Saturday, May 14, 2016

Betty MacDonald, new fans and 3rd place Betty MacDonald fan club ESC voting 2016


mrs. piggle wiggle, hello_english_1957_hardcover_bookjacket(yellow)-cleaned_FRONT
Betty MacDonald in the living room at Vashon on the cover of The Saturday Evening Post.







Betty MacDonald fan club fans,
 
we enjoy International Betty MacDonald fan club ESC 2016 meeting in Stockholm very much.  

It's ESC 2016 Grand Final today.


Scandinavia is under shock because all Scandinavian countries couldn't qualify for Grand Final except Sweden.

Estonia isn't also in Grand Final.

A result many ESC fans from all over the world are not able to understand.

Romania should be in Grand Final but that is another story.

Money makes the world go around.



Grand Final will be very exciting today.

Good luck for all the countries!

Jamie-Lee Kriewitz

Jamie-Lee with Ghost got over 5,8 million views and more than 51.000 people adore her song.

 Good luck, Jamie-Lee!

She is even mentioned in New York Times. ( see article below)

You shouldn't miss our International Betty MacDonald fan club events  because you can make the most wonderful friends there.
 
Betty MacDonald fan club event in London was outstanding.

I think London would be the best place for next International Betty MacDonald fan club event.
 
I'd like to return to this wonderful city to celebrate a very special birthday.   ( see info below )
 
The Betty MacDonald fan club event DVDs are excellent and I already own a whole collection.

Wolfgang Hampel's  Vita Magica guest was a very famous TV lady, author and singer who is a new very popular Betty MacDonald fan club honor member.

Betty MacDonald fan club honor member Mr. Tigerli   is beloved all over the World.

We are so happy that our 'Casanova'  is back.


Don't miss a new breakfast with Brad and Nick, please.

I'd like to visit Betty MacDonald's paradise on Vashon Island.

Onions in the Stew is my favourite of Betty MacDonald's brilliant books. 

This entry is our 5th place of  Betty MacDonald fan club ESC 2016 voting.

Which entries are in Betty MacDonald fan club ESC voting TOP 4 2016?

This entry is our 4th place of Betty MacDonald fan club ESC 2016 voting. 

It's one of my very hot favourites!

This entry is our 3rd place of Betty MacDonald fan club ESC 2016 voting. 


We are going to publish our 2nd place and the winner of Betty MacDonald fan club ESC voting 2016 during the next hours. 


Wishing you a very exciting ESC Saturday,
Sandra

Don't miss this very special book, please.

Vita Magica 

Betty MacDonald fan club

Betty MacDonald forum  

Wolfgang Hampel - Wikipedia ( English ) 

Wolfgang Hampel - Wikipedia ( English ) - The Egg and I 

Wolfgang Hampel - Wikipedia ( German )

Vashon Island - Wikipedia ( German )

Wolfgang Hampel - Monica Sone - Wikipedia ( English )

Wolfgang Hampel - Ma and Pa Kettle - Wikipedia ( English )

Wolfgang Hampel - Ma and Pa Kettle - Wikipedia ( French ) 

Wolfgang Hampel - Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle - Wikipedia ( English)

Wolfgang Hampel in Florida State University 

Betty MacDonald fan club founder Wolfgang Hampel 

Betty MacDonald fan club interviews on CD/DVD

Betty MacDonald fan club items 

Betty MacDonald fan club items  - comments

Betty MacDonald fan club - The Stove and I  

Betty MacDonald fan club groups 

Betty MacDonald fan club organizer Linde Lund    














Linde Lund shared Rita Knobel-Ulrich's photo.
Rita Knobel Ulrich - Islam in Germany - a very interesting ZDF  ( 2nd German Television ) documentary with English subtitles 

Betty MacDonald, Letizia Mancino, Mary Holmes and the second paradise






Ein lyrisches Portrait von Hilde Domin

Betty MacDonald fan club fans, 

let's talk about great writers and poets Letizia Mancino, Hilde Domin and Betty MacDonald.

Betty MacDonald fan Club honor member, artist and writer Letizia Mancino shares her delightful story THE SECOND PARADISE. 
Betty MacDonald fan club honor member Mary Holmes did such a great job in translating THE SECOND PARADISE.
Thanks a million dearest Mary.
We are really very grateful.

I'm one of Letizia Maninco's many devoted fans.

