Minnesota Independent » syttende mai http://minnesotaindependent.com News. Politics. Media. Tue, 17 Apr 2012 20:37:40 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1 ‘Rybak won!’ — in Minneapolis and Moscow http://minnesotaindependent.com/35010/rybak-wins-minneapolis-eurovision http://minnesotaindependent.com/35010/rybak-wins-minneapolis-eurovision#comments Sun, 17 May 2009 17:42:17 +0000 Chris Steller http://minnesotaindependent.com/?p=35010 rybak-norway“Rybak won!” It’s a cry that didn’t emanate far beyond the walls of Minneapolis’ Washburn High School, where on Saturday city DFL delegates endorsed the re-election of Mayor R.T. Rybak. But versions of that cry rang across Europe on…]]> rybak-norway“Rybak won!” It’s a cry that didn’t emanate far beyond the walls of Minneapolis’ Washburn High School, where on Saturday city DFL delegates endorsed the re-election of Mayor R.T. Rybak. But versions of that cry rang across Europe on the same day as the annual Eurovision song contest was won by a young Norwegian fiddler named Alexander Rybak. Videos of both Rybaks after the jump. 

Victory for Rybak the Younger was especially sweet for Norwegians as it came the day before Syttende Mai, Norway’s National Day. (The day was marred by suppression of gay-rights demonstration in Moscow, host city for the Eurovision finals.)

Victory for Rybak the Elder came the day before his departure for China on a trip to raise Minneapolis’ profile for trade and tourism — and possibly to find a place on the other side of the planet where he might hope to be the main man named Rybak.

Here is the performance of “Fairytale” that earned Rybak the Younger the top prize at Eurovision 2009 — a contest that is something like “American Idol” and the Olympics rolled into one:

And here is Rybak the Elder, who sometimes gets tagged as a showboat, onstage in Minneapolis after his endorsement:

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