Latest news with #PatrickBateman
Perth Now
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Patrick Schwarzenegger and Margaret Qualley to team up for romantic drama
Patrick Schwarzenegger is to star in Love Of Your Life. The White Lotus actor will reportedly appear opposite Margaret Qualley in the upcoming Amazon MGM Studios movie, which will be directed by Rachel Morrison. Julia Cox wrote the script, and according to the Hollywood Reporter, the emotional drama follows a young woman (Qualley), who loses her husband goes on a journey to find a way to move on with her life, while Schwarzenegger will play an old friend and former lover. Ryan Gosling and Jessie Henderson will produce Love Of Your Life through their Open Invite Entertainment banner, which was previously known as General Admission. Filming is scheduled to begin in Europe in August. Meanwhile, Patrick recently admitted he'd love to take the lead role in the upcoming American Psycho remake. One fan wrote on X recently: 'Patrick Schwarzenegger, I've found your breakout role.' To which, the actor replied: 'I'd love nothing more [wink].' Luca Guadagnino is making a modern version of the 2000 Mary Harron horror classic - which starred Christian Bale as Patrick Bateman, a New York City investment banker who leads a double life as a serial killer - and recently teased 'the script is coming out very handsomely' for the flick. Appearing in a video segment at CinemaCon, the filmmaker said: 'We are really working hard to bring to the screen a new adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis' American Psycho, a book that I deeply love that is something that influenced me so much. '[Writer Scott Z. Burns] is doing an incredible job. The script is coming out very handsomely.' Although Guadagnino didn't reveal any of the cast for his American Psycho movie, the director teased he was currently in 'conversation with very exciting performers to play the leads." Last December, it was reported that Austin Butler would play Patrick Bateman in American Psycho. The new film won't be a direct remake of the 2000 movie, with Guadagnino's version poised to be a new take on the story that will have a more significant erotic emphasis than the original picture. Lionsgate film chief Adam Fogelson previously described the director as the 'perfect visionary' to helm the new cinematic iteration of American Psycho. He said in a statement: 'We are thrilled to add another elite filmmaker to our upcoming slate. Luca is a brilliant artist, and the perfect visionary to create a whole new interpretation of this potent and classic IP.'
Metro
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
American Psycho director vows no one can replace Christian Bale in 'remake'
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The original American Psycho director has had her say on the upcoming reboot rumors, vowing no one else could echo Christian Bale's efforts in the iconic film. Mary Harron's take on Bret Easton Ellis' satirical novel was released 25 years ago, on April 14, 2000, with the Batman icon leading the star-studded cast as Wall Street yuppie-turned possible serial killer Patrick Bateman. In recent months, it has been claimed the movie will be getting the remake treatment, helmed by filmmaker Luca Guadagnino, with Austin Butler and Patrick Schwarzenegger among those linked to the main role. During an appearance at the 25-year anniversary screening at Tribeca Film Festival, Mary spoke to Metro about the reboot speculation, and who could possibly step into Patrick's designer shoes. When asked whether American Psycho needs to be remade, she told us: 'I personally don't, but obviously that's how I would think. 'It could surprise me, and be completely phenomenal, and something I would never have imagined…' Discussing who she could see taking over from Christian, she continued: 'No, I really can't [imagine anyone else as Patrick], because also to me, it's just fixed in my mind. I can't reimagine it in that way. 'But good luck to them. I'm just glad… It's amazing to me that people are still this interested 25 years on – and more successful now than it was 25 years ago. 'When it first came out, audiences didn't know what to think about it. I remember in the very first screening at Sundance, people didn't know whether it was supposed to be funny or not. 'Now I think people can enjoy a lot more because they know, 'Yes, it's okay to laugh at this!' Parts are supposed to be funny.' Mary also shared her surprise at how relevant her take on American Psycho still is, 25 years on – suggesting that we're 'seeing' similar themes in society today. 'I would never have imagined [the relevancy today],' she added. 'It's so funny, I was in a bookstore and I saw there was a game, some weird American Psycho board game. I don't love that, but it's like, 'Okay, that's strange.' 'It's definitely taken on a scary life I would never have imagined. The film is the film, it's not going to change, it's made, and I'm glad that people seem to get something out of it. 'I'm sad that, in a way, that it has remained so relevant, because that means that a certain heartlessness of the culture, this validation of really psycho businessmen… We're seeing it right now.' American Psycho, set in the 80s, has gone on to become a cult classic despite a grim plot. Christian stole every scene as Patrick Bateman, alongside Reese Witherspoon, Jared Leto, Justin Theroux and Chloe Sevigny. Despite appearing in a string of projects before the creepy Wall Street banker, it is still considered to be one of his breakthrough roles before he popped up in the Machinist, the Batman trilogy and the Prestige. Shedding light on his early career in a 2022 interview, he revealed that he was earning so little at that time, he feared that he could lose his home. 'I'd taken so long trying to do it, and they had paid me the absolute minimum they were legally allowed to pay me,' he told GQ. More Trending 'And I had a house that I was sharing with my dad and my sister and that was getting repossessed. 'So the first thing was: 'Holy crap. I've got to get a bit of money,' because I've got American Psycho done, but I remember one time sitting in the make-up trailer and the make-up artists were laughing at me because I was getting paid less than any of them. 'And so that was my motivation after that. It was just: 'I got to get enough that the house doesn't get repossessed.'' Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you.
