Dustin in a flap as turkey is culled early
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Wednesday May 21 2008
DUSTIN the Turkey may have been lost in translation, as he simply failed to make the cut on the Eurovision stage.
The feathered performer set a new standard for the weird and wonderful world of Eurovision last night when he exploded on stage in a burst of green, white and gold.
Propped up in a jazzed-up shopping trolley and surrounded by a flock of dancers, the feathered puppet outdid some of the most outlandish acts ever seen in the annual contest -- and that's saying something.
Gold
Alas, Dustin failed to gain enough votes with 'Irelande Douze Pointe' to make it into the top 10, and was surpassed by Greece, Romania, Bosnia Herzegovina, Finland, Russia, Israel, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Poland and Norway.
Glittering in gold and wearing enough plumage to stuff an eiderdown, backing singers Kathleen Burke and Anne Harrington all but stole the show from the boisterous turkey.
And while his rap routine might have been lost on the international audience, the quips referring to Eurovision veterans Terry Wogan and Johnny Logan's gig will not have escaped Irish viewers.
After his show-stopping performance, the unflappable Dustin appealed to his fans "all over the world" not to resort to street riots after he failed to make the cut during the Eurovision semi-finals.
The talkative bird admitted he was "disappointed" but would accept the voters' decision.
But he warned that Europe would have "yet again lost a real opportunity to have a truly inspirational leader... for all of Europe from France to Serbia, Finland and Canada".
"I urge my fans across Europe to be dignified in defeat. I do not want street riots as I'm a peace-loving bird," he said.
A place in the final would have been a victory for art, beauty, poetry but most of all, for his bank account, he declared. The final takes place on May 24.
- Grainne Cunningham and Louise Hogan