Letizia Mancino sent this connecting piece to " The Second Paradise".

DEFIANT AS A COCK

Copyright 2011/2016 by Letizia Mancino
translated by Mary Holmes 

All rights reserved

That was how my friend Hilde Domin was, dear Betty! You would have liked her so much. She had also been in America. At that time you were a famous author but she was still unknown.

-Did she love cats like you do?

-Yes Betty, she sure did!! Otherwise how do you think she could have been a friend of mine?

-Oh Letizia, don’t boast! Hilde was famous!

-It’s all the same to me, Betty, whether a person is famous or not but that person must love animals

-Why was she as defiant as a cock?

-Well Betty, she was simply so!

-Like a pregnant woman in my “Egg and I”?

-No not so! Betty, Hilde was a whole farm!

- A farm, how was that?

- No Betty, Hilde was more! Almost a zoo! Even more. She was all the animals in the world!

-You loved her very much.

-As I love all animals.

You Betty, if I had known you, I would have loved you exactly so because you loved animals.

-But as defiant as a cock from my Bob-farm!

-Yes and no! (Hilde really loved this double form of answer). Listen Betty , I’ll tell you a story about how Hilde was. You would certainly have loved her.
I’ll call my story “The Second Paradise”.

THE SECOND PARADISE

Copyright 2011/2016 by Letizia Mancino
translated by Mary Holmes

All rights reserved


The Lord God, one day, met Adam in Paradise and saw him lying under a palm.

And God spoke to him: Adam, my son, are you happy, are you content with Paradise ?

Adam answered: Oh Lord, it is wonderful!

And God said: But I will create a second Paradise and give you a wife.

Adam answered: Oh Lord, that is wonderful!

And God said: I will create the wife according to your wishes.

And Adam stood under the palm and thought hard.

And God said: Adam, are you ready?

Adam answered: My wife should be as lively as a bird but she should not fly. She should swim like a goldfish but not be a fish….. She should be as playful as a cat but not catch mice….. She should be as busy as an ant but not so small.

And God said: So shall she be: Like a bird, a goldfish, a cat, an ant…

Adam answered: Oh Lord, that is wonderful, but she should be as faithful as a dog.

And God asked: Adam, have you finished?

Oh Lord, cried Adam. She should also be as delightful and gentle as a lamb and as defiant as a cock!

….She should be as curious as a monkey and as pampered as a lapdog.

And God said: So shall she be.

And Adam said: My wife should be as courageous as a lion and as headstrong as a goat…

And God said: So, like a bird, a goldfish, a cat, an ant, a dog, a lamb, a cock, a monkey, a lapdog, a lion, a goat… and slowly and surely he wished to begin creating…

But Adam stretched himself under the palm and called:

Lord, Lord, she should be as adaptable as a chameleon but not creep on four feet.

She should have sparkling eyes like, like… real diamonds. She should be as fiery as a volcano

But … she should have crystal-clear thoughts like a mountain spring.

God, the Almighty, was speechless…

And Adam spoke: Also she should be as quick as lightening…

And God said: Man, have you finished????

No, said Adam! She should be as strong as a horse, as long living as an elephant but as light as a butterfly!

God found Adam’s thoughts were good and said: So, bird, goldfish, cat, ant, dog, lamb, cock, monkey, lapdog, lion, goat, chameleon, genuine diamonds, volcano, mountain spring, lightening, horse, elephant…. butterfly…

God wished at last to begin creating her…

Lord, called Adam… she should be as stable as steel, but as sweet as three graceful women in one…

And God asked: Should she also be a poet?

Yes, called Adam from under the palm…

And God said: Adam have you finished?

Lord, I wish that, in the second Paradise I shall be one and doubled:

So God according to Adams last words created:

HILDE PALM DOMIN
   
Very best wishes


Letizia Mancino


Letizia Mancino is an outstanding writer and artist.
 
I know you will enjoy this very charming and witty story the same way I did! 
 
Thanks a Million, dear Letiza Mancino! You made my day!

As you know I'm very interested in pets and excellent literature.

Betty MacDonald Fan Club founder Wolfgang Hampel is working on a Eva Vargas biography. I'd love to know: Did Eva Vargas like pets and cats? 
 
Letizia Mancino is part of Wolfgang Hampel's new project 'Vita Magica'. 
 
We got so many requests from fans from all over the world and have great info for you.  
 