Yahoo
08-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘American Psycho' Director Mary Harron Is Surprised by Movie's Lingering Relevance
American Psycho director Mary Harron admitted that the cult classic film is just as relevant today as it was when it was released in 2000 while celebrating its 25th anniversary during a conversation with Hasan Minhaj at the 2025 Tribeca Festival on June 7. The horror film, which takes place between 1987 and 1989, follows investment banker Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale) as he deals with murderous fantasies. Harron told Minhaj she believed that Wall Street employees were 'dinosaurs' at the time of filming and that we would 'never see' men like that in the future. More from The Hollywood Reporter What Sold Gerard Butler on Reprising His Role in the Live-Action 'How to Train Your Dragon' 'Twelve Moons' Director Victoria Franco Has Been Waiting for Her Tribeca Moment How Ticket Resellers Caused Drama at Miley Cyrus' 'Something Beautiful' Tribeca Film Premiere 'Not that there wouldn't be rapacious Wall Street behavior and greed,' she continued. 'It was true, actually, for a few years after the film came out. It was much better hidden.' However, Harron pointed out that people are still 'reveling in bad behavior' and 'the joy of being overly racist' today. She continued, 'I would never have thought you would see that.' Minhaj said that Bateman seemed to say 'the quiet part of loud' in his voiceovers, while people in the present day seem much more comfortable using hateful and offensive rhetoric. Harron agreed and explained that she viewed Bateman more as a symbol than as a person. 'Patrick Bateman is like if you took everything terrible about, like, 20th century capitalism and about the Reagan era,' she said, listing cruelty, despising the poor, sexism and racism as some of the issues he wasn't afraid to glorify. Meanwhile, she said that the character also represents the 'triumph' of 'male dominance and money.' When Minhaj asked if 'reality now is oddly mimicking' the plot of the movie, Harron admitted that her views of the world have changed since it was made. 'I would've said when we were making [the] film, you know, the arc of history bends towards justice. And now I think maybe the arc of history is like a corkscrew or maybe it's a rollercoaster,' she said. 'Maybe it doesn't just bend towards justice. I would like to think that we'll get through this and find better times.' After noting that she never would have imagined the state of the world would look like it does in 2025, Harron added, 'It's so much worse than when I was making the film. You know, open fascism.' She also pointed out that the direction of today's society may be 'why people still like this film' today. Harron, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Guinevere Turner, reflected on the popularity of Bateman today after Minhaj pointed out that there are some people that view the character as aspirational. 'I know the film is very popular with Wall Street guys and Guinevere and I were, 'Wait, what? Like, we're making fun of this,'' she said. 'I don't know. I can't explain it.' She then theorized that people may find the character to be aspirational because he 'has everything materially that a person would want' and that he 'does whatever he wants.' The movie also includes several mentions of the Trump family, while Donald Trump is mentioned in the 1991 Bret Easton Ellis novel of the same name that the movie is based on. 'It was as a quasi-celebrity,' she said of Trump being mentioned, noting that Bateman's fiancée Evelyn Williams (Reese Witherspoon) complained about his obsession with the now-president. 'That, I thought, was part of his dorkiness, really. 'Cause Donald Trump in the 80s, you know, New Yorkers did not really think of him as cool. He was just, like, he was kind of a joke.' Also during the interview, Harron reflected on why Bale was the perfect person to play Bateman after the role was re-cast several times. 'It was very strange because he hadn't actually done anything like that before in his work,' she said, adding that Leonardo DiCaprio briefly had the role. Harron explained that Bale was the only actor up for the role who viewed the script as 'funny' as she did, which gave her confidence that he was the perfect person to play Bateman. 'It was basically that we had the same sense of humor,' she said of why he ultimately got the role. 'The other actors I met, some of them well known and certainly better known than Christian at the time, I could tell that they thought Bateman was sort of cool. And to me, it's like there's nothing cool here. We're not doing the coolness. We're doing the absurdity of him. So, I knew that it was very important we be on the same page.' The conversation concluded with Harron recalling how difficult it was to get the film made until Lionsgate agreed to produce it. 'I would never have imagined that it would be so embraced,' she said of the film's legacy. Best of The Hollywood Reporter 13 of Tom Cruise's Most Jaw-Dropping Stunts Hollywood Stars Who Are One Award Away From an EGOT 'The Goonies' Cast, Then and Now
