The U.S. gets its own version of the 'Eurovision Song Contest'

The U.S. gets its own version of the 'Eurovision Song Contest'

　　Transcript¹

　　NBC begins the American Song Contest with representatives from all 50 states, plus Washington, D.C., and five territories. Snoop Dogg and Kelly Clarkson are the hosts for the new show.

　　RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

　　If you have ever wondered what ABBA, Celine Dion, Julio Iglesias and Olivia Newton-John have in common, I've got your answer. They all found international fame on "Eurovision."

　　(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "WATERLOO")

　　ABBA: (Singing) Waterloo. I was defeated. You won the war.

　　MARTIN: For over 60 years, countries have sent singers to the competition with an original song in hopes that they will be crowned the winner by voters watching at home. But the U.S. hasn't been part of it at all until this year.

　　(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "AMERICAN SONG CONTEST")

　　UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: And, yeehaw, two music legends will help bring the joy of "Eurovision" to the U.S. of A.

　　MARTIN: That's the goal, anyway. Those two would be Snoop Dogg and Kelly Clarkson. The show is called "American Song Contest," and it starts tonight. Glen Weldon and Stephen Thompson are the hosts of NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour, and I know they're going to be watching. Hey, you two.

　　GLEN WELDON, BYLINE²: Hey there.

　　STEPHEN THOMPSON, BYLINE: Hey, how's it going?

　　MARTIN: It goes well. I'm super excited for this conversation. OK, for those who have not yet experienced the majesty³ of the "Eurovision Song Contest," I'm going to turn to you both for an explainer here.

　　WELDON: Well, let's see. In terms of visual, what you've been missing is spectacle - lasers, fire, video projection⁴, smoke machines, glitter. And in terms of music, you're going to get basically three types of songs. You're going to get bops, which are up-tempo songs. You're going to get anthems⁵, which are stirring and bombastic⁶ and defiant⁷.

　　THOMPSON: (Whispering) That's right.

　　WELDON: And you're going to get ballads⁸, which are slow and melodramatic and achingly sincere. And in terms of tone, that's the magic. The magic is it's 100% leaning into the glitz and glamour⁹ and cheesiness of everything but doing it in a really knowing way. And a great example of that self-awareness is when Sweden hosted the contest in 2016. The two hosts that year, Mans Zelmerlow and Petra Mede, sang a song parodying¹⁰ exactly what it takes to win "Eurovision."

　　(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "EUROVISION SONG CONTEST")

　　MANS ZELMERLOW: (Singing) Let the song begin with passion. Let the wind begin to blow.

　　PETRA MEDE: (Singing) You can break the rules of fashion and your chance to win shall grow. Look into the TV camera so the audience can see.

　　ZELMERLOW: (Singing) That you're lovable, not desperate. Smile and they will vote for me.

　　MARTIN: I mean, I wish you could see me - no, not really, because I'm doing bad chair dancing. But you can't not move...

　　(LAUGHTER)

　　MARTIN: ...Because you cannot not feel, right? That's what I love about "Eurovision." It is self-aware, but they're like, we are moved by feelings and we want to have that in our songs.

　　WELDON: Absolutely.

　　THOMPSON: Yeah. It's self-aware, but it's sincere.

　　WELDON: Yeah.

　　MARTIN: I love it. So before we get to how this American version is going to work, can we talk about the hosts for a second? We're talking Kelly Clarkson and Snoop Dogg. Is this a winning team? Because in my mind, "Eurovision" - the hosts have got to bring, like, crazy energy. Snoop is relaxed, shall we say, in a public presentation. Very relaxed.

　　(LAUGHTER)

　　THOMPSON: Yeah, I mean, I think that's a really good question. I think what they are is they're game.

　　MARTIN: (Laughter).

　　THOMPSON: They are very willing to participate. Are they willing to lean hard into the absurdity¹¹ of it and actually incorporate themselves into the absurdity of it?

　　MARTIN: Yeah.

　　WELDON: And if "Eurovision" - if one of the salient points of "Eurovision" is its randomness¹², then Snoop Dogg's status as an agent of chaos¹³ can only help.