Wolfgang Hampel's stories and satirical poems will be published in several languages for his many fans from all over the world. 
 
Have a nice Saturday,

Yours,

Marco

















Eurovision 2016: The second semi-final results might have just changed everything











Have the results of the second Eurovision semi-final changed everything?
 
Ukraine were among the 10 qualifiers from the second semi-final – and could be a threat for the win (Picture: Andres Putting)
After two tough Eurovision semi finals, we now know the 26 countries that will contest the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest final on Saturday night. We don’t yet know the running order of the final, but there are some interesting situations that might well affect the outcome on Saturday night. Here’s our analysis of how the semi final results affect chances of success in Saturday’s Eurovision Song Contest final. The 26 countries that will compete in the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest final on Saturday are:

Eurovision Song Contest 2016 - the finalists

Armenia
Australia
Austria
Azerbaijan
Belgium 
Bulgaria
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
France
Georgia
Germany
Hungary 
Israel
Italy
Latvia
Lithuania 
Malta
Poland
Russia
Serbia
Spain
Sweden
The Netherlands
Ukraine
United Kingdom

The Eurovision Song Contest semi final results are great news for Joe and Jake, the United Kingdom entry. Denmark’s entry from Lighthouse X was seen as a vote-splitter because it was another boy-band style entry in a similar genre. Certainly, British fans here in Stockholm were jubilant tonight.
The United Kingdom may well benefit from a strong teenage vote now. Their position in the second half of the draw also gives the United Kingdom’s Eurovision chances a major boost.

Australia are now second favourites to win the competition after an incredible performance in the semi finals. Dami Im impressed with great staging and an incredible vocal on the night.
Any concern that Australia might struggle through a semi final this year were firmly blown away. Odds have already dropped as low as 9/2 and may crash further over the coming hours.

Russia qualified for the final through the first semi final and are the runaway favourites to win. The second semi final results might have them worried.
With seven Eastern European countries going through, there will be tough competition for them in the final. It means game on for Ukraine who stay third favourites behind Russia and Australia.

It’s a different story for Sweden however. Frans’s odds have lengthened over the last couple of weeks but with Denmark and Norway missing out on the final and Iceland and Finland already going home after the first semi final, Sweden now stand alone as the only Nordic nation. That suggests a boost in their chances for a second win in a row.

With all the songs tipped to do well going through tonight, the building momentum for Belgium, Australia, Israel and Ukraine is set to continue through to Saturday. The 2016 Eurovision Song Contest is certainly no foregone conclusion.
Belgium join neighbours Netherlands, Germany and France in the final with a second successive qualification. They were the last country to be announced sparking unbridled celebrations from 19 year of Laura in the Green Room.

The Eurovision Song Contest final kicks off on BBC One on Saturday night from 8pm.
metro-link url=”http://metro.co.uk/2016/05/12/eurovision-2016-uk-hopefuls-joe-and-jake-go-head-to-head-in-our-oh-so-tricky-song-contest-quiz-5877828/” title=”Eurovision 2016: UK hopefuls Joe and Jake go head to head in our oh-so-tricky Song Contest quiz…”]
MORE: Netherlands on the march to possible Eurovision victory



















Eurovision Song Contest 2016: Meet the 10 qualifiers from the first semi-final



















And the 10 qualifiers from the first Eurovision semi-final of 2016 are...
 
Douwe Bob made it through to the 2016 Eurovision final – but can he bring the Netherlands back to the top ten? (Picture: Andres Putting)
The first 2016 Eurovision Semi Final is over and 10 countries have qualified for the Grand Final on Saturday. They are as follows:

Eurovision 2016 qualifiers - semi-final one

Armenia
Austria
Azerbaijan
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Hungary
Malta
Netherlands
Russia
As expected, the bookies’ favourite Russia is safely through to Saturday’s final and with a second half slot in the final, they’re now odds on favourites to win on Saturday night.

Russia will be joined by Armenia and Azerbaijan who all maintain their 100% record. Armenia are fifth favourites to win Eurovision and their chances have grown with a second half slot in the final.

Azerbaijan’s Swedish produced entry Miracle was safely steered into the final by Samra. Songwriter Henrik Wikstrom has a strong pedigree in Eurovision and the Swedish selection show Melodifestivalen. The song was submitted for the finals but didn’t make the cut. It now goes up against Sweden’s entry in the final. They sing in the first half of Saturday’s final.