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The good, the bad and the raunchy: All 26 Eurovision songs, ranked from worst to first
Did you enjoy the papal conclave for its politicking, its gaudy hats and its general focus on peace and love, but think: 'Instead of picking a pope, I wish these cardinals would step into some cheetah-skin body suits and gyrate suggestively on an exercise ball in a debasing appeal for my vote?' We ask you, then, to fix your attention on Basel, Switzerland, where rainbow-colored smoke confirms that the Eurovision Song Contest is back after an all-too-long 12 months away. Eurovision is catty, competitive and eternally controversial. It's ridiculous, as seasoned fans will attest. It's also full of heart, and a showcase of jaw-plunging talent. And it's long. It's extremely long. Twenty-six countries will compete in a four-hour grand final, one of the defining events on the LGBTQ+ cultural calendar. We couldn't possibly ask you to make sense of it all yourself. So, your intrepid reporter – covering Eurovision for his seventh year – has crafted this utterly subjective ranking of every act taking the stage for the final. And we have help – from none other than last year's winner, Nemo, who won gold for their genre-busting pop-opera 'The Code.' This year's field is absolutely bursting with sex, energy, sex, emotional ballads and sex. 'It's a very horny year,' Nemo notes. 'I love that for all the performers.' Let's get into it. If Imagine Dragons are your idea of edgy rock, you'll find PARG only mildly uncool. PARG (and we're sorry for shouting, but he insists on all-caps) spends most of this performance topless on a treadmill, mostly in color, but sometimes – DRAMATICALLY – in black and white. He is, technically, a very handsome man, but there's something vaguely AI-generated about his whole aesthetic; if a rogue state funded a large language model and tasked Patrick Bateman with its development, PARG would be selected as the purest example of a human adult male. The song's terrible, by the way. Just 33,000 people live in San Marino, so adults fit enough to seductively rotate their hips face high odds of being conscripted. But usually, the nation will look to their Italian neighbors for help. 'We share a lot of art and culture,' Gabry Ponte, an Italian, tells CNN. And ladies and gentlemen, we have a chart-topper in our midst. Remember the infuriatingly addictive 1998 hit 'Blue (Da Ba Dee)?' That was this guy! Ponte, then of Eiffel 65, returns just 27 years later with 'Tutta L'Italia,' which talks – not at all reductively – about 'Spaghetti, wine, Our Father and the Mona Lisa.' I regret to inform you that the Brits, once again, have hope. No amount of merciless rejection can crush it. And here's the good news: The UK has a tendency to select melodically challenged competitors, but these girls can sing. The problem? It's a dreadful song. The staging is inexplicably dull. The change-of-pace chorus grows tiresome fast. Thematically, the whole thing is stuck in 2013, vapidly dissecting a party like the early hangover-pop of Kesha and Katy Perry. But times have changed. Kesha now makes empowered, critically acclaimed art-pop. Perry is a self-proclaimed authority on astrology and astronomy and the stars. This song is a lazy facsimile of a bygone era that doesn't treat Eurovision fans with the respect they deserve. Disaster is looming for Britain; they just don't realize it yet. No election can pass without controversy these days, and Portugal's success in the semi-final left even the most seasoned Eurovision fans nonplussed. This song is perfectly nice – it wouldn't be out of place on your Sunday morning playlist – but there's nothing in the staging that elevates it. 'The foundations of everything have already begun to rot,' Katarsis' vocalist screams. 'Your eyes see pain.' It's brooding. It's a little boring. Katarsis is clearly working through something, and that's great, but if Eurovision is a party, he is the contestant you don't really want to get caught in conversation with. Germany won't win Eurovision, but they do win CNN's coveted award for the competition's worst lyrics. 'I shoot holes into the night; stars fall and bang on my roof,' Abor & Tynna – a brother and sister duo – sing nonsensically. 