　　(LAUGHTER)

　　MARTIN: So this is how Snoop Dogg and Kelly Clarkson describe this new American version.

　　(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "AMERICAN SONG CONTEST")

　　SNOOP DOGG: Every state and territory will compete live for your votes...

　　KELLY CLARKSON: ...In the biggest televised music event you've ever seen.

　　SNOOP DOGG: America's next great hit...

　　CLARKSON: ...Could come from your hometown.

　　MARTIN: All right. That was significant. Every state and territory, right?

　　WELDON: So, yeah, that's all 50 states, plus five U.S. territories - Puerto Rico, Guam, U.S. Virgin¹⁴ Islands, Northern Mariana Islands and American Samoa - plus Washington, D.C., which doesn't happen in a lot of contests like this.

　　MARTIN: (Cheering) Right.

　　THOMPSON: (Laughter).

　　MARTIN: OK, Stephen, this seems like it opens it up and diversifies¹⁵ the range of contestants¹⁶, no?

　　THOMPSON: Well, yeah. I think that kind of brings us to the next structural¹⁷ issue, which is that the artists here have already been chosen. And you have a mixture of kind of unknown artists with a few ringers...

　　MARTIN: Right.

　　THOMPSON: ...That really kind of throw off the balance. I mean, Michael Bolton is representing Connecticut. Jewel is representing Alaska. Macy Gray is representing Ohio. You have some pretty well-known names interspersed¹⁸ with artists who might be known in some localities but aren't necessarily identified closely with their state. I, for example - I live in Maryland, and my state is represented by the singer Sisqo, most famous for the hit "Thong¹⁹ Song."

　　(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "THONG SONG")

　　SISQO: (Singing) That thong, thong, thong, thong, thong.

　　THOMPSON: (Laughter) And I have to confess that in the 16 years that I've lived in Maryland, I have never been stirred into kind of a patriotic²⁰ fervor²¹ by the music of Sisqo. (Laughter) And - but this show expects me to be.

　　MARTIN: Yeah.

　　THOMPSON: I just - I don't see people doing that. You know how - have you ever seen those maps go by, like, on Twitter, these kind of clickbait maps? And it's like, what fast food restaurant does your state like best?

　　MARTIN: Oh, right.

　　THOMPSON: And you look at it and you're like - you're just like, nobody I know goes to Arby's. What are you talking about?

　　MARTIN: (Laughter) I go to Arby's.

　　(LAUGHTER)

　　THOMPSON: Like, I'm not going to...

　　WELDON: My favorite candy isn't Zagnut. What are they talking about?

　　THOMPSON: Exactly. Milk Duds? And so I just - I'm not sure that you're going to be able to whip up the same fervor. I think a lot of people are going to sit there and be like, Arby's? Michael Bolton?

　　MARTIN: (Laughter) OK, last question. Is there room for this in the market? I mean, not to be Debbie Downer here, but aren't there a lot of these shows out right now? "Idol," "The Voice," The Masked Singer," which Jewel won last season, by the way. So she's kind of making the rounds. But it has - this new show has to distinguish itself from all those others and try to replicate²² the crazy, beautiful awesomeness²³ that is "Eurovision."

　　THOMPSON: I think that's a huge, huge question. I mean, there has been market saturation²⁴ of singing shows for 20 years.

　　WELDON: The other thing is, can it capture the tone? I mean, yes, spectacle is a big component²⁵ of "Eurovision," and God knows America can do spectacle. We eat spectacle for breakfast. But a love of the ridiculous - you can call it camp, you can call it irony²⁶. I would prefer not to because I don't want to break into a graduate seminar. So let's just call it queerness. There is something defiantly²⁷ fabulous²⁸ about "Eurovision," which is why it has such a huge gay fan base. And that's what I worry the American version won't be able to capture because as much as we love our over-the-top displays, we are a nation, Rachel, founded by Puritans.

　　THOMPSON: (Laughter).

　　MARTIN: Right.

