It’s time to mention the elephant in the room: the fact that Azerbaijan is pretty much your stereotypical oppressive dictatorship with a seriously shoddy human rights record.
While most bloggers have been distracted by the sequins, some journalists and commentators have been trying to draw attention to the fact that a dark shadow hangs over Eurovision this year.
Of course, most of them have been throwing stones at President Ilham Aliyev’s regime from the comfort of their cosy newsrooms in the West – journalists in Azerbaijan itself haven’t been about to get their own stories out there.
According to Human Rights Watch, there are five journalists, one blogger, two human rights advocates and at least 10 opposition protesters currently locked up for political reasons.
And just on Thursday this week, police broke up an opposition rally in Baku and detained dozens of activists protesting against the Government.
Azeri authorities are doing everything they can to use Eurovision as a positive PR campaign for the country.
They’ve built a contest venue – the Baku Crystal Hall – from scratch in under 12 months, although that allegedly involved evicting scores of people who lived in the area.
They’ve also commissioned a new fleet of specially-designed London cabs to ferry visitors around Baku, and they’ve spared no expense in tourism promos and gifts to guests.
And to be fair, reports from those in Baku for Eurovision suggest that ordinary Azeris are delighted to have the world’s biggest singing competition in their country, and they’re doing their utmost to make people feel welcome.
However, that probably can’t be said for Aliyev’s regime.
But aside from the domestic dramas, Azerbaijan also occupies an interesting place internationally.
As I mentioned when I was discussing Norway’s entry, there are simmering tensions between the country and Iran, as well as a long-standing dispute with another neighbour, Armenia.
Both nations are locked in a battle over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, and in 2009 it was alleged that Azeris who voted for Armenia’s Eurovision entry were questioned by secret police and accused of being unpatriotic.
Needless to say, Armenia has refused to participate in Baku this year, citing “security concerns”.
But a controversial host nation isn’t a new phenomenon at Eurovision.
As Europe has expanded and more ex-Soviet states have graced the Eurovision stage, the spotlight has turned on the winning countries.
When Russia held the contest in 2009, there was a brutal crackdown on a gay pride parade through the streets of Moscow.
Ironic, really, when the campest show in the world was happening in a stadium nearby.
And just after Ruslana stormed home to victory in 2004, Ukraine was enveloped in the Orange Revolution and almost couldn’t get its act together to host the event in 2005.
It will be interesting to see what happens if Belarus ever takes home the crown, given that it shares a similarly shady human rights record with Azerbaijan.
But given their recent form, it doesn’t look like we’ll be heading to Minsk any time soon.
So I guess all I’m saying is that, while Eurovision is supposed to bring Europe together through song, it also does a pretty good job of shining a spotlight on some of the continent's less than savoury elements.
I'll be enjoying the show tomorrow night, while also sparing a thought for the people of Azerbaijan who may be suffering behind those dazzling Eurovision smiles.