'Chalk silhouettes on the sidewalk; A crime scene between us, like on 'CSI.'' Musically this is a sneaky banger, but the live performance doesn't elevate it. The biggest headaches facing organizers again revolve around Israel's participation, which is opposed by segments of the fanbase due to its ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza. Yuval Raphael survived the militant group's attack at the Nova music festival on October 7. She'll be singing to an arena in which Palestinian flags will be flying, after a rule change by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU); organizers will be hoping the performance passes without incident. This is the second consecutive Israeli ballad that makes implicit reference to Hamas' attacks, but on a musical level, it's the weaker of the pair. The so-called Big Five – the UK, Spain, Germany, France and Italy – qualify for the final automatically thanks to their financial contributions to the EBU. But if money can buy access, it doesn't guarantee points. Melody's staging is fabulous, and this song is a hot, chaotic mess (complimentary), but it's hard to see either jury or televoter falling for it. Diva down. Futuristic shout-pop pair VÆB bring energy – potentially a bit too much energy – and they'll likely be deployed by producers to shake TV viewers out of a ballad-induced slumber. But that's where their use ends. Nineteen-year-old Kyle Alessandro is an energetic performer. But the lyrics read like they've been put through Google Translate 16 times, which is some achievement, given that he's singing in English. Justyna Steczkowska returns to Eurovision 30 years after first representing Poland, and her performance is bewitching; she dangles above the stage, pulls off a series of demanding moves and even (pretends to) play the violin. But vocally, it's a touch on the screamy side. Two hugely positive trends stand out in this year's Eurovision field: the aforementioned raunchiness and the sheer number of songs sung in and inspired by national languages and cultures. Fewer tracks are in English this year; drab ballads laden with clunky metaphors still exist, but they're harder to find. Instead, we get interesting stuff like this: a six-woman fairy-inspired ethno-pop group melding Latvian folk imagery with an ethereal chant and an impeccably-rehearsed dance routine. It's bold and – full disclosure – it won't work for everyone. But it's exactly what Eurovision should be about. A haunting ballad about the emotional toll of displacement, which needs a few listens to truly appreciate. It's ambitious and personal, and Klavdia's vocals are top drawer. If Claude makes it onto the stage, he's already one-upped last year's Dutch entrant, Joost, who was disqualified moments before the show after an altercation, the details of which remain shrouded in mystery. Bouncing between English and French is a bit of a naked play to the juries, but this chorus is moreish and it's impeccably sung. Ukraine excels at Eurovision like nobody else. This song is bold – it might be the hardest entry to pin down musically. The costumes are pure glam rock, but even camper; the melodies zoom around and never end up quite where you'd expect. An acquired taste, but Nemo likes it: 'One of the most interesting (songs) musically – it's very daring, bold, but beautiful.' 'No stresso, no stresso, no need to be depresso,' Tommy Cash tells us with infuriating frivolity in a gimmicky spectacle that caricatures Italian coffee culture. The song caused a brief diplomatic incident, as Eurovision entries often do, with some in Italy bristling at the lazy stereotypes on show. But Tommy insists that what he's hearing is 'mostly love' and that somewhere around '0.2%' of Italians feel offended (he didn't share his methodology). 'I'm never depresso,' he tells CNN. But he concedes that 'sometimes, you can get stresso.' You won't want to like this song, but you probably will. This song was called 'Kant,' until the EBU – apparently not fans of the German philosopher's theory of transcendental idealism – forced it to change. Gen Z readers will know the slang phrase that Miriana Conte is alluding to anyway, and she lives up to it, strutting the stage in a furious cloud of girlbossery and diving into some impressive, Ariana Grande-esque vocal acrobatics. The arrangement is very 2015, and it's all a touch on the nose, but it mostly works. 'She has this amazing aura,' says Nemo. 