　　WELDON: There is a - still a reflexive distrust of anything that is fun for fun's sake or fabulousness²⁹ as a virtue³⁰.

　　MARTIN: Oh, so much more to talk about, but I'm afraid we have to end it here. Stephen Thompson and Glen Weldon of NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour. Hey, guys, thank you so much.

　　THOMPSON: Thank you, Rachel.

　　WELDON: Thank you.

　　MARTIN: "American Song Contest" begins tonight.

　　(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "TOY")

　　NETTA: (Singing) I'm not your toy, not your toy. You stupid...

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

3 majesty   

n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权

参考例句：

• The king had unspeakable majesty.国王有无法形容的威严。
• Your Majesty must make up your mind quickly!尊贵的陛下，您必须赶快做出决定！

4 projection   

n.发射，计划，突出部分

参考例句：

• Projection takes place with a minimum of awareness or conscious control.投射在最少的知觉或意识控制下发生。
• The projection of increases in number of house-holds is correct.对户数增加的推算是正确的。

5 anthems   

n.赞美诗( anthem的名词复数 )；圣歌；赞歌；颂歌

参考例句：

• They usually play the national anthems of the teams at the beginning of a big match. 在大型赛事开始前，他们通常演奏参赛国国歌。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Rise please, rise for the anthems of & . 请全体起立，奏和两国国歌。 来自互联网

6 bombastic   

adj.夸夸其谈的，言过其实的

参考例句：

• The candidate spoke in a bombastic way of all that he would do if elected.候选人大肆吹嘘，一旦他当选将要如何如何。
• The orator spoke in a bombastic manner.这位演说家的讲话言过其实。

7 defiant   

adj.无礼的，挑战的

参考例句：

• With a last defiant gesture,they sang a revolutionary song as they were led away to prison.他们被带走投入监狱时，仍以最后的反抗姿态唱起了一支革命歌曲。
• He assumed a defiant attitude toward his employer.他对雇主采取挑衅的态度。

8 ballads   

民歌，民谣，特别指叙述故事的歌( ballad的名词复数 )； 讴

参考例句：

• She belted out ballads and hillbilly songs one after another all evening. 她整晚一个接一个地大唱民谣和乡村小调。
• She taught him to read and even to sing two or three little ballads,accompanying him on her old piano. 她教他读书，还教他唱两三首民谣，弹着她的旧钢琴为他伴奏。

9 glamour   

n.魔力，魅力；vt.迷住

参考例句：

• Foreign travel has lost its glamour for her.到国外旅行对她已失去吸引力了。
• The moonlight cast a glamour over the scene.月光给景色增添了魅力。

10 parodying   

v.滑稽地模仿，拙劣地模仿( parody的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• They are called deviant hypertexts parodying zero-degree hypo-texts in the intertextuality theory. 在互文性理论中，它们仿拟的零度原词即是底文，而它们自己则是偏离了的超文。 来自互联网
• Dahua shows the trivialness and absurdness of life through parodying and has deep society connotation. 大话语言通过嬉戏、调侃表现生活的琐碎、荒诞，具有较深刻的社会内涵。 来自互联网

11 absurdity   

n.荒谬，愚蠢；谬论

参考例句：

• The proposal borders upon the absurdity.这提议近乎荒谬。
• The absurdity of the situation made everyone laugh.情况的荒谬可笑使每个人都笑了。

12 randomness   

n.随意，无安排；随机性

参考例句：

• The randomness is attributed to the porous medium. 随机性起因于多孔介质。 来自辞典例句
• Einstein declared that randomness rather than lawfulness is the characteristic of natural events. 爱因斯坦宣称自然现象的特征为不可测性而不是规律化。 来自辞典例句

13 chaos   

n.混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后，城市一片混乱。
• The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。

14 virgin   

n.处女，未婚女子；adj.未经使用的；未经开发的

参考例句：

• Have you ever been to a virgin forest?你去过原始森林吗？
• There are vast expanses of virgin land in the remote regions.在边远地区有大片大片未开垦的土地。

