Latest news with #RiseLikeaPhoenix
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Joanna Lumley took part in a spell ceremony with a coven of white witches in Romania during travel series
Dame Joanna Lumley participated in a spell ceremony with a coven of white witches to "bring peace and ward off negativity". The 79-year-old actress travels 1,770 miles along the River Danube for her new ITV travel series 'Joanna Lumley's Danube', visiting Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania and taking a detour to the Ukrainian border before reaching her final destination the Black Sea. Whilst she was in Romania the former 'Absolutely Fabulous' star spent time with a group of white witches and after taking part in the ceremony Lumley was presented with an amulet which she was told would keep her safe on her trip. In an interview with the Daily Express Saturday magazine, she shared: "They work with the elements - earth, air, water, fire - to bring peace and ward off negativity. "They were so glamorous. They used masses of candles for their ceremony. The camera boys nearly died from the heat. Then they gave me an amulet to take me safely on the rest of my journey." Whilst in Austria, Lumley met with with former Eurovision Song Contest winner Conchita Wurst - who won as Austria's entrant in 2014 with the song 'Rise Like a Phoenix' - and she also witnessed a performance by a troupe of homosexual lederhosen dancers which she was amazed by. She said: "The lederhosen dancers were so unbelievably touching. It was a group made completely of middle-aged gay men, it was out of this world. They were amazing. Their kindness and inclusivity touched me very much. "Thinking back to Austria and Germany's darkest times, where people were persecuted and sent to camps for being gay, suddenly here they are in the heart of Austria doing this fabulous dancing." Joanna - who is married to composer Stephen Barlow - admits the journey left her amazed by how much beauty and wonder there is in the world. She said: "It was a delight to see this magnificent river coming out of the ground at the source, a tiny little trickle, and then travelling her length. It was awesome. "I did so much thinking and reflecting on how we neglect geography at our peril. The world is so full of marvels. Everything about this trip was eye-opening. It was terribly touching, very funny and extreme."
The Advertiser
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Advertiser
Austria grapples with venue, funding for Eurovision '26
The Austrian government and national broadcaster are grappling with where to host the next Eurovision Song Contest and how to cover the cost after their nation's entry won the competition for the third time. Apart from jubilation at the resounding victory of Wasted Love by 24-year-old operatic singer Johannes Pietsch, known as JJ, much of the public discussion in Austria has been about the tens of millions of euros hosting the event will cost. The contest's final in Basel, Switzerland, came days after Austria's new centrist coalition government presented a budget dominated by belt-tightening measures. As the country heads towards a third year of recession, its budget deficit has grown well beyond the European Union's limit of three per cent of economic output. Finance Minister Markus Marterbauer posted on Instagram a satirical website's headline that said to avoid the cost of hosting the next contest he had voted for the favourite, Sweden, 3000 times. His caption: "It wasn't enough..." National broadcaster ORF's chief Roland Weissmann was asked by his own organisation how the cost of the event would be covered. "If I had a perfect answer today, that would be a bit like witchcraft. But in the days before (the final) when there was a chance we would win, we did start thinking about it," he replied. "We are in intensive discussions with Austrian officialdom," he said, adding that there would be a "transparent process" to determine where the contest would be held. Vienna, by far the nation's largest city, hosted the event 10 years ago after Conchita Wurst won with Rise Like a Phoenix. Weissmann said many other cities and communities had already expressed an interest. JJ has said he would like the contest to be held in Vienna, his hometown. He also told ORF he had some other requests, including hosting the event himself. "I would like to fly into the opening ceremony. That would be great. But we still have to discuss that," JJ said, adding that it would be similar to the official video of his song in which he appears to float in the air. The Austrian government and national broadcaster are grappling with where to host the next Eurovision Song Contest and how to cover the cost after their nation's entry won the competition for the third time. Apart from jubilation at the resounding victory of Wasted Love by 24-year-old operatic singer Johannes Pietsch, known as JJ, much of the public discussion in Austria has been about the tens of millions of euros hosting the event will cost. The contest's final in Basel, Switzerland, came days after Austria's new centrist coalition government presented a budget dominated by belt-tightening measures. As the country heads towards a third year of recession, its budget deficit has grown well beyond the European Union's limit of three per cent of economic output. Finance Minister Markus Marterbauer posted on Instagram a satirical website's headline that said to avoid the cost of hosting the next contest he had voted for the favourite, Sweden, 3000 times. His caption: "It wasn't enough..." National broadcaster ORF's chief Roland Weissmann was asked by his own organisation how the cost of the event would be covered. "If I had a perfect answer today, that would be a bit like witchcraft. But in the days before (the final) when there was a chance we would win, we did start thinking about it," he replied. "We are in intensive discussions with Austrian officialdom," he said, adding that there would be a "transparent process" to determine where the contest would be held. Vienna, by far the nation's largest city, hosted the event 10 years ago after Conchita Wurst won with Rise Like a Phoenix. Weissmann said many other cities and communities had already expressed an interest. JJ has said he would like the contest to be held in Vienna, his hometown. He also told ORF he had some other requests, including hosting the event himself. "I would like to fly into the opening ceremony. That would be great. But we still have to discuss that," JJ said, adding that it would be similar to the official video of his song in which he appears to float in the air. The Austrian government and national broadcaster are grappling with where to host the next Eurovision Song Contest and how to cover the cost after their nation's entry won the competition for the third time. Apart from jubilation at the resounding victory of