'She owns it.' Denmark's long national nightmare is over. The competition's longest absence from the final (they last qualified in 2019) has been snapped by a fabulous, epic, searing ballad that deserves far more love than it's getting. It's good through headphones, but it's much better live. Sweden are Eurovision's perennial powerhouse; this year, they're represented by a Finnish three-piece who took the qualification process in their neighboring country by storm. 'We're gonna sauna, sauna, steam it up,' KAJ sing on a giant sauna set. And it's not an act – these guys really love the sauna. 'It's great for mental health, physical health, it's a great way to meet friends,' Jakob Norrgård tells CNN. 'I'm part of a sauna community,' adds Axel Åhman. 'You meet all kinds of people.' This song is the favorite and it's been endorsed by Finland's president – which is awkward, since the country has its own contestant. It's undeniably catchy, but we can't place it on the same pedestal as previous Swedish victors like ABBA and Loreen. At least it has a serious public health message. 'Everybody's welcome in our sauna. We could stay in there for hours, if it's a competition,' Norrgård says, before his tone shifts deadly serious. 'But you should never compete in the sauna. It's a bad idea.' A bouncy, fun and severely underrated twist on classic. This track from Laura Thorn (titled 'The Doll Turns Up The Sound' in English) is a playful riposte to Luxembourg's own 1965 Eurovision winner, 'Wax doll, rag doll,' retaking the agency that was lacking in the lyrics France Gall delivered six decades ago. It would be a crime if this didn't do well. If Lucio Corsi were representing a less chic nation, we'd assume he'd responded to the Swiss summer by overapplying his sunscreen. But he's Italian, so we're inclined to think his look is a nod to a Pierrot pantomime clown, a la an 'Ashes to Ashes' era David Bowie. Either way, it's a beautiful song (titled 'I Wanted to Be Tough' in English) that plays with themes of masculinity and self-image – and it's Nemo's favorite. 'It's too much under the radar – I don't get why people haven't clocked it yet,' they tell CNN. 'It really touches me.' The devil works hard, but Eurovision's publicists work harder. Per the biography distributed to media members, we learn that Louane 'is considered more than just an artist: She has been called a bridge between the personal and the universal.' Who's called her this? Did it just slip out naturally, after a couple of pints? What does it even mean? What matters is that France have once again found a gem, with a touching ballad dedicated to Louane's late mother. The nation has flirted with Eurovision success with recent entries like 'Voilà,' 'Mon amour,' 'J'ai cherché' and 'Mercy' (we get it, France, you're French). This could top them all. Countries never win back-to-back, which is a shame, because this is stunning. A gentle ballad by a Basel-born star – gorgeously sung and cinematically shot – this will stand out amid its chaotic competitors. 'The core of 'Voyage' is (about) spreading kindness,' Zoë Më tells CNN. 'I really believe in the song.' 'It's so emotionally captivating,' adds Nemo. If the title of Erika Vikman's romp 'Ich Komme' – German for 'I'm coming' – doesn't spell out the themes at play here, she's on hand to explain. 'The song is literally about an orgasm,' Vikman tells CNN. What are they putting in the water in Basel? Power, sexuality, female empowerment and expression are all explored in this randy and rambunctious number. A giant, pyro-spraying microphone hammers the message home. The classically-trained JJ boasts some stunning operatic vocals chords and the song plays to his strengths, climaxing in a truly thrilling cacophony. 'I had a pretty tough year, and I wanted to write about my personal experience with wasted, unreciprocated love,' he tells us. It's the best song at the competition. But here's the rub: Eurovision hates even a whiff of mimicry, and this song is far too similar to 'The Code.' It may still come out on top, but consecutive winners rarely sound this alike. Nemo, for his part, is diplomatic: 'I think it's such a nice thing for Eurovision artists to continue to inspire each other.' An intense bald gentleman and a songstress who looks to have dabbled in a cult or two form Eurovision's unlikeliest pairing. They sing about an oasis – 'There's no ambulance around the street, no one talks to you arrogantly' – clearly oblivious to the British bachelor parties that blight Tirana, Albania's capital. And they must be huge Eurovision fans, right? 'No, not at all,' Beatriçe Gjergji tells CNN. '(It's) not our type of music.' Frankly, their ambivalence is an asset: there is nothing else like this performance on offer, and they're getting deserved buzz from fans as a result. 'If you believe in the type of music you love, maybe something can happen,' Gjergji says.
