Millions will be watching as 26 countries go head to head to be crowned champions of the Eurovision Song Contest this weekend – but not everyone calls themselves a fan. The notoriously weird and wonderful event still divides opinion right down the middle – when it comes to Eurovision, you’re either all in or not. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter We pitched two writers against each other, one who loves Eurovision and one who can’t stand it. So, whose side are you on? Kate Plummer: Why I hate Eurovision What would happen if you brought together all the kinds of musicians who X Factor judges consider passing at the audition stage of the competition - but ultimately decide not to? What would happen if you asked cruise ship singers to come together and belt out hours of 'tunes' that resemble copyright-free hold music at best, or something your 10-year-old niece cooked up on GarageBand at worst? The answer, of course, is the gaudy Eurovision Song Contest, that homage to naffness, that yearly nightmare that we are forced to endure. "But it's fun!" the doltish masses cry. "Look at their outfits," the square-eyed cretins say. Save it. Like most organised fun and forced merriment (see hen dos, school reunions and anything to do with sport), Eurovision is absolutely awful. But unlike hen dos, school reunions and anything to do with sport, there is no escaping the tyrannical grip of its regime. It man spreads over the course of Saturday night telly, it bleeds into every pub, bar and group chat of excitable friends organising their cursed viewing parties. This year, it will even be screened in cinemas. Where is my respite? I didn't even vote for Brexit but surely the yearly congregation of the worst representatives of Europe is a dividend we could have gained from leaving the bloc? The 2023 contest is being held in the UK city of Liverpool this week, building up to the grand final on Saturday. Acts from 37 countries are taking part. So will I be tuning in to see which act has become this year's meme and what 'funny moments' have gone viral on social media? Absolutely not. After all, 66 contests and over 1,600 songs, there's a reason the only Eurovision act anyone can name is Abba... Eurovision is completely naff. Count me out. Harry Fletcher: Why I love Eurovision There aren’t many things that every single member of the family can sit down to watch together and genuinely look forward to. Eurovision is one of them. It’s a big event in our household, with family members spread around the country heading back up north to watch together. Why do we love it? The sheer strangeness is certainly a factor. The likes of Käärijä, representing Finland in 2023 with the bizarre 'Cha Cha Cha', are doing a good job keeping it weird and wonderful. But the sheer quality of the entries is more impressive year on year. The overall standard has increased inexorably and the quality of the songwriting in the strongest entries is always staggering. Crafting a good Eurovision song is an art form, and there are still entries from more than 10 years ago that pop into my head occasionally. Eurovision also has to be the most welcoming, accessible major event in the UK calendar. It’s for absolutely everyone; it’s a comfortable space, completely free of cynicism. With Eurovision, you take away all the nastiness that comes hand in hand with X Factor and other formats that invite people to sing before live audiences. Here, there’s none of the sneering at contestants or gawking at eccentric members of the public. Instead, with Eurovision it’s a celebration, and an invitation to be as weird as you like when representing your country. Eurovision can always be relied on to bring out the best in Twitter, too. When so much of social media is increasingly devoted to negativity and hate, it feels like a throwback to nicer times when it functioned more as a public forum for fans during events like Eurovision. The contest has changed a lot since I started watching around 15 years ago. There was an endearingly cheap feel about the contest back then, but the production values are outstanding these days. It’s far less of a niche interest than it used to be too; with the event coming to the UK this year, it’s attracted more and more attention. More eyes on this wonderfully odd event, which celebrates diversity, gives us genuinely brilliant songs every year and gives us something wholesome to get stuck into on social media can only be a good thing. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

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Andrew Tate is upset he didn’t win a MrBeast competition, and he’s claimed the YouTuber’s latest giveaway is a “lie” and is the work of “Satan”. MrBeast, real name James Stephen Donaldson, announced last month that he’d be giving away his Twitter revenue for a month to the person who could achieve the most likes with their reply to his Tweet. The giveaway was launched on July 14, which was just after Twitter confirmed its revenue-sharing program with verified profiles. “Whoever has the most liked reply to this in 48 hours gets all my Twitter revenue for the next month,” MrBeast posted, prompting a flurry of responses. Tate was one of the people who replied to MrBeast, and he managed to rack up more than 279,000 likes. The controversial influencer originally said he’d give the money to his own charity, Tate Pledge, if he won. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter However, he didn’t win and now he’s pretty unhappy about it. Tate was beaten by French content creator Arkunir, who managed more than 472,000 likes. Arkunir pledged to give the money to an animal protection foundation. Tate didn’t take it well after the winner was announced, claiming that it was a “lie” and thousands of “bots” had faked the result. “They botted a random tweet after I won,” Tate wrote. “They refuse to donate to Islamic countries. Refuse to help innocent children. Refuse to help the world. They only want to push the agendas of Satan.” Alright Andrew, if you say so. Tate, along with his brother Tristan and two other associates, has been charged in Romania with rape, human trafficking and forming an organised crime group. It comes after Tate attempted to troll Amanda Holden but everyone pointed out his hypocrisy. The bizarre crossover unfolded after Holden posted a photo of herself wearing a black bikini and standing under an outdoor shower. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Visitors lined up Saturday to tour the southern New Mexico site where the world’s first atomic bomb was detonated

From the record-breaking Eras Tour to the re-recording release, it has been an exciting year to be a Taylor Swift fan - and now Swifties set sail on a themed cruise next year all about the singer. The aptly named "In My Cruise Era," trip from travel agency Marvellous Mouse Travels promises an unforgettable celebration of "all things Taylor," where fellow Swifties can "make new friends, dress up in our favourite eras, trade friendship bracelets, and enjoy everything this amazing ship has to offer." It added: "This cruise is for all fans, so bring your besties, your moms and dads, your baby fans, and if you need someone to room with, post on our page and ask.” (The cruise is not affiliated with Swift nor Taylor Alison Swift Rights Management Publishing (TASRM)). The five-night cruise sets sail on Oct 21, 2024 from Miami, Florida to Coco Cay — a private island owned by Royal Caribbean, Nassau in the Bahamas, then there's a day at sea as the cruise ship returns to Miami. Some of the events on the trip include a welcome cocktail party, friendship bracelet swapping (a tradition that began among Swifties at Eras Tour shows), themed dance and karaoke parties, Taylor Trivia and eras outfit themes for each night. A place onboard is pricey as the double occupancy rooms that remain available start at $1573 while an Oceanview will set you back $1967 (but this includes the room itself along with the refreshments and activities in the price). For more details, check out the website. How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

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