Wasted Love by 24-year-old operatic singer Johannes Pietsch, known as JJ, much of the public discussion in Austria has been about the tens of millions of euros hosting the event will cost. The contest's final in Basel, Switzerland, came days after Austria's new centrist coalition government presented a budget dominated by belt-tightening measures. As the country heads towards a third year of recession, its budget deficit has grown well beyond the European Union's limit of three per cent of economic output. Finance Minister Markus Marterbauer posted on Instagram a satirical website's headline that said to avoid the cost of hosting the next contest he had voted for the favourite, Sweden, 3000 times. His caption: "It wasn't enough..." National broadcaster ORF's chief Roland Weissmann was asked by his own organisation how the cost of the event would be covered. "If I had a perfect answer today, that would be a bit like witchcraft. But in the days before (the final) when there was a chance we would win, we did start thinking about it," he replied. "We are in intensive discussions with Austrian officialdom," he said, adding that there would be a "transparent process" to determine where the contest would be held. Vienna, by far the nation's largest city, hosted the event 10 years ago after Conchita Wurst won with Rise Like a Phoenix. Weissmann said many other cities and communities had already expressed an interest. JJ has said he would like the contest to be held in Vienna, his hometown. He also told ORF he had some other requests, including hosting the event himself. "I would like to fly into the opening ceremony. That would be great. But we still have to discuss that," JJ said, adding that it would be similar to the official video of his song in which he appears to float in the air. The Austrian government and national broadcaster are grappling with where to host the next Eurovision Song Contest and how to cover the cost after their nation's entry won the competition for the third time. Apart from jubilation at the resounding victory of Wasted Love by 24-year-old operatic singer Johannes Pietsch, known as JJ, much of the public discussion in Austria has been about the tens of millions of euros hosting the event will cost. The contest's final in Basel, Switzerland, came days after Austria's new centrist coalition government presented a budget dominated by belt-tightening measures. As the country heads towards a third year of recession, its budget deficit has grown well beyond the European Union's limit of three per cent of economic output. Finance Minister Markus Marterbauer posted on Instagram a satirical website's headline that said to avoid the cost of hosting the next contest he had voted for the favourite, Sweden, 3000 times. His caption: "It wasn't enough..." National broadcaster ORF's chief Roland Weissmann was asked by his own organisation how the cost of the event would be covered. "If I had a perfect answer today, that would be a bit like witchcraft. But in the days before (the final) when there was a chance we would win, we did start thinking about it," he replied. "We are in intensive discussions with Austrian officialdom," he said, adding that there would be a "transparent process" to determine where the contest would be held. Vienna, by far the nation's largest city, hosted the event 10 years ago after Conchita Wurst won with Rise Like a Phoenix. Weissmann said many other cities and communities had already expressed an interest. JJ has said he would like the contest to be held in Vienna, his hometown. He also told ORF he had some other requests, including hosting the event himself. "I would like to fly into the opening ceremony. That would be great. But we still have to discuss that," JJ said, adding that it would be similar to the official video of his song in which he appears to float in the air.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Austria grappling with venue, funding for next Eurovision Song Contest
By Francois Murphy VIENNA (Reuters) - The Austrian government and national broadcaster ORF are grappling with where to host the next Eurovision Song Contest and how to cover the cost, officials said on Sunday after their country's entry won the competition for the third time. Apart from jubilation at the resounding victory overnight of "Wasted Love" by 24-year-old operatic singer Johannes Pietsch, known as JJ, much of the public discussion in Austria has been about the tens of millions of euros hosting the event will cost. The contest's final in Basel, Switzerland, came days after Austria's new centrist coalition government presented a budget dominated by belt-tightening measures. As the country heads towards a third year of recession, its budget deficit has grown well beyond the European Union's limit of 3% of economic output. Asked by his own broadcaster how the cost of the event would be covered, ORF chief Roland Weissmann said: "If I had a perfect answer today, that would be a bit like witchcraft. But in the days before (the final) when there was a chance we would win, we did start thinking about it." "We are in intensive discussions with Austrian officialdom," he said, adding that there would be a "transparent process" to determine where the contest would be held. Vienna, by far the country's largest city, hosted the event 10 years ago after Conchita Wurst won with "Rise Like a Phoenix". Weissmann said many other cities and communities had already expressed an interest. Speaking on ORF moments after Weissmann, Vice Chancellor Andreas Babler of the Social Democrats, who is also culture minister, was guarded, saying only that "serious discussions" were underway. JJ has said he would like the contest to be held in Vienna, his hometown. He also told ORF he had some other requests, including hosting the event himself. "I would like to fly into the opening ceremony. That would be great. But we still have to discuss that," JJ said, adding that it would be similar to the official video of his song in which he appears to float in the air. Official discussions on funding are likely to focus on how the Austrian share of the costs should be spread between entities like ORF, the government and the host city or state. According to the Eurovision Song Contest's website, the event is mainly funded by participating broadcasters' fees, contributions by the host broadcaster and host city as well as revenue from items like sponsorship deals, ticket sales and public voting for songs. While hosting the event is at odds with the government's savings drive, there is little doubt that funding will be available, and ministers have also looked on the lighter side. Finance Minister Markus Marterbauer posted overnight on Instagram a satirical website's headline that said to avoid the cost of hosting the next contest he had voted for the favorite, Sweden, 3,000 times. His caption: "It wasn't enough..."