CNN
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
The good, the bad and the raunchy: Every song at Eurovision, ranked from worst to first
Did you enjoy the papal conclave for its politicking, its gaudy hats and its general focus on peace and love, but think: 'Instead of picking a pope, I wish these cardinals would step into some cheetah-skin body suits and gyrate suggestively on an exercise ball in a debasing appeal for my vote?' We ask you, then, to fix your attention on Basel, Switzerland, where rainbow-colored smoke confirms that the Eurovision Song Contest is back after an all-too-long 12 months away. Eurovision is catty, competitive and eternally controversial. It's ridiculous, as seasoned fans will attest. It's also full of heart, and a showcase of jaw-plunging talent. And it's long. It's extremely long. Twenty-six countries will compete in a four-hour grand final, one of the defining events on the LGBTQ+ cultural calendar. We couldn't possibly ask you to make sense of it all yourself. So, your intrepid reporter – covering Eurovision for his seventh year – has crafted this utterly subjective ranking of every act taking the stage for the final. And we have help – from none other than last year's winner, Nemo, who won gold for their genre-busting pop-opera 'The Code.' This year's field is absolutely bursting with sex, energy, sex, emotional ballads and sex. 'It's a very horny year,' Nemo notes. 'I love that for all the performers.' Let's get into it. If Imagine Dragons are your idea of edgy rock, you'll find PARG only mildly uncool. PARG (and we're sorry for shouting, but he insists on all-caps) spends most of this performance topless on a treadmill, mostly in color, but sometimes – DRAMATICALLY – in black and white. He is, technically, a very handsome man, but there's something vaguely AI-generated about his whole aesthetic; if a rogue state funded a large language model and tasked Patrick Bateman with its development, PARG would be selected as the purest example of a human adult male. The song's terrible, by the way. Just 33,000 people live in San Marino, so adults fit enough to seductively rotate their hips face high odds of being conscripted. But usually, the nation will look to their Italian neighbors for help. 'We share a lot of art and culture,' Gabry Ponte, an Italian, tells CNN. And ladies and gentlemen, we have a chart-topper in our midst. Remember the infuriatingly addictive 1998 hit 'Blue (Da Ba Dee)?' That was this guy! Ponte, then of Eiffel 65, returns just 27 years later with 'Tutta L'Italia,' which talks – not at all reductively – about 'Spaghetti, wine, Our Father and the Mona Lisa.' I regret to inform you that the Brits, once again, have hope. No amount of merciless rejection can crush it. And here's the good news: The UK has a tendency to select melodically challenged competitors, but these girls can sing. The problem? It's a dreadful song. The staging is inexplicably dull. The change-of-pace chorus grows tiresome fast. Thematically, the whole thing is stuck in 2013, vapidly dissecting a party like the early hangover-pop of Kesha and Katy Perry. But times have changed. Kesha now makes empowered, critically acclaimed art-pop. Perry is a self-proclaimed authority on astrology and astronomy and the stars. This song is a lazy facsimile of a bygone era that doesn't treat Eurovision fans with the respect they deserve. Disaster is looming for Britain; they just don't realize it yet. No election can pass without controversy these days, and Portugal's success in the semi-final left even the most seasoned Eurovision fans nonplussed. This song is perfectly nice – it wouldn't be out of place on your Sunday morning playlist – but there's nothing in the staging that elevates it. 'The foundations of everything have already begun to rot,' Katarsis' vocalist screams. 'Your eyes see pain.' It's brooding. It's a little boring. Katarsis is clearly working through something, and that's great, but if Eurovision is a party, he is the contestant you don't really want to get caught in conversation with. Germany won't win Eurovision, but they do win CNN's coveted award for the competition's worst lyrics. 'I shoot holes into the night; stars fall and bang on my roof,' Abor & Tynna – a brother and sister duo – sing nonsensically. 