One of the biggest cheers of the night came up as Douwe Bob qualified for The Netherlands. The popular country song continues to build momentum and the dark horse is ready to battle it out in the final on Saturday where he will perform in the first half of the final.

Another massive fan favourite that qualified was Austria. The young Zoe has been carried on a wave of support for her French language song Loin D’ici, being moved to tears after the 3000 capacity crowd sang her song to her at one of the official parties earlier this week.
Austria scored nul points on home ground last year after Conchita Wurst’s 2014 win took Eurovision to Austria for the first time since 1966. Austria will sing in the second half of the final on Saturday

Hungary qualified for the final for a fifth year in a row. Freddie’s powerful vocals helped his entry Pioneer through but he drew a first half slot for the final during the Winners’ Press Conference.

Czech Republic has qualified for the Eurovision Song Contest for the first time ever with the aptly named song I Stand.
The powerful ballad has been popular amongst journalists and fans in Stockholm but many thought its chances would be hampered by following Russia in the running order. They’ve drawn a slot in the first half of Saturday’s final.

Croatia were absent from Eurovision last year but a successful return see’s Nina’s Lighthouse take them back to the final for the first time since 2009. Croatia have been rewarded by drawing a spot in the second half of the running order on Saturday night.

Cyprus have created history by qualifying for the final for two consecutive years. The small island nation has never done that before. Rock band Minus One maintain Swedish songwriter Thomas G:son’s impressive Eurovision record with Alter Ego. They slot into the second half of the Eurovision final running order.

Malta were made to wait as the last country to be announced. Ira Losco, the former runner up is five and a half months pregnant.
It was a little harsh of producers, who decide the order in which the countries are announced, to leave her in suspense but the audience went wild when the Maltese flag flashed up. Malta have drawn a place in the second half of the Grand Final running order.

More history was made as Greece failed to reach the Eurovision Song Contest final for the first time in their history. Argo’s entry Utopian Land fell at the first hurdle leaving the huge Greek fan club in shock. The song contained ethnic dancing that has helped them through to the final many times before. Greece and Bosnia and Herzegovina both included rap in their entries. Neither qualified.
They were the only one of three Balkan countries to make it to the Eurovision Final, Bosnia Herzegovina and Montenegro were both eliminated. It’s Bosnia’s first elimination in a semi final.
The big shock of the night was Iceland failing to qualify. Greta Salome had been gaining momentum all week and was thought to be a contender to win the semi final. The curse of returning performers getting knocked out in the semi final has struck again.

It’s the second time that a returning singer for Iceland has gone out against expectation. Selma took Iceland to second place in 1998 and returned in 2005. She was the second favourite to win Eurovision but crashed out at the semi final hurdle. All the Nordic countries were eliminated as Finland and Estonia both missed out on a place in the final.
10 more countries will qualify from Thursday night’s second semi final. The show will be broadcast on BBC4 at 8pm.

 

 

Eurovision Song Contest 2016: A Viewer’s Guide

By RACHEL DONADIO and CHRISTOPHER D. SHEA








 
Jamie-Lee Kriewitz at the Echo award ceremony in Berlin. She will represent Germany in the annual Eurovision song contest. Pool photo by
The 61st annual Eurovision song contest, the campiest event on the international cultural calendar, arrives at its glorious climax this week. Beloved by Europeans, although mystifying to many in the United States, the contest was conceived as a way to unite Cold War Europe through music — a kind of World Cup for pop songs — and to bolster ratings for national broadcasters. Over the years, countries as varied as Israel and the nascent Balkan republics have vied to enter, seeing participation as a sign of acceptance on the world stage. This year’s contest is in Stockholm, where performers from 42 countries will compete for the top prize — exposure — in semifinals on Tuesday and Thursday and finals on Saturday.
Who are the entrants?
Most Eurovision participants come from countries in the European Broadcasting Union, a conglomerate of broadcasters from across Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. Last year, Australia, which has a large Eurovision fan base and always loves a party, brokered a deal to participate, and they will be back. Last year, roughly 200 million people tuned in to the finals, far more than the Super Bowl’s average of 110 million viewers.
Each year, the festival is in the country that won the previous year’s award. Sweden’s Mans Zelmerlow won last year in Vienna with “Heroes.” How participants are chosen varies by country. Sweden, land of consensus, hosts Melodifestivalen, a monthslong song contest, to choose its participant. Other countries use juries from the music industry. Participants from Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Spain automatically jump to the finals because their national broadcasters contribute the most funding.
What are the rules?
Eurovision’s byzantine voting rules have evolved as organizers have tried to make voting more fair and more suspenseful. This year, the rules were overhauled yet again. Winners will be chosen by votes from professional judges in each country, combined with votes from viewers.