15 diversifies   

v.使多样化，多样化( diversify的第三人称单数 )；进入新的商业领域

参考例句：

• As the population diversifies the number of consumers with specialized needs grows. 由于人口多样化，需要特定商品的消费者也愈来愈多了。 来自互联网
• The maturity-oriented strategy used by adolescences of different sex diversifies significantly. 不同性别的青少年情绪调节的策略（成熟型）存在显著差异。 来自互联网

16 contestants   

n.竞争者，参赛者( contestant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The competition attracted over 500 contestants representing 8 different countries. 这次比赛吸引了代表8个不同国家的500多名参赛者。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency. 两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 structural   

adj.构造的，组织的，建筑（用）的

参考例句：

• The storm caused no structural damage.风暴没有造成建筑结构方面的破坏。
• The North American continent is made up of three great structural entities.北美大陆是由三个构造单元组成的。

18 interspersed   

adj.[医]散开的；点缀的v.intersperse的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The grass was interspersed with beds of flowers. 草地上点缀着许多花坛。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

19 thong   

n.皮带；皮鞭；v.装皮带

参考例句：

• He fastened the dog to the post with a thong.他用一根皮带把狗拴到柱子上。
• If I switch with Harry,do I have to wear a thong?如果我和哈里调换，我应该穿皮带吗？

20 patriotic   

adj.爱国的，有爱国心的

参考例句：

• His speech was full of patriotic sentiments.他的演说充满了爱国之情。
• The old man is a patriotic overseas Chinese.这位老人是一位爱国华侨。

21 fervor   

n.热诚；热心；炽热

参考例句：

• They were concerned only with their own religious fervor.他们只关心自己的宗教热诚。
• The speech aroused nationalist fervor.这个演讲喚起了民族主义热情。

22 replicate   

v.折叠，复制，模写；n.同样的样品；adj.转折的

参考例句：

• The DNA of chromatin must replicate before cell division.染色质DNA在细胞分裂之前必须复制。
• It is also easy to replicate,as the next subsection explains.就像下一个小节详细说明的那样，它还可以被轻易的复制。

23 awesomeness   

可怕的

参考例句：

• Dominion and awesomeness are his who brings about harmony in his heavens. 权能和威严为他所有，他在高天缔造和平。 来自互联网
• There is no charge?for awesomeness, or attractiveness. 彪悍不求回报，迷人更无所需。 来自互联网

24 saturation   

n.饱和(状态)；浸透

参考例句：

• The company's sales are now close to saturation in many western countries.这家公司的产品销售量在许多西方国家已接近饱和。
• Road traffic has reached saturation point.公路交通已达到饱和点。

25 component   

n.组成部分，成分，元件；adj.组成的，合成的

参考例句：

• Each component is carefully checked before assembly.每个零件在装配前都经过仔细检查。
• Blade and handle are the component parts of a knife.刀身和刀柄是一把刀的组成部分。

26 irony   

n.反语，冷嘲；具有讽刺意味的事，嘲弄

参考例句：

• She said to him with slight irony.她略带嘲讽地对他说。
• In her voice we could sense a certain tinge of irony.从她的声音里我们可以感到某种讥讽的意味。

27 defiantly   

adv.挑战地，大胆对抗地

参考例句：

• Braving snow and frost, the plum trees blossomed defiantly. 红梅傲雪凌霜开。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• She tilted her chin at him defiantly. 她向他翘起下巴表示挑衅。 来自《简明英汉词典》

28 fabulous   

adj.极好的；极为巨大的；寓言中的，传说中的

参考例句：

• We had a fabulous time at the party.我们在晚会上玩得很痛快。
• This is a fabulous sum of money.这是一笔巨款。

29 fabulousness   

寓言

参考例句：

• The problem is that most people are awestruck by your fabulousness. 问题是大多数人对你只是肃然起敬。

30 virtue   

n.德行，美德；贞操；优点；功效，效力

参考例句：

• He was considered to be a paragon of virtue.他被认为是品德尽善尽美的典范。
• You need to decorate your mind with virtue.你应该用德行美化心灵。