'Chalk silhouettes on the sidewalk; A crime scene between us, like on 'CSI.'' Musically this is a sneaky banger, but the live performance doesn't elevate it. The biggest headaches facing organizers again revolve around Israel's participation, which is opposed by segments of the fanbase due to its ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza. Yuval Raphael survived the militant group's attack at the Nova music festival on October 7. She'll be singing to an arena in which Palestinian flags will be flying, after a rule change by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU); organizers will be hoping the performance passes without incident. This is the second consecutive Israeli ballad that makes implicit reference to Hamas' attacks, but on a musical level, it's the weaker of the pair. The so-called Big Five – the UK, Spain, Germany, France and Italy – qualify for the final automatically thanks to their financial contributions to the EBU. But if money can buy access, it doesn't guarantee points. Melody's staging is fabulous, and this song is a hot, chaotic mess (complimentary), but it's hard to see either jury or televoter falling for it. Diva down. Futuristic shout-pop pair VÆB bring energy – potentially a bit too much energy – and they'll likely be deployed by producers to shake TV viewers out of a ballad-induced slumber. But that's where their use ends. Nineteen-year-old Kyle Alessandro is an energetic performer. But the lyrics read like they've been put through Google Translate 16 times, which is some achievement, given that he's singing in English. Justyna Steczkowska returns to Eurovision 30 years after first representing Poland, and her performance is bewitching; she dangles above the stage, pulls off a series of demanding moves and even (pretends to) play the violin. But vocally, it's a touch on the screamy side. Two hugely positive trends stand out in this year's Eurovision field: the aforementioned raunchiness and the sheer number of songs sung in and inspired by national languages and cultures. Fewer tracks are in English this year; drab ballads laden with clunky metaphors still exist, but they're harder to find. Instead, we get interesting stuff like this: a six-woman fairy-inspired ethno-pop group melding Latvian folk imagery with an ethereal chant and an impeccably-rehearsed dance routine. It's bold and – full disclosure – it won't work for everyone. But it's exactly what Eurovision should be about. A haunting ballad about the emotional toll of displacement, which needs a few listens to truly appreciate. It's ambitious and personal, and Klavdia's vocals are top drawer. If Claude makes it onto the stage, he's already one-upped last year's Dutch entrant, Joost, who was disqualified moments before the show after an altercation, the details of which remain shrouded in mystery. Bouncing between English and French is a bit of a naked play to the juries, but this chorus is moreish and it's impeccably sung. Ukraine excels at Eurovision like nobody else. This song is bold – it might be the hardest entry to pin down musically. The costumes are pure glam rock, but even camper; the melodies zoom around and never end up quite where you'd expect. An acquired taste, but Nemo likes it: 'One of the most interesting (songs) musically – it's very daring, bold, but beautiful.' 'No stresso, no stresso, no need to be depresso,' Tommy Cash tells us with infuriating frivolity in a gimmicky spectacle that caricatures Italian coffee culture. The song caused a brief diplomatic incident, as Eurovision entries often do, with some in Italy bristling at the lazy stereotypes on show. But Tommy insists that what he's hearing is 'mostly love' and that somewhere around '0.2%' of Italians feel offended (he didn't share his methodology). 'I'm never depresso,' he tells CNN. But he concedes that 'sometimes, you can get stresso.' You won't want to like this song, but you probably will. This song was called 'Kant,' until the EBU – apparently not fans of the German philosopher's theory of transcendental idealism – forced it to change. Gen Z readers will know the slang phrase that Miriana Conte is alluding to anyway, and she lives up to it, strutting the stage in a furious cloud of girlbossery and diving into some impressive, Ariana Grande-esque vocal acrobatics. The arrangement is very 2015, and it's all a touch on the nose, but it mostly works. 'She has this amazing aura,' says Nemo. 'She owns it.' Denmark's long national nightmare is over. The competition's longest absence from the final (they last qualified in 2019) has been snapped by a fabulous, epic, searing ballad that deserves far more love than it's getting. It's good through headphones, but it's much better live. Sweden are Eurovision's perennial powerhouse; this year, they're represented by a Finnish three-piece who took the qualification process in their neighboring country by storm. 