Who’s hot this year?
The 18-year-old singer Jamie-Lee Kriewitz stepped in to represent Germany after an outcry over that country’s original entrant, Xavier Naidoo, a pop star who drew criticism because of apparent ties to right-wing politics. Ms. Kriewitz, whose look is inspired by Japanese manga and whose sound evokes Lana Del Rey, will compete with her love song, “Ghost.”
In only its second year competing, Australia has a front-runner: Dami Im’s “Sound of Silence,” widely considered one of the best entries in the lineup. That song, too, stirred controversy, for the lyric “trying to feel your love through face time.” Some claimed that the song referenced Apple’s “FaceTime” video chat technology and violated the contest’s ban on commercial lyrics, but conference organizers ruled that “the lyrics of the Australian song are presented as two separate words, ‘face time’ and not FaceTime, which is an Apple trademark.”







 
Sergey Lazarev, representing Russia, will sing “You Are the Only One” in the Eurovision contest. Ivan Sekretarev/Associated Press
Russia’s entrant, Sergey Lazarev, built his reputation as part of the pop duo Smash!!, which crooned romance songs in the early 2000s, including numbers in French and English. His “You Are the Only One” is part love ballad, part rock anthem. The video features frenzied digital animation and fire-breathing background dancers.
Ukraine’s entrant, Jamala, is a Ukrainian Tatar, whose song “1944” seems to refer to the mistreatment of that ethnic minority group by Soviet forces in the waning years of World War II.
The song has sparked controversy in Russia, where some say it violates the contest’s ban on political songs.
France’s entrant, Amir, is a likely front-runner with his debut single, “J’ai Cherché” (I Searched”). The song has a catchy beat and an uplifting, if vague, message (“You’re the one that’s making me strong,” Amir sings, “like the melody of my song”). Amir, who has Tunisian and Moroccan ancestry, represents a multicultural France. After the November terrorist attacks, whose targets included a Paris concert hall, solidarity with France is expected to be strong.
What is victory worth?
Over the decades, only a few Eurovision winners have hit it really big with their songs, including Abba’s “Waterloo” in 1974 and Celine Dion’s “Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi” in 1988. (Ms. Dion, from Quebec, represented Switzerland.) The Riverdance spectacle, from Ireland, started as a halftime show when Ireland hosted the competition in 1994. Back in 1958, the Italian song “Nel Blu Dipinto di Blu” (popularly known as “Volare”), by Domenico Modugno, was a Eurovision finalist.
What are its big controversies?
This year, Romania was expelled from the competition after failing to pay a $16.3 million debt it owed to the European Broadcast Union, which was not nearly as exciting as the last big flap, in 2013, when Azerbaijan was accused of bribing judges and paying Lithuanian students to call in and vote for its contestant. In 2009, Georgia withdrew after controversy over its song “We Don’t Wanna Put In,” which was performed shortly after the 2009 armed conflict between Georgia and Russia. Some read the title as a reference to Vladimir V. Putin, then the Russian prime minister and now the president.
Why is everyone so into it?
National pride, friendly competition between countries that once went to war, an appetite for kitsch, schadenfreude, questionable taste — the reasons for applauding Eurovision are numerous. “It’s like the Oscar gala, but with more of a freak show and fun in it and more politics,” said Anna Charlotta Gunnarson, a Swedish radio host and die-hard Eurovision fan who has written books on the contest.

How can I watch it?
Viewers in the participating countries can watch on television domestically and viewers around the world can watch on Eurovision’s website, eurovision.tv. The semifinals and the finals begin at 9 p.m. Central European Time, or 3 p.m. Eastern Time. For the first time this year, the finals will be broadcast on television (and the Internet) in the United States, by Logo, a channel owned by Viacom.


A version of this article appears in print on May 10, 2016, on page C4 of the New York edition with the headline: Eurovision Song Finals: A Guide for Viewers. Order Reprints| Today's Paper|Subscribe
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