Post by earl on May 22, 2008 15:18:33 GMT
The controversial Irish entry for this year's Eurovision song contest, a glove puppet called Dustin the Turkey, has been dumped from the competition by unimpressed voters.
Dustin's rendition of Irelande Douze Pointe (Ireland 12 points) - a high-tempo electronic song, failed to score points and he was dumped at the contest's first semi-final stage in Belgrade.
"We gave it a great performance. I am disgusted we didn't get through because I really thought we were good enough," the puppet told reporters.
"I urge my fans across Europe to be dignified in defeat. I do not want street riots as I'm a peace-loving bird."
The choice of a children’s puppet as Ireland’s representative at the competition raised a few eyebrows earlier this year, with some seeing it as an insult to the Irish music tradition.
Keith Mills, editor of the official Irish Eurovision website, told the BBC: "It was a three-minute joke that wasn't especially funny, didn't work for an international audience and looked very messy on screen."
Other nations that were dropped included Andorra, Armenia, Estonia, Moldova, Montenegro, The Netherlands, Poland, San Marino and Slovenia, to the disappointment of fans who had travelled from the former Yugoslav republic.
The countries going through to Saturday's final included favourites like Bosnia, Greece, Romania and Russia. The others were Armenia, Azerbaijan, Finland, Israel, Norway and Poland.
Dustin the Turkey first appeared on television in 1990 on an Irish children's program. But his irreverent style has boosted his popularity among adults and his six albums have been hugely successful. He has also appeared alongside several national stars, including Bob Geldof.
Dustin's rendition of Irelande Douze Pointe (Ireland 12 points) - a high-tempo electronic song, failed to score points and he was dumped at the contest's first semi-final stage in Belgrade.
"We gave it a great performance. I am disgusted we didn't get through because I really thought we were good enough," the puppet told reporters.
"I urge my fans across Europe to be dignified in defeat. I do not want street riots as I'm a peace-loving bird."
The choice of a children’s puppet as Ireland’s representative at the competition raised a few eyebrows earlier this year, with some seeing it as an insult to the Irish music tradition.
Keith Mills, editor of the official Irish Eurovision website, told the BBC: "It was a three-minute joke that wasn't especially funny, didn't work for an international audience and looked very messy on screen."
Other nations that were dropped included Andorra, Armenia, Estonia, Moldova, Montenegro, The Netherlands, Poland, San Marino and Slovenia, to the disappointment of fans who had travelled from the former Yugoslav republic.
The countries going through to Saturday's final included favourites like Bosnia, Greece, Romania and Russia. The others were Armenia, Azerbaijan, Finland, Israel, Norway and Poland.
Dustin the Turkey first appeared on television in 1990 on an Irish children's program. But his irreverent style has boosted his popularity among adults and his six albums have been hugely successful. He has also appeared alongside several national stars, including Bob Geldof.