'We're gonna sauna, sauna, steam it up,' KAJ sing on a giant sauna set. And it's not an act – these guys really love the sauna. 'It's great for mental health, physical health, it's a great way to meet friends,' Jakob Norrgård tells CNN. 'I'm part of a sauna community,' adds Axel Åhman. 'You meet all kinds of people.' This song is the favorite and it's been endorsed by Finland's president – which is awkward, since the country has its own contestant. It's undeniably catchy, but we can't place it on the same pedestal as previous Swedish victors like ABBA and Loreen. At least it has a serious public health message. 'Everybody's welcome in our sauna. We could stay in there for hours, if it's a competition,' Norrgård says, before his tone shifts deadly serious. 'But you should never compete in the sauna. It's a bad idea.' A bouncy, fun and severely underrated twist on classic. This track from Laura Thorn (titled 'The Doll Turns Up The Sound' in English) is a playful riposte to Luxembourg's own 1965 Eurovision winner, 'Wax doll, rag doll,' retaking the agency that was lacking in the lyrics France Gall delivered six decades ago. It would be a crime if this didn't do well. If Lucio Corsi were representing a less chic nation, we'd assume he'd responded to the Swiss summer by overapplying his sunscreen. But he's Italian, so we're inclined to think his look is a nod to a Pierrot pantomime clown, a la an 'Ashes to Ashes' era David Bowie. Either way, it's a beautiful song (titled 'I Wanted to Be Tough' in English) that plays with themes of masculinity and self-image – and it's Nemo's favorite. 'It's too much under the radar – I don't get why people haven't clocked it yet,' they tell CNN. 'It really touches me.' The devil works hard, but Eurovision's publicists work harder. Per the biography distributed to media members, we learn that Louane 'is considered more than just an artist: She has been called a bridge between the personal and the universal.' Who's called her this? Did it just slip out naturally, after a couple of pints? What does it even mean? What matters is that France have once again found a gem, with a touching ballad dedicated to Louane's late mother. The nation has flirted with Eurovision success with recent entries like 'Voilà,' 'Mon amour,' 'J'ai cherché' and 'Mercy' (we get it, France, you're French). This could top them all. Countries never win back-to-back, which is a shame, because this is stunning. A gentle ballad by a Basel-born star – gorgeously sung and cinematically shot – this will stand out amid its chaotic competitors. 'The core of 'Voyage' is (about) spreading kindness,' Zoë Më tells CNN. 'I really believe in the song.' 'It's so emotionally captivating,' adds Nemo. If the title of Erika Vikman's romp 'Ich Komme' – German for 'I'm coming' – doesn't spell out the themes at play here, she's on hand to explain. 'The song is literally about an orgasm,' Vikman tells CNN. What are they putting in the water in Basel? Power, sexuality, female empowerment and expression are all explored in this randy and rambunctious number. A giant, pyro-spraying microphone hammers the message home. The classically-trained JJ boasts some stunning operatic vocals chords and the song plays to his strengths, climaxing in a truly thrilling cacophony. 'I had a pretty tough year, and I wanted to write about my personal experience with wasted, unreciprocated love,' he tells us. It's the best song at the competition. But here's the rub: Eurovision hates even a whiff of mimicry, and this song is far too similar to 'The Code.' It may still come out on top, but consecutive winners rarely sound this alike. Nemo, for his part, is diplomatic: 'I think it's such a nice thing for Eurovision artists to continue to inspire each other.' An intense bald gentleman and a songstress who looks to have dabbled in a cult or two form Eurovision's unlikeliest pairing. They sing about an oasis – 'There's no ambulance around the street, no one talks to you arrogantly' – clearly oblivious to the British bachelor parties that blight Tirana, Albania's capital. And they must be huge Eurovision fans, right? 'No, not at all,' Beatriçe Gjergji tells CNN. '(It's) not our type of music.' Frankly, their ambivalence is an asset: there is nothing else like this performance on offer, and they're getting deserved buzz from fans as a result. 'If you believe in the type of music you love, maybe something can happen,' Gjergji says.
