Eurovision News Roundup.

Here’s a quick roundup on what’s been happening in Euroland over the weekend.

The Netherlands: The Dutch national selection just became one of the most hotly anticipated of the 2012 season with the announcement that media baron John de Mol will be heading the selection. John de Mol is well known for having created some of television’s most popular shows including ‘Big Brother’, ‘Deal Or No Deal’ and most recently, ‘The Voice’. This is amazing news and just the sort of media savy and expertise that The Netherlands needs to revamp its approach to the Eurovision Song Contest. No doubt de Mol’s involvement will create alot of international buzz too.

Israel: Despite initial reservations, Israel have confirmed that they will indeed be participating in the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest. With the preliminary dates clashing with the Jewish holiday of Shavu’ot, broadcaster IBA originally stated that participation may not be in the cards for Israel next year. However, they have appeared to have ironed out these issues and now we can happily look forward to an Israeli entry next year.

Bosnia & Herzegovina: The usual rumours about artists touted to represent their countries are all healthily rife and the latest comes from B&H. Balkan superstar Hari Mati Hari has been tipped as the one to wave the country’s flag next year, having already reported to be in discussions with BHRT. Hari Mati Hari is ofcourse no stranger to the contest, having previously done the honours in 2006 with the song Leijla and gave B&H its best placing to date: third place. Will he do better this time around? Let’s wait and see.

Slovenia: Taking a leaf out of Germany’s book, Slovenia have modified their national selection to include a singer selection in the style of ‘Unser Star Für…’ entitled ‘Misija Evrovizija’ (‘Mission Eurovision’). The culmination will be the traditional EMA to select the song. This week, the dates for the audition have been released with a tour across the country scheduled to take place. Citzens of Slovenia and the EU are eligible to participate. For more info, click here. After this year’s relatively successful run, I’m interested to see what changes Slovenia will bring to EMA, which in my opinion is one of the more enjoyable selections in the National Finals Season.

And that was some of the news!