showed little beyond Raphael's performance of the song 'New Day Will Rise' and the cheers that followed. Some photos and videos circulating online show a smattering of attendees in the audience holding up Palestinian flags. Israel's Eurovision presence drew protests ahead of the semi-finals as well. Critics have argued that Israel should be banned from the contest, as Russia was back in 2022 over its invasion of Ukraine. While the broadcast didn't show protests, some images online from Thursday's rehearsals showed attendees in the audience waving Palestinian flags while Raphael performed. Raphael has spoken publicly about her experience at Nova, telling the UN Human Rights Council last year that she fled to a bomb shelter the day of the attack, hiding under dead bodies while she herself pretended to be dead for hours until her father and another Nova attendee saved her. 'Every time we [those who were still alive] raised our heads, we couldn't understand why there were less and less people in the bomb shelter,' she told the UN. 'We thought the terrorists were taking the dead bodies. We didn't realize it was because of the grenades, blowing up their bodies.' Last year's Israel entrant Eden Golan was booed during her Eurovision performance, and Raphael told the BBC earlier this week that she'd practiced with boos and noises in the background preparing for Thursday. 'I think I'm expecting it, but we are here to sing and I'm going to sing my heart out for everyone,' Raphael said. Outside of Thursday's semi-final, Celine Dion made a surprise video appearance on Tuesday during the first semi-final, 37 years after she won Eurovision in 1988. 'Music unites us, not only this evening, not only at the moment,' Dion said in French. 'Wonderful. It is our strength, our support and our support in the moments where we need it. I love you all, Europe and the rest of the world, of course. Kisses, I love you.' Best of The Hollywood Reporter Most Anticipated Concert Tours of 2025: Beyoncé, Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar & SZA, Sabrina Carpenter and More Hollywood's Most Notable Deaths of 2025 Hollywood's Highest-Profile Harris Endorsements: Taylor Swift, George Clooney, Bruce Springsteen and More
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
DOJ Investigating Live Nation, AEG Over COVID-Era Refund Strategies
The Department of Justice is investigating concert promoters Live Nation and AEG in a criminal probe regarding their responses to refunds for pandemic-era concert cancellations, Live Nation confirmed Thursday in a statement, denying any wrongdoing. Bloomberg first broke the news of the investigation, reporting that it is linked to an initiative Live Nation, AEG and the major Hollywood booking agencies had announced during the early days of the pandemic in 2020. As Bloomberg reported, the DOJ started investigating during the Biden era, but that the efforts increased during the Trump administration. It's unclear if the investigation will result in any formal charges filed. More from The Hollywood Reporter Israel Eurovision Contestanta Performs Without Incident at Semi-Finals Smokey Robinson Under Criminal Investigation After Sexual Assault Allegations Sean "Diddy" Combs Overdosed on Night of Playboy Mansion Party in 2012, His Ex-Partner Reveals at Trial 'It is not illegal for artist agents, promoters and ticketing companies to work together to solve the unprecedented challenges of a global pandemic,' Dan Wall, Live Nation's EVP of corporate and regulatory affairs, said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. 'While Live Nation contributed to this industry effort in good faith, we set our own unique policies and refund terms to support fans and artists. We did not collude with AEG or anyone else. We are proud of our leadership during those trying times, and if any charges result from this investigation, we will defend them vigorously.' Reps for the DOJ and AEG declined or didn't respond to requests for comment. A source familiar with the matter told The Hollywood Reporter that the DOJ was looking at COVID policies while the department was looking into its civil monopoly lawsuit against the company, but that it wasn't an area of focus as the DOJ continued the building the civil case that would be filed in May of 2024. As Bloomberg notes, there's a five-year statute of limitations on criminal charges, meaning the department has to decide soon on whether it will bring criminal charges forward. The news of the probe comes as Live Nation continues to face the DOJ's monopoly suit. The Justice Department called for a breakup of Live Nation's eponymous concert promotion arm and the ticketing giant Ticketmaster last year, claiming the company has leveraged its power in concerts and ticketing to stifle competition. Live Nation has consistently denied the claims. Since the new administration has taken over, advocates and lawmakers have called on the DOJ to keep prioritizing the suit, with the American Economic Liberties Project writing that 'past attempts to cut deals with this giant have been unsuccessful in stopping abuses of independent venues, artists and fans. Nothing short of a breakup will do.' Thus far, the most significant live music legislation in the Trump era has been the president's executive order signed at the end of March to target ticket scalping. As part of that order, the DOJ and Federal Trade Commission announced a public inquiry into the live music business last week to seek potential remedies to issues in the industry impacting consumers. Best of The Hollywood Reporter How the Warner Brothers Got Their Film Business Started Meet the World Builders: Hollywood's Top Physical Production Executives of 2023 Men in Blazers, Hollywood's Favorite Soccer Podcast, Aims for a Global Empire
